Rise from a Poor Family: My Martial Arts Counterattack

Chapter 332 One Sword Once Worth a Million Soldiers (Seeking Monthly Tickets)

Lingxiao City.

Three thousand black-armored soldiers guarding the city are now on high alert on the sea.

Normally, they are the Black Armor Guards who maintain order in Lingxiao City.

During wartime, they were the Black Armor Army guarding Lingxiao City.

Besides the three thousand black-armored soldiers, there were also many Liang warriors who spontaneously went to the dock to accept the city lord's command.

Several miles away from the Black Armor Army, many martial artists also gathered at this moment. These were martial artists from several other countries.

Do you think Lingxiao City can be defended this time?

"It's going to be difficult. Zheng State is well-prepared, with 50,000 martial artists reportedly involved, including several first-rank martial artists. In comparison, Lingxiao City only has 10,000 martial artists. The difference in numbers is too great."

"Not necessarily. After all, this is Liang territory, and the Liang court will definitely send warriors to provide support."

"I'm afraid that distant water can't quench a nearby fire. Zheng's attack was too sudden, and it even took advantage of the strong winds at sea these past few days and the sea ban period in Lingxiao City. Liang was completely unaware of it beforehand."

"Even without a surprise attack, it would be difficult for Daliang to support Lingxiao City."

In the crowd, an old man touched his chest, a meaningful look in his eyes.

"Senior, what do you mean by that?"

Someone asked for an explanation, and the old man said in a deep voice, "Haven't you noticed that there are no martial artists from Han Kingdom among us, or rather, there are no martial artists from Han Kingdom in the entire Lingxiao City?"

Upon hearing the old man's words, several people present realized that there were indeed no Korean martial artists in Lingxiao City.

"The Han Kingdom recently had a falling out with the Liang Kingdom over the matter of the demon race in the northern border. Although the two sides did not completely break off relations, they were at a point of near-war. It is normal for the Han Kingdom warriors to leave Lingxiao City."

"If it were just a tense standoff, would all the Korean warriors need to leave Lingxiao City?"

The old man's eyes held a hint of disdain as he glanced at those who questioned his words: "The warriors from Han Kingdom have all left, and so have the warriors from Zheng Kingdom. This is no coincidence."

"What if it's just a coincidence?"

"Unless something goes wrong, I will only say one thing: Zheng alone would not dare to wage war against Liang."

All the foreign martial artists present showed expressions of agreement upon hearing this, something they had previously overlooked.

Regardless of whether Han Kingdom still has warriors in Lingxiao City, and for what reason they left, there could be various explanations, but Zheng Kingdom would never dare to declare war on Liang Kingdom without Han Kingdom behind it.

"So this was a war between the three kingdoms?"

With the three kingdoms of Han, Liang, and Zheng at war, it's likely that other kingdoms will also find it difficult to remain uninvolved.

At this moment, some figures among the crowd exchanged glances. They were spies from various countries. Zheng had launched an attack on Lingxiao City, and they needed to closely monitor the battle and report back home so that their superiors could assess the course of the battle and decide what choices their own countries should make.

Boom boom boom!
From the Lingxiao City Wall, the sound of drums resounded, and in the distance, the ferocious monster totems hanging on the flags of Zheng warships could be faintly seen on the sea.

"coming!"

The foreign warriors watching were also agitated, while the black-armored army on the water had already formed ranks, exuding a chilling aura.

On the city wall, warships could be clearly seen emerging from the horizon. Black demonic energy condensed into dark clouds that blotted out the sun, sweeping towards Lingxiao City like a black cloud.

Dark clouds are threatening to destroy the city!
"Nike an arrow!"

Sounds came from the city wall. Giant crossbows were mounted on the wall, and bolts as thick as an adult man's waist were drawn back on the bowstrings by several warriors, aimed at the distant sea.

One hundred breaths, two hundred breaths...

Dark clouds began to spread over the near sea, enveloping the warships of the Zheng Kingdom.

From afar, one could only see the demonic aura gathering between the sea and sky, constantly heading towards Lingxiao City.

"Fire arrows!"

On the city wall, a command was given.

Dozens of crossbow bolts whistled as they shot into the dark clouds hundreds of feet away, their bolts transforming into streaks of black light.

The crossbow bolts pierced through the dark clouds, causing them to churn and slowing their spread.

shhhhhh!
One wave, two waves, three waves...

