Chapter 463 Part 2
Our Discord Server: https://discord.gg/PazjBDkTmW
You can buy coins here to unlock advanced chapters: https://gravitytales.com/coins-purchase-page/
Chapter 463 Part 2: Who Is the Supreme Genius (2)
Li Changshi stayed silent, simply nodding.
This person is indeed Li Changge, his clan brother, who together with the Li brothers set off forty years ago to attack the Great Dao Sect.
Back then, Li Changge was among the top two figures under Martial Saint among the elite of the Great Yan army.
Martial Saint’s "Martial Saint Spiritual Technique," Li Changshi and others’ "Military Spiritual Technique," or Qiao Mu’s "Spiritual Sound Conducting Technique"…
The root of all these techniques lies in Li Changge’s "Spiritual Technique."
Li Changge was also one of the brightest talents of the previous generation, ranking as the twelfth superb martial artist in the martial world of the last generation.
He led the army to cover Martial Saint’s retreat, escorting him out of the Hundred-mile Desert, and then led the remaining troops to hold their ground in the isolated city.
Twenty years later, he broke through to the superb rank on his deathbed, but in the end, he was defeated by a cultivator and died at the hands of a cultivator from the Great Dao Sect.
At this point, the lonely city’s remaining troops were decreasing day by day, and when Qiao Mu entered the city, only around three hundred soldiers were left of the once mighty army of one hundred thousand.
In fact, it was not just Li Changge alone.
Among the Taoist soldier army summoned by the cultivators of the Great Dao Sect, the veteran soldiers also saw many familiar Taoist figures from deep in their memories.
"Military officer Chen?"
"General Li?!"
Hai Siyuan and the others looked from afar at those familiar yet unfamiliar faces, feeling overwhelmed.
"Li Changshi, no one has ever come back from the dead in this world." Qiao Xin said calmly:
"And the so-called Taoist soldiers are actually similar to puppets created through Immortal Gate spells."
"Puppets have no intelligence, like a wooden puppet on strings. But Taoist soldiers are different, they have some level of intelligence, they are not resurrected dead… Do you remember the ‘Warrior-turned-Taoist’ King Qin Qin Shiqing from before?"
King Qin Qin Shiqing was tricked by Elder Qingyi from the Great Dao Sect into practicing the ‘Golden Body Technique,’ which actually turned him into a Taoist soldier made of gold and iron.
Taoist soldiers have some level of consciousness, and some can even cultivate on their own, but they are ultimately tools in the hands of cultivators, unable to resist the will of the cultivator and completely obedient.
"Just like earlier with King Qin Qin Shiqing, he was nothing but a puppet in the hands of the cultivator."
"No matter how much consciousness he retains, it’s mostly an illusion. The one standing in front of you is ultimately a puppet of the Immortal Gate."
"Master Qiao, there’s no need for further explanation, I understand." Li Changshi’s expression turned cold at this point.
The Li Changge in memory was a scholar-like warrior.
However, the Taoist soldier Li Changge in front of him had a blank expression on his face, with the lower half covered by a helmet integrated with the armor, giving off a cold, metallic feel.
As a seasoned veteran of forty years of war, after the initial shock passed, he quickly calmed down:
"Since we meet on the battlefield, there is no room for mercy. If he truly is my brother Li Changge, then I have no choice but to…"
He raised the sword in his hand, and the blade reflected a fiery light under the setting sun.
"Help him break free!"
Li Changge waved her long sword and leaped into the air.
His emotions and intentions had already been conveyed to the soldiers under his command through the Spiritual Sound Conducting Technique.
At this moment, the three hundred veteran soldiers moved together, advancing and retreating in an orderly manner, forming a neat and uniform battle formation.
This level of coordination could not be achieved through mere tacit understanding and training.
This scene fell into the eyes of General Li Changge in golden armor, causing some ripples in his usually calm eyes.
"Military Spiritual Technique… No, just Military Spiritual Technique alone cannot achieve this level…"
The "Military Martial Arts Classic" and "Military Spiritual Technique" left by Li Changge in the arsenal of the solitary city during her lifetime were remarkable, but they were not considered revolutionary techniques of the era.
He spread his wings behind him and together with the Taoist soldiers behind him, charged into the midst of three hundred elderly soldiers.
"Li Changge? I know him."
A stone sword floated in the air, emitting a faint voice from inside.
