txolops Chapter 216 Soldiers Dispel the Killing Aura, Chan Sect Breaks the Four Formations
Chapter 216 Soldiers Dispel the Killing Aura, Chan Sect Breaks the Four Formations
A quarter of an hour later, the entire mansion was still filled with the sounds of arguing, as no one wanted to take the blame.
Amidst this irritating clamor, San Yisheng steadily stepped forward and bowed deeply to Ji Chang.
"Your Excellency is a benevolent ruler and a role model for all people. Such matters should not be undertaken by Your Excellency."
But for the sake of the people of Xiqi, the one who removes the evil energy from the formation must absolutely not be a citizen of Xiqi.
As soon as he finished speaking, a buzz of discussion erupted from the audience.
Manjushri, the Heavenly Venerable of Vast Dharma, had a faint smile on his lips as his gaze fell on San Yisheng, revealing a hint of interest.
San Yisheng ignored the others and continued to explain to Ji Chang:
"My lord, after the defeat of the two southeastern towns, a large number of remnants of the army came to join my Xiqi. If we count carefully, there are about 70,000 to 80,000 of them."
They are not the people of my Xiqi clan; now is the time to send them out to wear down the malevolent energy of the Ten Deadly Formations with their own flesh and blood.”
Upon hearing this, Ji Chang slammed his hand on the table, abruptly stood up, his face filled with heartache and anger:
"Absurd! Since they have already pledged allegiance to Xiqi and sought refuge, they are now my subjects. How could Xiqi possibly commit such an unjust act? If we did, wouldn't the hearts of the people of the world be utterly chilled!"
"My lord! Please consider the fate of the nation!"
San Yisheng bowed again, his tone earnest and firm.
The ministers below were all quick-witted and immediately understood the profound meaning and subtlety of San Yisheng's words.
Using defeated soldiers from outside the region not only avoids damaging the foundation of Xiqi, but also solves the problem. What's even better is that this decision was not made by Ji Chang, the benevolent ruler.
As a result, voices of dissuasion arose one after another, urging Ji Chang to consider the overall situation.
However, Ji Chang simply flicked his sleeves heavily, his face filled with sorrow, and without uttering another word, turned and left the council hall.
Ji Fa, who had been standing quietly to the side, stepped forward, his gaze sweeping over the crowd, and said in a deep voice:
"Gentlemen, my father loves the people like his own children, and his mind is made up. This matter should not be mentioned again in the future."
Having said that, he quickly followed Ji Chang away.
They left one after another, and the officials in the hall also left in quick succession, fearing that if they were a step too late, they would be implicated in the scandal.
In the blink of an eye, only San Yisheng, Nangong Shi, Jiang Ziya, Manjushri Guangfa Tianzun, Yu Ding Zhenren, and a few other cultivators remained in the huge council hall.
Nangong Shi was in charge of military power and was an expert in battle, but he was somewhat inept at political affairs.
He frowned, looking puzzled, and asked:
"Prime Minister, Grand Master, the Marquis has clearly and firmly refused... what should we do?"
San Yisheng glanced at him and shook his head helplessly:
"General Nangong, don't you understand the Marquis's deeper meaning?"
"A deeper meaning? Didn't the Marquis forbid us from doing that?"
San Yisheng sighed, no longer explaining to him, and turned to Jiang Ziya and the other immortals, solemnly cupping his hands and asking:
"Prime Minister, esteemed immortals, if we truly send someone into the formation to sacrifice their life to dispel the malevolent energy, are you all absolutely certain that we can then break through the Ten Deadly Formations?"
This matter is of great importance, and he must get a definite answer.
If lives are lost and the malevolent energy diminishes slightly, but these immortals are unable to break the formation, then Xiqi will have lost both its wife and its army, adding to its sins.
Upon hearing this, Manjushri Bodhisattva and Jade Cauldron Immortal remained silent, their gazes calm as they nodded slightly.
