Martial Arts Master: The Lin Family Sword God, who swept through the Five Mountains and Four Sects

"But Your Majesty need not worry," the old monk said calmly. "My cultivation method is different from my junior brother's. I am not good at fighting, but even if you are a legendary fourth-level cultivator, as long as you enter within three zhang of me, you will surely be killed."

Kublai Khan finally breathed a sigh of relief. He had personally witnessed the old monk's abilities; they were truly extraordinary and unfathomable.

"Then I beg you, Master, to kill this boy today," Kublai Khan said in a deep voice.

The old monk nodded slightly, said nothing more, and gently closed his eyes, as if in deep meditation.

"Great Khan, what's next?" Hulagu asked in a low voice.

Kublai Khan took a deep breath and slowly exhaled: "Withdraw the troops and let those Han people go."

Hulagu was stunned, his face filled with astonishment. Release them? That was tantamount to admitting defeat! Lin Tian had just personally shot and killed five hundred Mongol civilians!

"Great Khan..." he couldn't help but say.

"Do I need to say it a second time?" Kublai Khan glanced at him coldly, his tone chilling.

His concerns were never about a mere crown prince.

More importantly—Lin Tian is still the Grand Master of the Heaven and Earth Pavilion. That behemoth that spans the martial arts world and has deep roots. Even if he could kill him today, he fears that the Heaven and Earth Pavilion would use this as a pretext to massacre Mongolia and unleash a massive act of revenge. That would be the real nightmare that keeps him up at night.

"Yes, Great Khan!" Hulagu dared not speak further.

As the ruler of the Mongols, Kublai Khan's orders were not to be questioned.

"Without these Han Chinese as cannon fodder, do you think my Mongol cavalry couldn't crush this tiny Xiangyang city?!" Kublai Khan laughed coldly, his voice echoing across the land.

"Withdraw them all!!" Hurricane roared, his voice like thunder.

Upon receiving the order, the thousands of people rushing towards the city wall immediately split into two groups. One group turned back, raising dust, but there was order amidst the chaos.

"Your Highness, the Mongol soldiers mixed among the civilians have retreated. Should we open the city gates and let them in?" Meng Gong, with his sharp eyes, immediately noticed the change in the battle situation. His heart warmed, and he blurted out the question.

"No." Lin Tian's expression was cold and stern as he shook his head decisively. "Once the city gates are opened, it will be difficult to close them again. If the Mongols seize the opportunity to launch a fierce attack, they can break through the defenses in an instant. Besides—can you be sure that all those Mongol soldiers have really left?"

Meng Gong was taken aback by these words, his face flushing slightly as shame appeared. It wasn't that he didn't understand these principles, but the situation had forced him to act rashly, and he had lost his composure for a moment.

"Throw some shields and armor down there, let them hide at the base of the city wall." Lin Tian's tone was calm, yet carried an undeniable authority. "That's a blind spot; neither attack nor defense will be affected."

Although he doesn't open the door, he's never cold-blooded.

"Yes, Your Highness." Meng Gong bowed and accepted the order, then turned and strode away.

Moments later, one or two thousand sets of standard-issue armor were rained down from the city walls. For Xiangyang at this time, this amount of equipment was nothing more than a drop in the ocean.

Outside the city, Kublai Khan watched this scene from afar, his gaze slightly somber, revealing a hint of disappointment.

But he didn't get angry. It was expected—if Lin Tianruo were truly a soft-hearted person, he wouldn't be in his current position.

Taking a deep breath, he raised his head and shouted, "I never expected that the Crown Prince of the Great Song Dynasty would personally defend Xiangyang! I admire you! With Your Highness leading from the front, your army must be a ferocious force! In that case—do you dare to leave the city and form your ranks to fight my army head-on?!"

Oh……

Do you think I'm stupid, or do you think I'm dumb?

Lin Tian curled his lips into a sneer: "Fight? Of course we'll fight."

The voice was clear and resonant, penetrating the battlefield and reaching Kublai Khan's ears.

