CHAPTER 555: CHAPTER 555. TEN DAYS TRUCE

"Then, why the invasion?" Jiang Tong asked.

"You won’t believe me even if I tell you," Xuang Feng replied. "Can you please call your men to stop their aggression as well?"

Liu Xun and the other Martial Realm soldiers who breached the energy wall with Jiang Tong were still battling the core Khode Army. They managed to kill several talisman bearers who maintained the energy wall, but another talisman master soon mended the wall. So, the energy wall continued to halt most of Echos’ Martial Realm soldiers from joining the fight behind the energy wall.

After a moment of silence, Jiang Tong injected aether into his voice and spoke loudly, "Everyone, stand down!!"

When Jiang Tong issued his command, Xuang Feng also did. Both sides halted the fighting and stared at each other with hostility.

Liu Xun approached the prism that imprisoned Jiang Tong. His face showed concern. "General, are you all right?" He asked.

"I’m fine," Jiang Tong answered. He returned his attention to Xuang Feng and asked, "What do you want to propose?"

"A ten-day truce," Xuang Feng answered.

"Truce? You came all this way and then ask for a truce. What kind of a joke is this?" Jiang Tong asked.

"That is my offer, unless you prefer we continue having your citizens kill your soldiers?" Xuang Feng asked in return.

Jiang Tong punched the prism’s wall in response, which still failed to break him out. "Fine..., but release those citizens," he said.

"Please don’t insult my intelligence, General," Xuang Feng said. "We both know the second I do that, you will be all over us. Consider them our hostages for now."

"For how long?" Jiang Tong asked.

"For as long as is needed," Xuang Feng answered. "This is what we are going to do. My people and I are going to pull back to Bright Rock City with our hostages. Your force will stand down, and you will remain inside this prism while we do that. You are not to set foot on Bright Rock Hill during the truce."

"What happens after the end of the truce?" Jiang Tong asked.

Xuang Feng shrugged. "That will depend on you. If you decide to attack again, we will respond in kind."

"You will open this prism before leaving?" Jiang Tong asked.

"No. You are too dangerous," Xuang Feng answered. "Don’t worry. Without anyone renewing the energy, this prism will dissipate on its own in ten minutes. We, of course, will be gone by then."

"Hmph," Jiang Tong harrumphed and folded his arms.

When Jiang Tong didn’t ask any more questions, Xuang Feng signaled his people. They started retreating. The talisman bearers were the last to leave. They continued to maintain the energy wall. Liu Xun looked at Jiang Tong. His eyes asked if he should order their people to use this chance. Jiang Tong responded by shaking his head slightly.

The puppet mob also started to pull back. The Echos Army was confused, seeing the enemy retreat. They were not exactly winning. They were wondering if they should advance. Liu Xun used a message talisman to one of the senior captains and relayed the order for the army to stay put.

When the puppet mob almost arrived, the talisman bearers finally stopped channeling their aether into the talisman. The energy wall vanished, allowing the mob to pass. The large talisman those bearers were holding turned to ash. They required a new stack of the talisman again if they were to form another energy wall. Although the Khode Army didn’t suffer many casualties, they were not without losses. They sacrificed many resources in this battle.

When the energy wall was gone, Echos’ martial realm soldiers were no longer hindered. Liu Xun again turned to Jiang Tong, asking if they should utilize this chance. Jiang Tong looked at the enemy core forces, who had already arrived at Bright Rock City’s gate. Even if they attacked now, they would only kill the talisman bearers, who seemed to be expendable personnel. They would then have the puppet mob to deal with. Jiang Tong again shook his head.

The Echos Martial Realm soldiers watched as the puppet mob marched past them. It was clear now these people were not conscious. They somehow had their minds controlled by the enemy. Liu Xun suspected it was the helmet-backpack contraption they wore. He had the thought of capturing one enemy to study the contraption, but the enemy would most likely trigger the explosion if he did.

He looked back at the battlefield. Some enemy was killed but didn’t explode. He didn’t see any. He turned his attention back to the mob. The corpses that did not explode were carried by the ones still living. The enemies ensured they didn’t leave any intact contraption behind.