Three volleys of crossbow bolts were fired, and this time the dark cloud only spread to a distance of less than ten zhang (approximately 33 meters).

At the city wall of Lingxiao City, three old men stood together; all three were first-rank martial artists.

Lingxiao City has a number of first-rank martial artists, and the city lord is not the only one.

"Zheng Guo used demonic energy to resist the crossbows, but I'm afraid the crossbows won't be able to do much damage to him."

Looking at the churning black clouds on the sea, an old man frowned. Demonic energy could corrode many things, including crossbows.

"No rush, let's see what Junior Brother Hou can do."

……

At the Lingxiao Martial Academy, the Lingxiao Hall, located atop the steps, had its gates open. Hou Zhantian and several vice-deans stood in the center of the hall, with the academy's instructors and disciples further out.

Everyone's expression was extremely solemn. The thousands of stars in the star array above their heads began to flow slowly, and strands of golden light began to converge.

The disciples of Lingxiao Martial Academy did not go to the battlefield because they had a more important task: to draw upon the power of Lingxiao to break through the dark clouds of demonic energy.

boom!
A quarter of an hour later, the stars that had been swirling in the dome suddenly froze, and the next moment a golden light shot out from above the hall and into the sky.

On the sea, dark clouds, condensed with demonic energy, were like ink poured over the sky, and as they rolled, the outlines of distorted beast faces could be vaguely seen.

The next moment, a golden light flashed, like a sharp sword, tearing through the dark clouds. The edges of the torn dark clouds glowed with a crimson halo, and cracks spread rapidly like a spider web. Wherever the golden light passed, the dark clouds melted instantly.

"It's the power of Lingxiao!"

The foreign martial artists watching the battle recognized the golden light. The most watched place in the entire Lingxiao City was the Lingxiao Martial Academy, and the Lingxiao Power of the Lingxiao Martial Academy was the treasure of the academy, which was well known to martial artists from all countries.

The dark clouds collapsed and dissipated, revealing the true appearance of the Zheng Kingdom's warships on the sea. Upon seeing the true appearance of the Zheng Kingdom's warships, many martial artists gasped in shock.

At the forefront of the Zheng battlefield, dozens of warships had been dismantled and scattered, and many corpses floated on the sea. Although these corpses were humanoid, they had various scales and hair that were different from humans.

"This is a demonized warrior from the Zheng Kingdom."

The State of Zheng, a country that colludes with the demon race, allows its warriors to absorb the bloodline of the demon race. However, not every warrior can successfully absorb the bloodline of the demon race. Some warriors will be corrupted by the demon energy when absorbing the bloodline of the demon race, and eventually become irrational and bloodthirsty warriors.

Other countries refer to these types of warriors as demonized warriors.

Although dozens of warships were destroyed and hundreds of demonized warriors lost their lives under crossbow bolts, compared to the massive demonized warrior army of Zheng Kingdom at this moment, the casualties were less than one-tenth.

Woo~
In the middle of the warship, the eerie sounds of demonic beasts rang out. The demonized warriors at the forefront seemed to hear the bugle call to charge, their eyes turning bloodshot as they frantically rushed towards Lingxiao City.

Clearly, Zheng Guo, realizing it couldn't use demonic energy to approach Lingxiao City, opted for this desperate siege tactic.

Swish swish!
More crossbow bolts rained down from the city walls, shooting down and exploding the charging warships. However, the demonized warriors on board, except for those who were reduced to dust in the explosions, jumped off the ships and continued their charge despite the crossbow bolts, seemingly undaunted by the danger.

"Array up!"

The three thousand black-armored soldiers at the dock, brandishing their spears and exuding a chilling aura, also faced the charging Zheng warriors.

The black-armored soldiers drew their spears, their steps perfectly synchronized, forming a battle formation. The martial will of everyone was united, transforming into a giant spear. As the spear fell, dozens of Zheng Kingdom demonized martial artists instantly perished.

However, these demonized warriors from Zheng Kingdom showed no emotion in the face of their comrades' deaths. They were ruthless killing machines, charging wildly, even tearing apart the corpses of their fallen comrades as they continued their frenzied assault.

"too crazy!"

"The demonized warriors of Zheng are completely reckless."

