Chapter 424 Breaking the Formation

Chapter 424 Breaking the Formation

Chapter 424 Breaking the Formation
On the wide and gentle platform halfway up the mountain, the crimson glow of the setting sun shone through the pines and cypresses on both sides of the mountain path onto everyone's faces.

On one side was the iron cavalry of the State of Yu, led by Zhao Duan, who was dressed as a nobleman, a torrent of steel.

On the other side, the disciples of Zixiao Palace, led by a Taoist in white and purple robes, lined up and waited in formation.

The cold winter wind swept across the mountain road, and the atmosphere became increasingly solemn.

"The Zixiao Palace is closed to visitors. If you pilgrims want to go up the mountain, please come back tomorrow." The Taoist holding a whisk said calmly.

Zhao Duan was on his horse and asked with great interest, "Do you know my identity?"

The leading Taoist priest has quite a status in Zixiao Palace, and is the leader of all disciples. He is the "senior brother" personally taught by the "Palace Master" Lu Zhengchun. He has been in Zixiao Taoist Temple for many years and is used to seeing dignitaries.

Over the past few decades, countless important figures have traveled between Binhai and Linfeng, and there has been an endless stream of people coming to burn incense.

Also, due to the natural awe and respect of the secular forces for "practitioners", even kings and nobles are treated with courtesy when they come to the mountain, and very few people rush to the mountain gate for no reason.

The leading Taoist priest did not know the identity of the visitor, but after receiving the news, he followed his master's orders and came to stop them.

He glanced at Zhao Duan and the cavalry behind him and said:
"In the outside world, ordinary status and authority are not important.

This young man may be the son of a general or some other noble family, but you must know that Zixiao Palace was a title bestowed by the late emperor, and the status of the Palace Master of my Taoist temple is transcendent.

The prefect and the governor are very respectful to my palace master. The monks of the three sects of Buddhism, Taoism and Qingshan have discussed with my palace master as fellow Taoists... If you want to go up the mountain, you should explain your purpose and follow the rules. Leave your men and horses at the foot of the mountain, which is in accordance with the rules. "

He spoke with an arrogant look.

Those hundreds of Taoists all looked arrogant, as if "it should be so".

Zhao Duan saw this and couldn't help but sigh. It was obvious that in this Fengcheng area, Lu Zhengchun was used to being a wild immortal.

The other party's undisguised obstruction attitude was also quite abnormal, which made him think of Duke Cao who rejected Beicheng - are these people who monopolize power and dominate a region so arrogant?

Coincidentally, he specializes in treating all kinds of arrogance.

"Haha, I heard that the purple clouds in Zixiao Palace are extremely beautiful at night, and that the purple-robed Taoist is good at practicing flying swords in the alchemy furnace, so I came all the way to see this wonder. Now that it's getting late, go back quickly and ask Lu Zhengchun to prepare a bed for you. I can ignore your little impoliteness in stopping me."

Zhao Duan's tone was condescending, like a man on the throne looking down at ants.

I am increasingly convinced that there is something wrong with this Zixiao Palace.

As soon as the words fell, more than a hundred Taoists showed anger on their faces, and the eldest brother who was in the lead had a cold expression, and snorted with a flick of his sleeves:

"The Taoist temple is closed. Sir, don't you understand? Or do you really want us to escort you down the mountain?"

Zhao Duan was too lazy to talk nonsense with this bastard, and said calmly with narrowed eyes:

"Yuanji, attack the mountain."

"Yes!"

At the back of the team, the deputy general who looked like a mountain of flesh and held a war hammer had learned of the empress's order a few days ago, and he followed Zhao Shaobao's orders.

In the past, he had always disliked the big shot of Zixiao Palace, and today he had a chance to fight him, and he looked excited.

With a wave of his hand, the black cavalry dismounted in an orderly manner and turned to walk, while taking off their spears and shields from the side of the saddle.

