Chapter 420: Man or Monster?
Riding on a wave of Qi was an exercise that cultivators could not maintain for long. This was a generic law for any cultivator. Even when one was as mighty as Mr. Nian, Ling Xiaozui, or Jun Moyan, the only difference between them and a novice would be the duration.
Despite Yun Yang having a heaven realm beginner cultivation base, Endless Divine Art, and Emmie's support, it would still be difficult for him to hold out for too long. Ding Yunlu had a high chance of winning. At most, he would have more casualties on his head, but he could make it last until Yun Yang had fully expended his energy.
This was under the premise that Yun Yang acted alone, without any assistance. However, under his green gown, Whitey Two was carrying Yun Yang and driving the both of them forward!
Whitey Two, as a supernatural mystical beast, would be able to fly like this for up to two hours, even when carrying Yun Yang, as long as it did not deliver its mystical Qi in heavy battle.
When Whitey Two got tired, there was Whitey Three to substitute it and fly on, carrying their master. The duration of Whitey Three's flying would be enough for Whitey Two to recover.
After all, Yun Yang had boundless life force in his hands; a ball of it could rejuvenate Whitey Two immediately!
One would only be seeking his own death if he wished to contend bank on exhaustion overwhelming Yun Yang!
Yun Yang camouflaged Whitey Two's tiny physique flawlessly, without any loopholes. What he needed right now was to create an illusion for the enemy.
What they were doing was exactly what Yun Yang had expected!
The shower of arrows continued while Yun Yang's saber unleashed wisps of brilliant saber light every time he got close to the crowd; he had applied the Ziyou experts' previous tactics, leaving after striking, without longing for an extended battle.
Each strike resulted in pained cries as several people would collapse and succumbed to his attack.
Facing such a situation, the Four Seasons Tower's experts and the Empire of Ziyou's Tenth Perfection experts that had been sent over urgently did not dare show themselves anymore. No one had the confidence nor capacity to defeat Supreme Cloud who was behaving as if he was the God of War himself right now.
There was no one who could even last one round against the supreme!
They watched as the entire city was filled with their own army while the other party was only alone but their millions of men were actually helpless against the massacre by one sole opponent!
The crisscrossing Deicide arrows and Siege Quarrels, the attacks that disregarded the results and price paid - all they had received in return was the massive casualties of their own side!
There were even a few high-level generals who had died an ignoble death from the wildly flying arrows.
A quarter of an hour - it had already been a quarter of an hour!
This was already the entirety of a first heaven ace cultivator's mystical Qi capacity. Not even a grandmaster of Tenth Perfection could have done it!
Ding Yunlu's eyes were bloodshot as he stared straight at Supreme Cloud who was flying low in midair, praying in his heart.
Don't bother resisting! Fall! Fall quickly!
Exhaust yourself quickly, drop!
Doesn't your mystical Qi have to reach an end anyway?
It was too bad that Yun Yang did not respond to his curse, still drifting and flying with ease without a drop in his agility. Instead, he seemed to be even more lithe.
An hour passed.
Supreme Cloud was still flying in the air, more nimble than ever; his saber light flashed violently. There was no sense of fatigue that could be detected.
The Empire of Ziyou's casualties had exceeded tens of thousands of men now. There was no doubt it was a large number, a loss that could barely be stomached.
The other party had only one person - there was only one man! To make matters worse, that one man was not in the best of conditions either; he was entirely bereft of support!
To think that he could cause such terrifying casualties in his state. The loss was unimaginable and unbelievable.
When Ding Yunlu recomposed himself from the slight trance he had fallen into, he stumbled for a moment as he looked behind him, almost falling off.
The opponent's purpose was clear from the beginning; he had stated with clarity about his intention to charge out from the west city gate. Until now, he had never changed his direction. Now, he had progressed too much!
Each time the opponent attacked like an enraged hawk, the suicide troops behind him had to use their bodies and lives to forcefully counter the charge.
They retaliated - they threw their might against him!
Yet, the price of each action was paid by a handful of experts, seventh peak and above.
Up until now, they had deflected attacks for up to seventeen times, and the experts behind him were left with the last thirty members of an original party of five hundred!
Five hundred ace cultivators had been sacrificed, just like that. The result of obstructing the enemy with their lives was only an exchange for temporarily holding Supreme Cloud back. It did not even deal any bit of damage to him.
