Chapter 390. Zhuge's Strategy (1)

The Alliance Army of the South began to advance, raising a cloud of dust along with their shouts.

Rumble.

Despite the hilly terrain, their speed showed no signs of slowing down. It was unfortunate that the tea fields were being trampled.

The footsteps of more than seven thousand soldiers shook the earth like an earthquake. With the rising dust came a thunderous noise.

“Waaaaaa!”

Thud! Thud! Thud!

With every step, the ground trembled. Hearts stirred by battle beat in rhythm with the march.

Though the Alliance’s advance appeared unified, the ten thousand troops were not advancing as a single group. They split into three units as they moved. A left guard, a right guard, and a vanguard. The main force followed behind the vanguard.

“Scatter!” Liu Shao shouted. Though he barely raised his voice, it somehow reached the entirety of the Dark Heavens Southern Front Army.

Thud! Thud!

The Dark Heavens Army was like a well-trained military troop.

Since Destructive Soldier, who was from the imperial military, and Blessed Existence, who was a scholar of the imperial palace, were their superiors, they vaguely felt like imperial soldiers.

The seven thousand soldiers were divided into three groups, two thousand each, and the center that stood behind the vanguard was their counterpart to the center of the Alliance Forces.

Their movements were like a whirlwind, and their readiness for battle resembled a great mountain pressing forward.

"...!"

A gasp of surprise came from the center of the Alliance Forces.

"To have that level of coordination in this commotion?!"

Jin Ba’s jaw dropped, his face full of disbelief.

"What kind of command system is this?"

The command system of the Dark Heavens Army was abnormal.

Usually, when someone gave an order, a middle commander like a hundred-man or thousand-man commander would receive it and relay that order to their subordinates.

There wasn't any particular reason for such a system. After all, how else could an order be accurately conveyed to a large army of seven thousand?

It was especially difficult during battle, amid shouting and the noise of marching.

What Liu Shao had just done was something usually only possible during a lull before battle.

After the advance began, commanders usually needed to shout while raising qi, or they would have to give orders to middle commanders using previously coordinated signals such as flags and hand signs. Then, the middle commanders would relay them to their units, and then to the subordinate unit commanders.

More importantly, such orders could only be effectively relayed if the soldiers trusted the commander, or if the one giving the order had a reputation within the

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.

In the case of the former, even if a high-ranking commander gave an order but the troops didn’t know who it was, the message would be ignored.

Since the subordinates wouldn't know if that voice was actually the voice of their commander, they would just carry out any order given to them from someone they knew, based on the assurance of someone they could trust.

That was also why Zhuge Xiuluan had used the expressions of the Evil Faction in her speech.

In the case of the latter, it was a natural response. If the commander didn't have any particular reputation, the subordinates would not only not follow orders, but the commander would be treated like a fool or be ignored.

"...it's a sound art," Zhuge Xiuluan explained to Jin Ba and her staff.

“It’s the Melody Gate’s Great True Sound Art.”

“Ah!”

There were various sound-based martial arts and sound arts.

There were many variations, starting from the subduing Lion Roar to the bewildering Seduction Art.

The Great True Sound Art was closer to a miscellaneous skill than a sound art.

It couldn’t distort the enemy’s qi or apply physical force with sound. Instead, it helped one's allies.

"It's a sound art that allows the user’s voice to be heard clearly across a noisy battlefield, without needing to shout until their throat gives out. Everyone within range can hear the words distinctly."

In other words, it was a sound skill that suited Liu Shao, who was highly intelligent and had great strategic skills.

With this art, orders didn't necessarily need to go through a subordinate commander. One could hear such orders so well that one would develop earwax through regular training.[1]

“Hehe, as expected of the Tactician Phoenix. Even though you're a member of the Righteous Faction, you have memorized a whole multitude of martial arts that even the Evil Faction doesn’t know about."

Jin Ba rubbed his palms together and showed off his flattering skills.

Although he wasn't as good as Li Yicai, his wit and ability to read the room was so great that he was able to suck his way up into becoming the Domination God Monarch’s younger brother.

