Chapter 162: I Don't Want to Die Here!
In an instant, countless cavalrymen burst out from all directions, charging toward Gaeyang Fortress.
Gang Gu, watching from atop the fortress walls, slowly closed her eyes for a moment. A brief silence fell. Then, she snapped her eyes open and shouted.
"Fight to the death!"
"Fight to the death!"
The thunderous roar of the soldiers on the walls drowned out heaven and earth!
For the Jiang Kingdom soldiers on the walls, this war was a matter of life and death. For the kingdom as a whole, it was a pivotal battle that would determine its very survival.
Defeat meant the end of Jiang Kingdom.
Gazing at the Cho Kingdom soldiers charging like a pack of starving wild dogs, Gang Gu gripped her spear with an expressionless face.
By this time, the Cho Kingdom cavalry had already advanced to the gates.
"Loose arrows!"
At Gang Gu's command, a shower of arrows rained down like a storm. The area outside the walls instantly turned into a hellscape.
But suddenly, screams erupted from among the Jiang Kingdom soldiers on the walls.
Gang Gu whipped her head around to see ghostly assassins in demon masks who had appeared out of nowhere, slaying the archers before vanishing like phantoms.
They kept attempting assassinations, and each time, countless soldiers fell.
Dark Ghost Dao Soldiers!
Terror swept over the walls in an instant due to the assassins' appearance.
Gang Gu bellowed in fury.
"Don't panic! Deploy the Death Servants!"
"Your Highness, we can't do that!"
A general at her side urgently tried to stop her.
"Your Highness, the Death Servants have the critical duty of protecting you. They cannot leave your side!"
Gang Gu roared at the general in anger.
"Is my life the only one that matters, while the soldiers' lives are worthless!? Shut up and say no more! All Death Servants, deploy immediately and stop those assassins!"
In that moment, black-clad figures wielding daggers appeared on the walls and scattered to various points.
Jiang Kingdom Death Servants!
Elite warriors raised by Jiang Kingdom to protect the imperial family. Though not as strong as the Dark Ghost assassins individually, in numbers, they could hold them off for a while.
Just then, as Gang Gu looked down outside, she saw a man charging toward the gates with a long spear.
It was I Mok-rim, number one of Qingzhou Mubang.
I Mok-rim swiftly dodged left and right, evading arrows as he closed in on the fortress.
The moment Gang Gu realized his target was the gate, her face paled dramatically. If the gate fell, the enemy's hundred thousand troops would flood into Gaeyang Fortress.
But I Mok-rim, now at the gates, thrust his spear with full force.
Boom!
At that instant, a flying dagger shot from somewhere, spinning fiercely to block the spear's advance. Sparks flew in all directions from the clash of the sharp blade and spear tip.
I Mok-rim quickly twisted his wrist.
Bang!
With a loud crack, the dagger flew off the spear.
Gritting his teeth, I Mok-rim looked up at the walls to see a man staring down at him.
It was Mu Yun Qi.
Mu Yun Qi had appeared unnoticed, gazing down at I Mok-rim with a blank expression. In his hand was a sharp flying dagger no longer than three inches.
I Mok-rim prepared to smash the gate again. Just then, another dagger from Mu Yun Qi flew toward him.
I Mok-rim's reaction speed was no joke either.
Clang!
The dagger bounced off once more.
Suddenly, I Mok-rim shot toward the gate like an arrow. As he accelerated, a stream of energy coalesced around his body.
Spear Momentum!
I Mok-rim pushed his spear momentum to the limit. This level of power was more than enough to shatter the gate.
Watching this, Mu Yun Qi smirked coldly, drew his iron staff, and leaped down from the walls without hesitation.
I Mok-rim ignored Mu Yun Qi and thrust at the gate. At this distance, he figured he could destroy it before Mu Yun Qi arrived.
But he had underestimated Mu Yun Qi's speed.
From the moment he jumped, Mu Yun Qi's body gained ferocious acceleration.
Realizing Mu Yun Qi was faster than expected, I Mok-rim swiftly altered his spear's trajectory, thrusting upward into the air.
Thud!
With a dull impact, I Mok-rim's form was pushed back ten zhang.
At that moment, another dagger flashed before his eyes.
Fast!
Startled, I Mok-rim twisted his body hastily. The dagger grazed his nose bridge. Simultaneously, his spear swung forward like a dragon surging forth, a cold glint flashing at the tip.
His spear struck the iron staff Mu Yun Qi had swung at him. The staff shook violently, sending Mu Yun Qi retreating over ten zhang.
Mu Yun Qi glanced down to see the ground cracked everywhere. His palms were torn, blood trickling down the staff.
I Mok-rim shot Mu Yun Qi a brief glance before stomping lightly. His form exploded forward explosively.
