Chapter 758: The Crushing Defeat

"Prepare to die, Yan Yan!" Jiang Qin roared as he thrust his sword toward Yan Yan.

"You think such a minor trick can break my army?" Yan Yan bellowed, and a golden light flashed. The once-scattered troops seemed to be infused with a renewed fighting spirit, stabilizing their formation. With a surge of strength, Yan Yan charged at Jiang Qin.

"As expected, Yan Yan's army won't crumble easily. Even under ambush, fire, and attacks from all sides, they can still maintain a basic level of combat power," Pang Tong muttered to himself from atop a cliff, licking his lips.

The battle between Yan Yan and Jiang Qin was evenly matched, with neither able to gain the upper hand. Meanwhile, Yan Yan’s forces began to adjust to the chaotic attacks from all directions, slowly regaining their composure and fighting back with more stability.

"Bo Fu, it’s up to you now!" Pang Tong called to Sun Ce, who stood nearby, his eyes burning with rage.

"All soldiers, listen to me! Victory is certain in this battle—charge!" Sun Ce shouted as he mounted his horse, leading his remaining 2,000 troops in an all-out assault.

At that moment, Sun Ce’s eyes burned with fire, and the inner energy in his body manifested like solid armor, with beams of golden light radiating from him.

As Sun Ce charged down the mountain toward the valley, his momentum reached its peak. His spear thrust forward, and flames of energy erupted, clearing a massive swath through the Yizhou army, as though piercing through the very heavens.

"Break through!" Sun Ce's spear shot toward Yan Yan, his spirit, energy, and mind reaching their apex. Yan Yan tried to block with all his might, but the force sent him flying dozens of meters away, crashing to the ground and coughing up blood.

"My path is unstoppable! Break!" Sun Ce roared, and a golden radiance burst from his body, enveloping his soldiers.

Yan Yan’s troops, seeing Sun Ce first send their general flying and then suddenly unleash a powerful legion talent, fell into despair. They no longer fought with the same tenacity and began retreating, their confidence shattered.

"Kill!" Sun Ce, unaware that he had activated his own legion talent, felt the flames of his anger dissipate with that single spear thrust. Overwhelmed with joy, he wielded his spear and charged toward Yan Yan.

"Retreat!" Yan Yan shouted in terror. Sun Ce's strength had reached another level with that strike, a level Yan Yan could no longer contend with.

Sun Ce led his troops in a furious assault, slicing through the Yizhou army, who fled before him in fear. Yan Yan’s legion talent, which had kept his army from collapsing, was completely overpowered by Sun Ce’s own burgeoning talent.

"I will capture you today!" Sun Ce bellowed as he leaped forward, feeling a surge of power. He now believed he could fly just like Lü Bu had, a skill he had once admired but now possessed himself.

"Come down here!" Zheng Du, realizing the army’s collapse, knew he had fallen into Pang Tong’s trap. But defeat was defeat. He could already guess what Pang Tong had planned with this massive scheme.

In an instant, thoughts raced through Zheng Du’s mind. His loyalty to Liu Zhang spurred him to charge toward Yan Yan’s direction.

Sun Ce reached Yan Yan first, but Zheng Du was only a few steps behind. Seeing Sun Ce raise his spear to strike Yan Yan, Zheng Du unleashed all of his mental energy in a desperate attempt to stop him.

"Ah!" Before Sun Ce could land the blow, Zheng Du’s mouth filled with blood, but he kept his eyes fixed on Sun Ce, refusing to back down.

Expending one's mental energy in this way was a last-ditch effort for top strategists. It was a move that could only be used once and usually at the cost of one’s life, with the hope of taking down a single opponent. But clearly, Zheng Du was not as skilled as Li Ru had been—he was already injured before even affecting his target.

"General Yan, retreat now!" Zheng Du shouted, his eyes unblinking as he faced Sun Ce.

"Zizhong, what are you doing?" Yan Yan asked, standing with the support of his spear. Even Sun Ce eyed Zheng Du warily.

"Retreat now. I can’t hold this for long," Zheng Du replied coldly. "We were outwitted from the start. General Sun, you have an exceptional strategist. We were doomed from the beginning."

Sun Ce said nothing, his gaze locked on Zheng Du. Being forced into a standoff like this enraged him, but there was no way to avoid the mental assault—speed was useless against such an attack. Thus, Sun Ce could only glare coldly at Zheng Du without responding.

Yan Yan gritted his teeth, realizing that Zheng Du was sacrificing himself to give him a chance to escape. Without hesitation, Yan Yan turned and began rallying the remnants of his troops, trying to escape while the enemy pursuit was temporarily halted.

"Why doesn’t General Sun have that brilliant strategist of yours show himself?" Zheng Du taunted as he glared at Sun Ce, knowing full well his mental energy could only render Sun Ce unconscious for a month at most—it wasn’t enough to kill him, especially from a distance greater than five paces.

"You want to see me?" Pang Tong stepped forward without fear, coming within five paces of Zheng Du. The nearby threats had already been eliminated by Jiang Qin’s men.

"How bold!" Zheng Du exclaimed, staring at Pang Tong's homely face. "Though you're quite ugly, there’s no denying the brilliance within."

"I don't need your compliments. Even if Yan Yan escapes, it won’t matter. Our victory in Jiangzhou is already assured," Pang Tong replied dismissively, waving his sleeve as if accustomed to such remarks about his appearance.

Zheng Du hesitated for a moment, noticing the youthfulness in Pang Tong’s voice, but none of that mattered now. What mattered was that soon, Sun Ce would be crippled.

"Come die with me!" Zheng Du roared, ready to unleash his final attack.

"Such anger is bad for your health. You should rest instead!" Pang Tong replied calmly, expanding his spiritual energy far beyond Zheng Du’s. In an instant, he effortlessly suppressed Zheng Du’s mental assault and knocked him out with a single strike.

"Phew, that’s done. I told you not to get too close to enemy strategists, especially the top ones. Even for me, a close-range mental attack could be deadly. If you were within five steps, you'd definitely be killed," Pang Tong said, feeling slightly dizzy but otherwise unharmed.

Zheng Du’s mental energy had been strong, but Pang Tong had fought mental battles alongside Zhou Yu and Chen Xi before. In comparison, Zheng Du was an inexperienced strategist from the countryside—no match for Pang Tong.

"Are you alright?" Sun Ce asked, slightly concerned.

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