Chapter 1534 – Strike Nie Liang, Attack Yang Tao, Sword Pointing to the World (Part 73)
Fan Chen had barely made a move when Jiang Pengji had already sensed it—an ambush on the rear ended up costing them quite a few troops.
“I wonder how the battle at Zhanjiang Pass is going.”
At this moment, Jiang Pengji had turned into a bloody figure; she looked terrifying, but all that blood was from enemies—she hadn’t lost a single hair.
Just then, she received a private message from the Old Commander with a distinct “drip” in her ear.
Your Dad: “Want to know what’s happening over there? Just extend your spiritual domain, will you? Don’t tell me you’ve gotten this weak.”
Jiang Pengji had crossed over into this body of an ordinary person; it was understandable that her physical abilities had diminished, but her spiritual domain shouldn’t be weak too.
“Liuxi is an ordinary person, and overusing spiritual abilities can harm this body. Besides, it’s been many years since I used it; I can’t just recall it instantly!” Jiang Pengji awkwardly chuckled, her smile hidden under a mask of blood, making it look more sinister than sincere. “Getting too comfortable isn’t a good thing; I’m genuinely worried I won’t be able to keep up with the Federation’s pace later.”
Though she said that, she still opened her spiritual domain to “take a look” at the battle situation at Zhanjiang Pass.
The city gates were solid, standing firm; the enemies hadn’t breached yet.
After a quick glance, she withdrew her senses.
Meanwhile,
Wei Ci gazed out towards a certain direction outside Zhanjiang Pass, a hint of confusion flashing in his eyes.
“Just now, it felt like I sensed the Lord… Was that an illusion?”
Outside Zhanjiang Pass, the enemy boasted a force of 150,000, their battle cries shaking the heavens, and blazes lighting up the area like a city that never sleeps.
Learning from previous lessons, Wei Ying had brought ample troops and hundreds of trebuchets; the siege power this time was far beyond the last attack.
As the saying goes, “When the soldiers come, the generals meet them; when the water comes, the earth covers it.” No matter how many siege engines the enemy had, the gates remained steadfast and unbroken. The fighting on the walls was particularly intense, and the stench of burning oil was driving everyone’s nerves wild. All that everyone could see were the enemies.
Tonight, it was either the enemies die, or they die.
“This is truly a tough bone to chew if they can still hold on!”
The Nie camp commander stared at the city walls crowded with siege ladders, his expression dark and fierce, his eyes glowing orange from the firelight.
Wei Ying said, “Liuxi’s vigilance far exceeds what we imagined.”
Sudden attacks often catch defenders unprepared, leading to chaos.
According to Nie Liang’s plan before his death, Jiang Pengji confidently dispatched troops to pursue the bait they had thrown away, greatly weakening the defense at Zhanjiang Pass. They planned to launch their attack under the cover of night, hoping the enemy would be caught off guard. Facing the fully unleashed Nie army, even if Jiang Pengji could resist for a brief moment, Zhanjiang Pass definitely couldn’t hold. For self-preservation, she could only withdraw her troops, resulting in great disappointment.
Wei Ying led his troops straight for Zhanjiang Pass; although the enemy was caught off guard, they didn’t collapse immediately, as reinforcements arrived just in time.
Jiang Pengji was far more cautious and meticulous than he and Nie Liang had imagined. Clearly just around twenty-two or twenty-three years old, her approach was more careful and slippery than many a man in his forties or fifties. She had believed the news of Nie’s army’s retreat, yet still ordered Zhanjiang Pass to heighten their vigilance against night attacks. Whether to praise her cunning like a fox or to scold her for being excessively cautious was a dilemma.
The commander grimaced, “What does it matter how vigilant they are? Tonight, we will breach this pass!”
The Nie army was determined to take Zhanjiang Pass this time; if they failed, who knew when the next chance would come?
“Of course, we will definitely break Zhanjiang Pass tonight.”
No matter the cost!
As massive fireballs were hurled by the trebuchets toward the walls and gates of Zhanjiang Pass, Wei Ying remained utterly calm.
“Shi Zhong is still somewhat useful.”
After being hacked at by bandits with a machete a few times, Shi Zhong’s right hand was temporarily unfit to wield a pen, and a severe wound on his face had rendered his left eye completely blind; there was also a lengthy wound from his left shoulder to collarbone. Though severely injured, even if he had the remarkable will to replicate the designs, he couldn’t possibly draw them with such detail with wounded hands. Unable to draw, he had a bright idea—he would dictate instead.
By verbally improving existing military equipment, such as coating the stones of his trebuchets with a layer of burning oil before launching them.
Fireballs and mere stones packed a whole different punch!
With Shi Zhong’s improvements, the trebuchets indeed put tremendous pressure on the gateway.
Without Jiang Pengji, the sharpshooter, and coupled with the night’s conditions, the troops operating the crossbows simply couldn’t effectively stop the rampaging trebuchets.
After such a long time, they had only managed to destroy four or five of them. In desperation, Wei Ci could only order the trebuchets on the walls to target the enemy’s trebuchets, engaging in a fierce exchange, which proved to be far more effective than the crossbows and even took out some enemy soldiers.
The battle remained a stalemate, with Zhanjiang Pass temporarily safe from falling.
Things were much easier on Jiang Pengji’s side. Even if the enemy outnumbered them, her precise commands ensured the enemies faced setbacks.
Not only that, but she also took the opportunity to ask the Old Commander a question, lest she forget after the battle.
“I remember you mentioned ‘awakening’ before you retired; what exactly is that?”
Your Dad: “Worrying about battle and being half-hearted. What do you think your subordinates would think?”
“Stop changing the subject!”
There was silence on the other end for a moment, as if just a few sentences required her utmost mental effort.
Your Dad: “Well… it’s a long story about a child without a mother.”
“Get to the point!”
Your Dad: “The power system in the Federation currently revolves around developing human limits with genetics at its core. Normally, an ordinary person’s genes would evolve over generations, but some geniuses manage to condense centuries, even millennia of evolution into mere years. This is genetic unlocking—a complete liberation, unleashing the utmost potential of the human body. However, no one knows how many locks exist in genes; perhaps the ultimate goal is the eternal life all scientists dream of.”
Jiang Pengji frowned slightly.
Your Dad: “I’m going off track… What I call ‘awakening’ has some similarities but differs from genetic unlocking. The latter taps into existing bodily potential, while the former is about tracing back to ancestral heritage. Do you know why the Jiang family’s rightful bloodline faces oppression from the Heavenly Brain? Because it carries ancient bloodlines! You are the last direct descendant and the only one with a chance to awaken the power of your ancestors. This power is precisely what the traitorous Heavenly Brain fears the most; only you can utterly destroy it!”
“And if… I can’t awaken?”
Your Dad: “Then you die! The Federation will bury you with it! Don’t worry, I’ll send you the best coffin.”
“What a heartless dad,” Jiang Pengji pouted. “But wait, this body belongs to Liuxi; how can I awaken?”
Your Dad: “The Jiang family’s ancient bloodline is quite unique; it does not adhere to the body but to the soul.”
Jiang Pengji lowered her gaze, seemingly recalling something.
“Does awakening that thing even change hair color?”
Your Dad: “Possibly! Don’t say hair color; some even change their gender!”