Like black water, they passed by a group of masters including Zhao Du'an, Gongshu Tianyuan and some of the accompanying soldiers in brocade clothes. Amid the sound of armor clashing, they held their shields in front of them, forming a black and cold steel shield wall, and protruded sharp spears from the gaps.

Then, this dark mass of humanoid war fortresses attacked forward step by step using the offensive triangle formation on the battlefield, as if they were going to flatten the hill with their troops.

The leading Taoist's expression changed, and he whispered:

"Formation!"

In an instant, hundreds of Taoists who were on high alert stood in a square formation, and each of them made hand gestures and shouted in unison at the same time.

Magical power swirled around his body, and the hilt of the sword in the scabbard on the Taoist's back began to vibrate.

Then, with a series of "swish" sounds, nearly a hundred long swords were unsheathed on their own, as if pulled by an invisible hand, floating above the heads of the group of Taoists, with the tips of the swords pointing directly at the infantry formation.

"Is this the flying sword?" Zhao Duan looked from behind and was quite surprised.

Gongshu Tianyuan showed disdain on his face. Although this fifth disciple of Zhang Tianshi was a craftsman, he was not good at this, but his vision was better than 90% of the Taoist monks in the world. He curled his lips and said:
"What kind of flying sword is this? It's nothing more than a sword-guiding technique.

A true Taoist flying sword is as thin as a cicada's wing, flies without a trace, and is extremely dangerous. It is extremely difficult to refine and control, which is why it is so rare. It is the Taoist's way of distinguishing itself from the inheritance of gods, and it is almost a swordsman's killing move.

In the early years, when the paths of many gods were not yet clear, the earliest Taoists also learned martial arts for self-defense, especially swordsmanship, and gradually developed flying swords...

Every priest in my Tianshi Mansion, no matter which god they specialize in, can also practice sword control...

However, because it is too difficult and not as well-organized as the divine magic, there are fewer people practicing this method nowadays, and only this group of wild Taoists regard it as a treasure. "

After a pause, the fat priest added reluctantly:
“However, the positions of these Taoists are like a sword formation, just like the deployment of troops on a battlefield. Although it is a sword-controlling technique, it is far inferior to the real flying swords, but once this sword formation is opened, it is indeed impressive. Ordinary people in the Divine Chapter Realm will surely die. If a person in the Secular Realm encounters it alone, he must avoid its edge.”

Are they so powerful? No wonder these bullies are so confident and show no fear when facing the officers and soldiers.

Zhao Duan listened and roughly understood that the swords in the hands of the Taoists in front of him were not real flying swords, but ordinary swords that were controlled by magic.

Huh, this makes sense. If these hundred people were all powerful people who could control flying swords, Lu Zhengchun would have founded his own school and competed with Qingshan... Zhao Duan looked like he was watching a show.

At this time, seeing that the soldiers in formation continued to approach without stopping, the leading Taoist priest looked stern and said:
"My fellow disciples, join forces to defeat the enemy!"

"Yes!"

All the Taoists shouted together, with great momentum. The densely packed swords above their heads suddenly whizzed out like a swarm of locusts.

It was like a rainstorm, with raindrops hitting the ground. A strong wind swept across the mountain road, and the pines and cypresses on both sides swayed. Long swords gathered into a sword tornado and slammed into the shield wall of the Dayu infantry.

“Ding-ding-ding-ding-ding-ding!”

In an instant, sparks flew from the joints of the weapons, and the tip of the sword collided with the shield, making a crisp sound of iron clashing.

Along with sparks, long swords were spread out by shields like siege arrows, but they did not fall. Instead, under the control of the Taoist priests in the back, they drew a trajectory in the air and returned to the sword formation to launch a second charge.

"go ahead!"

The infantry soldiers roared, and continued to push the steel wall forward despite the violent attack.

It was a pity that the mountain road was not wide enough, and the elite infantry could not mount their horses to launch the strongest cavalry charge.