"This might turn out to be a more difficult battle than we expected." Zhuge Xiuluan muttered, fingers clenching her fan.

The Right Guard of the Alliance Forces.

Two thousand three hundred Righteous Faction members and seven hundred Evil Faction Members under the command of the Vajra, Jingchu Shitai, advanced.

Bang!

"Ugh!"

Jingchu Shitai, the Commander of the Right Guard, took the lead as the troops advanced.

She was known as a merciless nun who spared no enemy she encountered.

Jingchu Shitai, who was so firm that it made one wonder if she truly knew about the Buddha’s compassion, raised her eyebrows and extended a palm.

"Agh!"

"It's the Vajra Samadhi Palm!"

Trained over decades, her palm strike exploded with profound qi. It crushed several Seven Stars Division soldiers in a single blow.

Some vomited blood as their ribs shattered, while others rolled violently across the ground.

"Uggh..."

"What a monstrous bitch!”

With a body that was bigger than that of a bandit or demon, muscles that couldn't be hidden even under bulky robes, and eyes that burned so fiercely people flinched at the sight of her.

She charged like a beast, leaving chaos in her wake. Her hand was like a hammer, not a palm.

"Vajra...!"

From half a mile away, Guan Huqing let out a furious roar.

“So that vicious hand is still the same!”

“I know that too.”

Jingchu Shitai ignored Guan Huqing’s criticism and killed the Seven Stars Division soldiers without batting an eyelid.

“When I was young, there was a sentient being who became a thief because of poverty. That thief repented with tears in his eyes and asked to be spared. So I remembered the mercy of Buddha and spared him," Jingchu Shitai calmly answered, grabbed the Seven Stars Division soldiers by the collar, and lifted them up, breaking their necks.

Crunch!

“The next day, my Junior Sister, who had come to the slums to bring aid, was robbed and killed by that sentient being.”

Thud.

The Seven Stars Division soldiers fell from Jingchu’s hand.

“I’ve been thinking since then. That I have to find the Maras in the form of sentient beings and send them all back to hell.”

"Y-you crazy nun!"

“There is no mercy for the Maras from the hell of the Dark Heavens.”

It wasn’t just Jingchu Shitai who was fierce. The momentum of the Allied Forces’ right guard, made up of Righteous Faction members, was extraordinary.

It may have been because of their anger over losing Hefei, which had long been the heart of the Righteous Faction, but they fought aggressively.

In particular, the battlefield where the Nangong Family was located was fighting was the most intense.

“Ha!”

“Boundless Dragon!”

Nangong Shanxu clenched his teeth and swung his sword without even thinking about wiping the blood splattering on his face.

I... I have to work harder.

Even though he was one of the Five Dragons and Three Phoenixes, it was commonly understood that a future patriarch shouldn't stand at the front of a battlefield. But after the Sword Devil incident, the Nangong Family had been under suspicion throughout the

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.

If the direct descendant stayed behind under someone else’s protection instead of stepping up, it would send the wrong message.

Nangong Shanxu understood this better than anyone, which was why he fought at the front line, swinging his sword where Third and Second Class warriors clashed in chaos.

It wasn’t just the right guard that pushed back the Dark Heavens Army.

The left guard, composed of Evil Faction members, was just as fierce.

“It's poison smoke!”

“Cough, cough!”

“Damn it!”

“Agh! Go away!”

“You crazy bastard, I’m on your side!”

The lead of the left guard was the Four Poisons Gate.

If the Martial Alliance had the Tang Family, the Evil Valley had the Four Poisons Gate.

Although most Evil Faction members enjoyed using poisons, the Four Poisons Gate was the force that actually specialized in it.

While it wasn't as potent as the Tang Family, which the Poison King belonged to, it was still a gate that ranked high in the Evil Faction.

A thick and ominous smoke crawled forward slowly, but then swayed once before becoming a wave.

The sight of the five hundred poisoners standing in a row and blowing poison smoke was like a Mara spreading disaster.

