A Small Display of Prowess

"I didn't expect to find someone knowledgeable in military affairs. That pupil technique is also quite interesting; it's at least Vast-Tier Superior-Grade." Sima Fei was somewhat surprised to see the movements of the Pingrong County troops under the command tent. The unassuming, fat county lieutenant had impressed him quite a bit.

On the other hand, he was somewhat dissatisfied with the behavior of the Xu family generals. "The Dai County Xu Household, after all, a prominent family in the capital region with some heritage. The Marquis of Earl of Nan'an personally sent a letter requesting their return. How could they possibly have the nerve to hand over such reckless and impulsive people?"

Acting Sima Gun casually chimed in, "Sima is mistaken. So what if those prestigious families have arranged marriages with the imperial family? Their direct descendants are still sent to the Nascent Soul sects." Acting Sima Gun paused, pointing to the retreating figure of the Xu surname general, and said slowly, "Only illegitimate sons like them are sent here to be mere pawns."

Upon hearing this, Sima Fei fell silent for a moment, then sighed softly, "The affairs of the state are indeed difficult."

He immediately shook his head, dismissing the distracting thoughts, and thought to himself, "Let's focus on winning this battle. Regardless of what kind of person that Xu Household, at least the vanguard has won a preliminary victory, which is a good thing and will boost morale."

"Press forward!" Sima Fei brandished his brass hand halberd. One advantage of this grand battle was that you didn't have to pay too much attention to the opponent's cunning tricks; you could just charge straight in.

Several hundred-man formations began to move as they wielded their brass hand halberds, releasing a billowing Spiritual Qi that even made the red-collared falcons still hovering in the clouds feel slightly intoxicated.

The pursuit by General Xu did not last long. He led his men too far and too fast, and the troops following behind had long since broken apart, without even a proper formation.

As soon as Xu Bai led his scattered troops forward, the two hundred-man teams from the Five Aspects Sect, who were already prepared, rushed to meet them from both sides. A wave of talismans and magical Law Artifact flew in from both sides, and the Rogue Cultivator who were charging at the forefront with Xu Bai were instantly killed, with about ten of them being wiped out.

When the screams that rang out in the arena were loud enough, they could quickly cool down a group of feverish minds.

Xu, a man of noble birth, knew he was in trouble. He was, after all, from a family of military merit and knew he had acted rashly.

Just as he was about to gather his troops and reorganize before charging forward again, he saw a dozen or so Five Aspects Sect disciples at the Late Qi Refinement stage rush out from the opposite formation, attacking Xu's still-forming army.

The leading disciples made hand seals and flicked their wrists, unleashing several Heavenly Thunder Seed that exploded in succession within the formation, causing widespread death and destruction.

The deafening thunder and the sight of his comrades' corpses terrified Xu Bai and his troops, who immediately scattered like birds and beasts. The morale boosted by the Spirit Stone was easily shattered by the Heavenly Thunder Seed.

Xu, filled with resentment, unleashed a few more powerful Daoist techniques, killing the leading Five Aspects Sect disciple. Only then, with a grim face, did he retreat, along with his terrified and chaotic army.

A large group of wailing, defeated soldiers fled back from the army formation that had slowly advanced through Pingrong County, causing even Xu, who had initially only felt anger and not panic, to feel somewhat frightened.

On his way back, he passed the Pingrong County army formation and dared not leave any organization behind. He retreated directly towards the state court's main formation.

Seeing this Sect Leader Kang Da was furious, but he knew he couldn't afford to lose his composure. If the formation broke and the enemy's elite troops pressed forward, they could easily wipe out his entire force with a single strike.

Kang Dabao might not be so lucky to return alive.

Even if they return alive, the crime of losing the battle could be minor or major, but given that the chaotic charge had damaged morale, it was hard to say whether Sima Fei would certainly be displeased, would take their heads.

A mere county magistrate in the Middle Qi Refinement is not worth more than a few Spirit Stone in the eyes of such important figures.

