NOVPUBBut none of that mattered, what was important was that after that move, the entire front camp of Ma Teng’s Army had already plunged into utter chaos, and the Xiliang Iron Cavalry led by Zhang Xiu were all exhilarated. The strike just now had boosted morale even more than an attack from Lyu Bu himself.
"Charge, all forces! We will not return until the enemy’s Command Banner falls!" Zhang Xiu took a deep breath to suppress the emptiness of his Inner Breath and roared loudly. This roar spread for miles around, heard not just by every one of Zhang Xiu’s men, but also by Ma Teng and the others stationed in the Central Army.
"We will not return!" The echoes of Zhang Xiu’s men rose and fell, finally merging into one phrase that reverberated across the sky. Their fanatical belief rapidly revived the now-dimming Cloud Qi.
"Kill!" Zhang Xiu was the first to charge directly into Ma Teng’s front camp. The camp, already in disarray due to the heavy casualties inflicted by Zhang Xiu’s combined force strike, descended into complete chaos with Zhang Xiu’s army’s incursion.
"Don’t get entangled, charge straight to the Central Army!" With a single thrust of his spear, Zhang Xiu killed a centurion who attacked him and pressed directly toward Ma Teng’s Central Army Tent without entanglement.
In an instant, Zhang Xiu’s forces flooded the front camp like a surge of river water, the sound of the horses’ hooves as fierce as thunder.
The Cloud Qi of both sides had become completely entwined. Once inside the Central Army Tent, neither Zhang Xiu’s army nor Ma Teng’s Army retained the wild speed of the cavalry. The two sides were locked in brutal combat, their fighting sharp and bloody. The contest was no longer skill, but purely a matter of courage, morale, and resilience.
"To arms!" Ma Teng roared in a rage and led his trusted aides directly into the front lines of battle. At the same time, the Eight Banner Riders also led their aides into a ferocious attack on Zhang Xiu’s forces. Each of Xiliang’s leaders was a hard-bitten survivor of slaughterous battles, and for this reason, not one of them flinched from this carnage!
Zhang Xiu swung his Tiger Head Golden Spear wildly, each bloom of his spear technique representing the lives of several men falling under his spear.
"Hundred Flowers in Bloom!" Without hesitation, Zhang Xiu changed his Spear Technique, realizing the growing number of enemy soldiers accumulating around him.
It seems that all of Tong Yuan’s Spear Techniques for group attacks are related to flowers, whether it’s Falling Flowers, Rainstorm Pear Blossom, or Hundred Flowers in Bloom. Could this be a special hobby?
Within the midst of a Cloud Qi-enveloped fight, Zhang Xiu dared to use such an energy-draining combat method without any reservations, a testament to his boldness. Confident that even without his Inner Qi, his skills alone were enough to cut through the enemy ranks.
"Ma Teng!" After clearing out enemies in a few square meters with one strike, Zhang Xiu looked up from his breathing adjustment and immediately saw Ma Teng hacking down his soldiers. With a loud shout, he headed straight for Ma Teng.
At this moment, Ma Teng also noticed Zhang Xiu. Aware of the move that had just slain dozens of people, Ma Teng knew that this was likely an expert of Out-of-Body Inner Qi. Yet as the commander-in-chief, retreat without a fight was not an option, so he steeled himself and charged forward with his trusted aides.
Upon engaging, Ma Teng nearly fell to Zhang Xiu’s hand. Although the presence of the Cloud Qi severely limited the use of Inner Qi, Zhang Xiu remained one of the top experts in the land, even without Inner Qi, and when it came to skill alone, Zhang Xiu was more than capable of being in the top three.
"Do not hurt my father!" Ma Chao roared as he rushed forward, barely managing to block Zhang Xiu. Regrettably, Ma Chao, being thoroughly outmatched in strength, speed, skill, and experience, lasted less than ten moves before nearly being slain by the berserk Zhang Xiu.
"Do not harm my lord!" Pang De brandished his Great Sword and galloped to the battle, fighting Zhang Xiu alongside Ma Chao. However, they fell into disadvantage after just over a dozen moves.
"Quickly, go save the brother-in-arms!" Hann Sui yelled to the Eight Banner Riders.
Liang Xing, Hou Xuan, Cheng Yin, and others could no longer care about appearances; they threw themselves into the fray, joining Pang De and Ma Chao in their assault on Zhang Xiu, instantly suppressing his arrogant might.
Although Zhang Xiu was extremely powerful, he was completely suppressed by the Cloud Qi, which prevented him from unleashing the overwhelming combat power of an Inner Qi Manifestation master. He could only be disgruntled as he was surrounded and attacked by ten men, quickly falling at a disadvantage.
