A Scroll of Infinite Glory

Chapter 247 Achieving Victory in One Battle

After the battle at Dianbingtai, Liu Hunkang was exhausted. Upon returning to his residence, he asked Chen Xizhen for permission to resign, saying that he would return to Maoshan to recuperate, and that he would probably undergo a physical transformation there.

After comforting him, Chen Xizhen asked him to stay in Quancheng for the time being. His words were extremely earnest, and Liu Hunkang didn't say anything more. He went back to his room to sleep and rest.

Wang Laozhi was staring blankly at the puddle on the reviewing stand when Chen Xizhen came to his side and said, "Master Dongwei is one of the best alchemists in the world today. He must have many miraculous elixirs around him, right?"

Wang Laozhi turned around and said, "The generals and officials in the army all have their own medicines for injuries, which should be enough."

"Not enough! I want them to fully recover, without leaving even the slightest hidden injury or potential problem."

Chen Xizhen said, "After this setback, the Liangshan army has no other options but to retreat and defend Liangshan Marsh to the death."

"No matter what, they still have tens of thousands of troops. If I were to use a large army to sweep through, there would definitely be days of fierce battles. Without the best elixirs to protect me, how can I distinguish between government troops and bandits?"

Wang Laozhi nodded slightly: "I do have many first-class elixirs around me, but I need you to exchange them for the corresponding elixir formulas from the Twenty-Four Chapters of Taiqing of your Longhu Mountain."

Chen Xizhen laughed heartily, as if he had expected it, and directly pulled out a stack of thin pages made of pure gold from his sleeve and handed them over.

The Twenty-Four Elixirs of Taiqing are undoubtedly rare treasures, but even on Longhu Mountain, since the death of Celestial Master Xujing fifteen years ago, no one has been able to refine any of them.

Chen Xizhen didn't feel the slightest bit heartache at exchanging these things for Wang Laozhi's elixir. If Wang Laozhi were to be able to refine the Taiqing Twenty-Four Elixirs in the future, it would actually be a good thing, as Chen Xizhen could use his connections in the imperial court to get a few for himself.

Old Wang took the twenty-four pill formulas, his eyes gleaming with a visible light. He still said, "Zhang Wanxian's forbidden technique has been broken. Even if he doesn't die, he'll definitely be severely injured. I need you to find a way to take him back for me!"

Chen Xizhen's expression turned serious. He said, "Guan Luoyang and Lin Lingsu are still on Liangshan. These two are extremely troublesome. Whether we can capture Zhang Wanxian depends on whether we can overpower them. If Master Dongwei wants to achieve his goal, he must do his best in the great battle to come!"

These two are indeed troublesome, but once the Liangshan army is defeated by the imperial army, the combined might of the 100,000 elite demonic soldiers and the bloodthirsty aura on the battlefield will allow Feng Hui, Guan Sheng, and others to leap to a new level of strength.

As long as Guan Luoyang and Lin Lingsu are stalled in the early stages, once the overall situation is settled, even if they wanted to escape, they would find it difficult to do so.

Wang Laozhi nodded slightly, took out a brocade pouch and handed it to Chen Xizhen, saying, "There are three hundred and twenty pills in this pouch, sealed in a box with vermilion lacquer and wax. They are for the Demon General to heal his hidden injuries and restore his power."

"The pills in the jade bottle can be given to those Daoist officials. In an emergency, they can chew the jade bottle and swallow it directly. It will forcibly combine the vital energy of the five internal organs and stimulate magical power. At the cost of severe damage to the five internal organs, they can double their magical power within ten breaths."

Chen Xizhen was overjoyed. He took the pills and distributed them immediately. This time, he did not treat Guan Sheng and Hu Yanzhuo with any special leniency. He ordered all the generals to reorganize the troops.

As dusk fell, the scouts sent out by Chen Xizhen reported back one after another that all the dangerous roads between Quancheng and Liangshanbo had been scouted and there were no ambushes.