Therefore, Sect Leader Kang Da had no choice but to bite the bullet and urge the Pingrong County army to come up and block the advance of the ten or so disciples of the Five Aspects Sect.

The battle flags changed, and the cultivators of the Yi Fire and Wu Fire factions each cast several layers of defensive talismans before their faces turned pale with fright as they charged toward the pursuers.

The three fire cultivators, A, C, and D, were in the rear formation, releasing their Law Artifact. The Golden Light in the eyes of the Sect Leader Kang Da also targeted a skilled fighter in extraordinary immortal robes, firing twice in quick succession.

The Luo Household family members who were the first to engage the enemy used low-grade talismans and Law Artifacts. Several of them had their spiritual energy shields shattered by the enemy's Law Artifact and died on the spot.

However, the cultivators from the Five Aspects Sect did not have time to press their advantage. They had not expected that the vanguard of the defeated state court could still put up a substantial resistance.

There is absolutely no way to undo the mistakes already made by simply saying "I didn't expect it."

The equally reckless disciples of the Five Aspects Sect soon paid the price for their mistakes. Faced with the overwhelming Law Artifact raining down from the Pingrong County army, they could only hastily switch to defensive measures to protect themselves.

These disciples, carefully selected by the Five Aspects Sect, were indeed far superior in cultivation and Law Artifact to the rabble brought by Kang Dabao.

Pingrong County's attack was not very effective. Of the dozen or so people on the other side, only two or three who were slow to react suffered losses. They were hit by the Law Artifact and fell from mid-air. They were picked up by the cultivators of Pingrong County's vanguard and brought back to the formation, where they were killed with a single strike.

However, the Pingrong County team was not entirely composed of mediocre individuals.

The moment the two sides clashed, two Golden Light beams of light shot from the Pingrong County formation directly pierced through the superior-grade defensive magic Law Artifact that a disciple of the Five Aspects Sect was proud of, nearly killing this promising Foundation Establishment cultivator in the eyes of his elders.

As a result, the Five Aspects Sect cultivators who had been pursuing them suffered a considerable loss, and their originally aggressive offensive faltered.

The Luo Household in the front row had all died or been injured, while those who were still alive were gathered in the back row.

Now, Wu Huo was positioned at the very front of the Pingrong County army formation. These were all desperate men who had been brought here by Sect Leader Kang Da. Seeing the changes in the Five Aspects Sect cultivators, how could they possibly let such a good opportunity pass by?

Regardless of whether they could match the opponent, they all sought out opponents to entangle with, their eyes red and panting heavily. They were clear that as long as they held out until the team behind them could move forward, the entangled opponents would only have one way to go: wait for death.

"Ah!" Dan Xia and Han Lu had only been fighting an Eighth Layer of Qi Refining cultivator for half a cigarette's time when they were hit by his Fang Yi Falling Stone Technique.

The plain-looking female cultivator, on her deathbed, only glanced lovingly at her husband before passing away without even having time to leave a final word.

Tears welled up in Han Lu's eyes. After decades of marriage, how could she not be heartbroken?

Upon seeing the mysterious light flashing from the tip of the small black pagoda in his hand, the flying fork of the cultivator opposite him was immobilized.

The cultivator remained calm and unleashed another colorful banner. With a sudden wave, a thunderous sound seemed to resonate, and a bolt of silver lightning struck down.

Han Lu was shocked upon seeing this, but she acted decisively, abandoning the small black tower and fleeing. The lightning bolt struck empty air, blasting a large patch of hard earth out of the solid ground.

Before Han Lu could even catch her breath, several golden spear-shaped talismans struck from the side, piercing her through. Han Lu was in so much pain that she lost all strength. She opened her mouth, and a large amount of bubbly blood gushed out, but she couldn't make a sound.

At this moment, the scarred old cultivator from the Five Aspects Sect, who had fallen to the ground, scattered another handful of talismans. Han Lu had no way to dodge them and was smashed into a pulp by various Technique Method.

The old man gave a bitter laugh, spat out a mouthful of black blood, and then closed his eyes and fainted.

