Wan Jian returns to his clan!

Chapter 236 A staff that can lift the sun and moon, a hammer that can strike flying stars

"Shan'er."

Yuwen Chui's pupils shrank drastically as he stared intently at the spot where the blood mist had been poured out, and he couldn't help but let out a painful groan.

He was determined to win this southward campaign. By achieving this great feat of destroying a country, he could not only make up for a past grievance but also regain the trust of his elder brother, the emperor.

To this end, he did not hesitate to send his own son to the capital of the foreign kingdom in order to sow discord and intimidate.

First, they extinguished the fighting spirit of the Southern Dynasty's warriors, then they besieged the city, exploiting its very bones and marrow. Finally, when the Southern Dynasty had lost all will to fight, they broke into the city and massacred the capital.

Everything had been going well, exactly as planned before the war.

On the southern side, people were terrified, and most of the sectarian warriors were disloyal. The entire court was inclined to surrender, seeing that the Great Zhou army could easily capture Weijing City once they reached it.

The results of it?
Just as they were crossing the river, they heard that their beloved son had been beaten to death on the Vermilion Bird Terrace, a truly tragic death.

All thirty-six men who accompanied him were dead, their bodies hung on the city gate...

That's all.

The loss of a son or two in the pursuit of unifying the world under the Northern Zhou dynasty, though tragic, is not unacceptable.

But soon, he heard again that... the civil and military officials of the Li Dynasty had been almost completely slaughtered, and the Princess's Palace was re-selecting officials and appointing virtuous and capable ones.

Within just seven days, the entire unit had united as one, diligently training the troops in preparation for battle.

What's most infuriating is that the newly appointed General Lu Wubing of Nanli actually issued the "Order to Kill the Barbarians," which changed the course of the world.

Is it bearable, what is unbearable?

Upon hearing this news, Yuwen Chui did not want to stay at Feifeng Pass for even a moment. He ordered the massacre of the pass and the destruction of the city, sweeping all the way to Weijing City without stopping.

He wanted revenge, he wanted to skin that young general from the south alive and vent his anger.

When we actually met, I didn't show any of my animosity.

On the contrary, the more I kept it inside, the more uncomfortable I felt.

Three valiant generals were sent into battle, but they were all beaten into mincemeat by the enemy, one after another, like whack-a-mole. Among them was even his adopted son, Yuwen Shan.

This man was the head of the personal guards who had been by my side for twenty years. His death was utterly meaningless.

"Brother, this brat is arrogant. Let me go and take his head."

Beside him stood a burly man with a full beard, a head as large as a lion or tiger, and yellow eyes. Suddenly, he spurred his horse forward, brandishing a giant wolf-tooth club and shouting for battle.

"Second brother?"

Yuwen Chui frowned slightly upon seeing this.

This is his right-hand man, his sworn brother, the mighty general Fan Heihu.

They met in their youth while adventuring in the martial world, supporting each other through thick and thin, until later revealing their identities and leading a large army to conquer the world.

As the sharpest blade under his command, the second brother was invariably successful in any attack or breach of a city.

He cultivated the Black Tiger Mystic Fiend technique, and his bravery in battle was so great that it could terrify the enemy soldiers, making them all fearful and capable of fighting against ten thousand men.

Even if I wanted to win, I would have to use the full power of the [Black Dragon Coiling Sky Halberd Technique] and the power generation method on the [cross] seal.

With such martial arts skills, I'm sure there's no chance of failure.

"Don't be greedy for credit when you go into battle. If you see that the situation is not good, retreat immediately."

After some thought, Yuwen Chui agreed to Pan Heihu's request to fight, and gave him careful instructions.

"Brother, don't boost the morale of others while diminishing your own prestige."

That healthy brat is nothing but a bully who relies on his strength. For some reason, he's only managed to steal a few parts of the bully's Heavenly Shaking Technique; his Heaven-Shattering Hammer technique is crude and rudimentary, merely mimicking the form but not the spirit, relying entirely on brute force. I'm confident I can take his head within ten rounds.”

