L'hibiscus comme peinture

Chapitre 29

Military Advisor and Princess: Battlefield Chapter 30 - Blood Soul Heavenly Stem Eight Trigrams Formation

Seeing Jin Xuan rush down the hill, Ao Jun felt an overwhelming sense of unease. Especially after seeing Yelü Ying's wicked smile, as if he had seen his prey fall into a trap, her heart skipped a beat, and a bad premonition almost overwhelmed her...

As soon as Jinxuan charged down, the Cangliao army that had been surrounding Longxuan's camp suddenly scattered, allowing Longxuan's two armies to quickly reunite.

Just as Jinxuan was puzzled, Yelü Ying said in a seductive voice, "Ouyang Jinxuan, didn't you just say that the outcome of today's battle was still uncertain? Haha... Let me tell you, from the moment you charged over, it was already destined that you and your 100,000 troops would perish here. The bells of hell have already rung for you."

As if to confirm his words, a thunderous drumbeat, different from the heroic and exhilarating sound on the battlefield, came from Tianyue Slope. The drumbeat was filled with a sinister aura, as if it could steal one's soul.

With the eerie drumbeats, the Cangliao army charged swiftly into the Longxuan army. Jinxuan immediately set up his formation to meet the enemy, but no matter how Jinxuan changed the formation, he seemed unable to escape the control of the Cangliao army. He was trapped and unable to break free each time. What kind of formation was Yelü Ying setting up? It looked like just chaotic movement, but the formations were perfectly coordinated, as if they were a maze built by thousands of soldiers. Once you stepped into the gate of death, you could never escape.

This...this is...isn't this the Heavenly Stems Eight Trigrams Formation? How...how could Yelü Ying know it? He looked at the formation set up by the Cangliao Army with a shocked and confused expression, usually indifferent: No, this is impossible. The Heavenly Stems Eight Trigrams Formation is a secret formation of the Holy Immortal Sect. Yelü Ying could not possibly know it, but this really is the Heavenly Stems Eight Trigrams Formation.

A series of seductive war drumbeats interrupted Ao Jun's thoughts, causing her to unconsciously look towards the source of the eeriness—Tianyue Slope. What she saw sent a shiver down her spine, a fear she had never felt before gripping her heart.

The general beating the drum on Tianyue Slope has been replaced, and now the drummer is a man wearing an iron mask. Because of the mask, his expression cannot be seen, but the cruel smile on his lips and the excited, bloodthirsty glint in his eyes as he watches the carnage below send chills down his spine.

It was him, the traitor of the Holy Immortal Sect who killed his two masters—Sheng Chi. The scene of her first meeting with Masters Feng and Yan flashed through Ao Jun's mind, and a sudden murderous intent flashed in her eyes. Compared to Yelü Ying, she seemed to hate him more, and wanted to kill him more. Ao Jun herself didn't understand why. She only knew that his actions made her want to get rid of him as soon as possible. No one's existence had ever made her so uncomfortable, and he, Sheng Chi, was the first. Was this feeling hatred or…fear? She couldn't tell. Yes, it was fear. She didn't know why, but subconsciously, Ao Jun feared him, harboring an inexplicable dread towards him. Perhaps it was a lingering effect planted from their first meeting!

Despite her fear, Ao Jun quickly calmed down. The appearance of Sheng Chi resolved her doubts: it seemed that it wasn't Yelü Ying who had set up the Heavenly Stems Eight Trigrams Formation, but Sheng Chi. As the former sect leader's eldest disciple, he naturally knew this formation. But why would he, originally from Longxuan, aid the Cangliao Kingdom? Oh well, he could even harm his own master who raised him; what did bribery and betrayal matter? The important thing now was to find a way to help Jin Xuan and the others break this formation.

According to Feng Yan's travelogue, the Heavenly Stems and Eight Trigrams Formation is the most exquisite formation in the world: Qian represents Heaven, Kun represents Earth, Kan represents Water, Gen represents Mountain, Zhen represents Thunder, Xun represents Wind, Li represents Fire, and Dui represents Lake. This formation takes the principles of the growth of all things in Heaven and Earth as its profound meaning and the movement of stars as its basic principle. It contains more than eight thousand variations, each of which contains a set of martial arts philosophy, and it is extremely difficult for ordinary people to master.

