Clan Rise: Starting as a Grandfather

Chapter 964: Chapter 682: Many Old Friends Have Arrived!

Yang Chengye rode a tall horse, clad in heavy armor, leading a thousand heavy cavalry into the ranks of Emperor Tianwu’s personal army.

His horse was truly a tall steed, with a shoulder height exceeding two meters, making the warhorse’s shoulder height not much lower than that of an average cavalryman. With Yang Chengye on its back, he appeared half a body taller than those Da Liang cavalry.

At this time, Yang Chengye’s warhorse was no longer the Wan Jun from the past. Wan Jun was a descendant of Red Cloud, but it was already over thirty years old, so Yang Zhenshan had kept it in the Spiritual Spring Space for a long time.

In its place, Yang Zhenshan had given Yang Chengye a warhorse that had grown up in the Spiritual Spring Space.

A warhorse that grew up in the Spiritual Spring Space could indeed be called a divine steed.

Yang Chengye, riding the divine steed and brandishing a long spear, was like a god of war on the battlefield, unstoppable by any deity or demon that tried to stand in his way.

Neither the elite of the Da Liang army nor the personal guards of Emperor Tianwu were a match against him in a single bout.

Even a few Da Liang generals who tried to stop Yang Chengye were flung away by his spear.

At this moment, Yang Chengye exuded the bearing of Yang Zhenshan from years past, crashing and charging among the multitude, invincible below the Innate.

Fire roared, and blood boiled.

Yang Chengye felt his internal organs vibrating, not from injury, but from uncontrollable excitement.

This was his first time leading an assault, his first time commanding a large-scale battle.

As the main commander, he was not supposed to participate in the battle personally; however, since they were attacking the camp at night, there was no need for a commander.

"Kill, advance without retreat, fight to the death!"

Yang Chengye roared, his face flushed, and his eyes blazing.

He could already see Emperor Tianwu’s tent, and even Emperor Tianwu himself.

Emperor Tianwu stood outside the main tent, mounted on horseback, surrounded by a group of trusted aides.

Yang Chengye swung his long spear, sweeping away a rushing enemy general, without hesitation charging toward Emperor Tianwu.

"Block him, quickly block him!" Song Chenxing shouted anxiously.

Emperor Tianwu gripped a long blade, coldly watching Yang Chengye as he charged forward.

His hand trembled, not out of fear, but out of anger.

It was the anger for the impending defeat.

Though he was unaware of the battle situation, he clearly understood they were certain to lose this battle.

And lose thoroughly.

Finally, he realized Zhang Luan’s caution was justified, observing the heavily armored cavalry and the heavy iron-clad foot soldiers. Now, he understood the gap between the Da Liang army and the Chongshan Army.

The difference in bravery and combat power among the soldiers could be ignored, but the gap in equipment was an insurmountable chasm.

These were heavily armored cavalry, genuine heavily armored cavalry, not the faux displays of Da Rong’s sixteen elite battalions.

Those unimpressive iron maces were powerful weapons; it didn’t matter if you were armored or if you were a regular Martial Artist or a Postnatal Martial Artist; a smashing blow would crush bones.

Even a Postnatal Ninth Layer expert, if struck solidly by a blow, would still suffer serious injury.

Postnatal Martial Artists had greater strength, stronger Jin Qi, and their attack power far exceeded ordinary Martial Artists, but their defense was not much stronger than the average Martial Artist, only having slightly tougher bones and more resilient muscles.

Yang Chengye lifted his long spear, pointing it directly at Emperor Tianwu.

"Fake Emperor, do you dare to battle?"

Emperor Tianwu, not being a cowardly person, possessed significant strength, without which he wouldn’t have his current status.

Seeing Yang Chengye’s challenge, Emperor Tianwu, without any hesitation, prepared to engage Yang Chengye in a fierce battle.

"Your Majesty, don’t!" Song Chenxing advised urgently.

"Elder Zhang!"

He called out to Zhang Luan, hoping to summon Zhang Luan and the others into the fray.

