Gate of God

Chapter 394: The true trump card

“Kaboom!” A thunderous explosion echoed out.

The rain of arrows combined with the downpour as they sliced through the air. The Southern Region soldiers tried to look at the arrows…

However, they could not see in amongst the heavy downpour.

Then…

Screams of pain rang out as soldiers fell to the arrows only to be trampled by their charging comrades.

However, they did not have any regrets. After all, they were soldiers.

“Boom!” The charging horde finally crashed into the Great Xia soldiers. The bloodbath had begun.

The sound of the horn rang out at the gates of the Icy Monkey Settlement. It pierced through the air and rallied the troops of the Southern Region. All of them straightened their backs and fought with renewed vigor.

“Die!”

“Die!”

All of the Great Xia soldiers thrust with their spears as they tried to hold the line. The archers continued to fire arrows into the horde of Southern Region soldiers…

Bodies fell to the ground.

Blood stained the earth and clumped up in pools.

Xing Qingsui was on the frontlines, flanked by dozens of soldiers. His black sword continued to swing as he sunk the blade into the body of a Southern Region soldier.

“Have the flanks advance and flank the enemy!” Xing Qingsui ordered as he drew his blade from the chest of a Southern Region soldier.

“Yes!” One of the bodyguards raised the flag in his hands and passed on the order.

Just at this moment, a beastlike roar echoed out.

It was the general of the Southern Region.

His eyes glowed green as he addressed Xing Qingsui with an icy glare. The leather cloak on his back was prickly, almost like spines on his back.

He raised his sword high up in the air and killed the two soldiers in his way. In a single bound, his beast appeared in front of Xing Qingsui.

“Go to hell!” He roared, a domineering aura exploding from his body. This general was extremely powerful.

He was probably in the advanced stages of the Supernatural State.

How powerful was Xing Qingsui?

Heavenly Reflection State… in the face of this general, his only option would have been to run.

However, when Xing Qingsui saw the general charge up to him, he smiled. It was a smile of anticipation and relief.

He did not retreat.

In fact, he did not even move. He watched as the Southern Region general brought the blade down on his head. He did not even blink.

“Boom!”

A thunderous sound echoed out.

Then, a column of light shot skyward from behind Xing Qingsui. It was like a gigantic sword.

At that moment, a head flew into the air.

That was the head of the Southern Region general, his eyes wide in disbelief. He simply could not understand how he had been killed.

Then, a figure leapt up from behind Xing Qingsui, grabbing the head of the general before landing on both feet.

The rain continued to wash the blood into puddles.

The ground was slick with blood, the grass trampled constantly. The moment one leg was lifted, another stamped down on them.

“The general of the Southern Region is dead! Follow me and take over the Icy Monkey Settlement!” A crisp voice rang out as he raised the head of the fallen general.

In that instant.

The intense battle came to a standstill. All of them turned to look at the figure who held the head of the fallen general in his hands.

That man had worn the armor of the ordinary soldier.

However, when he raised the head high up in the air, his armor was sliced open by rays of light, revealing a purplish golden robe.

Traces of calm were embedded within his expression of determination. It felt as though he had everything under control.

“It’s Xing Hou!”

“Oh my god, Xing Hou is in the Southern Region!”

“We have hope!”

All of the soldiers of the Great Xia Dynasty were invigorated when they saw this man. Before this, they were fighting out of desperation. But now, they had a beacon of hope.

Xing Hou, Xing Yuanguo of the Stabilization Constabulary.

The pillar of the Great Xia Dynasty and the leader of the 13 Constabularies. His battle exploits were legendary.

Even King Duan himself would not dare say that he was more influential than Xing Yuanguo.

“Mountain Breaking Army!”

“Here!”

“Clear a path!”

“Yes!”

The voices replied in unison.

Then, they shed their ordinary armor, revealing the bright, shining armor underneath. They charged behind Xing Yuanguo.

If the Southern Region soldiers were wolves tearing into a flock of sheep.

Then the Mountain Breaking Army was the tiger hidden amongst the sheep.

They shot out like an arrow from a bow as they carved a path through the ranks of the stunned Southern Region soldiers.

Too fast.

It had all happened too quickly.

It was so fast that the Southern Region soldiers did not even have a chance to react.

They had the upper hand all this while. However, they never expected that their general would die in the heat of battle.

Then…

Xing Hou of the Great Xia’s Stabilization Constabulary led the Mountain Breaking Army through their ranks. The Mountain Breaking Army was notorious. All of them knew that this was the elite army of the Stabilization Constabulary.

What was going on?

The soldiers of the Southern Region could not react in time.

They were not the only ones who were stunned. Even the candidates who were fighting for their lives could not believe their eyes.

