Endless Winter: My Camp Infinite Upgrades

Chapter 377 The Battle and Fall of Ba Shang, Xiang Fu Hai's Despair and Resentment, and the Five Great Masters

May 1st, 132nd year of the Moo calendar, night

Looking back over the past six months, starting with the capture of Jinbilonghe Village, Dajue Temple fought three major battles with Jiangxia Town at Hongguan, Fengshan, and Longzhou, and subsequently fought three more major battles with Bashang at Zouyang, Qinggu, and Jiuqu.

These six major battles involved more than 100,000 people on both sides. If other smaller-scale wars are also included, then in the past six months, Dajue Temple has probably fought at least a hundred battles, if not more.

Whether it's generals or soldiers, battlefield experience is accumulated gradually, one battle at a time. From this perspective, the Dajue Temple army has undoubtedly received the best training in the past six months.

Although some soldiers were added later, the commander Yan Xin, the deputy commander Wu Chen, a group of monks, hundreds of cold-resistant soldiers from Qinghepu, and more than 50,000 earth-digging soldiers had all fought their way from Hongguan to where they were now.

Calling them a battle-hardened army is no exaggeration.

At this moment, these 50,000 battle-hardened soldiers stood in the front of the battle formation.

In front of them were more than four thousand monks.

Unlike before, they are now all wearing thousand-forged battle armor.

Not only these four thousand monks, but also the commander Yan Xin, the deputy commander Wu Chen, and all the soldiers of the Cold Protection level standing at the forefront of the army were wearing a set of Thousand Forged Battle Armor.

These suits of armor are undoubtedly thanks to Jiangxia Town.

"We spent three or four hours assembling our troops, and with such a good opportunity, Ba Shang is unwilling to take the initiative to attack. It seems they are truly determined to defend to the death..."

Standing at the forefront, Yan Xin looked at the Ba Shang city gate not far away, his eyes filled with coldness. He turned to Wu Chen and whispered, "With Master's help, breaking through the Ba Shang city gate is not difficult. The difficulty lies in completely breaking in. Junior brother, after Master orders the attack, I will lead the vanguard to break through the gate, and you will lead the rearguard to cover my retreat."

"Understood, Senior Brother!"

The two exchanged only this one sentence and then fell silent.

It took the army more than four hours from the time they assembled after nightfall until they were fully in formation. In Ice Abyss, a night is only ten hours long, so the first half of the night was almost over.

If it were just one or a few people without any means of keeping warm, they definitely wouldn't be able to stand like that for half a night. Fortunately, it was 160,000 soldiers standing together. The heat wave generated by their abundant blood and qi raised the temperature of the surrounding area, so everyone didn't feel much cold.

As soon as there was any movement in the military tents of Dajue Temple, the garrison in Ba Shang City immediately sprang into action. However, despite their high alert, they waited for a long time without any enemy attack. Since Dajue Temple remained still, they could only continue to wait.

As time ticked by, the already somber atmosphere grew even more oppressive with the rapid drop in temperature.

Buzz…………

About three hours later, when there were still two hours left until dawn, a buzzing sound suddenly came from the sky in front of the army.

All the soldiers looked up sharply and realized that there were two old monks in yellow robes who had quietly appeared in mid-air at some unknown time.

The old monk on the left was exceptionally burly; the old monk on the right held a crimson spear about ten feet long. The two of them gazed at Ba Shang City from afar, their expressions utterly calm, showing no signs of intending to attack the city.

"Greetings to the Great Awakening Flame Dragon Master!"

"Greetings to the Great Awakening Vajra Master!"

The 160,000-strong army below bowed in unison upon seeing the two masters. You didn't even need to look into their eyes; you could tell from their voices how fervent they were towards these two gurus.

"Yan Xin, lead the army to attack the city!"

Without uttering a single wasted word, Master Yanlong immediately ordered an attack on the city.

The nine towns of Mo'ao Mountain are actually quite large in terms of territory. Even Longgu Town, which has the smallest territory, has thirty-nine village-level camps under its jurisdiction.

The Xuyang camp ceded by Jiangxia was territory outside the town; after the Qinggu camp fell, Xiang Fuhai attempted to cede territory to make peace, also ceding land outside the town. From the actions of these two towns, we can see how each town treats its subordinate village-level camps.

Village-level camps are not important at all; the town is the foundation of the nine towns.

The army had already reached the town gates, and Dajue Temple clearly understood that there was no need to negotiate with Ba Shang Town anymore. So, as soon as the two masters appeared, they immediately ordered an attack on the city.

As soon as Master Yanlong finished speaking, before the army on this side had even moved, Master Vajra transformed into a golden light and flew towards the city gate.

