Longzang

Chapter 77 Another Triumph
Li Zhi ordered one group to stand guard, while the other group dismounted to clean up the battlefield and retrieve Wei Yuan's short spear. The arrows they fired were magical weapons, so they should be retrieved if possible.

A Dao Foundation captain took out a battle axe and chopped down several tents. He then poured poison into the well, completely destroying the camp. This camp was located in the Liao region, and the humans would have difficulty surviving without repairing the feng shui formation. Therefore, Li Zhi and Wei Yuan both chose to completely destroy it, even though the water source was precious.

The guards were well-trained and cleaned up the battlefield in an orderly manner, finishing in about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn. During this process, both men and horses were able to rest.

After the battlefield was cleared, Wei Yuan and Li Zhi headed for the second camp.

There was no smoke from the second camp. Wei Yuan and Li Zhi began to accelerate from twenty li away, rushing towards the camp at full speed. Ten li passed in the blink of an eye, and the entire camp came into view. There were actually more than forty Liao cavalrymen in the camp, who were now mounting their horses one by one!

The number of enemies exceeded expectations. Normally, when the number of humans and Northern Liao people is equal, the human race would be at a significant disadvantage. However, Wei Yuan and Li Zhi are not ordinary people, and they have the advantage of surprise attacks, so they still sprinted at full speed. Li Zhi even took out three long arrows that shimmered with rainbow light and nocked them on his bow at the same time.

At the previous camp, the seven riders from the Northern Liao dared to charge at Wei Yuan and Li Zhi. Now that there were more than forty riders in the camp, they were naturally even more fearless and charged forward with a roar.

At a distance of about a hundred paces, arrows rained down from both sides. The Liao barbarians, with their strong bows and heavy arrows, were naturally skilled archers; the Southern Qi cavalry, on the other hand, used only magical bows and arrows, which were incredibly powerful and could pursue their enemies on their own after being fired. In the first exchange, three or four riders from each side fell from their horses, making it a close fight. In the blink of an eye, hundreds of riders were engaged in a melee, with knights frequently tumbling from their horses.

Wei Yuan's spear finally found its purpose, and with a single thrust, he pierced a passing Liao barbarian rider, knocking him off his horse. However, several heavy arrows suddenly appeared from nowhere, and Wei Yuan, unable to dodge in time, was struck in the shoulder by one of them.

The Liao barbarians' archery skills were truly legendary. Many Liao cavalrymen could effortlessly shoot an arrow that would pass through countless knights and warhorses galloping back and forth on the battlefield, heading straight for their target. Most Liao cavalrymen only possessed a small amount of magical power, and the heavy arrows they fired lacked the aura of Dao power, making them virtually impossible for cultivators who relied on their divine sense to identify Dao power as a means of defense to defend against.

Countless heavy arrows whistled across the battlefield, and even Li Zhi couldn't tell which arrow was aimed at whom, often being caught off guard by the sudden appearance of armor-piercing heavy arrows.

As the battle reached a stalemate, Li Zhi gradually became flustered, and his command began to falter.

Within a hundred feet, the Northern Liao's armor-piercing heavy arrows could penetrate heavy armor. Li Zhi's armor was a top-grade magical artifact, so he was naturally not afraid, but being hit by an arrow would consume a lot of his Dao power. Moreover, although the heavy arrows could not penetrate armor, the shockwave was real. Being hit by an arrow was equivalent to being hit hard by a hammer by a Body Forging Master, which was not pleasant either.

The two sides clashed back and forth, with Wei Yuan and Li Zhi each taking down several Liao cavalrymen, gradually gaining the upper hand. One of the Northern Liao captains was particularly fierce, exchanging blows with Li Zhi for several rounds. Another, however, was less fortunate, being suddenly struck off his horse by Wei Yuan's flying sand technique and then finished off with a spear thrust, managing to survive two rounds.

While the elite guards of the Southern Qi were no less formidable in one-on-one combat than the elite cavalry of the Liao, their horses were a different story. The Northern Liao knights charged recklessly, frequently ramming their horses headfirst into their opponents' mounts. At full speed, the Liao horses would merely sway, while the human horses would suffer broken bones and tendons. Soon after the battle began, several of the guards' horses had been killed by Liao horses.