The foreign martial artists watching also had a look of fear on their faces as they looked at these half-human, half-demon Zheng Kingdom demonized martial artists. These demonized martial artists were no longer human at all. Their skin peeled off piece by piece like a snake shedding its skin, and half of their bodies were scales and armor, and the other half were flesh and blood.

Its fingernails grew extremely long, reaching several inches in length, and its spine protruded segment by segment, making it indistinguishable from a demonic beast in appearance.

After sacrificing nearly a thousand corpses, these demonized warriors finally broke through the black-armored army's spear formation. However, the black-armored army was not alarmed at all, as this situation was within their expectations, and they all took up their spears to fight back.

Next, the real battle begins.

The Black Armor Army, along with other warriors from Daliang, were now engaged in battle with the warriors of Zheng State below the city wall.

Blood began to cover the ground and flowed down to the sea below.

At the same time, the main force of Zheng's warships was only a hundred feet away from Lingxiao City. On one of the warships, a dragon roared up, and all the surrounding sea surface surged wildly at that moment.

"Is this going to flood the city? Does the Zheng Kingdom not care about the lives of these demonized warriors?"

"In Zheng's eyes, demonized warriors are just cannon fodder. If they die, so be it. If we can flood Lingxiao City, then Zheng will win."

Just as the dragon was stirring up storms and gathering waves on the sea, a dark light shot out from the city wall of Lingxiao City, and an old man with white hair stepped out of the air, holding a long sword, and slashed at the dragon from a distance.

boom!
The waves were cleaved by the longsword and fell back onto the sea. The dragon roared angrily, and another giant wave appeared below, crashing into the blade's edge.

A terrifying outpouring of energy caused the water to turn into vapor, covering the area. All the onlookers could hear were occasional roars.

The battle between the old man and the dragon marked the true beginning of this battle. Above the city wall, nearly a thousand mid-grade martial artists, including dozens of high-grade martial artists, also stepped out into the air. They ignored the demonized martial artists below and instead faced the normal martial artists from Zheng Kingdom.

kill!

A chilling voice emanated from the Zheng warship, and figures emerged from the air, engaging in battle directly in mid-air.

The entire sea surface was filled with the release of countless energies, and figures were constantly falling into the water.

Meanwhile, the city lord of Lingxiao City and another old man were also fighting against two first-rank martial artists from Zheng Kingdom. The aftershocks of their battle caused huge waves to roar on the sea from time to time.

"It's getting intense. Liang still has too few martial artists."

The onlookers, witnessing the carnage on the battlefield, were also filled with lingering fear. Although Zheng's forces had not yet made any progress, the number of casualties among Liang's Black Armor Army and other warriors was steadily increasing, and the same was true for Zheng. The crucial difference was that Zheng had assembled an army of 50,000, while Lingxiao City only had 10,000 warriors. Zheng could continuously replenish its ranks, but Liang had none. This disparity in numbers meant that the final outcome would be the same.

……

At the center of Zheng's warship, a man in black robes sneered, "Taking Lingxiao City will be a huge blow to the morale of Liang."

"Let's get started, don't waste any time, let's take Lingxiao City as soon as possible."

Another old man spoke up, saying that if things continued like this, although it would exhaust the defenses of Lingxiao City, Zheng Kingdom would also suffer huge losses. Those demonized warriors were fine, but the other warriors were the foundation of Zheng Kingdom and the scions of the major families in the country. If too many were killed or injured, he would not be able to explain to the major families when he returned home.

"Ah."

The man in black robes responded, gripping a red chain. The next moment, he gripped it tightly, lifting the chain upwards. The sea beneath the chain suddenly surged up, instantly rising a hundred feet high. From the rising sea, an eight-clawed monster with a body a hundred feet tall slowly appeared.

boom!
With just one roar, several Liang warriors froze and fell downwards.

"It's the Octopus Demon King!"

"The siren has joined the battle too?"

"Lingxiao City is finished."

Upon seeing this enormous eight-clawed sea monster, the foreign warriors were filled with horror. The Zheng Kingdom had not colluded with the sea monster, but now that even the sea monster had appeared, it meant that the sea monster had also reached an agreement with the Zheng Kingdom.

Lingxiao City, already outnumbered, was doomed to defeat.

The city lord of Lingxiao City, who was fighting a first-rank martial artist from Zheng State, immediately roared when he saw the Octopus Sea Demon King appear: "Everyone retreat back into the city and activate the city's protective formation."