In this terrible terrain, they could only transform into infantry and advance forward with their bodies. Their combat power was weakened by 70% to 80%. Zhang Han, who also came from the military, frowned and whispered to Zhao Duan:
"This place is too unfavorable for soldiers. If it were flat ground, they would only need to charge fearlessly and bravely to break through this so-called sword formation, but right now they can barely exert 20% of their 100% strength."

Zhao Duan looked calm and said:
"But it's enough, isn't it?"

Indeed, even though the soldiers' formation could hardly exert its strength, they were able to hold up the locust-like sword formation with their sophisticated shields alone.

"The warriors on the battlefield are different from the monks. The latter have more skills, so they tend to use less protective gear and pursue flexibility and maneuverability. This sword formation is also designed for monks, but when it hits a solid wall, the power of the sword formation is also greatly weakened." The deputy general named Yuanji said calmly.

In front, the Taoists also quickly realized this and their expressions changed slightly.

The invincible sword was knocked away by the iron walls again and again, and everyone seemed to see the dark sea water slowly and steadily coming.

The leading senior brother snorted coldly and said:

"It's just an iron shield. I will break it." As he spoke, he suddenly swept the whisk in his hand forward. In an instant, Zhao Duan only heard a sharp whistle.

He was very familiar with this, because when the Golden Crow Flying Knife flew out, it had such momentum.

At this moment, when the leading Taoist swept his whisk past, a handleless sword blade flew out from nowhere, split into three in the air, turned into a gray afterimage, and hit the shield formation in the blink of an eye.

The unbreakable shield wall was torn apart in an instant. A soldier groaned, flew backwards, and crashed into the person behind him, with the shield in his hand cracking and shattering.

A gap was created in the shield wall, and it showed signs of collapse in an instant. The remaining swords in the air swarmed into the crack, avoiding the soldiers' necks and stabbing their shoulders and ribs. In the blink of an eye, blood spurted out and a row of infantrymen fell down like straw.

"not good……"

Yuanji's eyelids twitched. Once the battle formation was broken, the infantrymen who would not be able to move would face a rout.

Of course, if one is ruthless enough to sacrifice human lives, the formation can be broken, but the damage would be too great.

"Lang Eighteen, Jiyue, go and break the formation."

Zhao Duan spoke calmly.

In an instant, the drunken swordsman and the sorceress who looked like a female ghost in red rushed out.

Lang Shiba tore through the air like a meteorite and crashed into the crack of the shield wall. The scimitar in his hand drew a bright arc in the sunset light.

With a "ding" sound, the flying sword was knocked away. The eldest brother of Zixiao Palace, whose soul was connected to the flying sword, turned pale and his pupils narrowed:
"Western Region Warrior?"

He used the scimitar to try to determine Lang Eighteen's origins.

Ji Yue, dressed in red, with her hair loose and revealing a pair of white pupils without pupils, opened her arms and flew up into the air. Above the mountain path, she bathed in the gradually darkening sky and the fading twilight, and grabbed with her pale index finger.

"Crack, click, click..."

The moisture in the air was madly sucked out and attached to the dozens of long swords in the air.

In an instant, the long sword wrapped in the suddenly appearing water film had its own ideas and stopped in mid-air. No matter how the Taoists controlled it, it could not move.

Ji Yue used his own strength to forcibly restrain hundreds of long swords:

"Move...your hands..."

"Break the formation!" General Yuanji shouted loudly, holding two war hammers, bent his waist and knees, jumped up, and smashed into the sword formation like a meteorite.

With a quick swing of the heavy hammer, several dazed Taoists were hit, causing them to spit blood and fly backwards.

Upon seeing this, the other brave soldiers also dropped their shields and rushed into the sword formation like wolves and tigers, defeating the group of Taoists.

"Attacking an official of the imperial court is considered treason. Yuanji, do you know how to deal with this?"

A light voice came from behind.

In the sword formation, Yuanji, who weighed hundreds of pounds and had a face full of flesh, felt a chill in his heart. He suddenly swept with a hammer, and several corpses fell down around him in an instant.

