Witch Wind

Chapter 397 Acting as an Accomplice to a Tiger (Part 2)

Xing Tianli stopped calculating.

Within the circular light, the black python shook its head and tail, hissing and roaring, unleashing waves of terrifying sonic booms like a tsunami, bombarding all directions. On the plaza, swarms of mantis demons coughed up blood, their armor shattered into countless fragments that flew wildly in all directions.

Countless mantis demons flew wildly in the gale caused by the sonic boom, and iron slag struck them indiscriminately, leaving their bodies riddled with holes, and green blood splattered like a torrential rain.

Screams and roars filled the air.

The young man from the Sima clan retreated hastily, and a dozen or so men in long robes roared in unison, their swords rising into the air and transforming into a protective canopy of light in front of him. A fierce wind swept up countless fragments of rocks and armor, striking the canopy of light with a deafening roar that caused the dozen or so men in long robes to cough up blood.

All around, dozens of heavily armored, menacing mantis demon generals rose into the air. Beneath their thick armor, within their hard exoskeletons, uniquely structured muscles bulged. They brandished long swords and spears, creating gusts of wind as they blocked the black python that descended from the sky.

These mantis demon generals shouted and cursed. When the two leaders swung their long spears, their magical power surged, and the cold light condensed into strange Dharma forms, which suddenly transformed into two giant black mantises, each a hundred feet tall. They swung their bladed arms, creating a burst of cold light that tore through the void.

A series of loud clangs rang out.

The weapons in the hands of dozens of mantis demon generals were shattered, and they coughed up blood, staggering backward.

Only the two leading generals, wielding their long spears, were locked in a stalemate with the black python.

The serpent flipped over, revealing itself to be a long, steel-tipped spear.

The serpent spear tumbled, scattering points of cold light like mercury spilling onto the ground, sweeping towards the two mantis demon generals from all directions. The long spears in the hands of the two also gleamed coldly, clashing fiercely with the serpent spear.

Amidst the flickering light and shadow, three figures were locked in a fierce battle.

As the light of the Round Light Technique solidified, the figure that appeared within the black python was clearly seen by Xing Tianli and his group—it was a tall, imposing young man, nearly ten feet tall, with bare arms and only wearing a battle skirt adorned with armor plates. He was barefoot, his arm muscles bulging, and veins twitching like small snakes. As he swung his spear, it constantly emitted sharp, piercing sounds of wind being cut.

This man doesn't look very old.

To the naked eye, he appeared to be only in his early twenties, yet he genuinely possessed the cultivation level of a peak Golden Immortal.

At this moment, he was alone against two mantis demons of similar cultivation levels. Whether in terms of physical strength or spear techniques, he was several times stronger than the two mantis demon generals.

A flurry of cold light flashed, and in the blink of an eye, dozens of transparent holes were pierced through the bodies of the two mantis demon generals. Green blood splattered, and the two generals staggered backward, repeatedly uttering sharp cries of alarm: "Zhang Lan, Zhang Lan, Zhang Lan is here!"

From the side, silently, another spear pierced the air.

When the man named Zhang Lan made his move, his serpent spear transformed into a thousand-foot-long monstrous python, its power astonishing. Yet, the serpent spear he unleashed at that moment was silent and invisible, a single flash of cold light suddenly exploding as it reached the two mantis demons.

With a 'plop' sound, the two mantis demon generals, who were already severely injured by Zhang Lan and terrified by his name, didn't even see where the second serpent spear appeared.

Their heads exploded, blood splattered, and the two men groaned as their souls were shattered by the terrifying killing intent attached to the spear.

The two peak Golden Immortals were annihilated, their bodies falling rapidly from the sky like stones.

Another young man appeared beside Zhang Lan.

He was dressed in full black heavy armor, without a helmet, but instead wore a crown of black hair adorned with two brightly colored, seven- or eight-foot-long pheasant feathers.

These two seemingly ordinary pheasant feathers emitted a soft light, with strands of seven-colored light rolling down and enveloping the body of a young man who was nearly ten feet tall, but whose aura was completely different from Zhang Lan's. He was extremely profound and reserved, so that he could walk without making a sound.