At the Liangshan army camp on the shore, even though it was mealtime, not a single wisp of smoke rose from the chimneys. Kang Jie mustered his courage and personally entered the camp to investigate, only to find it deserted.

All of Liangshan's troops should have retreated to the islands and peaks in the middle of the 800-li (approximately 400 km) marshland.

The following day, Chen Xizhen left 10,000 troops to guard Quancheng, while the remaining 120,000 troops, a mixture of government soldiers and private soldiers, marched to the shore of Liangshan.

Fearing that the Liangshan soldiers might have used some underhanded tactics in their camp, the government troops sent men to burn down the original camp and set up a new one.

Before the camp was even set up, Chen Xizhen led a group of sorcerers through the ruins of the Liangshan camp to the water's edge.

More than a thousand sorcerers cast a spell together, throwing thousands of wooden barrels, each larger than a person, far into the reed marshes.

The wooden barrel broke after being submerged in water, and oil splattered on the surface of the water.

At the heart of the marshland, atop Liangshan Mountain, Guan Luoyang was leading a group of men, observing the situation of the government troops on the shore. Upon seeing this scene, he asked with some confusion, "What is that?"

Lu Da raised his hand to his brow, squinted at it, and said, "It's oil, isn't it?"

Guan Luoyang: "Huh?"

Both the Western Jin Dynasty's "Record of Diverse Things" and "Commentary on the Waterways Classic" record that "spring water comes from the southern mountains of Yanshou County, Jiuquan, Gansu. The water is rich, like meat juice. When taken into a vessel, it is initially yellow and then turns black, like solidified ointment. It burns very brightly and is no different from ointment. The ointment is excellent for water-powered mills. The locals call it stone lacquer."

The Tang Dynasty scholar Duan Chengwu recorded in his book "Miscellaneous Morsels from Youyang" that "the stone grease water in Gaonu County is greasy and floats on the water like lacquer. When collected, it is used to light lamps, which are extremely bright."

During the reign of Emperor Shenzong of the Song Dynasty, Shen Kuo, an official of the time, also mentioned this substance in his book "Dream Pool Essays" and named it "oil". From then on, the people of the Song Dynasty called this substance "oil".

What Chen Xizhen had thrown into the water was indeed oil. After the oil dispersed, one of the sorcerers performed a ritual, holding a yellow talisman in his hand, which ignited a flame and bounced it into the water's surface.

Instantly, a layer of flames spread wildly across the water's surface, igniting all the reeds in its path, billowing black smoke, and creating a raging inferno.

The 800-li (approximately 400 km) stretch of water is covered by reeds, which occupy nearly one-fifth of the entire area.

This is a naturally dangerous spot; even if thousands of small boats were to lie in wait there, no one from the outside could see any flaws.

Once the government troops' large warships entered the depths of the reed marshes, they would find themselves in a maze, encountering many obstacles.

Chen Xizhen had just arrived at this place, but he already knew the terrain of Liangshan Marsh very well from the map and the messages from his scouts. His first move was to destroy the reed marshes.

The fire was growing increasingly fierce, threatening to engulf the entire lake and burn down all the reeds.

Guan Luoyang couldn't help but shake his head: "This is such a waste."

Even so, he did not allow the Liangshan men to interfere with the fire. Instead, he dispatched multiple groups of soldiers to move back and forth among the peaks with flags, creating the appearance of a tense and desperate defense.

Chen Xizhen's gaze pierced through the raging fire, and he saw many flags unfurled on Liangshan Mountain, moving up and down among the peaks and forests, conveying commands. A slight smile appeared on his face.

He did not rush to send troops to attack, but instead let the soldiers rest and recuperate.

The fire in the reed marshes burned until almost nightfall before slowly dying down. Looking around, a thick layer of ash and grime floated on the water's surface, but the reeds that had grown for decades or even centuries, blocking out the sky, were gone.

