The world of martial arts, the immortal swordsman in the mortal realm.

Chapter 165, page 180: Lu Chen's version of the Heavenly Demon Force Field!

Early the next morning.

A small boat sailed toward the backyard of the Lu residence.

The boat was piloted by a woman dressed in a silver-white outfit, with a wide black embroidered cloud-patterned belt around her waist, which perfectly outlined her upright chest and the contrasting curves of her waist and hips, making her legs appear even longer.

She carried a long sword on her back, her face was covered by a bamboo hat, and she looked like a heroic female knight-errant.

She brought the small boat to the edge of the waterside pavilion, and just as she was about to moor it ashore, she saw a wooden sign hanging on the wall of the newly rebuilt pavilion, with eight large characters written on it: "The host is on an outing, guests are not allowed to enter."

The female knight tilted her head back, revealing her stunningly beautiful face beneath the brim of her bamboo hat.

She was indeed Wanwan.

Wan Yaonu stared blankly at the wooden sign, puffed out her pink cheeks, and felt quite depressed.

These days she has been practicing swordsmanship diligently, having tried all the various sword techniques collected by the Yin Gui Sect, and found them to be extremely simple.

She even refined and improved upon those second- and third-rate sword techniques, and combined them with her experience from practicing swordsmanship with Lu Chen at Peach Blossom Manor in Xiangyang for several days, to create a set of killing moves that she named "Thirteen Soul-Stealing Swords".

Even her master praised her "Thirteen Soul-Stealing Swords" highly, believing it could rival the "Mind-Searching Sword Technique," which gave Wan Yaonu even more confidence in her swordsmanship talent.

I came here today hoping to get some guidance from Lu Chen, and I even dressed up as a proper female swordswoman, but he wasn't home...

"Where have you been?"

Wan Yaonu looked puzzled.

After thinking for a while, he suddenly remembered that twelve large warships had sailed out of Luoyang before dawn that day.

Those were warships under Wang Shichong's command, a group of elite reinforcements sent to Yanshi to fight against Li Mi.

Wang Shichong's ships left the city before dawn, and Lu Chen also set off early in the morning...

Wanwan nodded, knowing where to find Lu Chen.

……

Twelve warships sailed along the Luo River toward Yanshi.

Because they are traveling eastward downstream, even though the warships are fully loaded with armor, soldiers and provisions, their speed is extremely fast, and they will arrive by tomorrow morning at the latest.

Inside a spacious and comfortable cabin on the upper deck of a warship.

Kou Zhong was talking to Lu Chen:

"This time, Wang Shichong has really gone all out, sending out only well-armed and well-trained elite troops. Including our reinforcements, the entire Yanshi army will have 20,000 elite soldiers, including 2,000 elite cavalry."

Lu Chen nodded and asked:

How many men did Li Mi have?

Kou Zhong's expression turned solemn:
"According to intelligence from Yanshi, Li Mi believed that he had succeeded in assassinating Wang Shichong. Even if Wang Shichong was not dead, he believed that Wang Shichong was just clinging to life and would not live much longer. Therefore, he mobilized 100,000 troops to attack Yanshi."

Dugu Feng clicked her tongue in amazement:
"Twenty thousand against one hundred thousand? And the opponent is the invincible Li Mi. Can we win this battle?"

Kou Zhong looked confident and assured.

"Of Li Mi's 100,000 troops, 60,000 were newly recruited soldiers. They were barely usable for defending cities, but weak and powerless in open field battles, let alone attacking cities."

Dugu Feng said, "But that also has 40,000 main forces."

Kou Zhong laughed:

"Li Mi's main force was complex, including his old camp, Pushan Gongying, the elite Wagang Army from Zhai Rang's era, and many Xiaoguo Army soldiers who surrendered after defeating Yuwen Huaji."