He was already quite burly, over two meters tall, and his bulging muscles swelled up, making him appear to swell by another 30-40%, like a golden giant. He crashed directly into the cast-iron city gate on the north side of Ba Shang Town, which was nine meters wide and fifteen meters high.

boom!
The massive city gate trembled violently. The shockwave from the impact of the seven-pound force shook not only the city walls but also the ground below. The entire city of Ba Shang shook incessantly, just like a violent earthquake.

At least several hundred of the city guards directly above the city gate were thrown into the air by the shockwave. Some unlucky ones, who happened to be standing directly above the impact zone, were even killed, bleeding from all seven orifices.

The massive city gate, its thickness unknown, was blasted open by the Vajra Master's impact, leaving a hole about half a meter in diameter.

Through the large hole, the Vajra Master saw behind the city gate thousands of soldiers holding it up with chains and iron stakes. A bloodthirsty glint flashed in his eyes, and he suddenly gathered strength in his hands and slammed them against the city gate again.

"You old monster, stop right there!"

But this time, things didn't go so smoothly for him.

call…………

An angry shout came from above the city gate. Before Vajra Master's fists could land on the gate, a fierce silver light that stirred the air currents of a two- or three-mile area suddenly fell from the sky and struck him on the top of the head.

Inside the silver light was a silver staff with coiled dragon patterns, about ten feet long. The fierce wind from the staff had already drained the surrounding airflow. The powerful force of the staff was like a mountain collapsing, and it reached the top of the Vajra Master's head in an instant.

The Vajra Master merely raised his eyebrows slightly, without doing anything else.

boom……

Clang...

The moment the long staff struck his head, producing a metallic clang, the Vajra Master's fist slammed into the city gate again, creating a tremendous roar. The hole that had just been breached by only half a meter widened by a full thirty percent.

"You old thief, get out of my way!"

Xiang Fanyun had already witnessed the Vajra Master's physique at the Nine Turns Camp, so he was not surprised to see that his staff could not avoid the opponent. Instead, he flipped the staff and forcefully swept the Vajra Master away, driving him away from the city gate area.

call out…………

Just as he swept away Vajra Master, a giant fire dragon suddenly descended from the sky. Xiang Fanyun did not spare any attention to defend himself, but instead continued to swing his staff at Vajra Master, relentlessly entangled with him.

Clang...

Before the spear inside the fiery dragon could land on Xiang Fanyun's head, it was swept away by another long staff that flew out from inside the city.

The visitor was Xiang Fanyun's elder brother, Xiang Fuhai, the lord of Ba Shang.

"Both masters should know that the Eight Great Yang Realm experts are watching closely. Even if they were to breach my Ba Shang City today, your Da Jue Temple would ultimately gain nothing. Why bother..."

Xiang Fuhai continued to try to persuade the two.

But before he could finish speaking, Master Yanlong rushed up and interrupted him.

"So what if they are here? A bunch of cowardly rats. This master has never taken them seriously!"

Whoosh... Boom...

The crimson spear emitted incredibly intense flames, instantly burning away the surrounding air currents, and pierced straight towards Xiang Fuhai's chest.

"You two old lunatics, let's see just how capable you really are!"

With negotiations failing and his last glimmer of hope shattered, Xiang Fuhai lost his temper. With a roar, he circled his long staff halfway around his back to gather strength, and then suddenly swept it horizontally at Master Yanlong.

The four Xianyang-level beings were the first to clash in the air above the city gate.

It sounds slow, but the four of them actually fought in the blink of an eye.

"Vanguard, follow me to attack the city!"

At Yan Xin's command, 60,000 vanguard troops charged towards the city gate.

"kill!"

"kill……"

"Come on!"

This vanguard of 60,000 included more than 4,000 monks from Zen monasteries and several hundred cold-resistant cultivators. They were the most powerful and naturally rushed to the front, quickly reaching a distance of less than 200 meters from the city gate.

"Fire arrows!"

"Fire arrows!"

"All troops, release your arrows!"

The city's defenders, of course, would not stand idly by and watch the enemy charge in. Xiang Tianlin and his commanders immediately roared and ordered the arrows to be fired. Countless soldiers set up powerful bows at the gaps in the city walls and fired arrows wildly at the enemy below.

Swish swish swish…………

Countless arrows shot down from above the city gate, instantly forming a silver curtain of arrows that covered the attacking soldiers like dark clouds pressing down.

The gaps above the city gate were limited, making it impossible for all soldiers to fire arrows. Therefore, those who could get positions at the gaps were either at the Cold Resistance level or at the limit of the Earth Digging Realm. In addition, since they were guarding the town tonight, Ba Shang had clearly brought out all his trump cards. Almost 90% of the arrows fired at this moment were made of silver.

