Zongwu: Aspiring to be the mastermind behind the scenes

Chapter 396 When all hope is lost, each takes a step back

Although he managed to block the Xuanjin sword energy, Zhang Han knew that this was merely a temporary measure.

The power of this sword energy was terrifying.

Even though he blocked it, the power of the sword energy was not reduced in the slightest. Every instant thereafter, it would take an effort equal to that at the beginning to block it.

However, the reason he was able to block this sword energy was because he used all the extracted Heavenly Crystal power plus the previously stored Purple Cloud Sword power to create a protective layer that enhanced the defensive capabilities of the Purple Star River Armor itself.

However, the power of those Purple Cloud Swords is limited. Once exhausted, the power of this sword energy will exceed his defensive limit.

Even if their defenses aren't breached immediately, their armor will definitely be broken through slowly.

The solution is actually quite simple: enhance your willpower and extract more Heavenly Crystal Power.

But Zhang Han clearly couldn't do that.

After all, even his current speed of extracting the power of the Heavenly Crystal is achieved only by igniting extreme emotions and anger.

It's practically impossible to raise it any higher.

However, Zhang Han also had quick wit.

He suddenly opened his hands and placed his palms on the sword energy. His whole body surged with purple light, releasing an image of swirling stars.

However, he used the power of the Purple Star River on this Xuanjin sword energy.

Zi Xinghe's ability to absorb attacks and turn them into his own was brought to its limit at this moment.

The power on the Xuanjin sword energy was also absorbed by him and immediately transformed into defensive power, which, together with the Heavenly Crystal power he temporarily extracted, was used to resist this Xuanjin sword energy!
To be honest, this method is really a pity.

Using this method, Zhang Han maintained his defense for the second instant, the third instant... and even longer!

On the other side, however, Gai Nie was starting to feel the strain.

He was already severely weakened. He had just fought a major battle with Wei Zhuang, which had taken a heavy toll on him. Now, he had used the ultimate technique of the Azure Light Swordplay, which had completely drained his strength.

If we could defeat Zhang Han with a single sword strike, that would be the best outcome.

But if you can't defeat him, then Gai Nie's body will be the first to collapse.

At this moment, Gai Nie swayed, his eyes somewhat glazed over.

Upon seeing this, Aizen's expression changed slightly, and the Purple Cloud Sword in his hand released clouds of mist that spread outwards.

He then whispered a few instructions to Gao Jianli and the others.

The group nodded immediately, then went behind Gai Nie, placed their hands on his back, and their internal energy flowed into him.

Only with this support could Gai Nie continue to hold on.

However, this method can only treat the symptoms, not the root cause.

The infusion of true qi will result in a considerable loss rate. Moreover, while the Great Freedom Profound Gold Sword Technique is indeed very powerful, its consumption is also quite high.

After the group's true energy was depleted, it was given to Gai Nie, but this still couldn't make up for the consumption of this move.

As a result, the Xuanjin sword energy in front of Zhang Han visibly dimmed.

Seeing this, Zhang Han felt a surge of pride and concentrated all his strength into his fist, unleashing a powerful punch.

boom!
With a loud bang, the sword energy was smashed back and, in mid-air, returned to its original form as the Azure Light Sword, landing in front of Gai Nie.

Everyone's face darkened.

However, Zhang Han, who made this move, was also in a very bad state.

Extreme emotional states cannot last. Although his punch repelled the Xuanjin sword energy, it also vented all the anger in his heart.

In an instant, the purple light on his body dimmed and faded away, turning into specks of starlight.

On that armor, the wolf-like patterns all faded away, returning to their original form.

Moreover, it was completely gray and dark. Although it still maintained the form of armor, it was clearly no longer as powerful as before.

This is precisely the emptiness that everyone experiences after venting extreme emotions, which led to Zhang Han's low spirits, resulting in his armor becoming dull and almost dissipating.

In other words, Zhang Han himself had an iron will, and the enemy was still present.

Otherwise, he might not have been able to maintain the existence of this set of armor.

Seeing this, Aizen laughed and said, "General Zhang Han, what will you do if I make a move now?"

"Of course we'll fight again!" Zhang Han said through gritted teeth, his spine straight.

"Can you fight again? If I'm not mistaken, you must have put yourself into a state of extreme rage to gain that power, right?"

Zhang Han sneered: "Extreme anger, I certainly can't do, but what about extreme fear? Death is the greatest fear for anyone!"