“Xing Hou is here?!”

“The Mountain Breaking Army is also here?!”

“What is going on? Why is Xing Hou hidden in the ranks and why would the Mountain Breaking Army also be hidden in the ranks? When did they sneak in?”

Questions began flying through the minds of the candidates.

They did not know what exactly was going on, but they realized that this had all been planned for by the Emperor.

Xing Yuanguo hiding inside the army may have been a coincidence. However, considering the fact that the Mountain Breaking Army also snuck themselves in, the only explanation was that this was planned for.

The aim was to bait the Southern Region and the demons into action. Then, they would defeat them with the element of surprise.

The tide of the battle was indeed turning.

The Southern Region general had been too careless, causing him to lose his life to Xing Yuanguo. Then, the Mountain Breaking Army had smashed through the ranks of the Southern Region soldiers.

The Mountain Breaking Army!

Their forte was siege and battle on an open plain.

The entrance to the Icy Monkey Settlement was an open plain. This was the perfect terrain for the Mountain Breaking Army. The Southern Region soldiers struggled to react to the onslaught.

Without the leadership of their general and the appearance of the Mountain Breaking Army, the soldiers began to panic a little.

That being said, it was just a little.

After all, this was their home and they were warriors. They would rather die than surrender. As long as they had weapons in their hand, they would fight to the bitter end.

“Don’t panic, stop them and avenge General Ke!”

“Charge!”

“People in the middle, defend with me!”

All of the deputies began to bark out orders and organize their troops. Groups began to charge in the midst of the chaos.

Some continued to press on whilst others tried to hold the line.

Just at this moment, there were killing noises at the gates of the Icy Monkey Settlement. Bodies began flying off the city walls, shrieking as they fell to the ground.

The candidates were in shock when they saw this.

Could it be…

There was an ambush in the Icy Monkey Settlement?

All of the candidates turned to look at Nangong Hao. Nangong Hao was also looking at the city walls, his expression calm.

The candidates began to understand what was happening.

From the beginning, only 1000 of Nangong Hao’s soldiers had been seen. That was the 1000 soldiers guarding the entrance to Feng Su.

What about the other 1000?

No one had ever seen them.

This was a detail that would have been easily missed. However, when they heard the killing sounds, all of the candidates understood what was happening.

If the Emperor could insert the Mountain Breaking Army into the regular army, how could the Emperor have given Nangong Hao 2000 ordinary soldiers?

1000 ordinary soldiers were placed in plain sight to confuse the Southern Region. The true elite force was left to guard the Icy Monkey Settlement.

In other words, Nangong Hao had already worked with the Stabilization Constabulary on a plan to take over the Icy Monkey Settlement. This was all part of the plan.

Trump card!

This was the Emperor’s trump card!

“Kill! Kill our way into the Icy Monkey Settlement!”

“Charge!”

“That is our only way to survive!”

All of the generals began yelling out orders. All of them knew that getting into the Icy Monkey Settlement was their only chance at survival.

The soldiers of the Great Xia Dynasty were reinvigorated.

The 50,000 strong army got into formation efficiently and advanced towards the Southern Region soldiers. The followed behind the charging Mountain Breaking Army and closed in on the Icy Monkey Settlement.

At the back, the soldiers continued to defend against the onslaught of soldiers from Feng Su as they retreated.

The gates to the Icy Monkey Settlement were sealed shut. The Southern Region army was being massacred by the Mountain Breaking Army. Their general was dead and the deputies were not unified in their ideas.

In the end…

They broke.

…

“So this is the true trump card of the Great Xia Dynasty!”

The young vice domain chief looked at Xing Yuanguo from atop the cliff, his eyes glittering with battle intent.

However, this battle intent only lasted for a brief moment.

“Mm, since the Great Xia had decided to attack the Southern Region, they need a real general. This general could not have been Nangong Hao. Xing Yuanguo… is more like it.” Yun Qingwu looked at the retreating Southern Region soldiers as she answered the question of her vice domain chief.

“Master, since you guessed that they will send a commander, why don’t we take this opportunity to destroy them all?”

“What is our aim?” Yun Qingwu did not answer the question directly, choosing to ask a question of her own.

“This… it is the Southern Region…” The young demon stiffened, unable to fully understand what Yun Qingwu was getting at.

“Do you think that the Southern Region will listen to us even if the Great Xia army is decimated? The Icy Monkey Settlement is a strategic location, and we must destroy these people sooner or later. However, whether we take over the Southern Region or not will not be decided by this battle.”

“Young master, you mean…” The young demon seemed to understand.