Logically speaking, the cold-resistant gear rushing in from the front of Dajue Temple should not be able to withstand it!

In reality, Xiang Tianlin and the other commanders on the city wall, including the soldiers of Ba Shang who were shooting arrows, still had solemn expressions on their faces.

"Release the golden powder, and let the entire army chant the Six-Syllable Vajra Mantra with me!"

Bang...bang...bang...bang...bang...

As Yan Xin roared, the monks behind him immediately took out golden pills and smashed them on the ground. The pills exploded into clouds of golden smoke, which instantly covered the army formation.

“Ah…wa…sha…sa…ma…ha…”

As the three incantations ended, the more than 50,000 soldiers of the Great Awakening Temple who were rushing towards the city gate all emitted golden light. They seemed to feel their physical strength enhanced, and their emotions became excited. They ignored the iron arrows flying towards them and continued to charge.

Clang... Clang...

The silver arrows were completely blocked!
"With the Guru's divine power, nothing can penetrate us! Brothers, follow me and charge!"

"Break through Ba Shang City!"

"Bows and crossbows are useless against us, kill them!"

………………

A close look at the battlefield reveals that not all crossbows were useless. A very small number of arrows with terrifying power were able to penetrate the bodies of those Digging Realm soldiers. Some arrows, though unable to penetrate the soldiers' bodies, were still able to knock them down by sheer force, slowing their charge.

However, these are ultimately only a minority and cannot affect the overall situation.

"Fellow disciples, all those at the Cold Resistance level, charge up the city walls and find an opportunity to breach the gate!"

Yan Xin, leading more than four thousand monks from the Zen Temple and the Yuhan class from Qinghepu, quickly rushed to the foot of the city gate. He roared loudly, jumped up from the ground, and was the first to leap onto the city wall.

Although the Cold-resistant class lacks the ability to fly, jumping onto a city wall that is more than ten meters high is still no problem.

boom…………

Yan Xin, his body radiating golden light, leaped onto the city wall, only to be instantly engulfed by arrows.

However, even those at the Earth-Digging Realm were able to block the arrows fired by the Cold-Resistant Realm using the Vajra Mantra.

Moreover, his basic strength exceeds fifty manes.
Clang... Clang...

Countless arrows struck him and fell to the ground; few even pierced his body or left white spots on his skin.

"what…………"

Yan Xin would not stand idly by while everyone continued to shoot arrows. He suddenly swung his crimson staff, unleashing a wave of fire that smashed down countless iron arrows. A sinister smile appeared on his face as he charged directly into the crowd.

"Follow me down to the city gates and help the army break them open!"

Yan Xin wasn't the only one who jumped onto the city wall.

More than four thousand monks from the Zen monastery, their bodies radiating golden light, all jumped up at this moment. The golden light emanating from the three hundred or so formal monks in the front row was significantly more intense than that from those behind them. Upon hearing Yan Xin's command, they immediately charged toward the edge of the southern city wall.

The city wall of Ba Shang is about 20 meters wide, so after jumping up, you have to continue south to get down the wall. Yan Xin obviously saw that there were many people inside the city trying to hold the city gate open, so he wanted to lead his men to the city wall first and help the people outside break down the city gate.

"The Cold-resistant ones, stay with me and hold them off. The rest of you, continue to defend and prevent the enemy from climbing up the city walls."

Xiang Tianlin would not let Dajue Temple have its way. With the city gate barrier breached, Ba Shang had already lost more than half of its strength. His father and second uncle were still in heaven, risking their lives to stop the two great masters. From now on, they would have to rely on themselves.

"We can't let them go down, even if it kills us! Brothers, let's fight!"

"We will never allow the demon temple to occupy my town! Kill them!"

"Hold the wall!"

………………

As one of the Nine Towns, the people of Ba Shang were full of fighting spirit, and the cohesion they displayed was also astonishing. As soon as Xiang Tianlin went up, Xiang Tiancheng, the Xiang family disciples, and the last three thousand or so cold-resistant level warriors of Ba Shang all followed suit.

The entire area above the city wall was suddenly filled with deafening shouts of battle.

The hole that Vajra Master blasted into the city gate with brute force at the beginning of the war was less than a meter in diameter, and could only accommodate two people at a time. Relying on the invulnerability of the Six Vajra Mantra, although people from Dajue Temple kept rushing in, the efficiency was still too slow.