"Although they are all elite troops with strong combat capabilities, Li Mi's murder of Zhai Rang has already sown the seeds of division within the old Wagang Army. The Xiaoguo Army has only recently joined and was forcibly subdued by Li Mi through his prestige."

"If Li Mi continues to win, that's fine, but as soon as he shows the slightest sign of defeat, I'm certain that the old Wagang army and the Xiaoguo army will lose their will to fight, scatter in all directions, or even defect and surrender."

Lu Chen nodded and said:
"Therefore, among Li Mi's 40,000 main forces, only Li Mi's Pushan Public Camp was truly willing to fight to the death."

Dugu Feng said:

"Pushan Gongying is also very powerful. The famous general Zhang Xutuo was defeated and killed in battle by Li Mi and Pushan Gongying."

Kou Zhong remained confident and spoke eloquently:

"Although the Pushan Public Camp is strong, it is said that it lost more than half of its troops after the battle with Yuwen Huaji. Although the troops have been replenished and even expanded to eight thousand, the newly recruited soldiers are far less durable than the veteran soldiers."

"Moreover, Li Mi has never stopped fighting since he formed his army. The Pushan public camp is already exhausted. Even if the scale is larger than when Zhang Xutuo was ambushed, its combat strength may not be as good as it was back then."

He smiled again as he said this:
"Even if Li Mi's troops are united and the Pushan Public Camp is at its peak, don't we still have Brother Lu? As long as we find Li Mi's main force, Brother Lu can lead us into battle. How could Li Mi possibly withstand that?"

Lu Chen smiled slightly, but did not deny it, nodding and saying:

"Just let me know once you've found Li Mi's main force."

Kou Zhong, looking excited, stood up, clasped his hands in a fist and bowed:
"Brother Lu, rest assured. Li Mi is fond of using unconventional strategies, but I am already familiar with his usual tactics. This time, I will surely be able to see through his military tactics. Furthermore, Li Mi is becoming increasingly arrogant. As the saying goes, an arrogant army is bound to be defeated. In this battle, we will definitely break Li Mi's invincible record!"

He glanced at Dugu Feng again, then winked at Lu Chen:
"I have military duties to attend to, so I won't bother you any longer, Brother Lu."

"Go."

After Kou Zhong left.

Dugu Feng said:
"From what Kou Zhong said, Li Mi's 100,000-strong army seems to be easily defeated?"

"Li Mi's army was indeed at its last gasp, but Li Mi himself was becoming increasingly arrogant and failed to recognize this. Kou Zhong regarded Li Mi as a great enemy and paid him the utmost attention. After careful consideration, he realized that Kou Zhong saw things more clearly than Li Mi did."

Lu Chen slowly said:

"Of course, Kou Zhong wasn't entirely confident either, after all, his opponent was Li Mi. But as a strategist, he couldn't utter a single discouraging word; he had to belittle the enemy as much as possible to boost his own morale."

Even if Kou Zhong exaggerated slightly, he was still analyzing the enemy's situation in a realistic manner.

Lu Chen's previous life in history was even more outrageous than Wang Shichong. When he had no other choice, he told all the soldiers that the Duke of Zhou had appeared to him in a dream and said that he could achieve great merit by attacking Li Mi, otherwise the whole army would die of plague.

This method of encouragement is rather forced.

But unexpectedly, Li Mi was truly at his limit, and his main force, which he personally led, was decisively defeated by Wang Shichong.

The Li Mi of the Twin Dragons world is very different from the Li Mi of Lu Chen's previous life; he is not as fragile.

Even in the eyes of the world, Li Mi was still an invincible overlord, and his army was still one of the most elite and powerful forces in the world.

However, as Kou Zhong said, Li Mi's main force also had objective weaknesses such as disunity and fatigue, and Li Mi himself became increasingly arrogant.

Therefore, despite the disparity in troop strength, Wang Shichong's side still had a chance of winning.

