The bowstring collapsed, and arrows fell like rain, raining down in an instant so densely that there was nowhere to hide, nowhere to evade.
"Awe-inspiring!" Jiang Ming raised his head to watch this scene and couldn't help but exclaim.
He, indeed, didn't evade.
Vroom...
The next moment, the Qi inside his body surged out, forming a thin golden light membrane outside his body, which was the Golden Bell Shield.
The arrows fell on it, causing the Qi shield to continuously indent but remain resiliently astonishing, unable to be pierced.
Vroom...
However, at this moment, a succession of loud noises sounded, and long spears were seen shot down from the city wall.
No, those were crossbows, only ever seen in military use.
Fabled to kill Grandmasters, extremely terrifying, they are incomparably powerful weapons. Currently, nine of them were pointed from the city wall right in this direction.
The powerful surrounding who observed this scene all changed their expressions.
"Using the arrow rain as a curtain, the crossbow is real, let's see if you can avoid death!" Xiao Yingcheng revealed a somewhat pleased expression, "Even if you don't die, as long as you're hit by a single crossbow bolt, you will be severely injured, then killing you will be a joy afterward."
On the other side.
"As expected of the Xiao Family, running Mount Dependence City for many years, forging it like an iron bucket. Even though the Six Gates sent a Constable to live here, they are still unable to suppress the dominance of the Xiao Family. Looking at the current situation, the City Defense Army has become the Xiao Family's private army, able to mobilize as they please, even using the restricted weapon, the crossbow. Isn't the Xiao Family worried about the court's plight?" He Qianshan frowned.
"They really aren't scared!" Bai Yunfei crossed his arms, "The Xiao Family practically controls the City Defense Army, which represents the officials. And Commander Jiang? He's been labeled as bandit. In a fight between officers and bandits, what could be more justified? Brother Jiang is too arrogant. Facing an arrow rain without evading is one thing, as a master-level realm cultivation is unhindered. But these are crossbows, can he really block them?"
A few people silently watched.
Jiang Ming naturally also spotted the crossbows.
"Can't block it!"
He immediately made his judgment in no time, yet still didn't dodge.
"If one layer doesn't work, then two layers, three layers, four layers..."
The golden light outside his body suddenly shook, and a second layer of golden light appeared, immediately followed by the third layer, the fourth layer...
The nine crossbow bolts also reached close, shooting at the first layer of golden light, easily ripping it apart, then the second layer, the third layer.
Layer by layer, the golden light was torn apart, but the nine crossbow bolts eventually halted in front of him, then fell.
The golden light continued to radiate, layer by layer, circle by circle, exactly nine layers.
"The Ninth Layer of Golden Bell Shield, my God, he actually cultivated the Ninth Layer of Golden Bell Shield, even the high monks of Dalin Temple didn't succeed in cultivation, he actually cultivated it!"
Exclamations rang out one after another.
Bai Yunfei, He Qianshan, Xiao Yingcheng, and others all changed their expressions.
The Golden Bell Shield is an extraordinary defensive technique, very difficult to cultivate successfully. It's rumored that only the high monk who founded this method had successfully cultivated it, other monks who practiced this method could mostly only cultivate it to the eighth layer at most.
Even seven layers are rare.
But now, they witnessed the Ninth Layer of Golden Bell Shield.
"The unyielding cannot last long, the enduring cannot defend!"
Jiang Ming seemed to have a bit of clarity.
The Golden Bell Shield consumes too much, is too overpowering. Once incited, it's invincible and almost impenetrable, but it lacks flexible features.
It can't unload power, it can only ruggedly defend.
His face was somewhat pale, as if he had overconsumed.
While Xiao Yingcheng was somewhat frightened, he also let out a small sigh of relief: "The Ninth Layer of Golden Bell Shield, it's going against heaven. If this child isn't eradicated, my Xiao Family will cease to exist. Fortunately, he has overconsumed."
"I was also given quite a scare." Xiao Yuanhai's forehead was covered in cold sweat, "The Ninth Layer of Golden Bell Shield, even a master-level realm cultivator like me would struggle to break through it. Thankfully, he's fatigued. This is a good sign, a very good sign."
"Then continue!" Xiao Yingcheng waved his hand, the arrow rain descended like a waterfall, the crossbows blasted, and launched another attack.
At this moment, a figure rushed forward, his face flushed red, sweat pouring down like rain, urgently saying: "Head of the family, the Black Iron Army is surrounded!"
