Mercenary Princess - Chapter 106
Qian represents the horse, Kun the ox, Zhen the dragon, Xun the chicken, Kan the pig, Li the pheasant, Gen the dog, and Dui the sheep! Taiji generates Yin and Yang, Yin and Yang generate the Four Symbols, and the Four Symbols generate the Eight Trigrams. The formation used by Rongyue is the Eight Trigrams Formation!
The moment the formation was deployed, the superiority or inferiority was immediately apparent. The ever-changing, complex formations bewildered the enemy, who, trapped within, panicked and disoriented, desperately tried to break free. But before they even touched the formation, they were met with cries of agony from the sharp, cold arrows. Within the formation, they saw not a single member of the Rongyue army; all around them were their own comrades and gleaming silver shields. Overwhelmed by fear, their psychological defenses crumbled, a wave of inexplicable terror washing over them. The greater the terror, the more they tried to break free, but the more they did, the more the souls of those killed by the cold arrows fell. This vicious cycle resulted in the Eastern army descending into chaos, the situation spiraling out of control, soldiers searching for generals, generals searching for soldiers, cries of despair, utter pandemonium.
Cao Sen had a bad feeling and shouted loudly, trying to calm the fleeing soldiers. But the soldiers who were running away in all directions could no longer listen to their general's orders.
Enraged, he spurred his horse forward, brandishing his gleaming iron sword and slaying dozens of the most unruly soldiers. Only then did the army gradually quiet down, anxiously and hopefully looking at their general, hoping he could show them a way out, allowing them to break through the encirclement and escape this strange and suffocating formation.
Setting aside his personal feelings for the moment, Dongfang Yao calmed down, squinting as he stared intently at the constantly shifting formation. The midday sun, blazing like fire, reflected a chilling light off the cold iron shield, its rays piercing Dongfang Yao's narrowed eyes. The sharp, gleaming light reflected in his long, narrow pupils seemed to emanate from within his own cold gaze…
Suddenly, a glint of light flashed in his pupils, mingling with the cold gleam reflected from the iron shield, its chilling light piercing into the Bagua's universe: "All troops, heed my command! Follow me to break through the encirclement!"
Because the training period was short, Rongyue hadn't grasped some of the details, which resulted in the two weak points in Qiankun. Unexpectedly, Dongfang Yao was incredibly skilled, managing to see through the flaws in her formation in such a short time and break it!
Although the army eventually escaped the Bagua Formation, it was severely weakened, with its original 400,000 troops reduced to less than 300,000. These 300,000 soldiers, exhausted both physically and mentally, had no will to fight further. In contrast, the Rongyue army was full of vigor, their spears gripped tightly, awaiting Rongyue's command to spur their horses, brandish their swords, and slaughter the enemy without leaving a single survivor!
Amid Cao Sen's terrified shouts, Dongfang Yao unexpectedly spurred his horse forward, galloping swiftly to a stop three zhang away from Rongyue, where he reined in his horse.
His clear gaze concealed all emotions within his eyes. His gaze swept lightly across Rongyue's face, then turned to the blue sky and floating clouds, watching the birds soaring across the horizon. His voice was as calm as still water: "Come here."
The unquestionable tone infuriated Zhang He, who was standing next to Rong Yue, who was known for his short temper: "Kid, who are you talking to!"
She raised her hand, stopping Zhang He from stepping forward on horseback.
With a casual flick of her bangs, Rongyue curled her lips into a cold smile, neither confirming nor denying, and spurred her horse forward, stopping directly in front of Dongfang Yao, looking at him coldly from the side.
"What's up?"
Withdrawing his gaze from the sky, Dongfang Yao stared at her for a moment, a glimmer of starlight appearing in his deep eyes, and said very softly, "If I hadn't broken the formation in time, were you planning to trap me and die in it together?"
He gently stroked the cool, smooth iron whip in his hand, a slight smile playing on his lips, remaining silent. After a long while, just when Dongfang Yao thought she wouldn't give him an answer, chilling words were uttered softly from those two red lips.
"So what if it is? So what if it isn't? What difference does it make?"
Her indifferent facade finally crumbled under the deep sorrow in her eyes, shattering into pieces. The sadness hidden deep within her eyes burst forth, spilling into Rongyue's full gaze: "You hate me this much?"