Moreover, once inside, they would face the annihilation of the city's garrison. No matter how strong the Six Paths Vajra Mantra was, it couldn't withstand the well-rested and prepared garrison of Ba Shang, so they simply couldn't occupy the inside of the city gate.

Of course, only a small portion of the soldiers poured in through the large opening in the city gate; the vast majority of the soldiers were using their weapons to climb up the city wall.

Those at the Earth-Digging Realm possess a basic strength exceeding ten thousand jin. Although they cannot jump directly up like those at the Cold-Resistant Realm, they can easily climb a city wall several meters high using their weapons and strength.

However, this is on the premise that there are no garrison troops above.

Just as Xiang Tianlin was blocking Yan Xin and the other monks, he gave orders to all the Digging Realm soldiers on the city wall, instructing them to guard against the enemy climbing up the wall. So at this moment, neither side could find any weakness in the other's defense. They were attacking and defending at the same time, relying on a desperate and ruthless spirit.

As the 60,000 vanguard troops arrived at the foot of the city wall, Wuchen, the deputy commander of Dajue Temple, also led the 100,000 rear guard troops to the city.

Seeing that less than 10,000 men had made it to the city wall, while more than 30,000 men were still rushing down below, Wuchen frowned, drew his sword and slashed away an iron arrow. He then coldly ordered the three bald monks behind him: "Jinhe, Heiyuan, and Jushan, each of you lead 20,000 men around the city gate and find places on both sides where the enemy's defenses are weak to scale the wall!"

"Yes, senior brother!"

After the three men behind him agreed, they quickly led their 20,000 troops around the city gates, searching for vulnerable spots to scale the walls.

The city wall is 15 kilometers long, and their main focus is naturally to break through the city gates. However, at this moment, the defenders of Ba Shang are concentrated in the city gate area. Yan Xin and his group have not been able to break through the gates for so long, which shows how fierce the resistance in Ba Shang is.

Since that's the case, we'll have to think of another way.

"Split your forces and keep an eye on those three armies. Don't let them get over the wall!"

The general on the city wall had already discovered Wuchen's intentions and immediately shouted to signal his troops to split up and investigate.

As the battle has progressed, it's clear that although Ba Shang has fewer cold-resistant troops than Dajue Temple, its overall garrison numbers are greater.

They outnumbered the other side and were on higher ground, so a normal battle would never have ended like this. The key to their defeat was the Vajra Mantra.

The enemy's invulnerable physique was simply too incredible.

In less than an hour, relying on the gate opened by the Vajra Master, a large number of Digging Realm soldiers actually stormed into the city gate. Judging from the scale, there were at least one or two thousand people. Moreover, as more and more people rushed in from the rear, a hundred meters of the area inside the city gate was occupied by the Dajue Temple side.

boom…………

At the southern end of the city wall, Yan Xin swung his hands violently, killing a cold-resistant level warrior with over twenty bristles on the Ba River. Looking at the edge of the city wall that was so close, he jumped down without hesitation.

"Jump off the city wall with me, and the city will fall at this moment!"

One after another, white-robed monks followed behind him, gathering their strength to leap down from the city wall, followed by a large group of gray-robed monks.

"The city walls couldn't hold them off anymore, they couldn't stop them, they all jumped down."

"We shouldn't have divided our forces! We shouldn't have divided our forces!"

"If we don't divide our forces and let those 60,000 Earth-Digging Realm experts enter from other places, the city gates will still be breached in the end!"

"What's the panic? As long as the city gates aren't breached, everything will be fine. Tiancheng and Tiande, you two take your men and continue to wipe out the enemy troops on the city walls. The rest of you, come with me to guard the city gates!"

Xiang Tianlin's words silenced the crowd. Seeing that two or three thousand monks had already jumped off the city wall, he immediately led a group of people to jump down as well.

Wuchen's 60,000-plus men were meant to lure them into splitting up their forces to defend the city gates; he had seen through that long ago.

The problem is that seeing it doesn't help, but ignoring it won't work either.

"The key is still the city gate. As long as we keep the city gate intact, everything will be fine!"

Xiang Tianlin led the group to jump down from the city wall. When he saw the scene behind the city gate, his pupils suddenly contracted. Without hesitation, he drew his sword and went straight up.

The enemy had occupied more than 200 meters behind the city gate, and they had already begun to attack the guards on both sides of the gate.

There were five chains, each three meters in diameter, on each side of the city gate. Countless smaller chains branched off from the main chains. Nearly 30,000 soldiers were not engaged in the fighting at this moment. Instead, they gritted their teeth and held on tightly to those smaller chains, wrestling with the enemy troops outside the city who were trying to break down the gate.

The two city gates of Ba Shang City can face inwards or outwards.