"Surrounded? By who? How are they surrounded? Isn't the people from the Six Gates not moving?" Xiao Yingcheng's colour changed and he hastily asked.
"It's the Tian Wu Army!"
"Impossible! Jiang Ming is here, as powerful as the Heavenly Martial Army is, they only have Chang Qing, a First-tier realm fighter. The Black Iron Army consists of eight hundred men, each of whom is among the elite, with many First-tier fighters and an Innate level grandmaster overseeing. Even if they do not besiege the Heavenly Martial Army, how can they be besieged instead?"
"Lu Yuan took action."
"Lu Yuan? Damn, he dares to oppose our Xiao family, he's seeking his own death!" Xiao Yingcheng's face darkened, fire spewing from his eyes.
"Moreover, the Heavenly Martial Army is very powerful, each of them is like a bloodthirsty madman..."
"Even so, they shouldn't be able to encircle and kill!" Xiao Yingcheng shivered, he took a deep breath, forcefully suppressed his inner rage, and turned to Xiao Yuanhai, "Uncle, should we lend support?"
"Killing Jiang Ming is priority one," Xiao Yuanhai responded. "If he's not dead, our Xiao family is in danger of total annihilation; if he's dead, everything else won't matter! The third wave of the Black Iron Army's besiegement won't work, inform the Liang family to cooperate. Furthermore..."
He paused, his face contorted with rage. "Let the City Defense Army join the fight!"
"If we resort to that, we risk being exposed."
"We're at a life or death juncture, there's no room for other considerations. Moreover, to us, Jiang Ming's threat is greater than the Court's. Afterwards, we can offer large sums of money, which should, in most cases, smooth things over!"
"Understood!"
Jiang Ming saw this from the corner of his eyes.
"City Defense Army, Liang family!"
"We can't wait any longer, otherwise it'll be an endless slaughter!"
With this thought, he brandished his hands, spinning them overhead, catching arrows flung at him and hurling them back, shooting the archers on the city wall one after another.
The crossbow bolts fired at him were also caught and flung back, instantly blowing up nine crossbows, but his face grew even paler.
Their rapid breathing was shaky.
"Xiao Yingcheng, prepare to die!" Jiang Ming leapt up, rushing towards the head of the Xiao family, mid-air, he raised his hands and shot out waves of Sword Qi towards Xiao Yingcheng.
The sound of Sword Qi tearing through the air raised the hairs on people's necks.
"Brazen!" Xiao Yingcheng could no longer hold it in, he drew his sword and jumped up to meet the Sword Qi head-on.
Under the morning light, the sword glistened, the deadly intent clear.
Clang clang clang...
The constant clear sound of the Sword Qi making contact with the long sword echoed.
"Yingcheng, careful!" Xiao Yuanhai shouted urgently.
He had thought with Xiao Yingcheng's Innate Peak strength, shielding against the Sword Qi wouldn't be a problem, but he suddenly discovered that the Sword Qi contained a power that even made him shudder with fear.
As he issued the warning, he also leapt into the air, but was inevitably too late.
Clang...
The long sword couldn't withstand the power of the Six Meridians Divine Sword's Sword Qi, it was immediately shattered, another wave of Sword Qi shot towards the throat, although he dodged, the heart area couldn't evade.
"Tiangang Battle Qi!"
Xiao Yingcheng exerted his ultimate technique, a barrier made of Qi emerged, yet was easily pierced by the Sword Qi, peeling away and reaching his heart.
"What power!" He looked down, his eyes filled with hatred gradually lost their color, and he fell from mid-air.
"Yingcheng!" Xiao Yuanhai yelled in despair, he leapt up and summoned a storm with a palm strike, "Jiang Ming, I will kill you!"
Xiao Yingcheng was killed in an instant.
Jiang Ming engaged in another attack with Xiao Yuanhai.
When he landed, he was staggering, his condition seemed very bad. However, he didn't stop and executed the Meteor Step with Chasing Wind and Moon, leaving a trail of afterimages as he targeted the crowd from the Xiao Family.
There were several Innate-level fighters and quite a few elites from the Xiao family among them.
"Stay right there!" Xiao Yuanhai was livid with rage, but he couldn't catch up.
Ahh...
One after the other, screams rang out. In an instant, Jiang Ming killed more than twenty people, not letting a single one escape.
"Jiang Ming!" With tears like blood streaming down his face, Xiao Yuanhai roared. "If I don't kill you, I won't be human. Xiao Yuanrang, Liang Dashan, Liang Dahai, come out!"
The city shuddered with his woeful and furious roars.