Chapter 192 - 146: Arrow Skill Advancement
Chapter 192: Chapter 146: Arrow Skill Advancement
"What if the Celestial King Stronghold launches a surprise attack?"
"You should know how important this battle is to us."
"I know you want to prove yourself to your master. Especially after what happened two days ago, you’re even more eager for swift revenge."
"But this approach will likely backfire." The speaker was Wu Ming, the Village Chief of Tianya Village, a middle-aged man with a cool and aloof expression.
He sat on a chair inside the command tent, his usually fair cheeks now flushed red with agitation.
Fan Chen, the lord of Ice Mirror Lake, retorted coldly, "Do you think I don’t grasp that simple fact? With an army of half a million strong camped here, do you really think the men of Celestial King Stronghold are fools? That they’d dare charge right into us? Speed is crucial in warfare. My only goal is to break the Celestial King Stronghold as quickly as possible."
"Heh, this is to satisfy your own selfish desires, isn’t it? For the title of City Marquis promised to you by the Eldest Prince. Let me tell you, if the Celestial King Stronghold dared to lead a surprise attack on your Ice Mirror Lake three days ago, they’ll dare to raid us now."
"You still underestimate them. Back when the Celestial King Stronghold had no powerful faction supporting them, what did they rely on? On their fearlessness, their willingness to fight to the death."
"Even though they have the Seventh Prince’s support now, they’re still just as willing to risk everything. Let me tell you, if the Celestial King Stronghold really does launch a surprise attack, you will be held fully responsible for all losses incurred," Wu Ming said coldly.
A sinister look appeared on Fan Chen’s face. He had dominated the Northern Border for decades, and no one had ever dared to speak to him like that.
’That whelp Wu Ming deserves to die.’
Fan Chen clenched his fists, but after a moment to compose himself, he slowly unfurled them.
First, Wu Ming was his equal in strength.
Second, the most important thing now was to defeat the Celestial King Stronghold. This was not the time for internal strife.
’Once the Celestial King Stronghold is destroyed, I will personally take Wu Ming’s head.’
Sitting across from him, Wu Ming naturally noticed Fan Chen’s killing intent, but he didn’t care at all. The corner of his lip curled as he fanned himself with his folding fan, his expression clearly saying, ’I’m not afraid of you.’
It nearly made Fan Chen erupt.
After all, both of them came from humble, lawless beginnings. Neither submitted to the other, and both had unruly tempers.
Therefore, their current discord was inevitable.
Their camps reflected their relationship—starkly divided. The forces of Ice Mirror Lake and Tianya Village were positioned several miles apart, and they even seemed to be on guard against one another. It spoke volumes about their relationship.
For the warhorses of the Northern Lands, a distance of over ten li was covered in less time than it takes to drink a cup of tea.
By the time the camp came into clear view, Lu Yuan, while still at a full gallop, had already drawn his bow, nocked an arrow, and aimed at the Commander’s Banner of the Tianya Village camp.
"WHOOSH!"
The feathered arrow tore through the air, becoming a black streak of lightning.
In a flash, it snapped the pole of the Commander’s Banner.
The next moment, the eyes of the Tianya Village Warriors, who had been preparing to eat, were all drawn to the sight. On the battlefield, losing the Commander’s Banner was the greatest of taboos.
Without the banner to guide them, the Warriors would be left to follow the flow of battle blindly. For a large army, this was a recipe for disaster.
"RUMBLE!" The instant the Commander’s Banner snapped, Lu Yuan led thirty thousand cavalrymen thundering into the camp. The Warriors who had yet to eat had their cooking pots and stoves kicked over.
Broth spilled everywhere.
Although their weapons were at hand, their warhorses were not. They could only meet the attack hastily. Cavalry has always held a crushing advantage over infantry.
What’s more, these men weren’t even proper foot soldiers, but cavalrymen who had lost their mounts; they were not skilled at fighting on foot.
Therefore, when Lu Yuan and his men charged into the camp, they encountered little resistance.
His role in the formation was to be an unstoppable arrowhead.
How deep they could penetrate the enemy lines depended entirely on his lead.
He gripped the Dragon-Carved Bow.
With every feathered arrow he fired, several men would fall in a spray of blood.
Moreover, he only targeted the masters. In just a short time, more than a dozen at the Void Manipulation realm had been pierced through by his arrows.
The drawing of his bowstring was like a divine judgment upon all life, and a faint golden glow suffused his body.
The nearly 1.5-meter-long body of the Dragon-Carved Bow was lined with sharp blades on both sides.
Anyone who got too close was instantly dispatched by a spin of the longbow and its cold blades. As for those at a distance, they were pierced through by his feathered arrows.
His methods of slaughter were terrifying.
Meanwhile, in the Ice Mirror Lake camp, Wu Ming and Fan Chen were still arguing.
"THUD THUD THUD!"
A sound of frantic footsteps grew louder, and a man stumbled into the tent. It was one of Wu Ming’s Personal Guards.
As soon as he entered the tent, he cried out, "Village Chief, our camp is under attack by the Celestial King Stronghold! The Commander’s Banner has been snapped, and our brothers are in total chaos!"
"BAM!" Wu Ming shot to his feet, pointing a finger at Fan Chen. "You bastard, you’re going to get us all killed! Why aren’t you sending reinforcements? I’m going on ahead."
With that, he strode out of the tent and leapt into the air, speeding toward the Tianya Village encampment.
His Personal Guard followed close behind.
Inside the tent, an anxious look appeared on Fan Chen’s face as well. He hadn’t expected things to escalate to this point, either. He couldn’t believe the Celestial King Stronghold had actually dared to attack first.
And they had targeted Tianya Village, a force somewhat stronger than their own.
He immediately called out, "Guards!"
The next moment, a few chieftains who had been gathered at the entrance filed in.
They had clearly also received the news and were prepared to dispatch troops.
One of them even spoke first, "Village Chief, I’ll take some men and charge over right now."
He had a ferocious expression and brandished a thick-spined, ring-pommeled saber.
Just as Fan Chen was about to nod, his movement slowed. He seemed to have thought of something. Then he slowly picked up his teacup, took a light sip, and said, "Wait. When it’s time to move out, I will give the order."
After speaking, he waved his hand, signaling for everyone in the tent to withdraw.
Though the chieftains were puzzled, they withdrew.
When only Fan Chen was left in the tent, he muttered to himself, ’If Tianya Village were to suffer some losses... that would actually be a good thing for me.’