At this moment, the enemy troops were charging in, and the design of the five thick chains was to block the two city gates and prevent them from opening.

By this time, many of the gate guards had already been overrun. If the enemy continued their assault, the chains would break, and the city gates would be flung open. "Protect the flanks! Protect the iron chains of the city gates!"

Xiang Tianlin led the group to stand on both sides, resisting Yan Xin and his group of monks who had just jumped down, which relieved a lot of pressure on the gate guards.

boom…………

"what!"

However, a scream suddenly came from mid-air, causing Xiang Tianlin and the group of cold-resistant warriors from Ba Shang to shudder violently.

They looked up at the sky above the city gate, their pupils suddenly constricting.

"Yang Zun, Qin Feng, Shangguan Yang, you've tricked me! Ah!!!"

After the screams, Xiang Fuhai's desperate roar instantly echoed throughout the entire Ba Shang.

The hearts of the more than 100,000 defending soldiers and everyone in the city clenched suddenly.

………………

"The one with the sword, that's Master Black Nether, right?"

Three kilometers west of Ba Shang City, atop a snow-covered hill, stood nine figures. Xia Hong, with Li Xuanling at the very front, was joined by Xia Chuan, Yuan Cheng, Yue Feng, Luo Yuan, and Shi Ping in the middle. At the very back were an old man and a young man, Bai Shanqiu and Xiang Liang, both visibly excited.

As Xiang Fuhai's desperate roar echoed, a glint flashed in Xia Hong's eyes. He looked at the old monk in yellow robes who had suddenly appeared on the battlefield and plunged a sword into Xiang Fanyun's chest, and immediately asked a question.

Li Xuanling and the other six immediately turned to look at Bai Xiang and the other two behind them.

"Reporting to the lord, the Black Nether Master's weapon is indeed a black longsword!"

Xiang Liang and Bai Shanqiu were both only at the early stage of the Cold Resistance Realm. Three kilometers away, they couldn't see the battle situation above the city gate at all, so they couldn't be sure if the newly appeared Manifestation Yang level was the Black Nether Master.

Hearing their conversation, Xia Hong looked at the newly appeared master, whose long sword was black, and immediately recognized him.

“There are already three masters here, all at the Xianyang level from the Eight Towns. They must all be in Qinghepu by now. Aren’t you going over there?”

Upon hearing Li Xuanling's words, Xia Hong looked up at the soon-to-be-conquered Ba Shang City and frowned slightly.

With the Black Nether Master, who had been hiding in the shadows, suddenly making his move and severely injuring Xiang Fanyun with a single sword strike, the situation in Ba Shang City gradually became clear, as evidenced by Xiang Fuhai's desperate roar.

Xiang Fuhai possesses the strength of a nine-pound sword. Even if he cannot win in a one-on-one fight, he should not be afraid of the three great masters. The problem lies with his younger brother, Xiang Fanyun.

Xiang Fanyun only possesses the strength of a five-jun master. He had just fought against the Vajra Master and was already at a disadvantage. Now, he has been severely injured by the Black Nether Master. Even if he is fighting desperately, he probably won't be able to hold out for much longer.

Xiang Fuhai clearly cares a lot about his younger brother. While fighting against Master Yanlong, he also helps Xiang Fanyun defeat Master Heiming.

Bang...bang...bang...

A tremendous tremor came, and Xia Hong immediately knew that it was the Vajra Master, who had freed up his hands, bombarding the city gate.

Looking at Ba Shang City to the east, Xia Hong did not answer Li Xuanling, but instead asked the others in a low voice, "The Xianyang level of the Eight Towns are all watching, and Dajue Temple must know, but they are still attacking Ba Shang City at all costs. Why do you think that is?"

Upon hearing this question, everyone was taken aback.

Then they suddenly realized something, and their expressions changed drastically.

Yup!

The ultimate goal of Dajue Temple should be to expand its territory, gather more people, and produce six-year-old boys for them.

In that case, we shouldn't have fought to the death over Ba Shang City.

With the Nine Towns fragmented and virtually no possibility of joining forces, if Dajue Temple were to expand normally, it should follow the same approach it took with Jiangxia Town, agreeing to Ba Shang's request for peace, and then attacking other towns, such as Chuishan north of Hongguan.

Paying such a high price and risking having their homes raided to attack Ba Shang Town is clearly not worth it.

It's like... it's like...

"They're in a hurry; they want something on Ba River!"

Li Xuanling was the first to speak, and everyone's expressions immediately darkened upon hearing this.

What else could they possibly want in Ba Shang Town?

