Mythical Three Kingdoms-Chapter 861 - 822: Getting Started
After the temperature plunged, a blanket was wrapped around Lub Su. He could only feel that this Spiritual Talent was indeed extraordinary. Its special cooling effect was no joke; in a mere moment, the temperature dropped forcibly from over twenty degrees Celsius to below minus ten. Judging by Lub Su's condition, it seemed he could push it even further.
The sudden temperature difference of more than thirty degrees immediately caused chaos within Yuan Shao's Army, which was caught off guard. Though such "Changing Heavens" situations had occurred before, such dramatic changes were truly beyond anything Yuan Shao's soldiers had anticipated.
Tian Feng, Sheni Pei, and others immediately paused their respective commands and started to forcibly dispel the fog. However, compared to their output of Spiritual Capacity, Liu Bei's Army was not to be underestimated. Even though the original weather was supposed to be scorching, Chen Xi and others, defying the natural indicators, managed to suppress Tian Feng.
"Lord, order the spear cavalry in ambush to attack! This cold fog does not discriminate between friend and foe. Although our army has suffered disadvantages due to the cold fog, short-term collapse is unlikely. The enemy is also affected by this fog!" Sheni Pei observed the situation and, realizing they had lost the initiative and couldn't suppress the enemy's manipulation of weather conditions, immediately proposed this to Yuan Shao.
"Transmit the order for the spear cavalry to attack!" Yuan Shao commanded the messenger beside him. The freezing fog was already affecting him personally by then.
Through several relays, the spear cavalry originally stationed at the rear flanks mounted their horses, picked up their seven-to-eight-foot-long spears, quickly organized into a dense spear formation, shouted their rally cries, and charged towards Liu Bei's Army in a sweeping arc.
The freezing fog, before the water vapor had completely dissipated, not only caused destructive effects on Yuan Shao's Army but also impaired the vision for Liu Bei's side.
As the first long spear burst from the cold fog and pierced into Liu Bei's Army, a group of over a thousand cavalrymen on tall horses, clad in heavy armor and wielding long spears, charged out, leaving devastation in their wake.
Before Liu Bei could issue orders, the well-prepared archers and crossbowmen at the rear of his army unleashed a barrage of volleys upon the long speared cavalry force charging towards them.
The enemy cavalry slightly lowered their heads and continued their momentum towards the junction between Liu Bei's flanks and Central Army. The rain of arrows had limited impact, only unhorsing a small number of cavalry.
"A form of heavy cavalry, though not entirely there yet, they've expanded their combat range significantly. However, they're still manageable!" Chen Xi explained upon noticing Liu Bei's furrowed brows.
He then issued deployment orders to the soldiers nearby. Soon, flags stirred, and a specialized archer unit appeared at the junction between the flanks and the Central Army. Unlike previous scattered units with ordinary strong bows, this unit of only five hundred archers wielded Five-Stone Strong Bows.
This unit was the epitome of an elite archer force. Training such a group was so costly that Chen Xi would practically feel heartbroken. Out of Liu Bei's entire jurisdiction, only around a thousand were carefully selected for this unit, and even with Inner Qi support, these Five-Stone Strong Bows could not shoot more than ten arrows per archer.
As this archer unit emerged, every soldier within swiftly retrieved specially crafted arrows, as thick as small chicken eggs, nocked them, and aimed at Yuan Shao's pseudo-heavy cavalry. Against the power of the Five-Stone Strong Bows, their armor offered no defense—absolute penetration!
A sound of bowstrings twanging erupted; all five hundred arrows hit their mark, plunging Yuan Shao's meticulously selected pseudo-heavy cavalry into disarray. Seasoned veterans in the vicinity seized the opportunity to counterattack—some pierced horses' abdomens with their long spears, while others hacked at horses' legs with their ring-pommel swords. They retaliated decisively at every opening given.
"Heh, this is an archer force under cooperation strong enough to kill Lyu Bu. Yet, a mere group of cavalry with substandard armor thickness dared to throw themselves into the fray." Chen Xi sneered, watching the five hundred archers, each towering at over 1.8 meters, rapidly retreat. Satisfied, he remarked that the enormous expense of building such a unit was well worth it.
"Zichuan, can you continue drawing water vapor?" Guo Jia turned his head to ask. "At most, thirty more breaths, and all the cold fog will solidify into ice shards due to the temperature drop, falling away and ceasing to obscure the vision."
"Probably not. While my Spiritual Capacity is vast, my physical limits remain, restricting prolonged output. In terms of raw output, two civil officials with Spiritual Talent can suppress me during short bursts," Chen Xi squinted and replied. "But at this point, it's no longer necessary."
His reasoning for deeming it unnecessary was clear—Guan Yu had already broken through Yann Liang's blockade and was leading his School Sabre Bearer unit towards Yuan Shao's Central Army with his Green Dragon Crescent Blade in hand. Witnessing this, Chen Xi grew excited. Whether it was due to Yann Liang's injury from Zhao Yun yesterday or some other reason, Yann Liang had failed to stop Guan Yu today. Smashing through fortresses could not compare to cutting through Yuan Shao's forces for thrill!
In the area Chen Xi was observing, Yann Liang was cornered by Zhou Cang, Liaoo Hua, Pei Yuanshao, Jiang Gong, and Sima Ju—a mixture of strengths, from Zhou Cang, who was one step away from breaking through, to Pei Yuanshao, who barely qualified as late-stage Qi Refining to Gang practitioners. Regardless, Yann Liang had fallen into the hands of these men, like a tiger descending into Pingyang, only to be bullied by dogs!
No matter how furious or how loudly he roared, Yann Liang could not break free from their encirclement. This wasn't because of yesterday's sword wound inflicted by Zhao Yun—it was entirely due to today's thick Cloud Qi, which rendered him unable to use Inner Qi Manifestation techniques!
It must be noted that both Guan Yu and Yann Liang's Inner Qi Cultivation levels were not on par with the monstrous abilities of Lyu Bu or Zhao Yun. What they relied upon was their Heart Spirit combined with their equivalent Inner Qi, pushed to the extreme.
Under the suppressive force of today's ten-thousand-strong army's Cloud Qi, Guan Yu and Yann Liang could only exhibit strength typical of them without triggering Inner Qi abilities. Though still formidable, their abilities felt greatly diminished compared to the mountain-splitting, river-breaking powers they once displayed.
"It's up to you all; I'm about to act," Chen Xi declared. He withdrew his Spiritual Capacity, and in that moment, the thinning cold fog was immediately dispelled by Yuan Shao's strategists. Summer sunlight slowly cascaded down, invigorating the soldiers. The air several hundred miles away darkened abruptly, while the Yuan-Liu battlefield grew oppressively hot.
"It's all yours now. We don't need to do much anymore," Jia Xu commented casually as he glanced at Chen Xi.
Chen Xi nodded towards Liu Bei and began using his Spiritual Talent to connect to the belief of every soldier, linking them to Guan Yu.
Chen Xi had pondered for a long time; Military Spirit, practically speaking, was nothing more than belief and will. Yet, in this world, due to the aberration caused by the Divine Stone, belief and will had become manifest. What was referred to as Military Spirit was essentially highly unified belief and will.
When Military Spirit fully forms, the reason why such an army becomes almost indestructible likely lies in the pure influence of unified belief and will. As long as one person remains, this purified belief and will can spread to others. This is the reason for their near-indestructibility.
(To be continued. If you like this work, please visit Qidian.com to vote for recommendations or monthly votes. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com for reading.)