That was not all. What Ding Yunlu could not accept and could not even understand, the scariest part of all was the fact that the other party did not even seem tired. He was still advancing... did he just cover another five thousand feet of ground?
The truth was suffocating.
Ding Yunlu was utterly hopeless. He could imagine what he had to face after this battle.
Even when the end of this battle had annihilated Supreme Cloud, the guilt piled on him would not be small. The empire had lost so many critical forces in one go, someone had to step forward in shouldering the responsibility.
He, as the direct litigant and commander, could not even find someone to shoulder it with him even if he wanted to!
Throughout the battle, he had gone from his initial confidence to icy coldness all over, even his heart was in despair. He had uttered with so much conviction that Supreme Cloud must die and must meet his doom here - it was actually a joke!
Was he really the one who asked for the moon?
Did the Empire of Ziyou not have any experts?
No!
When the celestial rock landed in the Empire of Ziyou's founding emperor's hand, it had continuously exuded rich vibrant energy outwards in the dozens of years staying in the palace.
During that period, everyone around the Ziyou palace, especially newborns, had benefited greatly from the magical vibe. The gain was even passed on in their bloodline, contributing endlessly to the continuation of a race.
It was also from that moment onwards that the Empire of Ziyou would triumph the world indomitably!
There was no country in the whole Tianxuan Continent that had more experts than Empire of Ziyou. Yet those people disappeared gradually, no longer existing among the people. They were absorbed by the noble families as guards and private forces!
They no longer fought for the country!
Now, the empire was in a precarious state, but those who had stepped out to do battle were still the same familiar faces. Those true experts in the noble homes did not even show themselves!
Watching the countless soldiers being slaughtered, watching the enemy flaunt his prowess, the many nobles of the empire remained watching on the sidelines without offering to help. How could it not bring despair?
What was most unbelievable was that during the duration of the battle, the high forces belonging to the palace did not arrive to replenish the troops!
The icy despair in Ding Yunlu coursed like a river.
Was this battle not relevant to the nation's fate?
Was this battle not relevant to Ziyou's destiny and its people's lives?
"Those at the back - retreat and disperse, don't pack the crowd!" Ding Yunlu commanded the Deicide Bow archers while giving out other orders, "All long-ranged attacking forces, take the highest point available to you!"
"Deicide Bow archers, shoot without stopping!"
"Siege Quarrels, maintain the current frequency required, do not halt!"
Ding Yunlu's heart was close to exploding. "Supreme Cloud, how long do you think you can stay in the air? Are you still a human? Why aren't you behaving like one? Perhaps you are truly a demon!
This question was also the question in every Ziyou person's heart.
The opponent had stayed in the air for so long, like he did not weigh a single thing. He was at ease and free to move about. This unusual behavior made it futile to attack.
Everyone was asking the same thing in their hearts, "Where are the experts of the Empire of Ziyou? Is there not one expert in our whole empire who can stop this killer?"
Supreme Cloud swam in the sky while he continued to rain death below; the murderous vibe was peaking.
With Yun Yang as the bait that had attracted most of the enemy's firing power, Blackie and Little Green fought their way valiantly on the ground. Wherever they passed, they could consider it a calamity!
Ding Yunlu was even more bewildered. They had obviously dealt a severe blow to both the mystical beasts and they were on the brink of death. Why did they have such combat power again? He immediately directed some manpower to besiege the beasts.
Ding Yunlu's mind was still clear. He was well aware that it was crucial to annihilate the two mystical beasts first. If he let them be, they would only bring more unexpected changes. However, what strangled Ding Yunlu's hope was that the two beasts had rejuvenated to high spirits again when Supreme Cloud passed them by after Ziyou's soldiers finally struck them into a critical state. Even their wounds seemed to heal at once, as they grew more vicious.
Everyone understood at once that Supreme Cloud must have a certain way to replenish the two beasts on the brink of death in an instance!
Was there still a meaning to keep on fighting then? The cycle would only repeat itself again.
An extremely pessimistic thought budded in everyone's heart instinctively - there was no longer hope for victory. Perhaps, this nightmare would only end when Supreme Cloud charged out of the west gate.
Stop him? He could not be stopped!
Did one not see the increasing sense of ease he was feeling. There was no more intention of the initial impatience to leave!
The opponent's action was obviously aimed at playing with the hundreds of thousands of Ziyou army to his heart's content.
In the end, they would be consumed by the nightmare. Would all of them be killed by a singular entity then!
Was Supreme Cloud a man or a monster?