Chapter 323 - - 321 achieving twice the result with half the effort_1

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The voice echoed through the valley and traveled far.

It not only spread throughout Yutang Pass but also reached the camp outside the city where Huangfu Xing’s army was stationed.

The rain of arrows in Yutang Pass ceased in response.

Torches lit up one by one on the city wall as numerous soldiers lined up in neat formations, wielding sharp blades, ready for battle. Archers bent their bows and aimed at Duge and the others on the city tower.

Surrounding Duge, Tong San and others acted as guards. Wu Chang pulled arrow after arrow from his flesh, each extraction bringing out a spray of blood and flesh that left the soldiers on the wall dumbfounded.

“The Fourth Princess?”

A female general in her early twenties emerged from the end of the city wall. She was clad in armor and carried a long spear, walking with a commanding presence that exuded a masculine aura.

“General Huangfu, I am Luo Shuang.” Luo Shuang, from her commanding position, looked down at Huangfu Yue and said, “I’ve heard that General Huangfu supports the proposition of women managing their own affairs and has defected from Chongming Country. Luo Shuang is deeply grateful and cannot bear to see General Huangfu in danger, so I’ve come to lend you a helping hand.”

“How can you prove you are the Fourth Princess?”

Huangfu Yue’s gaze swept over to Duge beside Luo Shuang, her eyes filled with caution.

Duge reached into his chest and took out Luo Shuang’s jade pendant, tossing it over.

Huangfu Yue caught it, glanced at it briefly, then frowned and with a wave of her hand ordered, “What villain dares to impersonate the Fourth Princess? Archers, fire!”

As soon as the words fell,

the archers, who were already poised to release, let go of their bowstrings.

In an instant.

Arrows flew like locusts.

All aimed at Duge and his companions.

Tong San and the others paled and used their weapons to deflect the arrows.

Wu Chang laughed heartily, brandished his sword, and leaped onto the city wall, charging toward Huangfu Yue: “I knew you wretched woman were up to no good. Once I take you down, I’ll seek reward from the princess.”

After a volley of arrows, Tong San and others also leaped onto the city wall, clashing with Huangfu Yue’s soldiers in a heated battle.

“Huangfu Yue, you are a woman yet you use the princess’ ideas as bait to set up the princess. Aren’t you afraid that your actions will chill the hearts of women everywhere if word gets out?” Duge didn’t move; he stood by Luo Shuang’s side, looking at Huangfu Yue, raising his voice, “Don’t you know if the Fourth Princess dies by your hand, there will no longer be a day when women can rise up.

Because you have a good father, you sit in the General’s seat, ignoring the women of the world who suffer oppression. One day, when true gender equality arrives, you will be nailed to the pillar of shame…”

“Huangfu Yue, I thought I had found a kindred spirit in you, yet you have become a running dog for men.” Luo Shuang looked at Huangfu Yue with pity and said loudly, “I am ashamed of you.”

Huangfu Yue watched Duge and Luo Shuang with cold eyes as if looking at two dead people.

Duge watched Tong San and the others locked in combat and was puzzled himself.

He possessed the ability to set off a chain reaction with a single move.

One would think, having already initiated the tide and recruited Huangfu Yue, everything should be twice as effective, and since Huangfu Yue had betrayed the tide, everything she did should be half as effective.

The two sides were at an advantage that differed by a factor of four.

So why did his powers seem to have no effect at all?

He didn’t understand what went wrong!

And moreover, she had made such a show of force clearly aiming for him, but how could these ordinary soldiers possibly keep him here?

Huangfu Yue’s cultivation level didn’t even surpass Yu Hongsheng’s!

Could it be, she was relying on Huangfu Xing outside the city? But the camp was at least five miles from the city gate, too far to respond quickly!

He had also arranged for top-notch assassins to kill Huangfu Xing…

…

It didn’t make sense.

Duge simply stopped thinking about it.

He looked at Huangfu Yue, smiled slightly, and waved his hand.

The water in the moat shot up to the sky, turning into a water dragon swirl, hurtling toward her.

The soldiers along the way were sent flying by the water dragon swirl.

Huangfu Yue watched the water dragon swirl approaching and smirked. With a whoosh, her spear flashed forward, and the water dragon swirl dispersed instantly, turning into a stream on the ground.

Huangfu Yue’s face froze in astonishment, puzzled as her thrust aimed to disrupt the structure of the water dragon swirl.

However, her spear hadn’t even touched the water dragon swirl before it fell apart on its own.

What was happening?

Was her opponent not skilled enough?

