Chapter 98

Chen Hai swung his Frost-Quenched Golden Halberd like a raging dragon, exuding a fierce and violent aura, as if the flames of his anger could incinerate the fleeing soldiers who had slandered him.

The fleeing general, who had reached the late-stage Spirit Opening Realm and held a significant position in his clan, had always restrained himself and not directly attacked the South City Gate, believing his foundation was strong enough. However, he never expected Chen Hai to charge at him so fiercely. In a panic, he swung his Cast Silver Spear to block the Frost-Quenched Golden Halberd, which seemed to strike like lightning.

The immense force that rebounded made the fleeing general feel as if a ten-thousand-jun stone cliff had collided with his arms. His breath caught in his chest, his blood flowed backward, and he felt extremely uncomfortable. The fleeing general was greatly alarmed but reacted quickly. In the dim spiritual sea, his soul and will condensed into a Sea-Shaking Golden Bell, which he activated with the secret Sea-Shaking Golden Bell Technique. True essence from his spiritual sea surged into his limbs, and his body was instantly enveloped in a golden glow, barely managing to withstand the terrifying force. However, he heard a crisp crack beneath him, and the four hooves of his Qingjiao horse were crushed.

The fleeing general was greatly alarmed, never expecting that this bearded man, who appeared to be only at the early-stage Spirit Opening Realm, two minor realms below him, would possess such divine strength. A single slash nearly shattered his entire body.

What a terrifying martial prowess!

This man could not be a general of the Crane Soaring Army; otherwise, such a naturally gifted warrior would not be unknown. But he had also never heard of such a warrior in the Martial Might Army!

Cultivation realm is not everything. Even among cultivators, those with extraordinary talents possess far greater abilities than their peers at the same realm. However, such talented individuals are always highly valued and would not remain unknown.

Although the fleeing general had managed to withstand the immense force, he was still in great discomfort and let out a deep breath. Before he could catch his breath or voice his doubts, Chen Hai stepped on the forehead of the Qingjiao horse that was about to fall, and with a fluid motion, delivered the second slash without any pause.

"Damn, what kind of halberd is this?" The fleeing general felt that Chen Hai's second slash was not only faster and more ruthless than the first, but also even more powerful.

Chen Hai's Ten-Step Water-Cutting Slash, with each step and each slash, aimed to sever the surging flood in front of him. With each slash, the Shattered True Intent embedded in the halberd blade grew stronger. By the fourth slash, the Shattered True Intent, though not fully formed, had already severed the fleeing general's Cast Silver Spear in half.

The fleeing general never expected that Chen Hai, who appeared to be of a lower cultivation, would possess such divine strength and martial prowess. Despite being two minor realms higher, he was being brutally defeated and could only manage to cast two Flame Talismans in a hurry.

Chen Hai did not dodge or evade, stepping into the wall of raging flames. The momentum of his halberd swing pushed the flames aside, leaving him unharmed.

The fleeing general, in a panic, retreated and shouted for help, "Bao Bo, save me!"

At that moment, three streams of golden light shot out from the chaotic soldiers and enveloped the fleeing general, instantly transforming into three layers of Vajra Secret Armor that covered his entire body.

It wasn't that the rescuer was slow; it was that Chen Hai's attack was too fast and sudden. By the time the fleeing general and his followers reacted, Chen Hai had already taken four steps and delivered four slashes.

To avoid the halberd blade, the fleeing general's Qingjiao horse had its four hooves crushed, and he had to retreat with each slash, disrupting the formation behind him. His protector, Bao Bo, who was right behind him, couldn't even find a side to attack from.

Seeing Bao Bo cast three layers of Vajra Secret Armor to protect him, the fleeing general regained his composure. He discarded his broken spear and activated the spirit sword on his back, which hummed as he prepared to slash at Chen Hai.

Bao Bo, who had cast three layers of Vajra Secret Armor, was also a late-stage Spirit Opening Realm cultivator. However, Chen Hai's continuous slashes, like a flowing stream, were relentless. The fifth slash shattered one layer of Vajra Secret Armor.

The fleeing general was horrified, never expecting that Bao Bo's Vajra Secret Armor would be so ineffective, unable to withstand a single slash from this man.

"Useless coward, open your dog eyes and see if your grandpa is a spy!" Chen Hai roared in anger, delivering the sixth slash, which shattered another layer of Vajra Secret Armor. The remaining momentum of the halberd blade struck the third layer, causing the golden secret runes to ripple and shake violently.

The fleeing general didn't even have time to draw his spirit sword from its sheath.

