Chapter 746: Chapter 746

Of course, Sikong Xuan was clearly aware that if Mi Lu, leading those Demon Generals who had retreated into the Array Palace, were to rejoin the battlefield now, this war of attrition employing the human wave tactic would become even tougher and more challenging for his mighty Manxie army.

But Sikong Xuan was convinced that the battle at the city gate had completely extinguished Mi Lu’s fighting spirit.

A general who retreats from the battlefield, unless under overwhelmingly favorable circumstances, fears he may never return to the fray.

The Demon Lord, Shu Ci, Zangxin, and the elder members of the Demon Generals from the Prison Law had ventured to all corners of the realm, and even the fearsome Si He Ning Feiyan had seldom suffered such a severe injury. Now, the Imperial City lay vulnerable to attack.

But he had not expected to encounter such an odd young man.

Originally, he believed that the young man’s victory over the River Lord from Qingye World during the Monarch’s Return Banquet was ambiguous, probably involving quite a bit of luck.

Moreover, as the newly promoted Shouhe, with cultivation barely breaking through to the Chengling Realm, how could he possibly exert a pivotal influence in such a grand battle for the city?

Upon closer inspection, it appears he had miscalculated.

According to historical records from the Canglan Year, when Shouhe was misplaced and Si Chen usurped the role, it was said that he was indeed the cause of chaos for the country and the lord. The words were not false after all.

Such a young man, not only was he able to make the Demon Lord break the rules and secure the treasured strategies of the realms, known as the "Long Strategies Jade," as a dowry, but he was also entrusted with such a secret deadly weapon.

It seems that this newly minted Shouhe holds a much more significant place in the Demon Lord’s heart than Shu Ci does.

If he could capture this young man alive, even when the Demon Lord returned to the city, there might now be a measure to counterbalance the power.

Thinking thus, Sikong Xuan smiled knowingly, ordered someone to bring him a chair, sat down with the flag upright, and issued several orders. His army behind him, with firm and swift vigor, adeptly maneuvered into formation.

Meanwhile, up in the sky, the massive chariot was disintegrating into dust, and the skeletal Immortal driving it crumbled under the eroding power emanating from the protective canopy.

Gradually, however, the might of the Tianji Umbrella seemed somewhat insufficient against the vastness of the chariot. Thousands of purple threads surged, cutting the massive vehicle into countless pieces, a spectacle resembling a desperate struggle.

Sikong Xuan shouted with a grave voice, "Spare no one in the city, but those two atop the city wall must be captured alive!"

The uncontrolled half of the chariot collapsed from above his head, but Sikong Xuan never looked up.

Behind him, the gargantuan beast from the Wilderness raised its head and roared, with two sets of purple-black horns crackling with lightning.

Two fist-sized spheres of lightning shot out, blasting the unparalleled precious chariot into pieces, while hunks of Xuantie metal fell like the ruins of a collapsing castle.

Facing the falling debris of the shattered chariot, Sikong Xuan on the battlefield didn’t bother to sweep them away. A misty Demonic Qi radiated around him, repelling every heavy chunk of metal remains.

However, Sikong Xuan’s gaze remained fixed on the dimming lights of battle atop the city wall, unaware that when a piece of debris fell directly above him, it wasn’t repelled by the Demonic Qi.

The shield of Demonic Qi surrounding him split in two along with the piece of debris, as a sword light cut down diagonally, aiming for the back of Sikong Xuan’s neck.

The Wilderness beast let out an alarm-like roar.

Sikong Xuan’s eyelids twitched, and he looked up to meet Baili An’s exceptionally dark eyes with a pair of profound and chilling pupils.

The iron chair beneath him shattered, breaking into innumerable fragments.

With a furious shout, Sikong Xuan flicked his fingers. A piece of the debris shot out from under his palm like a heavy iron bead, shattering the sword light and striking Baili An squarely between the eyebrows.

The force behind this flick was astonishing, yet the anticipated bloodbath did not occur.

In the dust, the gleaming cold light of the Autumnwater Sword flickered unceasingly. Almost at the moment of impact, the Autumnwater Sword, which Sikong Xuan thought little of, slashed a shallow wound across his cheek.