However, since they are in different worlds, even with Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling assisting Wang Shichong's army, Li Mi's chances of winning still exist. But with Lu Chen as the avenger, all other possibilities for Li Mi are eliminated, leaving only one possibility.

It was broad daylight, and there were many military experts with keen hearing on the warship. Although they lived in independent luxury cabins on the upper deck, Lu Chen only chatted with Dugu Feng for a few words before they began their own cultivation.

Lu Chen is still studying the essence of the Heavenly Demon Technique he discovered during his battle with Yin Hou, and has already gained some insights.

After studying for a while, he suddenly raised his hand, and the teapot, teacups, tray and other items on the table next to him floated up. Then the table shook and slowly floated up, rotating around him in the air like a satellite.

This is a method that combines some of the essence of the Sword Wind Domain and the Heavenly Demon Force Field.

That night, during his battle with Yin Hou, Lu Chen noticed that as Yin Hou floated away, broken wood and pillars floated up and bombarded him—a rather effective technique.

It might not be enough to deal with a master like him, but it's definitely sufficient for clearing out mobs.

At this moment, Lu Chen finally succeeded in integrating that part of the essence into his own learning, and could now begin to simulate the use of the Yin Houtian magic field.

The change in the indoor atmosphere startled Dugu Feng, who was meditating with her eyes closed, cultivating the "Nine Transformations of Condensed Truth"—Lu Chen had already taught her the Nine Transformations of Condensed Truth, and she was now trying to condense her acupoints.

Opening her eyes at this moment, Dugu Feng saw all sorts of random things floating around Lu Chen, constantly spinning around him. Her beautiful eyes widened, her pink lips slightly parted, and she asked in surprise:

"Isn't this the Heavenly Demon Force Field?"

Lu Chen smiled slightly, gently pressed his palm down, and the floating tables and chairs around him landed steadily, with cups, plates, and teacups also falling back onto the table smoothly.

"It is not a pure demonic force field, but also incorporates the sword wind domain, so it can be called a 'sword wind force field'. In terms of function, it is quite similar to the demonic force field, with the ability to absorb and repel forces, and can also pull objects to float in the air, or even launch them away."

Dugu Feng already knew that Lu Chen possessed a special ability: he could detect other people's martial arts techniques in actual combat. This is how "Nine Transformations of Condensed Truth" came about.

Seeing that he had even simulated the Heavenly Demon Force Field, she was slightly surprised but not shocked, and smiled gently:
"You've even figured out the Heavenly Demon Technique of the Empress Yin. Next time we meet, she probably won't be a match for you."

Lu Chen smiled as well:
"I now doubt whether the Queen of the Underworld will dare to appear before me again."

In his first battle against Lu Chen, Qu Ao held the upper hand throughout, only to be suddenly defeated in the final move. When he made his second move against Lu Chen, he was killed by Lu Chen from behind.

Given past experiences and Empress Yin's caution, it remains to be seen whether she would dare to attack Lu Chen again, even though she had completely suppressed him and gained the upper hand in her first battle against him.

After all, the Empress's "mutual destruction" can only happen once.

After the explosion, she was gone. She needed to keep her body intact so she could take revenge on Shi Zhixuan.

After exchanging a few words, the two continued their respective cultivation practices.

This time, Lu Chen simply levitated a pair of chopsticks, rotating them around him to familiarize himself with the application of force fields.

This force field is stronger than a simple sword wind domain. It can absorb and push, combining offense and defense. It can also partially absorb the enemy's force from a distance and turn it into its own.

Furthermore, because his force field is integrated with the sword wind domain, when he launches sword energy or wields a qi sword in various ways within the force field, the power is enhanced to a certain extent. This enhancement can also be stacked with the power amplification of the sword itself.

"This is an unexpected surprise..."

Lu Chen was quite satisfied with this gain.

He emitted sword energy from acupoints all over his body, but without the amplification of the "Qilin Arm" sword body, the power was much weaker than the sword energy emitted from his hand.

