Volcanic Age

There were several methods for a siege.

One of them was called a Xue.

It involved digging a trench directly under a castle wall, installing a bomb, and detonating it to destroy the walls' foundations and collapse them.

After all, if one couldn't break through the main gates, one could simply break through the wall next to it and enter through the space created.

However, the Xue was a siege method.

In other words, it was a method only used by imperial government troops, who were accustomed to sieges and defensive fortifications. This wasn't something used by those of the murim.

To begin with, the concept of siege or defensive fortifications itself was unfamiliar to them.

Neither the Nine Sects and One Gang nor the Five Great Ancient Families, or any sect or family for that matter, had anything like a fortress in the first place. Moreover, if they were to construct something like that, the imperial government would likely suspect them of treason and send troops to investigate.

However, there were some who still had this knowledge that was buried within the murim.

In addition to his knowledge of martial arts, Zhou Xuchuan had a broad knowledge of various topics thanks to his love for reading in his later years.

Zhuge Shengji, on the other hand, had read all the books related to siege and fortification mechanisms he could find from a young age.

Most importantly, wasn't he from the Zhuge Family?

As a clan that liked to pursue knowledge, there were quite a few in the family who were knowledgeable about such matters.

It was only because there wasn't enough time to cultivate or study formations that few people studied siege techniques in depth.

"Hmph, wow."

Chu Lian couldn't help but be amazed as she watched the outer wall collapse.

"It really feels like we're stepping away from what it means to be a martial artist," a Gold Will Sword Sect warrior smiled bitterly as he expressed his appreciation.

As they had all ended up relying on the merchant company for money due to their own circumstances, all the Gold Will Sword Sect warriors had thought they had given up all sense of pride as martial artists.

However, they were still concerned about fighting for an organization that used explosives instead of martial arts.

"Don't you think the imperial government would arrest us if we keep using things like this?" someone asked as if they were worried.

While it was customary in the murim for explosives to be prohibited, the warriors were more worried about the intervention of the government.

"It's okay. I knew this would happen, so I asked the Head Merchant for permission to bribe the government troops… ahem, I asked for permission due to circumstances."

"By circumstances, you mean…?"

"In addition to military uses, explosives are also used for mining purposes."

Zhuge Shengji smiled, revealing his white teeth. His face was covered in dirt, perhaps because he had just emerged from a tunnel.

However, he was smiling brightly, as if he was happy with his own performance.

While the brat is the brat, Captain Zhou is also impressive.

A few days ago, when Chu Lian heard that they were going to attack the Green Dragon Stockade, she had honestly suspected that there was something wrong with Zhou Xuchuan's head.

Even though she had been informed of the operation in advance, she still felt anxious when they arrived near the Green Dragon Stockade and set up camp.

Seeing the main gate and outer walls of the stockade, which resembled castle walls, she doubted whether they could really break through.

She even wondered what she was doing with her life when she found herself digging a tunnel with Zhou Xuchuan after setting up camp. However, when she witnessed the outer walls collapse spectacularly, her thoughts changed.

Although his cultivation, which seemed to defy the laws of nature, was incredible, his wisdom and his ability to command, including his insight, were also extraordinary.

While I knew he was extraordinary since he was young, I never could have expected it to this degree. Just what does one have to do to become like that?

One just had to die once and return to the past.

****

Meng Gang couldn't tear his eyes away from the main gate.

"W- what?"

The first reaction was bewilderment.

The second was anger.

"Why is a martial artist using a Xue?!"

Meng Gang saw the collapsed outer wall and immediately recognized the method.

"A-a Xue?!" the underboss of the Green Forest Stockade exclaimed in confusion. However, he was ignored.

The foundation of a martial artist, whether it was a martial artist of the Righteous Path, Evil Path, or the Demonic Path, lay in the practice of honing one's strength.

However, a Xue deviated from that foundational concept.

Even thinking of using such a method would have been surprising–it was absurd that the punitive force had actually put it into action.

Where am I supposed to go?

Meng Gang's eyes darted around anxiously.

While the main gate itself was a problem, so were the hundred or so people waiting right in front of him.

Where is the true assault?

There was a high probability that this side was a decoy and the other side was the real thing.

