Chapter 680: Collapsing Langya

Chapter 680: The Collapse of Langya

Compared to Zhao Changhe, Cui Yuanyang was the true divine weapon accessory; previously, Huangyang had sought to limit Zhao Changhe to Cui Yuanyang’s level, making the fight far easier.

The Qinghe Sword’s prowess was essentially on par with the Dragon Sparrow and the juvenile version of the Star River. Without Zhao Changhe, at this moment, Cui Yuanyang was but a beggar’s version of him.

Yet Cui Yuanyang knew her own shortcomings, hiding amidst the myriad troops, wielding her flying sword from afar. Wang Daozhong, however, lacked Huangyang’s abilities. If Zhao Changhe were not in control, facing an unmastered divine sword on its own, Huangyang would not fear it; but with the Qinghe Sword autonomously slashing wildly, Wang Daozhong found himself in extreme discomfort.

Back then, the Ice Soul had wreaked havoc by the Sword Lake, and a group of strong warriors from the Four Symbols Sect—including Zhao Changhe, Han Wubing, and Xia Chichi—had all joined forces yet failed to subdue it, nearly dying at its hands. Because a sword has no wounds, no pain, no flaws; unless its energy is exhausted, or you are far stronger and can directly restrain it, there is simply no way to fight. Had Wang Daozhong ever read the *Demon Blade Chronicles*, he would have known how painful it is to battle a blade or sword.

Under the assault of a terrifyingly powerful divine sword, the soldiers and generals once dismissed as mere chickens and dogs suddenly ceased to be so...

Cui Yuanyong, after all, ranked among the Human Roll, and the generals and personal guards around him were all battle-hardened martial artists. Normally, a single sword strike could slay ten of them; now, entangled by the divine sword, they dared not surround him?

Countless spears thrust in from all sides. Cui Yuanyong dismounted, his flying sword in hand, and lunged forward.

Wang Daozhong hastily expanded an energy shield, feigning invulnerability, using his qi to fend off the myriad attacks of blades, spears, swords, and halberds, while his own sword focused entirely on the Qinghe Sword. He retreated and circled backward, trying to break through.

If he couldn’t fight, retreating was still feasible.

But just as he soared out, a surge of blood light erupted from the city wall. Xue Canghai, who had been repeatedly attempting to scale the wall, abandoned it outright, merging man and blade in a flying slash. Lu Ya also abandoned Yu Deju and turned back.

“Clang!” Wang Daozhong blocked Xue Canghai’s strike. Xue Canghai, unable to withstand the force, tumbled backward, but Wang Daozhong was sent back into the army formation, quickly entangled by Lu Ya and Cui Yuanyong.

“Damn it...” Yu Deju and the others on the city wall were utterly dumbfounded. What now? Leap down to rescue the family head?

Wang Daozhong was equally stunned. The enemy was the attacking side, free to return at any moment, while his own defending troops—could they open the city gates to come to his aid?

No wonder, in all these years of war, figures like Tiemuer, Cui Wenjing, and Wang Daoning had never personally charged into enemy formations to assassinate opposing commanders. Even during the Earth Roll battles, Miluo and others had fought for so long, each wary of the other, unwilling to risk personal danger. Even knowing Tang Wanzhuang had returned to the capital, he dared not act recklessly. Partly it was an unspoken rule and mutual understanding; partly it was genuine fear of falling into such an ambush—death was one thing, but becoming a laughingstock for eternity was unbearable.

It was all Zhao Changhe’s fault for setting a bad precedent, sparking the impulse to strike at the enemy’s head and decide the outcome in one fell swoop. If Zhao Changhe could do it, why couldn’t Wang Daozhong?

But Zhao Changhe had only shot arrows...

Now he had fallen into the trap.

Of course, within the Wang family, there were still numerous powerful elders and core members, as well as strong guest retainers like Guichen and Yu Deju. If someone made a decisive move, a group of top experts could still charge in and rescue him, with a fair chance of success. Alternatively, they could simply open the gates and sally forth, taking advantage of the enemy’s chaotic main formation, and perhaps even achieve a great victory. The choice required quick judgment.

An elder immediately made a snap decision, shouting harshly, “The enemy’s main formation is in such chaos! Opening the gates to attack, while we simultaneously enter the formation to rescue Daozhong, is the best course! If we fight effectively, we might settle the battle in one stroke!”

Indeed, risk and opportunity coexisted. At this moment, Wang Daozhong was truly formidable—his power vast, his presence overwhelming. Alone, he withstood the combined assault of countless experts and the divine sword, fighting wildly within the formation. Though he seemed precarious, he could hold out for a while. If the entire army sallied forth at this moment, they might actually rout the enemy. Delay any longer, and Wang Daozhong would be finished...

With the elder’s decisive command, the Wang family hesitated no longer. The city gates burst open, and Wang Zhaoling led a vanguard of cavalry charging out.

On the other side, Wan Dongliu had already ceased his assault, regrouping his troops to charge from the flank, covering the main formation.

Just as the two armies clashed, a towering blaze suddenly erupted from the grain storage area within the city, lighting up the sky.

The Wang family experts, who had just leaped over the city wall, turned back in horror: “What’s happening!”

“Quick! Go back and extinguish the fire!”

“No! Rescue Daozhong first!”

The Wang family experts fell into chaos, and even the soldiers were utterly bewildered.

The granary was a vital point. Though not heavily guarded within the city, it was still under strict vigilance, with several nearly Human-Rank generals stationed there. How could it have been set ablaze without even a signal being sent?

