Chapter 118: Turmoil in Beiting, A Crucial Decision in Crisis

Seeing the latter flee in the opposite direction, Han Chong immediately deactivated his Agility Technique.

Even so, no fewer than a thousand desert insects had locked onto him, and their flight speed was nearly half again as fast as his running speed. The sound of buzzing wings filled the air as more insects emerged from all directions to intercept him. If this continued, the fierce beast might escape, while he would be consumed by a swarm of thousands.

Fortunately, having just mastered the technique of sonic merit attacks, Han Chong suddenly exhaled a golden ring of merit toward his rear. This roar engulfed the space for several dozen yards behind him, and the dense swarm was sent into such a disoriented state by the blast that they began falling to the ground one after another.

However, the insects were vicious; after staggering, they took flight once more to pursue him. After Han Chong repeated the maneuver three times, some of the demon insects finally fell to the ground, unable to rise, having been killed outright by the shockwaves.

Half an hour later, Han Chong stopped, panting heavily. Not a single one of the thousand-plus demon insects remained; their corpses littered the ground for miles. The insect tide had been nipped in the bud; otherwise, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

He had not expected that this encounter with the sonic-attacking Feng Yuxiao would turn into a blessing in disguise, allowing him to discover this method of dealing with desert insects.

He only wondered about the origins of that fierce beast. Given its behavior, could it be another vengeful spirit?

At that moment, the fierce beast had also transformed into human form. Looking back toward the direction of Han Chong's escape with lingering fear, it felt extremely frustrated. Could it be that the golden light unleashed by that brat was the legendary power of merit? It had been forced to reveal its true form, yet instead of killing him, it had inadvertently helped him master a sonic technique.

Hearing the continuous, earth-shaking sonic booms from afar, it couldn't help but wonder: could this boy’s sonic technique actually destroy desert insects? This was something even its own Piercing Soul Xiao sonic technique struggled to achieve. If he survived this, he would surely become a major threat. However, it dared not pursue him again; it might not be lucky enough to escape an insect tide a second time.

...

In the central command tent of the Bilu army.

"What? Even you, Fellow Daoist Xiaoling, could not kill that black-clad swordsman? What are we to do? Our grain supplies are exhausted, and reinforcements from the Great Feng Dynasty could arrive at any moment. Once we are defeated in the initial battle, how can we talk about marching on Great Feng?" Marshal Pilu asked, his surprise mixed with dissatisfaction.

"Hmph, it is not that my strength is lacking, but that the boy is a madman. When pushed to the brink, he uses essence-based techniques to draw in massive swarms of insects. What do you expect me to do?" The white-robed man stood with his arms crossed, his voice cold.

"Do not take offense, Fellow Daoist Xiaoling. I spoke out of turn in my anxiety; I have no intention of blaming you. I only hope you can devise a foolproof plan for me, otherwise, I will have no choice but to call off the campaign and retreat."

"Hmph, can that boy, with his own strength, block the advance of two hundred thousand troops? Since he is harassing us from the outside, we shall strike from within the Northern Court Prefecture, take the city in one fell swoop, and he will have no choice but to admit defeat."

"Oh? I await your guidance, Fellow Daoist Xiaoling."

...

Han Chong stood on a mountain peak to the south, looking down. The Bilu camp was quiet; they had ceased sending out flying cavalry to raid the villages, which was highly abnormal. He did not believe that, without grain, they could last long—even if they borrowed supplies from the Shule Kingdom camp to the north. Once the Left Wei Guard army arrived, their forces would surely collapse.

At the third watch, Han Chong was suddenly awakened by the movement of the Bilu army below. Nearly two hundred thousand troops were lined up in formation, yet they did not move, as if waiting for a specific opportunity. It was truly bizarre. Was the enemy planning to launch an attack at dawn?

Half an hour later, a violent flash of white light erupted from within Northern Court City, accompanied by a thunderous roar, followed by billowing smoke and soaring flames!

*Not good, something is wrong in the city!*

Immediately after, the Bilu army, led by their generals, launched an attack on Northern Court City, and from the north, the sound of battle cries shook the heavens!

Han Chong rushed down the hillside and reached the East City Gate, climbing it rapidly. He saw that the garrison was in total chaos, the people were panicked, and flames were spreading through the center of the city, with citizens fleeing in a jumble.

Han Chong flew into the city, leaping across rooftops toward the Grand Protector's mansion. Half an hour later, he finally found General Xun and the others. The lieutenants were unscathed, but General Xun and his three companions had tattered armor, their faces covered in black ash, and blood trickling from the corners of their mouths.

"General Xun, Brother Leng, what happened? Why is there such chaos in the city? How were you injured?"

"Brother Han! It really is you. Tonight was Grand Protector Duan's fiftieth birthday, and he invited all the officers to a banquet at his mansion. Grand Protector Duan produced a glowing white jade turtle as a gift for Grand Protector Shang and the others to admire. Who would have thought that the exquisite turtle would suddenly explode with the force of a collapsing heaven? Grand Protector Shang and Deputy Grand Protector Ding were killed on the spot, and many officers were casualties! We four, not liking Grand Protector Duan, had made excuses to stay in a corner, so our injuries were light; otherwise, we would have perished!" Leng Feichen explained hurriedly.

"Outrageous! This is a conspiracy. Where is Grand Protector Duan?"

"He disappeared the moment the explosion occurred."

"General Xun, now that the armies of two nations are attacking the city and the Northern Court defense forces are without a leader, the city is on the verge of falling. What should we do?" General Li asked.

"We were intended to be used as a final line of defense, but there are hundreds of thousands of civilians in the city. If we draw in an insect tide, while it might destroy the enemy armies, it would also result in the deaths of those hundreds of thousands of people. I am at my wits' end. General Han, what do you think we should do?" General Xun looked at Han Chong with a haggard expression.

"At this point, most of the generals in the Protector's mansion are dead or injured. We must take command and organize the defense; perhaps there is a glimmer of hope. Otherwise, the city will fall and the army will be defeated, and even if we escape, we will be executed by the imperial court."

"This... but we belong to the Demon-Slaying Battalion and cannot interfere with local military and political affairs, or we will be punished by the court."

"General Xun, in this moment of life and death, a general in the field is not bound by the orders of the sovereign. Why are you still obsessing over such trivial details? If we delay any longer, I fear it will be too late even if we want to act."

"Very well. It is death either way, so we shall follow your lead, General Han. You deploy us."

"Good. Then I will take responsibility. General Xun, hold the North Gate. General Li, you two hold the East and West Gates. General Leng, hold the South Gate. Each of you take ten lieutenants. If any garrison troops refuse to obey, kill them without mercy!"

"Ha, we are all going to guard the gates, but where are you going, General Han?" General Li asked with a cold laugh.

"Grand Protector Duan orchestrated this to harm the officers; he surely has more than one trick up his sleeve. If he opens the city gates, he will certainly welcome the enemy in. I swear to hunt him down and kill him."

"Very well. General Li, say no more. Our lives are tied to the fate of Northern Court Prefecture. Move out and follow General Han's orders at once!"

"Understood." The generals immediately led their lieutenants to the various gates.

Han Chong surmised that the Duan-surnamed Protector must be heading to either the North or South Gate. And since his attack occurred after the white-robed man appeared south of the Bilu camp, could there be a connection between them?