But that was enough. San Yisheng knew that these immortals of the Chan Sect valued face and promises the most, and such a statement was a great guarantee.
He made up his mind and turned to look at Nangong Shi, who was still in a daze.
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"General Nangong, in this urgent situation, you must act expediently. Immediately gather the routed soldiers and order them to break out of the city in separate routes, each rushing into one of the ten gates."
If there aren't enough people, we'll fill the ranks with refugees and prisoners from the city—we must make sure the numbers are met!
Upon hearing this, Nangong Shi's eyes widened, his face filled with shock and disbelief:
"San Yisheng! Have you gone mad? Leaving aside how many lives will be lost unjustly, the Marquis has just explicitly forbidden this; you are overstepping your authority, a capital offense!"
"Foolish! If we don't do this, the entire city of Xiqi will be turned into a dead zone, with no one left alive. At that time, it won't just be a matter of tens of thousands of lives."
Why do you think the Marquis stormed off? How could a benevolent ruler allow himself to bear such eternal infamy? Now, it is precisely what we must do!
Nangong Shi was shocked and instantly understood all the key points.
Without saying another word, he clasped his hands in a deep fist salute to San Yisheng, turned around and strode out of the Marquis's residence, mounted his horse, and galloped towards the military camp.
At the same time, the Ten Deadly Formations outside Xiqi City were operating with great force under the full impetus of the Ten Heavenly Lords, continuously contracting inward.
At this rate, it would probably only take half an hour for that terrifying aura to reach the walls of Xiqi.
Nangong Shi truly lived up to his reputation as a seasoned general on the battlefield, acting with swift and decisive action.
From mobilizing troops to issuing military orders, the entire process took only 15 minutes.
To prevent these soldiers from collapsing or causing trouble before their departure, Manjushri Bodhisattva secretly used illusion magic.
In the eyes of these soldiers, the dark red aura outside the city had dissipated, and it was the perfect opportunity to counterattack the Yin Shang enemy army.
Driven by their fighting spirit, tens of thousands of soldiers surged out from all four city gates, shouting as they went.
Nangong Shi, who was overseeing the battle from behind the main army, could only sigh silently upon witnessing this scene.
However, the original plan of "split the troops into ten routes and launch attacks from four gates" did not proceed as planned.
The army, which should have been divided into ten groups, unexpectedly converged into four torrents after pouring out of the four gates.
Therefore, the soldiers who left the city only managed to enter four major formations: Frost, Blood Transformation, Blazing Flames, and Red Sand.
As soon as the soldiers entered the formation, several screams came from within.
With the deaths of these soldiers, the malevolent energy gathered in the four great formations was significantly weakened.
Suddenly, Manjushri, Jade Cauldron, and Yang Jian, who had been preparing for a long time, made their move almost simultaneously.
Manjushri and Yang Jian charged towards the formations on the east and west sides respectively.
Jade Cauldron Immortal, wielding the Pangu Banner, charged straight at the North and South formations.
The power of those four great formations has been greatly reduced because their malevolent energy has been weakened.
The three acted swiftly, breaking through four formations in an instant with lightning speed, and the four Heavenly Lords guarding the formations also perished.
After succeeding, they immediately withdrew to avoid being surrounded by the remaining formations.
The Ten Heavenly Lords, who were focused on controlling the formation, were unable to spare any time to provide assistance. By the time they were free, the four had already perished.
"Senior brother, there are only six formations left now, what should we do?"
Manjushri flashed to the side of Jade Cauldron Immortal and asked urgently.
Master Yu Ding frowned. He had already sensed when he broke the two formations that if he did not have the Pangu Banner, a supreme innate treasure, it would be extremely difficult for one person to break the two formations at the same time.
As he was pondering, the Ten Heavenly Lords spared no expense to push the formation to its limit.
This not only filled the gaps left by the breach in the four formations, but also caused the entire formation to shake violently.
"Senior Brother Yu Ding, if we cannot break this stalemate, once this formation explodes, I fear Xiqi City will be reduced to dust!"