The Surprise Attack (Double Chapter)

After Ran Qingmo left, the battle began.

No, this scale is practically a war.

A war between humans and Demon Beast.

Regardless of his past or present life, this was the first time Xu Yuan had ever witnessed a scene of war.

Numerous Demon Beast surged forth from all directions of the mist, emitting deafening roars. The shouts of the soldiers and officers arrayed outside the city to meet the enemy echoed across the city walls, where the sounds of bowstrings being drawn resounded.

An hour was ultimately too short. Even with the three walls of the city open and the Shengshan Border Army evacuating the refugees, many refugees were still stranded outside the city.

Even more deadly is that, in addition to the various ferocious Demon Beast on the ground, a massive number of flying Demon Beast also burst forth from the mist.

Fortunately, the Shengshan Border Army have plenty of experience dealing with Demon Beast tides, at least the frontline officers are very experienced in this regard.

They did not form a large military formation to confront the monstrous tide of Demon Beast head-on.

The six thousand Shengshan Border Army, arrayed outside the city, formed more than a hundred small military formations in units of fifty men each. The formations were connected to each other with gaps between them. The low-intelligence Demon Beast rushed into the formations, and in the instant of close combat, more than a hundred Demon Beast were killed!

The Shengshan Border Army on the city walls were not idle either, operating various large defensive siege weapons.

The specially designed crossbows, engraved with array patterns, fired an arrow that instantly sent sand and stones flying, piercing through the chests of more than a dozen enormous Demon Beast as easily as tofu!

The catapult-launched explosive canisters shattered amidst the horde of Demon Beast, splattering chunks of blood and flesh.

However, there were too many Demon Beast, and many of Demon Beast possessed ranged attack capabilities.

Acid, fireballs, and water bombs rained down on the enemy formations of the Shengshan Border Army like a barrage of bullets.

Soon, the first casualties of the Shengshan Border Army appeared, followed by the second and third.

Standing at the edge of the formation, Xu Yuan frowned and silently watched everything that was happening before him.

This is a war belonging to the extraordinary world.

He felt his own insignificance on the battlefield.

In a war of this scale, how many demonic Demon Beast could a third-rank expert kill?

Two hundred, three hundred, or four hundred?

Even if they exhausted Source Qi, they might not be able to kill more than five hundred.

Xu Yuan's gaze was fixed on the distant herds of Demon Beast possessing ranged attack capabilities.

Acid, fireballs, and stray arrows pose little threat to a third-rank expert under normal circumstances, as they can easily dodge, weave, or use combat techniques to defend themselves. However, the battlefield is too chaotic, and once trapped in a horde of demons, it is difficult to escape. At this time, these various ranged attacks, like stray arrows, become deadly weapons.

On the human side, it's much simpler: trap them in the enemy formation, unable to escape, and unleash a barrage of crossbows and chariots engraved with array patterns. Even Grandmaster of the Third Rank would perish on the spot.

In a battlefield of this caliber, perhaps only a second-grade or even first-grade Dao Domain expert could truly influence the outcome.

But the war at hand is only a small part of the 100,000-mile border defense line of the Wanxing Mountain Range.

Most of the soldiers in the Shengshan Border Army were only at the eighth or ninth rank, and many were even just newly initiated martial apprentices. The Demon Beast beasts were just a bunch of low-intelligence cannon fodder, and there wasn't even a decent Demon Race commander.

During the Spring Tide War at the most important passes of the Wanxing Mountain Range, one could even see the existence of giant Demon Race war beasts, at least ten times larger than what is currently in front of us.

And the war currently taking place in the Northern Border of the Great Yan is even more so.

According to the report from the Prime Minister's Estate

The 30,000 Wu Yuan Yulin Army that Princess Wu Yuan led to the Northern Border were all elite soldiers with sixth-rank Iron Body and hundreds of thousands of battle experience, while the Barbarian Tribe had an army of hundreds of thousands.

What would the scale of a war involving hundreds of thousands of elite troops be like?

In such a war, what role could a saintly being play?

Everything on the battlefield was suffocating; the battle Shengshan Border Army and the Demon Beast continued.

Death became the only sound within the formation at this moment.

Gradually, as casualties increased, under the command of Colonel Wang, the army began to retreat little by little towards the city wall.

All the refugees outside the city have been forcibly evacuated into the barbican. Some may die from stampedes, but the military situation is urgent and there is no time to worry about that.

The Shengshan Border Army cannot afford to suffer too many casualties outside the city, otherwise they will be at a severe disadvantage in the subsequent defense of the city.

Upon seeing this, Xu Yuan silently calculated the time, took a deep breath, and held the Clear Speech Sword, which Feng Jiuxuan had given him, to his side.

Void-Stepping Slash.

With the soul power of the Saint's Remnant Soul empowered, Xu Yuan silently teleported out of the Illusion Mist Array.

The world outside the formation was quiet.