Upon receiving the order, the Liang warriors and the black-armored soldiers immediately retreated, but still in an orderly manner.

At the same time, in several areas within Lingxiao City, several stone tablets simultaneously emitted dazzling golden light, converging above Lingxiao City before descending. The Zheng Kingdom warriors who were chasing the Liang warriors were instantly reduced to dust as the golden light fell.

Lingxiao Martial Arts Academy.

Hou Zhantian felt the golden light above his head and looked at all the instructors and disciples present.

"The formation is activated. My Lingxiao City is at a critical juncture of life and death. You are all members of Lingxiao Martial Academy and Lingxiao City. Follow me to the city wall."

"Yes!"

Meng Xing and the other disciples shouted in unison, and the next moment they flew from Lingxiao Martial Academy toward the city gate.

Lingxiao City forbids martial artists from flying, but they can't worry about that right now. The formation of Lingxiao City needs Lingxiao energy to maintain it, and no one in the entire city understands Lingxiao energy better than them.

……

Outside Lingxiao City, only the battle between first-rank experts remains.

The man in black robes looked at the golden light above Lingxiao City and grinned maliciously: "With this tortoise shell, you think you can protect Lingxiao City? You're dreaming."

Rumble!
The enormous body of the Eight-Clawed Demon King, accompanied by towering waves, crashed into the walls of Lingxiao City.

The terrifying giant wave and the enormous tentacles slammed into the golden light, causing it to instantly cave in several feet. Meanwhile, many warriors on the city wall were continuously channeling energy into a stone tablet, and their faces turned pale as the Eight-Clawed Demon King crashed into it.

Pop, pop, pop!
The demon king's attacks came one after another like a torrential downpour. Many of the warriors in front of the stone tablet trembled, and blood spilled from the corners of their mouths.

"Fellow disciples, let us do it!"

Just as these martial artists were about to give up, the instructors from Lingxiao Martial Academy arrived first and replaced them immediately. These martial artists who were maintaining the formation were all graduates of Lingxiao Martial Academy, and they knew that this was not the time to show off, so they all gave up their positions.

"It's just a death throes."

The man in black robes gazed at the scene on the Lingxiao City wall. He pulled the red iron chain in his hand once more, and the sea rose again. The waves rolled up like mountains. When the waves subsided, a terrifying monster that made countless martial artists tremble with fear was revealed.

This is a fleshy creature formed from countless eyeballs, each one filled with an eerie blue light, and its body flows like liquid.

"The Thousand-Eyed Demon Mother, a sea monster king that only lives in the deep sea, has actually appeared."

"Lingxiao City is completely gone."

With two sea monster kings, Lingxiao City had no first-rank martial artists to contend with them. Even with the city's protective formation, they couldn't hold out for long.

Seeing the two sea monster kings, Meng Xing on the city wall also had a look of despair in his eyes. Could it be that Lingxiao City was really going to be lost?

"Meng Xing, you and a dozen others should leave through another city gate."

The voice of a vice dean of Lingxiao Martial Academy came through, and Meng Xing was startled. He thought of the instructions the dean had given him and the other nine disciples half an hour ago.

If Lingxiao City cannot be defended, the ten of them will have to leave.

It wasn't that the dean was giving them special treatment, but rather that they represented the hope of Lingxiao Martial Academy. As long as they were still alive, there was still a chance to rebuild Lingxiao Martial Academy in the future.

The fact that the vice dean said this means he has already admitted that Lingxiao City cannot be defended.

"Dean, your disciple..."

Meng Xing was reluctant to say the word "retreat," and just as he was struggling to utter the words, a cheer suddenly erupted from the city wall. Meng Xing was startled, and then his gaze immediately turned to the sea.

The eight-armed sea monster's tentacles were breaking off inch by inch, and it was howling and roaring on the sea surface.

This plunged the battlefield into an eerie silence.

Everyone's gaze was drawn to a figure that was quietly walking in from the northern sea.

"This sword is named Lingxiao."

The four words "plain" plunged the battlefield into an eerie silence.

"Senior Brother Pei!"

"It's Senior Brother Pei!"

The next moment, deafening cheers erupted again.

For martial artists who have lived in Lingxiao City for a long time, especially those who came from Lingxiao Martial Academy, there is a name that they will always remember. Even though Lin Chen's rise has overshadowed that person's figure recently, in their hearts, that person is still the strongest.

