Essence Devouring Art

Pingliang County.

It was located in the northeast of Guangqing Prefecture, bordering Wanshan Prefecture. Surrounded by mountains and rivers, its land was fertile, and its transportation network was well-developed.

While not quite a "crossroads," it was still one of the essential thoroughfares for traveling north to the other prefectures. Since ancient times, it had been a strategic location coveted by military powers.

Capturing Pingliang County meant more than just one thing.

Not only would its abundant resources provide ample logistical support, but its geography of mountains and rivers would also allow for the rapid deployment of troops to several surrounding prefectures. It was a place from which one could easily attack or defend—a strategist’s dream location.

After the rise of the Four Kings, Xuanwu Emperor had come down from the Mountain to retake power, temporarily propping up the Dali dynasty—a sun setting on the West Mountain.

Hearing the news, loyal and righteous men from all over the country rallied to the cause, hoping to save the collapsing dynasty.

Among them, a small portion went to the Central Plains to protect the Emperor.

The majority, however, remained in their homelands. Using their influence, they united various righteous armies from both On the Mountain and off, forming Royalist factions of all sizes to resist the Celestial New Sect.

Pingliang City, being such a strategic location, naturally gathered a Royalist Faction that could not be underestimated.

First and foremost was the Pingliang Army. It numbered nearly fifty thousand strong, formed from the combined garrisons previously under the command of Governor Sikong Lie, who once oversaw the military of two prefectures.

Slightly weaker were the Fangcun Sword Hall and the Nangong Family, both renowned in the Jianghu and On the Mountain. One followed the Military Dao, the other the Immortal Dao. These two Extraordinary Influences had a combined fighting force of over ten thousand.

Moreover, one represented the Military Dao, supreme in combat, while the other represented the Immortal Dao, with its myriad techniques.

When you really thought about it, the ten thousand soldiers under their command could be as effective as twice that number of regular troops.

Beyond them, there were the hot-blooded heroes and less prestigious, second-rate Extraordinary Influences who had gathered from the surrounding prefectures.

Their quality was not exceptional.

But there were a lot of them.

At any time, even when the enemy was strong and one’s own side weak, there was never a shortage of people with a deep sense of patriotism. In fact, there were many such people.

When these people gathered, they also formed a considerable fighting force.

Therefore, all told, the Royalist forces gathered in Pingliang County currently numbered close to seventy thousand!

Although constrained by the three Innate Shackles, the vast majority of these seventy thousand troops were below the Breaking the Cocoon realm, many even below the Divine Power and Inner Strength realms.

But even after discounting this vast majority, the number of elite fighters in the Pingliang Army was not something the Overlord Whale Alliance could even dream of challenging.

The disparity was too great!

The Overlord Whale Alliance, counting everyone—combatants, civil staff, and logistics—had only thirty thousand people in total.

Among those thirty thousand, besides Wu Dao, there wasn’t a single Innate realm expert!

Furthermore, the Overlord Whale Alliance was right under Pingliang County’s nose. Any move they made would be met with an immediate response.

How could they fight?

There was no way to fight.

Never mind Zhou Zhiyin. Anyone who heard Wu Dao say he wanted to take Pingliang County would think he was making an outrageous claim, or perhaps even that he had lost his mind.

Of course, Wu Dao hadn’t lost his mind.

It came back to the same point.

In the Extraordinary World, war was never decided by numbers alone.

If this were an ordinary world, where the generals and soldiers had roughly equal physical conditioning and equipment, an army of thirty thousand attacking one of seventy thousand, especially when they were the aggressor and their every move was watched by the defenders, would indeed have no chance.

But this was the Extraordinary World...

and that changed everything.

When an individual’s Power reached a certain level, it was enough to sway the entire course of a war!

...

「Five days later.」

Somewhere in the northeast of Guangqing Prefecture.

From high above, nestled between treacherous mountain barriers, behind towering black walls that snaked like a dragon, one could see a magnificent, sprawling city, large enough to hold over a million people. It lay like a coiled dragon and a crouching tiger, its interior a forest of grand buildings presenting a majestic sight.