"People, most likely people. Before Dajue Temple attacked Zou Yang's camp, a large number of people in Ba Shang territory fled to the town. After Qinggu fell and Xiang Fuhai's attempt to make peace failed, they took the initiative to relocate the people from the village camps within their territory to the town. Ba Shang city now has a population of at least 1.5 million!"

As soon as Xia Chuan finished speaking, Yuan Cheng, Yue Feng, Luo Yuan, and Shi Ping all froze, three images flashing through their minds:

Nine years ago, the wooden puppet in the valley was a mystery;
Jinggu Camp seven years ago;

The desolate land of Yanglu six years ago.

Li Xuanling has been in Great Xia for so many years, so she is naturally very clear about Great Xia's past. Seeing everyone's expressions, she instantly guessed what everyone was thinking.

“No, in the past six months, Dajue Temple has captured more than sixty village-level camps. Although most of the population of these villages has been relocated by Jiangxia and Bashang, the population they control is at least 1.2 million. Aren’t these all readily available people? Why do they have to attack Bashang City?”

"Who said they don't want those existing people? All the Digging Realm and Cold Resistance Realm personnel from those sixty-plus village-level camps have been conscripted by the Great Awakening Temple. Now only ordinary people and Lumberjack Realm personnel remain. Not to mention how fanatical these people are towards the Great Awakening Temple, even if they really started killing them, it wouldn't take long!"

Upon hearing this, everyone swallowed hard, staring at the town of Ba Shang to the east with expressions of horror.

"Lord, we can't stay here any longer. Who knows what the Great Awakening Temple is up to? Staying here would definitely be too dangerous."

“That’s right, Lord, let’s go to Qinghepu! The Eight Towns of Manifestation Yang are all in Qinghepu now, and they might already be fighting with those two masters. It’s safer to go there, and we might even be able to pick up some bargains.”

"My lord, this place is no place to linger. Let's retreat!"

…………

Hearing everyone's advice, Xia Hong frowned and turned to say in a deep voice, "You can run away, but you can't hide. No matter what Dajue Temple wants to do, based on past experience, any monster, once it grows up, will have extremely terrifying destructive power. If we sit idly by, it will inevitably lead to a major disaster!"

Everyone instantly understood Xia Hong's meaning, and a look of urgency appeared on their faces. They all opened their mouths, ready to continue persuading him.

Before they could speak, Xia Hong waved his hand to interrupt them, shaking his head with a smile and saying, "Don't worry about me. I won't make a move unless I'm sure I can succeed. I just want to see what kind of trouble Dajue Temple is up to."

After saying that, a glint of light appeared in his eyes, and he turned to ask Xia Chuan, "Our people should have taken control of the entire Hexia Village by now, right?"

Xia Chuan clearly still wanted to persuade him to leave, but seeing that Xia Hong was determined, he asked about Hexia Village again, and quickly nodded and replied: "As soon as we received the news from Ba Shang last night, the Yun Jiao Army set off from Wuyuan. It will take at most four hours to get from Wuyuan to Hexia Village. Now there is about half an hour until dawn, so Liu Yuan must have already taken control of the entire Hexia Village."

"Alright, all eight of you, hurry back to Hexia Village now. Keep an eye on the villages controlled by Dajue Temple along the way and see if there are any unusual situations. Send someone to secretly monitor the battle situation in Qinghe Village and see what the final outcome will be for those Xianyang-level cultivators from the Eight Towns and the two great masters from Dajue Temple. Before I return from Bashang, we must occupy Hexia Village and not make any rash moves."

"I obey my orders!"

Xia Chuan led the six people in a bow and agreed, but when he looked up, his face was full of worry, and he didn't move for a long time. Li Xuanling didn't answer at all, and her face showed resistance, clearly unwilling for Xia Hong to stay here alone.

Seeing everyone's reaction, Xia Hong immediately shook his head and said, "Alright, if you're really worried about me, then hurry up and break through to the Manifestation Yang level. With your current strength, is there any need for you to worry about me?"

Upon hearing this, everyone's faces immediately showed shame.

"Hmph! I'll break through as soon as possible."

Even though she knew Xia Hong was deliberately saying those words to provoke her, Li Xuanling's proud and arrogant nature was still aroused. Knowing that it was useless to persuade her, she simply snorted coldly, turned around, and flew off to the north.

"I hope you take care, my lord."

"Your subordinate will wait for the lord's return in Hexia Village!"

Xia Chuan and the others said nothing more and bowed to take their leave.

After the eight people left, Xia Hong turned his head to look at the town of Ba Shang to the east, a glint of light flashing in his eyes, and slowly moved towards that direction.

