Chapter 62

Four thousand troops of the Yuan army lined up outside the southern gate of Gaomi.

Yuan Fang stood on horseback, his gaze as sharp as a blade, coldly observing the city being consumed by flames.

The destructive power of nature was truly unimaginable. Only now did Yuan Fang realize why, in history, Zhou Yu's fire at Chibi could bring down Cao Cao's hundreds of thousands of troops.

Although Yuan Fang's fire was not as grand as the one at Chibi, it was more than enough to rout Zang Ba's ten thousand troops from Xu Province.

The flames had already spread to the southern gate. A hundred paces away, the drawbridge was lowered, and the city gates were thrown open. The disheveled soldiers of Xu Province, like ants fleeing a collapsing nest, pushed and shoved each other, rushing out of the city gates in a panic.

Behind them lay a sea of red flames. Yuan Fang could vaguely see the figures enveloped in fire, moving about, their screams of agony piercing the heart.

The flames of the firestorm illuminated the area for miles, as clear as daylight.

Yuan Fang stood on horseback, calm and composed, able to see the terrified expressions of the enemy soldiers clearly.

Seeing a large group of enemy soldiers fleeing, Yuan Fang's brows furrowed, and he shouted, "Kill—"

With a long cry, riding a white horse and clad in silver armor, Yuan Fang, wielding his skull-crushing club, charged forward like a bolt of white lightning.

"Kill—"

"Kill—"

Behind him, the four thousand Yuan army infantry, their blood boiling, roared in unison, breaking their formation and surging forward like a flood, sweeping towards the fleeing enemies.

The Xu Province soldiers who had managed to escape the city never expected to be ambushed by the enemy outside. Most of them were without weapons or armor, and with their morale shattered, they were unable to resist the sudden attack of the Yuan army.

In an instant, the Xu Province soldiers were thrown into a state of panic.

Yuan Fang, wielding his heavy club, charged into the enemy ranks, his club sweeping in all directions.

Wherever the 92-pound skull-crushing club passed, countless heads were smashed, countless bodies were flung away, and the ground was splattered with brains and blood, the air filled with the stench of death.

The four thousand Yuan army soldiers, like tigers among sheep, ruthlessly hunted the panicked enemies, causing the Xu Province soldiers to scream and wail, their bodies strewn across the ground.

Amidst the carnage, Zang Ba finally broke through the city gates.

Just as he was about to breathe a sigh of relief, he suddenly saw his soldiers being brutally slaughtered by the enemy.

In an instant, Zang Ba realized the truth.

The appearance of the Yuan army outside the city proved that this was a premeditated plan by Yuan Fang, which meant that the fire in the city was also set by Yuan Fang.

He also realized why he had taken Gaomi without a fight. It was not because Yuan Fang was afraid, but because he had deliberately set a trap, letting Zang Ba jump into the fire pit of Gaomi.

"Fang said Yuan Fang only won by luck, but how could he have such cunning plans? How did he set the city on fire from outside? This is impossible..."

Zang Ba was filled with shock and confusion. No matter how hard he tried, he could not understand how Yuan Fang had managed to set the city ablaze from outside.

He had no time to think further. The Yuan army was slaughtering mercilessly, and if he hesitated any longer, he would surely be surrounded and killed.

In a state of shock, Zang Ba did not think much and immediately spurred his horse into the chaos, desperately trying to break through the Yuan army's encirclement.

Zang Ba was no ordinary warrior. Although the Yuan army's momentum was great, their numbers were not. Wielding a large spear, Zang Ba charged through the chaos, and no one could stop him.

Just as he was about to break through and escape, he suddenly noticed a young general in the chaos, wielding an iron club, ruthlessly slaughtering his soldiers.

"From what Liu Bei said, Yuan Fang uses an iron club. Could this young general be Yuan Fang?"

Zang Ba's thick brows furrowed, and a murderous intent flashed across his fierce face.

Today's defeat was a bitter pill for Zang Ba to swallow. If he fled back to Xu Province in such a state, he would have no face to stand there.

All of this was caused by that Yuan Fang boy.

