First Battle with the Five Aspects Sect
After a bright eagle cry rang out in the sky, Kang Dabao was able to clearly see the forces sent by the Five Aspects Sect.
The opposing side also dispatched a hundred men, who appeared to be a hastily assembled force of Rogue Cultivator and several unaffiliated factions.
However, the morale of the opposing force was significantly higher. They were shouting and clamoring, looking as if they couldn't wait to break formation and charge forward to fight the state's vanguard.
"A weak army against a weak army, a good thing!" Seeing the opponent's somewhat chaotic formation and arrogant demeanor, Sect Leader Kang Da felt much more at ease.
At this moment, Xu, who was in charge, led the group of Rogue Cultivator at the very front of the formation to charge forward.
"Bang"
"Kill them!"
"Haha, your grandpa's Fireball Talisman tastes good, doesn't it?"
"You damned dog! It hurts so much!"
At the start of the battle, fireballs and golden blades flew wildly, flying swords Swordsmanship shields clashed violently, and all kinds of Law Technique poured out from both sides, leaving blood, flesh and limbs scattered all over the ground.
Explosions, shouts of killing, and curses clashed together; as far as the eye could see, there was only life-or-death fighting, a scene of extreme cruelty.
Before long, relying solely on the Rogue Cultivators, Xu's general visibly caused the Five Aspects Sect's forces to fall into a disadvantageous position.
The state court recruited these outlaws in a different way than the county magistrate of Kangda County. They spent some money, even acquiring Law Artifact artifacts and talismans, which significantly improved their strength, resulting in their current outlaw appearance.
The Five Aspects Sect is now just a small sect, far from its former glory. How can it compare to the wealth of the state court, which has just devoured a powerful family like the Dingnan Niu Household?
Therefore, the Rogue Cultivator recruited by their side received nothing of value except the promised Spirit Stone.
Seeing that the front line was gradually becoming unstable, the disciples of the Five Aspects Sect who were guarding the front line got angry. With a change of their spiritual spells, a sharp flying sword swept from the rear line to the front line. Several rogue Rogue Cultivator who were hiding in the formation, only going through the motions but not contributing, and who were just about to retreat and turn back, easily lost their heads.
Unexpectedly, this had the opposite effect, frightening the Rogue Cultivator cultivators recruited by the Five Aspects Sect into a state of panic. Many even abandoned their opponents and fled to the rear.
You think you can buy people's lives with just a few Spirit Stone from your Five Aspects Sect? Do you really think the master is that cheap?
The rogue cultivators in the opposing formation, who were partly there for the Spirit Stone and partly to help, Rogue Cultivator disarray. Xu, the general, let out a long laugh and simply pulled on the reins of his Yellow-Maned Colt, suddenly bursting out from the rear.
As the Sect Leader Kang Da watched the Yellow-Maned Colt leap over the heads of his scattered troops and, with its master, crash heavily into the front ranks of the Five Aspects Sect, the powerful hoof slammed down, instantly Rogue Cultivator a pot-bellied rogue Law Artifact wielding a golden sword to death in his astonishment.
Taking advantage of the chaos, Xu Bai slammed his two thick palms down, instantly creating two enormous fiery handprints, each as wide as a person. The crude robes worn by the Rogue Cultivator were no match for the flames, and many were burned to death or seriously injured.
The crowd inside was in a state of chaos, crying, shouting, and screaming.
Xu's powerful Method Formula initially only disrupted the Five Aspects Sect's front line, but the front-line cultivators, shrouded in flames, were now running around in disarray.
The piercing, agonizing screams, the scattered mutilated corpses, and the pungent smell of burnt coals greatly shocked the Rogue Cultivator in the Five Aspects Sect formation who were only there to earn money and risk their lives.
Those remaining rogue Law Artifact who still had some will to resist simply put away their Rogue Cultivator artifacts and ran away, not even returning to their original formation, but fleeing directly into the distant mountains and forests.
"Anyway, I'm just Rogue Cultivator; I can make a living anywhere! After today, your Five Aspects Sect might not even still exist, so what's there to be afraid of?"
The group of over a hundred people scattered in an instant. The Five Aspects Sect's escorting disciples looked increasingly grim, but they only uttered a few meaningless curses such as "cowards" and "fearless cowards" before turning around and running away on their flying swords.
"I am a direct descendant of Foundation Establishment sect, how can I die here as worthless as you peasants!"
"Where do you think you're going!" Xu Bai shouted, thrusting his right hand forward. A sharp burst of flame energy shot out from his hand, chasing after the Five Aspects Sect's escorting disciple and forming a coiled dragon on his back. The dragon's head, as big as a bucket, had a pair of dragon eyes that focused, and its tail lashed out to accelerate, catching up to the Five Aspects Sect disciple and biting him.
The four foot-long fiery teeth easily pierced through the Five Aspects Sect disciple's standard robes and penetrated his internal organs, instantly turning them into charcoal.
Xu Bai picked up the other party's glass-like flying sword and held it in his hand, his face beaming with joy.
But then he let out a strange laugh, and immediately began wildly waving his sword and flag, shouting, "Great victory! Pursue!"
"Kill!" It was unexpectedly easy to be the vanguard this time. The enemy's formation was now in disarray, their morale shattered. Forget about formations and drums! Just chase and hack them down, and you'll win!
Killing someone in the Early Qi Refining Stage cost ten Spirit Stones, the middle stage fifty Spirit Stone, and the late stage one hundred and twenty Spirit Stone. Capturing them alive will double the reward!