However, that could itself be a diversion. If he were to reposition his forces to the front gate only to find the back breached, it would escalate into a true crisis.

While, unlike the main gate, there was a wall built in front of the small back gate, it was impossible to predict how a person would break in.

"Red Forest bandits, listen up!"

At the critical moment, a deep voice sounded from below.

Among the two hundred or so martial artists, a middle-aged man stepped forward and continued speaking.

"The time has come for you to be punished for the crimes you have committed against the powerless. Just look at the crimes you have committed…"

Meng Gang didn't bother listening to anything beyond that.

"Ugh!"

Meng Gang glared at the underboss.

"Take half and keep the main gate from being invaded."

"Understood!!"

No matter how he was feeling, if he didn't make a decision now, the situation would only get worse.

Shit!

Since the pressure from the rear was unusual, Meng Gang first divided his forces in half.

"Good."

Zhou Xuchuan laughed as he watched the Red Forest bandits split in half. The situation was playing out exactly as he had anticipated.

The punitive force advanced rapidly toward the center of the stockade after crossing over the collapsed outer wall. Since most of the stockade's forces were at the back of the compound, there was nothing to stop them.

The Mount Hua Sect and the Tang Family coordinated their movements with flawless precision. Zhang Hong, Zhang Xuen, Luo Xiaoyue, and Tang Hui led the charge.

"Shoot them!" the Red Forest bandits on the watchtower shouted.

"You dare?!"

Zhou Xuchuan sprinted up the ladder of the watchtower and leaped high into the air. It didn't take him long for him to reach the top.

"Argh…"

The Red Forest bandits screamed as they were thrown from the tower. Zhou Xuchuan grabbed the bow and arrows that the Red Forest bandits were holding, jumped back down from the watchtower, and climbed up the outer wall.

The second an arrow was nocked, it was shot.

Twang!

"Ugh!"

The arrow that seemed to fly with a hundred percent accuracy pierced the temple of the archer who was aiming down directly from below.

Zhou Xuchuan tilted his head as he nocked the next arrow on the bow, wondering what was going on.

Is the Stockade Boss from the imperial government?

Martial artists tended to look down on bows.

However, contrary to the general disdain for archery within the murim, there were a lot of archers within the stockade.

They were placed in many places, including the watchtowers and the outer walls.

While he had noticed it from the start and was suspicious of the stockade layout that reminded him of a castle, he could sense the influence of the imperial government troops everywhere.

Moreover, he was confident that the Stockade Boss' previous position was, at the very least, that of a commanding officer.

It wasn't uncommon for bandits to be from the imperial government. After all, most deserters either fled to or hid within the mountains.

However, the level at which tactics could be applied in this manner was truly hard to find.

BOO-OOM!

Just as Zhou Xuchuan took down another archer, a thunderous noise echoed, followed by a tremor that felt like an earthquake.

Wondering what was going on, he turned his head and saw a creature as massive as the Arsenic Pig he had fought in Zhengzhou.

"The Black Iron Ball, Zhang Du!"

Being the strongest among the stockades, the majority of its members were just as strong.

Zhang Du, the strongest among the bandits after the underboss, was a monster who could freely manipulate an iron ball the size of a human's body.

"Ugh!"

A disciple of Mount Hua was hit by the iron ball without having the chance to dodge. Though the ball had merely grazed his leg, the impact was enough to shatter the bone.

"Junior Brother!"

"How dare you, you bandit bastards?!"

Shouts of anger erupted from the Mount Hua Sect disciples. However, they all still kept their distance and their guards up, as reason still came first.

"No one can stand up to the Black Iron Ball, not even the Mount Hua Sect!"

Vroom, vroom, vroom!

Zhang Du held the lower end of his chain with his left hand and the middle with his right, spinning it around.

The iron ball, which was as big as a person, spun in a circle, creating an immense sense of pressure.

Every time it rotated, it let out a heavy cracking sound.

The iron wasn't just any iron.

While it may not have been the legendary Ten Thousand Year Cold Iron, it was still a hardened iron that was stronger than regular steel. Its sheer weight was astonishing, and it was equally impressive to see how easily Zhang Du wielded it.