"Li Changge actually had good martial arts talent and was considered one of the prominent figures in the Great Yan army."
"It’s just a pity that like Martial Saint in his youth, he did not fully dedicate himself to martial arts, being distracted and only reached a superb rank just before his death."
"Twenty years ago, knowing he was dying, he once begged me in front of our gate to take on the heavy responsibility of protecting that city, but of course, I didn’t agree–"
Earth Sword Immortal stopped talking, suddenly a strong hand reached out from the side and patted the hilt of the stone sword.
"Feeling proud of yourself, huh? Speak less." Lu Yanbei sighed and grabbed hold of the stone sword in Earth Sword Immortal’s form.
"Isn’t this just nostalgia without even a physical body now, reminiscing about the past courage?" Earth Sword Immortal also sighed.
Lu Yanbei didn’t say anything.
He was also someone who had traveled through the Hundred-mile Desert. At this moment, as he looked at the Immortal Boat in the sky, with rainbow lights shining, he was filled with mixed emotions.
The three hundred old soldiers back then, dealing with the formidable enemies in the lonely city, were actually disciples of the Great Dao Sect Foundation Building Stage who came to explore the "Sect Secret Realm Hundred-mile Desert".
But now on the battlefield, it was a team led by the leader of the Great Dao Sect.
Within the Nine Heavenly Immortal Gates, the Nascent Soul Stage are the high-ranking elders, while the Golden Core Stage are the backbone of the sect.
Therefore, on this battlefield at the moment, there are many Nascent Soul Elders, at least as strong as the Golden Core Disciples in the Immortal Gate.
In just a few short years, the enemies they faced have now transformed into the backbone of the Great Dao Sect Immortal Gate, and even the leader of the Soul Changing sect!
"With such strong enemies, there are still four more…"
Lu Yanbei’s heart sank, tightly gripping the stone sword in his hand.
"Brother, I am old and weak, my martial arts skills are limited. This time, please lend me a hand again," he said in a deep voice.
"I can help you once, but not multiple times," Earth Sword Immortal also spoke solemnly.
"We only have the strength of one sword. Have you counted how many Nascent Soul cultivators are in front of us?"
Lu Yanbei just smiled bitterly at the words.
Up to now.
Nascent Soul cultivators are still a difficult mountain to overcome for ordinary martial artists.
Whether it was the Wuji Association in the past or the Peach Blossom Villa now, there are very few martial artists who can challenge Nascent Soul cultivators.
Lu Yanbei who wields the Flower and Willow Sword can be considered one.
Xue Changhe, who underwent a miraculous transformation in martial arts, and Qiao Mu’s additional flesh clone, can also be considered as one…
"I heard that among the cultivators of the Immortal Path, it takes thousands or even tens of thousands of years to reach the Nascent Soul Stage."
"So, the Nascent Soul cultivators of the Zhong Province Great Dao Sect can be considered the most outstanding talents in Zhong Province for thousands of years and dozens of generations."
"As for us martial artists… we lack sufficient accumulation." Lu Yanbei’s expression turned heavy.
"How long has the Peach Blossom Villa been established?"
"Even with extraordinary skills, it still takes time to practice. If only we had another ten years, twenty years, thirty years…"
Lu Yanbei wanted to be optimistic, but it was clear that the Peach Blossom Villa could not rival the Great Dao Sect.
The balance of power on the battlefield was obvious at this moment.
What weighed even more heavily on Lu Yanbei’s heart was that there were four more Immortal Gates on their way…
Boom!
At that moment, there was a loud rumble in the sky.
The golden palace, surrounded by the Immortal Boat, trembled as a golden light enveloped it.
Qiao Xin’s true strength reverberated around him, crashing into the center of the golden palace.
His true self had already sensed the aura of the Great Dao Sect leader, naturally locking onto this most formidable foe.
……………………………
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
The clashing of gold and iron rang out like a sudden rainstorm, sparks flying as a scattered firework display lit up the sky.
Li Changshi and the golden-armored Taoist soldier Li Changge landed heavily, each wielding their swords and stepping back.
Li Changge nonchalantly said, "Your martial arts have improved quite a bit, have you reached the superb rank as well?"
"Do you know that when I chose the path of cultivation, I took the wrong path and it led to a dead end?"
The Taoist soldier Li Changge in golden armor sheathed his sword and glanced at his right arm.