“If my guess is correct, the ruler of the Southern Region is just using us to control the Great Xia. This will allow him to free himself from their control and establish an empire.”

“Young Master already knew the intentions of the Southern Region Ruler. I understand.”

“Let’s go.”

“Yes!” The young demon nodded when he heard this. Then, he turned to look at the figure bathing in purple light, “Young Master… should I help Wu Ji?”

“No need, Bai Xing will take care of it.” Yun Qingwu looked at Fang Zhengzhi, wavering for a moment before she shook it off.

“Your wish is my command!”

…

From the moment Bai Xing saw Xing Yuanguo, he knew the result of this battle. As such, he did not go fight Xing Yuanguo.

He also did not order the demon elites to stop the advance of the Mountain Breaking Army.

He knew that he had a more important mission. His mission was the purple figure entangled in a battle with Wu Ji.

“We can lose this battle, but you… must die!” Bai Xing squinted as his eyes began to glitter, almost as if there were stars in his pupils.

Chapter 395: Explosive youth

This was a teen who could go up against a Rebirth State Demon. A teen who had 388 Daos in his pocket dimension.

How could Bai Xing let someone like that live?

“Bang!”

A slap landed squarely on Bai Xing’s chest, causing it to glow radiantly. Then, his body sailed through the air like a broken kite.

Blood trickled from Bai Xing’s mouth.

…

Nangong Hao was slightly stunned. He did not think that Bai Xing would fail to dodge this attack. However, the fact was that his attack landed squarely on Bai Xing.

Something was wrong.

Nangong Hao never believed in luck. Also, he did not believe that his opponent would make such a grave mistake during a duel.

Bai Xing was the prime example.

Not good!

Nangong Hao was looking at Bai Xing, but Bai Xing was not looking at him, he was looking at the figure that was battling Wu Ji.

Bai Xing did not seem to be in pain. In fact, Bai Xing was smiling, his eyes glittering like stars in the night sky.

Mistake.

The first one was to bait the opponent in…

The second one was to take advantage of the opponent’s aggression!

Bai Xing’s mistake was clearly the latter. He wanted to make use of Nangong Hao’s attack to augment his sneak attack on the dueling Fang Zhengzhi.

Nangong Hao guessed his motive when he saw Bai Xing sailing towards Fang Zhengzhi.

However, he was in no position to stop this attack. Bai Xing was quick, no slower than Nangong Hao.

There were only two people who could stop Bai Xing.

One was Nangong Hao, the other was Xing Yuanguo.

If Nangong Hao could not block his attack, then Xing Yuanguo could not either. Xing Yuanguo was even further away, and his focus was on commanding the soldiers.

Bai Xing took advantage of this.

As such, he did not hesitate to take the hit from Nangong Hao. He wanted to kill Fang Zhengzhi even before Xing Yuanguo had a chance to react.

However… the heavens always have the last laugh.

Bai Xing had taken into account all the people who could stop him to find the opportune moment to strike. However, he did not consider what Fang Zhengzhi was thinking.

In fact…

No one expected that Fang Zhengzhi would do what he did. Even if they thought of it, no one believed that Fang Zhengzhi would dare to do it.

Bai Xing thought that he would be able to end it after taking the hit from Nangong Hao. However, Fang Zhengzhi went around Wu Ji and rushed towards the cliff.

The torrential rain continued to splatter as it hit the puddles on the ground.

A figure encased in purple light sliced through the rain like a sword. It had a boundless killing intent as it carved a bloody path through all the soldiers.

None of the Great Xia soldiers could believe their eyes. Fang Zhengzhi was chasing down Yun Qingwu.

That was akin to a death wish.

Yun Qingwu had another vice domain chief as her bodyguard. Furthermore, as the young master of the demons, she definitely had some protective treasures.

It would be legendary if he could kill the general in the face of the enemy soldiers. However, even when Xing Yuanguo did it, he had the element of surprise on his side.

But Fang Zhengzhi was…

Just charging straight at her?!

Isn’t that a little too ridiculous?

They could not believe it.

However, when the soldiers of the Great Xia saw the figure speeding towards them, they instinctively opened up a path. After all, they were on the same side. The more important reason was…

The aura of death surrounding Fang Zhengzhi was too terrifying!

It was so heavy that it sent chills down the spine of all the soldiers. It crested in waves, piercing through the torrential rain.

Bai Xing shuddered in his spot.

He never expected that Fang Zhengzhi would get away from Wu Ji and rush towards Yun Qingwu. That was suicide.

Even an idiot would not do that.

It would be a different story if he had come from atop the cliff and Yun Qingwu was on the field. Right now, Fang Zhengzhi had to carve a path through the army and kill her through her bodyguard.

