God Appears

The strong wind whipped the banner inscribed with "Great Virtuous Teacher" until it snapped and roared. On the command carriage, Zhang Jiao's expression remained unchanged, while Tian Feng stood behind him, rising on his tiptoes to peer at the chaotic battlefield.

"Great Virtuous Teacher, He Yi's division requires reinforcements. Their cavalry has been blocked; we must dispatch another force." Tian Feng said.

Zhang Jiao nodded and gave an order. The yellow banner waved, and the center army sent two thousand armored Yellow Turban Warriors to support He Yi.

As soon as these two thousand fresh troops entered the fray, they quickly stabilized the retreating lines and even pushed the Han Army back. However, the Han Army soon deployed a reserve unit to support their front, pushing the lines forward once more.

The two sides fought back and forth around a low wall of corpses, flesh and blood flying in every direction.

At this moment, a horn sounded from the Han center, and the command flags shifted. The Han right flank erupted in thunderous cheers of "Victory!" before marching forward through the smoke and dust.

"That is Dong Zhuo's force. Dong Zhuo possesses immense strength and is both alert and cunning." Tian Feng pursed his lips, looking somewhat nervous. "His troops frequently battle the Qiang and Xianbei people; they are quite elite and difficult to deal with."

He offered this reminder, fearing that Zhang Jiao might underestimate Dong Zhuo due to a lack of reputation.

In truth, how could Zhang Jiao underestimate Dong Zhuo? Any general deemed worthy by Huangfu Song to lead a flank alone must possess extraordinary talent.

He ordered Huang Shao to lead his troops forward to engage Dong Zhuo's division, ensuring that Dong Zhuo would have no opportunity to strike at the center army.

Huang Shao accepted the order and led several thousand Yellow Turban soldiers to intercept Dong Zhuo. As soon as the battle began, Tian Feng keenly sensed something amiss.

He said in surprise, "Dong Zhuo's soldiers should be more formidable than Cao Cao's, yet they appear to be avoiding a real fight! I understand now. Dong Zhuo is ultimately unwilling to sacrifice his core Liang Province troops. Look, Great Virtuous Teacher, the soldiers at the very front of his formation are clearly not as elite as those under Fu Xie; they must be conscripted commandery soldiers, while his Liang Province army is kept at the rear, only firing arrows from time to time."

Under Tian Feng's prompt, Zhang Jiao noticed this as well. A thought immediately rose in his mind: "Even if the Holy Venerable Huang Tian had not descended, and my Great Peace Sect were to be defeated, the Han Court would not last many more years before collapsing..."

In this battle that would decide the fate of the Han Empire, Dong Zhuo dared to harbor selfish motives and slack off in secret. It was clear that every warlord in the world with any shred of power was merely watching the situation unfold.

Once they confirmed that the Han Court lacked the strength to suppress the realm, it would surely lead to a situation of territorial division and chaotic warlord infighting.

Tian Feng had observed Dong Zhuo's half-hearted efforts, and Huangfu Song, that veteran general, had naturally noticed it too. Yet, he was helpless; after all, Dong Zhuo had indeed dutifully sent his troops to fight—he had simply placed the commandery soldiers at the very front to face the enemy.

If he were to accuse Dong Zhuo of this, Dong Zhuo could easily explain that he was using the commandery soldiers to exhaust the Yellow Turban Army's strength, intending to lead his elite Liang Province army in a decisive strike only once the enemy was spent.

Huangfu Song snorted coldly, resentment toward Dong Zhuo rising in his heart. Another man with the heart of a wolf, he thought. If there is an opportunity in the future, I must execute him!

He surveyed the situation. On the left, Cao Cao's division held the advantage, scattering the Yellow Turban cavalry and inflicting heavy casualties. On the right, Dong Zhuo's division was entangled with the enemy, fighting in a "stalemate." The front, held by Fu Xie, was the most brutal, with Han and Yellow Turban soldiers falling forever with every passing moment, though they ultimately held the upper hand.

