Chapter 61: Duel of Generals, Schemes Unfold

Without warning, Shangguan Wei seized a mighty halberd and charged straight at Di Luoxi. Within Linjiang City, Di Luoxi possessed the highest cultivation; if she fell, the city would inevitably be lost. As the halberd swung down, the long spear had already thrust forward, and the two were locked in fierce combat.

As Shangguan Wei and Di Luoxi began their duel, the others joined the fray. On the city tower, the soldiers beat drums in unison with the Tianwei Legion, the thunderous sound echoing across the battlefield.

Li Xian'nan hefted her great hammer, pointed at Shangguan Xiu, and shouted angrily, "Prepare to die!"

Shangguan Xiu replied with a cold laugh, "A defeated general dares to return!"

The hammer swung, and Shangguan Xiu raised his broad blade to meet her head-on. Li Xian'nan fought with all her might, but it was clear she was outmatched. Though Li Xian'nan was at the peak of the King realm, Shangguan Xiu had already stepped into the earliest stage of Martial Sovereign, a tier above her.

Long Chen lifted his iron spear, ready to assist, but was intercepted by Shangguan Mu.

The massive axe pointed at Long Chen as Shangguan Mu cursed, "Was it you who fired that cold arrow last time?"

Long Chen laughed heartily, "That's right, want to try again?"

Shangguan Mu raged, "I'll slaughter you!"

Zhang Qian rode over, her long spear thrusting at Shangguan Mu as she declared, "Let me!"

Xuan Yi and Qing Yue joined in, encircling Shangguan Mu, while Long Chen followed the original plan to help Li Xian'nan besiege Shangguan Xiu.

The iron spear struck from behind, but Shangguan Xiu paid it no mind. He had heard Long Chen was only at the Grandmaster realm, and such a person was no better than useless in his eyes.

As the iron spear neared, Shangguan Xiu merely shifted slightly, easily evading the thrust, his attention fully on Li Xian'nan.

The spear brushed past his battle robe, then suddenly flicked upward, aiming for Shangguan Xiu's throat.

"Not good!"

Shangguan Xiu was startled—he had not expected Long Chen's spear technique to be so cunning. He quickly leaned back, his broad blade parrying the spear tip, narrowly avoiding the strike.

Long Chen cursed inwardly at his missed opportunity, hoping to exploit Shangguan Xiu's carelessness, but his attempt was foiled.

Li Xian'nan attacked from the front, Long Chen from behind, and Shangguan Xiu was furious, realizing Long Chen had concealed his true strength—this was clearly the power of a King realm cultivator.

Shangguan Mu had intended to vent his anger by first killing Long Chen, but was trapped by Zhang Qian and her companions, unable to break free. Seeing Long Chen and Shangguan Xiu locked in battle, he had no choice but to fend off their coordinated assault.

Unexpectedly, the five family guards nearby did not intervene, watching coldly from the side.

The commanders of East Zhou at the city gate also held back, but remained alert, ready to act if the family guards moved.

Shangguan Wei, at the mid-stage Martial Sovereign realm and a seasoned general, steadily suppressed Di Luoxi. His halberd was unpredictable and wielded with immense strength, forcing Di Luoxi to summon all her focus, her silver teeth clenched as she fought.

On the city walls, soldiers shouted encouragement, the drums resounding so loudly as to shake the heavens.

Long Chen saw Di Luoxi struggling against Shangguan Wei and thrust his iron spear with increasing urgency, and Shangguan Xiu began to show signs of being overwhelmed.

Li Xian'nan was delighted, never expecting Long Chen to be such a formidable fighter, and hammered down with renewed force.

Shangguan Mu, originally at the mid-King realm, had suffered a severe reduction in strength after Long Chen's arrow pierced his shoulder last time. Now beset by three opponents, he was thrown into disarray.

As Long Chen was locked in fierce combat with Shangguan Xiu, his spear thrust suddenly missed, and Shangguan Xiu slashed the horse's leg, sending Long Chen tumbling to the ground.

Shangguan Xiu rejoiced, raising his broad blade to finish Long Chen, but Li Xian'nan hurried forward to intercept him.

Shangguan Xiu was not worried; Li Xian'nan alone was no match for him, and he was certain he would kill Long Chen before long.