It is named the Heavenly Stems and Eight Trigrams Formation because it is composed of the Heavenly Stems and the Eight Trigrams, which are interlocked and infinitely varied.

When Ao Jun first saw this formation, she was incredibly excited, studying it tirelessly for half a month without sleep. This is why she was so sleepy during the day. However, because this formation is the most prized treasure of the Holy Immortal Sect, it is extremely difficult to learn. Some people spend their entire lives trying to understand it, yet still fail to grasp even a fraction of its secrets. Moreover, it is never passed on to others. Even among members of the Holy Immortal Sect, only those at the level of Pavilion Master or higher have the opportunity to see it. Therefore, there are not many people in the world who know this formation. It is likely that only Sheng Chi and she understand it. As for the other Pavilion Masters, it seems they have never learned it.

Few people on this continent know about Qimen Dunjia; it is usually used by martial arts masters. It is unexpected that Sheng Chi would use it on the battlefield. Even if Jin Xuan's military strategy is superb, he cannot break it. Moreover, he must not know that what Sheng Chi set up is not a formation at all, but Qimen Dunjia.

Although Jin Xuan didn't know this was Qimen Dunjia (a form of divination), he understood it wasn't an ordinary formation. In his many years of warfare, he had never seen or heard of such a thing. He watched helplessly as soldiers fell one after another, their once orderly ranks now in complete disarray. Panic filled the eyes of every soldier—a taboo in battle—but he could only retreat in a pathetic manner. No matter how far he retreated, it was futile.

A solution must be found as soon as possible, otherwise not a single soldier will survive. Although Jin Xuan was also close to despair, as the commander-in-chief, he still tried his best to remain calm.

"Ouyang Jinxuan, there's no need to struggle anymore. You can't escape, hahaha..." Yelü Ying laughed arrogantly, his red eyes looking at Ouyang Jinxuan with great interest, seemingly enjoying his helplessness and defeat.

"Yelü Ying, what kind of sorcery are you using?" Jin Xuan drew his sword and glared angrily at Yelü Ying's sinister face. He felt an increasingly eerie chill in the formation, and the sky was slowly becoming strange.

"Sorcery? Haha... That's right, it's sorcery. Ouyang Jinxuan, you're going to die!" After saying that, Jinxuan rushed over, wanting to fight Ouyang Jinxuan and make him lose completely.

"Very well, even if I, Ouyang Jinxuan, and many of my brothers die on the battlefield today, we will completely eradicate this scourge of yours." With that, he rode forward to meet him. Even if it meant death, he would finish him off and prevent him from ever again infringing upon Longxuan.

The two were indeed unparalleled masters of their time. One wielded the Fiery Cloud Sword, the other the Dragon's Roar Sword—rare and powerful weapons indeed. Countless sword energies enveloped them, obscuring their movements and the number of attacks they unleashed. Approaching soldiers were wounded by their sword energy and dared not advance. For a moment, the world seemed to fall silent. All the soldiers from the two nations engaged in fierce combat stopped as if by prior agreement, staring in stunned silence at this unprecedented decisive battle.

Ao Jun also watched the duel between the two in front of her, feeling as if she were watching a martial arts TV show. Moreover, because of her profound internal strength, she could clearly see every move and style of the two. It was so exciting that she for a moment forgot that the two armies were fighting each other, and that it was not a "decisive battle at the top of the Forbidden City".

The eerie drumbeats changed rhythm again, and Ao Jun instantly snapped back to reality. What was happening? The Heavenly Stems and Eight Trigrams Formation shouldn't be like this: the azure sky suddenly turned crimson with the drumbeats, as if dripping blood; a chilling and terrifying aura permeated the air; and one could almost hear sobbing and wailing sounds. The entire world seemed to be in the eighteenth level of hell. Even more bizarrely, some of the Cangliao soldiers who had stopped fighting to watch the duel between the two peerless masters were now... their eyes were slowly turning bloodshot. They gripped their swords tightly and began to hack and slash at the Longxuan army with reckless abandon. Even when they were cut down, they quickly got up and continued fighting. If their right hand was cut off, they used their left, until their lives ended. Meanwhile, Longxuan soldiers were constantly either randomly slashing at their own comrades for no reason, or picking up their own swords and slitting their own throats. Others suddenly burst into tears, seemingly oblivious to being attacked.