Its streets and alleys were vibrant with life. Production and daily activities proceeded in a calm and orderly fashion, with no hint of evil or corruption.

Compared to other chaotic regions, Pingliang County City was truly a first-class haven of peace, one might even call it a paradise.

The reason this peace could be maintained was naturally due to the Royalist Faction bearing the burden.

An army of thirty thousand was garrisoned in the County City!

Beyond the city, at the eight frontline directions, an army of five thousand was stationed at each strategic pass. Further out, countless hidden sentries were scattered across the land.

In addition, during this period, the Royalist experts in Pingliang City had been clearing mountains and repairing roads to open up the main thoroughfares.

No matter which direction an enemy approached from, they could spot them from over a hundred li away. This gave them ample time to react, using the clear land and water routes to quickly dispatch main forces as reinforcements and repel the enemy beyond their defensive lines.

Under these circumstances, unless they were attacked from multiple directions simultaneously, stretching Pingliang County’s forces so thin that no front could support another, forcing each to fend for itself, an attack from one, two, or even three directions, if lacking sufficient numbers, would be completely unable to break through Pingliang County’s defenses.

Of course, there was another way.

That was to pin down Pingliang City’s ’main force’ inside the city, preventing them from reinforcing any of the fronts!

Pingliang County City.

The Inner City Governor’s Mansion.

Inside the study.

The room was simple and unadorned, with steam gently rising from a tea set.

Nearly two hundred years old yet still without a single white hair, Sikong Lie sat before the tea table. His sharp, hawk-like eyes periodically revealed an iron-willed authority. Clad in a fiery red robe, he read the urgent report from the front lines, and a trace of anger gradually appeared on his heroic, masculine face.

CRACK!

The table splintered, and the tea set rattled.

"Filthy bandits! Uncouth brutes! How dare you try to bully my Pingliang! You’re courting death!"

Sikong Lie’s face was grim as he cursed through clenched teeth.

He was usually adept at hiding his emotions, but the reason for this uncharacteristic outburst was the content of the urgent report—

The Overlord Whale Alliance had gathered twenty thousand men and was now racing toward Pingliang County, an aura of murderous intent trailing in their wake!

’How dare they?’

’How could the Overlord Whale Alliance be so audacious!’

’Did that Wu Dao really eat a leopard’s gall?’

The mobilization of twenty thousand men was no small move.

In fact, four days ago, Sikong Lie had already received intelligence that the Overlord Whale Alliance was gradually gathering men in Changning County.

Changning County was adjacent to Pingliang County.

For the Overlord Whale Alliance to so brazenly station troops in Changning County, even a fool could see they were up to no good.

It was no great mystery that their target was Pingliang County.

In response to the Overlord Whale Alliance’s unusual movements, Sikong Lie had naturally reacted at once, sending reinforcements in the direction of Changning County.

But at the time, he simply didn’t believe Wu Dao had the guts to make a move against Pingliang County.

This wasn’t arrogance.

On the contrary, Sikong Lie had a thorough understanding of the intelligence regarding this troublesome neighbor, the Overlord Whale Alliance.

Within the entire Overlord Whale Alliance, it could be said that besides Wu Dao, everyone else was hardly worth mentioning.

But even when it came to Wu Dao, Sikong Lie, while wary, was not afraid.

Number one on the Guangqing Prefecture Martial Ranking.

A Body Treasure Master.

The Horizontal Refining Fourth Gate.

These credentials indeed carried significant weight, but they weren’t so insurmountable when faced with the might of Pingliang County.

Setting aside himself, a Heavenly Martial Artist, Wu Dao would have a hard time even getting past Hall Master Yang Wufeng of the Fangcun Sword Hall, who was number one on the Military Ranking and peerless in combat against those in the same realm.

Not to mention, there was also Nangong Hao, number one on the Immortal Ranking!

As for the troops under their command, although the Overlord Whale Alliance had numerous experts below the Innate realm—with the number of Divine Power and Inner Strength Martial Artists exceeding one thousand—but... the Pingliang Army, which had gathered the righteous forces of two prefectures, had even more!