Fortunately, Wei Yuan's short spear was incredibly powerful, and Li Zhi's divine bow and arrows were also invincible, rescuing most of his fallen men. Just as they were gradually gaining the upper hand, Wei Yuan suddenly felt a great earthquake, and in the distance, yellow mist surged violently. Suddenly, two hundred Liao cavalrymen charged out from the yellow mist!
The attacking Liao cavalry split into two groups. One group charged straight towards the battlefield, while the other attempted to outflank Wei Yuan and Li Zhi, intending to cut off their retreat. Each group had a knight with a white feather adorning his helmet, noticeably taller and riding a much more powerful horse. In Wei Yuan's eyes, both knights radiated a powerful, bright yellow aura of magical energy, comparable to Earth-rank cultivators.

Centurions! All centurions of the Han Hai Liao tribe have Dao Foundation, and because they are born with strong bodies, their combat power is significantly greater than that of ordinary Dao Foundation cultivators of the human race.

The Liao cavalry reinforcements arrived extremely quickly. The centurion who rushed straight to the battlefield drew his bow 500 feet away, firing seven or eight heavy arrows almost in a straight line, all of which hit Li Zhi.

There was no way around it; Li Zhi's armor was too bright and conspicuous, making him stand out among countless people at a glance. His aura of immortal foundation was also extraordinary, making him far more noticeable than the two captains of the personal guard. In contrast, Wei Yuan wore the standard armor issued by the Taichu Palace, which was less impressive than Li Zhi's personal guards. In addition, Wei Yuan was not yet at the Dao Foundation stage, so the centurion didn't even bother to look at him, treating him as just an ordinary soldier.

Li Zhi now held a golden shield with the head of a lion-like beast in his left hand, radiating light, and a long halberd in his right hand, crackling with lightning. As a result, his imposing presence was even greater, attracting the attention of all the Liao barbarians.

He first deflected the first three arrows, then raised his shield to block the next four. The heavy arrows exploded against the shield, the terrifying impact causing Li Zhi and his horse to stagger backward.

Li Zhi's warhorse suddenly let out a long neigh, its hind legs buckled, and it almost threw Li Zhi off.

As a genius nurtured by the Four Saints Academy, Li Zhi's strengths lay not in battlefield combat or charging into enemy lines alone, but he could hold his own against a centurion from the Northern Liao. However, while he was a formidable warrior, his horse was not.

Li Zhi traveled thousands of miles from Southern Qi to Western Jin. He could bring many personal guards, but not warhorses. These horses had been prepared in advance by the Western Jin side and were of a completely different grade from the warhorses originally belonging to the Duke of Southern Qi's personal guards. Now, in the face of direct combat, the difference became apparent.

Although Li Zhi was at a disadvantage, he remained calm. He struck his warhorse with a magical technique, and the horse neighed loudly, its eyes instantly turning red, and it stood up again. However, this magical technique came at the cost of exhausting the warhorse's life force; once its effect wore off, the horse would die from exhaustion.

The centurion charged forward with the force of a thunderbolt, closing the distance to within two hundred paces in the blink of an eye, and nocking three heavy arrows, gleaming with yellow light, onto his bowstring. At this distance, Li Zhi could even clearly see the savagery in his eyes and the sinister grin on his lips!
Li Zhi switched to holding the shield with both hands, focusing all his defense on the battlefield. At that moment, he caught a glimpse of Wei Yuan silently approaching the centurion, about to be within a hundred feet of him. A thought flashed through Li Zhi's mind, and he instantly channeled his Dao power, letting out a roar. His golden shield suddenly emitted a blinding light, illuminating everyone who looked at him, rendering them unable to see anything for a moment.

Although the centurion was also blind, he had already locked onto Li Zhi with his divine sense and fired three arrows, each aimed straight at Li Zhi's heart!
Three heavy arrows exploded one after another on the golden shield, each arrow sending Li Zhi and his horse flying back several feet. Li Zhi's face grew paler with each strike. After catching the last arrow, his warhorse suddenly let out a mournful neigh, its eyes shattered, and then its hooves buckled, collapsing to the ground.

Before the centurion's vision could recover, he suddenly sensed several powerful Dao forces around him, indicating that a Foundation Establishment cultivator had launched a sneak attack!
(End of this chapter)