Chapter 64: So Cunning

Shangguan Li was still in shock when Long Chen darted to Shangguan Hu's side, crouched down, and seized the iron spear, preparing to pull it out. Shangguan Hu, unwilling to yield, clung desperately to Long Chen's calf with both hands. His neck was immobile, his eyes strained upwards, wanting to take one last look at Long Chen, determined to remember his face even in death.

Long Chen leaned in and whispered, "I told you before, your Lion Pounces on Rabbit move is dangerous. Against a skilled opponent, leaping will get you killed!"

The Lion Pounces on Rabbit was Shangguan Hu’s signature technique, most powerful when he leapt, but its flaw was equally obvious. Suspended in midair, he couldn't dodge; against a true master, he became an easy target.

Back when he was a general in Southern Liang, Long Chen had critiqued Shangguan Qixiu on this very move.

Suddenly, Shangguan Hu's grip on Long Chen's calf loosened, and from his nose came muffled sounds. He wanted to speak but could not.

With a sickening sound, the iron spear was pulled free, and blood spurted from the hole in his neck. Shangguan Hu rolled over, his eyes locked onto Long Chen, filled with resentment, confusion, and astonishment.

Zhang Qian was locked in combat with Shangguan Feng. When she saw Shangguan Hu and Shangguan Li attacking Long Chen together, she was frantic, longing to rush to his aid but held back by Shangguan Feng.

In that life-or-death moment, Long Chen pierced Shangguan Hu with a single stroke and parried Shangguan Li's twin blades.

"Excellent!" Zhang Qian rejoiced, for she always believed Long Chen could survive even the most hopeless situations.

Shangguan Feng had expected Long Chen’s demise, already scheming to capture the beautiful Zhang Qian for his own pleasure. Instead, Shangguan Hu was killed.

Seeing one enemy fall, Zhang Qian's spirits soared, and she attacked Shangguan Feng with renewed vigor.

It was only after Shangguan Hu died on the spot that Shangguan Li understood what had happened.

"You waited for me to strike, you waited for him to use his ultimate move!"

Shangguan Li was no fool; realization dawned quickly. Earlier, when Shangguan Hu used Lion Pounces on Rabbit, Long Chen had been forced to retreat, leading both Shangguan Hu and Shangguan Li to believe Long Chen feared the move.

But in truth, Long Chen waited for Shangguan Hu to leap again at his most confident and least guarded moment.

So, while Shangguan Li pressed the attack, Shangguan Hu unleashed his Lion Pounces on Rabbit, becoming a living target mid-air.

Long Chen’s spear shot out and pierced Shangguan Hu’s throat with unerring precision.

"When masters fight for their lives, it’s not just about cultivation, but about cunning and skill. You should know that," Long Chen said coldly, wiping the blood from his spear with his sleeve.

"Devious scoundrel!" Shangguan Li finally erupted in fury, charging at Long Chen with his twin blades.

Long Chen’s cultivation was slightly inferior, but his moves were strange and unpredictable. Shangguan Li was clever as well. Spear against twin blades, the battle was fierce and evenly matched.

The Southern Liang army broke through the west gate, smashing the defenses as they advanced. Eastern Zhou soldiers lay dead everywhere, and the army began to collapse.

At the southern gate, Emperor Luoxi was fiercely engaged with Shangguan Wei, assisted by Li Xiannan, with Qingyue and Xuan Yi flanking the formation. Four against one; though they gained a slight advantage, they could not bring him down.

The army initially benefited from the ambush, but as the fighting wore on, it became tougher. More troops poured in from outside the gates.

Emperor Luoxi grew anxious; this was not as she had envisioned.

"Where are the reinforcements?" she demanded, her great spear thrusting at Shangguan Wei.

Outside Linjiang City was a small town, where fifty thousand troops lay in ambush. If Shangguan Wei launched a surprise attack, the ambush would cut off his retreat and encircle him.

"I don’t know!" Li Xiannan was equally puzzled—why had reinforcements not arrived?

Shangguan Wei swept aside the great spear with his halberd, then turned and kicked Qingyue away, laughing boisterously. "You thought I’d fall for your trap? Your ambush has already been blocked!"

