Primordial Era: A God-Level Choice, Possessing Zhao Gongming at the Start.

Chapter 319 Heavy Losses, Han Rong's Ingenious Plan

A quarter of an hour later, Dao Xing Zhenren let out a mournful cry of resentment.

A conspicuous bloodstain appeared where a three-pointed double-edged sword had slashed across his brow.

The primordial spirit within the Mud Palace Pill was drawn by a tremendous force and slowly flew towards Shouyang Mountain!

In the Eight Views Palace on Shouyang Mountain, Taiqing was stunned to see the Daoist Master and True Spirit suddenly appear on the pure white Investiture of the Gods.

Isn't this a Daoist master from one of the Twelve Golden Immortals of Kunlun, a disciple of the Primordial Master?

He actually made it onto the Investiture of the Gods list?

That's incredible!

Taiqing hurriedly pinched his fingertips, trying to calculate and understand the cause and effect, but as soon as his mind was immersed in the Heavenly Dao, it was scattered by the chaotic Heavenly Secrets.

Taiqing shook his head, a wry smile on his face. "Under the great calamity, even a sage cannot be omniscient or omnipotent. This calamity is perilous."

Even during the great calamity of the Lich King back then, Taiqing remained calm.

However, today's prediction of the Great Tribulation of the Investiture of the Gods has given it a dangerous assessment, which shows just how dangerous it is.

Taiqing stroked his long beard and sighed. Under such a great calamity, how should the Other Cult act?

"Junior Brother Daoxing!"

At Sishui Pass, Cihang Zhenren and Puxian Zhenren cried out in anguish.

But what awaited them was a heavy blow from a three-pointed double-edged sword!

At the same time, Lei Zhenzi gradually suppressed Manjushri Zhenren to the point of defeat!

Lei Zhenzi is an innate thunder spirit with immense strength. He was born with mastery of the laws of thunder and could become a Great Luo Golden Immortal with a little cultivation.

At this moment, the laws of thunder spread, electric arcs flickered, and wisps of lightning flew and spread, carrying supreme destructive power, rushing towards Manjushri.

Fortunately, Manjushri also had the innate spiritual treasure, the Dragon-Hiding Stake, to protect him.

Although they were at a disadvantage, they were not in danger for the time being!

Not far from Lei Zhenzi, Nezha, who was engaged in a fierce battle with Jianglong and Fuhu, exuded an even more powerful aura that soared into the sky!

The Hun Tian Ling danced to its peak, and the Fire-Tipped Spear in his hand was like a poisonous dragon, exuding a chilling killing intent. It was freely transmitted in mid-air, and fought to a draw with Jiang Long and Fu Hu!

But at that moment, the Dragon-Subduing Taoist's face suddenly turned deathly pale, and he cried out, "Junior brothers!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the gatekeeper and his fellow disciples rushed out of the Nine Dragons Formation.

When they entered the Nine Dragons Formation, there were fourteen people. Now that they have come out, only the gatekeeper, the pagoda-bearing Taoist, the meditating Taoist, the river-crossing Taoist, the elephant-riding Taoist, the laughing lion Taoist, and the cloth-bag monk remain.

Seven people were lost directly in the Nine Dragons Formation!

Adding to the previously deceased Daoist Zuo Lu and Daoist Chang Mei, there are now nine.

Those were all cultivators at the Taiyi Golden Immortal level, the backbone of the Western Sect.

So many disciples, second only to the four direct descendants, have perished all at once.

Enraged, Jianglong and Fuhu wished they could tear the entire Chan Sect to pieces immediately!

"withdraw!"

With a shout, Jianglong and Fuhu stopped fighting Nezha and flew towards the Xiqi camp.

"Let's go too!"

With a wave of his hand, Cihang Zhenren unleashed boundless magical power, temporarily forcing Yang Jian to retreat.

Then it transformed into a streak of light and closely followed Jianglong and Fuhu.

Manjushri and Samantabhadra dared not be careless. After taking the body of Dao Xing Zhenren with them, they quickly used their escape techniques to leave.