Except for the unmoved center, the Han Army had seized the advantage across the entire battlefield. They only needed one of the three enemy flanks to collapse for the Han Army to secure a crushing victory, or they could commit the center to shatter the Yellow Turban Army in one stroke.

Huangfu Song found himself uncharacteristically hesitant.

In the past, faced with such a situation, he would have committed his entire center—save for a necessary reserve—to crush the enemy. But now, he dared not be so reckless.

Because...

"Holy Venerable Huang Tian!" he muttered to himself.

Facing such an unfavorable situation, the Zhang Jiao on the opposite side showed no signs of panic, and those Yellow Turban soldiers who had been retreating battle after battle had not collapsed. For all of this, Huangfu Song could only attribute the cause to the legendary deity who walked upon the dust.

Lu Zhi saw the hesitation in Huangfu Song's heart and said nothing. If he were the commander, he would not know what to do either, or whether he should commit the center. Thus, he remained silent, staring fixedly at the towering Guangzong City.

He believed that if any earth-shattering reversal were to occur on this battlefield, it would certainly be related to the "Sovereign Yellow Absolute God" still inside Guangzong City!

After a moment of deliberation, Huangfu Song finally made his decision: "Opportunities must be seized; time waits for no man. A commander must be decisive!"

He drew the precious sword at his waist and shouted, "Center army, advance!"

The heart-pounding sound of drums grew louder. Under the gaze of countless eyes, the great standard of the Han center slowly moved forward. Huge cheers erupted from the various Han formations, their morale surging!

Tian Feng suddenly grew tense. He knew the moment of the decisive battle had arrived!

The fate of the Great Han depended on who would emerge as the final victor in the clash to come!

He turned his head to look at Zhang Jiao. Zhang Jiao's face remained as calm as a mirror, though his breathing had grown slow and steady, and his aged eyes were sharp.

"Advance!" He took a deep breath and issued the command.

Flags fluttered, and messenger scouts galloped through the ranks. The Yellow Turban center, like a sleeping machine suddenly awakened, began to move slowly.

The soldiers wiped their weapons one last time and stepped forward under the orders of their officers. Each man was expressionless, not daring to look back or glance to the sides, staring only at the back of the head of the man in front of them, their hearts pounding violently.

Whew~

A golden eagle streaked across the azure sky. It stretched its wings contentedly, then lowered its head to look down in confusion at the vast wilderness, where two surging rivers of men were about to crash into one another!

BOOM—!

A terrifying wave of sound, formed by thousands of thunderous impacts, exploded across the plains. It was the violent collision of shield against shield, the sound of blades shattering against iron-reinforced wood, the dull squelch of spears piercing flesh, and the shrill, wretched screams of countless soldiers dying.

The battlefield became several times more cruel in an instant. Everyone's eyes turned red with madness; the air was thick with the nauseating stench of blood, the cold smell of rust, and the heavy, pungent odor of sweat mixed with gore...

Standing in the midst of such a cruel and bloody battlefield, Tian Feng's face turned slightly pale, especially when the Yellow Turban lines began to slowly retreat after less than half a quarter-hour of the grand melee, which shocked him to his core.

Meanwhile, Huangfu Song, who was directing the Han charge, grew increasingly excited. A resounding, total victory was right before his eyes. He was about to achieve an unparalleled feat, turning the tide and propping up a collapsing empire!

The vast world would ultimately be pacified by his hands; he would become the savior of the Han Empire!

However, before he could revel in his joy for long, a massive sound of prayer and cheering erupted from atop Guangzong City.

"That is..." Huangfu Song's expression changed abruptly as he looked up at the city walls.

"The Blue Heaven is dead; the Yellow Heaven shall rise! In the year of Jiazi, the world shall be blessed!!!"

Amidst the surging, ocean-like roar, a young man wearing a green jade hairpin and a Cloud Pattern Daoist Robe appeared on the city tower. His eyes were clear, yet they seemed to carry a hint of detachment. He raised his right hand slightly, and his slender fingers pointed into the void. A brilliant, golden spiritual light burst forth from his fingertips.

Rumble!

A series of massive tremors erupted from deep beneath the earth...