“Hmm? No, something’s wrong!”
With the martial arts skills of a master, Wu Ming is currently a peak level two expert, capable of moving swiftly and freely across the battlefield.
With the Wind Demon Slice, there was no opponent capable of lasting a single round, living up to the terrifying reputation of “one against a hundred” to the fullest extent.
However, after cutting down two more Asahibe cavalrymen, the Wind Demon Slice clashed with another charging cavalryman’s weapon, and immediately sensed something different: “Well, well… this fellow’s strength actually surpasses mine. A swordsman?!”
At that moment, a song sung in “Crane Language” suddenly echoed around, so powerful that even the battlefield cries could not suppress it.
Wu Ming’s sharp eyes immediately caught sight of a cavalryman in the rear, whose white hunting robe was hidden beneath his armor—a distinctive outfit worn only by yin-yang masters!
Moreover, the ability to cast spells so fluently amidst the battlefield indicated that this person’s yin-yang techniques had reached level three—an extremely rare feat among the great yin-yang masters of the entire Fusang world.
“A curse?!”
As the song began, Wu Ming immediately felt his body grow heavy, his eyelids drooping drowsily.
“Hey! One Slash Facing the Wind!”
At the very moment Wu Ming was struck by the curse, his opponent, the swordsman, leapt high into the air, both hands gripping his katana, which erupted with terrifying brilliance, like thunder, slashing straight down!
Even before the blade arrived, a powerful killing intent had locked onto Wu Ming so tightly that even a single thought seemed impossible to form!
The might of the killing intent was so overwhelming that even the “Mind Technique” of the previous Mugen-ryu master, Tachibana Fujikage, was not even worthy of carrying this person’s shoes!
This swordsman had surpassed the level of a mere swordsman—he was a Grand Swordsman, at peak level three, just one step away from reaching the realm of Sword Sage!
A level-three yin-yang master, combined with a grand swordsman, had lain in ambush on the battlefield, using the annihilation of the entire Asahibe cavalry as a sacrifice to unleash this deadly strike!
In an instant, Wu Ming found himself in the most perilous situation of his life!
“Chirei!”
Faced with this deadly trap, in a flash of lightning, Wu Ming opened his mouth and uttered a single word.
As soon as that word left his lips, thunder resonated in the air, accompanied by flashes of lightning.
This was a true example of a voice capable of producing thunder—the very definition of a tongue that could bloom with spring thunder!
The sound wave carried an element of sonic attack, instantly shattering the curse embedded in the Crane Language song.
The yin-yang master let out a startled cry, nearly falling from his horse.
But Wu Ming had no time to deal with him. As soon as he shattered the curse with his thunderous voice, his body moved like an agile giant squirrel, swiftly ducking backward and leaping off the horse’s tail.
Puchi!
The blade’s brilliance nearly grazed his nose, slicing through mercilessly.
For a moment, the entire battlefield seemed to freeze, then a crimson line appeared across the horse’s head, extending downward through its neck, chest, and abdomen.
Hua!
In a flash of blade light, the entire horse was cleanly split down the middle, each half falling precisely apart.
“Excellent swordsmanship! One Slash Facing the Wind from the Yagyu-ryu school, and a great yin-yang master as well. You two aren’t from Izumo, are you? Could it be that you were hired by the Mori clan?”
Wu Ming stood three zhang away, slightly disheveled but still praising them: “Your strength has clearly unsettled many people!”
“Gekiichi-kun! Your power has caused unease among many!”
The yin-yang master stepped forward, his voice surprisingly feminine: “So… please rest in peace!”
“Take down Gekiichi’s eye!”
Around them, the remaining Iyu clan foot soldiers and Asahibe cavalry went berserk, charging forward with bloodshot eyes, desperate to claim the greatest honor on the battlefield.
Meanwhile, the Ghost Unit roared wildly, charging recklessly to Wu Ming’s rescue.
“Fools!”
Seeing this, Wu Ming let out a cold laugh and swiftly mounted a horse offered by the Ghost Unit cavalry: “Since you failed to kill me the first time, you won’t get another chance!”
“Heavenly Heart Mysterious Stillness, Five Thunder True Method!”
With a wave of his hand, the cloud-character talismans representing the Five Thunder Technique in his consciousness shone brightly, transforming into five colors—black, white, red, yellow, and blue.
Externally, this manifested as divine thunder of water, metal, fire, earth, and wood elements, all launched simultaneously and merged into a single palm strike!
This Five Thunder Palm had now reached its pinnacle, achieving the ultimate realm where martial prowess and magical techniques were unified!
“Since the Five Thunders are essentially the Five Elements, in comparison, those earlier Five Element minor spells were truly just trivial techniques!”
Lightning swept across the battlefield!
Under this overwhelming and domineering palm strike, even the grand swordsman and the yin-yang master had no choice but to retreat.
Meanwhile, Wu Ming had a sudden thought: “With my current mastery of the Five Elements, perhaps I could even earn the title of ‘True Man of the Five Elements’ in the future?”
“The mission has failed. Let’s go!”
The grand swordsman from the Yagyu school, having narrowly escaped the range of the thunder, turned to leave without hesitation.
“I still have a blood pact with Inari. Please wait a moment, let me summon…”
Before the great yin-yang master could finish speaking, a look of horror suddenly appeared on her face.
Before her, a terrifying five-colored thunderstorm was far from over—it was intensifying, radiating a destructive aura like a rolling wheel of destruction.
“Five Elements generating each other, Five Thunders combining—receive my Creation Divine Thunder!”
At that moment, Wu Ming suddenly grasped the essence of the Five Elements’ mutual generation technique, fully integrating it into his thunder techniques.
