Xu Yan looked at the ruined shops and immediately felt a pang of heartache. Quite a few of them belonged to the Xu Family!
I was too impulsive! I shouldn't have started fighting in the city. My family has so many shops—destroying even one would be a considerable loss.
Injuring innocent people would be even worse.
Master said that martial dao isn't about slaughter. Since I have the ability to control myself, I shouldn't cause needless casualties!
The more Xu Yan thought about it, the more he felt that he had been too impulsive just now. He should have gone straight outside the city to fight.
As for capturing Jiang Pingshan, Xu Yan had never intended to do that. He had come to display his strength and give that old bastard the Qi Emperor a shock.
One man defeating the Divine Might Army, which he regarded as the army that guarded the kingdom—this shock should be big enough, right?
From behind the Divine Might Army came a somewhat trembling voice. "Fine! We'll fight again outside the city!"
Jiang Pingshan's voice trembled. He found it impossible to believe that someone could possess such terrifying strength—he had actually defeated the Divine Might Army's charge all by himself!
And this person had originally had the chance to become his son-in-law!
At that moment, a scene from that day involuntarily surfaced in his mind, along with Xu Yan's sonorous declaration: "...One day, I'll make you regret it beyond measure and realize you're not worthy of reaching for me!"
Now, it seemed that his own daughter truly would be unable to reach him!
But Jiang Pingshan did not believe that Xu Yan alone could stand against the Divine Might Army!
The Divine Might Army could not maneuver freely on the streets inside the city. Outside the city, however, things would be different.
That was where the Divine Might Army truly belonged—the real battlefield.
This time, to completely annihilate the Tianmu Cult and, as a side benefit, build prestige for the First Prince, the Qi Emperor had dispatched ten thousand soldiers of the Divine Might Army for Jiang Pingshan to command.
Ten thousand soldiers of the Divine Might Army—how could a mere single person of flesh and blood possibly stand against them?
"Withdraw! Go assemble outside the city!"
Jiang Pingshan calmed his trembling heart and issued the order.
The Divine Might Army began to retreat. Even when facing an opponent who possessed inhuman strength like Xu Yan, the soldiers of the Divine Might Army still showed not the slightest intention of retreating.
As the Divine Might Army withdrew from the commandery city, the citizens confined to their homes also streamed out into the streets, spreading the news among one another, their faces filled with shock.
The richest man's fool of a son was going to challenge the Divine Might Army alone?
Even more astonishing to the prominent figures in the commandery city was the fact that Xu Junhe's son had actually cultivated such peerless strength.
Where had he found a Reclusive Master?
"Quick, to the city wall!"
"Let's go, hurry! This battle will decide the heavens of Donghe Commandery—and even of Qi Kingdom!"
The many major figures of the commandery city surged toward the city wall under the protection of their retainers and household guards.
"Let's go to the city wall too!"
Xu Junhe spoke in a deep voice.
"Master, Madam, please!"
A household guard brought over a carriage.
Xu Junhe took his wife's hand and entered the carriage. The household guards surrounded it protectively as they headed toward the city gate.
"Director Xu, does your son have any chance of winning?"
A voice rang out. Xu Junhe looked up through the carriage window and saw that Kou Ruozhi and a group of Tianmu Cult experts had already followed them, heading to the city wall to watch the battle.
"Yan'er never fights a battle he has no confidence in."
Xu Junhe replied calmly.
"Kou naturally believes in the might of the Great Sage Heavenly Duke."
Kou Ruozhi laughed heartily.
"Director Xu, about that matter of cooperation..."
Kou Ruozhi's face was full of anticipation.
"We'll discuss it after the battle."
Xu Junhe gave him a perfunctory reply.
The group soon reached the top of the city wall.
Outside the city, the Divine Might Army was fully armed. The soldiers wore heavy armor and carried long spears, with long sabers hanging at their waists. Even the horses beneath them were clad in armor.
"So this is the Divine Might Army? With a Divine Might Army this powerful, how could one man possibly stand against it?"
The many prominent figures on the city wall, along with the citizens who had streamed up, were all shaken by the Divine Might Army's imposing grandeur.
No wonder it was the army that guarded Qi Kingdom!
"Husband, will Yan'er be all right?"
Madam Xu looked at the imposing and extraordinary Divine Might Army outside the city and could not help growing worried.
"Since Yan'er dares to fight, he must have confidence. Madam, please rest assured!"
Xu Junhe was also terribly tense inside, but he deliberately maintained a calm expression as he comforted her.