This young man's cultivation level was even slightly stronger than Zhang Lan's.

If Zhang Lan is a fierce general charging into battle, this young man is an assassin who appears and disappears like a ghost on the battlefield. The two are of similar skill, but the damage he can inflict and the psychological pressure he puts on the enemy are far more terrifying than Zhang Lan's.

At least, when the Duke of Xunyang of the Sima clan saw Zhang Lan, he only snorted coldly. But when he saw this young man, his expression changed drastically: "Zhang Zhu, you scoundrel, what are you doing here? You, you, you, shouldn't you be on White Deer Star fighting with my brothers?"

Zhang Zhu squinted, a cold glint flashing in his narrow eyes, staring intently at the young man from the Sima family: "Sima Shi, look, you're spouting nonsense again... Ever since we first met on the battlefield, all these years, has your Sima family ever figured out my whereabouts?"

Sima Shi gritted his teeth, stamped his foot, and sneered, "Fine, that's enough... Today's trap was originally dug for Zhang Lan, but I didn't expect that you, Zhang Zhu, would be here too."

Sima Shi let out a fierce whistle.

Banners fluttered all around, and then a series of loud explosions rang out. More than three thousand buildings around the square exploded simultaneously, and large groups of heavily armored mantis warriors rushed out from the three thousand buildings like dark clouds, instantly forming a classic 'Nine Palaces and Eight Gates Golden Lock Formation' in all directions!
Xing Tianli counted on his fingers, calculating for a long time the array set up by the mantis demons in the Round Light Technique.

Uh, that's right, it's the 'Nine Palaces and Eight Gates Golden Lock Formation', an ancient military formation in the Nine Provinces, specifically used to surround powerful enemies, capture their leaders, and prevent them from escaping. It's a formation that can encircle enemies from all directions, both in the sky and on the ground.

In ordinary armies, this formation is extremely effective at creating encirclements.

However, after being transformed into a formation in the cultivation world, this formation truly trapped heaven and earth, leaving no room for escape, and blocking all avenues of life.

From all directions, in the nine palaces, nine powerful mantis spirits, imbued with the aura of Taiyi, silently appeared, wielding long swords.

Behind them, tens of millions of fierce mantis soldiers merged into one, their terrifying array power transforming into an all-encompassing net, forming a unified force with the nine generals.

This grand formation is perfectly integrated and without any flaws. It is set up with nine Taiyi Generals as the core of the formation. With the formation power intertwined and piled up, unless one is a Great Luo Golden Immortal, there is no way to escape. Zhang Lan and Zhang Zhu are clearly only at the peak of the Golden Immortal level.

Sima Shi laughed triumphantly: "Zhang Lan, Zhang Zhu, what do you think? Today, you have nowhere to go, and your elders in Shu Han are probably too busy to come to your rescue... Fine, fine, for the sake of being from the same lineage in the Nine Provinces, kneel down, kowtow, and swear an oath to submit to my Sima clan from now on."

After clearing his throat, Sima Shi said, "Especially you, Zhang Zhu, you rascal, I don't know what kind of evil method you used, but my little sister only saw you once on the battlefield last time, and she can't forget you... The ancestor said that if you are willing to marry into the family, it is not impossible to give you a title of king."

Zhang Lan frowned, looking at the surrounding military formation, her eyes flashing, and her killing intent surged.

Upon hearing Sima Shi's words, Zhang Lan burst into wild laughter: "Xiao Zhu, did you hear that? They want you to marry into their family... Oh dear, Sima Shi, your family has no sincerity at all... Xiao Zhu marrying into their family? As his elder brother, I'll agree to that for him, but your little sister won't... unless she's that old scoundrel Sima's legal wife..."

Zhang Zhu cursed loudly, swung his spear, and lashed it out at Zhang Lan's buttocks with the shaft: "Nonsense! Sima Yi's legal wife? That old woman, who could stand her?"

Sima Shi and his group of Sima clan members, as if their ancestral graves had been dug up, launched into a tirade of curses at Zhang Lan.

Sima Shi's face turned ashen, and he hissed angrily: "Zhang Lan, you damned dog, you have the same face as your old butcher! You have no morals, you'll definitely go to the Tongue-Pulling Hell after you die! Get... Zhang Lan, dead or alive, that doesn't matter; capture Zhang Zhu alive!"

