I Lost Fengtian County City

Zhang Yuan, surrounded and attacked by war riders, did not know that the Crimson Scale Iron Cavalry had arrived.

Even if he had known, he could not possibly have let himself be distracted, much less retreated.

Saber in hand, auxiliary combat activated, he charged head-on into the war riders rushing at him.

Layered Greenery of Yue Peaks met the descending curved saber, then followed through with a diagonal slash at the war rider to his left.

Flying Waterfalls and Flowing Springs slammed head-on into the charging rider, severing the spear in the cavalryman's hand.

Tsunami Mountain Collapse cleaved through the surrounding war riders. Advancing another zhang, he saw Ouyang Xu seated atop his war mount.

It was not just saber techniques.

Zhang Yuan pressed forward, shifting from the Mountain Yue Saber Technique to the Cape Saber Technique, then to the Mountain Yue Fist Technique and Ironclad Fist.

At first, his transitions were still rather stiff.

But after advancing ten zhang, when only eight war riders remained before him, he could already switch freely between fist and saber techniques, while his saber moves were no longer confined to their original forms.

"Great Qin Warrior Zhang Yuan is here! Who dares kill me—"

Dragging his saber behind him, Zhang Yuan threw back his head and roared.

The eight surrounding riders charged toward him. Curved sabers and long spears worked in concert, sealing off every path ahead of Zhang Yuan.

A Half-step Xiantian Realm martial artist who could fight twenty elite war riders and kill more than half of them had every right to be proud.

Each of these war riders possessed the ability to take on seven or eight infantrymen alone. The strength of twenty war riders could easily smash through a hundred armored soldiers.

Zhang Yuan knew that he had reached his limit.

The injuries to his chest, abdomen, and organs had not healed, while the strength in his arms was fading.

Even if his body could still endure, the power of his divine soul had already reached its limit.

His cultivation had risen too quickly; the power he wielded had surpassed what he could control.

Every slash he made was with all his strength.

If he had truly reached the Xiantian Realm, he could have easily swept aside the enemies before him.

His gaze fell upon Ouyang Xu.

He deflected the descending curved saber with the edge of his own blade.

He knocked aside the thrusting spear with his long saber.

As he stepped forward, every last bit of qi and blood within Zhang Yuan was roused.

At that moment, it was as though he carried a mountain upon his back as he advanced.

"Kill—"

With one step, he kicked the war rider before him squarely atop the head. Zhang Yuan's body shot three zhang into the air, his long saber raised high.

This slash was Splitting Peaks and Cleaving Mountains from the Mountain Yue Saber Technique.

This slash was Wind-Sweeping Slash from the Cape Saber Technique.

This slash was like a fist.

This slash no longer had any specific form. It was merely Zhang Yuan cutting as his heart willed.

Yet the instant this slash descended, all the true essence and power of qi and blood in his body poured into the blade. Behind him, the shadow of a mountain seemed to follow.

"Young Commander, watch out—"

The two Xiantian Realm experts shouted in low voices, raising their saber and spear to meet Zhang Yuan's attack.

Boom—

Zhang Yuan's saber struck the overlapping saber and spear before him, and his body crashed uncontrollably to the ground.

The two Xiantian Realm experts blocking his path also staggered backward, their footing unsteady.

"This saber technique—"

"An artistic conception? Impossible..."

The two stared at Zhang Yuan before them in horror.

A Half-step Xiantian had actually forced back two Xiantian Realm experts with a single strike.

Supporting himself with his saber, Zhang Yuan spat blood from his mouth.

Only by relying on the saber in his hand could he barely keep from falling.

"We people of Great Qin, as long as we still have sabers in our hands and breath in our mouths, will never fall."

"Live standing."

"Die standing..."

Zhang Yuan raised his head, a fierce, exhilarated smile appearing on his face.

Ouyang Xu gave a low shout and rode forward at full speed, the spear in his hand aimed at Zhang Yuan's throat.

Clear, gleaming light flickered along the crescent-shaped branch beneath the spearhead.

Xiantian Realm—true essence infused into the spear's edge.

This was Ouyang Xu's strongest strike. Killing Zhang Yuan with this blow was the greatest respect he could offer him.

Zhang Yuan stared intently at the spearhead thrusting toward him.

He did not close his eyes.

A phantom image surfaced in his mind.

Break the spear with the saber.

Even if he no longer had the strength to block this spear, he could still break it within his mind.

Wrapped in howling wind and radiating icy cold, the long spear stabbed toward Zhang Yuan's throat.

Clang—

Bang—

The first clash of metal came from a long arrow striking the small branch on Ouyang Xu's spearhead, forcing the spear downward. It tore a bloody gash across Zhang Yuan's shoulder before grazing past him.

The second thunderous sound was the vibration of a bowstring.

A five-stone hard bow, the Strength of Three Bulls!

Whoosh—

A shrill whistle sounded. Ouyang Xu, galloping on horseback, raised his hand and swept down an arrow with his spear.

"Cloud-Piercing Arrow. So Bai Shaoting of the Crimson Scale, Bai Yu, has arrived."

Ouyang Xu held his spear crosswise and looked toward the figure atop Fengtian County City's wall, holding a longbow with an arrow nocked and unmoving.

