Yama Rising

Zhao Seven was also marching within Mu Guiying’s army.

The western outer walls was one of the most heavily guarded locations, and it was also the location where the highest concentration of Hell’s elites were deployed. Naturally, he was one of those who had been deployed among them all.

He swung his saber mightily, instantly decimating the enemy Yin soldiers that stood in front of them. There was even the urge to toss his head up into the air and sigh softly to himself - That’s the feeling. The feeling of cutting down my enemies is truly where the heart of a soldier lies.

It didn’t matter that he was already dead. The sheer thought of paving a way for Hell’s future caused his blood to boil, and he drew out every ounce of strength from within his body to act as the ferocious blade of Hell that would cut down everything in his path.

Shk! Shk! Shk! The Black Armored Troops paved the way for the march of Hell’s forces. Qufu’s Yin soldiers were inept in military literacy, and the limitations of space prevented them from utilizing their numbers to their greatest advantage. Naturally, Hell’s forces completely ran them down without a single casualty in no more than half an hour!

However, not a single commander among Hell’s forces revealed the slightest trace of joy in their expressions.

They knew that this was by no means the true strength of Qufu’s forces!

After all, how could a giant city protecting the Mythic Palace of Reflections and millions of Yin spirits only contain defenses of such dismal standards? They wouldn’t even be able to stand against a single monarch Yin beast at this rate.

Thus, they all knew better that the current calm was naturally one that preceded the storm. These Yin spirits were undoubtedly the lowest tier of Yin soldiers, and Qufu was simply using them as fodder to buy time to prepare the rest of their forces. Then, only when the rest of the army arrived, would it be the time for the final showdown.

The Black Armored Troops were like chisels that ruthlessly chipped away at the walls crumbling defenses. Unfortunately, the city walls extended for a distance of well over twenty kilometers. The thousand meters that they had advanced was nothing more than the beginning of their march.

After all, the only way down from the city walls were through a series of steps that only existed at the battlement at the end of the road.

It was only by breaching the battlement and entering the city that they would finally be able to take this battle to the next level.

“Onwards!!” Zhao Seven knew full well that this was only the beginning, yet the more they killed, the easier it seemed to become. A troubling atmosphere loomed over their heads, while a murderous intent spread swept across the troops from all directions, palpable and real.

One could only imagine the number of traps and obstacles that were still laying in wait for them on the long road ahead.

They swung their blades like indomitable dragons. Then, as soon as the very last Qufu Yin spirit was slain, and before they could even catch their breath, they heard the sound of countless bowstrings being released at the very same time.

“Release!!” With a furious command, a volley of arrows were instantly released through the air like a swarm of flying locusts, and it soon pelted down like a dense shower of meteorites! Meanwhile, a pure white light glistened from father ahead. Zhao Seven swung his blade to block the arrows, yet his eyes immediately flickered in horror.

The arrows… have become far heavier than before. They’re nothing like the arrows that regular Yin soldiers can fire.

Pshk! That moment of distraction was costly. Another arrow plunged straight into his shoulder, where the gaps of his armor lay. He stumbled back with a baffled grunt, while the shield wall behind him soon filled the gap that had opened up in their formation ahead.

They could tell that another army had lined up neatly in front of their very eyes. There was likewise a shield wall protecting the front of the formation, while a multitude of archers remained hidden at the very back, firing volley after volley of arrows. However, the one thing that caused his heart to sink slightly was the fact that… the enemy Yin soldiers appeared to have pieces of talisman attached to their feet. In turn, these talismans were glowing brightly, revealing a soft glow of the figure of a phoenix to appear at the bottom of the entire formation!

This was the Soaring Phoenix Formation!

These were undoubtedly the main army of the Shanhai Pass!

Ding, ding, ding! The volley of arrows meant that they were unable to advance another step further. Mu Guiying didn’t charge ahead either. After all, such a terrifying rain of arrows was difficult to resist, even for an Infernal Judge. So how much more difficult would it be for a Hellguard like her?

It’s finally here… This is the moment when both sides clash with the true might of their blades… She carefully surveyed her opponent’s military formation. Truth be told, she hadn’t expected the arrival of the main army this swiftly and suddenly.

While they were busy killing the frontline forces defending the city walls, Qufu’s main forces had already been busying themselves to receive the approach of Hell’s forces. Quiet as a river, they established their formation and laid the trap in wait for Hell’s forces to finish off their own foder.

Admittedly, Qufu’s grasp of military affairs was nothing when compared with Yang Jiye’s army. However… the numbers advantage still weighed heavily in their favour. Furthermore, they even had the homeground advantage! To this end, Hell’s forces could all tell that they were easily outnumbered by at least ten thousand Yin soldiers!