This reward is quite generous; the state government won't even take a single penny of the spoils this time!
Although Centurion Xu didn't seem like a good person, he actually managed to get a good job for his subordinates! The Rogue Cultivator completely disregarded orders and chased after the enemy with wild laughter.
At this moment, even the cultivators from Jin County and Tanggu County could not hold back any longer. They leaped from the rear formation, bypassed the middle formation of Pingrong County, and rushed directly to the front formation.
The cultivators in Jin County were especially excited. Their cultivation resources were far inferior to those in Pingrong County. They had been living a hard life for too long and were almost driven mad by poverty!
"No changing formation! Don't rush, advance slowly!" Kang Dabao led the Pingrong County troops, moving slowly and steadily alongside the scattered pursuing force. Anyway, he was moving forward, and even if he moved slowly, he was still in pursuit.
Those who are greedy for quick success and act rashly will certainly be punished, but it's hard to say who will be punished.
This is a massive battle involving hundreds or even thousands of cultivators. The damage the enemy has suffered is at most a minor cut, far from being crippled! We cannot afford to be careless.
Moreover, the opposing team of Rogue Cultivator seemed far too weak; Kang Dabao subconsciously felt something was amiss.
It's better to be safe than sorry. Even if we assume a resounding victory in this vanguard battle involving a hundred men, does that mean Xu can really lead those hundred or so to break through the enemy's main formation?!
His idea wasn't wrong, but people's hearts aren't something he can easily subdue with his current prestige.
As one Rogue Cultivator after another returned from the front carrying severed heads, the eyes of everyone in the middle of the group gleamed with greed. Who could resist such a sight!
The Yi Huo group, led by the Luo Household, was the first to cause a disturbance. The outsider in charge couldn't subdue them, so he was taken out of the formation by several Luo Household family members. Once they moved, the group gradually became unstable.
"Fire element, kill them!"
The group in the lead exchanged glances, their expressions varied, but they made no move.
"Wu Huo, kill them!" The cold voice of Sect Leader Kang Da came from the rear again.
The faces of the fugitives were even worse. Han Lu husband, as well as the Shao siblings, were filled with resentment in their eyes. Even Qian Liu, the person who was just there to make up the numbers, had a strange look in his eyes.
"It's been years since I've been beaten so badly. We're in the middle of a chaotic war right now. Should we kill this guy surnamed Kang and run away to Cloud Horn Prefecture to see what's going on?"
After Kang Dabao gave his second command, the fugitives remained divided and did not take any action.
Just then, a commotion arose in the group. Kang Dabao's eyes gleamed with gold, and two beams of Golden Light shot directly at the outsider manager who had just been taken away by the Luo Household family members.
The old man was clearly unaware of the danger and had never heard of the reputation of Sect Leader Kang Da. He merely threw out a low-grade ironwood shield to block it, and with a "crash," both the shield and the old man shattered on the ground.
The first cultivator to die in the Pingrong County team was actually killed by the county magistrate Kang himself, who was leading the team.
"Wu Huo, I'll say it again, kill them! Give it your all, or else, unless I die on the battlefield, you'll see how I deal with you when we get back! We still have Foundation Establishment behind us, you can try to escape carrying my head."
After easily killing one person with a glance, the tone of Sect Leader Kang Da's third command was even colder.
The moment that chilling voice reached their ears, it seemed to remind the group of desperados of the dark and gloomy prison in Pingrong County. No good person would ever want to go to such a place again.
"There is indeed Foundation Establishment behind me. Killing an official might not be an escape. This Kang fellow is no pushover either. My back is still in his sight. What if he uses another eye technique?" Among those who can make a name for themselves among bandits, there are indeed not many fools. When their minds are not hot, they can easily figure out the pros and cons.
"Ah!" Unexpectedly, it was the two unlucky guys in the Wu Fire group who were just there to make up the numbers who were the first to lose their senses. They had just escaped the formation with the Luo Household when they let out a scream.
But Shao Meng, who was behind him, finally made her move. A sharp ancient coin flew from the tip of her delicate, white finger, drawing a thick line of blood, and easily separated the two people into four equal pieces.
"Kill those who disrupt the formation!" The Two Sha of the Feng Household were so frightened by Kang Dabao's words that cold sweat broke out on their backs. Unable to restrain themselves, they each took a soft whip with sharp spikes and tightly wrapped it around a young disciple of the Luo Household who was running in the lead. With a pull from both directions at the same time, the disciple was torn in two.
Han Lu Dan Xia, their faces filled with murderous intent, turned around holding their Law Artifact and intimidated the remaining fire people who had also become somewhat agitated, thus calming down the fiery atmosphere in the formation somewhat.
"Ding Huo, those who don't want to die, return to the ranks! Don't let your father say it a second time!" As Kang Dabao's murderous voice came from the rear, the remaining Luo Household members were either angry or afraid, but none of them dared to make a move.
"Form ranks, advance slowly, those who lose their footing will die!" The desperados shouted at the Sect Leader Kang Da.
The Luo Household members of Ding Huo replaced the Wu Huo Rogue Cultivator, and the Sect Leader Kang Da led the entire group over the corpses scattered on the ground, both friend and foe, and slowly moved towards the Five Aspects Sect's grand formation.
The real battle is yet to come.
Thank you for reading, subscribing, voting, and commenting.
Thank you everyone!