The Villain's Counterattack

Chapter 510: Training and plundering

What is the biggest feature of the world of Twin Dragons of Tang Dynasty? Or what is the uniqueness of the martial arts?

Quick fix!

This rapid success doesn't mean a sudden improvement in skill, but rather a rapid acquisition and even mastery of martial arts. How long did it take Shuanglong to cultivate the "Eternal Life Secret"? How long did it take Yang Xuyan from obtaining the "Immortal Seal Scroll" to independently integrating the "Wisdom Sutra of the Origin of Controlling All Methods" to create the "Black Hand Magic Art"?

Except for those internal skills with clear levels and continuous accumulation of internal strength for breakthroughs, other martial arts can be learned easily and very quickly. If you can't learn them, you will never be able to learn them even if you are given the secret book. It's like the "Sun-Changing Method". Ba Fenghan was able to master it in half a month, while Yue Shan studied it for thirty years and still couldn't get started.

Shi Zhixuan was a man of natural talent. The "Tai Chi Magical Skill" was originally a magic skill that was easy to learn but difficult to master, but it did not have too many barriers to entry. He was unable to accept it and was unable to get started. However, he mastered the "Dou Zhuan Xing Yi" and "Qian Kun Da Nong Yi" magic skills in just one month, which was incredibly fast.

Yang Xuyan also did not hide these three magical skills from Yang Xuangan. After all, he was also a member of the Hongnong Yang family, and their relationship was not much worse than Shi Zhixuan. Yang Xuyan even wanted him to be the person who taught the skills in the Yang family's Sutra Pavilion. However, this Yang family was not the Hongnong Yang family, but the new Yang family where Yang Xuyan and his seven brothers were.

Yang Xuangan was a senior master, and his martial arts skills were derived from the battlefield. He easily mastered "The Great Shift of the Universe" and quickly cultivated it to perfection. His speed was not inferior to Shi Zhixuan. However, he had no chance with "The Shift of the Stars" and "The Magical Power of Tai Chi", and he could not even master it, which made him feel incredible.

After Shi Zhixuan mastered "Dou Zhuan Xing Yi" and "Qian Kun Da Neng Yi," he felt increasingly that these two magical skills not only matched his own "Immortal Seal," but also had many complementary aspects. Unleashing the potential of "Qian Kun Da Neng Yi" allowed him to advance significantly beyond the realm of Half-Step Grandmaster. "Dou Zhuan Xing Yi" was like an endless treasure trove, comparable to the Yi Jian technique that Fu Cailin relied on to achieve Grandmaster status, and could become a common technique for Grandmasters.

Although the Immortal Seal can be regarded as a unique skill, it is more inclined to illusion. It is useful for masters, but it is difficult to confuse grand masters. Even a peak master like Song Que will have his power greatly reduced. This is one of the reasons why Song Que looked down on Shi Zhixuan in his words in the original work.

However, "The Change of Stars" and "The Great Shift of the Universe" are different. They are truly unique skills that combine both offense and defense, but one is extremely profound and complicated, and the other is too difficult to practice. If Shi Zhixuan and Yang Xuangan had not reached a very high level of martial arts, with deep internal strength and strong bodies, it would have been difficult to succeed. Even so, every time they advance to a higher level, Yang Xuyan needs to use pure Taoist true qi to relax the tendons and veins to avoid any future troubles.

During this process, Shi Zhixuan discovered that his years of practicing the Immortal Seal had already inflicted some damage to his meridians. After all, transforming an enemy's true energy into his own, transforming death into life, was impossible without a cost. Shi Zhixuan was now in his prime, possessing profound internal strength. He had never used such tactics against those stronger than himself, which was why his tendons and veins hadn't ruptured. While practicing the Great Shift of the Universe, he discovered this issue somewhat.

Fortunately, Yang Xuyan's "Xiaoyao Yufeng" had continuous vitality, and he was good at healing wounds. Coupled with his superb medical skills, he greatly alleviated the hidden dangers of his illness. Even so, Shi Zhixuan broke out in a cold sweat and began to examine the martial arts he had learned.

In response to this question, Yang Xuyan took out the three unique martial arts, "Yi Jin Jing", "Zixia Shengong" and "Xiantian Gong", which made Shi Zhixuan speechless. He wondered if the secrets of his disciple were too big and too many. Any one of these three martial arts was extremely top-notch, and the "Yi Jin Jing" was rumored to be the unique martial art left by the founder of Shaolin, Bodhidharma, and it was a secret that was not to be passed on. How did he get it?

However, this martial art also depends very much on aptitude, or in other words, on one's character. Even in the current Shaolin, no one has mastered it. When he learned that one of the Yang brothers had reached the innate level with this magical skill, his expression became extremely rich. He almost wanted to suggest that Yang Xuyan send this brother to Shaolin to become a Buddhist disciple and disintegrate the enemy from within.

Shi Zhixuan was well aware of the potential of the Yi Jin Jing. It was a martial art at the Grandmaster level. As long as he didn't die prematurely and had sufficient resources, he could become a Grandmaster in the future. And judging by Yang Xuyan's current attitude, it seemed as if he wouldn't let his brother leave until he reached Grandmaster status, and he was keeping a close eye on him.