At that moment, Shangguan Wei’s attention was fixed on Di Luoxi, Shangguan Xiu was occupied with Li Xian'nan, and Shangguan Mu was barely defending against Zhang Qian’s trio.

No one paid heed to Long Chen, who had fallen from his horse.

"You wretched women, I'll slaughter you!" Shangguan Mu roared, his axe sweeping aside the longsword as Zhang Qian’s spear arrived once more.

He withdrew the axe to block Zhang Qian’s spear, only for Xuan Yi and Qing Yue’s swords to strike again.

Suddenly—thud! An iron spear lifted the cloth armor beneath the helmet and pierced Shangguan Mu’s throat.

Long Chen appeared out of nowhere, killing Shangguan Mu.

Moments before, Long Chen had been struck from his horse by Shangguan Xiu, and the Tianwei Legion cheered for the blow.

But in the blink of an eye, Long Chen assassinated Shangguan Mu.

Indeed, from the start, Long Chen had planned it this way: eliminate the weakest first, then join the assault on Shangguan Wei and Shangguan Xiu.

Earlier, Long Chen had deliberately let Shangguan Xiu strike down his horse to escape unharmed.

If he had abandoned Shangguan Xiu to attack Shangguan Mu directly, it would have aroused suspicion and ruined the element of surprise.

Zhang Qian and her companions were shocked—even they had failed to notice Long Chen’s approach.

After killing Shangguan Mu, Long Chen vaulted onto a warhorse and turned back to attack Shangguan Xiu.

Li Xian'nan was being pressed by Shangguan Xiu when Long Chen suddenly returned to the fight.

"Shangguan Mu is dead!" Long Chen shouted, startling Shangguan Xiu. He looked back and saw Shangguan Mu lying on the ground, blood streaming from his throat.

In that brief moment, Long Chen’s iron spear stabbed at Shangguan Xiu’s neck.

Shangguan Xiu was shocked; unable to parry with his blade in time, he could only grab the spear with his bare hands. Li Xian'nan seized the perfect opportunity and brought her hammer down on Shangguan Xiu’s back.

Blood spurted from Shangguan Xiu’s mouth. Long Chen yanked the spear free and stabbed at his neck once more.

Shangguan Wei finally realized Shangguan Mu was dead and Shangguan Xiu gravely wounded. He was instantly enraged. "How dare you!"

He hurled his halberd through the air, knocking Long Chen’s spear aside.

A true mid-stage Martial Sovereign and seasoned general. Long Chen retrieved his iron spear, but the five family guards had already charged. Zhang Qian and her companions intercepted them, and a fierce melee erupted.

Di Luoxi, seeing Shangguan Mu killed and Shangguan Xiu gravely injured, was overjoyed. She raised her long spear and pursued Shangguan Wei.

Shangguan Wei dared not linger, broke through Li Xian'nan’s blockade, rescued Shangguan Xiu, picked up his halberd from the ground, grabbed Shangguan Mu’s corpse, and retreated with the protection of the five guards.

Di Luoxi shouted, "Back to the city!"

The gates opened, and Long Chen and the others returned inside.

In this round of dueling warriors, the Shangguan family had held the advantage, but Long Chen’s cunning plan had turned their victory into a crushing defeat.

The soldiers atop the walls cheered loudly.

Back inside the city, Di Luoxi removed her helmet and laughed, "Long Cheng'en, was that your kill?"

Long Chen, seeing his palm bloodied from the impact, replied regretfully, "Shangguan the old scoundrel is formidable. I had hoped to kill Shangguan Mu first, then Shangguan Xiu, but managed only one."

Li Xian'nan praised him, "You are truly remarkable. We were at a disadvantage in this battle, yet you managed to slay Shangguan Mu and gravely wound Shangguan Xiu."

"Did you plan this from the start?"

Long Chen answered, "Yes, that was my intention all along."

Di Luoxi feigned anger, "You dare defy the strategy I set, and keep it from me!"

Long Chen replied helplessly, "If I had revealed it beforehand, I would have held back during the fight, making it easier for them to see through my plan. So I kept it secret—please forgive me, Princess."

Di Luoxi embraced Long Chen, laughing, "Forgive what? Come drink with me!"

"Tonight, we celebrate our victory with a feast!"

"Qing Yue, send word to my mother—tell her Long Cheng'en slew Shangguan Mu in battle and routed the Southern Liang army."