Chapter 2471: No Passage Ahead

“The so‑called Formation is divided into Infinite Change and the Unchanging; then what, in the end, is Infinite Change, and what, in the end, is the Unchanging?” Zhuge Liang, his expression gloomy, poured his Spiritual Capacity into the sky, and the Cloud Qi began to shift. The whirling Cloud Qi wantonly drew out the power contained within the Heaven and Earth Essence, beginning the empowerment according to Zhuge Liang’s original estimation.

[From time immemorial, this Heaven has been Heaven, this Earth has likewise been Earth; yet all things cycle and return—this is change, and also the unchanging. What is called a Military Formation is merely the manifestation of will penetrating matter. Without material, external things do not exist, cannot prove the self; without a self’s will, external things are useless to me.] Zhuge Liang slowly raised his hand, and a blurred Eight Formation Diagram appeared upon it.

“Master Wen once said: ‘What spans past and present is called Zhou; what spans the Four Directions above and below is called Yu.'” Zhuge Liang slowly recited the ancient text he had seen, but as he spoke, the Heaven and Earth Essence naturally carried his voice, vast and majestic, across dozens of li.

“Thus, above, below, and the Four Directions form the courtyard of the Eight Formation Diagram, and past and present form its pillars—thus it is called the Universe!” As Zhuge Liang’s voice fell, the Celestial Phenomenon suddenly changed. Within the Han Army’s previously thin Cloud Qi, vast clouds surged forth and tangled together with the Roman Army.

Zhuge Liang drew in a deep breath; the two lines he had just spoken had already brought him to the verge of being unable to continue, because the Eight Formation Diagram is not a Formation in the narrow sense. Strictly speaking, it is Zhuge Liang’s understanding of this world, his invocation of Heaven, Earth, and all living things, a fusion of matter and will.

“The Mandate of Heaven is reversed and unstable—why punishment, why aid?” (the original words of Heaven’s Questions) Zhuge Liang inhaled deeply and hurled the long‑prepared question at the vault of Heaven, and then Golden Light surged up from his hand, covering all the Han Army, as well as more than half of the Roman Soldiers.

“The Mandate of Heaven is reversed and unstable—why punishment, why aid?” The sonorous divine voice spread out once more, but Zhuge Liang did not answer that line of “those who follow prosper, those who oppose perish”; he simply unfolded the Military Formation directly. What is called the Eight Formations is a simulation of this world, an understanding of this world.

Only when the material world is matched with the will of the self does it truly possess value; before that, everything is but illusion.

As the Huihong Golden Radiance unfolded, all the soldiers of the Han Dynasty felt their bodies revive. Among all the troops there arose a subtle new Perception, and the soldiers’ most basic qualities were uniformly strengthened, so that they could perfectly control the surging power.

[My understanding of “past and present as Zhou” comes only from Sheni Zhengnan’s Spiritual Talent. Forget it—since I cannot reveal the perfect future of the legions present, then…] Zhuge Liang took a deep breath, watching the Xiliang Iron Cavalry that had already hacked their way into the main Formation, [abandon the power that represents above and below, the Four Directions, and take Li Jue as the pillar. May my understanding of past and present call back the Flying Bear that Li Jue once knew!]

Blood‑red Radiance and black Radiance swept simultaneously across the Roman Soldiers within the Eight Formation Diagram. In almost an instant, Camillo and the others all felt their power ebbing away. Yet in almost the same instant, Camillo clamped down on the condition army‑wide, though that suppression—one that even Three Talents could still sense—made his face darken.

“At this level—compared to Parthia—the Han Empire’s foundations are truly so deep as to be nearly unbelievable!” By now Camillo had already noticed Li Jue and the others who had smashed straight into the main Formation with brute force, but he paid them no heed, turning instead to lunge at the Wolf Cavalry with the Trap Formation as its spearhead.

After feeling the clear suppression of the Eight Formations, Barulo and the others showed no shock in their expressions. If the Han Empire did not possess power on this level, it likely would not even be qualified to stand alongside them; moreover, this was merely army‑wide suppression. This degree had not even completely erased the Council Guard’s own empowerment—there was nothing truly fearsome about it.

“Everyone, link to the Eagle Banners and Integrate the soldiers.” Novelli suddenly spoke, and as the words left his lips he connected his own thoughts with those of all the Staff Officers present. All the Staff Officers’ faces immediately sank—the Han Army’s power was wearing away the coordination among the Large Army.

For Large Army warfare, no empowerment surpasses one’s own coordination. In small‑scale battles, a certain boost to individual quality might overturn the situation, but in Large Army warfare, coordination is what matters most; the synchronization between soldier and soldier is of utmost importance.

As Zhuge Liang poured his understanding of past and present into the Eight Formations, Li Jue’s eyes, previously veiled by bloodlust, suddenly cleared. His cold gaze swept across everyone; the Radiance of Mars upon the Iron Cavalry’s bodies had already faded, yet their aura did not diminish—it grew.

“The once upon a time?” Li Jue gripped his Long Spear tight. Countless things he had already neglected appeared within his mind; the battle stance of the Flying Bear cavalry condensed bit by bit, and even the Power of Military Spirit manifested—the battle posture of Flying Bear once they mounted to fight.