As night fell, a series of cannon shots suddenly rang out from the shore.

The ammunition for the Dragon King Cannon was almost exhausted during the attack on Quancheng. Even if it wasn't exhausted, firing it here wouldn't hit the Liangshan peaks, but the sound of the cannon could still reach there.

As soon as the cannons roared, the sparse torches on Liangshan Mountain quickly multiplied, and flames flickered among the mountains as countless figures hurriedly prepared for battle.

The cannon fire on the shore quickly ceased, and a full half hour passed without any sign of an attack by government troops.

Most of the torches on Liangshan Mountain gradually went out, leaving only a few small torches burning. They didn't have much in the way of supplies, so they had to use the torches sparingly.

Just then, cannon fire broke out again on the shore, and the soldiers' warships, crushing the filth on the water's surface and pushing through the dark waves, headed towards the marshland.

Liangshan tensed up again, and fires were lit. However, after sailing a distance, the large ships and warships floated there and did not move.

It was another false alarm.

This happened repeatedly. The torches on Liangshan Mountain flickered on and off, but eventually settled at a certain number and remained stationary. No matter how the government troops blew horns, beat drums, and made various noises, the torches did not react much.

The human spirit is sometimes stronger than the body, but often far weaker. It is difficult to maintain a tense and focused state. High tension will deplete their mental energy and make them more prone to fatigue.

After several rounds of turmoil, even without seeing the expressions of the Liangshan soldiers and generals, one could tell from the changes in the firelight that Liangshan was exhausted and weary.

The strategy of exhausting the army has succeeded!

Standing on the deck of the ship, Chen Xizhen gazed at the mountains and said softly, "It's time."

Although his voice was low, his command reached all the sorcerers on the many ships. They all performed a ritual, stirring up smoke on the water to cover the ships, and then a strong wind blew up.

The large sails on the ship were billowing in the wind, and the masts were creaking.

The soldiers on the small boat rowed with all their might, sailing against the wind, waves, and thick fog.

Without horns or drums, the fog gradually thickened, and deep within it, like a silent behemoth, it slowly opened its gaping maw, unfathomable and incredibly swift, approaching the Liangshan peaks.

Before long, the leading warship was only a hundred feet away from the shallows of Liangshan.

The Liangshan navy seemed to only react at this moment. Five hundred small boats surrounded the three large ships and sailed towards the government troops' fleet from the west side of Liangshan.

Many of their boats were just the original vessels used by fishermen, and some were simply rafts. The three large boats were seized from Yan Shude. Although they were called large boats, they were only about fifty feet long from bow to stern.

The twenty large ships that Chen Xizhen commanded, each nearly a hundred feet long from bow to stern, resembled ancient beasts swimming across the water. It was only after the revival of the demonic path that the imperial court possessed the means and resources to forge such ships.

The ship's structure consists of five levels above the deck, with soldiers standing inside the railings of each level. Below the deck, the ship's cabins are divided into three levels, with a draft of three zhang (approximately 10 meters).

On both sides of the ship, rows of cannon muzzles stood dark and sinister.

Compared to the Liangshan navy, even if someone stood on the top of the mast, they would only be slightly higher than the deck of the government ships.

Their ships were like cannons pointing directly at the officers' and soldiers' ships, resembling plump carp about to be devoured by a giant crocodile.

Chen Xizhen, perched on the bow of the ship, looked westward with a slight smile on his lips, as if he could already see the Liangshan navy's ships shattered, corpses flying everywhere, and blood floating in the water.

But no, it didn't.

After the Liangshan navy had entered the range of their cannons, the government troops' large ships did not fire, and a commotion arose from inside the cabins.

Chen Xizhen's smile froze as she frowned and listened intently, trying to discern the noise coming through the ship's deck.

"How did you fall?!"

"Sergeant, Sergeant, wake up!"

"Why aren't they firing...? Why are they unconscious?!"

Soon, he no longer needed to listen to the sounds inside the cabin, because it was all happening on those twenty large ships.