He was worried about being noticed by the three great masters of Dajue Temple because he was with Li Xuanling and the other eight, so he didn't dare to get too close. Now that he was alone, he could act freely.

"My perception range is about 500 meters. Putting aside the methods of the three masters of Dajue Temple, their strength is not as good as mine, and their perception range is definitely not as strong as mine. So the maximum distance is about 500 meters. As long as I don't cross this range, I can hide completely without any problems."

After making a rough estimate, Xia Hong slowly approached the battlefield area.

The estimate may not be accurate, but it's worth a try. Anyway, he's all alone now, so even if he fails, he can just make a move earlier.

………………

boom!
After withstanding more than twenty full-force blows from the Vajra Master, the Ba Shang city gate finally succumbed to the pressure and was completely breached.

Along with the city gate, the more than 10,000 guards on both sides of the city gate, who were holding onto chains, were also destroyed.

The guards at the city gate initially numbered over 30,000, but now only 10,000 remain. This is because the area behind the city gate had long been completely occupied by the soldiers of Dajue Temple. Despite Xiang Tianlin leading his troops to provide continuous cover, they could not prevent the defeat. Gate guards were constantly being killed, and the chains controlling the city gate were becoming increasingly weak. In the end, it was only natural that Vajra Master would completely breach them.

"Ba Shang City has fallen! Brothers, follow me and fight!"

"The master has breached the gate, brothers, charge!"

"Ba Shang City will change hands today."

"What kind of bullshit Nine Towns are they? They're all just chickens and dogs in front of my Great Jue Temple!"

………………

The moment the city gate was breached, the morale of the Dajue Temple side surged again. Everyone was like they had been injected with chicken blood, relying on the golden light protecting them, and charged forward madly.

They originally only occupied a 500-meter-wide area behind the city gate, but with this surge in morale, the soldiers poured into the city gate like a tidal wave. They kept charging forward and quickly doubled the area.

Moreover, it continues to expand.

Ba Shang City has been completely breached...

"The city has fallen ahead of schedule!"

At the forefront of the battlefield, Yan Xin looked up at the sky and realized that there were only ten minutes left until dawn. A sinister smile flashed across his face.

The master chose to attack the city two hours before dawn, so he probably knew what his intentions were.

Choosing to attack during the daytime means that although the Digging Realm cultivators of Ba Shang are unable to participate in the battle, they also cannot use Zen Gold Powder to enhance their physique, resulting in a smaller battlefield advantage. Previously, they were unable to breach the Nine Bends Camp even in two hours during the day, and were dragged down to night by the Ba Shang defenders. Now, facing the even more fortified Ba Shang Town, it is even more unrealistic to expect to break through the city in two hours.

However, if the city is not breached during the day and the battle is dragged into the night, the Digging Realm of Ba Shang Town will launch a full-scale counterattack, and Da Jue Temple's situation will become unfavorable.

Choosing to attack the city two hours before dawn allows them to gain a battlefield advantage using Zen Gold Powder. If they fail to breach the city within two hours, they can continue fighting using Fire Melting Pills, while all the Earth-Digging Realm cultivators on Ba Shang will have to retreat.

In this way, the fall of the city is almost a foregone conclusion.

The master's plan was ingenious, but no one expected that their combat power would be so astonishing that they would break through Ba Shang City in the night without waiting for dawn.

"The Sky-Shaking Pill is no longer needed; now we just need to wait for dawn!"

With the Flame Heart Staff, he killed a Ba Shang Cold-resistant level warrior who was blocking his way. Turning his head, he looked at the sky, which was gradually turning cold, and his pupils suddenly revealed a hint of madness.

Although the enemy troops from Dajue Temple had all entered the city, the resistance of the defenders of Ba Shang continued. However, as more and more people realized that dawn was approaching, a sense of despair spread instantly.

As soon as it gets light, those in the Digging Realm have no choice but to hide.

No one knows exactly how many of the cold-resistant siege weapons are left on Ba Shang, but it's easy to imagine that they could never hold off the enemy.

“Three masters, I am willing to surrender to Dajue Temple, I only beg you to spare my brother’s life… no…”

As Xiang Fuhai continued to beg for mercy and roar, everyone looked up and saw that the military leader Xiang Fanyun had been beheaded by the Black Nether Master with a single sword strike. The despair in their hearts rose to its peak.

"I can't win, I can't win, I surrender!"

“Dead! The commander has been killed! I surrender! I surrender!”

"Spare me, I want to live, I'll surrender too."

………………

In the final moments before dawn, many of the Earth-Digging Realm cultivators ultimately could not overcome their fear and, seeing the corpses scattered on the ground, began to shout their surrender.