Shk! One of the shield-bearers nearby was struck by an arrow that plunged straight through the gap in his armor, and he immediately turned into a wisp of netherflame that quickly faded away. Mu Guiying clenched her fists tightly - This can’t go on!

I’m not sure how the situation is like at the other city walls now. I’ve rushed into battle first because I’m hoping to clear the path to be able to render aid to my other sisters. But even if I’m the last man standing… I hopefully still be able to lighten the burden of Qin Ye’s forces later on.

There was a price to pay for every war fought.

Ding, ding, ding… A blizzard of arrows continued to pelt down onto Hell’s soldiers, and it was incredibly difficult to even advance another step further. Mu Guiying drew a deep breath, and then suddenly whistled loudly.

Fweeeee! The crisp sound of the whistle was lost in the raging rain of arrows. But as soon as it sounded, the spell array in the sky that had already faded away… suddenly came back to life with renewed vigor!

“Reinforcements?” Mr Li had already arrived at the head of the Mohist Mechanical Beast by now, and he was incredibly astonished to see the spell array blossoming in the sky once more, “Hurry… HURRY!!!”

“Immediately load up the Yin spirit stones! Activate the Mechanical Beast!”

He was in a massive room.

It was approximately one hundred and fifty meters wide in diameter, and thirty meters tall. This was the inner portion of the head of the Mechanical Beast, and it was further subdivided into three different tiers.

Each tier was filled with Yin spirits wearing black robes with talismans on their foreheads and a white cyclops mask.

Pale, dry hands reached out from underneath the dark robes, moving about quickly as they manipulated the instruments around them. Dozens of seconds later, with a loud bang, the internal machinery finally started moving.

Mr Li sighed in relief as he stared at the screen of Yin energy in front of him.

“Go to hell…”

“It doesn’t matter who you are… This is the Twelve Zodiac Beast, the greatest mechanical creation of the Mohist Clan in all two thousand years of their existence. None can possibly stand against it!”

“All who march against Qufu must die!”

Meanwhile, the sky trembled, and countless wisps of Yin energy began to converge onto the city walls. A split second later, a majestic shockwave of Yin energy erupted from the heart of the convergence and swept through the lands with visible devastation. A savage beast had appeared right in the middle of the battlefield!

Its body was shaped like a rhinoceros, yet it was also covered with chilling bone spines. Terrifying Yin energy poured out of every pore on its body. The head of the beast was somewhat squarish in shape. More accurately speaking, the beast sported a flat four-sided bone crown at its forehead, almost akin to that of a triceratops. Furthermore, there were even countless sharp protruding spines that pointed ahead from the top of its head.

Most of all, everyone could tell in an instant that this was without a doubt a Judge-class Yin beast!

“This is…” A Judge-class aura swept the city walls clean of all dust and debris, almost as though it were restarting things from a completely clean slate. Back on the Mechanical Beast, Mr Li stared in horror at the appearance of the Yin beast with great trembling on his lips.

In that very instant, he finally realized just how determined Hell was to take down Qufu, regardless of the costs involved!

“Isn’t this… the Nine-Eyed Siegebeast? They’re actually mobilizing Yin beasts now?!” Gasping in horror, he turned back sharply and bellowed at the top of his voice, “How much longer before we can activate the Mechanical Beast?!!”

“My lord…” One of the Yin spirits nearby lowered his head softly, “We still need to service it properly…”

Before that Yin spirit could even explain himself, Mr Li drove his hand straight through his skull, reducing that Yin spirit to a cloud of Yin energy that soon dissipated. Mr Li’s voice trembled once more, “Do you not understand the question I’m asking?”

“How much longer before we can activate it?!!”

“Twenty minutes, my lord! Twenty minutes!”

“Very well…” Lord Li felt his throat go parched. Then, as he slowly lowered his trembling hands, he turned to the attendant at his side and barked his next order, “Immediately… Immediately notify Lord Lai and apprise him of our current situation! We cannot delay any longer… We need to take down our opponents while they’re still on the city walls! We cannot risk having them enter the city itself. Qufu is too large. If they take control of our alleys and form strongholds to receive their reinforcements at a later time, then Qufu would truly be in real danger of falling to their hands!”

“Yes!”

……………………………………….

Back on the west outer city walls. The Nine-Eyed Siegebeast slowly opened its eyes. Its body was twenty meters long and eight meters tall when stretched from end to end. It shook his body, and slowly rose to its feet. And then, with an earth-shattering roar, it began its charge straight towards the enemy formation!