The moment they emerged from the Illusion Mist Array, the shouts of the border troops, the roars of the Demon Beast, and the buzzing of the City Protection Array all vanished, replaced by an unsettling silence.

The sky was cloudless, and the bright moonlight poured down for miles, gilding the edges of vast forests where tender buds were just sprouting. Thick fog rose like a high wall along the edge of the forest.

It couldn't be seen clearly inside the formation, but it was only after exiting the foggy formation that I could see clearly that it did not appear in the shape of a square "", but in the shape of a "plate".

On the side bordering the Wanxing Mountain Range, a long distance stretched out on both sides, where scattered groups of Demon Beast could be seen constantly rushing into the Illusion Mist Array.

The battle within the camp continues, while the fighting outside the camp has already begun.

Even without borrowing the soul power of the Saint's Remnant Soul, Xu Yuan could still sense waves of icy Source Qi constantly vibrating on the other side of the Illusion Mist Array.

The experts from the Myriad Wanxiang Sect outside the formation attacked Ran Qingmo.

Xu Yuan wasn't too surprised to see this, and silently asked himself:

"Old Man Luo, how many people are there on the other side?"

The Saint's Remnant Soul sensed this slightly and chuckled softly, saying:

"Three Grandmaster of the Third Rank"

"Three third-rank officials?"

Xu Yuan murmured, his tone laced with sarcasm. "No wonder they chose to intercept and kill us. The Wanxiang Sect certainly has a grand scheme."

For the Prime Minister's Estate's Mansion, which has a presence in most of the Great Yan, secretly cultivating three unknown Rank 3 Grandmaster is no easy task. This time, the Wanxiang Sect has probably spared no expense.

After a pause, Xu Yuan continued to ask:

"There shouldn't be any problems with Ran Qingmo for now, right?"

The voice of the Saint's Remnant Soul was very relaxed:

"Don't worry, Ran is stronger than you think. She's currently dominating three opponents."

Xu Yuan felt slightly relieved upon hearing this and whispered:

"That's good, Old Man Luo, let's hurry and find the control array point."

Their plan was simple.

With a Rank 3 Grandmaster guarding the array point, even if Xu Yuan and Ran Qingmo manage to kill him through a battle, they likely won't be able to stop him from destroying the array point. However, once the Rank 3 Grandmaster is lured out, with the support of a Saint's soul power, Xu Yuan is confident that he can instantly kill the low-level cultivators left inside the array point the moment he finds it, and control the array to protect Shengshan County.

Therefore, when the Shengshan Border Army attacked the Illusion Mist Array, Ran Qingmo escaped alone first, luring the Wanxiang Sect's guards left behind to intercept and kill her.

If the Wanxiang Sect is well-prepared, they would absolutely not let a single Rank Grandmaster escape.

After all, this was a conspiracy they were gambling with the fate of the nation.

If they can surround and kill without leaving any survivors, they will definitely take action to surround and kill.

Thanks to the Void-Stepping Slash, Xu Yuan can go into battle without the help of the Shengshan Border Army.

While Ran Qingmo was entangled in a battle with the experts of the Wanxiang Sect, Xu Yuan could sneak over to find the array point. Even if he couldn't find the control point, he could still sneak over and deliver a powerful blow to the three Grandmaster of the Myriad Wanxiang Sect.

With the Void-Stepping Slash in hand, no one understands sneak attacks better than him.

Everything went smoothly.

Even when facing three Grandmaster experts, the Big Ice Block still methodically led the battle deeper into the mountains.

After waiting quietly for a while, Xu Yuan moved, searching along the edge of the Illusion Mist Array for possible control points.

The speed was neither too fast nor too slow. With the Saint's Remnant Soul using its soul power to suppress the fluctuations of the Source Qi, Xu Yuan was not worried that the three Grandmaster who were engaged in fierce battle over there would be able to discover him.

Everything has Source Qi fluctuations, and there must be a connection between the control array points and the Illusion Mist Array. It shouldn't be too difficult to find this faint Source Qi connection through the powerful soul force of the Saint's Remnant Soul.

However, things did not go as smoothly as Xu Yuan had hoped.

There are none in the west, north, east, or south of Shengshan County.

In a span of two quarters of an hour, Xu Yuan circled the entire Illusion Mist Array but failed to find anything that appeared to be a control point.

Returning to the starting point, Xu Yuan stared at the towering wall of mist, his brows furrowed deeply.

"Old Man Luo, could the control points be located inside this Illusion Mist Array?"

The Saint's Remnant Soul remained silent for a moment upon hearing this, then whispered:

"That depends on what your sister's basic array diagram looks like. If your sister didn't design control points within the array, then it's basically impossible for you to be inside."

"What do you mean?" Xu Yuan asked immediately.

The Saint's Remnant Soul considered his words carefully and said in a low voice:

"The formation is a complex thing where a single move affects the whole situation. The overall structure, the intricate array patterns of the Source Qi circulation, the materials used, and so on—if any step deviates even slightly, the result may be completely different."