Regarding his own second younger brother's judgment.

Yuwen Chui had no doubts.

But I always felt that something was off.

Lu Wubing did indeed use his son's signature move, the Thirty-Six Forms of the Heavenly Gang Shock Hammer Technique, to deliver a fatal blow; it was indeed a devastating strike.

However, the effortless and casual manner of doing things doesn't seem like someone who hasn't grasped the true essence of it.

Instead, it's somewhat like having a move but forgetting it, understanding the law but abandoning it, a feeling that all the myriad methods are gathered in one person.

However, considering the other person's age, it seemed unlikely. How could someone so young possess such profound martial arts skills? It was simply a bizarre tale.

Even a seasoned master couldn't do that, right?
Yuwen Chui didn't know whether others could do it.

But he himself couldn't do it.

In the twenty-seven years since Wei Zhen of Bei Zhou Nan Li, he has never seen anyone whose martial arts skills have reached such a level.

Unless it's a legendary grandmaster.

They are the kind of freaks who have already broken through the rules of heaven and earth. Everything has no mystery in their hearts. At this moment, no move is important.

The opponent in front of me is not even eighteen years old. How could he have done this?
What a joke.

"What does the strategist think?"

Yuwen Chui was a little unsure, so he turned to ask Qiu Changling.

On the surface, he was consulting his strategist.

In fact, his gaze swept over the two masters, Fahai and Falin, of Dafan Temple, as well as the two old Taoists, Xudu and Xuji, of Zhenwu Sect.

As people of the martial arts world, they were quite old and experienced, so they should be able to judge the level of strength of that young general from Nanli.

Realm level is not the same as combat power. Skill is very important, but strength is also indispensable.

If the enemy is misjudged, as before, not only will morale be damaged, but face will also be lost completely.

That's it now.

The three generals died a miserable and wretched death. He could already hear the whispers behind him, and their invincible momentum was fading away.

Fighting is about spirit and luck.

We absolutely cannot afford to lose this battle.

Qiu Changling stroked his beard and chuckled: "With the martial prowess of the two generals, even if they cannot win, they will certainly not be defeated or killed."

The monk Fahai nodded slightly: "That kid with the hammer may be stronger than the young prince, but not by much."

He only relies on his immense strength and strange moves; if the old monk were to make a move, he would surely turn him into mincemeat within three exchanges.

As soon as these two spoke, the others all nodded slightly.

They weren't mistaken.

Although Lu Wubing's attacks were fierce and imposing.

However, it did not demonstrate any truly frightening abilities.

He used less than 30% of his strength, and all his attacks were flat strikes. His base strength was over 1.2 million jin, but he didn't even use 500,000 jin.

However, it is enough.

In his eyes, the shrimp soldiers and crab generals who went to fight were like wooden stakes. They didn't need any martial arts skills; he could just swing his hammer and hit them.

One blow at a time, like cracking eggs.

Relaxed and happy.

If he knew that the other party was actually seriously evaluating his combat strength, he would probably laugh his head off.

He didn't even care who the other side sent.

He was just thinking to himself how to make that King Yuwen of Jinyang lose face.

If this man is not killed, the fighting spirit of this 100,000-strong army will remain undiminished.

If the core leader doesn't fall, it will be difficult to take him down directly no matter how hard you attack.

The subsequent large-scale attack by the army will likely result in a stalemate, causing unnecessary casualties among many soldiers.

If we seize this rare opportunity to duel with the enemy generals and kill them when they are off guard...

This battle will be a complete victory.

Cheers erupted behind them like waves.

Those were 100,000 Dali soldiers. Seeing their commander kill three generals in succession, their morale soared, and they were shouting.

If Chen Tongxi hadn't held the line so firmly, these people would probably have already charged forward and started a fight.

"You little thief, prepare to die!"

Amidst the cheers of the Dali army, another general galloped out from the silent Northern Zhou army camp opposite.