Even Xing Yuanguo could not do it!

However, Fang Zhengzhi was trying it. This slippery teenager was going to try something that was so audacious and idiotic it bordered on the legendary.

…

Yun Qingwu turned back because she felt that domineering wave aura of death crashing towards her.

She had been drenched by the rain, her hair resting on her shoulders. The wind wanted to blow her veil up, but it stuck to her face.

“Go to hell! Young Master, go!” The young vice domain chief also noticed the purple figure crashing towards them. He smiled scornfully.

“It’s okay.” Yun Qingwu shook her head, her emotions conflicted. Her feelings were inexplicable, and she did not know where these emotions were coming from.

In fact, she had not felt anything from the first time she had seen Fang Zhengzhi till now.

However…

She could not forget that Fang Zhengzhi was the first human to brush her veil away. Not once, but twice…

What if she wasn’t the young master of the demons?

Could he have been her confidante?

This was a question which Yun Qingwu asked herself many times. The other question was, if Fang Zhengzhi was not talented enough to threaten the future of the demons, would she really kill him?

Killing the talents of the human race was something that the demons had done for many years.

However, when faced with a true, legendary talent, one would hesitate to take his life.

This was truly conflicting.

To make matters worse, after Yun Qingwu decided to kill Fang Zhengzhi, she realized that Fang Zhengzhi was also doing his best to kill her.

“Do… you really want to kill me that badly?” Yun Qingwu murmured to herself as she looked at the figure encased in purple light.

This was not a question which Yun Qingwu should have asked. After all, she was supposed to be in control of the situation.

This question was stupid and naive.

Even so…

Yun Qingwu still asked herself.

However, she replied her own question almost instantly, “Yes, since I want to kill you… it is only natural that you want to kill me!”

A scene flashed through her mind.

At that time, she was alone with Fang Zhengzhi. She was playing music for him. Back then, she had enough ways to stop Fang Zhengzhi from leaving the boat, and Fang Zhengzhi had enough opportunities to kill her.

However, neither of them had any ideas of killing each other. They were just two friends catching up.

That was the first time in Yun Qingwu’s time amongst the humans that she had no motive for meeting someone.

Her only aim was to celebrate the fact that Fang Zhengzhi had topped the River of Trust province examinations.

A few months had passed since that fateful day.

They met again.

They had not spoken, but they were now enemies. Yun Qingwu would try everything to kill Fang Zhengzhi, and Fang Zhengzhi would kill his way through an army to get to her.

Humans and demons.

That was their fate…

…

“Stop him!”

“Protect the young master!”

“Dragon Protection Squad, clear a path for Fang Zhengzhi!”

All of the demon elites and the Dragon Protection Squad joined the fray. The demons did everything they could to stop Fang Zhengzhi whilst the Dragon Protection Squad tried to keep the demon elites away.

Wu Ji paled.

Only when he started dueling Fang Zhengzhi could he feel the oppressive killing aura exuded by Fang Zhengzhi. It felt almost as if he was thrown into the depths of hell.

He was suffocated and his limbs were restricted in their movements. This caused him to be at a disadvantage in the duel.

“Killing aura, it’s too strong! Why is the killing aura so strong?!” Wu Ji did not understand how a teenage human could have such a terrifying killing aura.

Honed on the battlefield?

Fang Zhengzhi had no such opportunity.

Hatred and rage built up since young?

That didn’t seem likely either!

Furthermore, intelligence had reported that Fang Zhengzhi grew up in a small village and led a carefree life. He did not seem like someone who had would have a reason to hate the world.

Wu Ji could not understand it.

However, he knew that if it wasn’t for the fact that Fang Zhengzhi’s aura was suffocating him, he would not be losing.

But the fact was that he was losing.

Furthermore, Fang Zhengzhi had managed to go around him and head straight for Yun Qingwu.

“Chase him down!” Bai Xing’s voice rang out in Wu Ji’s ears. This relieved much of the pressure on his chest.

Wu Ji did not reply as he turned and sped towards Fang Zhengzhi.

He didn’t really want to experience that oppressive killing aura again. However, when it was headed straight for Yun Qingwu, he did not hesitate to charge forward.

He was even willing to take the hit for Yun Qingwu!

…

The rain intensified, causing visibility to be at an all-time low. One could barely make out the features of the person next to you.

However, there was one figure who could be seen clearly through the rain.

It was encased in a purple light.

Thunder clapped and purple lightning bolts shot through the air. Waves of killing aura spread through the air. He was extremely quick, almost like another bolt of lightning shooting through the air.

“Stop him!”

“Stop him quickly!”

Panicked voices shrieked as they watched the figure shooting through the clouds. Black bodies threw themselves in front of the purple figure.