Before she had time to figure it out, one water dragon after another surged from the moat, drenching the city wall.

The water came so quickly and in such quantity that the drains on the city wall couldn’t drain off the water fast enough.

In just a moment.

The wall was covered in water half a foot deep.

Standing in the water, Huangfu Yue became increasingly puzzled. Why call up so much water?

She saw Duge condense water into ice and knew he was a Magician.

But even the most top-notch Magician couldn’t instantly solidify half a foot of deep water into ice!

Even if he had the ability to freeze water into ice, an inch-thick layer of ice could be shattered by a slight vibration of True Qi, freeing oneself without causing any injury…

But then, her complexion abruptly changed.

Her legs tensed up involuntarily, and she leapt fiercely out of the water onto the wall, hurling herself upward and swinging her spear down at Duge on the city tower, “Shameless lecher, I’ll kill you…”

Several bodyguards followed her in ascent, their skills a notch above hers. Together, they adopted a combined attack strategy, cutting off all of Duge’s escape routes.

However, the group had only just leapt halfway up.

Ah~! Ah~! Ah!

Several short, sharp screams.

Thud thud!

Their True Qi dissipated, and they fell onto the city wall, tumbling into the water.

A few instinctively covered their groins.

Huangfu Yue shivered and quickly got back on her feet.

But right after that, the water on the city wall, like serpents, began pouring into her nose, eyes, mouth, and ears…

Leaving no orifice unentered.

Huangfu Yue was horrified and hurriedly channeled her True Qi to expel these detestable streams of water from her body.

But just in that brief instant, her body felt as though Duge had bathed it with water.

Her whole body trembled, her face flushed red with anger as she glared at Duge.

She had encountered Water Art Magicians before.

But she had never met one who employed Water Series Art Technique in such an indelicate manner.

That man’s control over the water was too precise…

Definitely on par with a high-ranking Magician.

Water was everywhere on the city wall.

Those water serpents she had repelled with True Qi once again rolled up towards her, and Huangfu Yue had no choice but to maintain a protective shield of True Qi around her body, blocking the intrusive water serpents.

However, her Cultivation Level was not even comparable to Yu Hongsheng’s, so how could she constantly defend her entire body with True Qi? She only lasted a brief moment before feeling her strength waning.

Finally.

Unable to bear it any longer, she exerted all her strength to fend off the water serpents, “Mr. Liu, isn’t it time to make your move?”

No sooner had she spoken than over a dozen dark figures shot towards her from all directions of the city wall, their speed ghost-like and far exceeding that of Tong San and his men by countless folds.

Duge’s expression hardened, as they had finally arrived; he had just been about to maneuver the water on the city wall to strike at them.

But the next scene froze him in his tracks.

The ghost-like figures, in their wake, knocked down Huangfu Yue’s soldiers one by one, and the quickest shadow had already reached her side, clamping a hand around her neck.

Huangfu Yue’s guards were taken down by the other dark figures one after another.

Huangfu Yue’s eyes widened in shock, “Mr. Liu, you…”

“Please forgive me, General Huangfu, I am actually a secret agent from Qingwu Country,” the person known as Mr. Liu said with a slight smile, looking up at Duge and the others on the city tower, “Fourth Princess, Mr. He, I have come late to the rescue, please forgive me.”

Luo Shuang was confused, “Who are you?”

“To the Princess, I am Liu Yian. Twenty years ago, by His Majesty’s command, I infiltrated Chongming Country to seek opportunities to overturn the Chongming royal family,” Liu Yian proclaimed loudly, “Today, after learning of the Prime Minister and Huangfu Xing’s father and daughter’s plot against the Princess, I specifically came to rescue you.”

Such a familiar excuse!

Had Father Emperor already infiltrated Chongming Country like a sieve?

And was Duge really the Heavenly Demon?

Luo Shuang glanced curiously at Liu Yian below, then turned to Duge and asked in a low voice, “Master, are they the covert operatives you mentioned?”

“Nine times out of ten, they must be,” Duge said, looking down at Liu Yian and then breaking into a smile.

How interesting, it seemed the double reward had come into play here.

But who were these people?

Dragon Teeth operatives?

Or Alien Warriors?

In any case, he absolutely did not believe that this sudden group was any sort of secret agents from Qingwu Country.

Because He Xu was a name entirely concocted by him.

The only ones who knew this name were people from Dragon Teeth and a select few wealthy individuals he had persuaded to defect…

And since these people straightforwardly called him Mr. He, they either did not know he had made up the identity or they had ulterior motives.

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