In just a single breath of time, Li Anting immediately deduced that they definitely wouldn’t be able to evacuate everyone in time.

It was because if they wanted to evacuate thousands of people as quickly as possible, they needed an army of at least a thousand. Moreover, it was unknown just how many transactions were currently being carried out in the market. Just telling those small traders to abandon their goods would already trigger great chaos.

They definitely wouldn’t be able to scatter the civilians in time, so they could only pay any price to stop him.

However, the moment a chill ran down his back, his mouth about to erupt with an explosive shout, whimpering noises echoed through the still frigid skies.

This was the bugle horn of the army’s scouting guards.

Li Anting’s scalp trembled, his mind also shaken. Only now did he react to what was happening. When he saw Su Zhongwen die before his very eyes, he seemed to lose his rationality, forgetting something important.

Previously, when he discovered that Master Painter and Su Zhongwen were already facing each other, when he immediately charged over, he already gave the order for his deputy leader to lead the entire army.

That was why all the orders he gave right now were only effective towards the Green Wolf Heavy Armor soldiers at his side.

Those scouting guards high up above would see the situation and the enemy’s plans earlier than him, so they could respond faster than him!

The moment the bugle horn sounded, his mind becoming excited, tremendous 

thump thump thump 

noises sounded like thunder, overwhelming the bugle horn noises, to the extent where all of the streets’ shouts of killing and all of the exploding noises of Master Painter making his way through homes were oppressed.

These were the war drum noises of Yunqin’s army!

In the distance, on six carriages, there were six black war drums that were roughly a person in height. In front of each war drum was a bare upper bodied robust man, the sticks in their hands fiercely smashing these war drums. These sounds spread through the entire city, the noises making one’s blood boil.

Every single sound’s impact would even make the skin on these robust men’s faces produce a ripple-like movement.

Within the thunderous war drum noises, several dozen heavy armored mounted soldiers rushed towards the residence Master Painter was currently in.

These dozen or so heavy armored warhorses, together with the heavy armored soldiers mounted on them advanced courageously. Regardless of what lay before them, they either decisively jumped over or smashed straight through.

This was a shocking scene.

There were some warhorses that smashed straight into walls, some only knocking over half of them. Some leapt onto level roofs and then forcibly crushed them, making them collapse. Some already continuously smashed through several walls and were still continuing forward.

In just a few breaths of time, at least half of the warhorses collapsed under miserable wails. However, under the charge of dozens of heavy armored warhorses, these homes turned into a flat area, almost completely flattened. Large amounts of homes were instantly smashed apart and then collapsed.

Master Painter suddenly lost his cover, situated within an expanse of ruins. Dust and smoke rose all around him, forming an exceptionally thick fog.

…

Even more intense horse hooves noises continued to rumble about.

When the first wave of dozens of heavy armored horses either collapsed with neighing sounds or continued to charge forward, the second wave of mounted army already charged up to these ruins where the thick dust was only starting to scatter.

This was light armored cavalry, the horses and riders all dressed in black leather armor, as if they were streaks of black lightning shooting into the mist.

“Spread the net!”

Military orders that were clearly released by different officials, but were adjusted to uniformity, moreover similarly cold and full of an iron-blooded aura sounded at this time.

Like kites being released, above these mounted armies, large nets that flickered with cold radiance were suddenly pulled open above them, surrounding the area where Master Painter was.

Every single net was made of woven steel wire, covered with many barbs and sharp blades.

Under his mottled mask, Master Painter’s face turned deathly pale.

Even though he had gone through quite a bit of slaughter in his life, he had never had his status and location completely exposed, had this type of experience where his current position was completely locked down on. That was why he also didn’t have any experience fighting against a true Yunqin regular army. Only now did he completely believe the rumor circulating in the world of cultivators… No cultivators could face an army directly, there was no way they could be above the military.

His cultivation was already near the peak of State Master level. Even if all of Sunrise Roost was searched, there wouldn’t be many cultivators stronger than him. However, no matter how fast he was, there was no way he could break free from this encirclement of a hundred steps, of these iron nets that didn’t even hesitate to wrap around their own soldiers.

He couldn’t directly evade, he could only powerfully break through the nets!

Chi la…

The two long blades in his hands continuously hacked about, continuously hacking through the steel wire nets that descended upon him, forcibly making his way through.

However, the two long blades were ordinary tempered steel long blades he seized. Under the surging of his soul force, even though these two long blades flickered with brilliance, they already couldn’t hold on either. The blades split apart, starting to quickly break down.