Pei Qingming, Senior Brother Pei.

"Pei Qingming!"

The black-robed man in the center of the warship looked grim upon seeing Pei Qingming's appearance.

"Wasn't it said that this person was only at the second rank, but his strength was comparable to that of a first rank? Why does this sword strike have such power?" The old man beside him also had a look of shock in his eyes.

Just now, they only saw thousands of sword energies rushing in, like a multitude of stars falling, severing all the tentacles of the Eight-Clawed Demon King.

"The rumors are false. This Pei Qingming has been hiding his strength. He is already a first-grade martial artist, and not just any ordinary first-grade martial artist," the man in black robes said in a deep voice.

Before Lingxiao City, Pei Qingming had not even arrived yet. He brought his two fingers together as if pointing out a sword peak, and countless sword energies shot out. The warships of the Zheng Kingdom warriors that were already close to Lingxiao City were turned into dust in this rain of swords, and one by one, the Zheng Kingdom warriors fell on the sea.

"retreat!"

Upon seeing this, the black-robed man's expression changed instantly, and he tugged at the chains in his hand. The two sea monster kings also retreated immediately, trying to escape back into the water.

"Lingxiao City is not a place where you can come and go as you please."

Pei Qingming's lips curled up slightly, and the long sword behind him was drawn. All that could be seen was a golden sword light that filled the eyes and slashed towards the Eight-Clawed Demon King.

The Octopus Demon King had already disappeared underwater, but three breaths later, when they saw patches of foul-smelling blood surging up from the sea, all the foreign martial artists watching knew that even if the Octopus Demon King wasn't dead, he must be seriously injured.

However, ten breaths later, when they saw the enormous body of the Eight-Clawed Demon King emerging from the sea, everyone's gaze towards Pei Qingming changed.

The warriors of Lingxiao City were thrilled, the warriors from other countries were shocked, but the warriors of Zheng were horrified.

At this moment, they disregarded formations and military orders, frantically turning their warships to escape. The ruler of Zheng was merely a figurehead; these warriors were loyal to their respective families.

If there is profit to be made, they will naturally cooperate with the king's orders, but they are completely terrified when faced with Pei Qingming.

This person is beyond human capability to defeat.

"There used to be a saying in the martial arts world that one first-grade martial artist was equivalent to three thousand entry-grade martial artists, but now it seems that this saying is about to change. An ordinary first-grade martial artist can be equivalent to three thousand entry-grade martial artists, while a first-grade martial artist like Pei Qingming can be equivalent to tens of thousands of troops."

Under Pei Qingming's sword energy, they saw the battlefield of Zheng Kingdom warriors turn into dust one by one like tofu. These Zheng Kingdom warriors must be regretting that they had burned extra legs and didn't escape faster.

This was truly a case of one man and one sword holding off tens of thousands of warriors from the State of Zheng.

"Zheng Guo is truly useless. Tens of thousands of warriors were scared off by one person. I don't believe Pei Qingming can really kill tens of thousands of warriors by himself. Perhaps he will soon be exhausted."

"If it were warriors from the Liang army, they might not retreat, but warriors from the Zheng army... once they're terrified, they'll disregard military orders."

Some martial artists disdained to speak, saying that among the nine kingdoms, perhaps only Liang Kingdom could achieve true unity of purpose.

It wasn't because the warriors of Liang were fearless, but because the humiliating experience of the country's weakness in the past was deeply imprinted in the hearts of every Liang warrior.

"I'll take my leave now."

The man in black ignored the old man beside him and jumped into the water, disappearing from sight.

With Zheng's morale gone, defeat was inevitable. The sea tribes had already lost a sea monster king and would not accompany Zheng to their deaths.

An hour later.

Blood flowed across the sea, corpses littered the ground, and the warriors of Lingxiao City ceased their pursuit of the Zheng Kingdom warriors.

"Of the fifty thousand warriors, at least half have died. The Zheng Kingdom has likely suffered a severe blow in this battle."

The spies from various countries, hidden among the warriors of other nations, looked at the figure with a sword on his back standing on the city wall with horror in their eyes. They had to send this news back to their own countries as soon as possible to prevent their kings from making the wrong decision.

P.S.: Requesting monthly votes.

(End of this chapter)