Told You I Can Turn Back Time
Chapter 73 - 73 73 A Shocking Change in the Army

73: Chapter 73: A Shocking Change in the Army 73: Chapter 73: A Shocking Change in the Army Zhang Tiande was acutely aware of how his injuries were worsening by the moment.

Yet to ask a man who had campaigned for many years to abandon his skills and forego that transcendent power in these turbulent times?

This was something he absolutely could not accept.

Besides, with the pressures of finances and food, logistics issues, rear-area turmoil, the troops’ low morale, and the administrative authorities’ demands…

all these things compelled him to continue fighting.

Zhang Tiande was clear that his greatest advantage lay in the brute force he commanded; to cease wielding such force was an outcome he could not bear.

He had struggled for nearly half his life to reach his current position, and he could not relinquish the military might, power, and official status he had accumulated.

Moreover, Zhang Tiande knew that while he was in poor condition, the state of those two Evil Women from the Heavenly Will Sect was not much better than his.

“Now it’s just a matter of seeing who collapses first.”

Zhang Tiande had confidence in his heart; compared to the Heavenly Will Sect’s daughters of fortune, he, a commoner who had fought his way from the bottom, would definitely be able to grit his teeth and hold on until the end.

“How can I, destined to pacify the chaos and restore order, fall here?”

Therefore, the next day at noon, he once again charged to the city walls and engaged in a fierce battle with the Evil Women of the Heavenly Will Sect.

Hearing the clamor of the battlefield and the shouts of many soldiers, Zhang Tiande exerted every bit of potential within him, vowing to crush those Evil Women of the Heavenly Will Sect under his feet.

Watching their grimaces as they desperately tried to hold on, Zhang Tiande frantically pushed every muscle and bone in his body to unleash their power.

“Soon!”

“Very soon!”

“They are about to give in!”

Suddenly, Zhang Tiande felt a void beneath his feet, as he tumbled down from the city wall.

To the shock of all, Zhang Tiande fell heavily from the ramparts.

With a thunderous crash, it was as if he had struck the hearts of countless soldiers.

But the next moment, with a ferocious roar, Zhang Tiande leaped skywards, his long halberd smashing down hard on the sword light falling from above.

Instantly, the battlefield erupted in cheers, as countless soldiers shouted in jubilation.

However, this time Zhang Tiande’s battle with the enemy was even shorter, and soon he retreated from the battlefield along with Zhao Yuan.

…

Back in his tent, Zhang Tiande couldn’t help but vomit a large mouthful of blood.

“Commander!” Zhao Yuan quickly propped up Zhang Tiande.

Zhang Tiande struggled to open his eyes wide, staring intently and said, “No…

we must not retreat…”

Moments later, the army physician arrived in the tent, and after an examination of the unconscious Zhang Tiande, he sighed and said, “The old injury to his vital organs has ruptured.

He must now rest quietly for a long time and not exert even a trace of martial prowess.”

The anxiously present Zhu Fen then asked, “When can the Commander wake up?”

“It’s hard to say.” The physician pondered before answering, “The Commander is now physically and mentally exhausted.

To wake up…

soon it might be a day or two, slow it could be ten days, twenty days, all are possible.”

Upon hearing this, the on-site Zhu Fen, Song Yi, and Zhao Yuan felt a collective sinking in their hearts.

After the physician left, as they gazed upon the still unconscious Commander Zhang, the three generals who had long followed the Commander plunged into an eerie silence.

After a long while, Zhu Fen finally spoke up, “If brother-in-law doesn’t wake up, we are all doomed.”

He paused, then continued, “Where is the emissary of the Xingxiao Sect?”

Zhao Yuan abruptly raised his head.

With Commander Zhang now in a coma, he had become the top martial artist in the entire army.

At this moment, his aura exploded, immediately suppressing Zhu Fen and Song Yi who were present.

Zhao Yuan stared at Zhu Fen and said, “You want to trade with the Xingxiao Sect?

The Commander has said that he would never hand over his own brothers to the Xingxiao Sect.”