In a comprehensive comparison, no matter how you looked at it, the Overlord Whale Alliance had no chance of victory against Pingliang City.

’Under these circumstances, daring to take the offensive... Are they mad dogs?’

’Do they really think my Pingliang City is as easy to bully as some low-life scum like the Four Seas Gang?’

WHOOSH~

The scroll, carried by the force of Sikong Lie’s anger, drifted down onto the table, landing before two elderly men.

After glancing at its contents, one of them—an old man in black robes with sword-like eyebrows as white as snow, eyes like cold stars, a broad frame, and a face devoid of wrinkles—frowned and said:

"When things are out of the ordinary, there must be a hidden cause. Looking at the history of that Overlord Whale King, Wu Dao, he is by no means a reckless or arrogant man.

For him to dare make a move on Pingliang, he must have something to rely on."

"Brother Yang, are you referring to the Nanyang Prince’s Mansion?"

The other man, an otherworldly elder with a refined temperament, his hair tied in a Taoist topknot, and a lean but vigorous frame, waved the White Feather Fan in his hand, his eyes flickering slightly.

"I don’t think so."

Sikong Lie let out a soft breath, his expression returning to one of calm composure as he shook his head.

"We have informants high up in the Nanyang Prince’s Mansion. If Prince Nanyang had truly sent experts to reinforce the Overlord Whale Alliance for an early move on Pingliang, it couldn’t have been done without us hearing a peep.

However..."

At this point, a cold glint appeared in Sikong Lie’s eyes. He stood up and said to Yang Wufeng and Nangong Hao,

"Just as Brother Yang said, when things are out of the ordinary, there is a hidden cause. The Overlord Whale Alliance must have something to rely on to dare attack Pingliang. We cannot be careless.

Brother Yang, Brother Nangong, I’ll have to trouble you both to make a trip."

Wu Dao was, after all, a Treasure Master.

He even had a record of defeating the previous number one on the Martial Ranking, Xu Sheng, with a single punch!

No one could guarantee that Wu Dao hadn’t already firmly stepped into the level of a Land Immortal!

More importantly... Wu Dao’s style had always been to do whatever it takes to achieve his goals. He was as domineering and ruthless as a Demon Lord of Mayhem.

If he were to ignore the rules of engagement and simply slaughter the army, it would cause an irreversible and immense loss for Pingliang City.

"It is our duty. Brother Sikong, you speak too gravely."

Nangong Hao and Yang Wufeng also understood the gravity of the situation. Without another word, they stood up, ready to head toward the defensive fortress in the direction of Changning County.

There is no first in literary arts, and no second in martial arts.

The two of them also wanted to see for themselves just how heavy the fists of Wu Dao, the new number one on the Martial Ranking, truly were!

But just then,

"Good! What a good move, Wu Dao!!"

Sikong Lie’s voice, brimming with killing intent, rang out again. He was holding a Communication Jade Talisman, and the temperature in the entire study seemed to drop to freezing.

"Brother Sikong?"

Yang Wufeng and his companion frowned, not understanding what was happening. But seeing the murderous look in Sikong Lie’s eyes, they realized the severity of the situation.

WHOOSH~

Sikong Lie took a deep breath and said through clenched teeth, "The Eight-direction Military Camps... they’re all under attack at the same time!"

"What?!"

Even Nangong Hao, who had the best Heart Cultivation Skill and was usually the calmest, saw his expression change. He exclaimed in shock,

"How is that possible? The Overlord Whale Alliance’s twenty thousand men are only in the direction of Changning. Where did they get the armies to attack the other seven directions?"

"It’s not armies!"

Sikong Lie’s eyes burned with rage as he said,

"That damn bandit hired eight Innate experts and a batch of Third Rebirth cultivators from the Black Dragon Commerce Association! They’re blocking the gates of all eight camps, flying the Overlord Whale Alliance’s banner, and challenging our Fighting Generals to duels!"