Around the five decks above the main deck, more and more soldiers inexplicably fainted, and like dumplings being dropped into boiling water, they climbed over the railings and fell into the water with a series of splashes.

On another warship, Gou Ying opened his palm and pulled a falling soldier into it, grabbed him by the collar and shook him, angrily saying, "They're under a curse! The curse they were under before couldn't be broken!"

No, that's not all. Originally, only about 10,000 people lost their shadows due to the curse, but now the number of people who have fainted among the government troops is far more than that.

In a flash, a thought crossed Gou Ying's mind: It was Liu Hunkang! The more than 10,000 spirit mediums that Liu Hunkang had asked them to find were now unconscious.

A cold wind swept past Gou Ying.

Fortunately, he was alert and used a teleportation technique to escape more than ten feet away. However, the soldiers around him were not so lucky and were all killed by the wind blade in the blink of an eye.

The person who made the move was a dark-skinned soldier with a face covered in pockmarks. The soldier's sword in his hand was broad-backed and thin-bladed, and a light sweep produced a violent whistling sound.

A crescent-shaped wind blade detached from the blade and flew out, rapidly enlarging and swirling around his body. Not only were the armor and bodies of the surrounding soldiers cut open, but even the ship's railings and sails engraved with many spells were easily torn apart.

"Master Fu Xie, do you still remember Shi Bao's swordsmanship?"

Gou Ying looked over, still shaken.

Then you see the pockmarks and dark skin on the soldier's face cracked and peeled off in pieces, revealing Shi Bao's lion-like nose and wide mouth.

A whistle suddenly rang out, and private soldiers, mixed together, sprang into action and killed people on the various large ships, their blades flashing red as they went in and out.

There were also tiny flying shuttles, as small as pinky fingers, that shot out from the sleeves of these rebellious private soldiers, catching even government soldiers, whose demonic cultivation was more profound than theirs, off guard.

If your heart, lungs, throat, or forehead were pierced by such a flying shuttle hole, you would die instantly.

All twenty military ships were thrown into chaos.

Some officers and soldiers, upon hearing that it was a private army that had rebelled and killed, saw that there were private soldiers from powerful clans who had recently been mixed into their ranks. Without listening to any explanation, they drew their swords and started slashing.

On the large ship at the rear, General Feng Hui, the innate general, commands the troops.

He knew that not all private soldiers were rebels, but the situation had developed to such an extent that there was no room for careful discernment.

"All private soldiers, unless they are rebels, must immediately jump into the water; those who disobey will be executed without mercy!"

The nine-ringed, wind-splashing broadsword swept across Feng Hui's hand, its blade energy spreading out like a pillar, shredding the dozen or so people who were attacking him into fragments.

"Private soldiers, jump into the water, or be killed without mercy!!!"

He took a deep breath, as if he had a large iron ball in his mouth, and roared out waves of sound. The roar reached the other warships, and generals there issued similar orders.

Just then, the nine-ringed broadsword, which had been unstoppable and had slaughtered all in its path, was caught by someone with one hand.

The unassuming, short-bearded soldier gripped the blade, brought it to a stop, then gently spread his fingers and pushed the blade with his palm.

His palm and the blade did not actually touch, but Feng Hui felt the broadsword in his hand suddenly accelerate to an unacceptable degree.

With a whoosh, the broadsword transformed into a streak of crimson light that shot into the night sky.

Feng Hui's arm was pulled violently to the side by the blade. Although the bone was not broken, the skin and flesh of his five fingers and the base of his thumb were rubbed raw by the hilt of the knife, and blood flowed continuously.

"Who are you?"

With a roar, Feng Hui used his palm as a blade and pounced forward. The turbid air and the aura of the generals in the court mixed into a golden and black light that swirled and flowed around him, unleashing an indomitable and fierce blade aura.