The elder of the Two Sha of the Feng Household was struck by a Fire Snake Incantation from the opposing cultivator and immediately fell unconscious. His younger brother, with tears streaming down his face, risked his life to snatch him back from the enemy and escape back into the formation.

The Shao Brother and Sister were so frightened that they could only retreat to the front lines and do their best to protect themselves. Even Shao Meng's antique coin, which looked very appealing, was cracked in half.

Shao Wei only managed to pull his younger sister aside, allowing Shao Meng to narrowly avoid the sharp blade of a Five Aspects Sect disciple. In the blink of an eye, a flying golden spear pierced her forearm, and she dared not advance any further.

Kang Dabao was not angry when he saw these desperate men retreating in defeat. He knew that these men had already given him a lot of face; fighting to this extent was practically an act of utmost benevolence.

The opponents were all disciples of the Five Aspects Sect, a Foundation Establishment sect. Even if there were no outstanding individuals like Ge Yangfeng and Tie Xishui among those of the same level in the current attack, they were by no means as easy to bully as those rogue Rogue Cultivator in the market who were exploited by them. Even desperate people like Han Lu wife were killed by their enemies in an instant.

He himself was grazed by a flying Law Artifact, and the flames that flowed from it burned his left cheek, leaving it raw and looking rather gruesome.

Now that the vanguard offensive led by the desperate has ceased, the ragtag group of various factions in the ranks must now face the enemy head-on.

Apart from the Armored Fire group composed of Grass Witch Cult disciples, whose cultivation and combat experience were all quite good, the disciples of the other families were much less skilled in combat. Not to mention that the disciples of these smaller families were even outmatched in cultivation by the Five Aspects Sect disciples on the other side.

As soon as the battle began, the casualties among the Pingrong County army gradually increased. The pitiful prestige of Sect Leader Kang Da could not suppress them, and turmoil gradually arose in the ranks.

"Those who disrupt the formation will die!" The young cultivator from the Fellow Cultivators Association, who had been chosen by Kang Dabao to be the flag bearer, was also terrified, but he was not completely intimidated. At this moment, he was frantically waving the flag and issuing orders.

A disciple from the Grass Witch Cult, amidst the flames, witnessed a fellow disciple beside him being caught off guard and tricked by an enemy outside the formation, who used Ice Cone Technique to pierce his head, bypassing his defensive magic Law Artifact.

He was immediately so frightened that his face turned pale, and he stopped in his tracks as he followed the group forward.

Upon seeing this, Kang Dabao's face darkened. He pulled out an iron ruler and struck the man's back hard. The man gasped in pain, and cold sweat broke out as his skin tore open.

But the pain cleared my head, and I quickly caught up with the group to fill the gap.

Fortunately, the Armored Fire Clan, composed of members of the Grass Witch Cult, was the strongest in terms of overall strength and took the lead in blocking the disciples of the Five Aspects Sect.

A female cultivator from the Five Aspects Sect Fang Yi, wielding a colorful magical Law Artifact, approached the Pingrong County militia formation. With a few deft movements, she deflected several low-grade magical Law Artifact that were attacking her. She then stretched out her five slender and beautiful fingers, probing towards the heart of the Cai-surnamed steward from Hemu Dao.

The latter's face instantly showed a look of terror, and he hurriedly switched a shield-like magical Law Artifact to his front.

Suddenly, white light emanated from the female cultivator's fingertips. The shield-like magical Law Artifact had just emitted a harsh, grating sound like claws scratching a blackboard when, in the next second, it was pierced through with five tiny holes, as if it were made of cardboard.

A pair of delicate, white fingers suddenly emerged, about to touch the collar of the Hemu Dao's robe.

"Whoosh, puff puff puff puff."

A black light flashed from the rear of the formation. The female cultivator, enduring the pain, acted decisively, spitting out a yellow light to stop the bleeding from her wound. She didn't even glance at the four fingers that had fallen to the ground before turning and leaving.

Ignoring the Cai family steward's thanks, Kang Dabao did not pursue the enemy. He put away his short-bladed magic Law Artifact and simply changed the flag in his hand.

