Longzang

Chapter 703 The First Battle
When the Dingyue Stele was unveiled, the Liao army assembled from multiple directions, but the Taichu Palace had its own countermeasures.

Five thousand Dao soldiers and one thousand Dao Foundation cultivators belonging to the Azure Sky Palace have been transferred from other places to reinforce the Seventh Town.

This was just one route. Subsequently, several more troops were transferred from other directions, eventually giving Wei Yuan 50,000 Dao soldiers, including 2,000 Dao Foundation cultivators. In addition, there were 1,000 Dao Foundation cultivators brought from Qingming, giving Wei Yuan 3,000 Dao Foundation cultivators at his disposal.

Most of these Dao foundations were cultivated in Qingming, and they naturally respected Wei Yuan.

Meanwhile, the Sixth and Eighth Garrisons on Wei Yuan's left and right flanks were also reinforced, each increasing their troops to 30,000. In addition, the Abbot of Haotian Temple specially gave Wei Yuan a token, which allowed him to mobilize the forces of the northern mountain gate to a limited extent.

The power of the mountain gate is similar to the power of Qingming's domain, but it is not as strong. After all, the northern mountain gate covers a vast area and needs to be defended everywhere to prevent Liao army from launching a surprise attack.

When the Dingyue Stele fell, although Wei Yuan felt it was aimed at Feng Chutang, his Seventh Town was the first to be affected, so Wei Yuan adjusted his strategy.

The two flying boats that were parked on Qingming were already loaded with soldiers, tents, military rations and other supplies, but upon receiving Wei Yuan's order, all troops disembarked, urgently changed into bullets, breastplates and muskets, and then took off immediately to head to the northern mountain gate.

Meanwhile, Bao Yun, who remained in Qingming, summoned the major merchant guilds and requisitioned two more large flying ships, each loaded with enough weapons and equipment to arm 10,000 people, and flew towards the northern mountain gate.

Wei Yuan, holding the design plans, stood in the swirling sandstorm, directing his numerous soldiers to hasten the reconstruction of the town. The two Liao-held fortifications had been abandoned because they were too far forward, and Wei Yuan withdrew all his troops.

Abandoning the Liao army's fortifications, Wei Yuan instead began constructing several small fortified towns less than five li from the town. Each fortified town had walls two zhang high and multiple moats leading down to the town's walls.

The town's walls were widened urgently, but not heightened, and infantry guns were then deployed on them. The side gates were modified and widened to allow chariots to enter and exit.

With the labor of thousands of road workers and more than 50,000 soldiers, the city's defense renovation progressed rapidly, and the entire project was completed before the Liao army finished assembling and marched south.

Ten days after the Dingyue Stele was erected, the first batch of 500,000 Liao cavalrymen assembled and began their southward march.

Wei Yuan stood atop the town's city wall, looking out at the three fortified towns lined up in a row, with two more on each side. If the Liao army wanted to attack the town, they would first have to bypass the fortified towns, then endure continuous fire from them. Alternatively, they could directly destroy the fortified towns, only to be met with artillery fire from the town itself.

It was nearly noon when billowing dust, resembling high walls and mountain ranges, appeared on the distant horizon, slowly approaching.

Wei Yuan narrowed his eyes and zoomed in, and saw countless cavalrymen in the sandstorm, their military spirit blending seamlessly with the wind and sand.

When the Liao cavalry reached a point fifty li away, they began to select a location to set up camp. At the same time, they dispatched tens of thousands of iron cavalry, divided into more than a dozen teams of several thousand each, to begin approaching the defensive line. These scouts did not approach the city but instead circled around it, while some advanced directly into the heart of the mountain gate from open areas.

This was a common tactic used by the Northern Liao. The Liao cavalry moved like the wind, making them difficult for human cavalry to match. Therefore, the Northern Liao would often send multiple cavalry units to harass and pillage the rear of the human lines, and then calmly retreat back to the north when the main human army arrived.

However, the northern gate of Taichu Palace was not so easy to enter. After these Liao cavalrymen had penetrated more than ten miles, several large-scale magical spells suddenly descended, instantly covering their bodies with sticky spider silk, and adding a thousand pounds of weight to their bodies, slowing their movements down immediately.

However, the Liao cavalry came prepared, each of them radiating a yellow light, using their magical power in conjunction with their military aura to dispel the Daoist spells. But just as they dispersed them, new binding spells descended, and at the same time, multiple Daoist soldiers emerged from various directions, all empowered with divine speed techniques, swiftly attacking these cavalry units.

Wei Yuan also sent 3,000 Dao soldiers out of the city on horseback, and at the same time sent out his only three chariots, along with 1,000 cavalry, to cut off the Liao cavalry's retreat.