The seven Hellguards were standing in the front of Qufu’s military formation. One of the Hellguards sporting a half-meter long tongue and dry and withered skin that appeared no different from that of a jiangshi bellowed at the top of his voice, “Hold your ground!! All who retreat shall be executed without trial! Spear and shield formation, march forward! No matter what happens, we absolutely cannot allow our enemy to breach our formation at all!”

Dong, dong, dong!! The city walls trembled under the weight of the colossal beast’s gallop. The army that stood tall against it was worthy to be called a part of Qufu’s main army. Despite facing the terrifying charge of a Judge-class Yin beast, they were able to deny the fear in their hearts and march forward with their shields and spears still held up high. Not a single one of them retreated in the slightest. The spearmen anchored the base of their spears to the ground with every step that they took, while the arches continued to fire volley after volley of arrows at the Yin beast.

Unfortunately, most of these arrows were now blocked by the charge of the Yin beast. With the weight of the rain of arrows lifted off their shoulders, the forces of Hell soon commenced their march ahead once more.

They weren’t quick, but they never stopped moving.

Although there were still some stray arrows that would slip through Hell’s defenses and take down a Yin soldier from time to time, the gaps in their formation would soon be filled in with the troops around. Thus, within three minutes, Hell’s forces advanced yet another hundred meters or so, such that they were now only fifty meters away from the front of the enemy line!

Incidentally, the Nine-Eyed Siegebeast had also arrived right in front of the enemy forces!

BOOM!!!

There was an earth-shattering bang. The ghostly citizens watching from within the city walls were startled to discover that Qufu’s Yin soldiers were starting to be tossed over the top of the city walls.

However… its charge was soon halted!

ROARRRR… SSS!!! Its entire body was covered with arrows and spears. And yet the Nine-Eyed Siegebeast had of its own strength ploughed straight through the front line of the enemy, and knocked back the entire formation by five full meters. Unfortunately, it wasn’t able to advance even an inch further.

The huge crown on its head was now covered with broken spears. The Yin soldiers below gritted their teeth as they desperately held their ground against the charge of the colossal beast. And this was despite witnessing how the colossal beast had just turned several rows of their comrades-in-arms into a cloud of Yin energy and netherflames.

Sigh… Qufu’s Hellguard commanders heaved a sigh of relief. But, just then--...

A figure suddenly leapt high up into the air.

It was as graceful as a dragon emerging from the waters, or a phoenix ascension into the skies.

Everyone saw how this figure leapt straight into the air, well within the range of the incessant rain of arrows. The figure was slender and dressed in black armor. Yet what was most terrifying about it was the murderous intent that she exuded. Coupled with the exquisite spear in her arms that were imbued with wisps of pitch-black Yin energy, her flourish of moves looked no different from the dance of a menacing black dragon.

Time seemed to freeze in that very moment.

Nobody had expected someone to be bold enough to charge right behind the Nine-Eyed Siegebreaker, much less that a single person would even rush headlong into an army of tens of thousands.

Qufu’s Hellguards could all see the appearance of this terrifying figure.

It was a lady.

She wasn’t incredibly beautiful, but the fresh aura of a warrior lady caused them to be unable to take their eyes off her.

The lady’s hair scattered about wildly like a descending demon. And then… they transformed into two massive crow wings.

They were black crow wings.

Whoosh… The nethergale gently tickled Mu Guiying’s ears. The netherflames in her eyes had completely vanished, giving way to completely pitch-black eyes. And then, she parted her lips and spoke a single statement softly.

“Fengdu’s Flourish, Loathsome Ghosts.”

Boom!!!

The black feathers immediately erupted with a fiery blaze that spread as far as a thousand meters from her body!

Meanwhile, a soft “shk” sound was heard, followed closely by the sound of something tearing through the air.

Something was currently approaching with great ferocity.

Zhao Seven had been keeping a close watch of Mu Guiying all this while.

He knew that the heart of a commander was where their army was. Therefore, while Mu Guiying had been watching her own troops, Zhao Seven noticed what was going on from afar.

Naturally, he noticed the Mechanical Beast firing off a spear that was approximately four-meters long. Tethered to an iron chain, the spear hurtled through the air.

Yet what caused his pupils to narrow even more was the fact that this wasn’t the only spear hurtling through the air right now.

Countless ballistae were perched right atop the Mechanical Beast in the distance. The Mechanical Beast was facing the western walls right now, and the sights of the ballistae were all trained on a single moving target.