Chapter Twenty-Six: The Great Battle of the Generals

"General Zhang Liao, there must be Xiongnu soldiers hidden among the civilians below. We shall lead the cavalry out of the city first to block the main Xiongnu force. You must immediately lead five thousand infantry to secure these civilians and bring them back to Yanmen. Do not, under any circumstances, allow the hidden Xiongnu to incite chaos." Before they had even exited the city, Xue Rengui took the lead to instruct Zhang Liao.

"Rest assured, General. With me here, the Xiongnu barbarians’ treacherous schemes shall not succeed." Zhang Liao now understood why Li Xiang had specifically chosen Xue Rengui for this mission; to be able to think so meticulously at such a moment was indeed extraordinary.

"All officers, hear my command! Charge out of the city and follow me to rescue our Han people!"

Outside the city, as the gates of Yanmen Pass swung open, Wanyan Wugimai’s face was filled with delight. "Hahaha, brother, my prediction was correct. Those Han troops have finally crawled out of their turtle shell."

Hearing this, Wanyan Aguda finally showed a hint of joy. "In that case, why have you not ordered preparations? We must not miss such a golden opportunity."

"Hahaha, brother, do not worry. Can you not trust me to handle things? I have already made the necessary arrangements, and I have even temporarily secured the services of Shan Shituo and Niandeli. Now that the gates of Yanmen Pass are open, they shall never be shut again," Wanyan Wugimai said nonchalantly, clearly confident in his preparations.

...

In front of Yanmen Pass, Xue Rengui, clad in white robes and wielding his painted halberd, charged first toward the Xiongnu formation. Behind him, Xing Tian, Qin Qiong, and Meng Wu were no less valiant, vying to be at the front.

In a matter of moments, Xue Rengui’s unit bypassed the civilians and drove straight into the heart of the Xiongnu army. Upon contact, a casual sweep of Xue Rengui’s halberd knocked several Xiongnu riders from their saddles, where they were promptly trampled into paste by the galloping warhorses.

Under the ferocious assault of the Yanmen generals, the Xiongnu suffered heavy losses. Meanwhile, back at the pass, Zhang Liao led his thousands of infantry out, successfully shielding the civilians held hostage by the Xiongnu.

With the Yanmen army’s fierce generals leading the charge, the Xiongnu champions naturally would not stand idly by. Wanyan Jindanzi and Wanyan Yin'danzi, wielding hammers as large as vat mouths, struck with the force of a thousand catties, and for a time, no one dared approach them. Wanyan Shemu, though less explosive, wielded his great saber with such vigor that he caused significant losses to the Han forces.

Compared to them, Shan Shituo and Niandeli appeared somewhat low-key, and were mistakenly treated as easy targets.

"Barbarian general, do not be so arrogant! Look upon Liang Peng of Shangdang as I come to challenge you!" With that, he charged at Shan Shituo with his spear.

Shan Shituo didn't even seem to move; he simply lashed out with his gilded trident—and then, there was no 'after.' With a base martial prowess of 106, even without activating his skills, Shan Shituo could easily slaughter hordes of such weaklings whose strength was below 80.

"Ding! Shan Shituo's 'Brutal Valor' effect three activated: Martial Prowess +1. Base Martial Prowess 106, Gilded Trident +1, Xiaotian Steed +1. Current Martial Prowess: 109."

Liang Peng, a knight-errant by trade who had arrived at Yanmen filled with righteous fervor after Li Xiang’s recruitment drive, was struck down by Shan Shituo without ceremony.

But a knight-errant is never without friends; several more rushed at Shan Shituo, only to meet the exact same fate as Liang Peng.

"Ding..."
"Ding..."
"Ding! Shan Shituo’s 'Brutal Valor' effect three activated for the fourth time. Current Martial Prowess: 112."

Upon hearing the system's continuous prompts, Li Xiang’s face turned green. *These teammates... they are impossible to carry!*

Both sides realized their respective champions were slaughtering the opposing rank-and-file, so they initiated duels against one another. Xing Tian squared off against Shan Shituo, Xue Rengui took on the two Danzi brothers, Xiong Kuohai confronted Wanyan Shemu and Wanyan Zongbi, while Meng Wu found himself targeted by Niandeli.

"Ding! Xing Tian's 'Battle Intent' effect one activated: Martial Prowess +5. Base Martial Prowess 105, Heaven-Opening Axe +1, Elephant-Dragon Horse +1. Current Martial Prowess: 112."
"Ding! Shan Shituo's 'Great Strength' effect one activated: Martial Prowess +5. Current Martial Prowess: 117."

Shan Shituo naturally recognized this Han warrior who had previously beheaded Lian'er Xinshan and defeated Wanyan Jindanzi. He dared not hold back, swinging his gilded trident with all his might.

"BOOM!" Feeling the force transmitted through the axe, Xing Tian was startled. Having seen his battle with Xiong Kuohai, he had expected him to be nothing special. He hadn't expected such an unexpected result today, and suddenly, Xing Tian felt a surge of interest.

"Ding! Xing Tian's 'Battle Intent' effect two activated for the first time: Martial Prowess +2. Current Martial Prowess: 114."
"Ding! Xing Tian's 'God of War' effect one activated: Martial Prowess +8. Current Martial Prowess: 122."

Though it was only a five-point difference in martial prowess, upon their next clash, Shan Shituo felt a dull ache in his chest. A single blow had nearly caused internal injury. He knew this man was strong, but he hadn't imagined he would be this powerful.

Forcing down the shock, he steeled his spirit and fought on.

"Ding! Shan Shituo's 'Brutal Valor' effect one activated: Martial Prowess +8. Current Martial Prowess: 125."

Feeling Shan Shituo's aura surge dramatically after his own attack, Xing Tian’s fighting spirit flared.

"Ding! Xing Tian's 'Battle Intent' effect two activated for the second time. Current Martial Prowess: 124."

As soon as their auras were fully unleashed, they rushed at each other by mutual agreement.

"BOOM!" Another massive blast erupted, kicking up a cloud of dust with the two of them at the center. The sound of weapons clashing echoed continuously from within the dust.

After yet another full-force collision, both figures emerged from the dust. Without waiting for a moment’s rest, they spurred their horses to charge once more.

"Ding! Xing Tian's 'Battle Intent' effect two activated for the final time. Current Martial Prowess: 126."

In this exchange, Shan Shituo suffered a minor setback.

"Ding! Shan Shituo's 'Brutal Valor' effect two activated for the first time: Martial Prowess +4. Current Martial Prowess: 129."

Xing Tian could not believe that Shan Shituo could still improve even now. This aura was far stronger than the day he fought Xiong Kuohai. *Was he not using his full strength that day? That doesn't seem right; he didn't look like he was holding back then.* Xing Tian was completely baffled.

"Ding! Xing Tian's 'God of War' effect two activated: Martial Prowess +9. Current Martial Prowess: 135."

At this moment, Xing Tian reached his peak, his martial prowess erupting to the highest level he could currently attain. Feeling Xing Tian’s crushing, mountain-like pressure, Shan Shituo was stimulated to erupt once more.

"Ding! Shan Shituo's 'Brutal Valor' effect two activated again: Martial Prowess +4. Current Martial Prowess: 133."

In this instant, both had exhausted all their skills, their auras reaching their absolute zenith. Two majestic forces intertwined so intensely that no one dared approach; a vacuum zone had formed between them.