The large contingent of Liao cavalry was utterly fearless, charging towards Wei Yuan's makeshift defensive line with shouts of terror. Wei Yuan, standing atop a chariot, saw the Liao cavalry approaching and immediately ordered: "Dismount, form ranks, and take aim!"

All the cavalrymen dismounted. A few led their horses to the back of the chariots to guard them, while the rest of the soldiers took the giant shields off their horses, planted them in the ground, and opened the two support frames behind the shields. The giant shields, each three feet wide and four feet high, formed a shield wall. The soldiers hid behind the formation and aimed their flying swords and spears at the rapidly approaching Liao cavalry.

"Fire!" Wei Yuan ordered again.

The three chariots immediately opened fire, and with a deafening roar, more than ten Liao cavalrymen were blasted into the air! One of the explosions landed right beneath one rider's feet, sending him and his horse flying high into the sky before crashing to the ground. Their equipment lay scattered on the ground; the cavalrymen were motionless, but their horses were still struggling in agony.

The artillery fire was intense, and some confusion arose among the Liao cavalry, but the main force of Liao cavalry remained fearless and charged forward. At about two hundred feet away, swarms of flying swords suddenly arrived, cutting down all the Liao cavalrymen at the forefront.

However, the Liao cavalry charged forward relentlessly, risking their lives, and after suffering heavy casualties, finally reached the front of Wei Yuan's intercepting army. Several Liao cavalrymen were the first to charge into the formation, smashing through three or four heavy shields in one go before being forced to stop.

As soon as the warhorse stopped, several flying swords came flying from all sides, killing the Liao cavalryman.

Several Liao cavalrymen rushed to the side of the chariot and swung their swords to slash, but neither the sword energy nor the steel blades could penetrate the chariot's armor.

Eight magical swords flew out of the chariot, slicing the cavalrymen into pieces. The swords then whistled around the chariot, killing any Liao cavalrymen who dared to approach.

Heavy arrows and even armor-piercing arrows kept whistling in from afar, but they all stuck to the chariot and couldn't penetrate the chariot body, which was equivalent to four layers of giant shields.

Some Liao people quickly discovered the chariot's weakness and began firing arrows at its cannons. The Northern Liao were naturally skilled in mounted archery, and could accurately hit the cannons from dozens of feet away.

However, each chariot, in addition to two gunners and a commander, also had a total of eight Dao Foundation cultivators for driving. Now that the chariots did not need to move, they freed up their hands to use their divine sense to control flying swords to intercept the heavy arrows aimed at the cannons.

At this moment, Wei Yuan, who had been holding back, finally made his move, deflecting the heavy arrows that were aimed straight at him, allowing the chariot cannons to continue firing.

The Liao people had never seen this kind of battle before, and they suffered heavy casualties in the blink of an eye, forcing them to retreat. After regrouping with several other troops and gathering ten thousand cavalry, they attacked again. At this time, tens of thousands of cavalry also rushed out from the Northern Liao camp to come to the rescue.

Unwilling to be attacked from both sides, Wei Yuan ordered his cavalry to retreat and return to the town. He also recalled three thousand Dao soldiers. The tens of thousands of Liao cavalry, having joined forces, would not retreat easily. Instead, they attempted to attack Wei Yuan's city. They charged in like a whirlwind and then, from a distance of a hundred feet, fired heavy arrows at the walls of Wei City and the town.

To enhance the city's defenses, Wei Yuan ordered steel shields to be nailed behind the battlements. Even if the Liao captain's heavy arrows could pierce through the three-foot-thick battlements, they couldn't penetrate the steel shields.

The defenders on the city wall used flying swords, which had a range of 300 zhang (approximately 150 meters), slightly less than heavy arrows, but still enough to bring the Liao cavalry within range. Moreover, the flying swords were much faster than heavy arrows, making them extremely difficult to dodge once launched.

In the first round of shooting, the Liao cavalry were caught off guard and more than a hundred riders were shot down.

Wei Yuan now stands at the head of the town, ordering the cannons not to fire, and then observes the movements of the Liao people.

Suddenly, a loud shout rang out from the Liao cavalry: "Boy! Come and have a go at your grandpa Muhawen!"

Then a Liao soldier dressed in ordinary cavalry uniform suddenly took to the air, leaving trails of afterimages in the sky. His speed was even faster than that of a heavy arrow!

Wei Yuan's pupils contracted slightly. There were traces of the Left Wise King's immortal power on this Liao person!
In an instant, a Daoist spell landed on Muhawen, attempting to dispel the immortal power possessing him. However, a flash of yellow immortal light emanated from Muhawen, neutralizing the spell.

A sinister smile crept across Muhawen's lips, and the short sword in his hand glowed with divine light. This was a strike imbued with the divine power of the Left Wise King; once locked on, it was guaranteed to hit.