"Puchi!" Ma Chao’s spear directly slashed across Zhang Xiu’s waist, leaving a trail of blood on his body.
"Aaaaah! You all deserve to die!" In his desperation, Zhang Xiu could no longer care about the taboos his master had once spoken of. He held his spear in one hand and rapidly pressed various vital points on his body with the other. "Open for me!"
In an instant, Zhang Xiu completely ignored the Cloud Qi and his Inner Qi crazily surged out, "All of you, go to hell!"
The moment his Inner Qi burst forth, Zhang Xiu’s combat power soared to half of its normal level. Unleashing his Spear Technique, his move Falling Flowers was like mowing down grass. 𝖓𝔬𝔳𝔭𝔲𝔟.𝖈𝖔𝔪
"Open for me!" As the Spear Technique neared, Pang De’s blade burst forth with a black flame in a desperate slice at Zhang Xiu, while Ma Chao, also on death’s door, emitted a red glow as he frantically attacked Zhang Xiu.
"Pupupu!" Even though Pang De and Ma Chao’s attacks had blocked him, the residual Qi Force severely wounded all Eight Banner Riders.
"I will not spare you!" Zhang Xiu, with a cold glint in his eyes, looked at the ascending Pang De and Ma Chao and thrust his spear at them in attack.
However, it was too bad that it was the moment of martial generals’ essence ascension. The mere Cloud Qi could not hold back the rising Inner Qi of the two men at all. The three masters of Inner Qi Manifestation completely ignored the Cloud Qi and engaged in a frenzied battle, swiftly slaughtering a large number of soldiers around them like cutting grass!
[I can’t keep this up. At most, I have half a cup of tea’s time before I can no longer maintain the secret technique. The one and only chance to use the secret technique!] Zhang Xiu was going crazy. Once his Inner Qi was gone now, he would definitely be killed by the two newly advanced lesser Inner Qi Manifestation weaklings!
[Who the hell is this freak!] Ma Chao ferociously attacked Zhang Xiu. Up to now, he still didn’t know who this supreme expert was. If the person in front of him had been wielding the Sky Piercer, Ma Chao would have certainly thought his opponent was Lyu Bu, but this person was using the same spear as he was!
Pang De gave Ma Chao a signal; their essence ascension was nearly over, and the Cloud Qi would begin suppressing them again. The two unleashed their strongest strikes in a frenzy and then turned their horses and ran back.
The moment Zhang Xiu was pushed back by the two, the Inner Qi on his body vanished, and a wave of dizziness suddenly hit him. He felt uncomfortable all over. Biting the tip of his tongue, he forcefully maintained his stature. Zhang Xiu watched the direction in which Pang De and Ma Chao had fled and bellowed, "Chase them!"
Those already frightened by Zhang Xiu’s frenzied combat power fled without looking back; as for the soldiers who had attacked Zhang Xiu earlier, they had been slain by Zhang Xiu during his berserk phase with an unparalleled grass-cutting fervor.
"Don’t even think about getting away, Ma Teng!" Zhang Xiu bellowed with effort. Then, he rode his horse and chased forward, but after not running for a few hundred meters, he spewed out a mouthful of blood and had to sit on his horse with difficulty.
[I greatly underestimated the side effects my master mentioned; fortunately, I only used the technique for the time it takes to brew a cup of tea.] Zhang Xiu spat out blood in large mouthfuls, his face pale. [How could a mere mortal withstand such a technique for an hour!]
"Mission accomplished without disgrace." Zhang Xiu threw the Command Banner of Ma Teng and the Eight Banner Riders in front of Fan Chou. "Hann Sui escaped too quickly, and I didn’t get his Command Banner, and it’s even more unfortunate I didn’t get their heads. However, they’re now incapable of battling again anytime soon."
Fan Chou looked at Zhang Xiu in shock. Zhang Xiu had truly achieved a cavalry war deed even more impressive than that of Lyu Bu. Although Lyu Bu’s battle was against a hundred thousand Xiliang Iron Cavalry, and Zhang Xiu’s was against a hundred thousand Qiang Cavalry, with a significant difference in combat power between them, Zhang Xiu had won a clean and decisive victory.
No matter what, with just his single troop, Zhang Xiu had triumphed over the hundred thousand Qiang Cavalry protected by a military camp. From then on, his name spread far and wide. At the same time, rumor spread that both Ma Chao and Pang De had each stepped into Inner Qi Manifestation, making Ma Teng’s forces the most formidable in Liangzhou. (To be continued. If you like this work, welcome to Qidian (qidian.com) to cast recommendation votes and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please read on m.qidian.com.)