Even if he threw the ball, he retrieved it quickly and smoothly. It was incredibly difficult to approach because of how threatening it was.

"I'll take him on."

Luo Xiaoyue took a step forward without hesitation.

"Hmph!"

Zhang Du looked at Luo Xiaoyue and smiled unpleasantly, his eyes full of lust.

"Wow! This bitch is really pretty!"

"Zhang Du Hyungnim! Don't hurt that bitch!"

Red Forest bandits arrived behind Zhang Du one after the other. They ogled at Luo Xiaoyue, mesmerized by her beauty.

"But, I like that one over there, though."

"Hmph. They're all going to go to the Stockade Boss or the underboss, anyway. When will I ever get to taste such beauties…"

Although crude and lewd jokes were thrown her way, Luo Xiaoyue remained unfazed.

Her gaze was fixed solely on Zhang Du, or more precisely, on the Black Iron Ball he was holding in his hand, and she had no intention of losing sight of it.

However, Tang Hui, who had nothing to focus on, was different.

Flutter!

Her sleeves puffed up before swaying as if the wind was blowing, sending poison needles flying everywhere.

The poison needles, which were incredibly difficult to notice unless one was an expert or a veteran, shot into the air before raining down on the bandits below.

"Ugh!"

"It's the Tang Family's hidden weapons! Dodge it!"

The expressions on the Red Forest bandits, who had moments ago been making crude jokes, changed instantly.

Everyone was in a panic, trying to leap out of the way and quickly dodge. However, it was too late.

Half, if not three-quarters, of them were hit by the poison needles.

"Tsk, tsk, men!"

Chu Lian clicked her tongue as if she found the bandits pitiful before stepping on a gale. As her realm wasn't low, her movements were like the wind.

Leaving Zhuge Shengji to the Gold Will Sword Sect warriors, Chu Lian stepped forward, displaying her lightning-fast swordsmanship as she cut down the bandits.

"Ugh!"

"Kill them!"

"Are those bastards cursing at the Young Miss?"

The Tang Family's inability to let a grudge go was well known. The Poison Phoenix's escorts chased after the remaining bandits, unable to contain their anger.

The Mount Hua Sect disciples split into two groups. One group passed by Zhang Du and launched an offensive against the Red Forest bandits waiting behind him.

The rest, worried about Luo Xiaoyue, surrounded the area and guarded against any unforeseen circumstances.

"Ha-a-eup!"

Zhang Du swung the Black Iron Ball with a roar.

Vroom!

The ball spun through the air in a parabolic arc, its wind pressure alone carrying terrifying force.

What was even more terrifying was its speed. Considering it was made of black iron, its weight must have been immense, yet it still moved swiftly.

The shadow of the Black Iron Ball loomed over his head.

Boom!

The black and dark iron ball crashed into the ground.

The ground shook violently as if an earthquake had just occurred, and the place where the iron ball had landed caved in and formed a pit.

Before the Black Iron Ball fell on her head, Luo Xiaoyue, who had moved her body to the side with the Hundred Divine Shifts, wore a grim expression.

With that kind of force, my body won't survive, even if it just brushes past me.

Her grip tightened on her sword.

Taking a step forward, she carefully surveyed the surroundings. Although she may have been relatively unknown in the gangho, her skills were undeniable.

Her flawless steps were so perfect that anyone who saw them couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.

Her beauty was almost otherworldly, like that of a fairy, and she captivated people with her flawless movements as a warrior.

Just as she prepared to attack Zhang Du from the side, sword raised for a horizontal slash, Luo Xiaoyue suddenly flinched and hurriedly retreated.

Vroom!

The Black Iron Ball, which she had expected to take some time to be pulled from the collapsed ground, came sweeping through the air again, tearing through the atmosphere.

If she had hesitated even a moment longer, she might have been hit by that Black Iron Ball and died screaming.

It's fast.

Not only was the attack itself formidable, but the speed with which Zhang Du recovered the ball and countered was remarkable. Zhang Du was handling the Black Iron Ball as if it were his own hand.

"My Black Iron Ball is invincible under heaven!" Zhang Du shouted with a loud, confident laugh.