Chapter 565 — The Netherworld's Soul-Seizing Envoy
The Herdsman of the Wasteland · Page 3 of 4
Shen Mu looked into the distance and saw that the Tai Emperor's army, taking advantage of the Jingping army's breaking of the formation, was striking from both flanks at the demon reinforcements hurrying to aid their comrades, like two fists driving hard into the enemy's tender spots.
And close at hand, on tower ship after tower ship, young generals led their formations in battle; cannon fire plowed the ground from the air, the divine-ability users aboard drove their sword pellets and powers down in bombardment, while behind them strongmen cleared the way and the army of strange beasts and the foot soldiers slaughtered the demons.
"The generals on the other ships are all disciples of Jingping the Imperial Preceptor too!"
Ling Yuxiu looked around and said to Shen Mu: "Jingping the Imperial Preceptor's disciples usually hold nominal posts in the Directorate of Education at Jiangling Academy and often go there to lecture; most of them are masters of the battlefield. There are acquaintances over there too — fellow disciples from the Grand Academy!"
Shen Mu gazed into the distance and spotted Wei Yong, Shen Wanyun, and others, and hastily waved. But those few were wholly absorbed in driving their essence weapons down in bombardment and did not see him.
After a while, the tower ships scattered the enemy formation, blasting the demon army below into fragments, and the beast battle formations behind rolled over them; the slaughter was savage.
Shen Feiyue ordered the tower ships to halt their advance and cease fire, using essence weapons to strike the enemies fleeing in all directions below and steadying their position. He explained to Shen Mu: "The reason our Jingping army serves as the vanguard this time is mainly that Taihuang Heaven's divine-ability users are too poor in the arts of calculation, and their battle formations are rather mediocre as well. Jingping the Imperial Preceptor felt their formations lacked striking power, so he had our Jingping army break the enemy formation at the front."
Shen Mu praised him: "Jingping the Imperial Preceptor is a man of great talent. Taihuang Heaven's arts of calculation are indeed somewhat lacking."
Sang Hua flushed red and bowed her head in silence.
"Taihuang Heaven's arts of calculation may be very poor, but their divine abilities are very strong, and in the way of cultivation they surpass us of Jingping. We can only rely on battle formations to charge; for the close-quarters killing that follows, we must still rely on Taihuang Heaven's divine-ability users."
Shen Feiyue drove his sword pellets, striking down at the demons from his commanding height, and said with feeling: "I had thought myself no ordinary figure at the Heaven-Human realm, but meeting these divine-ability users of Taihuang Heaven has truly opened my eyes. With my cultivation and strength, I would not even rank in Taihuang Heaven! In this charge against the enemy formation, Jingping the Imperial Preceptor gave the order that no one was to leave the ships to fight, precisely because our officers and soldiers, at equal realms, are simply no match for the demons."
The battle lasted a long time; they fought until the sun in the sky was extinguished, and only then did both sides sound the gongs and withdraw.
Sang Hua asked doubtfully: "We clearly won the battle, so why must we withdraw too? Why can't we press our advantage in one sustained effort and, while the enemy flees in defeat, drive into Lin City?"
Ling Yuxiu said: "Our forces are insufficient; driving into Lin City would only divide our strength and give the demons the chance to destroy us piecemeal. Jingping the Imperial Preceptor withdraws as soon as he wins; his method is that of the silkworm nibbling the leaf — right here on this battlefield, endlessly nibbling away at the demons' living strength, until their living strength is entirely strangled here. Then the demons will surely never amount to anything!"