Chapter 240 Insurance

A cold light flashed across Marshal Xianming's eyes.

His gaze slowly swept across the enemy Origin Core realm martial artists, carefully scrutinising them one by one.

Earlier, this batch of opponents had obviously been struggling against the pressure that he had emitted. Yet all of a sudden, it was as though all of them had undergone a complete transformation, gaining strength far beyond what they originally possessed!

Now, they were actually able to withstand the pressure that he exuded, capable of standing against him in battle.

Marshal Xianming's vision combed through the entire group of Origin Core realm experts, finally landing on the figure of Longshao Wenqin.

He knew that without a doubt, it must be the work of this man and his treasure cauldron.

After all, Marshal Xianming could sense distinct energy connections linking the bronze cauldron to every single one of these Origin Core realm experts standing in the air before him.

It seemed like the bronze cauldron was not just a defensive treasure. On top of that, it was also able to boost the strength of others, and not by a small amount as well!

As for the type of world law that the treasure cauldron harnessed, Marshal Xianming now had a rough idea in his head.

"So it is the Law of Force…" Marshal Xianming thought out loud.

"I guess you are not as bad as I imagined," Wenqin was slightly surprised upon hearing that. "Just like you mentioned, it is named the Cauldron of Draconic Force, and draws its strength from the Law of Force. However, so what if you know? That changes nothing about the fact that you have just dug a hole for yourself to die in."

Wenqin was naturally referring to the fact that Marshal Xianming had led his subordinates into this situation where they were completely surrounded, cut off from their allies.

"He's right," Marshal Shengding added, brandishing the huge battleaxe in his hands. "You had your shot earlier. Now that you have failed, it is our turn."

When he pointed the pitch black battleaxe straight towards Marshal Xianming, those on the side of the Scarlet Moon Army could not help but stiffen up in nervousness.

Just a moment ago, they had been rushing to take down the enemy's leader Marshal Shengding. Who knew that the situation would reverse in an instant, with the enemy now aiming to kill them instead?

As if that was not enough, they were not only outnumbered and surrounded, but their enemies also seem to have received some sort of mysterious power boost.

The current situation could only be described as extremely unfavourable for them.

Right now, they could only hope that the rest of the Origin Core realm experts from their side would be able to rush to their aid in time.

Only twenty or so of Marshal Xianming's closest aides had acted in the previous rush, leaving the majority of their Origin Core realm allies behind.

If these allies of theirs could arrive soon enough to act as their reinforcements, it would be possible to at least reset the balance of this fight, bringing the battle back to its original state.

But in the off chance that they suffered injuries that were too severe before their reinforcements arrived, then it might even affect their ability to continue fighting this battle!

Should that be the case, their numbers disadvantage would no longer be a temporary matter.

Formation Master Beimu gritted her teeth in frustration as she watched the events of the battle play out in the sky above her.

Despite her status in the Scarlet Moon Army, she was one of those who had been kept in the dark about the earlier plan. To think that Marshal Xianming would actually leave her out completely, just thinking about it made her feel aggrieved.

Not only that, but the plan had even failed completely. Now, those involved even required the rest of them to rush to their aid.

How ridiculous!

But at this juncture, there was no longer time left for anyone to think too deeply. Right now, no matter how indignant they were feeling in their hearts, the only thing that remained was to hurry up and carry out their respective tasks.

The distance was not huge, but there were also Origin Core realm martial artists from the Dragon Cauldron Army who had remained below. These remaining Origin Core realm martial artists would surely attempt to hinder their movements, stopping them from rushing to the aid of Marshal Xianming's group.

This was now a race against time.

The Dragon Cauldron Army wanted to buy enough time to take down Marshal Xianming's group, while the Scarlet Moon Army wanted to save time in rushing to their aid.

Be it those on the Dragon Cauldron Army or those on the Scarlet Moon Army, all of them were Origin Core realm experts. Naturally, none of them needed anyone to tell them what to do in this situation.

And the side that managed to do their job better would be able to tilt the battle in their favour!

"Kill them!" Marshal Shengding roared.

With that, Marshal Shengding readied the battleaxe in his hands before personally leading the charge. Following his lead, the Origin Core realm martial artists surrounding Marshal Xianming's group all charged out at once, closing in from all directions.

"Stand your ground!" Marshal Xianming shouted in response, finally revealing a tinge of worry in his voice.

With Marshal Shengding personally joining the battle on the opposing side, Marshal Xianming would naturally have to focus all his attention on dealing with this fearsome opponent.

This meant that he would no longer have the freedom to help his subordinates.

Facing the onslaught of enemies, they have no choice but to fend for themselves until reinforcements arrive!

As for him, he might only have to deal with a single opponent, but it was the strongest of their enemies.

As the marshal of the Dragon Cauldron Army, Marshal Shengding possessed combat strength that rivalled his own. Under normal circumstances, it would be nigh impossible for him to defeat Marshal Shengding in a short amount of time.

Even so, he had to at least try.

As long as he could defeat Marshal Shengding, the battle would tilt directly in their favour!

With that thought in mind, Marshal Xianming drove the Slaugher Essence in his inner world, channeling his Essence energy into his treasure scroll once more.

The illusory white falcon behind him looked up, staring straight at the approaching Marshal Shengding as the light it was emitting started to increase in intensity.