The soldier made a feint with his left arm, and blade energy shot out from around him, slicing through hundreds of soldiers. He then pressed his right palm forward, and a spinning fireball was born from his palm, expanding wildly and emitting a high-temperature, distorting sound as it crashed towards Feng Hui.

The wind will vomit blood and retreat.

"The Heart Sutra of the Circulation of the Sun and Moon." Old Wang's voice came through, "So it was you."

The soldier sidestepped Wang Laozhi's palm strike, his disguise shattered, and his clothes flew off, revealing Fang La's true face.

Wang Laozhi sensed that his defeated opponent's skill far surpassed that of the past, and a thought struck him: "It seems that the so-called Heavenly Spirit Light Three Forbidden Techniques is just an excuse."

When the government troops accepted the private soldiers, they carefully checked whether any Liangshan soldiers were mixed in. However, they did not know that Fang La was behind the twenty-eight strongholds of Qingzhou, nor did they know that the elite troops of the twenty-eight strongholds of Qingzhou had been infiltrated among those private soldiers.

Aside from some unorthodox magic, these people's training methods were no different from those of private soldiers of powerful clans. Mixing in with them was like being natural colleagues, a style completely different from that of the Liangshan rebels.

After these elite Qingzhou troops were mixed together, they would secretly use the magic of the Bao Ri Yue lineage to make the shadows of the soldiers around them temporarily disappear when they slept at night.

This spell doesn't cause any real harm; the shadow will return to normal once it gets light the next day.

However, Guan Luoyang persuaded Liu Hunkang that the ceremony held at the military review ground was a charade that kept 20,000 people in the dark, leading them to voluntarily complete the actual procedures of the ritual, which resulted in the current state of a deep coma.

Liu Hunkang did indeed suffer considerable losses, while Zhang Wanxian...

"Eastern Wood, Azure Dragon bestows blessings!"

Amidst the commotion among the officers and soldiers, the Liangshan navy's ships finally approached the officers' and soldiers' large ships.

All the rafts and small boats, including the timber on the three warships, had been covered with yellow talismans.

Just as Zhang Wanxian's voice drifted out, the yellow talisman burst into flames.

The long-dead wood sprouted new branches and vines at a visible speed, extending towards the soldiers' large ships and entwining around the edges of the decks to form bridges adorned with green leaves.

The Liangshan soldiers, dressed in fiery red, climbed the bridge onto the deck and officially entered the battlefield.

Numerous changes occurred almost simultaneously.

Chen Xizhen formed a sword incantation with his hands, his eyes swirling with emotion. He scanned his surroundings, but for a moment he didn't know where to launch his flying sword.

Suddenly! A warm wind howled out from Liangshan, dispersing the damp mist.

Chen Xizhen's Taoist robe was billowing in the wind as he looked up at the top of Liangshan Mountain.

Guan Luoyang had one hand behind his back, and his right palm gently extended out, his five fingers clenched.

The torches all over the mountain roared and reignited, illuminating the spirited Liangshan soldiers with their swords drawn.

Throughout the mountains, the trick of flickering torches was entirely controlled by Guan Luoyang alone.

The Liangshan soldiers were all well-fed and rested. When the bugle sounded, they rushed out of the forest all over the mountains and plains. Taking advantage of the reduced gravity, they ran across the water and charged towards the government troops.

"General Chen, are you having fun?"

Guan Luoyang led his ten thousand troops forward and laughed, "Unfortunately, I still don't like this kind of slow-paced fighting, so you won't have a next chance."

Chen Xizhen remained silent, riding his sword towards the mountaintop. His sword roared, like a dragon, a tiger, or a trapped beast caught in a snare.

But this is no longer the time when one first enters the field.

As the bait is swallowed step by step, and the prey ventures deeper and deeper, the conquerors, who come with arrogance and a thirst for blood, will only realize the impending doom when they reach the end.

—The tide has turned, and the beast that dwells in the mountains is the true beast that devours the heavens.

(End of this chapter)