The Five Thunders rotated, generating the Five Elements, and then produced a force that transcended the Five Elements.
Boom!
Purple lightning mercilessly crushed everything. Layer after layer of protective talismans and divine pearls on the level-three yin-yang master exploded. Her armor and body alike turned to ash.
“Good! This Creation Divine Thunder based on the mutual generation of the Five Elements is now the most powerful destructive technique in my arsenal!”
Delighted, Wu Ming shouted: “Follow me and charge!”
“Banzai!”
“Banzai!”
…
The Ghost Unit warriors roared loudly, following Wu Ming as they smashed through enemy lines. After several charges, they completely routed the Iyu clan’s Asahibe cavalry.
“A true grand swordsman indeed, with a keen mind. He realized there was no chance of success and fled first, huh?”
Wu Ming felt a slight regret in his heart: “I’ll let you go this time!”
“Charge!”
At this moment, the battlefield was still the most important matter. After defeating the Asahibe cavalry, the Ghost Unit cavalry had become the decisive force tipping the battle’s outcome.
“Skip the main force, attack the enemy’s flank! And drive the fleeing soldiers into chaos!”
Cavalry’s greatest strength lay in its flexibility and mobility. Wu Ming immediately led the Ghost Unit around to the side of the Iyu clan’s formation, cutting down enemy soldiers and driving the fleeing foot soldiers to disrupt the enemy ranks.
“Attack! Attack!”
Yamanaka Katsuhisa, also a capable general, seeing the Iyu formation in disarray, immediately issued three commands to launch a general offensive!
Witnessing this, the Iyu forces quickly collapsed.
From the rear of the army, a cavalry unit immediately fled the battlefield, escaping toward Kawarugawa Castle—the overall commander, Iyu Hidekatsu himself, had fled!
“Ahh… even the overall commander has abandoned us!”
“The overall commander Iyu has fled!”
“Gods and Buddhas… is this divine punishment upon us?”
The foot soldiers cried out in despair, throwing down their bamboo spears and swords, having completely lost their will to fight.
Such a scenario was almost unthinkable under normal circumstances, but with the appearance of the musket and cannon units, the overall commander’s escape, and perhaps even the influence of Gekiichi Yoshitsune’s divine fortune, this scene unfolded.
This was the very definition of a collapse like a mountain falling—total and unstoppable.
“My lord, we have achieved a great victory in this battle!”
Yamanaka Katsuhisa, filled with pride, reported to Wu Ming: “Once we capture Kawarugawa Castle, our clan will surely achieve dominance over Izumo Province! Shall we attack Kawarugawa Castle immediately?”
“There’s no need! First, clean up the battlefield and then surround Kawarugawa Castle!”
Wu Ming gazed toward the distant castle: “Kawarugawa Castle is the largest city in Izumo. Rushing an attack would be unwise. And after this battle, I believe the Iyu clan will make their choice!”
In this battle, the Iyu clan suffered heavy losses, and their leader, Iyu Hidekatsu, had suffered a severe blow to his prestige.
In such a situation, simply surrounding the castle without attacking while applying pressure would surely lead to internal upheaval within Kawarugawa Castle!
Not to mention, there were also spies like Mochizuki Kotarou stirring the pot from within.
“Judging from the castle’s aura, there will be a major change tonight!”
Wu Ming smiled slightly, though he didn’t say this aloud to Yamanaka Katsuhisa.
…
That night, inside the main keep of Kawarugawa Castle.
A group of warriors suddenly cut down the guards and stormed into the highest floor.
“It’s Hidehisa!”
Iyu Hidekatsu knelt on the floor: “I was expecting something like this!”
“Brother, I’m doing this for the survival of the Iyu clan. Please hand over the position of clan leader to me!”
Two warriors entered, followed by a group of retainers surrounding a young man who bore a striking resemblance to Iyu Hidekatsu—this was Iyu Hidehisa.
“If that’s the case, what more can I say! The survival of the Iyu clan is now in your hands!”
Iyu Hidekatsu bowed solemnly.
At this point, resistance was futile. From the fact that they could enter here, it was clear that the majority of the clan supported them, including the senior retainers who had silently acquiesced.
Iyu Hidekatsu remained silent, retreating into the inner chamber, and soon the sound of seppuku was heard.
“Immediately summon all the senior retainers and warriors for a council meeting!”
Taking the position of clan leader, Iyu Hidehisa’s expression turned solemn as he issued the order.
“Hai!”
After several warriors left, a dark figure emerged from the shadows: “Lord Hidehisa’s decision was wise. Our clan will certainly honor our previous promise and ensure the continuation of the Iyu clan!”
“That’s good. Please deliver my letter of allegiance to Lord Gekiichi no Hangan. I entrust this to you!”
Iyu Hidehisa knelt on both fists, bowing deeply.
After Mochizuki Kotarou disappeared from sight, he climbed to the top of the keep, gazing down at Kawarugawa Castle and the Ghost Unit army outside, a bitter expression on his face.
Such a magnificent keep, and the legacy of the Iyu clan’s dominance—it was hard to accept giving it all up so easily.
But facing them was the mighty Gekiichi no Hangan, known as the Demon General of Fortune. If the Iyu clan resisted, the enemy would certainly not hesitate to reduce everything to ashes.
“I’m saving the Iyu clan. Brother, I did the right thing!”
Iyu Hidehisa murmured to himself, trying to strengthen his conviction.
…
The next day, the Iyu clan opened the castle gates wide, welcoming the Ghost Unit army into Kawarugawa Castle and transferring power.
Thus, the fifty-year dominance of the Iyu clan over Izumo Province came to an end, replaced by the rise and glory of the Ghost Unit clan!
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