The march of the troops came to an abrupt halt, and the previously chaotic formation became solemn, regaining its serious and orderly appearance.

However, this little commotion was not enough to frighten the elite disciples of the Five Aspects Sect. There were many more people who could break the formation with their own abilities than just the Xu surname general sent by the state court.

Eight or nine more cultivators suddenly appeared on the opposite side, mimicking Xu's previous actions, and relying on their formidable individual strength, they also crashed directly into the formation.

Three or four of them were instantly blasted into pieces by countless Law Artifacts and talismans, but the rest managed to break into the middle of the Pingrong County army formation, disrupting the barely solid formation.

"Don't panic! Don't panic!" Kang Dabao shouted repeatedly in alarm, but it had little effect.

These poor souls, chosen by various factions to die, showed very little "loyalty to the emperor and the country." Given their current situation, the fact that their formation hasn't collapsed on the spot is already a testament to the effectiveness of Sect Leader Kang Da's month-long military formation training!

At this time, the remaining dozen or so disciples of the Five Aspects Sect began to coordinate an attack from within and without the enemy in the Pingrong County formation.

The four or five Five Aspects Sect who broke into the army formation finally disrupted the formation of the Pingrong County side. Relying on their outstanding individual strength and mutual support, they made it difficult for the cultivators in the formation, who outnumbered them, to eliminate them all in a short time.

This chaotic and loose formation alone could not withstand the siege of a dozen or so late-stage cultivators from the Five Aspects Sect.

Although they were few in number, they had already surrounded the Pingrong County army formation from all sides, and were using their Law Power Law Artifact without any hesitation.

Such a fierce attack has already shaved away a thin layer from the outer perimeter of the general's formation.

Apart from Kang Dabao and the Cai family steward, there were virtually no other outstanding figures in Pingrong County who could pose a threat to the disciples of the Five Aspects Sect on their own.

The increasingly fierce fighting pushed the Pingrong County team, which had been forcibly put together, to the brink of collapse, and it was only a matter of time before it fell apart.

Unfortunately, the Five Aspects Sect also lacked time.

The Five Aspects Sect disciple, leading the group, used a Falling Stone Technique to smash two Fellow Cultivators Association were standing close together into a pulp, making it difficult to distinguish them. Before they could feel much joy, the next moment they saw that the reinforcements from the State Court had arrived in formation.

He glanced at his fellow disciples still trapped in the Pingrong County army's ranks, his face shifting between pale and flushed, but in the end, he could only squeeze out a single word through gritted teeth. "Retreat!"

The Five Aspects Sect disciples, who had initially held a significant advantage, all showed expressions of resentment. Given enough time, they knew they could easily wipe out this weak force.

But everyone clearly knew the gravity of the situation; with their small force, they were no match for the large army sent by the state government.

After a moment of silence, they all put away their Law Artifact, leaving only the disciple in charge at the back.

At this moment, the disciple leading the group also looked grim. He viciously threw out three Heavenly Thunder Seed, two of which were aimed at the group of the Five Aspects Sect disciples who were beating up the fallen ones, and one of which was aimed at the direction of the Sect Leader Kang Da, who had left a deep impression on him. Then, without looking back, he ran towards the Five Aspects Sect's great formation.

Those struck by the Heavenly Thunder Seed were in deep trouble. Before being hit, they might not have even seen what the Heavenly Thunder Seed looked like.

A blow comparable to that of a Foundation Establishment cultivator is not to be trifled with, not to mention that among the defensive magical Law Artifact raised by the Pingrong County army to meet the enemy, it is difficult to find a single intact one.

After the violent explosion, large fragments of Law Artifact, mixed with countless bits of flesh and bone, flew out from the Pingrong County army formation.

Even a disciple of the Five Aspects Sect was blasted to pieces from the lower half of his body because he was too closely entangled with his opponent and failed to avoid the aftershocks of the Heavenly Thunder Seed. It was clear that he would not survive.