With the grain burned right before their eyes, what morale could remain? And if the enemy could burn the granary, what else could they do? What about the families?

The families!

The soldiers who had not yet left the city abandoned the idea of sallying forth. With a shout, they instinctively rushed toward the granary, some even heading straight home. Chaos erupted within the city gates, and the generals could not stop them.

In truth, they did not want to stop them. Some mid-level officers had already shed their armor and run home to check on their wives and children.

In reality, Wu Weiyang and his men would not touch the families, nor had they burned the entire granary—after all, this grain would eventually be theirs, so they were reluctant to destroy it all. They had only selected a side storehouse, focusing mainly on the barracks, making the scene as dramatic as possible.

To be honest, when Zhao Changhe had summoned Wu Weiyang to Langya to act according to circumstances, Wu Weiyang had never imagined this day would come so soon—less than a month had passed. Watching the chaos within the city, Wu Weiyang knew the Wang family was finished.

“Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh!” Several figures flew out from the direction of the Wang family ancestral hall. Even the elders guarding the hall could no longer hold back and came out personally to investigate. Wu Weiyang raised his long blade, pointing at the figures in the air, and shouted fiercely, “Burning a granary is not enough! Capture the heads of these old dogs, and nobility and marquisate await you today!”

These decrepit old men likely never imagined that this was not a crack elite army, but only a few men—yet each one was on the Human Roll!

In their advanced age, they might not even be able to defeat them!

Where had this top-tier special operations team come from? Even the headquarters of the Demon Suppression Bureau might not have so many!

Urban guerrilla warfare erupted within the city. The fire was left unchecked, growing ever larger. At the city gates, the chaos intensified. Those who had not yet left scattered in all directions, some trampling each other. Those who had already sallied forth had no will to fight, only wanting to retreat. Wang Zhaoling drew his sword and cut down several men, but could not stop the tide. Finally, the troops that had left the city simply threw down their weapons: “We surrender!”

Wan Dongliu: “...”

Wang Zhaoling: “...”

Suddenly, Wang Zhaoling found himself squeezed at the city gate, facing a vast army.

He was not foolish. He swiftly leaped up, trying to vault back over the city wall.

But from atop his own city wall, a cold gleam of sword light flashed, sealing the air above.

Wang Zhaoling had never expected an attack from his own city wall. He instinctively parried, but the opponent’s force, seemingly solid yet ethereal, knocked him back to the ground. Wang Zhaoling looked up in shock, his expression extremely ugly: “Xuan Chong...”

On the city wall, Xuan Chong smiled faintly: “Brother Wang, my apologies.”

Wang Zhaoling turned around. Behind him, Wan Dongliu raised his hand to halt his troops, also smiling faintly: “Brother Xuan Chong, old friends not seen for years—who would have thought our reunion would be under such circumstances.”

Xuan Chong said grimly, “I am not the least bit happy.”

Wan Dongliu knew what he meant. Once, a group of young men of similar status in Yangzhou had sat together at a table, drinking and carousing, cheering on a certain couple. Now, these young men, seemingly impressive as “Human Roll experts,” were nothing compared to that couple, who could probably be kicked out to sit with the dogs.

Wang Zhaoling watched the two old friends reminiscing, then turned his gaze to the battle around Wang Daozhong, and sighed.

Guichen was still there...

The elders and guest retainers who had tried to rescue Wang Daozhong were also caught in a dilemma. Fortunately, they were not as panicked as ordinary soldiers. After a brief hesitation, they quickly judged that they could not turn back—they had to rescue Wang Daozhong first. They could not simply let him die! Seeing that the battle was lost, if they could save the family’s strongest, they could still flee overseas and rebuild someday. Losing Wang Daozhong would mean total ruin...

So they all charged straight into the army formation.

The strongest was Yu Deju, ranked 18th on the Earth Roll. He reached the front first, only to be met by a Blood God Blade, accompanied by a formation of Blood God Sect elders. Xue Canghai’s face was ferocious: “Old Yu, want another round?”

Yu Deju was not afraid of him. He thrust his sword straight into the formation, thinking to himself, *I’m not alone. Guichen is almost as strong as me. Two Earth Roll experts—can you stop us?*

Just as the thought crossed his mind, a warning signal flared in his heart.

Almost instinctively, Yu Deju dodged to the side. A soft sword grazed past his ribs, then, with a fluid twist, plunged into his side.

Yu Deju turned his head in disbelief, meeting Guichen’s smiling expression: “Mr. Yu, surrender and live.”

“Guichen!” The Wang family elders had just arrived, witnessing this betrayal. Their minds went blank; they did not even know how to strike.

Two Earth Roll experts—one wounded, one turned traitor. Facing an army of a hundred thousand, what could these old bones do?

Trapped in the encirclement, Wang Daozhong dodged frantically and roared, “Guichen! The Wang family treated you well!”

Guichen smiled faintly: “But unfortunately, old Daoist made a pact with King Zhao long, long ago.”

King Zhao...

The Wang family had thoroughly investigated the Taiyi Sect, convinced that it had no ties to the Demon Suppression Bureau. With a court where no one except Tang Wanzhuang did any real work, once they confirmed no connection to the Bureau, they believed Guichen could not be a court spy. So the Wang family grew increasingly at ease.

They had thought Guichen was merely switching sides in the face of disaster. Now they knew—it was Zhao Changhe’s arrangement, made “long, long ago.”

The fire in the city was, of course, also his doing...

Who could have imagined... that the bandit from the Beimang Mountains had laid plans so far ahead... Their defeat was not unjust.