Although Shi Zhixuan wanted to tell him that the Xiantian level was already a master in the martial arts world, he gave up the idea because Yang Xuyan, one of the eight brothers, was a master himself, and the other seven, except Yang Zhao who practiced the "Yi Jin Jing", were all half-step masters.

In the original work, Shi Zhixuan had no choice but to enter Buddhism. In the early days, he even became a disciple of two of the four great monks, which was enough to show that he had Buddhist roots. However, the "Yi Jin Jing" was really not easy to practice. After trying several times, he had no choice but to give up and turned to practice the "Zixia Divine Art", and got started easily.

However, while the Purple Cloud Divine Art was excellent, it ultimately couldn't compare to the Heavenly One Heart Technique. Shi Zhixuan intended to use it to nourish his body's tendons and meridians, and had no intention of giving up the Heavenly One Heart Technique. Even so, at his level as a Half-Step Grandmaster, he still mastered it quickly, much to Yang Xuangan's envy. Why is it that everyone else, a Grandmaster, can learn anything so quickly, but I can't?

After Yuwen Shang, Li Shentong and others left and returned to the Central Plains, the entire Liaodong City came under the control of Yang Xuyan. It could even be said that the entire Liaodong was nominally under his command. Yang Xuangan and Shi Zhixuan no longer had to hide when practicing martial arts.

With the arrival of winter, Goguryeo completely stopped its march and turned to defending the cities that had been recovered. Yang Xuyan began a massive winter military training. Equipped with fast horses, sleds, cotton clothes, sleds, and skis, he and his two brothers personally led two hundred scouts skilled in light skills (half of whom were assassins of the Butian Dao) to attack everywhere to eliminate the difficult strongholds, and then the army rushed forward and crushed them.

Yang Xuyan’s goal for this operation was very clear: training troops and plundering!

He knew that the number of troops and Han people under his command was insufficient to control the entire Liaodong region. Next year would be the best time for Yang Guang to launch his third expedition to Goryeo. Before that, he needed to train an army that could march and capture cities in winter, so as to ensure the stability of Liaodong.

You mean to completely destroy Goguryeo?

Haha, as long as Fu Cailin is not dead, Goguryeo will not perish. At present, I do not have the ability to kill Fu Cailin. Even if I join forces with Shi Zhixuan, it will not work unless he has an absolute reason to fight to the death.

In the first city, the defending general surrendered in the middle of the night, the city gate was opened, and the army entered the city and won a great victory in the night battle. Thousands of Goguryeo soldiers were killed, and 3,000 were captured. The rest were all defeated. The soldiers and civilians escorted the prisoners and returned with their own weapons.

In the second city, Yang Xuyan cursed outside the city. The Goguryeo general could not bear the humiliation and led his troops out of the city. After beheading the general, they took advantage of the situation to rush into the city. The Goguryeo side suffered a great defeat.

At the third city, the garrison commander learned of the fall of two other cities and deployed additional patrols and permanent troops to the camp, but they remained steadfast. Yang Xuyan melted snow into water and used a water dragon cart to shoot it onto the city walls. Countless Goguryeo defenders froze to death or suffered frostbite. For a time, they dared not venture out, and were attacked by Sui soldiers on the city walls. Only after suffering heavy losses did they avert the fall, and they had no choice but to call for help.

Yang Xuyan surrounded the city and attacked the reinforcements. With his strong mobility, he defeated three reinforcements in succession. The last reinforcement was even ten miles away from the city. The army was defeated. Hundreds and thousands of defeated soldiers rushed to the city. The soldiers defending the city did not dare to open the city gates. They watched them being killed or taken prisoner. The morale plummeted. Three days later, the city was broken!

Yang Xuyan abandoned the two cities near Liaodong City and settled in a third city instead, stationed troops there and prepared for battle. He then sent a Jaguar and a flying horse to report to the court. Yang Guang was very pleased and promoted Yang Xuyan to the third rank of General Zuo Wuhou, but did not provide any other substantial help.

Upon hearing the news, the famous Goguryeo general Yi Ji Wende led his troops to attack, but was beaten miserably under the city. He bypassed the city and went straight to Liaodong City. He "recovered" two cities along the way, divided his troops to guard them, and went straight to Liaodong City himself. Under Liaodong City, he was taught a lesson by Yang Xuangan. After fighting for ten consecutive days, he suffered heavy casualties and could not make any progress. At this time, news came from the rear that the two empty cities were occupied by the enemy again, and the Goguryeo soldiers who stayed behind were completely wiped out for unknown reasons.

Ulchi Wende was alarmed and hurriedly ordered a retreat. Along the way, they were harassed by elite troops led by the brothers Yang Ke and Yang Gai, slowing their advance. They passed empty cities, even with their gates wide open, but dared not enter. It was not until the third city that Yang Xuyan deployed his troops for a field battle. Taking advantage of his rest, Yang Xuyan secured a decisive victory. Ulchi Wende fled in disgrace, barely escaping with his life, protected by his personal guards. Of the five armies that had set out, less than 10% returned. Furious, the King of Goguryeo again requested an audience with Fu Cailin, but was refused.