The general came in black helmet and armor, wearing a tiger-head helmet and fish-scale chainmail, and wielding a huge wolf-tooth iron club about eighteen feet long.

This man was clearly an excellent rider; his horse was incredibly fast.

Both the man and the horse exuded a dark, misty aura, and in just a few leaps, they were in front of him.

With a swing of the giant club, it roared and howled, creating a flurry of club shadows.

Boom... Among the dozens of shadowy black staffs, a ferocious and violent black tiger's head faintly emerged.

Amidst a thunderous roar, a point of black light struck Lu Wubing's chest from the tiger's mouth.

"The interplay of reality and illusion, with malevolence reigning supreme."

Lu Wubing completely ignored the hazy shadow of the stick above his head.

He sat upright on the big red horse, a slight smile playing on his lips.

He simply raised the purple-gold hammer in his left hand.

bang...

The shadow of the stick vanished completely.

The spiked tip of the eighteen-foot-long mace snapped with a crack, and the thick head slammed heavily onto the golden hammer as if it had struck a towering mountain.

A ring of air ripples, like a vortex, surged outwards in all directions.

The force of the impact brought the bearded man and his horse to a sudden halt, their eyes wide with horror. They could not advance an inch further.

The black veins in his arms suddenly burst and bulged, splattering blood mist.

Before he could even let out a roar, a red shadow flashed before him, and the large red horse shot forward like an arrow...

A purple-gold hammerhead obscured the view.

"Open it for me!"

Fan Heihu was shocked and furious, realizing he was wrong, completely wrong.

This isn't just a matter of being slightly stronger than Yuwen Ba; he's practically incomparably stronger.

With their own men lending their strength, and their true essence and malevolent energy unleashed to the fullest extent, this strike possessed the power to shatter mountains...

However, when it hit the hammer, it didn't even budge.

The moment the opponent raised his hammer, the three-zhang-wide void in front of and behind him was already firmly locked like glue, making him unable to move.

Snapped……

Fan Heihu only had time to brace himself with his arms and push outwards with the stick before he felt a jolt in his head and knew nothing more.

Lu Wubing turned his horse around and retracted his right hammer.

The headless, fat body of Fan Heihu, along with his semi-circular spiked club, fell off the horse. Only the black horse neighed and spun around, galloping wildly to one side.

Another loud shout rang out from behind.

But it couldn't drown out Lu Wubing's clear, loud voice: "Yuwen Chui, you are the Prince of Jinyang of Northern Zhou, known as an unparalleled tiger general and a great general who protects the country. Do you think all you know is to send your subordinates to their deaths?"

Such a cowardly and timid fellow dares to offend my Great Li? I wonder who gave you the audacity?

"Come on, I'll give you three moves."

Lu Wubing channeled his true essence into Xue Lihong's body, circulating it along her meridians, making man and horse one.

The tall red horse seemed to rise from the ground, and with each stomp, gravel and dust flew everywhere.

Rising and surging, like a dragon or an elephant...

He clashed his two hammers together, the metal clanging as one, and roared. His imposing presence silenced the entire Northern Zhou army opposite him.

In an instant, the momentum rose and fell, and the Northern Zhou army formation was unable to maintain its footing and retreated three steps, causing the formation to sway.

"Master, please do your part to kill this fiend. After the city is breached, Dafan Temple will certainly not be treated unfairly."

King Jinyang was furious. He gripped the crescent halberd tightly with his five fingers, leaving several sharp finger marks. His eyes seemed to be spitting fire, and his voice grew increasingly deep as he gave orders to the old monk beside him.

He decided to be patient and wait a little longer.

There are still some things I haven't seen clearly.

"This old monk has been waiting for a long time."

The monk Fahai let out a long laugh.

With a flick of his staff, smoke rose from his feet, and he darted along the ground like a cloud, arriving seven zhang in front of Lu Wubing's horse in an instant.