Aizen fell silent.

As Zhang Han said, a person's most powerful emotional force is not anger, but fear.

Especially the fear of death!
Despite Zhang Han's current extremely poor condition, if he were truly pushed to the brink of death, his inner power might erupt again under the immense fear of life and death.

It could even exceed extreme anger!
Zhang Han sneered: "It seems you also know that I still have the ability to fight one more time. But what about you? In Gai Nie's condition, can you even use this move again?"

Aizen remained unfazed: "Mr. Gai's condition is indeed somewhat poor. But, General, have you ever heard of the power of two swords combined? He has the Azure Light Sword, and I have the Purple Cloud Sword. If I were to take the lead and the two swords were combined, even if Mr. Gai is not in good condition, he could still unleash an attack that is in no way inferior to the one just now!"

Zhang Han's smile froze.

"Ha ha ha ha……"

Aizen suddenly burst into laughter, saying, "Although the General can still unleash his power, he is on the verge of death. While we still have killing moves, they will severely burden Mr. Gai's body. Since we are both so wary of each other, how about we each take a step back?"

Zhang Han was taken aback: "Each of us takes a step back? How?"

"The water in the Mechanized City has now been replaced, and the poison in the air is dissipating along with the water change. Many Mohist disciples are also recovering."

If the general could subdue us, he could easily take over this Mo family mechanical city by force, but the general cannot do that.

Similarly, if we could subdue the general, we could also wipe out your entire army in this mechanical city, but we also cannot do that.

Therefore, further fighting would only be a waste of the lives of the Mohists and the Qin army. My suggestion of a compromise is for the general to lead Master Gongshu and all the Qin soldiers to retreat, and I and the Mohists will not stop him. What do you say?

Zhang Han looked thoughtful.

In fact, he didn't really care about the lives of the Qin soldiers.

However, Gongshu Chou's life was a problem he had to consider.

Just for now...

Zhang Han glanced at the person opposite him.

Aizen was unharmed, suffering almost no damage.

Gai Nie's condition should not be good, but it doesn't look too bad.

Not to mention the others.

Moreover, they also guarded a secret chamber containing ink cores, into which they could retreat at any time.

Furthermore, with the poison dissipating throughout the entire Mechanized City, many Mohist disciples began to recover...

Given this situation, continuing the fight would indeed be disadvantageous for them.

As for why the other side would take the initiative to retreat, it's actually quite easy to understand. He didn't care about the lives of the Qin soldiers, but the other side was always concerned about the lives of the Mohist disciples.

If a real battle were to break out, not to mention the experts, even the ordinary Mohist disciples would likely suffer heavy losses, with at least half of them dying before it would be possible to wipe out his Qin army. After all, the Qin soldiers who followed him into this mechanical city were all elite troops!

There aren't many Mohist disciples left in the entire Mechanized City. If half of them die... well, if the Mohist school isn't destroyed, it's probably pretty much over.

Therefore, the other side's situation is not good either.

Neither side is in great form, and if they start fighting, the result will inevitably be painful for both of them.

The Mohists were worried about too many of their disciples dying.

On his side, what he was worried about was Gongshu Chou.

Thinking this through, Zhang Han nodded and said, "Alright, if that's the case, then let's each take a step back!"

Although Wei Zhuang held command of this operation, things had progressed to this point, and it was clear that the entire Qin army could only obey Zhang Han's orders.

Wei Zhuang remained silent, accepting the outcome without a word.

Then, the Qin army was the first to leave the central hall, and Gao Jianli and others, along with Gongshu Chou, followed them away.

Gongshu Chou was the most important hostage in the hands of the Mohists. It was only possible to send him away after most of the Qin army had withdrawn.

Aizen, acting as an intermediary and a guarantor of the Mo family's fighting strength, departed with them.

Only a handful of people remained in the central hall.

As soon as he left, the clouds and mist dissipated, revealing the scene in the central hall.

Gai Nie was seen lying on the ground, and Duanmu Rong, covered in sweat, was treating him.

The Azure Light Sword was stuck to the side, its faint reflection gleaming.

If Zhang Han hadn't left the central hall by then, he would probably have realized he'd been tricked upon seeing this scene.

Gai Nie was in very bad condition; he was even so badly injured that he fell into a coma.

In this state, forget about the combined power of the two swords; whether he can even wake up is a question.

But Zhang Han saw Gai Nie standing upright, and although he was not in good condition, it was obviously not that serious.

