Chapter 191: I Promise You
Chapter 191: Chapter 191: I Promise You
An army formation?
If the disparity in numbers or quality was too great, an army formation would be of little use.
Against this endless tide of Demon Beasts, it didn’t matter if it was a Round Array or a square one. Unless the number of soldiers was comparable, or they were a battle-hardened, formidable force, they would be as fragile as clay pots!
Of course, Zhu Ge had anticipated this situation.
In his worst-case scenario, all two thousand four hundred men would be wiped out. But as long as a single person survived, they would be forged into an elite warrior, a "seed" for his future army.
If two survived, it would be an incredible gain!
This was the true meaning of sifting sand from the waves.
Wash away the most, and keep only the truest.
And so, the two thousand four hundred men were swallowed by the tide without so much as a splash.
Zhu Ge charged in himself.
While mentally directing the shifts in the army formation, he charged forward, slaughtering demons.
It had been a while since he’d had a good, satisfying battle.
His days were filled with either scheming and planning, training and lecturing troops, or marching on the road. His bones were starting to rust.
This was the perfect chance to let loose.
Now, facing the overwhelming horde of Demon Beasts, he could finally empty his mind and just swing his rod, strike with his palms, kick, and kill.
"Thirty-Six Paths of the Giant Pendulum!"
The Purgatory Star Rod became a silver-and-red whirlwind in his hands, sending Demon Beasts flying wherever it passed.
A Second Realm Bear Demon recklessly charged him, only to be met with a blow from the rod to its forehead. Its skull shattered, and its massive body crashed to the ground.
"Giant Python Constriction!"
Tossing aside his rod for his palms, his hands coiled around a Tiger Demon’s neck like pythons and twisted sharply.
"CRACK!"
The Tiger Demon’s neck snapped, and its head hung limply.
"Donkey Roll!"
The name of this move was crude, but it was extremely practical.
Zhu Ge dropped and rolled, simultaneously dodging the pounce of three wolf demons. He continued rolling under them, conveniently retrieving his Purgatory Star Rod, and then swept it out horizontally.
"CRACK!!"
Four wolf legs were severed at the base, and the three wolf demons collapsed, howling in agony.
"Tea Swordsmanship!"
The rod trembled slightly, then precisely pierced the skull of a hedgehog demon that was firing potshots from a distance.
One move after another, one technique after the next.
Zhu Ge’s Heart of Martial Arts Origin throbbed wildly in his chest, pumping out an endless supply of Blood Qi that fueled his tireless slaughter.
Giant Python Constriction, Bull’s Grapple, Swift’s Sky-Rend, Fierce Tiger Descends the Mountain...
"How satisfying!"
Zhu Ge laughed aloud, sending the last Demon Beast before him flying with a swing of his rod, then looked back.
Behind him, the army formation had reassembled.
Hua Liusha’s Yin Qi continuously relayed commands into everyone’s minds.
The scattered Soldiers were running back in twos and threes, reforming the formation under the leadership of their respective Centurions.
"Kill! Kill! Kill!" Zhao Tieshan, covered in blood, roared himself hoarse.
Ma San Dao swung his Dog Leg Blade, cutting down a jackal that was pouncing at the corner of the formation.
"Literary Energy! Any brothers with Literary Energy left, support the front line!"
Li Qingquan’s face was pale, his Literary Energy nearly depleted, but he still stood within the formation, directing the Confucian Scholars in a hoarse voice.
Eight hundred men. In less than an hour, the Round Array had taken shape once more.
Though their numbers were less than half of what they started with, though the formation wasn’t yet tight, and though many were wounded, they had held the line.
Zhu Ge had held back ninety percent of the Demon Beasts. For them to form up and hold back the remaining ten percent was quite an achievement.
"Not bad at all..." Zhu Ge looked at the Round Array, the corners of his mouth turning up slightly.
’This is it.’
’This is what I wanted.’
Not two thousand four hundred individuals fighting for themselves like a disorderly mob, but eight hundred soldiers who knew to rely on each other, to obey commands, and that they could not retreat.
"Good!" Zhu Ge roared. "Continue to slay the enemy with me!"
As the Commander-in-Chief, Zhu Ge wasn’t the type to hide in the rear. Instead, he led them onward, fighting valiantly at the very front.
Zhao Tieshan, Niu Dadan, Zhang Laoshu... one by one, the men turned their gazes toward Zhu Ge.
This blood-pumping sensation was intoxicating to them all.
But just then, an eagle’s cry ripped down from the sky.
With it came a pair of talons larger than a grown man, grasping for Zhu Ge.
"I am the Wind-Split Purple Eagle! Get out of my territory!" The eagle’s voice was piercingly sharp, like its talons that could shatter stone and metal.
’So the Wind-Split Purple Eagle really is connected to Eagle City...’ Zhu Ge understood as soon as he heard this.