The nine mantis demon generals shouted in unison, unleashing nine streaks of cold light that propelled their massive army forward, crushing towards the Zhang brothers. The Zhang brothers, Zhang Lan and Zhang Zhu, calmly wielded their spears, engaging the nine Taiyi Realm mantis demons in a fierce battle.

Neither side used magic or supernatural powers; they relied solely on physical strength, spearmanship, and swordsmanship to fight.

The spears and longswords clashed, producing a deafening clang and sparks flying. Zhang Lan and Zhang Zhu faced off against the nine Taiyi Realm experts, clearly holding their own. Their physical strength was enough to contend with the Taiyi Realm mantis demons, and their spear skills far surpassed those of the nine Taiyi mantis demons.

After several exchanges, the Zhang brothers were unharmed, while the nine mantis demon generals were struck dozens of times by their spears. Although they couldn't pierce their bodies, they tore apart their exoskeletons, punctured their flesh, and splattered specks of dark green blood.

Sima Shi stared wide-eyed at the chaotic battlefield in the air, his face contorted with rage.

He shouted angrily, "These two bastards, are they really that hard to deal with?"

He stamped his foot and cursed angrily, "These are just two lowly butchers at the Golden Immortal realm. If it were their family, and Zhang Yide himself came here, wouldn't that be..."

Sima Shi was fine until he mentioned the name 'Zhang Yide'. As soon as he uttered the name, the faces of the many Sima clan members around him suddenly turned pale, and some even reached out and covered Sima Shi's mouth.

“Uncle, Uncle, you mustn’t mention that old butcher’s name… That fellow is a scoundrel, he can’t stand being talked about. Often, we’ve got the upper hand, but just mentioning his name, and he suddenly pops up, and our winning situation collapses just like that… You mustn’t say his name.” A middle-aged man who looked much older than Sima Shi, but was clearly at a disadvantage due to his seniority, covered Sima Shi’s mouth and warned him very carefully.

Sparks flew everywhere as Zhang Lan and his brother fought fiercely against the nine mantis demon generals.

Sima Shi angrily slapped away the hand covering his mouth and said, "This is outrageous! The past events were just coincidences. Is that old butcher surnamed Zhang really a living god who can appear at will?"

With his head held high, Sima Shi said loudly, "Those past incidents were just coincidences, mere coincidences... Now, Shu Han is being suspected by those petty people, and they are fighting fiercely in the court, making it difficult to mobilize even a single soldier... Zhang Lan and Zhang Zhu are isolated and helpless here. Even if I shout 'Zhang Yide' here, do you think he can really show his face?"

"Ha, could this Zhang guy really be a god?"

"Can't we stop?"

Sima Shi declared confidently, "Today, I'm putting my words here: I've taken Zhang Lan's life... As for Zhang Zhu, well, he'll be captured and taken back to my little sister to deal with herself. From now on, his direct descendants will become my Sima family's son-in-law, heh."

In the void, Xing Tianli had already increased its speed of flight.

All his magical power was burning, continuously pouring into the Tower of Creation. The spirit of the Tower of Creation, Little Donkey, revealed its true form, standing on the top of the tower and braying loudly to the sky. It propelled its body forward, creating a streak of light, and flew towards this star field tens of light-years away at a speed of nearly 100,000 times that of normal spacetime.

At this speed.

It should take about two hours to reach that patch of starry sky.

Once you enter that vast, manifested starry sky where the laws are complete, you can freely unleash your supernatural powers, teleport through the void, without worrying about attracting any unpredictable crises or uncontrollable chaotic risks from the chaos.

Having traversed hundreds of strange and wondrous small worlds and endured such a long journey, Xing Tianli had become much more cautious. His first lesson learned was—never use teleportation in the chaos. Without methods surpassing those of a saint, one absolutely must not use teleportation; the only option is to obediently accelerate and fly at full speed!
Sima Shi roared to the sky in the square: "Zhang Yide, you old scoundrel, your son is about to be captured alive by me with a little trick... Ha, ha, ha... What can you do to me?"