Baili An flipped backwards mid-air, retreating a full hundred meters before finally coming to a stop on the ground.

Guided by his telekinesis, the Autumnwater Sword circled around him for a few turns before obediently disappearing into the jasper between his fingers.

Injured by someone so close within thousands of troops, Sikong Xuan’s eyes did not flame with rage.

He looked at the city ramparts very rationally and saw that the person handling the unknown spear umbrella, once the young man, was now replaced by the grinning Si He River Lord.

She seemed far less adept at controlling the weapon than the young man, clueless about how to activate the corresponding runes on the umbrella and shaft.

Of the thirty-six leaf-patterned runes on the umbrella, she could only mimic two learned from his hands.

She managed to deceive Sikong Xuan with the repeated use of these two leaves’ power.

When the Artifact Holder switched places, he had no idea.

Baili An reached up to remove the shard of iron lodged in his forehead. Blood streamed down his nose, creating a rather ghastly sight.

However, Sikong Xuan knew that the blow had not inflicted any substantial harm on the young man.

Sikong Xuan couldn’t help but be moved.

The young man’s bodily strength seemed to be on par with the gargantuan beast he had raised.

Sikong Xuan’s Personal Guard, seeing him so audacious as to counter-attack their Main Military Strategist amidst such overwhelming disparity in strength, were furiously indignant.

Without waiting for Sikong Xuan to issue a command, they had already begun to encircle Baili An from both sides.

Sikong Xuan watched Baili An from afar, suddenly smiling and saying, "Do you wish to take my head in the midst of an army?"

"I won’t let you have your way," he declared. On the battlefield, real talents often have a penchant for gambling with their lives, and Sikong Xuan was no exception.

He did not recall the main force advancing on the city ramparts, but rather let the dozen or so members of his Personal Guard around him provide scant protection, exposing himself to danger.

With a gesture of his flag towards the city wall, he commanded solemnly, "Hear my order, soldiers, do not retreat to protect me, you must bring me Ning Feiyan’s head!"

This order, seeking not a secure battle strategy, essentially eliminated any chance of retreat for the two.

Sikong Xuan watched Baili An’s expression cool off, his lips curling into a cruel, ruthless smile, "Between her and me, who do you think will die first?"

As these chilling words settled, several dozen members of the Personal Guard set up their formation. Half were to guard and the other half were moving to encircle Baili An.

The Personal Guard selected to serve beside the Military Strategist of the ten-thousand-strong Manxie army were naturally the elite of the elite, although there were only about thirty of them.

Fully armed, they were a match for a thousand soldiers, each adept in the Chengling Realm.

Baili An took a deep breath, looking up at the figure in purple on the city ramparts, gripped the Heavenly Strategy Jun Mountain Sword in his hand, and swept it out horizontally with the force of a thousand soldiers, striking a Manxie Demon who was lunging at his ribs.

The Demon didn’t dodge, clearly confident in the resilience of his physique, preparing to withstand the sword blow.

Unexpectedly, the seemingly unimposing sword edge unleashed a dazzling, mountain-splitting force.

With his guard down, the Manxie was cut in half at the waist by the sword.

Baili An quickly seized the Demon’s Heavy Shield, concealing most of his body behind it, covered in the hot blood still fresh from the Demon warrior, charging into the midst of the enemy troops.

Sikong Xuan watched with interest as he propped up his chin, perplexed by the terrible strength that lay hidden within the lean body of the youth.

In a short time, he had overwhelmingly crushed ten of his elite soldiers.

"Snap!" Sikong Xuan raised an arm and snapped his fingers for an order.

The remaining twenty or so Manxie warriors split into two lines, creating a broad path, from which the giant beast of the Wilderness was released again by Sikong Xuan.

The Wilderness beast’s iron hooves thundered across the earth, its terrifying, ridge-like Demon Horns sizzling with electric currents, its tough, iron-clad physique bulging, a symbol of unrivaled strength and physique.

An ancient monster that had roamed battlefields until now, its form was gigantic yet as swiftly frightening as thunder and lightning. With a long roar, it charged, creating a Gale that flung the remaining twenty or so Manxie warriors aside and ferociously aimed at Baili An.