The Villain's Counterattack

Chapter 549: Shibi Khan, please lend me your head

Looking at the neat military formation and perfect defensive fortifications in front of him, Shibi Khan's face turned dark. A defense line of more than 10,000 cavalrymen stretching for thousands of meters blocked the last route back to the grassland. The leader was the general Zhang Xutuo, and he led the army left behind by Liaodong Marquis Yang Xuyan to burn, kill and loot on the grassland.

Behind them, Yang Xuyan's seven brothers led 8,000 cavalry and tens of thousands of infantry. Half of these people were from the Luoyang army and half were from the Jiangdu army. Behind them, there were tens of thousands of infantry led by Wang Shichong to serve as logistics, or to be more precise, they were responsible for cleaning the battlefield and transporting the spoils.

When Shibi Khan first came to Yanmen County, he had 500,000 strong cavalrymen under his command, and they swept through the 39 cities of Yanmen with great prestige. But now he has less than 50,000 cavalrymen, their food and fodder are exhausted, and their morale is low. The number of the defeated soldiers scattered outside is many times greater than theirs, but most of them were intercepted in the territory of the Sui Dynasty and could not escape to the grassland.

There were too many Turkic soldiers, most of them cavalry. Once they were routed, they would be everywhere, making complete annihilation impossible. The only option was to target large, organized Turkic units, a long-term process that couldn't be accomplished overnight. However, if they could destroy this last, most powerful legion, the Sui Dynasty would have achieved a complete victory. Killing the Turkic military leader, Bi Xuan, and capturing Shibi Khan alive would have been even more successful.

The seven brothers of Yang Xuyan lined up in a row, with rows of crossbows behind them flashing with intimidating cold light. Shibi Khan looked haggard, with his eyes flashing with cruel and brutal light. Bi Xuan, the martial arts master beside him, looked a little pale, but his aura was not weakened at all. He clearly felt the aura of the great master opposite him, who was not hidden. He thought that he should be protecting the Sui Emperor and could not go out at any time.

"Marquis Liaodong, you are indeed a wise man who can plot against the Goguryeo Grandmaster Yijian Master Fu Cailin. First, defeat Yijian Master Fu Cailin, and then fight against our Turkic Martial Lord Bi Xuan. After this battle, you can be crowned king." Shibi Khan started to flatter, but the hidden meaning was very obvious.

Yang Xuyan laughed heartily and said, "Your Majesty, the one who orchestrated this battle from afar was the one who orchestrated it! I am merely a vanguard, charging into battle and achieving some minor feats. If I can slay Wu Zun and capture the Khan alive, I will be crowned a noble and bring honor to my family. Otherwise, I am inferior to General Zhang Xutuo, who came a thousand miles to aid and recapture thirty-nine cities. Even General Wang Shichong, who protected Your Majesty at the last moment, was no less meritorious than mine. The Khan is worried that my contributions are insufficient, so why don't you tie yourself before his horse? I will be deeply grateful and treat you generously."

Upon hearing this, Shibi Khan frowned and sneered, "When the cunning rabbit dies, the running dog is cooked. The Marquis of Liaodong is in charge of Liaodong, with over ten thousand soldiers and horses under his command, and he even has the Big Dipper Sword Formation that can rival a great master. If the Turks are strong, the Sui Emperor will rely on the Marquis and be safe. But if the Turks decline, how will the Marquis survive?"

Yang Xuyan curled his lips indifferently and said, "Liaodong has been a Han territory since ancient times. I am the governor of Liaodong, the shepherd of the region on behalf of the emperor. My subordinates are all Han people loyal to the court. Why should I consider anything else? I am a branch of the royal family, and I am naturally on the side of the court. There is no other possibility. Even if all the foreign enemies are eliminated, I will only ascend to a high position and serve the central government. There is no need to worry about being abandoned after the rabbit dies."

"What's more..." Yang Xuyan smiled at Wu Zun Bi Xuan and said, "As long as either Wu Zun or Master Yijian are here, I still have value. As long as Goguryeo survives, Liaodong Commandery will remain in the court. The Turks and I are not neighbors. If it weren't for Your Majesty's intervention, how could I be here and have the opportunity to achieve such an extraordinary feat? This opportunity may only come once in my lifetime, and it would be a pity if I don't cherish it."

"For the sake of my future and my achievements, Shibi Khan, please lend me your head!" Yang Xuyan's words made Shibi Khan frown. Seeing him commanding the army to use chariots and crossbows to lead the way and the cavalry advancing to the left and right, he immediately deployed his troops to deal with the situation. Wu Zun Bi Xuan, with Dun Yugu and other masters, went straight to Yang Xuyan.

"Although the Big Dipper Sword Formation is powerful, it is ultimately just a martial arts method. It can be used in a duel between masters, but it is not enough to charge into battle. Is the Liaodong Marquis a little arrogant?" The spear in Bi Xuan's hand whistled and came with a powerful momentum and a hot breath.

Yang Xuyan swung his sword, unleashing the Dugu Nine Swords Spear-Breaking Style. His profound internal energy instantly deflected the incoming spear, and the sword pointed directly at Bi Xuan's arm. "Even amidst a vast army, the true enemy is only within seven feet. Even without the Big Dipper Sword Formation, does Wu Zun think that seven powerful Grandmasters would be willing to fight?"