They could already feel the rapidly dropping temperature; if they continued fighting like this, they would freeze to death, even if they weren't killed by the enemy.

"I would rather die than surrender, my lord! I will follow you in my next life!"

"The capital commander died in battle. How dare I live shamelessly? Even if I die today, I will skin you bunch of evil monks alive."

"The sons of Ba Shang will fight to the death, they will never surrender!"

"The Xiang family would rather die standing than live on their knees!"

…………

Some people choose to live a life of ignominy, while others choose to die a heroic death.

Ba Shang had been based in Mo Ao Mountain for many years, and there were quite a few loyal followers in the town, especially the Xiang family members and the high-ranking noble families in the town. The fighting spirit they were showing at this moment was also extremely amazing.

Unfortunately, their fighting spirit failed to move anyone.

The massacre at Dajue Temple continues.

A closer look reveals that those who surrendered in the Digging Realm were almost all slaughtered. The monks of the Zen Monastery were clearly continuing to kill on purpose, while the others were completely bloodthirsty and disregarded everything since no one gave the order.

boom…………

In mid-air, after Xiang Fanyun was beheaded by the Black Nether Master with a single sword strike, Xiang Fuhai went completely hysterical. He brandished his silver staff and fought the three masters with a life-or-death struggle.

puff...

The Black Nether Master pierced his left shoulder with a sword, but instead of retreating, he advanced, gritted his teeth, roared, raised his long staff, and chopped directly at the Black Nether Master's head.

boom!
The long staff struck, not only slamming the Black Nether Master into the ground, but also knocking the longsword off his left shoulder.

At the same time, the crimson spear of the Flaming Dragon Master pierced his right shoulder; the fist of the Vajra Master also struck his back.

This was the result of his deliberate avoidance; if he hadn't succeeded, the spear would have pierced his heart, and the fist would have hit his head.

Xiang Fuhai's right shoulder was pierced by the spear first, and then his back was hit by the force, causing him to slam to the ground. A large chunk of flesh and bone in his shoulder was ripped off by the spear, revealing the silvery white bone inside.

boom!
Pfft...

After being slammed into the ground, Xiang Fuhai coughed up a mouthful of blood and was unable to stand up. He looked up at the three great masters in the sky, his eyes filled with despair and resentment.

"Yang Zun, Qin Feng, Shangguan Yang..."

Xiang Fuhai originally did have another option: to lead Ba Shang Town to surrender completely to Dajue Temple.

Of course, this path was difficult for him, the lord of Ba Shang, to accept.

But it's not that he hadn't considered it.

Especially when Dajue Temple set off from Jiuqu Camp last month and marched towards Bashang Town, he really considered surrendering.

But to everyone's surprise, at this very moment, the lords of the three northern towns, Yang Zun, Qin Feng, and Shangguan Yang, came knocking on our door.

The three promised that they would show up to help him as long as he led the Ba Shang army to fight to the death.

Although the three men's promises were very tempting, Xiang Fuhai was already over 130 years old and naturally not so naive as to easily believe them.

The key point is that after making their promise, the three immediately threatened him, saying that if Ba Shang dared to surrender to Dajue Temple, the three towns would immediately join forces to destroy him.

This is why Xiang Fuhai had no choice but to fight to the death.

But now that things have come to this, how could he not realize it?
He realized he had been completely tricked. Yang Zun and the other two had coerced and lured him into fighting to the death here, just so that Ba Shang could hold back the main force of Dajue Temple, so that they could take action against Dajue Temple's stronghold in Qinghepu.

Thinking of the three who had tricked him, Xiang Fuhai felt his resentment about to overflow, but as he watched the three masters slowly flying towards him, his hatred could only turn into despair.

"That's it!"

A soft voice came from beside his ear, and Xiang Fuhai suddenly froze.

Besides the three great masters, the ones who flew down to him from the sky were all other beings.

There were actually two extra people.

Upon seeing the two people's faces clearly, Xiang Fuhai's pupils suddenly contracted.

These two men were also dressed in yellow robes, with skin as smooth as a newborn baby's, two white eyebrows hanging above their eyes, and a calm and peaceful expression. From their attire and appearance to their demeanor, they were exactly the same as the other three great masters.

No, it's not quite the same.

The old monk on the left, with his bright green pupils, was the one who had just spoken, and he was now staring at him calmly.

All five great masters are in Ba Shang!

What were Yang Zun and his group doing in Qinghepu?
Countless thoughts flashed through Xiang Fuhai's mind in an instant, his heart trembled violently, and his expression suddenly turned terrified.

"It's dawn. Distribute the Soul Pills and begin chanting the Rebirth Mantra!"

(End of this chapter)