Chapter 707: Night Attack |
Tong Mo extended a hand, inviting her to sit, then took his own seat at the tea table. He sighed, saying, "Indeed, there's little left to be done in this position. That's why I asked Lady Yang to come. I am an old man..."
Yang Bao Ru raised a hand, cutting him off, and said in a melodious voice, "Minister Tong, I already understand everything. Your steward has explained it all clearly. It's not that I, Yang Bao Ru, lack respect for you, but simply that I cannot influence a war between two kingdoms."
Tong Mo hastily said, "Lady Yang, there's no need to belittle your own importance. Lady Yang's magical power is boundless..."
Yang Bao Ru interrupted him again, "Minister Tong, you shouldn't put me in such a difficult position. The cultivators of the Song Kingdom's three great sects are as numerous as clouds. I wouldn't dare provoke them. If I were to become entangled in these matters, the three sects of the Song Kingdom would not let me off. They would pursue me until I was beaten to death. Wars between kingdoms are a common phenomenon. Today's enemies are tomorrow's allies. And this changes as quickly as flipping through a book." She finally pointed to a book lying on the table. "Minister Tong, I truly feel awkward interfering in your affairs. I genuinely wouldn't dare offend the three sects of the Song Kingdom. However, since Minister Tong has brought it up, if the defenses fall, there's one thing I can guarantee. That is the Minister's safety."
Tong Mo had hoped to leverage her strength to break through the Song Kingdom's army's assault, thereby preserving his own power and influence and saving the capital.
However, he realized he couldn't persuade her, much less compel her. Still, having a powerful cultivator who could at least save his life was better than having none at all.
As soon as darkness fell, the Song Kingdom's army launched another assault on the capital.
A series of impacts resonated. Amidst the attacking ranks, a silhouette shot into the sky, unleashing a dazzling, astonishing beam of light. A common person wouldn't have been able to discern what it was, but cultivators could perceive the striking figure.
From the city, another human silhouette also soared skyward, from which, too, emanated an astonishing beam.
Powerful cultivators immediately understood that the Song Kingdom cultivator had unleashed a Celestial Sword Seal; its might truly could be enough to breach the capital's thick walls. This cultivator intended to clear a path for the Song Kingdom's army.
Only, from the city, a cultivator also unleashed a Celestial Sword Seal, aiming it at the Song Kingdom cultivator. The Song Kingdom cultivator was startled and swiftly redirected his sword to defend himself.
Bang! A thunderous roar resonated through the air. So thought the common folk. But cultivators understood that two enormous swords had clashed. From their collision, brilliant flashes of light scattered in every direction.
Bang, bang, bang...
It wasn't just one sword. Cultivators from the Song Kingdom and the Yan Kingdom successively unleashed a total of 12 Celestial Sword Seals.
Sounds of thunder reverberated in the sky. From the collisions, powerful waves shook both the soldiers atop the wall and those gathered beneath it...
At the Minister of Public Works' residence, a silhouette darted out of the courtyard and soared skyward. This figure gracefully hovered in the air, gazing with beautiful eyes towards the shimmering light of the sword seals. It was Yang Bao Ru.
"The two kingdoms are truly fighting now. To think they've even deployed Celestial Sword Seals!" she murmured.
Inside the Yan Kingdom's imperial palace, Meng Xuan sat in one of the halls with his eyes closed. He suddenly opened them, gazing towards the eastern side of the city, from where bright flashes were emanating.
An elder from the Spiritual Sword Mountain approached him and whispered, "Head, on the eastern side of the city, Martial Uncle Guan must have begun to act!"
Meng Xuan nodded, "Someone has started using a Celestial Sword Seal; it seems a supreme master cultivator has appeared in the Song Kingdom's army camp!"
The elder standing nearby nodded. A Celestial Sword Seal was an extremely expensive pleasure, and even in large sects like theirs, not everyone could use or possess such seals. When someone deployed a Celestial Sword Seal, one could already infer their high status. "The Song Kingdom's army must have been the first to use a Celestial Sword Seal, and Martial Uncle Guan couldn't just stand by and watch; he decided to respond!"
Meng Xuan nodded slightly, agreeing with him.
The three sects had now prepared everything in case of the capital's fall. Thus, they could afford to use Celestial Sword Seals. That was why Martial Uncle Guan had deployed a Celestial Sword Seal.
Over the eastern part of the city, the noise and thunder finally ceased. However, the wind still blew, and the two cultivators glared at each other, enraged.
A single Celestial Sword Seal was worth over 10 million gold. Yet, here they were, squandering them. Of course, this didn't sit well with them. Even if one had a second Celestial Sword Seal in their pocket, few would willingly use it for trivial reasons. Hence, these two cultivators decided not to squander such resources further.
Was it even worth using such an item against a vast army? Why? And it would be useless anyway!
The next moment, the two cultivators engaged in hand-to-hand combat. The more they fought, the louder the battle grew, yet simultaneously, the higher the cultivators ascended into the sky.
Outside the city, a group of Song Kingdom cultivators soared through the sky. They were met by Yan Kingdom cultivators who countered their assault. From the cultivators' battle, house roofs in the city were sometimes shattered, and the common people, frightened, fled in tears.