The area covered by the golden armor was clearly dented, but there was no blood coming out from it.
Obviously, his body was not made of flesh and blood, nor was he just a Taoist soldier wearing heavy armor. Like King Qin Qin Shiqing, his body was crafted from immortal gold and iron, with the armor being just a facade.
"In the martial arts world of Jiu Province, there should be only about ten superb martial artists. General Li will probably be one of them… I just didn’t expect you to be the thirteenth one."
Li Changge swung his war blade with force, striking down on Li Changshi who was blocking the attack, causing Li Changshi to tremble all over, making the ground sink a little and collapse into a small pit.
Now, he possessed a body made of gold and iron similar to King Qin Qin Shiqing’s, lacking internal strength but possessing immense physical strength, making him invulnerable to blades and spears.
Coupled with his skill as a superb martial artist, he could indeed serve as a great general among the Taoist soldiers who ruled the land.
"Superb rank? Not quite yet. After practicing the ‘Human Path Sutra,’ my energy and blood have recovered, and my martial arts skills have returned to the first rank level."
Li Changshi, however, only replied softly.
He raised his sword high, struggling under the immense strength of the Taoist soldier Li Changge, his arms trembling violently but his voice calm.
As he spoke, Hai Siyuan and four old soldiers rushed forward with their swords in hand.
Four sharp sword lights tore through the air for more than ten meters, slicing through the ground and leaving long trenches.
"Internal strength soaring tens of meters in the air… Five superb rank warriors?"
Li Changge’s face remained expressionless, but his voice clearly carried a hint of confusion.
In his memory, most martial artists’ internal strength could only extend up to ten meters away from their bodies, with only a few exceptionally powerful individuals or those with unique techniques being exceptions.
Yet, these five individuals before him, including the earlier Li Changshi… what was going on?
"General Li, the way we part ways for three days will make you see me in a new light!"
Hai Siyuan faced a sword slashing towards his face from a distance, the sword light cutting through the air, but Li Changge dodged to the side.
However, this was just the beginning.
Beside Hai Siyuan, there were more than ten veteran soldiers taking turns swinging their swords.
One after another, sharp sword lights, like endless waves, one wave after another, as soon as the front wave dispersed, another wave came.
The relentless sword lights almost had no gaps, coming at them like dense raindrops.
Their sword swings did not happen at the same time, but alternated, as one person struck, their momentum fading, the next person followed up.
No matter how skilled Li Changge’s footwork was, it was impossible to avoid the sword light rain with hardly any escape space.
Amidst the flashing sword light, several sharp sounds were heard again on his body, the heavy armor torn with gaps.
These sword lights clearly had great power, causing injuries even to the body of a Taoist soldier who is usually impervious to swords.
"Even if all martial artists in Jiu Province joined forces, there couldn’t be this many superb fighters," Li Changge said quietly, lowering her arms in front of her.
"My brother is right, we are not yet in the superb rank."
Li Changshi’s True strength under his feet turned into clouds as he flew towards Li Changge, his sword gleaming cold as it swiftly slashed at her waist.
"But now, times have changed!"
Amidst the sharp clash of gold and iron, sparks flew and the blade nearly split Li Changge’s armor at the waist.
If Li Changge was still alive, he would have been dead by now.
However, as a Taoist soldier, he only trembled slightly, then swung his sword like a whirlwind, forcing Li Changshi and the others back.
"It seems that today’s Jiu Province is different from forty years ago," Li Changge’s face remained emotionless.
"But—" Li Changge’s voice trailed off softly.
"The wonderful Taoist techniques are beyond the reach of martial arts."
"What use is it to study for twenty years, forty years?"
"Even the body of a Taoist soldier can form a battle formation, use the techniques of immortals, display the skill of combined attacks, gather the strength of hundreds or thousands of people…"
He raised the long knife in his hand high.
In an instant, a golden light shone on the long knife, then turned into a faint halo covering all directions around.
Within the halo of light, each Taoist soldier wearing armor around also raised their war knives high, with little golden lights flying out like fireflies, gathering on Li Changge’s body.
The body originally made of gold and iron slightly enlarged at this moment, the armor that was cut with gaps just now shimmered with faint lights, emanating a powerful aura.
Meanwhile, Li Changge once again raised the war knife above her head, a burst of light erupted from the blade, obviously brewing a terrifying strike—
Just in the blink of an eye.