’The Wind-Split Purple Eagle is trying to drive me away, not kill me!’
"Hahaha, I am Zhu Ge, and this land now belongs to me!" Zhu Ge laughed, swinging his Purgatory Star Rod to meet the talons.
"CLANG—"
The talons and the silver rod collided, erupting in a deafening shriek of metal on metal.
Zhu Ge felt an immense force travel up the rod. His arms went numb, and the impact threw him back several steps.
At the same time, the ground beneath his feet cracked, sending shattered rock flying. When he stabilized himself and looked up again,
the Wind-Split Purple Eagle was hovering in mid-air with its wings spread, its dark golden feathers glinting coldly in the sunlight.
A shallow white mark was left on its talons, clearly from the impact of the Purgatory Star Rod.
But that was all. It hadn’t even broken the skin.
"Such tough talons." Zhu Ge flexed his numb wrists. There was no fear in his eyes; instead, an even stronger fighting spirit ignited within them.
’A Third Realm Late-Essence Devouring Realm expert... As expected, it’s far stronger than that Black Tiger.’
"Human Race, I will give you one more chance." The Wind-Split Purple Eagle looked down from on high, its golden eyes filled with indifference. "Take your people and get out of my territory, or else—"
"Or else what?" Zhu Ge interrupted, grinning. "Or else you’ll end up like those other Demon Beasts, beaten to death by me?"
The Wind-Split Purple Eagle’s gaze turned sharp. With a beat of its wings, it dove down once more.
This time, it was faster. A faint purple Demon Qi coiled around its talons, a clear sign that it was starting to use some of its real strength.
"Bring it on!" Instead of retreating, Zhu Ge advanced. He pushed off the ground, launching himself into the sky like a cannonball.
"Old Sow Digs for Dirt!"
The silver-and-red light on the Purgatory Star Rod flared, tearing through the air with a piercing sonic boom.
"BOOM—"
The rod and talons crashed together, unleashing an astonishing shockwave.
All grass and trees within a radius of dozens of zhang were uprooted, and shattered stones shot out in all directions like bullets.
The Soldiers below quickly raised their shields to block the flying debris.
Zhu Ge was sent flying backward. He somersaulted twice in the air and still had to take another seven or eight steps back upon landing to stabilize himself.
The skin between his thumb and forefinger had split open, and fresh blood dripped down the shaft of his rod, but his eyes were filled with excitement.
The Wind-Split Purple Eagle didn’t get off easy, either.
A thin crack had appeared on its right talon. A few of its dark golden scales had shattered, and a trickle of blood seeped out.
Although it was only a superficial wound, it was enough to shock the eagle.
’A Second Realm human actually managed to injure me?’
"You..." A flicker of apprehension flashed in the Wind-Split Purple Eagle’s eyes.
"Again!" Zhu Ge gave it no time to recover, charging forward once more.
This time, he didn’t rely on brute force, but instead pushed his "Incense-Lighting" Body Technique to its absolute limit.
His figure was like smoke and mist, flitting erratically around the Wind-Split Purple Eagle. His Purgatory Star Rod struck out endlessly, one moment like a viper striking, the next like a tiger descending a mountain, then like an old bull locking horns.
The Wind-Split Purple Eagle flapped its wings, whipping up a gale in an attempt to blow Zhu Ge away.
But Zhu Ge had already mastered his Waist and Horse Skill. His stance was as steady as a boulder; the fierce wind could only rustle his robes, but not move his body.
"Wrathful Vajra Palm!" At a moment when the Wind-Split Purple Eagle’s guard was down, Zhu Ge slammed his left palm into the base of its left wing.
"CRACK!!!"
The Wind-Split Purple Eagle let out a pained cry, its left wing hanging limply.
It staggered back a few steps, terror finally showing in its eyes.
"You... You’re no ordinary Second Realm warrior!" it shrieked.
"Of course I’m not."
Zhu Ge picked up his Purgatory Star Rod and walked toward it, step by step. "I am the Lord of the Six Paths Palace, Zhu Ge. From this day forward, this land is under my rule. You will return to your Eagle Mountain. Any other members of the Demon Race who remain will be killed without mercy!"
Zhu Ge could have used the Dawn Intent he had just recently comprehended to launch a sneak attack on the eagle.
However, he had noticed during the fight that the eagle wasn’t using its full strength either.
So now, he was giving it a way to back down gracefully.
"You, you, you’ve gone too far!"
The Wind-Split Purple Eagle threw its head back and let out a long cry, beating its wings to stir up a furious wind.
Just as all the Demon Beasts and all the humans thought it was about to refuse and fight Zhu Ge to the death, it instead said, filled with shame and indignation:
"I accept your terms!"
"So that my fellow Demon Race brethren no longer have to bleed and die, I accept! I accept your terms!"