Zeng Feixiong muttered, "Eldest Young Master, did that god just shout the word 'freeze'?"
No one answered beside him. Zeng Feixiong turned his head to look. Where was he?
He Lingchuan had vanished.
A chill ran across Zeng Feixiong's scalp. Their side, led by the young master, had dared to oppose a heavenly god. With the black flood dragon now on the verge of defeat, who could doubt the god would turn its fury upon them next?
Of course he would. He definitely would.
He had never heard of a heavenly god blessed with a good temper.
Could the young master have deserted before the battle was even over?
Fortunately, Maotao spoke up just in time: "The young master jumped down the wall! He told me to pass the word to Sir Zeng: if the black flood dragon is about to freeze over, blast it with the cannons!"
Fire the cannons? Zeng Feixiong jolted, sudden clarity washing over him.
Right! The heavenly god possessing Nian Songyu wanted to freeze the dragon solid to spare itself battle after battle. If they bombarded the dragon to pieces, wouldn't that help it revive?
Without a moment to lose, he spun around and hollered, "Brothers, ready the cannons and ballistas! Load the biggest shells you've got and blast 'em!"
The Blackwater City troops asked, "Blast which ones?"
"Dragon and man together!" Zeng Feixiong cuffed the man across the back of the head. "Move it if you want to stay alive!"
The men hurried to obey.
A pile of cannonballs and several explosive ballista bolts materialized out of thin air atop the gatehouse. One glance at the sheer volume of powder packed into the arrowheads proved they were no mere decorative toys.
Evidently, the Dafang Pot approved of their plan.
By now, the black flood dragon could barely move, and Nian Songyu was locked into chanting his incantation, making them the easiest possible targets.
Just as two nail bombs and a ballista were loaded, two soldiers let out sharp cries, clutched their chests, and tumbled off the wall. Startled, Zeng Feixiong peered over the parapet, only to see Sun Fuping slowly lowering his ritual staff.
Though battered and disheveled, the National Preceptor's gaze remained venomous.
Of course—how could they have forgotten the National Preceptor? How dared they forget him?
Zeng Feixiong had no intention of entering a war of attrition with him. Pulling his head back, he urged, "Fire! Hurry!"
Several deafening booms echoed as the half-frozen black flood dragon shattered across the ground. The explosive ballista bolt had done the heavy lifting, detonating only after lodging deep into the ice, tearing through it even more savagely than a cannonball.
Nian Songyu took a hit as well. The nail bombs could not breach his barrier, but the blast shoved him back several yards.
The glare he threw upward struck a chill into the Blackwater City troops, plainly declaring: *Just you wait.*
The only reason he did not retaliate immediately was the sudden sound of hooves outside the city gates, sweeping toward them like a howling tempest.
The men rushed to the crenels on the other side and peered out, only to be struck dumb.
A vast, dark expanse of soldiers marched with bone-chilling killing intent and disciplined formation. War banners snapped in the wind, bearing a massive character: "Zhong." It was none other than the Gale Army returning to the city.
This was their home turf, and the Gale Army moved more than twice as fast as in the outside world. Almost the instant the hoofbeats were heard, the army surged into the city like a torrent.
Without challenges shouted or replies given, several leading generals merely leveled their spear tips, and hundreds of cavalry accelerated into a charge aimed straight at Nian Songyu.
Perhaps because the laws within the illusion were far less rigid than the outside world, these hundreds of horsemen split into squads and began overlapping with one another.
Those atop the wall thought their eyes were playing tricks, seeing double, but when they rubbed their eyes and looked again, the hundreds of cavalrymen had merged into just five riders.
Each wore heavy plate armor, eyes glowing crimson, no longer resembling anything mortal. Rider and steed alike were more than double their normal size; astride those horses, they were like men riding colossal elephants, the tips of their lances and halberds glinting with dark light.
Their attack was blunt and unadorned: relying on their massive bulk and terrifying mounts, they raised their weapons and rammed directly into Nian Songyu.