Li Changshi was waving a long knife, and the sharp blade was cutting through the air.
And he wasn’t the only one.
At the moment when Taoist soldier Li Changge used her powerful attack skill, more than three hundred veteran soldiers from the Immortal Slaying Army, no matter where they were on the battlefield, all swung their knives at the same time.
The blades of light came slashing through the air, quickly joining together to form an unstoppable river, engulfing Taoist soldier Li Changge in the blink of an eye.
When the light faded, Li Changge was still standing in the same spot, but now he was covered in wounds, with several blades of light piercing through his body, twisting and deforming him.
At that moment, Li Changshi’s eyes suddenly sparkled.
His True strength transformed into clouds beneath his feet as he used the Dragon Transforming Step to fly past.
Passing by Taoist soldier Li Changge’s body, his hand brushed through the abdomen pierced by Taoist soldier Li Changge, and astonishingly, he pulled out a thin piece of golden paper from inside Taoist soldier Li Changge’s belly.
This golden paper wasn’t made of golden-colored paper, but of a thin and tough metallic material.
Even though the dazzling swords of the 300 Immortal Slaying Army just passed by, they couldn’t destroy this piece of golden paper.
Li Changshi’s heart trembled slightly as he focused his gaze, only to see the page of golden paper filled with tiny words.
The first few words read, "Spiritual Sky Piercing Battle Formation."
"My name is Li Changge, the deputy general of the Western Conquering Army."
"In the past, the grand army of the court, with a hundred thousand soldiers, was defeated in Anxi Town."
"I believe that with a way for soldiers with the same thoughts to communicate and the technique of combining military formations for a joint strike, perhaps…"
"After pondering for twenty years, I only created the ‘Military Spiritual Technique’ and the ‘Military Martial Arts Classic’, but the joint striking method is still elusive. I finally realized my limitations and that human potential has its limits at times."
"Little did I know that after I also joined the Great Dao Sect and was forged into a Taoist soldier, I found out that within the Immortal Gate, there already existed the technique of Taoist soldiers joining forces…"
"The way of the immortals has been ahead of the way of martial arts for who knows how many years, so we should take them as our teachers and learn from their strengths…"
"The Taoist soldier held a blade inhumane, as if some of his consciousness was erased during the forging process… Even if he had some consciousness left, it was restrained in many ways, and it was uncertain how long he could remain clear-minded…"
Li Changshi’s hand holding the gold paper trembled slightly.
He turned his head and saw that Taoist soldier Li Changge was still standing tall, holding the sword in his hand up high.
The long-awaited strike from Li Changge’s hand did not come.
He had been preparing for too long, building up his strength for too long.
By the time he was overwhelmed by the blades of the Immortal Slaying Army veterans, he still hadn’t struck.
Two old brothers met eyes on the battlefield, gazing at each other.
Then, Li Changshi lowered his head and averted his gaze.
He quietly tucked the gold paper into his chest and suddenly roared:
"See off General Li Changge."
This yell was not like the previous order given through the Spiritual Sound Conducting Technique.
Instead, it was a direct shout.
This is the most basic, most common way of spreading information.
This loud sound echoed across the battlefield, spreading far and wide.
Hundreds of veteran soldiers raised their swords one after another, the chilling blade light falling like a sudden rainstorm, completely engulfing Taoist soldier Li Changge’s figure.
The resolute body was repeatedly pierced under the blade light, ultimately deforming, twisting, and shattering completely.
Amidst the dazzling blade light, Li Changshi suddenly remembered a small incident from the manor yesterday.
Yesterday, the lord of the manor Qiao Xin, during a martial arts lesson, deliberately provoked Wu Mingkong, saying that only a peerless genius could hope to create a joint attack formation.
Back then, Wu Mingkong and the newcomer Wushu Shushan were competing playfully, which was quite interesting. Li Changshi was also among the crowd, smiling as he watched the two young people.
However, looking at it now…
The one who completed this great feat was not Wu Mingkong, the top martial arts talent of Jiu Province, nor Wushu Shushan, who had read thousands of books from the Wuji Association arsenal.
"The unrivaled genius must be my older brother from the Li family, Li Changge," said Li Changshi quietly.
He held his war sword and walked past the Taoist soldier’s body riddled with holes, continuing forward.
This place was still a battlefield, the fighting far from over.
As a seasoned warrior, he knew that even with a thousand thoughts, it was not a time for reflection.