“Die!” A voice rang out from inside the purple light.

Then, the purple lightning flickered and a column of purple light shot to the heavens. Then, it turned back and crashed towards the ground, twisting as it made is way through the air. It exploded in the middle of these black figures.

The Returning Dragon!

This was the powerful technique that channeled all of that killing aura.

“Boom!”

A huge crevice formed as clouds of blood splattered into the air. All of the obstacles in Fang Zhengzhi’s way were instantly blown apart.

“How is it possible that he still has this incredible combat power after fighting for so long? How much energy does he have?” One of the candidates asked in shock when he saw the crevice.

All of the other candidates also recovered from their shock when they heard this.

“That’s true, why does it feel like he did not expend any energy at all?”

“How is that possible? He is only in the Heavenly Reflection State. It is already incredible that he is able to fight a Rebirth State Demon. Yet, he can still last this long?”

Questions flew through the minds of all the candidates.

They had all forgotten this momentarily when Fang Zhengzhi had entered a coma. However, once someone reminded them of it, it struck them like a bolt of lightning.

Fang Zhengzhi had been fighting for a long time.

He had started off with a battle with Nangong Hao. Then, he had been attacked by Bai Xing and Yan Xiu. He then defeated Shi Kou and was embroiled in a duel with Wu Ji.

All of his opponents were strong beyond belief.

Fang Zhengzhi should have needed to expend all of his energy to fight any one of these people. But, after all that fighting…

Fang Zhengzhi did not look like he was getting any weaker.

In fact, it felt as though his strikes were getting sharper and more powerful.

Is he even human?

Even if he was ungodly… this was getting a little ridiculous…

All of the candidates continued to ponder about this. The demon elites grit their teeth as they felt the full force of Fang Zhengzhi’s ‘The Returning Dragon’.

One of the demon elites was sliced into two.

Even though he was in the Supernatural State, he could not revive.

Three others were seriously injured. One of them lost a limb whilst the other two suffered internal injuries. All of these injuries would take an extended period of time to heal.

A single strike! One dead, three wounded!

How terrifying was this?!

All of these demon elites were in the Supernatural State. In the human world, they would all be generals, commanding tens of thousands of soldiers.

Shock and awe…

Just as all of the demon elites grit their teeth and prepared to fight to the death, the ray of purple light had already shot into the sky like a meteor.

It was flying straight towards Yun Qingwu.

“How is that possible?!”

“This… him… that’s impossible!”

All of the demon elites could not understand how Fang Zhengzhi managed to transform himself into an arrow and fly towards the cliff.

That was until…

They saw a bow embedded in the crevice.

The jade green bow was supported by the two walls of the crevice. The black bowstring was still trembling from the release of that arrow.

Chapter 396: Why is he so powerful?

“His body is the arrow?!”

Not only were the demon elites stunned by what they saw, even Bai Xing and Wu Ji were shocked.

Just as what they had thought…

It would be impossible for an individual to kill his way to the top of the mountain. Even Xing Yuanguo, the most powerful of them all, would not think of doing such a thing.

But…

Fang Zhengzhi managed to do it.

He did it in the most unbelievable fashion. With everyone watching him, he managed to morph into a purple ray of light and shoot himself at Yun Qingwu.

This was not a difficult technique.

Bai Xing and Wu Ji could do it. Even any of the demon elites with a good grasp of bow techniques could do it.

But they did not manage to think of it.

It wasn’t that they couldn’t think of such a plan ordinarily. However, none of them would be able to think of it in the heat of battle.

Who in the world would have thought that Fang Zhengzhi would have used The Returning Dragon for the sole purpose of creating a crevice to hold the bow?

Shock, awe, helplessness.

This was exactly what Bai Xing and Wu Ji were feeling. They wanted to rush to the top and save Yun Qingwu, but they were unable to.

Fang Zhengzhi’s Sun Shooting Bow was still in the crevice.

However, once one person used this technique, it would be much more difficult for a second person to repeat the feat.

Even if they managed to get to the bow…

What use was it now?

Fang Zhengzhi was not as quick as Bai Xing, but when he was augmented by the Sun Shooting Bow, even Bai Xing could not stop him.

…

A ray of purple light shot skyward through the torrential rain. Then, it shot back down towards Yun Qingwu like a sword.

The young vice domain chief standing next to Yun Qingwu stiffened. The arrogant smirk was wiped off his face, completely replaced with shock.

If Fang Zhengzhi had climbed up from below…

He would have more than a hundred ways to defeat Fang Zhengzhi. He could probably kill Fang Zhengzhi. After all, he had the high ground.