At the moment, Zhang Luan, Wang He, Jian Chengfeng, Li Zhen, and Yang Jiushi, among other Innate Martial Artists, surrounded Emperor Tianwu but remained unresponsive to Song Chenxing’s calls.

Song Chenxing spoke again, "Please, elders, first escort His Majesty away!"

Zhang Luan, hearing this, revealed a bitter smile, "We can’t leave!"

"Why?" Song Chenxing asked, puzzled.

Zhang Luan looked southwest, exhaling heavily, "We’re surrounded!"

"What?" Song Chenxing was even more puzzled.

Jian Chengfeng shook his head slightly, "Many old friends have arrived!"

"Ah, this is troublesome!" Li Zhen also seemed resigned.

Yang Jiushi spoke somewhat listlessly, "How many came, did I sense wrong?"

Wang He, his eyes brightened, "You didn’t sense wrong; there are at least twenty!"

Amidst the chaotic battlefield, the fierce fighting continued, but what truly drew their attention were those restrained auras.

Song Chenxing looked around blankly, suddenly squinting his eyes at a distant tent.

At this time, the camp was already ablaze, and amidst the blazing fire, a figure stood above a tent.

The person held a wine gourd, raising it to drink.

The firelight flickered, illuminating the figure intermittently.

Finally comprehending the situation, Emperor Tianwu said, "Everyone, fight to the death!"

Having said that, he wasted no more words and charged directly at Yang Chengye.

Seeing him charge forward, Yang Chengye grinned widely.

In the blink of an eye, the two collided,

A roar erupted, and the recently charging Emperor Tianwu was knocked away by a formidable force, crashing a trench through the midst of his many trusted aides.

However, Yang Chengye was relentless, spurring his horse to accelerate directly towards Emperor Tianwu.

Seeing this, Zhang Luan couldn’t help but intervene, because if he didn’t, Emperor Tianwu would likely be slain by Yang Chengye under his horse.

Nevertheless, Yang Chengye was not an Innate Martial Artist, so he didn’t really intend to kill Yang Chengye, but merely wanted to block his charge.

He swung his blade horizontally, the blade energy as brilliant as a rainbow, standing in front of Yang Chengye.

Just as Yang Chengye pulled his reins to stop, a thunderous roar suddenly exploded, the rolling thunderclaps drowning out the clamorous shouts of battle.

Immediately, a pale lightning bolt descended from the sky.

"Haha, Senior Zhang, it’s been twenty years, hope you’re well!"

Amidst the flickering lightning, Yang Zhenshan stood in front of Yang Chengye with a spear in hand, effortlessly deflecting Zhang Luan’s blade light with a flick of his spear.

Zhang Luan looked at Yang Zhenshan, his face full of solemnity, but his eyes sparkled with a desire to battle.

"Brother Yang, you came just in time!"

Yang Zhenshan stood with his spear, stroking his long beard, "Senior Jian, Senior Li, Senior Yang, haha, I suppose this must be Senior Wang He!"

He greeted the five people opposite, his familiar demeanor more like welcoming friends at home than being on the battlefield.

Among the five opposite, aside from Wang He, they were all familiar with him, having had some interactions in the past.

In terms of familiarity, he was closest to Zhang Luan, followed by Li Zhen and Yang Jiushi. He had met Jian Chengfeng but didn’t have much exchange.

"Ah, who would have thought even Brother Yang got involved!" Li Zhen said to Yang Zhenshan with mixed feelings.

Back when Yang Zhenshan was still in Chongshan Town, Li Zhen was already a renowned Innate Martial Artist. In Cui Xia Valley, though Yang Zhenshan showcased impressive strength, people feared the court behind him more than him personally.

Yet now standing before Yang Zhenshan, he felt utterly insecure.

Even though he wasn’t clear about Yang Zhenshan’s current strength, he could feel that Yang Zhenshan was very dangerous to him.

Wang He stared at Yang Zhenshan and suddenly spoke, "Enough talk, let’s have a fight first."

He drew his long sword, pointing directly at Yang Zhenshan, with a surge of sharp energy emanating from his body, alternating between bright and dark.