She raised an eyebrow slightly: "Hate? Ha, why would I hate someone who has nothing to do with me!"
His body swayed a few times on horseback, his knuckles were transparent as he gripped the Silver Snow Sword, his face was solemn, and beneath his gloomy expression lay an untold sorrow: "But I hate you!"
Her almond-shaped eyes narrowed sharply, and the iron whip seemed to respond with a slight rattling sound.
"Therefore, I challenge you to a duel!" Dongfang Yao said, each word distinct, as he met Rongyue's cold gaze.
A cold sneer: "There's no need to be so impatient to die!"
The silver sword was drawn, its aura piercing the skin, and the ornately decorated scabbard was casually tossed into the air by its owner.
Caught off guard, the sharp blade pointed directly at Rongyue's throat: "I said I would fight you!"
"General!" Zhang He cried out in alarm from behind, spurring his horse to charge forward.
"Zhang He, step back!" After ordering Zhang He to leave, Rong Yue glanced at the cold, gleaming blade with half-closed eyes, then raised her gaze and said indifferently, "Are you sure?"
The sword tip moved forward half an inch, the answer of which was self-evident.
Clang! The iron whip clung to the cold sword, and the cold sword clung to the iron whip. The two masters were secretly competing, trying to use each other's weapons to pull the other's weapon over.
With a clang, the two intertwined weapons finally separated, their low, mournful cry not enough to echo through the valley, but it was particularly deafening on the desolate and solemn battlefield of Nagano.
Their horses took a few steps back, and their eyes met briefly in mid-air before quickly looking away as they resumed their entanglement, weapons in hand...
Her moves were fierce and aggressive, each strike revealing ruthlessness. But Ye Fan, who knew her well, knew that beneath that murderous iron whip lay a degree of mercy; many times, just as she was about to strike a vital point, it inexplicably veered off course, subtly shifting its direction…
The sword aura was cold and ruthless, every move imbued with viciousness. However, Cao Sen, who had imparted all his knowledge of the Lingyun Sword Technique, knew that this viciousness was merely a facade. Beneath the sharp sword strikes lay not a trace of killing intent; the only thing he could sense was a resentment that utterly astonished him…
Clang—The silver sword was swept into the air by the iron whip. The next moment, the cold iron whip struck Dongfang Yao without hesitation, throwing him violently onto the sand.
Before Cao Sen could rush to her aid in alarm, Rong Yue raised her hand and ordered the iron cavalry behind her to tie up Dongfang Yao. She then looked coldly at Cao Sen, who was galloping towards her from the opposite direction.
"You scoundrel, release the prince at once!"
Rongyue glanced at Cao Sen with a cool expression and stretched out her slender hand: "If you want him, you can exchange him for the Great Desert Orchid!"
Desert Orchid? Recalling the news brought back by his scouts, Cao Sen immediately understood. A mere broken flower was nothing compared to the prince's life!
Turning around, Cao Sen shouted to those behind him, "Go, bring the desert from the Prince's tent..."
"Cao Sen, how dare you!" Dongfang Yao, who was tightly bound on his horse, suddenly shouted, startling Cao Sen into silence.
"Cao Sen, if you dare to hand over that Great Desert Orchid to her, believe me, I'll die on the spot!"
Cao Sen was horrified: "Your Highness..."
"Cao Sen, do not doubt my words!"
He knew the prince's temperament well enough to be frightened and dared not order anyone to retrieve the desert orchid. Cao Sen sat on his horse, sweating profusely, not knowing what to do.
Her eyes were filled with a dark, brooding gloom. Staring at the resolute face of Dongfang Yao, Rong Yue's anger surged: "Dongfang Yao, do you intend for me to raze these remaining 300,000 troops to the ground?!"
Looking at Rongyue's fiery eyes, Dongfang Yao tilted his head slightly and smiled noncommittally: "Do you think that Tinglan will still be intact when you crush the army?"
Rongyue was taken aback at first, then her anger intensified, she gritted her teeth but was helpless.
He glared angrily at the worried and anxious Cao Sen in front of him and threatened him fiercely, "Cao Sen, I'm giving you one last chance. Will you hand it over or not?"
"Cao Sen! You'd better remember what I just said!"
Caught in a dilemma, Cao Sen stood there with a furrowed brow, as anxious as an ant on a hot pan.