’It’s a good thing I wasn’t greedy. Otherwise, I’m afraid even I couldn’t have withstood a combined offensive like that.’

Watching the grand army charge, Fang Xing’s heart tightened.

Fighting against an army and fighting a duel were two entirely different things.

The might of a united army was immense.

Before the might of a ten-thousand-strong army, a lone Neutralizing Force Martial Artist stood no chance.

The power of the army’s formation was akin to borrowing the Momentum of Heaven and Earth. Once it was established, any Neutralizing Force Martial Artist trapped within would be annihilated.

In a direct confrontation, even if one didn’t die, they would be severely wounded.

When facing a ten-thousand-man military formation, one was not fighting a single person, but the combined might of ten thousand.

The defensive aura enveloping the soldiers was far beyond what the Power of a Neutralizing Force Martial Artist could penetrate.

Once caught within, it would be difficult to escape even with his Lightweight Skill. The army’s might not only enhanced defense and combat strength, but also had the ability to immobilize its targets.

This alone offered a glimpse into the chasm between the True Qi Realm and the Neutralizing Force realm.

He might be able to kill a Neutralizing Force Martial Artist with a mere wave of his hand.

But if he were to face someone in the True Qi Realm, even just holding his ground would be incredibly difficult.

And this was without a True Qi Realm master commanding the army.

If there were, the might of the ten-thousand-strong army would be even more terrifying—unbreakable to anyone below the True Qi Realm. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

True Qi was derived from absorbing the Heaven and Earth Qi; its core concept was "Truth" itself!

The Power of a Neutralizing Force Martial Artist was illusory, a transition from the ethereal to the real.

It was no exaggeration to say that a True Qi Realm master could slap a Neutralizing Force Martial Artist to death with one hand.

The same held true even for someone at the Peak of Neutralizing Force.

It was an ascension from mortal to saint!

...

The White Lotus Army’s assault was exceptionally fierce.

The City Defense Army was paying a heavy price.

Despite their thorough preparations, the effect of the ten-thousand-strong army’s might was simply too overwhelming. The White Lotus Army suffered casualties, but they were few in comparison.

The defenders couldn’t let up for a moment; they had to maintain a continuous barrage.

Otherwise, if the attackers got close, the city walls would be breached in an instant under the pressure of their unified might.

The din of slaughter shook the heavens as an unseen Evil Qi roiled the clouds.

The White Lotus Army charged relentlessly like a pack of rabid dogs, closing the distance with every second.

Zhang Chen and the others had grim expressions.

Xu Qingshan’s command was flawless, but it couldn’t stem such a ferocious tide.

"If this continues, the city gates will likely be breached..." Lin Zheng said, his face grim and his fists clenched tight.

"We have to break through from the flank and shatter their formation. Once the army’s unified might is gone, we’ll be able to hold them off."

Patriarch Ning spoke up.

Hearing this, the others fell silent.

Attacking the army’s flank was an extremely dangerous proposition.

Even for a Peak Neutralizing Force Martial Artist, ordinary attacks would be largely ineffective.

The unified might of the army would simply disperse the force of the blow.

It could deflect ninety percent of an attack’s power.

Furthermore, the drain on one’s Power would be immense—an expenditure that most at the Peak of Neutralizing Force could not sustain.

"To break them from the flank, we should wait for them to expend some of their strength first. Let’s wait a little longer," Fang Xing suddenly said.

At his words, all eyes turned to him.

"Lord Fang, what plan do you have?" Patriarch Sun asked.

"I’ll give it a shot in a little while. If it doesn’t work, our only choice will be to commit everything to a static defense," Fang Xing said, his eyes fixed on the attacking White Lotus Army.

!!!

A jolt went through everyone who heard him.

Zhang Chen looked at Fang Xing, his expression grave, but he said nothing.

Against an assault of this magnitude, holding the city was difficult, even with all their prepared supplies.

The initial charge was always the most ferocious.

Survive the first wave, and the battle was half-won. Fail, and the city would fall and its people perish.

"Lord Fang, if Qingshan survives this, we will follow your commands in the future. We will go through fire and water and never hesitate!"

Patriarch Ning stared at him, his expression utterly serious.

The Sun and Wang Families quickly followed suit, making the same promise.

The Juyi Gang and the White Dragon Association chimed in with their agreement as well.

Fang Xing glanced at the five leaders, his expression calm. "You are all too kind. I am merely contributing what I can."

Meanwhile, Lin Zheng and Zhang Chen did not interject.

Against an assault like this, even a flanking maneuver was incredibly dangerous.

Once he was off the city wall, he would very likely be torn to shreds by the army.