With a muffled thud, many members of the Sima clan around Sima Shi coughed up blood, and like dandelions in a storm, they were involuntarily flung far, far away.

A burly man, over ten feet tall, nearly twelve feet high, with a dark complexion and a full beard, appeared out of thin air behind Sima Shi. Sima Shi's shouts abruptly ceased; his body stiffened, and beads of cold sweat continuously seeped from his forehead, sliding down his pale, smooth face.

"Who are you?" Sima Shi, after all, still had some composure. Hearing the miserable howls of his clansmen and seeing them rolling on the ground and vomiting blood, he froze for a moment before quickly regaining his senses and hissing, "The high-ranking officials of Shu Han are entangled with these villains and cannot spare any resources to rescue this place."

“Zhang Zhu was stationed here at Bai Luan Xing, commanding 30,000 fierce soldiers of Shu Han. In recent days, his clan uncle has used his methods to gradually draw them all away. He now only has 300 personal guards by his side, who are being surrounded by 3,000 elite troops from our Great Jin.”

“Zhang Zhu’s sudden appearance here might be an accident. After all, Zhang Zhu is notoriously elusive; it’s understandable that he could appear out of nowhere… But you, sir…”

"You don't recognize me?" The burly man behind Sima Shi stretched out two fingers, pinched the skin on the back of Sima Shi's neck, and lifted him up easily as if he were a cat or a dog, placing him in front of him and shaking him gently.

"Zhang Bao!" Sima Shi's pupils constricted in shock, and he screamed hoarsely, "How could it be you? You, you, you, three months ago, you beat up those little brats, the Ninth Prince, and you've already been imprisoned..."

Zhang Bao!

Sima Shi screamed in fright, and Xing Tianli and the others were also invigorated, their eyes widening as they stared intently at the burly, bearded man in the circular light technique.

Ran Min rubbed his hands together, muttering under his breath, "Zhang Bao? Zhang Bao! Heh, what a tough guy... I wonder how many punches he can take from me... Hah, what kind of hero beats Zhang Bao? If I'm going to beat someone, I'll beat his dad... beat his... second uncle!"

Ran Min's face flushed with excitement, his big eyes widened, and his whole body surged with murderous aura. He rubbed his fists together excitedly, and his muscles and bones clasped together, making a thunderous sound.

He shouted at Xing Tianli, "Daoist Master, faster, faster... I can't hold back anymore, my hands are itching! I want to fight Zhang Bao for three days and three nights!"

Xing Tianli, his face drooping, glanced at Ran Min and said, "If we speed up, we can go even faster, but have you forgotten how we ran too fast last time and crashed into that monster's lair, getting chased for a billion eighty million miles?"

Ran Min shut his mouth.

He stared wide-eyed at Zhang Bao within the Radiant Light Technique, his breathing growing heavier and more intense.

Zhang Bao shook the Sima Shi he was carrying and said coldly, "No wonder that Ninth Prince, who is usually as timid as a mouse, actually dared to flirt with my grandniece after drinking... Hey, that guy, was he flirting with you guys?"

Shaking his head, Zhang Bao sighed, "No wonder the Prime Minister said that your Sima Jin has found a good partner. These insects are ferocious by nature, but they are simple-minded and as innocent as children... Your Sima Jin cooperates with them and does all sorts of inhuman things, but you can still work together as one."

"Our Shu Han has been wholeheartedly devoted to the future of these treacherous villains. We have poured our hearts and souls into them because of their appearance... These villains are far too cunning; they are truly inhuman."

“Oh, the word ‘benevolence’!” Zhang Bao scoffed, then slapped Sima Shi twice across the face. “Your Sima family has always been disgusting. You didn’t just prepare such a shabby military formation, did you? What other tricks do you have up your sleeve? Uh, according to the Prime Minister, you have at least three backup plans.”

"Use everything you have, stop holding back."

"I've already arrived, so I'm a big fish, aren't I? What other schemes do you have up your sleeves? Just bring them out."

Xing Tianli's gaze became very subtle, as did Ran Min's.

Xing Tianli whispered, "Prime Minister!"

Ran Min smacked his lips: "Prime Minister!"

(End of this chapter)