Emperor Luoxi was startled—had the plan been compromised? At that moment, flames erupted from the west gate, followed by fire at the east gate.

"Good! The east and west gates have fallen. Linjiang City is finished!" Shangguan Wei laughed wildly.

Emperor Luoxi was bewildered; this was completely unexpected. How had the east and west gates been breached?

"I’ve long known your defensive arrangements. Surrender now!"

Shangguan Wei laughed furiously, his halberd slashing with ghostly afterimages toward Emperor Luoxi.

"Princess, be careful!" Li Xiannan intercepted the halberd with her hammer, the force sending her blood surging and making it hard to keep her footing.

"You wretched old villain, you won’t get your way! Killing you will turn the tide!" Emperor Luoxi, shamed and enraged, fought desperately to encircle Shangguan Wei.

Li Xiannan, Qingyue, and Xuan Yi, driven to desperation, attacked Shangguan Wei with reckless abandon.

Emperor Luoxi glanced around, realizing Long Chen had been absent from the start.

Where was he?

Was he up to something again?

Yes, the treacherous Shangguan Wei was cunning, but Long Chen, that wretched eunuch, was even more cunning—he must be scheming.

With this thought, Emperor Luoxi’s confidence suddenly surged, and she pressed Shangguan Wei fiercely with her spear.

Shangguan Wei was caught off guard by Emperor Luoxi's sudden vigor, uncertain why she had regained her confidence.

After escaping from the west gate, Wu Jian led his soldiers to an inconspicuous warehouse.

He produced a key and unlocked the door; inside were rows of black jars, and a strange odor filled the air.

A soldier struck a fire starter, but Wu Jian quickly turned and blew it out.

"No fire! Take these to the city walls immediately! Call everyone over!"

These soldiers were no fools; they had an inkling of what this was.

Fire oil bombs—often used in the army, but difficult to produce and usually in short supply.

Yet the warehouse was stacked full.

Wu Jian directed the soldiers to carry the fire oil bombs to the catapult positions, load, ignite, and launch!

With a roar, flaming fire oil bombs soared through the air, landing outside the west gate.

Upon impact, the black sticky liquid splattered everywhere. Soldiers whose armor and clothing were touched instantly caught fire.

No matter how they beat at the flames or rolled on the ground, they couldn’t extinguish them.

Soldiers burned alive, their screams echoing across the field, the ground littered with blazing figures. The more they ran, the fiercer the flames, until they were charred to the bone.

These were coal tar bombs, extracted by Long Chen during his time making honeycomb coal in Hell Mountain. All were fashioned into fire oil bombs, dozens of times more potent than ordinary ones. Once touched, death by burning was inevitable.

As the fire oil bombs rained down, Long Chen laughed aloud, "You’ve lost! Prepare to die!"

Long Chen surged forward, his iron spear whirling to send the ghost mask flying, revealing a disfigured face beneath.

Shangguan Li, losing his mask, immediately retreated.

Long Chen knew that Shangguan Li had been burned and disfigured as a child, unwilling to let anyone see his true face.

With Shangguan Li fleeing, Shangguan Feng was left alone and withdrew as well, leaving the soldiers to swarm.

Shangguan Hu and Shangguan Xiu had attacked together, but Long Chen had slain one. He dared not face Long Chen and Zhang Qian alone.

Soldiers surged forward, but Long Chen and Zhang Qian cut a bloody path through the crowd, stepping over corpses toward the southern gate.

After launching hundreds of fire oil bombs at the west gate, Wu Jian moved on to the southern gate.

One by one, the fire oil bombs landed, setting the Southern Liang soldiers pouring into the southern gate ablaze. The battlefield became an inferno; the coal tar flames raged like the fires of hell, and the soldiers, like damned souls tormented by infernal flames, howled in agony, shaking heaven and earth.

Shangguan Wei was battling Emperor Luoxi with all his might, but saw the gate outside engulfed in fire.

"Long Chen has succeeded!" Emperor Luoxi exclaimed with delight. Who else could orchestrate such chaos but Long Chen?