Seeing their commander doing this, the other soldiers no longer held back. The flashes of swords flashed across the sky, and blood flowers bloomed in the afterglow of the setting sun.

Murder...

The pupils of the leading Taoist suddenly narrowed. Seeing that the situation was not good, his face turned pale. He flicked his whisk, recalled the flying sword back to his sleeve, turned around and was about to leave. As soon as he turned around, a scimitar was pressed against his neck:

"do not move."

The eldest senior brother of Zixiao Palace was considered quite good in the Divine Chapter Realm, but facing Lang Shiba's blade, he dared not move at all.

Especially when Ji Yue appeared in front of him lightly like a ghost, he finally gave up hope completely.

behind.

Haitang and others watched this scene expressionlessly.

If it was just normal arrogance, they would naturally take a step back when facing the intrusion of government troops, but this group of Taoists chose to attack the government soldiers.

This action itself shows that Lu Zhengchun did have big problems, but no one had suspected him before.

Zhao Duan shook the reins lightly, took the lead and stepped over the corpses on the ground, continued to walk towards higher ground, and said indifferently:

"Yuanji, you stay here with your men and deal with the aftermath. The rest of you, follow me up the mountain to meet Lu Zhengchun. There is no room for maneuver here, so there is no need to waste soldiers here."

……

……

The Zixiao Palace Taoist Temple covers a large area and has extraordinary grandeur.

In front of the Taoist temple, there is a huge, towering archway.

Further inside, there are palaces and pavilions.

At this moment, on one of the tallest buildings, Palace Master Lu Zhengchun, who looked to be a middle-aged man in his forties or fifties, was sitting in an exceptionally large chair, wearing a luxurious dark purple Taoist robe and with his hair tied up with a jade hairpin. He looked expressionless as he looked down at the fighting on the platform on the mountainside.

From this viewing angle, you can perfectly see the fight between the two sides below.

At this moment, Lu Zhengchun was holding a disheveled female Taoist priest in his arms. The female Taoist priest was young, beautiful and graceful. Her white hair was exposed under her untied belt and slipped skirt.

Just witnessing the scene of killing below, this pretty Kun Taoist priest turned pale as gold paper, trembling, with cold hands and feet. No matter how Lu Zhengchun moved his big hands, she did not react at all.

On the other side, the plump female Taoist priest who was serving Lu Zhengchun and feeding grapes to the palace master was also stunned.

Not only them, but also a large group of beautiful women ranging in age from their teens to over 30 years old at the back were trembling like quails and stopped singing and dancing out of fear.

"A bunch of trash."

Lu Zhengchun uttered these four words expressionlessly, and it was unclear whether he was referring to the disciples below him or the Kun Daoists around him.

Only the female Taoist priest in his arms suddenly cried out in pain. It was Lu Zhengchun's big hand stuffed in her robe that suddenly exerted force, pinching the white and tender flesh into a large purple bruise.

Lu Zhengchun turned his head and looked at his concubine who was trembling, biting her lips tightly, trying to hold back her cries of pain, with tears welling up in her eyes. He stroked her hair gently with a tender look in his eyes and said:

"Does it hurt? It's okay, it won't hurt soon."

Originally a good family who came to burn incense, she was spotted by Lu Zhengchun, and with a little trickery she was brought into the palace to be used as a furnace. Kun Dao looked pitiful and nodded slightly, her eyes revealing fear and dependence.

However, the next second, her delicate and white neck was easily broken by Lu Zhengchun.

"Zhao Duan... What a great Zhao Duan..."

Lu Zhengchun murmured, anger roaring in his eyes. His figure became blurry, but when he became clear again, he had appeared under the ancient and majestic archway in front of the Taoist temple.

Looking at Zhao Duan who was leading a group of men and walking up the stairs.

Eyes facing each other.

Zhao Duan's mouth curled up slightly: "Lu Zhengchun? I suspect that Zixiao Palace is colluding with the rebels. Come with me."

(End of this chapter)