Chapter 190: Beast Tide! The First Battle
Chapter 190: Chapter 190: Beast Tide! The First Battle
The Xuanxiang Array was one of the formations from the *Eight Armored Arrays*.
It was a formation designed to deceive and confuse the enemy. To be fully effective, it required the deployment of various banners and plumes, accompanied by the dense, majestic sound of drums.
The army would appear chaotic on the surface, but each soldier would hold their position. Chariots would seem jumbled but were actually in strict, orderly ranks. The clamor of soldiers and the neighing of horses would make the formation unfathomably profound.
Its core tactic was to create the illusion of a much larger force by increasing the distance between ranks, deploying dense thickets of banners, generating the sounds of drums and moving chariots, and having the foot soldiers create a clamor, all to interfere with the enemy’s judgment.
The formation emphasized a blend of truth and illusion, using visual camouflage and auditory interference to make it difficult for the enemy to discern their true intentions, thereby pinning down or disrupting their deployment.
But that was for the complete version of the formation.
A complete Xuanxiang Array even required a banner bearer of at least the low-grade Spirit Level, waving a high-grade Spirit Level formation flag, accompanied by drummers, horn blowers, and their respective instruments.
In that state, even if manned entirely by First Realm practitioners, the Xuanxiang Array would be enough to confuse and interfere with a Third Realm expert.
And one must remember, Third Realm experts possessed Divine Sense!
This was the power of a Soldier Array—the ability to gather and focus the strength of an entire army.
The Eight Armored Arrays also included the defensive Round Array, the offensive Pyramidal Array, and others, each with its own unique effects.
Zhu Ge planned to teach his men while having them practice simultaneously.
Knowledge and action had to be one.
Learning the formation and immediately putting it into practice through combat would ensure they would never forget it.
So, after drilling the eight formations for a while longer, Zhu Ge had Liu Jianjian release a massive Second Realm owl.
This great owl was grayish-white and possessed the bloodline of the ancient "Gray Moon Owl Eagle." Zhu Ge had specifically saved it for this purpose.
Its massive size, capable of carrying three or four people, made it a perfect mount.
WHOOSH—
Zhu Ge stood on the owl’s back as it flapped its wings, carrying him high into the sky.
Once airborne, Zhu Ge gazed quietly into the distance, toward Eagle Mountain.
A moment later, he felt the hair on his skin stand on end.
’Divine Sense!’
’That Third Realm eagle must be scanning me with its Divine Sense!’
’Looks like this eagle really does have dealings with the City Lord of Eagle City.’
Zhu Ge chuckled to himself.
This was to be expected.
After all, in the eyes of most Demons, Ghosts, Spirits, and Monsters, there was little difference between the Human Race and any other creature on earth.
In the eyes of an ant, for instance, an anteater was a far more detestable foe.
This was also why the Da Sheng Dynasty hadn’t immediately collapsed when the situation deteriorated, but had instead festered in decay for centuries.
"Perfect. I’ll give you a way out..."
Zhu Ge murmured.
The great owl beneath his feet heard him, but though curious, it didn’t dare to ask.
The owl had nearly been torn in half when Zhu Ge grabbed its legs. It had only survived by blurting out that it possessed an ancient, noble bloodline.
In its mind, therefore, Zhu Ge was a truly terrifying being.
It wouldn’t dare make a peep unless Zhu Ge gave it permission.
DONG DONG...
Suddenly, Zhu Ge’s Martial Arts Heart began to throb.
Fifty percent power!
It was like rolling thunder, like a crashing wave.
A vast, mighty aura spread out from Zhu Ge, carried on a wave of sound.
The boundless pressure nearly scared the soul out of the owl beneath his feet. It had to put all its effort into beating its demonic heart just to keep from stalling and plummeting from the sky.
But it wasn’t Zhu Ge’s main target.
Unleashing one’s aura so brazenly in the territory of a Third Realm expert was essentially a provocation.
In response to Zhu Ge’s aura, the entire jungle erupted into chaos.