Zhang Yuan slowly turned his head. Seeing the crimson-armored figure atop the city wall, he grinned and raised a hand to point at the great banner snapping in the wind above the wall.

The archer atop the wall turned to look at that banner, nodded, and called out, "The Great Qin city you defended has not been lost."

He raised his longbow, his arrow aimed at Ouyang Xu. "Young Commander Ouyang, since you have seen me, Bai Shaoting, you should know that you can no longer take Fengtian County City."

"Withdraw your troops."

The several Xiantian Realm generals of the Yan Army looked nervously toward Ouyang Xu.

Among the hundred thousand Crimson Scale Army soldiers facing off against Yan State, there were four renowned commanders: Black Bear, Bai Yu, Azure Wolf, and Yellow Lion.

Not only were these four Crimson Scale Army commanders masters themselves, but the troops under their command were elite as well.

The eight thousand Crimson Scale Iron Cavalry led by Bai Yu could raid a thousand li, charge in formation, and remain unstoppable even before ten thousand troops.

Now that Bai Yu had arrived, the Crimson Scale Iron Cavalry must have arrived as well.

The twenty thousand Yan Army soldiers besieging Fengtian County City had suffered more than half their number in casualties over the past three months. Of those remaining, no more than eight thousand could still fight.

Those eight thousand soldiers could not stop eight thousand Crimson Scale Iron Cavalry.

"Withdraw?"

Ouyang Xu angled his spear toward Zhang Yuan, who stood with saber in hand.

"He killed my younger brother, Ouyang Ming. I must take his head back to report."

His spear pointed toward the weathered city wall ahead, battle intent surging in Ouyang Xu's eyes. "My Western Suppression Army wants this city."

Atop the city wall, Bai Shaoting slowly drew his bow to a full moon.

Not far away, crimson war riders came thundering in, trailing dust like a surging flood.

Ouyang Xu pointed his spear forward, his eyes fixed on the city wall, his body utterly motionless.

"Fine."

A voice came from the city wall.

A young man in his thirties, dressed in a moon-white robe, walked to Bai Shaoting's side and raised a hand to press down the bow in his grasp.

"You can have this city."

"But you cannot kill him."

The white-robed young man pointed at Zhang Yuan, his expression calm.

"Three days from now, Ouyang Ming will be delivered to you whole and unharmed."

The swaying carriage rocked as Zhang Yuan lay within it, eyes open as he stared at the sunlight spilling down from above. His face was numb, carrying a hint of dazed dullness.

"Every meridian is shattered, with more than thirty injuries large and small across your body." The white-robed young man held a book in his hand and looked at Zhang Yuan. "If we had not come, you would already be dead."

Zhang Yuan said nothing. Bai Shaoting, seated across from him, said nothing either.

The white-robed young man's expression darkened. Closing the book, he looked at Zhang Yuan and said bitterly, "Fighting to the death in that situation was nothing but the courage of a reckless fool."

"Not an inch of Great Qin's territory can be lost." Lying there, Zhang Yuan kept his eyes from looking at him and murmured softly.

"That is all written by scholars like us to fool the common people." The white-robed young man clenched the book in his hand. "Great Qin lost the Nine Provinces, lost the Northern Border Great Wall, lost—"

"Great Qin has not lost the backbone of our human race." Zhang Yuan turned his head and stared at the white-robed young man. "I lost Fengtian County City."

"It was not you who lost it." Bai Shaoting reached out and patted Zhang Yuan's shoulder. "Nor was it Yu Lin."

Looking up at the white-robed young man across from him, Bai Shaoting said softly, "Fengtian County City was meant to be given away long ago."

"Hmph. You crude martial men know only the courage of qi and blood. What use is charging and fighting?" Anger appeared on the white-robed young man's face as he growled through clenched teeth.

"Five cities fell in succession in the northwest, yet one city was handed over in the west. Do you still not understand?"

"This Fengtian County City was given to Ouyang Shucai."

"As long as he becomes a Grandmaster and leads the Western Suppression Army to surrender to Great Qin, we can split Northern Yan's half of the realm without shedding a drop of blood."

"You fools who know only how to fight—if you had truly killed Ouyang Ming, then Teacher's three years of planning would all have gone down the drain—"

"Han Xiao, stop talking." Bai Shaoting cut off the white-robed young man.

"Why should I stop? Do you know how much effort went into this plan? We almost—" Before the white-robed young man could finish, he lowered his head and looked at Zhang Yuan, who had already fallen asleep.

"This young master has not finished speaking yet. You are not allowed to sleep!"

Though he said that, he slowly leaned back against the carriage, his eyes filled with desolation.

"If a thousand Crimson Scale war riders had accompanied us this time, I, Bai Shaoting, would never have handed Fengtian County City over with my own hands." Leaning against the carriage, Bai Shaoting clenched his fists and spoke through gritted teeth, his eyes reddening.

The white-robed young man opened his mouth, then viciously slapped himself across the face.

"My Great Qin has never abandoned its territory."

"I, Han Xiao, personally handed over an entire city."

"That was a city defended by three thousand soldiers sacrificing their lives..."

Tears rolled down his face.

As Zhang Yuan lay there, tears slid from the corners of his eyes.