"Fire the ballistas! Fire!"
Outside the pit, the Imperial Guards commander screamed himself hoarse as the well-trained soldiers swiftly moved into position.
Humm!
Two ballistas covered in runes fired at once. The hum of their vibrating bowstrings merged into a low, muffled thunder that made the air tremble.
The intricate runes on bolts as thick as a child's arm erupted with dazzling light. With shrill, piercing whistles, the bolts poured toward the purple-black figure suspended in midair like a swarm of enraged hornets.
A single bolt was powerful enough to pierce the protective true qi of a Dao Integration Realm expert.
With dozens fired together, even a True Self Realm powerhouse would have to retreat before their onslaught!
Yet Jiu Shan merely raised one hand.
A withered, bony hand, its veins bulging.
He held that palm toward the densely packed bolts, spread his fingers slightly, and gave a casual wave, as though shooing away a swarm of troublesome insects.
"Begone!"
His low shout sent sound waves spreading outward as though they had taken solid form.
The incoming bolts abruptly froze in midair three feet from his body, as though they had struck an invisible wall of bronze and iron.
Then Jiu Shan clenched his fingers.
Crack, crack...
The bolts filling the sky shattered inch by inch, becoming countless iron fragments that shot back the way they had come.
"Aah!"
Screams rose one after another. Like a tempest wrapped in true qi, the iron fragments instantly reaped the lives of the Imperial Guards at the front. Heavy armor was pierced, blood blossomed from chests, and the soldiers were turned into a field of bloody sieves.
Blood, shredded flesh, and broken armor coated the ground. The snow was stained dark red, steaming with heat.
This was the crushing might of absolute strength.