Trump Card and Contingency

The Xiongnu dispatched three Grandmasters to assassinate Yang Ye, filling the Anning Army defending the pass with a sliver of despair.

These were three Grandmaster-level experts. General Yang Ye, facing them alone, had no chance of victory.

"After defending for nearly a month, are we still going to lose?" General Polu, Zhao Yong'an, let out a bitter smile.

Great Wei was not without its strong individuals, nor did it lack Grandmaster experts.

However, at Anning Pass, Yang Ye was the only Grandmaster holding the line.

All of this stemmed from the Great Wei emperor's advanced age and the princes' struggle for the throne. Yang Ye had refused to take sides.

The Anning Army had suffered targeted suppression for two and a half years.

Much of their resources were secretly withheld by the princes. The Anning Army, originally a full force of fifty thousand, was now reduced to thirty thousand.

And now, with the war reaching its peak and Anning Pass on the verge of falling, the imperial court remained indifferent.

The commanding officers of the Anning Army were filled with resentment towards the court.

"Soldiers, kill these barbarian invaders! Kill one and it's even, kill two and we profit!" Sun Hao roared, abandoning all reservations and engaging a Xiongnu Xiantian Martial Practitioner in a desperate, life-or-death battle.

High in the sky, Yang Ye, fighting three opponents, was ultimately outmatched and steadily retreating.

The Anning Army defenders launched a desperate counterattack, fighting with the mindset of certain death, aiming to take as many enemies down with them as possible.

"Kill!"

The Anning Army soldiers, fighting with their backs against the wall, unleashed unimaginable destructive power. Their reckless fighting style struck fear into many of the Xiongnu enemy soldiers.

Sheng Huai'an, amidst the Xiongnu ranks, was like a demon king emerged from hell. The Black Gold War Blade in his hand had drunk the blood of countless Xiongnu.

His battle robe was already stained red, and around him lay a dense carpet of fallen Xiongnu soldiers.

Enemies below the Xiantian realm were no match for him, falling within a single exchange.

Ordinary soldiers could not withstand even a single strike from him.

In less than fifteen minutes, over a hundred Xiongnu enemy soldiers had fallen by his blade.

Blood Fiend energy surged, his blade light turned crimson, terrifying and peerless.

He was like a reaper, leaving a trail of Xiongnu corpses wherever he went.

Witnessing Sheng Huai'an's terrifying prowess, it wasn't just the Xiongnu enemy soldiers who were shocked, but even officers like Lin, Zhou, and Wu.

They watched as a Xiongnu expert at the Houtian Grand Perfection realm couldn't even block a single strike from Sheng Huai'an, and their scalps tingled.

What kind of monster was this guy? His strength had undergone a seismic shift after his trip to the grasslands.

He killed Houtian Martial Practitioners as easily as slaughtering chickens and ducks. They were confident that if they faced Sheng Huai'an, they would only meet the same fate.

"What kind of freak is this guy? His strength is growing too terrifyingly," the Martial Commandant muttered.

Before, Sheng Huai'an was just a lowly soldier under his command.

Now, he probably couldn't even withstand a single strike from Sheng Huai'an!

Seeing Sheng Huai'an slaughtering indiscriminately, with heads rolling, the strong experts within the Xiongnu army could no longer sit idle.

A Xiongnu Xiantian Martial Practitioner ascended the city wall to confront Sheng Huai'an.

The Xiantian Martial Practitioner attacked fiercely, unleashing a palm strike, intending to crush Sheng Huai'an.

Sheng Huai'an, after dispatching a Houtian early-stage expert with a saber strike, faced the incoming palm strike with a simple punch.

True Essence surged, his fist imprint resembled a blazing sun, carrying unmatched power as it fiercely met the palm strike.

"Boom!!"

The collision of immense power erupted with drum-like sounds, and both combatants were forced back five steps.

This was a clash of pure strength, skill, and physique.

Martial cultivators were like this, facing each other with blades and fists, a direct contest of raw power and skill.

Xiu Tuyao looked at Sheng Huai'an with surprise. He had expected to crush the opponent with a single palm strike.

He hadn't anticipated Sheng Huai'an's strength to be so formidable, no weaker than his own, and his physique and flesh were equally robust.

These were capabilities that a Houtian Martial Practitioner should not possess.

Upon breaking through to the Xiantian realm, one could use Xiantian Martial True Essence to nourish their body, making it far stronger than the hardened skin and iron bones of Houtian Martial Practitioners.

Yet, Sheng Huai'an, at the Houtian realm, could contend with a Xiantian expert, which astonished him greatly.

"As expected of a monstrous genius. No wonder he could so easily kill Houtian realm Martial Practitioners," Xiu Tuyao said calmly, looking at Sheng Huai'an.

"But no matter how monstrous, if they haven't fully grown, they are still just dead people."

Sheng Huai'an looked at his opponent with a grave expression. This person was a Xiantian Martial Practitioner, and not one who had just broken through; his strength was profound.

Facing a true Xiantian Martial Practitioner, Sheng Huai'an had to take him seriously.

The gap between Xiantian and Houtian was a significant divide, an insurmountable chasm.

Those who could defy Xiantian at the Houtian realm were exceedingly rare.