The difference in this situation is actually due to Aizen's machinations.

Before Zhang Han shattered the Xuanjin Sword Qi, he realized something was wrong, so he decisively used Mirror Flower Water Moon to confuse Zhang Han and conceal the fact that Gai Nie was seriously injured and unconscious.

This made Zhang Han wary, and he eventually agreed to Aizen's proposal for both sides to compromise.

However, although Zhang Han was kept in the dark, Gao Jianli and the others knew the situation.

Therefore, whether considering the lives of other Mohist disciples or the current situation, getting the Qin army to withdraw from the Mechanized City and avoid war is indeed the best solution at present.

Nothing unexpected happened during the process.

Although the poison from Zhenyu Qianye has gradually dissipated, those who have been poisoned will not be able to wake up immediately. At this moment, only a few of the stronger individuals have recovered.

The Mohists were aware of the situation, but Zhang Han was wary of Gongshu Chou, so neither side intended to back out.

Gao Jianli only released Gongshu Chou after the Qin army had completely left the Mo family's mechanical city and withdrawn a certain distance.

Then he turned and left.

Only after the figures of the Mo family members completely disappeared from sight did Zhang Han take off the Heavenly Crystal from his waist.

His armor vanished.

The extreme emotional outbursts put considerable pressure on his mental health, and it is quite remarkable that he has been able to persevere until now.

As soon as the armor disappeared, Zhang Han's face showed obvious signs of exhaustion.

However, it was caused by excessive mental strain.

Gongshu Chou said embarrassedly, "This trip is all thanks to the general. If it weren't for you, I'm afraid my life would be in danger. It's just a pity that such a great opportunity has failed because of me..."

Zhang Han shook his head: "Master Gongshu's life is more valuable than an army of 100,000. How can these mere thousand soldiers compare to Master Gongshu?"

As for the Mechanized City, even if we miss today, there will be other opportunities. We can make our move when the various armies arrive!

This factor was also one of the reasons why Zhang Han agreed to leave the Mechanized City.

The First Emperor has mobilized multiple armies and has now surrounded the city of the Machine City.

It would be best if we could succeed in this operation, but it wouldn't matter if we failed; there will be plenty of opportunities later.

But if Gongshu Chou were to die because of this one chance, then it would be a great loss.

This decision is only unfriendly to Wei Zhuang and his group.

After all, they made a great sacrifice for this operation, and ultimately succeeded.

However, since they were a group of assassins, mercenaries hired by the Qin state, no one cared if they suffered some losses.

Gongshu Chou said, "I'm afraid the Mo family will take this opportunity to escape from the Mechanized City."

Zhang Han sneered: "With the Mechanized City here, they are the only ones who can be considered a threat to the Empire. If they escape from the Mechanized City... heh, they're nothing but a bunch of ants!"

How many anti-Qin elements were there in the world?

But the First Emperor never took any of them seriously.

The First Emperor was particularly concerned about the Mo Family's Mechanized City, and he even dispatched a large number of troops to it, showing his determination to destroy it.

Is it the Mohists that he values?

of course not.

Even at its peak, the Mohist school could never shake the empire, let alone in its current decline, where it is even less of a concern for the First Emperor.

If you tell me, it's just a small sect with a thousand or so people. What's so special about it?
The only thing that could be considered a threat was this Mo family's mechanical city, which was known as a demonic realm from beyond the heavens and the last paradise on earth.

This threat is not limited to the endless traps within the Mo family's mechanical city.

Furthermore, the Mo Family's Mechanical City served as a base and production center for anti-Qin elements.

In particular, it is a source of hope.

This ancient city still stands, serving as a beacon for anti-Qin forces across the land, guiding their direction.

Therefore, this lighthouse must be destroyed!

What does it matter if the Mechanical City is gone, even if those Mohist disciples escape?
It's just a little over a thousand people.

Under the empire's manhunt and pursuit, these people cannot even gather together. Even if they survive, how much use can they be?

The First Emperor didn't care at all.

Zhang Han didn't care.

Moreover, the various armies have already surrounded the city of the mechanical city.

Even if they escaped the mechanical city, they would still face the threat of various armies and would need to escape the encirclement to be considered to have completely escaped.

In this respect, Zhang Han had great confidence.

"Just watch, what happened today is only the beginning..."

Zhang Han glanced back at the mountain peak, as if he could see the heavily fortified city hidden beneath the thick clouds and mist.

(End of this chapter)