But by the time his spear reached its target, Mu Yun Qi had already retreated to the gate.
'Fast!'
I Mok-rim furrowed his brow. Mu Yun Qi's speed was too quick to predict his movements.
Mu Yun Qi paused, staff lowered, scanning the surroundings. By now, countless soldiers were scaling the walls with ladders. Those in the Soaring Realm leaped straight over without them, stepping on the air.
Screams began echoing from the walls.
If even the walls fell in this situation, Gaeyang Fortress was truly done for.
In street fighting, Jiang Kingdom's soldiers couldn't possibly hold off the enemy's hundred thousand cavalry.
'I have to stop them!'
Mu Yun Qi gripped his staff tighter, his torn wounds splitting further, blood pouring out.
"Looks like I gotta play the hero for once."
Right then, I Mok-rim vanished from Mu Yun Qi's sight.
Mu Yun Qi bit his lip and stared straight ahead. He could flee, but the gate was behind him. No running away.
Suddenly, Mu Yun Qi's form shot into the air. His body spun like a top, countless staff shadows enveloping the area.
At that instant, I Mok-rim's spear stabbed at him like lightning.
Mu Yun Qi roared from midair.
"Horizontal Heaven Staff Art!"
As Mu Yun Qi swung his staff down, the myriad shadows converged, following the strike.
One Staff Horizontal Heaven!
This was the staff art Ji Yuan Zhang had left for him.
The moment spear and staff clashed!
Boom!
A deafening shockwave rang out.
Mu Yun Qi was flung back like a弹, crashing into the wall before plummeting to the ground.
I Mok-rim skidded back over thirty zhang. A deep chasm had formed before him—he had braced with his feet to avoid being pushed further.
Mu Yun Qi wiped the blood from his mouth and slowly stood. Meeting I Mok-rim's eyes, he flashed a sinister grin and shouted.
"Come on, you bastard! Keep coming!"
As I Mok-rim frowned and prepared to charge again, someone approached rapidly from behind.
Turning, I Mok-rim saw a man in his early twenties, clad in tight-fitting black robes. His long hair draped over his nape, eyes gleaming sharply.
In his right hand was a massive cleaver sword, broad-bladed and thin, with five small iron rings on the back.
The man dragged his cleaver along the ground, charging the gate at terrifying speed. The earth gouged deeply, a ferocious aura surging from his body. Nearby Cho Kingdom soldiers hurriedly cleared a path.
'Strong!'
Even I Mok-rim admired his movement.
A warrior from Jungto Sinju.
Meanwhile, Mu Yun Qi, backed against the gate, kept his eyes on the charging man. Deep down, he wanted to bolt right now.
He had already sustained internal injuries from that single exchange with I Mok-rim. Now, facing this intimidating warrior, he instinctively knew he couldn't handle it.
'One wrong move, and I'm dead!'
Suddenly, Mu Yun Qi howled toward the sky.
"Arrrgh! What the hell are you thinking!? I'm a Canglan Academy warrior, brother to Yeop Hyeon! Don't be a coward—fight, Mu Yun Qi!"
Mu Yun Qi gripped his iron staffs in both hands and charged the man.
His internal profound energy surged madly into the two staffs. Simultaneously, a strand of staff momentum emanated from his body. But it was pathetically weak compared to the opponent's aura.
Yet there was no fear on Mu Yun Qi's face. He simply accelerated further.
Under the gaze of countless soldiers, the distance between the two warriors shrank.
Five zhang, three zhang, two zhang, and...
The opponent's massive blade fell toward Mu Yun Qi's head.
Mu Yun Qi struck with both iron staffs.
Boom!
The giant blade shattered the staffs and headed for Mu Yun Qi's head. His pupils contracted sharply. Lightning-fast, Mu Yun Qi retreated, the blade embedding deeply where he had stood by a hair's breadth.
Immediately, the man released his blade and lunged, driving his knee into Mu Yun Qi's abdomen.
Mu Yun Qi's eyes bulged as his body bent like a bow, flying dozens of zhang to slam into the gate.
Thud!
The gate shook violently. As Mu Yun Qi's body hit the ground, dust billowed up.
The man extended his hand, and the blade flew back to him.
Then, he slowly advanced toward Mu Yun Qi.
Mu Yun Qi barely struggled to his feet, blood streaming ceaselessly from his mouth, excruciating pain like his organs were ruptured flooding him.
He wiped the blood from his lips.
"Damn it, Yeop Hyeon, you planning to show up only after I'm dead...?"
Mu Yun Qi glanced around hopefully, but Yeop Hyeon was nowhere in sight.
By now, the man had closed in right before him.
Mu Yun Qi began muttering nonstop like chanting a spell.
"Yeop Hyeon... big bro... Dean... Grandpa... Save me... I really don't wanna die..."