Apothecary Pan and the other Xu Family guards surrounded Xu Junhe and his wife, guarding against any attacks that might occur.
Kou Ruozhi and the others stood in an outer circle, vigilantly watching their surroundings and guarding against anyone attacking Xu Junhe and his wife.
At this moment, Kou Ruozhi actually hoped someone would come and attack Xu Junhe and his wife. Only then would the Tianmu Cult have a chance to step in and save them.
That way, Xu Yan would owe them a favor.
As for staging the whole thing themselves, Kou Ruozhi and the others did not have the nerve. Once they were exposed, they would have to withstand Xu Yan's thunderous fury.
The Tianmu Cult could not bear that.
The prominent figures in the commandery city all silently watched Xu Junhe, waiting for the battle's outcome. The moment Xu Yan won, they would have to go and cultivate a relationship with Xu Junhe.
Xu Yan was visibly excited, his eyes blazing with Battle Intent. Looking at the Divine Might Army surrounding him, his Vital Energy surged, and the faint sound of raging waves seemed to rush through his body.
His Vital Energy circulated as he built up the Dragon Subduing Palm, ready to strike.
Ever since he had entered the martial dao, he could finally unleash himself to his heart's content.
Although these soldiers are wearing heavy armor, they won't be able to withstand my palm force. I'll hold back a little. I mustn't kill them all.
I'm not a butcher.
Besides, I think this is an opportunity—a chance to hone my control over my Vital Energy and improve my ability to wield the Dragon Subduing Palm as I please.
Xu Yan thought this to himself. Then he glared with both eyes and said, "Come on! Let me show you what a true martial dao powerhouse is!"
His voice boomed like thunder across the battlefield and into the ears of the crowd watching outside the city.
"Attack!"
Jiang Pingshan sat atop his horse. After taking a deep breath, he pointed his long spear forward and shouted.
Rumble!
The Divine Might Army launched its attack. Long spears rose, warhorses galloped, and like a raging flood, they charged toward Xu Yan from every direction!
The long spears flashed with cold light beneath the sun. Row upon row of them thrust toward Xu Yan in a charge without any blind spot.
Faced with this charge, unless Xu Yan leaped into the air and flew over the army, he would have to withstand its full force head-on.
How could a single person resist such a terrifying charge?
How could a body of flesh and blood possibly block it?
"Gasp! The richest man's fool of a son really is an idiot. How is he supposed to stop that?"
"He's dead!"
The spectators on the city wall could not help exclaiming as they watched the scene. The richest man's fool of a son really was an idiot.
The prominent figures in the commandery city had the same thought.
Xu Yan was immensely powerful and possessed inhuman strength, yet he had chosen to fight the Divine Might Army from within its encirclement, where there was nowhere to avoid or hide. How could one man withstand the charge of a great army?
He really was an idiot!
"Good! Bring it on!"
Xu Yan let out a great roar and thrust both palms forward. Two crimson dragons burst forth with a thunderous boom.
Immediately afterward, Xu Yan's palms flew and turned. One crimson dragon after another blasted outward without pause. In the blink of an eye, countless dragons coiled and surged toward every direction.
Xu Yan advanced step by step. As the power of the Dragon Subduing Palm rose and fell, the crimson dragons dove, swept sideways, coiled, and charged straight ahead... With palm after palm, his use of the Dragon Subduing Palm grew increasingly refined.
The palm force surged with unmatched ferocity, yet he could unleash and retract it freely, shifting between strength and weakness as he pleased.
The formula of the Dragon Subduing Palm surfaced in Xu Yan's mind: "A dragon possesses divine abilities and changes according to circumstances... So that's how it is. My understanding has deepened!"
At this moment, the Dragon Subduing Palm entered the minor mastery stage. The dragon-shaped palm force he struck out now faintly carried an air of being "alive."
Rumble!
A much thicker giant dragon burst forth. Centered on Xu Yan, it coiled around the entire battlefield, its tail sweeping across the field like a long whip!
The spectators on the city wall were utterly dumbstruck.
They saw Xu Yan strike out one giant dragon after another. The charging Divine Might Army was swept from its horses along with their mounts, and the great army that had surged forward like a flood was collapsing.
Row after row from every direction either fell to the ground or was hurled through the air.
One man swept away ten thousand troops!
At this moment, the citizens of the commandery city had only one thought in their minds!
The person who was an idiot... was actually me!
Just a note: the author's account can't reply to book reviews o(╥﹏╥)o;
I still make time every day to browse the book reviews. Today, I saw that the name of a certain realm in one review happened to be identical to the name of a realm in the setting. Emm~~
Before you continue