At this point, those in the Pingrong County army who still had the courage to besiege the disciples of the Five Aspects Sect could be considered the absolute backbone.

Their heavy casualties terrified the Pingrong County army, causing them to immediately break into disarray.

At this moment, the only remaining surviving disciple of the Five Aspects Sect, though severely injured, saw the previously blocked escape route now wide open and forcibly channeled his spiritual power to rush out.

He was seriously injured, so his speed was naturally slow. He was quickly caught up by a short blade and easily cut in two at the tailbone.

The owner of the short blade was none other than Sect Leader Kang Da, who had just been struck by Heavenly Thunder Seed Thunderbolt, and he was also in considerable pain at the moment.

The incoming Heavenly Thunder Seed shattered Kang Dabao's Garrison Earth Azure Origin Shield and Silver Mace magic Law Artifact. The mid-grade magic robe he had just put on, which he had carefully selected from many Storage Bag, was also burned to ashes by the flames brought by the Heavenly Thunder Seed. He was also blown away by the aftershock of the Heavenly Thunder Seed explosion.

This time, not only were large areas of skin and flesh burned, but countless bones were broken, and even internal organs were damaged. A fishy, sweet taste lingered in his mouth for a long time.

If it weren't for Sect Leader Kang Da's desperate escape from the center of the Heavenly Thunder Seed explosion, and the fact that a Grass Witch Cult disciple nearby was able to simultaneously unleash four or five First-Tier Supreme-Grade Vajra Talisman to help contain the aftershocks of the Heavenly Thunder Seed explosion, then Kang Dabao's life-saving Primordial Gourd would definitely have been used this time.

The Grass Witch Cult disciple wasn't so lucky; he and three or four other cultivators who were close to Kang Dabao were also blown to bits.

"Don't run! Form ranks! Don't run! If you run, you won't get the reward! Form ranks now!" The Sect Leader Kang Da, disregarded the joy of surviving the ordeal and suppressed the excruciating pain all over his body, still channeling his spiritual power and shouting loudly.

The Fellow Cultivators Association had been leading the flag with him earlier had vanished without a trace; it was unclear whether they were dead or alive.

Hearing Kang Dabao's shout, the cultivators, who hadn't been completely terrified, finally calmed down a bit. They looked at the Five Aspects Sect disciples who had already retreated and the State Court's grand formation that was getting closer and closer.

Once they see these two locations clearly, any cultivator still in the formation with even a shred of sense will know that running away now would be a bad idea.

Even the Two Sha of the Feng Household and the Shao siblings gathered around Sect Leader Kang Da's side, dragging their wounded bodies, looking like they were loyal protectors of their master.

There were only a few slow-witted cultivators, and in just a short while, eleven or twelve cultivators had gathered around Kang Dabao. Judging from this, it seemed that among those still alive, there were probably very few who had escaped.

Everyone in the formation was injured, but they could barely manage to form a defensive circle.

The reinforcements arrived in a short while, but Sect Leader Kang Da was already covered in cold sweat, feeling as if he had finally come back to life.

Those ten or so elite disciples from the Five Aspects Sect were a force to be reckoned with; even facing one of them would be a close call, let alone a group of them. To have escaped with my life was truly the luckiest of luck.

When facing an enemy, one must not only be careless in the slightest, but also pay attention to maintaining one's own formation at all times, which is very mentally taxing.

Sima Fei, who led the main force forward, saw the circular formation composed of a group of cultivators covered in blood and showed a rather satisfied expression on his face.

He condescended to walk up to Kang Dabao and softly comforted him, saying, "Well done. Enter the central army first, rest your strength, and there will be more fighting ahead."

Thanks to Brother Hongtangji for the Extended Net Moon.

Thanks to Nightmare, Book Friends 20180709232127744, Soft and Soaked, Book Friends 20220504073416563, I can't drive, I can fly if it's okay, Book Friends 20240425012423905, Jane V, Tomb Keeper brothers for their monthly votes

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(If I'm not too busy during the night shift, I'll take a break and update another chapter.)