The bearded man's halberd slashes were so fast that he needed to flee. At this moment, the fleeing general had only one thought: to escape. He grabbed two nearby soldiers and threw them in front of Chen Hai's halberd, then cast a talisman that enveloped him in a stream of light, increasing his speed and turning him into a green shadow as he fled north.

Chen Hai's seventh slash, aimed to the left, split a small officer from head to waist, blood splattering everywhere.

The eighth slash, aimed straight ahead, split a soldier in half, and the momentum continued, cutting another small officer in half at the waist.

The ninth slash killed two more soldiers, and at this moment, the area around Chen Hai resembled a sea of blood and a hellish battlefield. The surrounding soldiers, though holding their weapons, trembled and dared not approach.

The Ten-Step Water-Cutting Slash, with each step and each slash, required the tenth slash to be delivered, or else the limited true essence in Chen Hai's spiritual sea would be consumed by the halberd's intent, causing a backlash to his meridians.

Before the tenth slash was delivered, a dark shadow, like a solid mass of evil flames, rushed toward Chen Hai. In that instant, Chen Hai seemed like a descending demon, his eyes glowing with a blood-red light. The soldier in front of him, as if a wooden stake, fell backward, having been frightened to death.

At that moment, a dark shadow, spreading like a small black cloud, rushed toward Chen Hai's head.

If someone had looked up, they would have seen the black banner, about seven meters wide, enveloping a mass of lightning and thunder, about to strike Chen Hai.

Chen Hai, filled with surging battle intent, delivered the tenth slash at the black banner.

The black banner, as if struck by a powerful force, was swept away like a frightened beast, retreating wildly. The black-robed man who had cast the black banner from the city did not expect Chen Hai's halberd to be so powerful. He was violently thrown backward, losing control and falling to the ground.

The black banner was retracted, but the mass of lightning it had contained was scattered by the halberd blade, turning into dozens of lightning columns that struck in all directions.

The surrounding soldiers, already intimidated by Chen Hai's martial prowess, were now struck by the chaotic lightning columns, causing chaos and panic. They scattered, as if the black banner and lightning were specifically prepared to help Chen Hai break through.

At this moment, Wu Meng and Zhou Jun led the bandit soldiers into the fray. Chen Hai sat back on the Qingjiao horse, coldly watching the fleeing soldiers who dared not approach. He spat on the ground and angrily shouted, "Useless cowards, who dares to slander me as a spy again?"

Wu Meng and Zhou Jun secretly laughed, never expecting Chen Hai to be so convincing in his act.

Under the protection of Wu Meng, Zhou Jun, and others, Chen Hai slowly retreated to the city gate.

The Ten-Step Water-Cutting Slash was extremely fierce, and the ten slashes had consumed most of his true essence. He could only rely on Spirit Nourishing Pills to recover a small amount of true essence. However, the surrounding fleeing soldiers and bandits were already terrified by Chen Hai's ten slashes and suspected that the rumors were fabricated. They watched as Chen Hai and his group retreated to the city gate.

"Have you also been deceived by the lies of those cowards?"

Ding Shuang, suppressing his inner turmoil, saw the hesitation in the surrounding military officers and shouted, urging them to quickly organize the civilian militia to defend the South City Gate against the fleeing soldiers.

Ding Shuang knew they couldn't stop the fleeing soldiers from questioning, but as long as they could deceive the civilian militia and guards on the city walls, and prevent them from being "deceived" and causing a mutiny, they could still hold the South City Gate.

Ding Shuang saw the military officers, though still hesitant, urging the civilian militia to form an array below the city. He breathed a sigh of relief, never expecting Chen Hai to maintain the fabricated lie at this critical moment. However, he had to admit that Chen Hai's charge out of the city tower had left an indelible impression of invincibility.

Regardless of friend or foe, an invincible warrior naturally commands greater respect and leadership.

As long as Chen Hai's image of invincibility remained unbroken, even if some had doubts, they might choose to go along with the lie.

Maintaining this lie, at worst, they could all join the Martial Might Army together. Otherwise, if a mutiny or collapse occurred, they and their families in the city gate would be consumed by the rage of thousands of fleeing soldiers.

More and more details confirmed for the fleeing generals that the group blocking the South City Gate were spies of the Martial Might Army, and the city's guards had been deceived. The black-robed man even pointed out Chen Hai, Wu Meng, and Zhou Jun's identities in the Martial Might Army, and the promised reinforcements had not arrived.

The vanguard of the Martial Might Army, after sweeping through Salt River City, could advance south at any time, leaving them little time to escape. Even if it was a lie, the fleeing generals and clan leaders decided to join forces to break through the South City Gate. They were determined to send their elite forces, along with other desperate fleeing soldiers, to press against the South City Gate.