Every thrust stirred up howling gusts, sending a shudder down the spines of the onlookers on the wall.
Could any of them have dodged a blow like that?
Nian Songyu did not dodge; he brought his saber across and met them head-on.
Right at that moment, an exceptionally familiar voice rang out from beyond the walls: "Chuan'er!"
"Chuan'er" was not on the wall, but Zeng Feixiong heard it. Spinning around, he cried in pleasant surprise, "It's the Commandery Governor!"
The men leaned over the crenels to look down, and there was He Chunhua standing right below the South Second Gate!
Panlong City presently had three concentric rings of gates. Nian Songyu and the black flood dragon were clashing within the inner city, while Governor He had appeared inside the outer second gate, separated from the battlefield by a barbican gate, placing him in relative safety.
Beside him stood a dozen or so personal guards, all waving to their comrades atop the wall.
Overjoyed, the men seized rope ladders and cast them down for them to climb.
The moment He Chunhua climbed up, Zeng Feixiong rushed forward to salute. "My Lord, are you unharmed? We've heard about National Preceptor Sun's sinister plot!"
"I'm alive," He Chunhua said, looking left and right with frantic eyes. "Where is Chuan'er?"
"The young master jumped down from the wall, saying he had business to attend to." Zeng Feixiong pointed toward the south of the city.
He Chunhua let out a long breath. "Good, then." His son was alive, and it sounded as if he was unharmed. That was enough.
"How did you escape, My Lord? Why are there only a few men left?" Zeng Feixiong was still puzzled. "And what about this Gale Army?"
"It is a long story. After entering the pool-well, dozens of men were scattered and haven't regrouped with us yet." He Chunhua surveyed the battlefield, frowning. "How can Nian Songyu be so formidable?"
Faced with the empowered Gale Army, the strength Nian Songyu displayed was far too overpowering, defying all expectations. If the royal court had such a talent, why hadn't they dispatched him to Woling Pass to fight the rebels?
"That's not Nian Songyu anymore!" Zeng Feixiong hastened to explain. "National Preceptor Sun invoked a heavenly god to descend into the mortal realm, possessing Commandant Nian! That's why his divine powers erupted like this. It's a heavenly god fighting the black flood dragon now—none of us can even get close."
Maotao squeezed through to chime in, "That god originally tried to possess the eldest young master, but failed! Only then did it pick Nian Songyu!"
He Chunhua's expression changed drastically. "What? Such a thing happened?! Where is Sun Fuping?"
"Right down there—" Zeng Feixiong pointed toward the ruins below, then let out a startled "Huh?" "He was there just a moment ago."
The ruins were empty. The National Preceptor had also vanished.
Down below, saber energy surged wildly as the two sides fought to a near standstill, though Nian Songyu seemed to hold a slight upper hand. If any ordinary mortal atop the wall jumped down, they would almost certainly be shredded into mincemeat.
He Chunhua's expression shifted—first hesitation, then gritted teeth, followed by resolute determination. "Come, we go down from the flank!"
***
Half an incense stick earlier.
The empowered Nian Songyu soon realized that these silent cavalrymen were not to be trifled with.
No matter how formidable the heavenly god was, the vessel containing its avatar was subpar, severely constraining the full display of its power. Taking just three blows head-on left Nian Songyu feeling drained of strength, the web between his thumb and forefinger split open and trembling so violently he could hardly lift his hand.
This boded ill. The battle had barely begun, yet he already felt a long-unfelt exhaustion creeping over him.
Worst of all, the black flood dragon revived once more.
After being torn apart by the explosive ballista bolts, the flood dragon's revival should by rights have been slower than before. Yet as tens of thousands of Gale Army soldiers surged toward it, they suddenly dissolved into crimson light and plunged into its wounds one after another.
Nian Songyu's face finally changed.
Seizing a moment after forcing back the oncoming foes with a Ground-Ripping Slash, he bounded over to Sun Fuping's side. "Why are you here while the sacrificial array is opened outside?"
Chapter 67