Nezha rubbed his fists together, clearly still wanting more, and shouted at the backs of Jianglong and the others.

"Why are you running so fast? We haven't even decided who won yet!"

Lei Zhenzi was clearly still somewhat unsatisfied and reluctantly put away the Purple-Gold Wind and Thunder Cudgel.

Luo Xuan and Yu Yuan walked up to Yang Jian and the other two with smiles on their faces. "After this battle, you will be famous throughout the prehistoric world."

As a third-generation disciple of the Jie Sect, not only did he attain the Great Luo Golden Immortal realm, but he also forcefully defeated, no, even killed a Jie Sect Golden Immortal. This is simply an unbelievable achievement!

In the future, Yang Jian, Nezha, and Lei Zhenzi will definitely be prominent figures in the primordial world.

Yang Jian cupped his hands and chuckled, "Senior brothers, you flatter me. Isn't this the proper behavior of a disciple of the Jie Sect?"

Everyone was taken aback for a moment, then burst into laughter, "It seems that Uncle Gongming has taken on a good disciple."

"Let's go back to Sishui Pass. I wonder how the battle is going. Why would the King of Shang suddenly issue an order to retreat? It's really baffling."

The Four Saints of Kowloon Island scratched their heads, somewhat puzzled.

In their view, as long as they held Sishui Pass and kept the other three major marquises in check, destroying Xiqi was a sure thing.

However, the Shang king's order was the decree of the human emperor, and since they had chosen to come and help, they had no choice but to obey.

Yang Jian pondered for a moment and then said, "Luring the enemy deep into our territory, trapping them like turtles in a jar—that's probably Your Majesty's idea, isn't it?"

"Like a turtle in a jar?"

The Four Saints of Kowloon Island shook their heads. "They're like turtles in a jar, but if things go wrong, they can't blame us."

The phoenix cried out on Mount Qi, and the Mandate of Heaven returned to Zhou. This is an indisputable fact. What does this signify?

This shows that Mount Xiqi also carries a part of the destiny.

These cultivators can only deal with other cultivators; they have absolutely no control over fate.

If Ji Chang's army from Xiqi truly marches unimpeded into Chaoge, then it would be normal for the Mandate of Heaven to change.

Yang Jian smiled and said, "King Shang was guided by my master, so he's practically my junior brother. He shouldn't do anything so foolish. Let's just do our best to help him."

After exchanging a few words, the group returned to Sishui Pass.

At Sishui Pass, seeing Yang Jian and his men return victorious, Han Rong's confidence grew even stronger!

He was confident that he would win a great victory and would definitely live up to the king's expectations!

The atmosphere in the Xiqi camp was heavy and stagnant; Manjushri, Samantabhadra, and Cihang were all feeling their hearts twitching!

Unexpectedly, just as the great calamity began, one of the Twelve Golden Immortals of Kunlun perished!

If Master finds out, how furious he will be that all the disciples he painstakingly trained have ended up on the Investiture of the Gods!

Jianglong and Fuhu, standing to the side, were even more heartbroken than Cihang and the other two.

Ten junior brothers perished in the so-called Nine Dragons Formation of the Four Saints of Nine Dragons Island.

That's terrible, so terrible!

Pain, excruciating pain!

Heaven knows how difficult it is for the Western Sect to cultivate a Taiyi Golden Immortal. If Uncle-Master Zhunti knew...

Jianglong and the others couldn't even imagine how tragic the scene would be.

But after seeing that the Daoist Master of the Chan Sect next door was also on the list, for some reason, the anger in Jianglong and Fuhu's hearts subsided a little.

One of the direct disciples of the Chan Sect has also perished. When the teacher finds out, he probably won't blame us, right?

Ji Chang was instantly frustrated. He had thought that with so many people from the Chan Sect and the Western Sect coming, they would surely achieve remarkable results.

But this result was extremely disappointing to him!

Ji Fa stepped forward. "My lord," he said, "shall we continue the siege?"