Ao Jun's eyes widened instantly, his face filled with disbelief: Blood Soul Technique! It was actually the Blood Soul Technique! He had combined the most righteous Heavenly Stems Eight Trigrams Formation with the world's most evil Blood Soul Technique. Once this formation was activated, the world would inevitably be plunged into chaos and death. Saint Chi, he actually… No, he had to find a way, otherwise none of Jin Xuan and this army of 100,000 would survive, and they would all suffer the greatest mental torment before their deaths…

However, the Heavenly Stems Eight Trigrams Formation was already an incredibly ingenious formation, almost flawless. Now, with the Blood Soul Technique added to it, what could be done? The exceptionally clever Ling Aojun finally experienced helplessness for the first time. No, the more anxious he became, the less he could think of a solution. Calm down, take a deep breath, regain his composure, and glance at the battlefield again. A plan flashed through his mind; it seemed this was the only way…

Although the duel was underway, Jin Xuan was still distracted by the situation on the battlefield. He saw the soldiers in the army starting to go crazy and become irrational, ignoring the orders of Wei Ziqi and Zhao Zhiyang. He heard the cries and calls of soldiers on the verge of death all around him. All of this made his heart ache so much that he could hardly breathe. He wished that he was the one who died and suffered, but he was powerless to do anything about it!

Just as he was distracted, Yelü Ying thrust his sword forward. Jin Xuan was unable to dodge in time and was stabbed in the left shoulder, blood flowing out continuously. Upon seeing this, Wei Ziqi disregarded the fact that his martial arts were no match for Yelü Ying's and raised his sword to meet the attack.

"Overestimating yourself," Yelü Ying said disdainfully. But he changed his attack due to Wei Ziqi's obstruction, and Wei Ziqi was knocked back.

Jin Xuan quickly flew up and caught Wei Ziqi, saying in despair, "Could it be that fate really intends to destroy me, to destroy my Longxuan?"

Wei Ziqi also looked utterly hopeless; even the prince was powerless to help.

Just when everyone was in despair, a refreshing coolness and the sound of a flute came from Tianripo, which gradually calmed everyone's hearts. They squinted their eyes and listened carefully to the heavenly sound that calmed their hearts. Along with the flute, a drumbeat with a different rhythm came from Tianripo.

The Strategist and the Princess: Battlefield Chapter 31 - Safe Retreat

Just when everyone was in despair, a refreshing coolness and the sound of a flute came from Tianripo, which gradually calmed everyone's hearts. They squinted their eyes and listened carefully to the heavenly sound that calmed their hearts. Along with the flute, a drumbeat with a different rhythm came from Tianripo.

Hearing the flute music, Jin Xuan's despairing heart was strangely filled with hope: It was her, it must be her. Following his heart's desire, he looked towards Tianri Slope, and sure enough, a pure white figure quickly filled his entire field of vision.

On Tianri Slope, Ao Jun held a jade flute and played a calming melody with concentration, while Yi Tian beside him rhythmically beat a war drum according to Ao Jun's instructions.

On Tianyue Slope, Sheng Chi still wore a cruel sneer as he looked at Ao Jun on Tianri Slope, his eyes filled with disdain: "A mere 'Tranquility Melody' to break his Blood Soul? Too naive! Besides, his Heavenly Stems Eight Trigrams Formation has the Longxuan Army completely trapped. No matter how powerful she is, it's useless. Haha… He is the ultimate victor." He channeled his inner energy into the drumstick in his hand and struck the drum. The breathtaking drumbeats gradually drowned out the flute music of the "Tranquility Melody," and the soldiers of both armies below began to feel uneasy and go mad once more.

Ao Jun knew that now was not the time to test her inner strength. Even if her inner strength was higher than Sheng Chi's, she would not be able to break this evil formation. Therefore, she could only continue to play the calming melody to temporarily alleviate everyone's madness, while giving Yi Tian a wink. Yi Tian understood and gave the order to retreat with a 'thump thump thump...'.

