novelhk Chapter 835 The offensive was blocked by heavy rain, and the opportunity was missed!
Chapter 835 The offensive was blocked by heavy rain, and the opportunity was missed!
A ray of light, like lightning, split the heavy haze in Gao Yao's heart!
"That's it!"
Gao Yao's eyes flashed with brilliance, squeezing every last ounce of potential from his body! He yanked out his spear, mired in the mud, and shot forth like an arrow! The flash of his blade was no longer a fleeting snake, but a desperate thrust that concentrated all his energy! The tip of his blade tore through the rain, carrying an unwavering and brutal momentum. He ignored the sweeping halberd of Xiang Yu, the terrifying force that could have severed him in half, and stabbed the old wound beneath the armor with uncanny precision!
This thrust was fast, accurate, and ruthless! It was as if his life was melted into this flash of blade light!
As the tip of the knife was about to touch that fatal flaw, Xiang Yu's pupils suddenly shrank like needles! That wasn't fear, but the eyes of a ferocious beast completely enraged! From the depths of his throat suddenly erupted a roar that pierced the clouds and cracked the rocks, like a divine thunder from the sky exploding on earth:
"Roar--!"
An unimaginable, unparalleled force instantly erupted from every inch of his muscular frame! The sweeping bronze halberd abruptly shifted its form, transforming into a meteorite falling from the sky. No longer concerned with rules, it relied solely on force to overcome artifice. With the will to destroy everything, it smashed down fiercely on Gao Yao and the spear thrust at him! The speed and power of this halberd were even more terrifying than any previous blow!
It was a critical moment! Gao Yao's blade was about to penetrate the old wound, and Xiang Yu's meteorite halberd was about to smash him and his spear into dust!
"Boom——!"
A dull, heart-stopping sound was heard, but it did not come from the collision of weapons!
The battered ground beneath the two men finally collapsed under the combined force of Xiang Yu's earth-shattering stomp and the terrifying blow from the heavy halberd! The already shattered soil and gravel could no longer withstand the pressure and actually dented a bit, causing the horses of both sides to lose control almost at the same time.
The world spun around! Mud, gravel, and icy rain instantly engulfed them!
Gao Yao felt a tremendous suction dragging him downward, his body completely out of control. Amidst the chaos, his right arm, holding the knife, felt a sharp tug and a piercing shriek of metal against metal! He instinctively clenched the knife handle tightly. When the tumbling stopped, the cold muddy water instantly reached his chest. He coughed violently and struggled to raise his head.
Before him, Xiang Yu was equally mired in the mire, his massive frame smeared with mud and utterly miserable. His massive bronze halberd, once the very thing that terrified heroes across the land, was now entangled in a bizarre gesture with Gao Yao's Mo Dao! The crescent-shaped edge of the halberd's blade gnawed tightly against Gao Yao's spear near his hands, while the spear's sharp tip narrowly tangled with the inscribed grooves on Xiang Yu's halberd shaft. Like two giant pythons locked in a desperate struggle, the two divine weapons locked in the mud, neither able to strike the other.
Muddy water trickled down their clenched teeth, their heavy breathing piercing the din of the torrential rain. Gao Yao struggled to draw his sword, but it remained motionless. The force emanating from the bronze halberd was like iron. Xiang Yu also exerted his strength, but the heavy halberd was also firmly pinned by the Mo Dao, unable to move an inch.
Time seemed to freeze in this filthy quagmire, with only the cold rain mercilessly washing away the blood and mud on their bodies.
Xiang Yu raised his head, muddy water streaming down his angular face. His eyes, burning with unyielding fire, pierced through the rain and fixed themselves on Gao Yao's face. Deep within his gaze, the raging murderous intent still surged, but with an unprecedented, almost complex scrutiny. He stared at Gao Yao, emphasizing each word. His voice was low and hoarse, but it was like a scalding iron, piercing through the pounding rain and slamming fiercely into the mire:
"Xiang Yu, I never thought you'd become so much stronger over the years!"
This declaration carried no anger, no resentment, only a desolate certainty. It struck Gao Yao's heart harder than any thunderbolt. His hand gripping the spear, his knuckles bluish-white from the strain, trembled slightly, but not from fear. The cold touch of the blade and the weight of Xiang Yu's words pierced through his palm, piercing his heart.
The last vestiges of sunset struggled, swallowed up by the deepening dusk. The martial arts arena was completely plunged into a chaotic gloom, with only the relentless torrential rain washing over the ravaged and distorted land. The cold muddy water reached my chest, and every breath carried the heavy smell of earth and a hint of rusty blood.
In this dead silent stalemate, an extremely faint but unusually clear sound of metal collision suddenly penetrated the thick rain curtain and came faintly from the direction of the distant camp.
——Ding…ding…ding…
It’s the sound of the gong!
The sound was distant and vague, as if it was coming from behind a thick curtain, yet it carried an unquestionable sense of finality, knocking again and again in the damp, cold, and sticky air.
The bean-sized raindrops were no longer sporadic, tentative drops; they gathered into a violent downpour, like a river bursting its banks, relentlessly washing over the Shura battlefield before Yangping Pass. A thick curtain of rain connected heaven and earth, stained the world in a chaotic gray-white. The rain pounded the cold ground, splashing muddy water that quickly gathered into flowing streams and seeped into the soil, transforming the once solid battlefield into an ankle-deep muddy swamp.
This unfortunate heavy rain was like a basin of cold waves, which severely extinguished the boiling murderous intent on the battlefield and caused great trouble to both parties in the confrontation - Gao Yao and Xiang Yu.
For Xiang Yu, the torrential downpour was a nightmare for the siege: the flat ground beneath their feet, once perfect for a massive charge, had transformed into a sticky, slippery quagmire. With every step forward, the soldiers' heavy boots sank deeply into the mud, making extrication difficult and severely hampering the charge's speed and momentum. Siege equipment, such as cumbersome ladders and battering rams, struggled even more, their wheels sinking deep into the mud, forcing the soldiers pushing them to struggle in the water, significantly reducing their effectiveness.
The rain had soaked the stonework of the city walls, making them incredibly slippery. Even if a soldier could reach the city walls with a ladder, the difficulty of climbing would have increased exponentially. The slippery steps and bricks made it extremely easy for climbers to fall. The defenders didn't even need to push the ladders; the slippery surface itself became a deadly defense.
The dense curtain of rain severely obstructed vision, making it extremely difficult for both the crossbowmen to suppress the enemy from a distance and the commander to grasp the battlefield situation. The sound of orders was drowned out by the rain, the flag signals were blurred, and the coordination of the attack was completely disrupted.
The icy rain soaked through the armor, bringing a biting chill and a heavy burden. The soaked clothing clung to the body, hindering movement and increasing physical exhaustion. Continued exposure to the downpour rapidly drained the soldiers' strength and morale.