Chapter 632: Victory in Sight
Translator: Irene Editor: Lucas, TYZ
The Sword of Lightning was like a great white shark from the deep, moving stealthily in the vast darkness and waiting for its prey to make a mistake.
Gu Xuan and Shi Zhiguang were wide awake. Boss wasn't around, so they needed to be even more careful. If the Sword of Lightning was like an unsurpassable lion when it was hosted by Boss, it would just be a cub without him.
When God Wolf and Silverfrost started charging, the margins of the battlefield intensified, making it difficult to breathe.
Senior Xiao Shan's [Breeze of Surveillance] was clearly strong like fire yet gentle like the whisperings of the wind. Duanmu Huanghun's [Viridescent Flower, Twining Branches] reached across the whole earth and blue dome of heaven, fluttering in the darkness like a beautiful dream.
The Sword of Lightning kept exceptionally quiet, as if they were souls drifting outside of the battlefield.
Gu Xuan and Shi Zhiguang's gaze remained on the flickering Hellfire Spider Web in the campground. They had seen Zu Yan and Master Fatty attempting a pagoda cannon volley. When Hellfire Spider Web appeared, they immediately knew the intention of Zu Yan and Master Fatty.
The Sword of Lightning got into their attacking position noiselessly.
While Zu Yan was engaging Hellfire Spider Web, the Sword of Lightning abruptly launched their attack.
The Beehive Heavy Cannons' magnificent volley of gunfire was the best shield. When the light rays dispersed, the lightning sword flashed across the sky and a sharp sword chime swept across the whole battlefield. A huge, snow-white sword ray dove into the center of God Wolf and Silverfrost's army like a heavy sword that could split the sky and the earth.
The blood rays enveloping the combat division had just suffered a blow from the Beehive Heavy Cannons, causing them to dim and weaken. At this point, when the enemy's defense was at its weakest, the lightning swords brilliantly displayed their astonishingly powerful breakthrough.
The dimmed blood rays instantly shattered like glass.
Gu Xuan and Shi Zhiguang knew their limits. They didn't dare to charge straight ahead, for the area was concentrated with powerful fighters. They instead dove for the enemy's center and most vulnerable section.
The snowy, white sword rays lit up the sky momentarily.
The incoming lightning swords rumbled loudly. They were sharp and powerful, effectively destroying everything in their path and blowing people up into pieces. A blood elementalist with the Ability of God wasn't able to react in time, so he was quickly ripped apart by the extremely powerful force, creating a blood downpour that filled the sky.
The enemy's army splitted into two!
Not staying for a moment longer, the lightning swords that succeeded on the first blow vanished into the night.
The Sword of Lightning's sneak attack was very ingenious since it happened just as everybody had their focus on the Beehive Heavy Cannons and the light rays that had yet to disperse. After succeeding, they quickly fled far away.
Duanmu Huanghun opened his eyes widely. God Wolf's packed army was now separated by a ten-foot-wide path, exactly the passage the lightning swords had plowed through. Within the path there were no survivors. Fresh blood and broken limbs were everywhere, and the sounds of anguished wailing rang incessantly.
What….. What is this?
Duangmu Huanghun was in shock. Having just ended his spontaneous enlightenment, he felt unfamiliar with the world that seemed to have turned upside down. Both the enemies and allies were foreign to him.
Nevertheless, he heaved a gentle sigh of relief. He had been worried that his side would crumble, but he realized that they actually still had fight in them.
Everyone had grown a lot!
Helian Tianxiao seemed rather lost. His mind was in a blank as he had yet to recover from the huge blow displayed by the Beehive Heavy Cannons. He had underestimated the power of the volleys. His field of vision had been filled with only a sheet of whiteness, as if he had been knocked over by a group of sprinting wild beasts. Despite his combat power, he had temporarily lost focus.
Nevertheless, Helian Tianxiao was God Wolf's strongest warrior. After a brief pause, he regained his senses right away only to be mortified. He had thought that after so many days of battling, his team had already grasped the ins and outs of the pagoda cannons.
Never had he imagined that his enemy still had a trump card!
It was a killer move no one had ever seen before, a move that produced such a fantastic resonance. It was exactly such resonance that powered the pagoda cannons' might.
Helian Tianxiao suppressed his emotions. The land was filled with incessant cries and broken limbs. He narrowed his eyes, ignoring the sight before him as if he was unconcerned. To him, although the Sword of Lightning's sneak attack had resulted in heavier damage than the Beehive Heavy Cannons, the latter carried a much greater threat.
The volley of gunfire from the new Pagoda Cannons was like a powerful heavy hammer, effectively restraining God Wolf's charge.
God Wolf's charge could merge the soldiers' blood spiritual force. The dense blood rays that enveloped the whole army strengthened their defense significantly, and the enemy's attacks would be blocked off by the rays. It was precisely this unique charge formation that usually gave them the upper hand when battling against the elementalists.
They carried thick and heavy shields on their shoulders as they marched forward These shields were able to block off the incoming raining arrows. The biggest threat of the volley of gunfire from the new Pagoda Cannons was not directly injuring or death, but obstructing the their path and slowing them down from moving forward.
Countless thoughts and considerations spun in Helian Tianxiao's mind. He had fallen into a quandary.
To separate the disposition? He was somewhat hesitant. While breaking into smaller groups seemed easy, there will be no advantage for them when fighting against the elementalists.
Especially since there was still Duanmu Huanghun drifting overhead.