Just as he said, in the chaos of thousands of troops, if you don't keep a distance from the main army, the Big Dipper Sword Formation cannot be used. The more sophisticated the formation, the more restrictions it has. Only large-scale formations like the Shaolin 108 Arhats Formation and the Beggar Gang's Dog Beating Formation can be used to defeat a large number of people. The Big Dipper Sword Formation with a group of seven people is obviously not one of them.

Of course, a Big Dipper Sword Formation of 49 men might be able to withstand a hundred men, but a sword formation was only a sword formation, and it was clearly ineffective against large waves of archers or cavalry. Dun Yugu led two Grandmasters on a gallop, blocking Yang Yu and Yang Jun and preventing the seven brothers from forming a sword formation.

Seeing this, the brothers Yang Yi and Yang Ke did not rush to help Yang Xuyan and join forces to fight against the Martial Master Bi Xuan. Instead, they abandoned their horses and charged towards the last Turkic master like ghosts. Yang Gai and Yang Ying brandished their spears and relied on their deep Beiming Qi to charge into the Turkic battle formation and headed straight for Shibi Khan.

Yang Xuyan fought alone against Martial Master Bi Xuan. Not only did he not defend carefully, but he attacked with all his might and risked his life. The internal force he cultivated through "Xiaoyao Yufeng" was extremely pure, and the endless supply of true energy from "Changsheng Jue" was most suitable for long battles. He used the Dugu Nine Swords to perfection, and in close combat he suppressed Martial Master Bi Xuan, who had to dodge continuously to avoid being injured.

Among the three great masters in the world, Ning Daoqi has the highest martial arts skills, but he is partial to Cihang Jingzhai and is not on the same page with the court. Martial Master Bi Xuan is the youngest and strongest, and his Yan Yang magic skill has strong attack power, but in terms of skills, Master Yijian Fu Cailin is the leader, and his Yijian technique and Jiuxuan Dafa complement each other, with both offense and defense.

Although Yang Xuyan is a master, his internal strength is profound and invincible at the same level. The body trained by the Nine Yin Scriptures, the Golden Bell Cover, and the Golden Warrior Technique is even better than the Vajra Indestructible Body. His strength is not inferior to Yang Shao who has practiced the Dragon Elephant Prajna Sutra. He also has martial arts such as the Dugu Nine Swords and the Tianshan Plum Blossom Hand, which are considered to be the pinnacle of skills. He is powerful in all aspects.

He had fought Yijian Master Shi Cailin for thousands of rounds, so naturally he wasn't afraid of the similarly injured Martial Master Bi Xuan. In fact, compared to the technical Grandmaster, Martial Master Bi Xuan, known for his ability to defeat skill with force, was more suitable to deal with Yang Xuyan, provided he wasn't injured and could exert his full combat power. A seriously injured Martial Master Bi Xuan clearly didn't have the ability to defeat Yang Xuyan without a desperate effort.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

"Qiang! Qiang! Qiang!"

Yang Xuyan and Bi Xuan clashed with spears and swords, and fought with fists and palms, and they were evenly matched in all aspects. Yang Xuyan, who had practiced Tai Chi, Dou Zhuan Xing Yi, Qian Kun Da Nong Yi, and Immortal Seal in Dacheng, was least afraid of such a head-on battle. Unless Bi Xuan's full-strength attack could exceed his limit, no matter how many moves he made, it would be in vain.

The Immortal Seal Scroll originated from Shi Zhixuan. It was a grandmaster-level martial art that he tailored for himself. When it came into Yang Xuyan's hands, it underwent different changes. Instead of weakening, its power became even stronger. His ability to use the opponent's force to counter his own, and his changes of life and death became even more exquisite. Even the Martial Master Bi Xuan could not defeat him for a while.

"Great, great, what a great Marquis of Liaodong!" Martial Master Bi Xuan didn't realize until now that he was facing a super powerful Grandmaster who could challenge a Grandmaster. He clearly felt that this boy was not a Grandmaster, but had the fighting power to challenge a Grandmaster. He couldn't help but be greatly shocked, and even more frightened by the boy's scheming.

This boy has such extraordinary martial arts skills, but he never shows off. He always demonstrates himself with wisdom. He clearly has the strength to fight against himself, but he uses the Big Dipper Sword Formation to deal with him. It was not until he isolated him with the help of other masters and a large number of Turkic cavalry that he showed his superior combat power.

This boy is too insidious!

Bi Xuan observed his surroundings carefully. Dun Yugu and Yang Yu were locked in a fierce battle. Although he had a slight advantage, victory would be difficult in the short term. Yang Jun, however, was actually holding the upper hand against a powerful Grandmaster. The War God Technique, a secret weapon passed down by the Sui imperial family, was unmatched by ordinary martial arts and was ideally suited for combat. Meanwhile, Yang Yi and Yang Ke, teaming up with their elusive Exorcism Sword Technique, had quickly severely injured the final Turkic Grandmaster and were now pursuing him, intent on killing him.

Yang Gai and Yang Ying opened the way and headed straight for Shibi Khan. On the other side, Zhang Xutuo and others saw the opportunity and tried to kill the generals. For a while, Shibi Khan was in danger.

At this moment, smoke and dust rose from the distant grassland, and several figures came rapidly. The leader shouted loudly: "Khan, don't panic, Zhao Deyan is coming!"