Kublai Khan was secretly pleased. He was indeed a young man, full of vigor and unable to withstand provocation!

The Song Dynasty army?

Let alone 800,000, even a million strong army, he would still devour them without hesitation!

Just as he was about to press further, Lin Tian interrupted, "Our Great Song Dynasty is a land of etiquette. Before we start the war, we will first present the Great Khan with a generous gift."

A generous gift?

Kublai Khan frowned, instinctively sensing a hint of danger.

In the next instant, five hundred blood-soaked Mongol heads rolled down from the city wall, crashing onto the battlefield and sending up a stench.

Those familiar faces were all the assassins he had sent out!

"Thank you for your kindness, Your Highness, but I..." He suppressed his shock and tried to smooth things over.

"Shut up!" Lin Tian interrupted directly, his voice sharp as a knife. "I've been preparing this gift for a full six months. If the Khan doesn't accept it, wouldn't that be incredibly disrespectful?"

He stood atop the city wall, his gaze sharp as a blade, coldly sweeping over the Mongol army as if he were looking at a herd of livestock awaiting slaughter.

Kublai Khan felt a chill run down his spine.

Six months?! He had been planning this all along?!

"Order—all troops to stand ready! Push all catapults and siege engines forward! Hurry! Hurry!!" he roared hoarsely, his voice trembling slightly.

"On guard?" Lin Tian chuckled, his tone full of sarcasm.

Meng Gong stood aside, his face full of confusion. What was the Crown Prince planning? He had heard Lin Tian say that he wanted to reduce the Mongol army of 500,000 to 300,000. Even more bizarrely, there were rumors that the Crown Prince possessed the ability to summon wind and rain.

Emperor Lizong and all the officials in Lin'an witnessed it with their own eyes; it is by no means an exaggeration.

Could it be... that the magic will be used again today?

The thought made Meng Gong's heart race, his breathing quicken, and an uncontrollable excitement ignite in his eyes.

Lin Tian slowly raised his hand and pointed to the sky.

In an instant—

"Boom!!!"

A thunderbolt ripped through the sky, exploding across heaven and earth!

The horses in the Mongol army were startled, neighing and running wildly. Even the most skilled horse trainers took a while to regain their footing.

Kublai Khan's heart pounded, and he abruptly looked up.

The sky was clear and blue, without a single cloud. Where did the thunder come from?

This is definitely not a celestial phenomenon!

It was Lin Tian who did this!

But how did he do it? And what was his intention? Could a mere clap of thunder possibly scare away my 500,000 iron cavalry?

He didn't believe it.

But a sense of unease crept into my heart like a venomous snake.

Xiangyang has a rugged terrain, bordered by the Han River to the north and Bian Mountain to the south. The mountain is not high, but it is steep and treacherous, stretching for two to three kilometers.

This terrain is the perfect chessboard for Lin Tian to set up his killing trap.

He knew very well that when it came to troop deployment, ten of him couldn't compare to one Meng Gong.

But what he possesses is a mindset that transcends this era.

But how can we pull off a stunning comeback and use some futuristic methods to decide the outcome in one fell swoop? In this regard, Meng Gong couldn't catch up with Lin Tian's intellect even if he broke his legs.

Gunpowder has been recorded since the Spring and Autumn Period, but over a thousand years later, through countless dynasties, it was never used as a proper weapon. Ironically, when it reached Europe, it ushered in a new era.

Lin Tian couldn't help but roll his eyes whenever he thought of this.

As a time traveler, he knew better than anyone how outrageous the destructive power of gunpowder was. Since founding the Heaven and Earth Pavilion, he had gathered a group of seasoned alchemists—not to make elixirs of immortality, but to conduct scientific research, specializing in gunpowder formulation. After more than two years, they had truly made a name for themselves, increasing the power of black powder several times over.

Today's battle in Xiangyang is the day to see the results.

Blast the mountain!

That's right, blast the mountain!

Lin Tian is capable of doing things that normal people wouldn't even dare to dream of. Only a time traveler like him, whose mind is filled with futuristic technology, would dare to do something so crazy.