However, he suddenly realized that Fang Zhengzhi was on top of him. How could he still take such an opponent lightly?

“Shing!” He unsheathed his blade. It was a unique blade with a forked tip. Furthermore, the blade was even sharper than ordinary ones.

This was his weapon.

It was named ‘Spectre’.

If the Blazing Qilin Spear was one of the 10 greatest treasures of the Great Xia Dynasty, then Spectre was one of the five greatest treasures of the demons.

For a young demon like him to be in possession of such a blade…

He was clearly of noble blood.

However, this did not have much implication as to whether he could defend against Fang Zhengzhi’s attack. Despite his standing, he still stepped in front of Yun Qingwu when he saw Fang Zhengzhi.

Yun Qingwu raised her head as she watched Fang Zhengzhi quietly. She felt the oppressive wave of killing aura crashing down towards her.

“So he made it…” Yun Qingwu’s lips parted slightly as she murmured to herself. It was almost as if she knew that this was going to happen all along.

“Kacha!” Purple lightning shot through the dark clouds and a humongous tree formed from purple lightning bolts covered the entire area.

The purple figure continued to weave through the clouds like a dragon as it emitted a powerful aura.

“Die!” An icy voice echoed through the clouds.

Then, a ray of purple light shot out from inside the clouds. There was a person encased in the light, shooting to the ground like a sword.

The cold eyes locked on the figure in the plain white dress, the oppressive killing aura crashing earthward.

This was an aura that destroyed everything in its path.

When coupled with the radiant lightsword, this was a sight that would strike terror into the bravest of hearts.

“Why is he so powerful?!” The young vice domain chief raised his sword in the air. He gripped the scale-like pattern on the hilt of his sword tightly.

Never in his life had he felt the emotions he felt now.

That kind of bone-chilling cold coupled with the powerful killing aura made him understand the true meaning of fear.

He finally understood why Shi Kou had failed.

Shi Kou did not fail because of cultivation state.

He failed because his aura was weaker!

Beads of sweat rolled down his forehead. Within moments, his entire body was drenched in sweat.

However, he still held the Spectre Blade high up in the air. He showed no signs of relaxing. Despite his paling expression, his hand did not tremble.

At that moment, the jade green demonic eye on his forehead shone radiantly.

The young vice domain chief continued to stare at the sword in the sky. He concentrated on the dragon light ray of purple circling the blade.

“Boom!” A resounding clash echoed out, causing the entire Feng Su cliff to shake. Even the ground below began to tremble.

The torrential rain continued to hinder visibility, but it did not prevent the spectators from being awed by what they saw.

The soldiers of the Great Xia gripped the spears in their hands whilst the soldiers of the Southern Region grabbed their swords. The demon elites glared and stopped in their tracks.

The candidates, the Dragon Protection Squad, the 500 silver horned wolves, Xing Qingsui, Nangong Hao, Bai Xing, Wu Ji, even Xing Yuanguo stopped what they were doing as they looked at the clash atop the cliff.

“Kacha!” A huge crack appeared on the cliff.

A humongous rock was shaved off the cliff and began rolling down. With a loud boom, it crashed into the ground and shattered.

The torrential rain pummeled the newly exposed rock race. The loose pieces were washed off, revealing the hard rock underneath.

At this moment…

There were three people standing next to where the rock broke off.

Yun Qingwu’s white dress danced in the wind, revealing her slender snow white legs. There was a large crevice no more than a finger’s length from where she stood.

There was a kneeling figure in front of her.

His cloak had been torn apart, revealing a handsome face, his green demonic eye glowing.

He stared at the youth standing in front of him.

He bit his lip, blood trickling from the edges of his mouth. His sleeves were also stained by blood.

It stretched from his shoulder all the way to his palm.

The rain continued to pummel the ground.

The blood was washed to the ground, revealing a wound so deep one could see the bone. Other than the wound, there was also a metallic glow.

“Ah, ah…” The young vice domain chief breathed heavily, thoroughly exhausted from the battle.

This attack had brought him to his knees.

The demons had always thought of themselves as a superior race. To be forced to his knees by his opponent after a single round was humiliating.

“Why is he so powerful? Why… that’s impossible… how can he be this powerful…” The young demon’s breathing was labored.

Fang Zhengzhi stood quietly on the cliff. He ignored the young demon vice domain chief on his knees as he lowered his sword at Yun Qingwu.

The Traceless Sword continued to glow purple, drops of blood washing of its blade and onto the ground.

“Hum!”

The blade hummed, almost like a dragon, yet almost as if it was expressing its excitement.

The domineering killing aura continued to spread in waves.