"Your sister activated and verified this Illusion Mist Array before she left, which means that most of the procedures have been completed. At this point, adding anything to the array would be no less of a project than rebuilding it. Therefore, if the basic array diagram is missing, the control array point secretly established by the Wanxiang Sect must be outside the array."

Xu Yuan recalled his memories of his sworn sister and shook his head:

"Xu Xinyao shouldn't be that stupid."

After saying that, Xu Yuan sighed and then asked:

"If we go around again, do you think we can find the control point?"

"Oh."

The Saint's Remnant Soul chuckled softly, "Young Xu, you can't find it even after walking around once, or even after walking around a hundred times. This is a scheme that could destroy an entire sect. The Myriad Wanxiang Sect has been planning this for who knows how long, and you think you can break the plan after coming up with it in a few minutes?"

Xu Yuan remained silent for a few moments after hearing this, his heart filled with complex emotions, and then whispered:

"Since that's the case, let's not waste any more time. Let's go help Ran Qingmo; maybe we can capture him alive and interrogate him. Hmm, I'll handle it; you just need to help me gather the Source Qi."

The Saint's Remnant Soul raised an eyebrow:

Are you sure you don't want me to take action?

"Although I don't have the memories of the illusion, many things are etched into my body."

Xu Yuan shook his head and laughed, "In the illusion, I've been a second-grade Origin Beginning decade. A sneak attack is nothing to brag about."

The Saint's Remnant Soul hesitated slightly, but still said nothing:

"Just keep that in mind, kid."

After saying that, Xu Yuan chased after Ran Qingmo's fighting trail through the mountains and forests.

"Boom---"

A deafening roar echoed through the mountains, and as the smoke and dust dissipated, the ice crystal shield within was revealed.

Within the shield, a slender figure in black, carrying Ink Sword, coldly observed the three people around her.

Two men and one woman.

An elderly man, a burly man, and a slightly plump woman.

Seeing his attack blocked, the burly man retreated rapidly while hissing at the old man:

"Number One, this girl's Cultivation Method is strange!"

"You have to say it!"

The old man replied in a low voice, looking somewhat disheveled.

A sword wound nearly severed his frail body at the waist, and the ice crystals spreading from the wound almost froze half of his body. If it weren't for the cover provided by his two companions, he would probably already be a victim of the woman's sword.

Thinking,

The old man's vital Source Qi surged violently, and the ice crystals covering his body shattered instantly. He whispered:

"This girl is clearly that old man's precious disciple from the Tianyuan Sword Sect!"

The slightly plump woman's pupils contracted slightly upon hearing this:

"Ran Qingmo?! A sixteen-year-old Grandmaster like Xu Changge?"

The burly man's eye twitched involuntarily upon hearing this, and he transmitted his voice:

"Why don't we let this woman go? She has no evidence anyway, and everything will be over once reinforcements arrive."

Upon hearing this, the slightly plump woman whispered in agreement:

"If the old man from the Sword Sect dies here, I'm afraid it will be difficult to explain to the Sword Sect."

The old man's forehead veins bulged.

"You two bastards! Are you scared already?! What if something happens? What will happen to the sect if something goes wrong?!"

There is only one Xu Changge in this world. Rapid cultivation does not equate to strong strength!

That being said, both the slightly plump woman and the burly man stared at the woman in black opposite them with extreme apprehension.

Xu Changge's name was practically a nightmare for the sect.

The slightly plump woman and the burly man had attended the Tianyuan Grand Competition thirteen years ago.

Those who had only Body Fusion stage of cultivation were eliminated early on, but they witnessed the entire process of this generation's geniuses having their spines broken by that ethereal young man in blue robes.

A single sword strike can annihilate an opponent of the same level.

Even though the two had already advanced from the Fusion Realm to the Grandmaster, when this generation's "Xu Changge" appeared before them, they were still faced with an overwhelming power.

The old man was nearly killed by her in a single exchange.

The woman dressed in black before them unconsciously reminded the two of the Eldest Young Master of the Prime Minister's Estate.

The moonlight cascaded down like a waterfall, and the four people stood facing each other across the distance.

Just as the morale of the three members of the Wanxiang Sect was wavering, a blood-red figure appeared behind the old man without any warning.

It was so sudden, so sudden, that one might even think there was something wrong with their own eyes.

The old man sensed the person the moment they appeared.

The old man didn't believe his Will Soul perception was wrong; it was simply too late.

His attention was entirely focused on the woman in black opposite him, and the person behind him gave him no time to react.

Time seemed to stand still.

The swordplay, as fluid as splashed ink, resembled a blooming flower, tracing a graceful arc under the cool moonlight.

Then,

The old man saw a familiar headless body.

After a moment of silence, the headless corpse fell downwards like a kite with a broken string.

The mountain wind ruffled his long hair at his temples. The man in blood-stained clothes stood in mid-air, his calm gaze sweeping over the utterly astonished man and woman beside him. His voice was gentle:

"Now, I have something to ask you."