Chapter 265 - 261: A Thunderous Explosion

Chapter 265: Chapter 261: A Thunderous Explosion

"Grandpa, Grandpa, there’s a meteor in the sky! It’s so bright!"

"That’s not a meteor! Huh, that’s... that’s... uh, that’s something Grandpa has never seen before!"

...

"Look, something’s flying in the sky!"

"How magical! It can fly without wings. What on earth is that!"

...

"It lit up the whole sky! It’s brighter than the moon!"

"It’s so fast, and it looks like it’s getting faster! It’s flying out of the city!"

Countless residents within the city walls gazed up curiously at the missile in the night sky.

North City Gate,

"Guardian Ma, we just got word from the south gate. The Gang Leader is out of his Secluded Cultivation!"

"Excellent! The Gang Leader is finally out. Otherwise, this life-or-death battle would be difficult to manage without someone in charge!"

"Guardian Ma, at this critical juncture, the Gang Leader went into Secluded Cultivation. Was he trying to break through to the Innate Realm?"

"No, the Gang Leader’s seclusion wasn’t for Cultivation. He was developing a weapon!"

"A weapon?"

"Yes, a weapon far more terrifying than the Heaven-shattering Thunder. I don’t know the specifics, but the Gang Leader told me that once this weapon was developed, the war would basically be—" Guardian Ma Feng was speaking when he suddenly sensed something and looked up at the night sky. "Huh? What’s that—?"

In the pitch-black night sky, the dazzling missile trailed a long plume of fire. It was so striking that it captured everyone’s attention.

The common people and guards inside the city saw it, as did the Red Sun Army outside the walls, and the Martial Artists of the martial world and members of Clan Sects hidden in the forest.

"Look, what’s that thing flying in the sky!"

"What else could be flying? It must be a bird. It’s not like a person can fly, you think it’s a god... Huh? There really is something flying up there!"

"Such a bright firelight! What is that? I’ve never seen anything like it!"

"Who cares what it is? White Cloud City is about to fall. We need to get ready to enter the city!"

"Yeah, that’s right! We’ll plunder the hell out of it and get rich!"

...

"Sect Leader, look! What is that thing in the sky!"

"I’ve never seen its like. How strange. Why would such a bizarre object suddenly appear in the night sky?"

"It seems to have flown out from the direction of White Cloud City!"

Branches rustled in the forest, and the sounds of hushed discussion occasionally broke the silence.

Currently, the man responsible for the assault on the north gate was General Zhou Yong. General Zhou Yong was the State General of Red Sun Province, a rank just a half-step below Grand General Ouyang Xu. In terms of official position, the State General was the one who truly held military authority over a province. The Southern Tang Country was composed of thirteen states. In each state, there were typically two individuals with the highest real power. One was the Lord Governor, who managed the state’s politics, economy, and the livelihood of its people. The other was the State General, who controlled the state’s military forces. The Prefect and the State General, one civil and one military, were the highest authorities in the entire state.

Of course, this was usually the case; the State General was indeed in command of a state’s military. However, there was a special exception: the appointment of a Grand General. After all, some states had a Grand General, and Red Sun Province was one of them. Every so-called Grand General was an Innate Realm expert. It was an official post granted by the Southern Tang Country to Innate Realm experts who pledged allegiance to the nation.

After all, Innate Realm experts were exceedingly rare. Throughout the Southern Tang Country’s thirteen states and seventy-two cities, statistics showed that fewer than one hundred Martial Artists with Innate Realm Cultivation had ever appeared. Some were lone wanderers who were used to their freedom and disliked being constrained; others were the Sect Founder Grandmasters of a Sect or the Head of the Family of a great clan. A portion of them loved adventure and had gone to wander the wider world of the Central Plains Martial Arts. Not many remained within the Southern Tang Country, and even fewer had pledged their service to the Court.