Marshal Xianming braced himself as the black battleaxe tore through the air, smashing straight towards him.

Come!

Let's see how you handle this!

An intense white light burst out from the treasure scroll before him, so bright that it overshadowed the sun. It was as though a star had erupted in their midst, sinking the entire vicinity into a beautiful white world devoid of any other colours.

This beautiful white light contained within it a terrifying mass of Essence energy, clashing directly against the pitchblack battleaxe in Marshal Shengding's hands.

The battleaxe's advance slowed rapidly, but Marshal Shengding did not cower. He continued to push forward, until a point where it became extremely difficult for him to advance.

An enormous pressure built up at the contact point between the battleaxe and the white light, threatening to erupt at any moment.

And then it happened.

Bang-!

The thunderous explosion resulted in a powerful shockwave that rippled out in all directions, creating a huge storm of energy that pushed back every single person in the vicinity.

This storm of energy had originated from the clash between the two marshals, and in a way, the fact that they were the first to clash could be seen as an advantage for the Scarlet Moon Army.

Except for Marshal Shengding who seemed to be completely unaffected, the other Origin Core realm experts were forced to halt their advance as well, driving their Slaughter Essence to defend themselves from the shockwaves.

It was not for long, but this still bought precious time for Marshal Xianming's group.

However, Marshal Xianming could not bring himself to feel glad in this situation.

In fact, it was more like the other way around.

Right now, Marshal Xianming's heart was suddenly filled with trepidation and worry. He finally understood that the situation was far more dreadful than he had imagined.

In the earlier clash, even though he had attacked without holding anything back, he still could clearly feel that he was on the losing end of the exchange. Without him realising it, Marshal Shengding's current strength had already become significantly greater than his own!

"Hahaha!" Marshal Shengding laughed heartily as he struck forth once again. "What's this? Have you always been this weak?"

Marshal Xianming frowned, not speaking a word as he hurriedly defend himself.

It was not as though he did not want to rebut, but he actually had no words to do so. Facing the current Marshal Shengding, he truly felt much weaker in comparison.

At this rate, not to mention defeating Marshal Shengding, he might even have problems trying to protect himself!

It was at this moment that Marshal Xianming suddenly remembered the scholarly young man from before. He felt a chill run down his spine as he finally understood what had happened.

The Cauldron of Draconic Force was able to amplify the strength level of the other Origin Core realm martial artists, so it only made sense for it to be able to amplify the strength level of Marshal Shengding as well!

How could he have overlooked such a simple matter?

Their strength levels had always been similar. With that additional boost from the Cauldron of Draconic Force, it was no wonder that Marshal Shengding had been able to overpower him.

Now, it seemed like even he had no choice but to remain on the defensive against Marshal Shengding, dragging out the fight for as long as he could while hoping for reinforcements to arrive from below!

Around him, his subordinates huddled together as closely as possible, trying to rely on a simple battle formation to fend off the attacks.

Their enemies attacked fiercely from all directions, and staying in this battle formation was the only way they could fight evenly for now.

But as long as one of them faltered, the entire battle formation could collapse. That would truly herald their potential defeat.

Further below, the rest of the Origin Core realm martial artists clashed in battle.

Those of the Dragon Cauldron Army attacked without restraint. They understood that the situation was in their favour right now, and those of the Scarlet Moon Army were distracted by the fact that they had to quickly go to Marshal Xianming's aid.

Faced with such a terrifying offensive, the Scarlet Moon Army experts dared not rashly break away, choosing to deal with their current opponents before heading up.

Otherwise, they could very well lose their lives before they even reached Marshal Xianming's group!

Just like that, all three areas seemed to be leaning towards the Dragon Cauldron Army's victory.

With just one treasure cauldron, Longshao Wenqin had managed to turn the battle completely in their favour.

At the same time, this Longshao Wenqin had also chosen to stay back even in such an advantageous situation, cautiously letting the others do the attacking instead. This was him knowing his limits as a combatant, not allowing himself to be overcome by ambitions or greed for glory.

After all, he was still only a Second Cycle Origin Core realm martial artist. Even with the Cauldron of Draconic Force, he would not stand a chance against many of these opponents, some of them already having reached the Eighth Origin Cycle.

Since that was the case, he might as well stay back and concentrate on controlling the Cauldron of Draconic Force. This way, he would not be facing any drastic risks, and he would be able to contribute better to the battle as a whole as well.

Take no chances, and always go for the option that gives the greatest probability of victory. This was what Longshao Wenqin had always believed in.

This was why even while he was concentrating his efforts here, he had sent his subordinates to various parts of the battleground as a form of insurance.

Nearer to the ground, an elderly looking man floated in the air, rubbing his chin in bemusement.

As an Origin Core realm martial artist, he was actually not joining the sky battle, choosing to stay close to the ground battle instead.

Right now, his eyes were locked onto a certain pair of young man and young lady who seemed to be dashing about aimlessly around the battlefield on on the ground.

A cold smirk spread across his face as realisation dawned upon him.

So this is the Scarlet Moon Army's insurance, their backup plan in case their other one failed?

How interesting!

When Wenqin first told him to position himself to watch the infamous young genius of the Scarlet Moon Army, he had thought that it was a nonsense job that was completely unnecessary. But now, he thought otherwise.

It seemed like Sir Wenqin is right yet again!

These Scarlet Moon Army younglings really are up to something!