Zhu Fen swallowed hard and said, “Times change, what if the news of our brother-in-law’s coma leaks out?

Have you thought about the consequences?”

At this, Zhu Fen seemed to gain some confidence and, without yielding, looked at Zhao Yuan and said, “Look at the situation now, will you?

The treasury is low on funds, ammunition is scarce, the Heavenly Will Sect is watchfully coveting us, the siege warfare these many days has caused devastating casualties, and the soldiers have nearly lost their will to fight.”

“With our brother-in-law now in a coma, the entire army is in imminent danger.

Do you want to see, upon his awakening, years of hard work destroyed in an instant?”

Song Yi stood out and said, “I support handing over Lin Xing, it’s our last resort.”

“You!” Zhao Yuan looked at the two men, at a loss for words momentarily.

Zhu Fen went on to say, “We’ve been fighting in blood every day, but take a look at what Lin Xing is doing?

Every day he’s not pulling his weight, and for all we know, the kid might be colluding with the Evil Woman of the Heavenly Will Sect.”

Zhu Fen snorted coldly, then continued, “Besides, we’re only selling him to the Xingxiao Sect, it’s not like we’re sending him to his death…”

Song Yi looked at Zhao Yuan and spoke indifferently, “If we don’t trade with the Xingxiao Sect, the price they’ll charge for the next batch of ammunition will be very high… And our funds are nearly exhausted.”

…

Inside Lin Xing’s tent.

Two rulers whirled and danced around him.

Today, after another day of fighting on the battlefield and the loss of countless lives, Lin Xing had finally obtained the skill enhancement he had been seeking.

Information related to the enhancement also surfaced in his mind in a way he could comprehend.

Object Manipulation Skill Enhancement → Distracted Thought Manifestation: Through in-depth practice in the Object Manipulation Skill, he gradually mastered the secret of dividing the spirit, allowing each level of the Object Manipulation Skill to fix onto an object, and to change the fixed targets of the Object Manipulation Skill at any time, greatly enhancing its responsiveness, speed, and flexibility.

Lin Xing felt that his spirit at this moment was like invisible ripples, casually sweeping over an item and establishing a clear connection, manipulating it in various flexible and high-speed ways as if it were an extension of his arm.

Moreover, this kind of manipulation could be performed on four objects at the same time, multi-tasking.

“If using pure spirit to control objects was like a child throwing stones…” Lin Xing contemplated the feeling of employing the Object Manipulation Skill at this moment and thought, “Then now it is as if I can simultaneously command four martial arts masters, using various objects as weapons to exhibit their skill.”

Especially without the need for long integration and practice, being able to change the targets bound by spirit at any time allowed Lin Xing, with his highly experienced martial arts background, to think of numerous novel tactics.

Just then, footsteps came from outside the tent.

Lin Xing frowned and looked up, only to see Zhu Fen, Zhao Yuan, and an unfamiliar old man barge directly in.

Lin Xing asked in confusion, “What brings you here?”

But no one answered him.

Zhu Fen looked at the unfamiliar old man with a sycophantic smile and said, “Emissary, this is Lin Xing.”

The Xingxiao Sect itself was a terrifyingly powerful entity, and the emissary before him was a master who had achieved skill enhancement, also controlling the trade of firearms and ammunition within hundreds of miles for the Xingxiao Sect.

Each of these facts was enough for Zhu Fen to treat the other party as a most honorable guest.

The unknown old man eyed Lin Xing for a while, then nodded and said, “We must catch him alive; he cannot die.”

Zhu Fen patted his chest and said, “Rest assured, I made sure the surrounding soldiers withdrew because I knew we had to capture him alive.

I’m here to lend you and General Zhao a hand.”

Zhao Yuan sighed, his head bowed ever since he entered the tent, seemingly unwilling to look at Lin Xing.

The three of them did not say a word to Lin Xing from beginning to end.

After all, they believed that with Zhao Yuan and the emissary, both masters of skill enhancement, the chance of Lin Xing resisting was nonexistent.

Hearing their conversation, Lin Xing’s eyes flashed with an intense surge of emotion: “You want to take me alive?”