An Innate Realm expert’s power was immense. They could take an enemy general’s head from within an army of thousands, charging back and forth and slaughtering all in their path. In a war between two nations, they could provide a huge advantage on the battlefield. Therefore, to win over Innate Realm experts, the Southern Tang Country’s Court would typically bestow upon them the high-ranking and powerful position of Grand General.

Thus, although State General Zhou Yong commanded the state’s military forces, he was, to a certain extent, required to obey Grand General Ouyang Xu.

This time, State General Zhou Yong was ordered to lead one hundred thousand troops to support Ouyang Xu’s assault on White Cloud City. He was in charge of the attack on the north gate. He had originally thought that this small White Cloud City could be taken in a single battle, but once the siege truly began, General Zhou Yong could no longer remain calm. As the battle escalated and casualties mounted, Zhou Yong’s heart sank to the depths.

These one hundred thousand soldiers were troops he had personally trained. If his losses were too heavy, he would be questioned by the Ministry of War. Zhou Yong desperately wanted to retreat, but intimidated by Ouyang Xu’s authority, he hesitated. He could only bite the bullet and continue the assault.

BOOM! BANG! BANG! BANG!

CLANG! CLANG! PING! PANG!

Zhou Yong was responsible for the attack on the north gate, commanding his soldiers to launch a fierce assault. The attack was fierce, and the deaths were brutal.

’They have too many Heaven-shattering Thunders! White Cloud City’s firepower is too intense. If we keep this up, even if the city falls, I’m afraid more than half of my hundred thousand troops will be dead or wounded. That damn Ouyang Xu! His own troops are just watching the show from the camp while my soldiers fight to the death, just throwing their lives away.’ State General Zhou Yong’s face was ashen as he cursed under his breath. Suddenly, cries of alarm erupted beside him.

"General, look! What’s that in the sky, burning with fire!" several officers beside him exclaimed in astonishment.

"What are you all shouting about? Get back to commanding the battle! Getting distracted on the battlefield is a quick way to die!" Zhou Yong reprimanded them in a stern voice.

"No, General Zhou, that burning thing... it seems to have come from inside the city!"

"From inside White Cloud City?" State General Zhou Yong was startled and quickly looked up. His expression changed drastically. "What is that thing? Such incredible speed! Oh no, it’s heading for our Central Army Camp!"

...

Red Sun Army Central Army Camp,

Grand General Ouyang Xu and his seven thousand personal troops were stationed here, conserving their strength while monitoring the progress of the siege.

"Haha, it looks like White Cloud City can’t hold out for much longer. The city is about to fall!"

"Yeah, we’ve finally cracked this tough nut. But our army’s losses are heavy too! White Cloud City’s firepower is insane. It’s a good thing we weren’t the ones attacking this time."

"If those common soldiers die, they die. We’re the Grand General’s trusted troops. He’ll definitely look out for us!"

In front of the Central Army Camp, several officers stood beside Grand General Ouyang Xu, discussing the battle as they watched it unfold.

"Mm, but of course. This tiny White Cloud City has cost me nearly three thousand of my battle-hardened elites. After the city falls, spare no one. Slaughter them all!" Ouyang Xu’s gaze was frigid, radiating a terrifying chill.

"Huh? Grand General, look! What is that thing flying in the sky!"

"A great ball of fire? Ah, why... why is it flying this way!"

"Heavens, it’s so fast! Run!"

Terrified screams erupted all around.

"Everyone, spread out!"

Ouyang Xu’s expression also changed dramatically. His True Essence surged, raising a layer of Protective Gang Qi. He executed his Lightweight Skill and hastily tried to flee.

However, the missile’s speed was incredible. It was absolutely supersonic, and in the final phase of its flight, its speed soared to three to five times the speed of sound. The speed of sound is 340 m/s; one can only imagine what three to five times that means.

It all happened in an instant. The missile streaked across the sky like a meteor and, with a WHOOSH, slammed directly into the Red Sun Army’s Central Army Camp.