Now that his "Sword Wind Force Field" can amplify the power of sword energy emitted from all his acupoints, his lethality can be further enhanced. If he had had this trick up his sleeve the night he killed Qu Ao, Qu Ao might not have lasted five breaths.

After a day of training, the warship arrived in Yanshi early the next morning.

Lu Chen and Dugu Feng entered the city with the army and moved into an ordinary courtyard.

Kou Zhong arranged their lodgings and, after settling them in, asked Lu Chen:
"Brother Lu, do you need armor and battle formation weapons? If so, I will arrange and prepare them right away."

Lu Chen thought for a moment and said:

"No need for armor. Just make me two bronze hammers, this size is enough..."

He gestured with his hand, and the size of it made Kou Zhong and Dugu Feng stare in astonishment.

Based on the size he gestured, each of the copper hammers must weigh three or four hundred pounds.

"Brother Lu, is this a hollow copper hammer?"

"No, it's solid."

Kou Zhong was stunned, and exclaimed in astonishment:
“Such a big hammer… well, Brother Lu, you have superhuman strength, so of course you can wield it. It’s easy to forge, since it’s just two copper balls and a pair of handles. It can be forged in a few days. But if you’re holding two such big copper hammers, no warhorse can carry them!”

Each horse weighs three or four hundred pounds, so two would weigh seven or eight hundred pounds, plus the weight of the saddle, horse armor, and Brother Lu...

Only a legendary celestial horse could carry that, right?

"It's alright, just go ahead and make it for me."

He possesses a sword wind field that can lift the bronze hammer, significantly reducing its weight and minimizing the burden on his warhorse.

Seeing his certainty, Kou Zhong didn't say anything more and left with a puzzled look on his face.

Dugu Feng understood Lu Chen's intention—after defeating the Garuda army, Lu Chen had told her about the importance of using ruthless methods to intimidate the enemy on the battlefield.

She looked at Lu Chen with bright, sparkling eyes:

"You want to use the giant bronze hammer to unleash a bloodbath and terrify the enemy into collapse?"

Lu Chen nodded and said:

"Li Mi's army is not the same as Garuda's army. Back then, Garuda's army only had tens of thousands of men, with only three thousand in the core camp. Li Mi's main force alone had forty thousand, and the core Pushan Gong camp had as many as eight thousand..."

"Even if I were invulnerable to swords and spears and had boundless strength, I don't know how long it would take to break through the enemy lines and reach Li Mi amidst this vast sea of ​​people."

"Therefore, we must fight fiercely, until Li Mi's army is afraid of me, until even the Pushan Gongying camp dares not stop my charge. In this way, we can quickly reach Li Mi's central army and not give him a chance to escape."

"Did they kill Li Mi in battle?"

Dugu Feng became excited, and couldn't help but lick her lips with the tip of her tongue, her eyes shining even brighter:
"This is a feat that many people wouldn't even dare to dream of... If it can be accomplished, from now on, one's status in this world will be no higher than that of the three grandmasters!"

Even if their martial arts skills are inferior to the three grandmasters, their status and prestige are by no means inferior. Wherever they go, they are transcendent beings who are treated with utmost care.

Dugu Feng's ambition lay in martial arts, and she didn't care about these things. But when she thought of her beloved lover earning such status and prestige through his own strength, her delicate body trembled with excitement, and she even felt as if she were already succumbing to temptation.

Overwhelmed with emotion, she threw herself into Lu Chen's arms, wrapped her arms around his neck, and stood on tiptoe to passionately kiss him.

In the prime of her youth, with boundless energy and vitality, and with Lu Chen being so skilled, the little phoenix, having tasted the sweetness of love, longed to be inseparable from him every single day.

Fortunately, she had exceptional self-control, and Lu Chen was too strong for her to handle, so she didn't indulge in pleasure. But even in broad daylight, she was overwhelmed with emotion and couldn't control herself.

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(End of this chapter)