“Are you going to kill me?” Yun Qingwu spoke, her exquisite eyes looking at the purple blade in Fang Zhengzhi’s hand. Her voice was calm, almost as if she was talking to a friend.

Of course, there was a blade at Yun Qingwu’s throat. It was no more than three steps away.

Fang Zhengzhi did not answer Yun Qingwu’s question.

He looked at Yun Qingwu quietly, the bright sword in his eye becoming clearer with each passing moment.

…

On the plain below.

More than 100,000 pairs of eyes were staring at the three figures on the cliff. To be more precise, they were looking at the Traceless Sword in Fang Zhengzhi’s eyes.

His next movement would decide Yun Qingwu’s fate.

Death!

Or life!

Fang Zhengzhi was in control of the situation.

Other than Yun Qingwu, there was no one else who could block Fang Zhengzhi if he chose to attack. Even Bai Xing and Wu Ji were too far away.

What else could they do other than wait?

Fang Zhengzhi’s blade was much too close to Yun Qingwu. At this distance, Fang Zhengzhi would be able to kill Yun Qingwu even before they managed to close any significant distance.

“Kill!”

“Why is he still hesitating?”

“If you were in that position, could you possibly kill Yun Qingwu?”

All of the candidates were equally conflicted. They all knew that the next few moments could change the entire battle.

If the Southern Region lost the support of the demons, could they still go up against the Great Xia?

More importantly, it would make Fang Zhengzhi famous and influential.

That was Yun Qingwu.

The incredibly talented Yun Qingwu. She was a talent, who was also the young master of the demons, and someone who did not care about the fate of the humans.

Xing Qingsui looked at Fang Zhengzhi, his mouth agape. Then, he pursed his lips before his jaw dropped again. It felt like he had something to say.

Xing Yuanguo had a similar expression.

However, Xing Yuanguo only watched quietly. Even though he was the commanding general of this battle, yet he did not speak at this point.

No one knew what he was thinking.

Nangong Hao sheathed his sword, an icy mist coming out from his body. He did not chase Bai XIng and did not try to stop Wu Ji.

There was no need.

…

As time passed, Fang Zhengzhi continued to point his sword at Yun Qingwu’s throat. Yun Qingwu, on the other hand, seemed to be waiting for something.

After a very long time, Yun Qingwu’s voice rang out once again.

“Since you’ve already made up your mind, why don’t you follow through? You spent all that effort to get up here. You can’t possibly just let me off without a reason.” Yun Qingwu stepped forward, her dress dancing in the wind.

This time, her voice had an added tone of relief. It felt as though the locks on her heart were released.

The rain continued to pummel her veil, making it more translucent with each passing moment. Her exquisite features were revealed to Fang Zhengzhi.

She looked like a white lotus amongst the snow.

Calm and arrogant. She stood at the highest point, quietly watching everyone below.

“Kill… kill everyone who has harmed me. Kill them all, kill them all, kill… kill…” Fang Zhengzhi murmured to himself.

However, the voice was filled with terrifying iciness. It was not the voice that incited terror, it was the oppressive killing aura.

“Kaboom!” A ray of purple lightning shot through the sky, tearing a crack through the air.

At the same time, the Traceless Sword in Fang Zhengzhi’s hand lit up, the purple light flowing along the blade like a pool of blood.

“Die!”

“Die!”

“Die!”

Fang Zhengzhi kept murmuring to himself.

The killing aura filled the air, circling around his feet, slowing rising to the sky like a whirlpool. It formed rings in the sky, temporarily blocking out the rain.

The bright lightsword continued to glow in Fang Zhengzhi’s eyes, combining with the deep purple. It was a strange sight to behold.

Chapter 397: Great opportunity

The wind continued to assault the people on the cliff. Fang Zhengzhi was they eye of the storm, the origin of this chaos.

The icy cold continued to intertwine with the rain, blowing Yun Qingwu’s dress upwards.

No one wanted to get close, not voluntarily at least. However, Yun Qingwu stepped forward once again.

She was like a boat in the storm.

Alone and insignificant, but bobbing in the rough waters. No matter how strong the winds or how choppy the waters, the boat showed no sign of sinking.

“Fang Zhengzhi, if you want to kill Yun Qingwu, then you have to go through me, Si Ponan!” Just at this moment, another voice rang out. It was not loud, but everyone heard it.

Then, a figure stood up shakily, standing between Fang Zhengzhi and Yun Qingwu.

There were only three people on that cliff.

The only person who could put himself between Fang Zhengzhi and Yun Qingwu was the young, half kneeling vice domain chief.

However, this time, he did not address Yun Qingwu by her title. He called her by name.

Even so, Yun Qingwu did not seem to mind.