The expressions of Zhang Luan and the others stiffened, then turned grave.

Wang He had no choice; this was a battlefield, not a place for reminiscing.

The key was that while Yang Zhenshan could reminisce with Zhang Luan and the others, he had no past ties to reminisce about with Yang Zhenshan.

If they started to reminisce and didn’t end up fighting, and Zhang Luan and the others sided with Yang Zhenshan, Wang He would be in big trouble.

He had already chosen to support Da Liang and turning to follow under the Yang family now, not to mention the potential hit to his reputation, the key was whether the Yang family would accept him.

So at present, he had to follow through with Da Liang to the end.

He couldn’t let Zhang Luan and the others continue to have idle talk with Yang Zhenshan.

Yang Zhenshan naturally saw through Wang He’s mind, and honestly, he didn’t have a good impression of Wang He.

Though he had no prior dealings with Wang He, he simply disapproved of Wang He.

The main reason was that the Wang family’s past conduct had left a very bad impression on him.

Among the Da Rong nobility, many liked to act arrogantly and tyrannically, and none more so than the Duke Shou Mansion.

Wang He’s descendants were all notorious, known for their arrogance and misdeeds.

As the saying goes, when the upper beam is not straight, the lower beam is crooked. With Wang He’s descendants behaving like that, Wang He’s character probably wasn’t much better.

"Seems like Senior Wang can’t wait any longer, haha, let me face Senior Wang!"

Yang Zhenshan dropped the niceties, swept his spear, and charged directly towards Wang He.

He naturally wanted to win Zhang Luan and the others over, whether it was Zhang Luan or Jian Chengfeng, they might have left the Da Rong Court, but it wasn’t to say their characters were bad.

Don’t talk about loyalty and patriotism; such rhetoric doesn’t work on Innate Martial Artists.

Nor should there be talk of treason or rebellion; the Yang family is currently the biggest traitor, and Yang Zhenshan had no right to accuse Zhang Luan and Jian Chengfeng of such things.

Yang Zhenshan understood Zhang Luan, knowing Zhang Luan wasn’t someone who breaks promises or lacks integrity. In fact, he felt Zhang Luan was quite a responsible person.

This was evident when Zhang Luan was in charge of the Martial Arts Temple.

As for Jian Chengfeng, taking the whole pot of Three Yellow Plums was indeed a bit too much, but on the other hand, since he was leaving, taking something along the way could be understandable.

Li Zhen and Yang Jiushi were considered Jianghu Martial Artists, one belonging to Sect forces, the other to a Martial Arts Family.

The Ba Dao Sect and Longping Yang Clan they represent are typical Jianghu forces, and you can’t determine their good or bad based solely on one matter.

They have good aspects, such as their protective role in local stability, and also supporting the court’s efforts.

In the past, many disciples from Ba Dao Sect and Longping Yang Clan served in the military and Martial Arts Temple.

Of course, they also have negative aspects. Disciples from sects and families sometimes act recklessly, bully the market, oppress villagers, seize land, etc.

The court shouldn’t suppress Jianghu forces blindly but should restrain them with rules.

The reason Martial Arts Temple failed to restrain Jianghu forces was because the court first broke the rules.

This couldn’t be blamed on Li Zhen and Yang Jiushi, but rather on the court’s unfairness.

So facing these four, Yang Zhenshan wanted to win them over.

However, his way of winning them over was certainly not by offering great benefits but by striking with power, setting an example.

Hmm, Wang He was that example.

The spear moved like a dragon, the thunder light flashed, Yang Zhenshan crashed into Wang He like a thunderous torrent.

Wang He was strong, but hadn’t reached the level of Enlightenment, facing Yang Zhenshan’s violent attack, he twisted his body, sprang up, swiftly moving trying to evade.

His speed was fast, but Yang Zhenshan was faster.

With a bang, Yang Zhenshan’s brutal strike pummeled Wang He down from the air.

However, due to the rush, Yang Zhenshan only used a third of his strength, allowing Wang He to stabilize himself upon landing.