Zhong Xuansheng, Jiang Wang, and Shi Si cooperated perfectly, forming a deadly formation.

Facing this situation, there was no ripple in Ji Cheng’s eyes. He sighed at the many outstanding talents of today, remarking that even old generals were once young! He too had experienced such high spirits and unstoppable courage.

These three young men were all powerhouses in the Tenglong realm, especially the fatso from the Zhongxuan family, whose combat strength was in no way inferior to ordinary Inner Mansion realm cultivators.

As for him, Ji Cheng, he was old and decrepit, riddled with old injuries. He had also expended tremendous effort on the battlefield, single-handedly commanding the Yang army to hold off the Qiusha army, one of the strongest armies in the world, leaving him mentally and physically exhausted. Afterwards, he had faced the enemy alone, overturning an entire Qiusha army formation and repeatedly breaking through the attacks of these three young talents, leaving him feeling a sense of powerlessness.

But he was, after all, Ji Cheng. After all, he was a powerful Outer Mansion realm master of the Dao of War!

The so-called Outer Mansion realm was the pinnacle of the middle three ranks. The “Outer” in Outer Mansion was not only in relation to the Inner Mansion, but also “outside the body”, even “beyond the heavens”!

There was a saying in the cultivation world: “Build a high tower among the Four Sacred Spirits.” This referred to the fact that Outer Mansion realm powerhouses, through a mysterious connection, projected their power to the Four Symbols Constellations in the endless starry sky, condensing Star Light Towers.

These four towers were called the Eastern Azure Dragon Tower, the Western White Tiger Tower, the Southern Vermilion Bird Tower, and the Northern Black Tortoise Tower. Just as the Inner Mansion realm was also known as the Five Mansions realm, the Outer Mansion realm also had the alternative name of the Four Towers realm.

These four Star Light Sacred Towers had countless wonderful uses, too numerous to describe in a few words. Just the Outer Mansion realm’s projection onto the Four Symbols Constellations had different interpretations depending on the school of thought, leading to their respective “Dao.”

Taking Taoism as an example, although there were three branches, they shared the same origin. All of them took the Azure Dragon’s majesty, the Vermilion Bird’s fiery sincerity, the Black Tortoise’s benevolence, and the White Tiger’s肅 killing intent. They took the four words “Majesty, Sincerity, Benevolence, and Killing.”

Similarly, Confucianism took “Trustworthiness, Virtue, Benevolence, and Killing”; Legalism took “Majesty, Fierceness, Justice, and Punishment”; Buddhism took “Majesty, Virtue, Acceptance, and Extinction”; Mohism took “Majesty, Purity, Acceptance, and Martiality”… Such examples were endless.

Of course, this was not a strict rule, and it might vary from individual to individual. However, generally speaking, one should believe in the moral principles of the school of thought one sought to cultivate. (At least on the surface.)

As for the military school of thought that Ji Cheng cultivated, in this realm, he took “Momentum, Fierceness, Defense, and Killing.” Each word was about conquest!

Ji Cheng, in his prime, was naturally no ordinary one or two tower cultivator, but a genuine Four Towers realm powerhouse. He had established the existence of the Four Sacred Towers in the Four Symbols Constellations.

Unfortunately, he had not entered the God Pro realm and could not achieve immortality. In the end, he could not withstand the repeated old injuries and the ravages of time. Coupled with his worries for the country and sadness for his family, his heart was like a flickering candle flame, and his body was like a drifting duckweed.

Now, only one of his four Star Light Sacred Towers remained usable, still emitting light. This tower was the White Tiger Sacred Tower. It represented the “Killing” aspect of the Dao of War!

At that moment, Jiang Wang attacked from above with his sword, Shi Si held his greatswords in the middle, and Zhong Xuansheng unleashed all his techniques from below. The white-haired old general Ji Cheng was surrounded.

In broad daylight, a star shone suddenly in the west! Ji Cheng’s white hair flew up, and his hand, which had been weakening, gripped the Qiushan Bow once again!

Heavy techniques could no longer restrict him, and Zhong Xuansheng was instead harmed. He was directly pressed to the ground by the collapsing repulsive force, coughing up blood uncontrollably.

Two Qiusha soldiers who were nearby rushed over and dragged him away, while other Qiusha soldiers quickly filled the gap, leaping towards Ji Cheng to kill him.

Drawing the White Tiger Sacred Tower’s starlight into his body, Ji Cheng shattered Zhong Xuansheng’s heavy techniques as soon as he gripped the bow. He drew the bowstring empty, and a frost-white starlight arrow shot out like lightning.