“Marquis of Chiyang, I originally wished to show you the power of your future, most perfect era, but my understanding of Zhou still has certain problems. So I can only use the power of ‘past,’ letting you see your former self—the strongest Iron Cavalry Legion, the power of Flying Bear!” Zhuge Liang, panting, sent his voice to Li Jue.

“The strongest Iron Cavalry Legion?” Li Jue’s expression carried sarcasm; this was not the strongest Iron Cavalry. “But—it doesn’t matter. It is indeed somewhat stronger than we were before.”

[This won’t work anymore, I can’t afford any extra moves. My understanding of “Zhou” can’t knock their legion back to its weaker past state; my understanding of “Yu” can’t sever the links between their legions; and now the Romans are even using some method to restore the mutual perception between their soldiers.] Zhuge Liang felt his Spiritual Capacity draining away, and no longer dared to use any technique, pinning his hopes on the others.

“We’ve restored Flying Bear’s power, and yet I can’t see the enemy at all, even their Legion Talent has vanished. But it doesn’t matter! They should be roughly over there!” Li Jue directly drew the Short Spear from his saddle and flicked it toward the approximate position, and all the Iron Cavalry did the same.

The instant the Short Spears were hurled, gravity twisted. A five‑jin Short Spear, in Li Jue’s hand weighed barely three liang, but as it left his grip it nearly reached the impact force of a hundred‑jin Heavy Spear at the same speed. Coupled with that velocity, the area Li Jue had aimed at toppled like a field of wheat being cut down in a single sweep, and the thrown Short Spears, after piercing through the Great Shields of the Heavy Infantry, still plunged unstoppably into the earth.

“Out of my way!” Li Jue’s Heavy Spear swept horizontally. The frightening force from inertia and distorted gravity sent the Roman Heavy Infantry who had been preparing to block the Xiliang Iron Cavalry flying dozens of meters. Some were even smashed so hard by that sweep that their weapons, equipment, and armor were shattered in mid‑air.

“Can’t find them, huh!” After Xiliang Iron Cavalry twisted gravity, a ten‑jin normal weapon in their hands felt no heavier than half a liang. They could swing up terrifying speed with ease, and when that blow landed on the enemy, the weapon became a two‑hundred‑jin Heavy Weapon that blew the foe apart on impact!

Li Jue squeezed his heels into his horse’s flanks. Under gravity being warped by this group of men, the Iron Cavalry warhorses leapt straight up—horses that originally couldn’t clear a meter in height or bound more than a few meters forward now in a single jump vaulted nearly ten meters high and tens of meters in distance.

Can’t find the Fifth Lark Legion? Laozi will just go butcher Severus!

With that thought, Li Jue led the Iron Cavalry in a direct leap, charging over the Romans’ heads. You really think “ignoring terrain” just means city walls, residential districts? “Ignoring terrain” means I can charge right over the tops of your skulls!

After several consecutive charges across the Romans’ heads, Li Jue forced his way into the main camp of the Roman Legion. But by this time the Romans had adjusted; before, during those first few bursts, they hadn’t had time to react, but now that they had, how could they possibly allow Li Jue to insult them like this!

Looking at the densely packed Roman Heavy Infantry arrayed directly ahead, if it were before, the Iron Cavalry would never have rammed head‑on into such Elite Troops, but now—

“Block us?” Fan Chou sneered coldly and charged straight in. Man and horse together weighed close to a ton. Flying Bear itself possessed speed surpassing most Light Cavalry, and even for Inner Qi Manifestation experts on this battlefield where their Inner Qi was suppressed by Cloud Qi, being knocked down by a twenty‑ton War Chariot meant being trampled to instant death.

Thus Fan Chou and the others didn’t even bother to look at the situation, simply spurring their horses to crash in. In that instant, the battle‑line of Roman Heavy Infantry, so neatly arrayed, visibly caved in on first contact, and some were directly knocked flying.

Flesh‑and‑blood bodies blocking such a charge can only meet death.

“So you won’t come out? Then today Laozi will carve up that bastard!” Even now Li Jue still hadn’t located Palmyro. He immediately stopped hesitating, erupting into his extreme speed, intending to take Severus here and now. No matter how you look at it, as long as Flying Bear’s riders stay mounted, the special ability it grants is absolutely an unsolvable existence.

As Li Jue and the others smashed through three defensive lines in succession—arrow rain, Heavy Infantry, Spear Formation all proving useless against Xiliang Iron Cavalry—only the final line of defense remained before them. No Eagle Banner, no Ceremonial Guard, they simply stood there calmly, as though they hadn’t even seen the Iron Cavalry’s charge.

Severus watched Li Jue with a calm gaze. Even he took notice of Flying Bear’s power and speed, and when he factored in that force that made all arrows shot at them drift away, Severus’s interest only grew. But to have killed their way this far was already the limit.

“Clang!” Li Jue’s Long Spear whirled as it smashed toward the enemy, intending to sweep the trash opposite him away like before. Yet the sensation that came back in that instant, and the tremendous force rebounding into him, snapped the Long Spear as Li Jue reflexively twisted gravity.

Before Li Jue stood a commander with a plain, unremarkable face, silently raising the Great Shield in his hand. They were not Severus’s Escort, nor any sort of Ceremonial Guard, and indeed they carried no Eagle Banner—but this road was closed.