Jin Xuan understood as well, looked at Ao Jun, and saw her nod at him. Jin Xuan also nodded in tacit agreement.

"Send the order to retreat and withdraw with me." Jin Xuan used his inner strength to transmit his voice to the ears of all the soldiers present. He knew that, not to mention that all the soldiers were gradually losing their minds and unable to pay attention to the instructions conveyed by the war drums, the rhythm that Yi Tian had just beaten was different from the usual drum signals. This must be the strategist's instruction. The soldiers had never heard it before and did not know how to obey the order. Therefore, they could only hope that he and the strategist could understand it.

The sound of Ao Jun's flute, combined with the deep and powerful voice of "God of War" Jin Xuan, instantly brought the Long Xuan soldiers back to their senses. They slowly gathered together and quickly formed an orderly formation, closely following their prince.

"Trying to retreat? Do you think you can? Ouyang Jinxuan, do you think you can escape this formation just because you have Mo Jun? You're too naive. Let me tell you, no one can escape this formation." Yelü Ying came to his senses and said to Jinxuan.

The moment that figure appeared, he was momentarily lost in thought. At this most crucial moment, he was actually distracted. That melody had truly calmed his restless heart. How long had it been since he'd felt such tranquility, such peace detached from worldly affairs? So long…so long…ever since the two Ouyang brothers arrived in Cangliao Kingdom. Everything had changed, and he had changed too… Everything was Ouyang's fault. Only by defeating Ouyang Jinxuan and pulling Ouyang Zhengxuan off the throne could everything return to normal. And Mo Jun… He glanced at the ethereal beauty who now seemed to eclipse the heavens and earth. Why did such a person belong to Ouyang Jinxuan? Why did she help him? Why did her eyes only see Ouyang Jinxuan and not him? He refused to accept it. Mo Jun was his, hers alone. At this moment, he decided: he wanted Mo Jun, body and soul. He wanted Ouyang Jinxuan to die in front of her, to make her bow down to him, and to make Ouyang Jinxuan lose everything...

"Is that so? Then let's give it a try!" Jin Xuan said with a confident smile. To him, Mo Jun was like a reassurance. He raised the Dragon Roar Sword again, then took the lead and broke through towards the Death Gate.

"Hmph." Yelü Ying snorted contemptuously and chased after him. That was the Death Gate. Ouyang Jinxuan, you asked for it.

Just as they were about to step into the Gate of Death, the drumbeats changed again. Jin Xuan understood and ordered them to head towards the Gate of Injury, with Long Xuan's army following closely behind.

With the sound of drums, Jin Xuan ordered a breakout from within the formation. The formation was sometimes like a raging storm, sometimes dark and gloomy, sometimes shrouded in fog, making it impossible to discern directions. Coupled with various terrifying sounds, it was truly terrifying.

The soldiers of Longxuan gradually became puzzled. They couldn't understand why the prince was leading them forward and backward, left and right, sometimes. Had the prince gone mad?

Yelü Ying sneered inwardly: Ouyang Jinxuan, keep struggling! Keep fighting! Haha... Let this Crown Prince slowly enjoy your struggle on the edge of life and death!

Only Ao Jun at Tianri Slope and Sheng Chi at Tianyue Slope knew what was going on! Watching the Longxuan Army below seemingly running aimlessly, yet actually dodging the killing moves of the formation at crucial moments, and increasingly breaking free from the constraints of the Heavenly Stems Eight Trigrams Formation, Sheng Chi's face, hidden behind his iron mask, changed repeatedly, like a palette of colors, but unfortunately, no one could see it. His eyes clearly showed disbelief: How could Mo Jun possibly understand the Heavenly Stems Eight Trigrams Formation? No one in the world but him would understand it, but if she didn't understand, how could she have instructed the Longxuan Army to leave the formation? Was it just luck, a chance encounter? Impossible! The Heavenly Stems Eight Trigrams Formation is so intricate; it couldn't be someone completely ignorant of it… Or perhaps, she has some connection to the Holy Immortal Sect? Or…