It directly collided with the two-handed greatsword that Shi Si was slashing horizontally. The black greatsword, which looked extremely heavy and made of extraordinary material, broke into two pieces!

This was not the end. The frost-white starlight arrow did not lose its momentum and even struck Shi Si’s black armor, shattering this extraordinary armor as well!

It pierced into Shi Si’s body, with half of the arrow remaining inside. As strong as Shi Si was, he was sent flying far away by this arrow, crashing to the ground, his life or death unknown.

After the White Tiger Sacred Tower’s starlight entered his body, Ji Cheng’s aura changed again. Gripping the bow, he injured Zhong Xuansheng. Drawing the bowstring empty, he fired an arrow that left Shi Si’s fate unknown.

Then, he directly slashed the bow horizontally, using the bow as a blade. A circular arc of blade light centered on his body, killing the leaping Qiusha soldiers like falling rain, leaving behind limbs everywhere.

Ji Cheng then rose up, holding the Qiushan Bow upside down, and slashed at Jiang Wang!

All of this sounded complicated, but it happened almost simultaneously. Before Jiang Wang’s “Man Sea, Boundless” sword technique could settle, he saw Zhong Xuansheng fall to the ground, Shi Si shot away, the Qiusha soldiers suffering heavy casualties, and Ji Cheng slashing at him with the back of his bow!

Facing Ji Cheng, who wielded the power of the Outer Mansion realm, life and death hung in the balance.

At this moment, Jiang Wang’s mind was incredibly focused. He didn’t even have time to think, reacting purely on instinct honed through thousands of repetitions.

Flame Flowers, a Sea of Flame Flowers.

Binding Tiger, Five Qi Binding Tiger.

His sword technique shifted from “Man Sea, Boundless” to “Mountains and Rivers,” from attack to defense. Mountains and rivers were the most capable of enduring.

As soon as the Sea of Flame Flowers spread out, it was cut open by the bowstring. The Flame Flowers withered before they could even make contact.

Binding Tiger, Five Qi Binding Tiger collapsed one after another.

The bowstring of the Qiushan Bow was now unavoidable, and the cold light seemed to touch his throat.

Suddenly, a black candle phantom rushed out of Jiang Wang’s Tongtian Palace, unexpectedly crashing into the old general Ji Cheng’s body.

It was Jiang Yan!

At this critical moment, in order to protect the lives he shared with Jiang Wang, he directly drove the black nether candle phantom, engaging in the most naked and direct clash of souls with Ji Cheng!

Ji Cheng’s attacking figure froze.

The old general’s flame of the soul was already like a candle flickering in the wind. These years, he had been propping himself up for the country. Jiang Yan accurately grasped his greatest weakness, revealing an insight that surpassed Jiang Wang, Zhong Xuansheng, and others.

With his soul power, which wasn’t much stronger than Jiang Wang’s, he managed to stop Ji Cheng’s killing blow.

With this interruption, Jiang Wang was free to act. He unleashed a Bursting Flame Sparrow on Ji Cheng.

Then, he soared like a Flame Meteor, reaching Zhong Xuansheng’s side.

“How are you?” he asked urgently.

Zhong Xuansheng was still being dragged away by the soldiers, but after coughing up blood and catching his breath, he suddenly flipped over and roared loudly: “The Yang army is collapsing!”

“Form a battle formation with me!”

Jiang Wang was the first to respond to the battle formation. All the Qiusha soldiers near the command platform who could fight joined the formation.

A quick glance revealed that there were only about a thousand of them.

Martial aura condensed.

Zhong Xuansheng couldn’t care about anything else and directly combined the power of the battle formation, stirring up an autumn leaf whirlwind, howling as it crashed into Ji Cheng.

At that time, Ji Cheng had awakened from the daze of the soul collision. His body, infused with the White Bone Sacred Tower’s starlight, took a Bursting Flame Sparrow head-on, and Zhong Xuansheng had already reorganized the battle formation, transforming the martial aura once again, engulfing him!

Outsiders only saw a whirlwind sweeping across the area, with autumn leaves flying. That was the external manifestation of the martial aura’s power.

Within this battle formation, there were three sounds of bowstrings twanging. The vast martial aura surged violently three times before finally subsiding.

Suddenly. A brilliant sword light shot out, and it was Jiang Wang, sword and man as one, flying to the sky-blue battle flag that represented Ji Cheng.

The longsword slashed horizontally—

This sky-blue battle flag had been firmly planted on the command platform since the beginning of the war. In countless years past, it had proudly flown in the sky of Yang.

The entire battlefield, whether friend or foe, could not ignore it. This was the sky-blue battle soul.

This was the last ray of light of the Tianxiong Ji clan.

The flag fell!