"It might be a very fulfilling feat to personally end a Great Wei prodigy," Xiu Tuyao said, raising his fist and charging towards Sheng Huai'an.

True energy surged within his fists, blood qi swirling around him. In the Xiantian realm, true essence could leave the body, possessing immense power.

Sheng Huai'an swung the Black Gold War Blade and slashed. Blood Fiend energy billowed forth, the result of his cultivation of the Blood Fiend Saber Technique and the blood qi condensed from killing enemies.

"Boom!!"

Fist and blade met, and Sheng Huai'an was forced back two steps. The true essence of a Xiantian Martial Practitioner was incredibly powerful and terrifying.

His true essence had not yet transformed into Xiantian true essence. Sheng Huai'an could only rely on his peerlessly strong physique and immense power to contend with the enemy.

"Kill!!"

"We swear to kill the enemy!"

"We will die with the barbarian invaders."

"As long as the city stands, we stand! If the city falls, we fall!"

"Protect our homes and country..."

The city walls were a scene of brutal carnage, with defenders constantly taking enemies down with them.

The Anning Army defenders, filled with a death wish, held the enemy back on the city walls.

However, the enemy numbers were too great. Defenders fell one after another, cut down by the swords of the Xiongnu enemy.

The arriving Commandery Soldiers and County Soldiers were not even slightly a match for the Xiongnu enemy forces.

Complacency bred a loss of vigilance.

The soldiers of Anning Pass were no match for those Commandery Soldiers and County Soldiers.

Yet, the Anning Pass defenders had been worn down too severely. Facing the surging offensive of the Xiongnu enemy, the defenders on the city walls were retreating step by step.

The Xiongnu army numbered twenty thousand, with more forces continuously pressing forward, intending to break through the pass in one fell swoop and lay waste to Anning Pass.

Listening to the sounds of battle from the city walls, the people within the city looked towards the walls.

They knew the war had reached its most brutal phase.

Once the city fell, and Anning Pass was overrun by cavalry, no one would survive.

"Mother, your son is unfilial. I must go fight." A man knelt and bowed to his mother, picked up a knife from home, and headed for the city walls to fight.

"When the nest is overturned, how can any egg remain intact? Brothers, let's go! Follow me to fight!" A small gang leader, leading a group of ruffians, ascended the city walls without hesitation.

"The defenders are all gone. It's our turn." A blacksmith, picking up a freshly forged saber, headed towards the city walls.

"My dear, take the children and hide in the cellar. Take good care of them," a man said to the mother and daughter before him.

"Daddy!"

A pair of children stared blankly at the man. The man resolutely took up his saber and headed for the city walls.

Within the city, strong youths and martial practitioners who knew some fighting skills were all heading towards the city walls.

They too possessed patriotic fervor and could wield a saber to fight the enemy.

High in the sky, Yang Ye was being pushed back, struggling to deal with three Grandmasters.

"Die, Yang Ye!" A Xiongnu Grandmaster in a black robe thrust his hand towards Yang Ye's back.

The other two Grandmasters also used their ultimate moves, preparing to surround and kill Yang Ye.

"Old Wang, if you don't make a move soon, I'm going to die." Yang Ye suddenly shouted.

"Sigh, Old Yang, you can't hold on already? I thought I wouldn't need to intervene." A voice echoed from within the city.

The three Grandmasters surrounding Yang Ye suddenly paused. Did he have backup?

The next moment, a figure stepped out from the city, soaring through the air like a phantom.

Wang Xuan, clad in a dark black robe that fluttered without wind, his long hair flowing, and a short beard on his chin, looked like a distinguished and elegant uncle.

"Stop showing off. If you don't act now, I'll be killed," Yang Ye said, shoving a Xiongnu Grandmaster back with his spear before turning to exchange a palm strike with another.

"They can't kill you!" Wang Xuan declared before throwing a punch at a Xiongnu Grandmaster.

"Grandmaster!"

"Grandmaster expert, hahaha..."

"We have Grandmaster reinforcements too."

Seeing a Grandmaster expert suddenly appear, the defending generals burst into laughter.

"Yang Ye, I didn't expect you to have a backup plan and invite powerful reinforcements," a Xiongnu Grandmaster said with a grim expression, looking at Wang Xuan.

"I knew you wouldn't give up. How could I not prepare?" Yang Ye replied with a smile.

"Old Wang, you hold off two. I'll kill this one first," Yang Ye said, wielding the Overlord Spear and charging at a Xiongnu Grandmaster.

"Hey, hey, hey! That's not the price we agreed on! I'm only supposed to block one Xiongnu Grandmaster for you," Wang Xuan shouted.

Yang Ye paid him no mind. Revealing his ferocity, he was determined to kill a Xiongnu Grandmaster.

Seeing the Grandmaster expert who had suddenly appeared to help, the Anning Pass defenders' morale soared.

"Damn it! Weren't the scouts reporting that Anning Pass had no reinforcements? What were those spies eating? Why is there another Grandmaster expert in Anning Pass?" Within the Xiongnu army, the Left Virtuous King roared in anger upon seeing the appearing Grandmaster expert.

He had just seen hope of breaking through the pass, but now with the appearance of another Grandmaster expert, his hope was dashed.