Qi Jinshan was seriously preparing for the defense.

Originally, Du Chengfeng thought that Qi Jinshan was just talking and wouldn’t know what to do when it came to actual implementation—but who would have thought that even this pig-headed Qi Jinshan had some genuine skills. In less than two days, the defense of Yanzhou City had been organized, and the soldiers had fetched armor from the armory, lying in wait, ready at any moment to fight a life-or-death battle with those from the grasslands.

Just by observing his ability to manage and command, Qi Jinshan did indeed have some capability.

But it’s only fair to say he had some capability.

If it was a security battle against bandits or marauders, Qi Jinshan’s craftsmanship would naturally suffice; he could even be considered an expert. A commander with good action and command capabilities, coupled with well-trained soldiers in strict formations, would make most bandits and marauders helpless— even those who have Evil Qi coursing through them, making them far physically superior, would likely perish in the siege.

However, this logic didn’t hold up against those who had iron wills and could truly control the Evil Qi.

After these days, Du Chengfeng had come to understand the power levels of this world, and he categorized them into several tiers—the most common would naturally be ordinary people; regardless of stature or strength, as long as they haven’t encountered Evil Qi and are living normal lives, they’re considered ordinary.

After encountering Evil Qi, ordinary people become extraordinary. This strange power makes them agile and mighty, but these benefits come at a price. Surpassing ordinary humans, they become more bloodthirsty—here, two scenarios arise: one is the Evil Qi enters their mind, rendering them mad, while the other is a strong enough will that stabilizes their mind, allowing them to only enjoy the benefits Evil Qi brings.

While Du Chengfeng thinks the latter is preferable, in a life-or-death fight, it’s unclear who would have the upper hand—after all, losing reason doesn’t mean losing enhanced powers, and these deranged martial madmen are the most likely to fight to the death, meaning in an actual deadly confrontation, they might manage a one-for-one trade-off.

Moreover, from Du Chengfeng’s experience, having a stable mind doesn’t mean reaping the benefits of Evil Qi for free.

When he was in this stage, he constantly endured the urge to kill; mental stability allowed him to keep his sanity, but that was just the start—he had to frequently stabilize his mind and clarify his will to ensure his sanity withstood the continuous assault by killing desires, not letting a single wave shatter him.

But proceeding on this path indeed had its benefits.

What followed is the next stage, the true divide. If gaining insight into why one lives gives one’s reason a foothold under the wash of Evil Qi, then realizing why one kills finally offers these excess Evil Qi an outlet.

And thereafter, these Evil Qi would flow along the weapon; whether they manifest as fiery blades, sword glimmers, or like He Xiqing, blood-colored light slashing through thin air.

Du Chengfeng didn’t quite understand why Evil Qi could do this, but clearly, the attacks formed by Evil Qi release can multiply killing efficiency. Ordinarily, with sheer strength alone, it’s unimaginable to break through army formations or seize their flags. But once accomplished, Evil Qi release...

The impossible becomes reality.

With caution, one could ride horses circling the formation to mow down; going madly could mean a lone charge against a thousand, with each casual swing covering several lengths, defying normal judgement.

The tighter the formation, the easier it is for such experts to sweep through, rendering once invincible formations burdensome.

And those experts with released Evil Qi grow braver and stronger with more killing.

"If the stage of Evil Qi entering the body is like the Three Kingdoms saga, then the stage of Evil Qi release is akin to the Dynasty Warriors."

Du Chengfeng recalled playing classic games and controlling characters dominating the battlefield, unstoppable, easily toppling ten or so with a single stroke.

That wide-range attack style truly felt like the slashing sensation after Evil Qi release.

This was an entirely different battlefield logic, and Qi Jinshan’s approach of security warfare was utterly ineffective. Once the grasslands sent over someone like He Xiqing, the soldiers Qi Jinshan organized would be mowed down like wheat.

Of course, Yanzhou City didn’t lack experts who could stand up.

There was Du Chengfeng himself.

This somewhat overrated him, considering Yanzhou City faced the vanguard army of the Desert North Royal Court—who knew how many fierce generals were among them? Even if he could fly, he couldn’t put out fires everywhere. Truly, if he hurried, he might take down a few wartime generals, but the following Yanzhou soldiers and the whole city would likely be massacred.

What would this battle amount to?

"Might as well start killing myself first, at least I could make myself stronger... huh."

As soon as he spoke, Du Chengfeng slapped his forehead.

Goodness, the enemy hasn’t even arrived, and he’s already thinking of purging Yanzhou City—was that a normal person’s thought?

"I need to calm down and think rationally first."

Thinking this, Du Chengfeng straightforwardly rode towards Yanzhou’s armory.

Perhaps he had fought too much recently, his urge to battle was exceedingly high. Even having passed the stage of Evil Qi entering the body, his mind as steadfast as stone, he still inevitably felt some influence amidst the killing desires. 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

Perhaps the recent bouts of unusual excitement and hunger were due to this.

It was at such times, Ruan Shantao Old Ruan’s teachings proved invaluable.

Even though it was just a single character deep within the armory, it still served to stabilize Du Chengfeng’s mind—maybe this was the benefit of the righteousness in literature.

Regrettably, he didn’t have time to learn before Old Ruan passed away.

"Sigh..."

With a sigh, Du Chengfeng pushed open the door deep within the armory.

The familiar aroma of wine wafted in, indicating Liu Bolun had been living here these days. To Du Chengfeng’s surprise, aside from Liu Bolun, he saw another person.

Another person who shouldn’t have been there.

It was Qi Jinshan, the commander in chief of Yanzhou’s forces.