“Hooked sickles!”

“Isolate!”

These military orders that were light death verdicts coldly sounded once more.

Right now, in the smoke and dust, Master Painter was still quickly moving, but he couldn’t see just how many soldiers already surrounded over clearly.

Only those who watched from above could see that there were actually two waves. Close to a hundred and fifty infantry were already crazily running into the smoke and dust, stirring up even more smoke and dust.

Hooked sickles connected to chains were flung out from the hands of the second wave of infantry, flung towards Master Painter.

The first wave of infantry already separated into groups of ten, holding thick iron chains. The goals of these groups of soldiers were only to run crazily, wrap these chains around Master Painter.

The face beneath Master Painter’s mask became even more horrified and deathly pale.

When faced with the hooked sickles that rushed out of the smoke and dust, roaring over from all sides, the two blades in his hands were like two whirlwinds, instantly sending all of the blades around him flying. However, under the intense clash of metal, his hands’ blades completely broke apart, with only two handles remaining in his hands.

During this extremely short amount of time, he was left with no choice. He could only powerfully release soul force, cover his entire body with soul force.

Under the cover of State Master level soul force, his entire body’s skin became a faint yellow color, moreover flickering with golden iron-like luster.

All of the hooked sickles that landed on his body couldn’t cut into his flesh, they were all knocked aside. Several chains that made contact with his body were also directly forcibly cut by the sickle blades in his hands.

“Release!”

However, right at this time, military orders sounded again from the thick mist.

What followed these military orders were waves of metal grinding noises.

A wave of miserable air shattering noise sounded in the sky.

Master Painter raised his head. He saw that a crossbow bolt several times thicker than a normal crossbow bolt was rapidly descending from above.

He knew that the city defense’s first group of forces already arrived. Some military equipment specially used to deal with cultivators also began to appear.

…

Lin Xi was quietly crouching by an attic outside these alleys.

He watched as Master Painter hunted down Su Zhongwen, and then now watched as the Yunqin army surrounded Master Painter.

Even though he could already be considered a high ranking officer in Dragon Snake Border Army, quite familiar with the military, regardless of whether it was the army’s battles against the cave barbarians or Jadefall Border Army’s great army against their own army, they were completely different from the current Yunqin army surrounding and killing a cultivator.

The scenes that were currently taking place also left him feeling extremely shocked.

This was despite the fact that as early as when he entered Green Luan Academy, he was already warned by Principal Zhang that this world didn’t have unrivaled cultivators. He also learned the purpose of an army’s existence. Apart from resisting outside enemies, it was also for safety, able to threaten and kill powerful cultivators.

However, only when he truly watched as an army surrounded a lone cultivator who didn’t have much cover in this city, did he truly experience the terror of an army.

Even though most of the army was made up of ordinary people who were incredibly weak before cultivators, the military had many different types of equipment used specially to deal with cultivators.

Right now, Master Painter was still charging through the army. Judging from his appearance, he was still extremely powerful, so those Yunqin elite soldiers all seemed extremely weak. Lin Xi understood well that in this type of situation, Master Painter was already forced to use all of his soul force to avoid being killed, so his soul force consumption was astonishing. At the very least, Lin Xi was sure that he definitely wouldn’t make it to the city’s markets.

In the distance, there were Moon Piercing Crossbow Carts and even more powerful heavy military equipment that were releasing noise. Things that possessed true fatal threat against State Master level cultivators were also currently being brought over.

Lin Xi knew that he still underestimated Yunqin army’s strength in the end, knowing that there was no chance of Master Painter escaping. He also knew that there was no way to directly link Master Painter with Zhang Lingyun along the way.

However, right at this time, his brows suddenly furrowed.

It was because at this time, he saw that Master Painter suddenly changed his direction of charging. It no longer seemed like he was heading towards the markets, but rather sent large amounts of soul force out from his feet, shooting out like a pellet, heading towards the tavern he was previously at.

What was in that place?

This alley was originally already purchased by the government, planned to be converted into several cotton workshops. The houses were all empty, so that was why Lin Xi chose this type of place.

With the speed of Master Painter’s soul force exhaustion, he might not even be able to reach the tavern he was previously at before his soul force was completely exhausted.

According to normal reasoning, his only chance of survival was indeed like he planned before, to rush into an area with dense population, force the army to restrain fire out of fear of harming the innocent.

However, what was between this alley and the tavern he previously stayed at were areas of sparse residents. Why then did he want to rush in that direction?

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