However, Wei Yuan's figure disappeared like a bubble, and he was unable to lock onto Wei Yuan!

The attack missed its mark. Muhawen was too fast, instantly sweeping across the entire town. Then, his body flashed with light as Wei Yuan cast spell after spell on him, trying to dispel the super-speed technique that was also formed by the infusion of immortal power.

Muhawen let out a cold laugh. The immortal power he received was called [Wind Radiance], which, when propelled by his unparalleled agility, guaranteed a direct hit, effective against ordinary Dharma Aspects. He also used the immortal power of the Left Sage King to lock onto his target; under the suppression of rank, ordinary Dharma Aspects simply couldn't dodge it.

Muhawen didn't understand why his previous strike had failed. Perhaps it was just an accident. He didn't think he would fail again if he had to do it once more.

As for Wei Yuan's attempt to remove the enhancement he had given to his movement technique, he found it childish and laughable. If even immortals' magic could be removed, the world would have been in chaos long ago.

He turned around and accelerated towards Wei Yuan again, locking on the moment he got close!
Then the strike missed.

Muhawen found it hard to believe that he had missed twice in a row. He couldn't lock onto Wei Yuan at all. Could this kid also have some kind of magical treasure?
At this moment, his body was still flashing with yellow immortal light, dispelling one spell after another. Wei Yuan, however, was like a stubborn mule, relentlessly unleashing the spells to dispel them. Dozens of spells fell in an instant, and this rain of spells made Muhawen's heart pound with fear.

Muhawen thought to himself, if the third attempt fails, then he will be certain that Wei Yuan possesses a celestial treasure, and he will have to retreat and think of another way. This is a credit he cannot take.

His figure was so elusive that he swept across a thousand feet in an instant, brushing past Wei Yuan, yet he still missed!
Before he could escape, a magical spell suddenly descended upon him, within which a three-eyed bird's head faintly floated. Yellow immortal light suddenly shone on his body, and then it vanished.

The Left Wise King's magic was actually dispelled?!

He only paused for a moment before Wei Yuan unleashed dozens more spells, some binding, some slowing, some increasing weight, some numbing, and several imbued with the true meanings of spiciness, greasiness, stench, and stickiness. Instantly, Muhawen felt as if he had fallen into a quagmire, and his movements became incredibly sluggish.

Then everything went black before his eyes, and he could see and feel nothing. The only thing he knew was that a whole row of his ribs had inexplicably broken.

Muhawen seemed to hear a scream, then instantly regained his senses and found that his chest was completely caved in, as if he had been stepped on by some giant beast.

Not far away in the air, there was a particularly cute girl squatting there, constantly dry heaving.

Then a perfect woman appeared before Muhawen, her aura as imposing as a mountain, and she grabbed directly at his shoulder!

Only then did Muhawen feel the belated, excruciating pain. He forced himself to slash at the woman's arm with his sword, but this strike, imbued with divine power, barely managed to cut through her flesh before getting stuck in the bone.

The woman, completely unaware, grabbed his shoulder and gave him a quick shake. Instantly, a series of cracking sounds rang out from Muhawen's body. He immediately counted that his bones had broken or fractured a total of ninety-seven times. His consciousness was nearly shattered, and his primordial spirit was in a daze.

However, the woman suddenly looked panicked, stepped back instantly, and then took out a handkerchief to frantically wipe her hands.

Wei Yuan appeared behind him at the right moment, grabbed him with his large hand, and used the Nine Netherworld Soul-Seizing Technique to pull out his Dharma form. At the same time, he also pulled Sun Yu to his side in mid-air and shouted, "Swallow him!"

Sun Yu manifested the form of a giant scorpion carrying a cauldron, and swallowed the form of Muha Wen in one gulp.

Wei Yuan breathed a sigh of relief, loosened his grip, and threw Muhawen's corpse into the city. He then laughed and said, "That was close! This person was empowered by immortal power and could not be captured alive. If we had been any later, he would have self-destructed his Dharma form. At that time, we would have gotten nothing."

Wei Yuan finished speaking in one breath, only to realize that the atmosphere around him was a bit strange. Sun Yu stood there expressionless, simply asking, "Why don't you swallow it yourself?"

This question stumped Wei Yuan. Wei Yuan felt that he did not have the ability to devour Dharma forms; if he did, it would only be to devour human Dharma forms and feed them to the Three-Eyed Bird Head. However, the Three-Eyed Bird Head had no interest in Dharma forms from other races.

At this moment, Feng Chutang had not finished digesting the dragon, and the devouring effect was not good. Wei Yuan was afraid that he would not swallow it cleanly, so in a hurry, he called Sun Yu.

Wei Yuan turned his gaze and suddenly saw the giant scorpion carrying the cauldron behind Sun Yu vomiting.

(End of this chapter)