The attacks were no longer as before. Luo Zhao's strength, and that of the cultivators who accompanied him, was clearly greater than that of his vanguard.
Inside the capital, the cultivators defending the city rushed to aid their fighting brethren.
Even more cultivators appeared, their faces concealed, and they too joined the fight against the Song Kingdom's cultivators.
Not every powerful cultivator could refuse Tong Mo, as Yang Bao Ru had. However, such powerful cultivators dared not reveal their origins to the Song Kingdom cultivators. Regardless, Tong Mo had amassed significant power. By exerting pressure on all officials, he forced each of them to leverage their connections in the cultivation world and summon some cultivators for aid.
After all, the Yan Kingdom's capital was one of the seven capitals! Its potential could not be underestimated!
Outside the city, forces from the Song Kingdom began to advance from all sides. At once, a cacophony of noise and clamor erupted anew!
Shang Chao Zong could only observe everything from afar. It was dark, and not knowing what was happening in the enemy's rear, he dared not launch an attack.
On the wall, Ga Miao Shui threw back his cloak, leading the palace eunuchs as they continued to defend. Thus, a sleepless night passed for the capital's residents.
Tong Mo and other important officials remained by Shang Jian Xiong's side all night. Shang Jian Xiong's eldest son, clad in armor, personally led the defense of the Imperial Palace. The concubines in the harem cautiously listened to the sounds of battle, some already weeping. For if the city fell, no matter what the enemy troops might do to them, the emperor himself would likely be the first to kill them.
The Empress paced restlessly within her chambers, unable to sleep. "My Lady, it seems the sounds of fighting have ceased!" a maid reported.
The Empress watched as dawn broke outside, then ordered a maid to go and ascertain everything from the eunuchs.
As the sun's rays began to descend upon the earth, Luo Zhao called back his soldiers, who had attacked the impregnable walls all night. After all, they were exhausted, and their morale was not high.
The cultivators themselves were weary of fighting each other. Each flew away from their opponent, retreating to their own camp.
Piles of corpses lay accumulated on the city wall. From these heaps, smoke was already rising, spreading the acrid smell of burning and stench throughout the entire capital.
In torn clothes, with disheveled hair, and covered in blood, Ga Miao Shui sheathed his flexible sword. Then, leaning on a halberd, he watched the retreating enemy troops, the murderous intent in his eyes slowly fading.
He himself didn't know how many people he had killed that night. He hadn't discerned whether the person before him was a cultivator or not. Only that if they were an enemy, he had attacked without hesitation.
Behind him stood a crowd of palace eunuchs, who also looked utterly exhausted.
"By order of the palace, the chief steward has commanded us to bring you sweets personally prepared by the ladies of the harem," said a eunuch in clean clothes, who was carefully navigating around the piles of corpses. Behind him, other eunuchs followed, carrying boxes.
Upon seeing the piles of corpses, those eunuchs almost began to retch. Thus, they immediately averted their gaze.
Ga Miao Shui turned his head and said gravely, "How can a servant presume to enjoy the masters' preparations?"
Seeing Ga Miao Shui's state, that eunuch immediately fell to his knees, his eyes red as he began to sob. He knew Ga Miao Shui cherished cleanliness above all, yet here he was, entirely covered in blood and grime. After weeping for a moment, he managed, "The chief steward said it was the Empress's wish! The palace's brave ones fought valiantly against the external enemy. They protected our masters from tragedy."
Tian Yu was Ga Miao Shui's teacher, so the latter simply remained silent. That palace eunuch immediately waved his hand, and another eunuch presented a box of sweets with both hands, kneeling before Ga Miao Shui.
Ga Miao Shui extended a bloody hand and took a pastry from the box. Just as he was about to put it in his mouth, he suddenly looked aside. He saw many soldiers watching him, all of them having recognized the box from the palace. He slowly and gravely said, "Distribute all these sweets to everyone. Let them taste. Tell them it's the ladies' grace."
He had personally slain enemies alongside the soldiers, and only then did he truly realize how brutal battle could be, and how vital the help of his compatriots was...
"There are only 200,000 guards in the entire city. If they're spread thin across four sides, how many will be left? Why can't my three million soldiers break through the siege? Why is it taking so long?" Luo Zhao reprimanded the officer in charge of the assault on the eastern gate.
The commander understood that an account was being demanded from him. Thus, he called over a junior commander to answer.
The junior commander was covered in blood. Clasping his hands, he reported, "Dudu, where did you get the idea of only 200,000 guards? I believe there are no less than a million there. On the wall, there are soldiers clad in splendid robes, and each of them seems capable of felling ten ordinary soldiers. I risked my life to scale the wall. And what I saw was many common folk aiding the troops. After I killed one soldier, the common people swarmed me and threw me back down. Fortunately, our men caught me below. Otherwise, I would have been dead."
Luo Zhao raised his head, looking at the towering walls of the Yan Kingdom's capital. He realized that the capital was resolutely prepared to defend the city, and breaking through its defenses would not be easy...