Duanmu Huanghun was someone with alarming power. He was stronger than ordinary blood elementalist with the Ability of God. Helian Tianxiao wasn't sure if the small division would be able to charge through the swarm-like viridescent flowers. If Duangmu Huanghun got involved, the scattering shots from the pagoda cannons would become very fatal.
On the other hand, while the Sword of Lightning was aggressive, how many could they take down if they were to disperse?
Stick with the formation and charge? That way they could ignore Duangmu Huanghun. Yet the combination of pagoda cannon volleys and the Sword of Lightning was a thorny problem.
Not only had the enemy's abilities exceeded his prediction; their diverse strategies also made him feel helpless.
From the corner of his eye, Helian Tianxiao saw the pagoda cannon formation's fire web brightening, a sign that he had to make a decision now.
In a flash, Helian Tianxiao appeared beside Song Xiaoqian. Clenching his teeth, he said, "Both divisions split up. I will lead God Wolf and charge forward while you lead Silverfrost and attack from the sides."
Even before Song Xiaoqian could reply, a deafening rumble was heard. The abruptly lit light rays illuminated the dark skies once again.
Both Song Xiaoqian and Helian Tianxiao quivered. The enormous force stifled Song Xiaoqian.
Hundreds of fighters at the forefront had vanished.
This time, the resonance of the pagoda cannon volley was even more mighty and terrifying. Once hit, the blood elementalists instantly evaporated even before they could cry out.
The sharp sword chime was like gangrene and the Sword of Lightning were like spirits in the dark night, destroying everything in their path. A familiar scene of blood and flesh flying everywhere reappeared.
Song Xiaoqian could see the rare anxiety and heartbreak on Helian Tianxiao's face. She knew that the Sword of Lightning alone wouldn't be able to break through God Wolf's defense and cause such severe losses, but if they could strike God Wolf at its weakest moment, which was right after the pagoda cannon volley, they would cause disastrous deaths and injuries.
The situation was critical, so without any delay, she shouted, "Yes! "
Next, she raised her spear and yelled, "Silverfrost, follow me!"
Split into two, the Silverfrost Division gathered toward where Song Xiaoqian stood like flowing mercury. Helian Tianxiao also used this time to regroup God Wolf into three teams. Each had about two thousand people, which was sufficient to block off Duanmu Huanghun's [Viridescent Flower]. After the regrouping, they would also be able to exert much more pressure on the enemy's troop disposition.
The reassembled Silverfrost was like a wheel of bright, full moon-like knives that drew an enormous and beautiful arc, making a roundabout and flying toward the right flank of the troop disposition.
The three teams of God Wolf also took this time to launch a fierce attack on the pagoda cannon disposition. They pulled apart from one another like three sharp arrowheads, shooting for the alliance's disposition from three different positions.
The God Wolf soldiers held their breaths.
They originally believed the battle to be one-sided, but now their roles had reversed. They were the ones getting suppressed, and this was the case even from the start of the battle. They had actually failed to make use of their powerful fighting strength and were choking with resentment over it.
Helian Tianxiao's decision had turned the battle situation around again.
The attack of the Hellfire Pagoda Cannons remained fierce, the Sword of Lightning was still appearing unpredictably, and Duanmu Huanghun's viridescent flowers were still as annoying. Despite all that, the speed in which God Wolf was charging forward had increased significantly.
The Pagoda Cannon Alliance was now facing increased pressure as the enemies had become more cunning. Not only did they split into different groups and routes, they no longer moved in a straightforward manner but with a swifter and more cooperative approach.
The Silverfrost Division's new strategy to attack from the flanks was the real fatal move since Fatty and Zu Yan would be blindsided.
However, the battle situation was very intense, so they had no time to care about that. The front was directly facing attacks from the three teams of God Wolf. They fought exceptionally fiercely, as though they were not afraid of death. The soldiers of God Wolf were gradually getting used to the volleys of the pagoda cannons and also the tricks of both the Sword of Lightning and Duanmu Huanghun.
They became more patient, from resisting the shots from the pagoda cannons to taking turns to lure them. The Sword of Lightning had almost fallen into their trap, and if not for Shi Zhiguang's quick reaction, they wouldn't have gotten out in time. Unexpectedly, it was Duanmu Huanghun who had been giving God Wolf a lot of trouble. He was very nimble and his viridescent flowers covered a very wide range. Furthermore, he always struck at the perfect times, when they were defenseless while changing formation.
To Helian Tianxiao, however, Duanmu Huanghun was merely an irritating fly.
The members of God Wolf never stopped suffering, and the number of casualties continued rising. Nevertheless, Helian Tianxiao knew very well that the odds were slanting towards their favor. An important piece of proof was that the pagoda cannon volleys were no longer producing as great a result as the previous few rounds of shots.
A round of shots could only result in less than a hundred deaths, and to Helian Tianxiao, this sacrifice was completely acceptable.
The three teams took turns to shield one another, luring the alliance to fire. They were like three slippery loaches.
Helian Tianxiao did not engage his whole army directly, since that could easily open up an opportunity for the enemy. The defense line formed by the pagoda cannon volleys, the Sword of Lightning, and Duanmu Huanghun was something that even Helian Tianxiao wouldn't dare to underestimate.
He was waiting for Silverfrost to outflank the enemy ever since that the deciding moment.
By now Silverfrost was already out of the pagoda cannons' firing range and the rumbling of the shots was left behind them.
They made a detour and were obstructed by a mountain ridge. While it was a mountain ridge, it wasn't actually tall. It was more like a small mound.
Upon crossing this ridge and advancing forward, they would be able to enter the enemy's disposition from the sides.