But as things stood, there was no other way.

If they simply held their ground, the chance of failure was still far too high.

"Your safety comes first. If it’s not working, just fall back," Zhang Chen said after a moment of silence, patting him on the shoulder.

Fang Xing nodded slightly, his gaze fixed on the battle as he gathered the Power within his body.

’I’ll give it a try. If I can’t beat them, I’ll run.’

’The worst that can happen is I get a little injured.’

’With his Martial Arts Mastery in the Wind God Step, he was confident he could protect himself.’

’He’d already harvested over seven thousand Enhancement Points this night, which was a considerable sum.’

’But he wanted to go even further.’

’He needed to accumulate more Enhancement Points. After all, to cross the Dragon Gate into the Extraordinary realm, ordinary accumulation was nowhere near enough.’

’The difficulty of crossing this Dragon Gate was clear from the fact that none of the Five Great Forces had managed to take that step in all these years.’

’Now that an opportunity had presented itself, he naturally had to try and seize it.’

’If it doesn’t work, I’ll just retreat.’

’That would be a perfect explanation to offer both his superiors and his subordinates.’

...

Half an hour later, the White Lotus Army’s assault had slowed somewhat.

The might of their formation had weakened considerably.

Activating the army’s unified might also took a toll on the soldiers.

This toll was reflected in their Essence, Qi, and Spirit.

Though the assault had weakened, the City Defense Army had paid a heavy price as well.

Their losses had already surpassed one or two hundred soldiers.

And this was while defending from the high ground of the city walls. In a frontal engagement, never mind one or two hundred casualties—even one or two thousand would have likely been wiped out completely.

The assault may have slowed, but Qingshan County’s defensive supplies had also dwindled significantly.

Their stores of kerosene and Black Gunpowder were nearly exhausted.

They were relying solely on crossbow bolts for defense.

But as long as they couldn’t break the army’s unified might, the bolts had limited effect.

"It’s about time," Fang Xing said, narrowing his eyes. He then looked to Zhang Chen and the others. "My lords, I’ll leave the rest to you."

Zhang Chen and the others nodded. Then, with a flicker of movement, Fang Xing vanished from their sight.

"That Lightweight Skill... How in the world did he achieve that level of Cultivation?!"

The sight left them all stunned.

Such mastery of a Lightweight Skill looked like the culmination of decades of arduous practice.

Even the five magnates felt their own skills were lacking in comparison.

SWOOSH—!

Leaping off the city wall, Fang Xing didn’t break stride, moving at his top speed toward the rear of the great army.

Although the army’s unified might had weakened, a frontal assault would still be suicidal—purely courting death!

His targets weren’t the common soldiers.

Only by killing a Commander or one of their Generals could he reap Enhancement Points.

SWISH—!

His figure was like the wind; in the blink of an eye, he arrived at the rear of the army.

"You dare to come alone? You’re courting death!"

The army’s Generals naturally noticed him. Instantly, several of them, empowered by the might of the army, unleashed their Martial Arts and charged out to kill him.

Even while moving at high speed, Fang Xing felt an immense pressure from the combined attack the Generals unleashed.

It wasn’t just their own power, but it was fused with the might of the army.

HUMMM!!!

A faint blue light bloomed as the Power within his body surged. Fang Xing violently threw up a hand, instantly unleashing the Red Fire Divine Palm.

This time, he held nothing back.

His Power manifested as a blue Flame Palm Seal, one that had nearly reached the state of Condensing Truth.

BOOM!!!

A powerful shockwave erupted from the point of impact.

Fang Xing was thrown back four or five zhang. He circulated his Power and quickly suppressed the roiling qi and blood in his chest.

"Pfft..."

On the other side, however, the four Generals’ combined attack was torn asunder. The Power of the Red Flame Divine Palm ripped through their defenses and slammed into their bodies. All four spat out a mouthful of blood in unison, the light in their eyes dimming considerably.

"Damn it, is he really only at the Neutralizing Force realm?!"

The four White Lotus Generals were horrified.

’Their combined attack, fused with the might of the army, had been shattered, and they were the ones who were wounded.’

’Without the army’s might empowering them, that single blow would have taken half their lives.’

"Ugh..."

Before they could even begin to regulate their breathing, a sudden, searing pain erupted within their bodies.

They tried to suppress it with their own Power, but they still couldn’t stop the burning from that blue Power.

It was like a blue flame, relentlessly burning away their own Power. If they couldn’t suppress it, it felt like it would burn right through their internal organs.

The faces of the four White Lotus Generals changed drastically.

’Damn it, what kind of perverse Martial Arts is this?!’