“Ignorant child, this old monk Fahai has come to take your life.”

Lu Wubing looked up and saw a tall, imposing monk dressed in an orange-yellow robe, carrying a precious moon staff, galloping out like a horse.

No one has arrived yet.

The monk's staff swept across the sky, striking with overwhelming force.

The turquoise Zen staff spun and cut, one end burning brightly like fire, the other end cool and clear like the moon.

One staff transforms into two, striking the head and tail almost simultaneously, making the sun and moon shine together.

"It's the Great Brahma Temple's ultimate technique, 'Shouldering the Sun and Moon on One Shoulder,' it can't be..."

Suddenly, the old monk Fayuan of Yuankong Temple spoke, but before he could finish his sentence, the huge monk Fahai was sent flying backwards with his staff.

Lu Wubing simply unleashed a mediocre hammer blow.

What sun and moon?

They all turned into stars...

The old monk Fahai was sent flying into the air, struggling to stay upright, completely unable to control his body.

"Fahai, unleash your Great Mighty Heavenly Dragon!"

With a flick of his true essence, Lu Wubing's red horse, as swift as smoke, caught up with the flying monk Fahai amidst the shouts of the Northern Zhou camp.

"What Great Power..."

The monk Fahai felt excruciating pain in both arms, chest tightness, nausea, and a metallic taste in his mouth. He heard the words "Great Mighty Heavenly Dragon" and felt completely bewildered.

He neither understood why his powerful Brahma technique couldn't withstand a single blow from the opponent, nor did he comprehend the meaning of their words. For a moment, his eyes were filled with confusion.

"You don't even know the Great Mighty Heavenly Dragon, yet you dare to call yourself Fahai?"

puff!
Lu Wubing struck down with a single blow.

The hammer's impact shattered Fahai's bald head into dust.

He looked up coldly and shouted sharply, "Who else?"

King Jinyang cursed, "Useless!"

He still had great faith in that old monk Fahai.

Unexpectedly, the generals around him, as well as these so-called martial arts masters, were all people whose reputations outweighed their abilities.

Even though the opponent's hammer technique was not very sophisticated, relying only on brute force to injure people, he did not dodge or avoid the opponent's blows, but insisted on wrestling with him.

This is fine.

Before the battle, everyone was confident.

After going into battle, everyone is a weakling.

Hearing the wailing behind him, he knew that his momentum had been lost and if he didn't step forward to regain his face, there was no point in fighting this battle.

It is estimated that even if the enemy's 100,000 troops were to charge at will, our side could still suffer a major defeat.

"I will personally take action."

"Your Highness, you mustn't!" Qiu Changling's expression changed drastically.

Regardless of whether one can discern the true nature of Lu Wubing's methods, the fact that he went to such lengths to provoke the prince into making a move suggests that he must have a scheme.

"Stop talking. I don't believe that a mere seventeen or eighteen-year-old brat can be that strong."

King Jinyang suffered several defeats, and both old and new grudges surged into his heart.

In more than 20 years, he had never suffered such a great loss.

His past caution and magnanimity were not because he was truly broad-minded; it was simply that no one was worth getting angry at.

In the current situation, it's best not to step forward.

If the news gets out, people will only think that he, the King of Jinyang, is incapable of fighting tough battles and only knows how to bully the weak and fear the strong.

Even if we reorganize our troops and boost morale to win another victory in the future.

The cowardly and disgraceful display of our actions in today's battle will surely be known throughout the world.

His name, King Jinyang, the clown, will be known to everyone.

"Good, you haven't completely disappointed me. Yuwen Chui, I will see you to your son today. In the future, when I have time, I will make sure your family is complete, with no one missing."

Lu Wubing lowered his two hammers to the horse's belly and laughed loudly.

Regardless, the opposing commander, King Jinyang, has finally emerged.

Even with an army of 100,000 behind him and dozens of skilled warriors protecting him, he still personally took up his halberd and came to the front of the battle.

……

(End of this chapter)