Killing him would give him a chance to turn the tide.

With the thought of killing, Zang Ba did not flee. He spurred his horse and charged forward, shouting, "Yuan Fang, boy, give me your life—"

Yuan Fang, who was in the midst of a fierce battle, suddenly heard a roar behind him. Turning around, he saw a disheveled, bearded general charging towards him.

Yuan Fang was not afraid. He turned his horse, let out a low cry, and swung his skull-crushing club.

Zang Ba, riding his horse, faced the heavy club without flinching, and his large spear shot forward like lightning.

Clang!

The sound of metal clashing, sparks flying.

As Zang Ba passed by, he felt a slight numbness in his palm. The force from the heavy club had shaken his blood and qi.

After one exchange, Zang Ba was startled. He thought to himself, "Liu Bei said this boy's martial arts were at most in the late stage of tendon contraction, but from this move, it seems he has already reached the early stage of membrane condensation!"

Zang Ba did not know that Liu Bei's assessment of Yuan Fang's martial arts was from a few months ago. Yuan Fang, using the regenerative abilities of his bio-enhanced body, had trained day and night, and his martial arts had long since entered the membrane condensation stage.

Surprised, Zang Ba was instead spurred on. He turned his horse and charged back, his large spear raining down on Yuan Fang like a storm.

Such fierce strength, such rapid and fierce moves, his martial arts were far superior to any of Yuan Fang's previous opponents.

"Trouble, I've hit a hard target. This man's martial arts are deep and strong, at least in the late stage of membrane condensation, just a step away from the bone forging stage. This must be Zang Ba..."

In the Xu Province army, only Zang Ba had such strength.

Yuan Fang did not expect to encounter Zang Ba in the chaos, and his martial arts were so strong that he was completely overpowered in just a few moves.

In a moment of desperation, the veins on Yuan Fang's arms bulged as he tried to increase his explosive power, using his bio-enhanced body's ability to withstand self-injury to counter Zang Ba's fierce attacks.

But Yuan Fang soon realized that Zang Ba's spear was like a wall of wind and rain, fast as lightning, leaving him no chance to catch his breath, let alone launch a counterattack.

Yuan Fang realized that the deeper one's martial arts, the more profound and powerful they became. With the gap of two stages between him and Zang Ba, he could no longer use the sudden burst of power to surprise and kill Zang Ba as he had done with Shan Jing.

Because even if he unleashed his potential, the strength he could exert would only be on par with Zang Ba's normal state.

"This Zang Ba is too strong. Thirty-six stratagems, retreat first."

Yuan Fang's mind raced, and he quickly made a decision. He勉强 attacked a few more times and then turned his horse to flee.

"Yuan Fang, where are you running? Leave your life behind!" Zang Ba, emboldened by his confidence, did not allow Yuan Fang to escape and pursued him fiercely.

If Yuan Fang had tried to force his way out, Zang Ba would not have caught up, but the heavy skull-crushing club was a burden, slowing down his horse.

Zang Ba, without armor, was lightly equipped and quickly closed the gap.

Yuan Fang was startled again and quickly hung his club, drew his bow, and shot an arrow at Zang Ba.

Hearing the bowstring, Zang Ba anticipated the arrow and quickly ducked.

The arrow, however, did not aim at Zang Ba but veered off to the side.

"This boy's archery is terrible, truly a gift from heaven." Seeing Yuan Fang's poor archery, Zang Ba became even more reckless and charged forward.

Yuan Fang shot several more arrows, but they all missed, none of them posing a threat.

"Damn, I focused too much on martial arts and neglected archery. This could cost me my life in a critical moment!"

Yuan Fang cursed inwardly but could only continue shooting. His poor archery did not stop Zang Ba from closing in, and in a moment, Zang Ba was only seven steps away.

His brows furrowed, he pulled the bowstring taut. In his eyes, Zang Ba's small figure swayed from side to side, making it impossible to aim.

There was only one arrow left in his quiver. If this one missed, Yuan Fang's fate today would be uncertain.

At that moment, Yuan Fang suddenly felt a strange change in his eyes.