After the mob marched past them, Liu Xun asked Jiang Tong, "General, are you sure to let them go like this?"

"Those infernal backpacks they used on our civilians make it so our kingdom remains the loser even if we win this battle," Jiang Tong said. "We will lose soldiers and lose the civilians. That is too great a loss even if we defeat the enemy’s core army. We need to figure out how to disarm those backpacks before we engage them again."

"So... We let them keep Bright Rock City?" Liu Xun asked.

"At least for these ten days," Jiang Tong answered. "In these ten days, organize a way to figure out the enemy’s plan and those backpacks."

*

Xuang Feng looked from the wall of Bright Rock City as the mind-controlled Echos civilians re-entered the city through the city gate. Xuang Chao came to his side. He didn’t seem happy.

"Uncle, you have managed to trap the enemy’s commander. Why do you not push on our advantage?" Xuang Chao asked.

"Chao, you are still green. You shouldn’t underestimate that man," Xuang Feng said.

"I admit he is formidable, but he is only one man. With him trapped, we should be able to defeat his followers behind our energy wall. After defeating them, we can then focus our efforts on him. Like you said, he is only one man. He will run out of aether sooner or later. If we can take out the Echos’ legend, it will be a huge blow to this country. It will ease our future campaign in this country."

"Chao, firstly, you should remember that Echos is not our true enemy," Xuang Feng said. "Secondly, there is a reason that man is called the Immortal God of War. Do you think what you witnessed just now is the full extent of his power? He has not gone all out."

"For real...?" Xuang Chao asked. He found that hard to believe. What reason was there for Jiang Tong to hold back?

Xuang Feng understood Xuang Chao’s skepticism. He said, "He probably hadn’t gone all out because he will need to expend more aether than he already had. Do you remember I mentioned he was famous for two special arcane arts? One is the Metal Molding. He has a pair of specially engraved metal balls tuned to that art. They can change shape following his will. His other special arcane art is called Metallic Supremacy."

"Metallic Supremacy...?" Xuang Chao asked.

"It is not surprising if you have never heard the name of such an arcane art," Xuang Feng said. "This is because only Jiang Tong can use that art."

"Only him?"

"Jiang Tong created the art himself. It is an arcane art used in conjunction with his special constitution, the Bronze Body. When used, the Metallic Supremacy reacts with his body and triggers an enhancement that changes the metal composition of his body. That’s why we see him turn silver during the fight. This transformation boosts his strength and makes him even more durable."

"Then he already used the art. Why did uncle say he had not gone all out?" Xuang Chao asked.

"That is because turning silver is only the first phase of the Metallic Supremacy," Xuang Feng answered. "His arcane art can make him even stronger. The full extent of his power is unclear. I only have pieces of information. The ones who forced him to go past the silver phase are mostly dead. The intel I gathered was from bystanders who watched from afar. But from an estimation of the available intel, I suspect he can break out of the Five Elements Prison if he pulls out all the stops. That’s why I offered him the truce."

"... I see," Xuang Chao said. He knew full well how strong the Five Elements Prison was. Anyone who could break out of it was not someone he wanted to deal with.

"Probably only a Lord Stage cultivator can defeat that man," Xuang Feng added.

"That’s a pretty high praise, but I can understand what uncle is saying," Xuang Chao said. "What if we compare this Jiang Tong to that famous reaper from Gyleth Marx? Who do you think is stronger between them?"

"They have never fought. It is pointless to assume in a hypothetical," Xuang Feng said. "Anyway, even with that God of War in our way, we will still achieve our objective. We will secure more advantages in these ten days. This kingdom had acted fast and mobilized its army faster than we expected. Ten more days should be enough for us to secure a stronger foothold here. Our presence in this kingdom should let our allies the freedom to do their things."

"How do you think Farghous Army fares in the East?" Xuang Chao asked.

"It is best if they can fortify their position in Cinder Ash Town. Otherwise, Echos will have their full focus on us. Without further support from Khode, I’m afraid we will have trouble defending this place if that happens."

"Well, let’s hope those Farghous soldiers don’t disappoint us," Xuang Chao remarked.