"Third Southern Army, detoxification!" the Present Darkness responded. In the midst of the chaos, everyone could see once again how effective the Great True Sound Art was.

“Swallow it!”

The Third Southern Army, consisting of two thousand men, responded immediately.

They took out a medicine the size of a finger joint from their arms and consumed it.

"Spew!"

As they spat the venomous saliva on the floor, their pale faces regained their original healthy color.

Those who had been poisoned by the poison smoke at the front were late and couldn’t detoxify themselves, but those who were behind them survived safely.

“Tsk!”

The vanguard and Four Poisons Gate Master, Min Xiao clicked his tongue.

He had aimed to kill about five hundred but only managed two hundred.

"Was that Tang Mingren's antidote?"

Avaricious Wolf of the Dark Heavens Association, Tang Mingren.

Until a few years ago, he was someone who wouldn't even catch one's eye, but now, he was different.

“Rumor has it that even the Sword God was poisoned by Tang Mingren. That rumor seems to be true. Regardless of how much I had to lower its power to mass-produce it, to think my poisons are already being detoxified..."

Min Xiao scratched his head, his pride hurt. There wasn’t a single hair left on his head, and his scratching left only raw nail marks.

“Four Poisons Gate, reorganize!”

The left guard’s liaison shouted after seeing the signal from the center.

“Reorganize! We're moving onto hidden weapons, not poison!"

Min Xiao raised his hand above his head and gave an order.

“It’s our turn!”

Miao Family Sword Gate, Miao Zhidan’s eyes flashed.

“Show them the power of the Miao Family Sword Gate!”

“Rah!”

The Miao Family Sword Gate passed through the Four Poisons Gate's formation. The momentum of about a thousand people charging forward was incredible.

“Die!”

“Agh!”

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Squelch!

Squelch!

Amid the screams of pain that made the skin crawl, weapons clashed, metal met flesh.

Bodies were pierced, limbs severed. Some warriors fought to the death, while others cried out for their parents.

"This credit belongs to our Miao Family Sword Gate!”

The left guard also advanced in step with the right guard.

The Alliance Forces spread their wings and flew like soaring falcons. There was nothing blocking their path.

At the sound of the enemy, the wings of the Allied Forces and its sharp beak spread out.

The beak, the wedge formation troops, trampled the enemy.

“Follow the Domination God Monarch!”

"Rah!!!”

The momentum and morale of the twin wings weren't ordinary, but compared to the vanguard units, it was a drop in the bucket.

It was natural since with the vanguard, there was the hero of the Evil Path and one of the Six Empyrean Overlords.

"Kill the Domination God Monarch!”

About a hundred Seven Stars Division soldiers rushed at the Domination God Monarch.

“...”

The Domination God Monarch was just like a mountain.

A moving mountain, at that.

From start to finish, he didn't run away or dodge, but advanced forward with strides befitting a king.

He only had one way to respond when an enemy blocked his path.

Thud, thud.

He just ran lightly in place.

Bang!

After repeating the motion ten times, his body bent like a drawn bow and snapped forward.

Leaving behind only a blurred silhouette, the Domination God Monarch broke through the enemy lines, trampling them.

Rumble!!

“Aaaagh!”

“Damn it!”

The Seven Stars Division soldiers couldn’t even touch a single black hair on the Domination God Monarch. Every time they thought they had a chance, they were struck down before even getting close.

They realized that the Six Empyrean Overlords weren’t the pinnacle of martial artists for nothing. All they could say was that the Overlord was overwhelming.

“Retreat!”

Fortunately, the Present Darkness wasn’t the kind of commander who would stubbornly hold out and then let pride doom his men.

“You dare!”

Miao Zhidan, commander of the left guard, charged forward in pursuit.

“You won’t be able to escape.”

Jingchu Shitai, commander of the right guard, followed close behind.

Something’s not right...

The Boundless Dragon, Nangong Shanxu, narrowed his eyes.

It’s too easy.

1. An idiom meaning that so many orders were made that one's ears filled with wax to numb the sound. ☜