First and Second Realm Demon Beasts panicked as they felt his presence, until a voice echoed from high above:
"My children, attack! Slaughter every last one of the Human Race!"
The voice from the heavens was shrill and loud, echoing across the entire battlefield.
It was the Third Realm eagle!
The eagle remained hidden high in the sky, its figure obscured by thick clouds, refusing to descend.
The next moment, before Zhu Ge’s Soldiers could react, countless Demon Beasts emerged, accompanied by a handful of Tree Spirits and Earth Monsters.
Since it was daytime, the common First Realm Ghosts and other such spirits dared not show themselves.
"Round Array, engage the enemy!"
Zhu Ge gave the order to Hua Liusha in his mind as he descended.
BOOM—
He leaped from the great owl’s back, his landing kicking up a cloud of dust.
He didn’t rush into the enemy ranks. Instead, he stood in the center of the Round Array, his gaze sweeping over the surroundings.
From all directions, Demon Beasts surged forward like a tidal wave.
Wolves, tigers, bears, leopards, snakes, vultures... all sorts of Demon Beasts were mixed in with ordinary wild animals.
The sounds of their hisses, roars, and flapping wings wove into a deafening cacophony.
They charged from the forests, crawled from caves, and leaped from behind rocks—a dense, endless horde.
Over ten thousand Demon Beasts.
This was the first time Zhu Ge had ever faced a beast tide of this magnitude.
But his heart beat steadily.
"Round Array, hold steady!"
"Niu Laoshu, don’t get reckless!"
"Zhang Xiaosan, fall back a step!"
Through Hua Liusha’s Yin Qi, Zhu Ge’s voice was transmitted clearly into each Soldier’s mind.
The two thousand four hundred men quickly fell into their rehearsed positions.
On the outermost ring were the three hundred Martial Artists led by Zhao Tieshan, blades and shields in hand, forming a human wall.
Their task was to block the first wave of the Demon Beast charge.
The second ring consisted of eighty Confucian Scholars, scrolls fluttering in their hands as Literary Energy surged.
Their mission was to use Literary Energy to bolster the Martial Artists’ defenses while simultaneously attacking any approaching Demon Beasts.
The third ring was composed of the hardened veterans from Dog Street and the regular Soldiers, led by Ma San Dao.
These Soldiers wielded long spears, thrusting them through the gaps between the Martial Artists to kill any Demon Beast that got too close.
The Round Array, as its name suggested, was a circular defensive formation.
Its advantage was its lack of blind spots; no matter which direction the Demon Beasts attacked from, they would face the blades and shields of the Martial Artists, the Literary Energy of the Confucian Scholars, and the spears of the Soldiers.
Its disadvantage was its poor mobility. Once surrounded, breaking out would be difficult.
But that was exactly what Zhu Ge wanted—he was going to make his men learn the meaning of discipline and the purpose of a military formation in the crucible of life and death.
"First wave is here!" Zhu Ge barked.
The horde of Demon Beasts crashed into the Round Array like a flood bursting through a dam.
BOOM—
Blades and shields met claws and fangs with a grating shriek of metal.
The Martial Artists gritted their teeth, holding back the Demon Beasts’ charge with their shields and hacking at their heads with steel blades.
The Confucian Scholars channeled their Literary Energy, casting golden veils of light over the Martial Artists, making their shields sturdier and their blades sharper.
From the gaps between the Martial Artists, the Soldiers thrust their spears, accurately piercing the bodies of the Demon Beasts.
Blood splattered as screams echoed one after another.
But there were too many Demon Beasts.
For every one they killed, two more charged forward; for every two, four more appeared.
Under the onslaught of the Demon Beast tide, the Round Array buckled in less than a second.
Some men even threw down their armor and weapons, cowering with their hands over their heads or trying to flee.
They were routing, throwing down their arms and scattering like rats!
Seeing this, Zhu Ge remained completely calm. He brandished his Purgatory Star Rod and shouted:
"Do not panic! I am here!"