Ji Fa felt a pang of pain in his heart; these soldiers were all trained by him personally.

The deaths and injuries of so many people are more painful than being stabbed with a knife!

Ji Chang's expression turned solemn and serious. "Attack! We must attack! Only by capturing Sishui Pass can we take the first step towards success!"

As the sun slowly set and night fell, darkness and cold descended. The vast Xiqi camp was silent, save for the faint sounds of snoring and the footsteps of patrolling soldiers.

The next morning, the rooster crowed and the sun slowly rose from the east!

Ji Fa led his troops in another strong attack on Sishui Pass, but Han Rong's strategy remained unchanged, still focusing on defense!

In the entire morning, the Xiqi army launched a full-scale attack on Sishui Pass!

The army had lived in Xiqi for generations and had been brainwashed by Ji Chang. They fought very hard when attacking the city, and even Han Rong felt some pressure.

It wasn't until noon, when everyone was exhausted, that Ji Chang finally ordered a retreat!

After a morning of bloody fighting, Xiqi lost more than 5,000 soldiers, while the Sishui Pass side also suffered hundreds of casualties.

Although Ji Fa felt sorry for his father, he knew that his father was right.

Only by capturing Sishui Pass can the army's previous losses be made up.

Otherwise, if this drags on, even the strongest foundation of Xiqi won't be able to withstand it.

On the third, fourth, and fifth days, Xiqi attacked Sishui Pass one after another!

The Xiqi side suffered a total loss of over 20,000 people, while the Shang side also lost two to three thousand, a ratio of approximately ten to one.

Such a proportion would be considered miraculous outside, but in Sishui Pass, it still pained Han Rong deeply.

On the fifth night, at Sishui Pass, in the council hall.

Han Rong convened a meeting, ordering all the high-ranking generals of Sishui Pass to gather together for a discussion.

Han Rong sharpened his sword, his eyes gleaming with a sharp light, and said, "The Xiqi rebels have been attacking my Sishui Pass for five consecutive days. These days, we have only instructed everyone to defend the city and not to go out to meet the enemy. I know that everyone is holding their breath."

"Tonight will be the night we avenge our defeat and leave an unforgettable memory for the Xiqi army!"

Wang Hu, the vanguard officer, was bursting with excitement and could no longer contain himself. He patted his chest and said with great enthusiasm.

"General, just tell us what to do, and we'll do it."

"Damn it, those bastards from Xiqi are so eloquent. If we get to the battlefield, I'll twist their heads off."

"General, you must have a plan in mind. We would like to hear the details."

Han Rong spread out the blueprints on the table and began to speak, "Xiqi has been under attack for five days, expending enormous resources each day. Now they are exhausted. If we lead a large force of elite troops and launch a surprise attack in the middle of the night, we can definitely crush the entire Xiqi!"

"In this battle, I intend to have the vanguard commander, Wang Hu, lead the troops."

Han Rong pointed to the blueprints and explained them in detail, and everyone understood.

Han Rong's strategy was to send Wang Hu, the vanguard commander, with an elite army of 20,000 to launch a surprise attack from the right flank of the Xiqi main camp.

Yang Jian led 20,000 elite troops in a surprise attack from the left.

As for Han Rong, he quietly approached the Xiqi camp from the front of Sishui Pass!

As for Nezha, Lei Zhenzi, and the others, they led the remaining troops out of the city and headed towards Jiepai Pass.

Nezha and Lei Zhenzi were initially unwilling. They descended to the mortal realm to cultivate and fight, not to serve as bodyguards or protectors for the army.

But with Yang Jian's insistence, the two finally agreed.

Soon, night fell, and darkness and cold enveloped the entire Sishui Pass, with the coldness constantly encroaching.

In Sishui Pass, all the soldiers who went on this expedition were dressed in inner armor and soft armor, so they could move silently!

In addition, it was equipped with several crossbowmen and archers, responsible for accurately eliminating targets.

(End of this chapter)