Over a hundred black Tang Dynasty heavy crossbows shot out profound iron arrowheads, round after round of arrow rain attacking towards Zhang San.
However, Zhang San also had no intention of leaving the road junction, successively receiving that arrow rain. Although his iron cloth shirt was still at the lower stage of the Earth rank, with the empowerment of Heaven rank internal energy, its might was even greater than before. No matter how dense the arrow rain, unable to shoot into joints, it was all wasted effort.
"General..."
Several people dismounted, supporting that gloomy-looking man.
The man supported his chest, fresh blood flowing from his mouth, obviously having already suffered heavy injuries.
This scene also made the several hundred people surrounding feel shocked in their hearts.
The general was clearly the leader of the personal guards of the Zhennan General's direct line, an expert of the upper stage of Earth rank, yet he was actually defeated in just one exchange!
Although there was no heated discussion, the merciless reality had already caused the military spirit to waver.
As for Zhang San on the other side, facing over a hundred black Tang Dynasty heavy crossbows, he was actually able to dodge relying only on his lightness skill. Even if occasionally some arrowheads shot at him, the scene that followed made people even more horrified, because the profound iron arrowheads were actually unable to shoot into the flesh and blood of a human body.
The gloomy man forcefully circulated his inner energy, suppressing his internal injuries. Raising his spear, he shouted, "Stop shooting arrows for now!"
The arrow rain halted.
The man slowly walked forward, but this time, when he was about three hundred steps away from Zhang San, he stopped, and even brought over twenty some people with him before daring to start a conversation.
However, after witnessing the Master's might this time, he was truly inclined towards having a discussion.
At the gourd tail road junction from before, the arrowheads were as dense as seedlings in a farmland, densely packed together.
Zhang San looked at the man who had narrowly escaped from him before, secretly coldly laughing in his heart, thinking to himself: He's learned to be clever now.
The man said, "I didn't expect Sir to unexpectedly be a Heaven rank Master... Although your face is covered, judging from Sir's bearing, your age shouldn't be big, shouldn't be over forty years old. I didn't expect that Dawu Country unexpectedly had such a miraculous talent in martial arts."
Zhang San laughed in response, "Then why don't you and I each take a step back. To be honest, I don't have much interest towards taking heads in an army of thousands, of course, the premise is that you and your brothers will give me half an hour to transport rations."
The meaning was very simple.
Give me half an hour to move rations, otherwise I won't mind putting on a show of charging into enemy ranks by myself on a single steed, then taking your life.
However.
The man let out a loud laugh, but he instead said, "Kill me? I can explicitly tell Sir that killing me alone is useless. I presume Sir can tell that the people behind me are all blood-licking blades, people who killed their way out from piles of corpses.
Zhang San's eyes gradually turned cold, retorting in response, "Then what nonsense are you spouting!"
"I want Sir to recognize the reality!"
"Are you stupid from being scared by me? I'm a Master, I can fight against thousands. You're at most just an upper stage Earth rank.
The one who should recognize reality seems like it shouldn't be me.
The man nodded and said, "You are undoubtedly a Master, but your last kick exposed the truth. I am indeed only an Earth rank, still some ways away from a low Heaven rank, unable to exchange moves with you. However... I happen to have one advantage, and that's that I often receive pointers from Masters, and spar with them."
The man was the trusted confidant of the Zhennan General, often accompanying his left and right, deeply trusted by him. Otherwise he wouldn't have been dispatched here.
Among the Zhennan army, the person who most often received personal guidance from the Zhennan General, and could even frequently spar in martial arts with the General, was undoubtedly the man currently standing opposite Zhang San.
"After all, I'm also at the upper stage of Earth rank. Your last kick, one kick fractured several of my ribs, it's indeed powerful, but I can sense that for a Master's realm, the residual force of your kick was lacking. The evidence is that I can still stand now! Thus..."
A smile appeared at the corner of his mouth. The man revealed a cold smile, after all he was also a meticulous person. He analyzed,
"I conclude! Perhaps you just broke through recently, your foundations aren't solid, or perhaps you're still recovering from past injuries, or perhaps it's because you've been hurrying around everywhere for a long time without rest. In short, I've already seen that you, this Master... is not at your prime!"
"But just earlier, facing over a hundred Earth rank experts, you killed over thirty in one go. Facing me, you also struck ruthlessly. According to reason, given your current condition, you should try your best to conserve your inner energy. Yet you did the opposite, obviously just for deterrence! Just for bluff!"
After hearing all this, Zhang San inwardly cursed damn.
Everything had been guessed right by the bastard opposite.
This past year, one after another, whether treacherous and cunning or perceptive, not a single one was a saving lamp!
After the man finished stating his judgements, he didn't wait for Zhang San's reaction. Raising his spear high, with a loud shout, but his voice wasn't directed at Zhang San, rather the subordinates behind him.
"All of you take off your face covers for me!!"
Realizing the other side's intentions, Zhang San's brows instantly furrowed tightly.
However, amongst the crowd of people behind the man, there was a commotion. Everyone looked at each other, at a loss...
"This is an order!!" The man shouted loudly again.
In the end, the training they had undergone over decades, for some even several decades, still made the over three hundred Earth rank experts silently take off their face covers.
The man gazed at Zhang San, his tone directed behind him, he said, "You are all famous veterans in the army, starting off as centurions, and not a few as commanders, to be honest, people who can recognize you are not few, at all levels of the military gates."
"I had you take off your covers, actually it's just to let you understand a simple principle! That is, if we lose today, our deaths would be small, but what about the General's side?"
"Even disregarding the General, but for the General Commanders amongst the army, in order to protect the General, they would definitely push all blame onto you. At that time, dereliction of duty, raiding military provisions, one by one, one item after another, your clans and kin would definitely suffer collective punishment!"
Conversely.
If we win, even if we die fighting in this valley today, only ourselves would die. Not to mention no disaster or collective punishment for family or clan behind us, they would definitely receive lifetime care from the Zhennan General.
Therefore.
We cannot lose.
We cannot fail!
In an instant, the 'deterrence' and 'wavering' that Zhang San had painstakingly created amongst the three hundred experts on the other side through his aggressive actions...
Scattered like ashes in the wind in this moment.
The people on the other side were very quiet now, besides the neighing of horses, practically no sound.
But silence, sometimes more 'deafening' compared to shouting.
With just one look.
Zhang San already understood, even killing the man opposite now was meaningless.
The three hundred experts on the other side... were going to fight desperately!!
The man looked at Zhang San, revealing a cold smile, "A Master can indeed match a thousand troops, but you're not at your prime. My three hundred Earth rank experts, are far superior to a common army of a thousand! I'll only give Sir ten breaths time to consider. The Master boundary is so difficult to attain, I only hope Sir... treasures it!"
He pressed step by step with his words.
Actually he didn't want to fight either, not to mention being able to kill the Master in the end, just the time it would take he couldn't afford.
The final leeway was ten breaths.
Either fight desperately with us, or leave, he was waiting for Zhang San's response.