In fact, even Bai Xing, Wu Ji, and the dozens of demon elites were not stunned or shocked by this.

Because…

His name was Si Ponan!

“Si Ponan? That young demon… is from the Si Family?!”

“Is it that Si?”

“If that really is his name, then it has to be that family. There is only one family with surname Si amongst all the demons! Only one family that dares to take on that surname!”

When all of the candidates heard Si Ponan’s voice, they stared right at him, their eyes filled with shock and awe.

The world of the demons was different from those of the humans.

The humans built an empire by handing the throne to their son. For the demons, their empire was supported by three major families.

This had something to do with their reproduction. No one could say for sure if the current demon lord would have a son.

Even if they did, they would not have many children, one or two at most. Furthermore, no one could guarantee that the children of the current Demon Lord could take on the responsibility of being the next Demon Lord.

As such…

Keeping this in mind, the demon race set up a ruling coalition with three families.

If the sons of one family were not up to the task, they would pick the lord from the other two. The criteria included their cultivation state, aura, demeanor, and contributions.

As such, after the death of a Demon Lord, the next Demon Lord may not share the same surname as the previous one, even if the previous one had children.

The three families were the Yun Family, the Si Family, and the Yu Family.

Si…

The same family as that of the Demon Lord Si Kong!

It was said that when Si Kong was in power, the demons were more powerful than they were at any time in history. The demon army even reached the gates of Yan Jing, almost snuffing out the human race.

This battle was at the gates of Yan Jing, and the rivers flowed with blood.

In the end, the Demon Lord Si Kong was killed in the Blood Shadow City. He was killed by the Sagely Battle God Meng Tian.

And now…

The sword continued to glow purple in Fang Zhengzhi’s hand. The sword tip was lowered at Si Ponan’s throat. Si Ponan’s blood still stained the blade.

“Kaboom!”

The purple lightning shot across the sky and illuminated Si Ponan’s face. His face was pale and powerless, but he was determined.

“Fang Zhengzhi, I know that the demons and humans have not gotten along. I will not blink when you strike. We are the superior race!” Si Ponan’s blade continued to shake as he raised the blade. Just standing up took all the power that he had.

However, he still managed to stand up, letting the rain pummel his body.

“Si Ponan?”

“Si…”

“Die!”

“…”

Fang Zhengzhi murmured to himself. His raised sword stopped in mid-air, the lightsword in his eyes twirling manically.

It may have been a hallucination, but as the sword continued to swirl, the purple light around his blade also seemed to move, rings of purple exploding outwards.

“Hum!”

“Hum!”

“…”

The ripple-like killing aura that surrounded his body also became a lot more chaotic. It was a sharp lightsword one moment, and completely absorbed by the body the next.

“Kaboom!”

The thunderous boom echoed through the skies.

The Traceless Sword in Fang Zhengzhi’s hand began to shake, a crisp whine and hum echoing out as the purple light blinked manically.

It felt like he was struggling…

“What’s wrong with Fang Zhengzhi? Why isn’t he striking? This is a great opportunity! He can easily defeat Si Ponan!”

“Could it be that he is afraid of the Si Family avenging Si Ponan? I doubt it. If he was scared, he should be more afraid of the Yun Family!”

“Could it be that he wants to let Yun Qingwu off? That doesn’t seem likely… if he really wanted to let Yun Qingwu off, why would he go and stop her? Who would have forced him to go up there?”

“No no… Fang Zhengzhi doesn’t look alright!”

“Was he ever alright ever since he regained consciousness?”

“It’s not that, look… his aura is getting quite large, it feels as though he can’t control it.”

“Could it be that he can’t control it because he’s used up too much energy?”

All of the candidates looked at the purple glow on the cliff. Fang Zhengzhi’s body kept radiating killing auras.

Xing Qingsui, Xing Yuanguo, Nangong Hao, Bai Xing, and Wu Ji were all confused by what they were seeing. The people from the Great Xia were anxious.

The demons were surprised at this turn of events.

They were just thrown a lifeline.

The demons were ruled by the three families. Yun Qingwu was not the most powerful child, but she was the one who commanded the most respect.

There was no one even close to her.

If the current Demon Lord was the most powerful one, Yun QIngwu was the most charismatic and intelligent. Furthermore, no one would dare to contest that ranking.

In actual fact, Yun Qingwu may have been born into a powerful family, but people rarely thought highly of her. Her gender was the first reason.

The second reason was her cultivation talent.

It was ordinary.

Extremely ordinary. Even though she was not at the very bottom, but amongst the demons, especially those of the big three families, Yun Qingwu was not held in high regard.

It didn’t matter that her father was the current Demon Lord!

No one thought that the Yun Qingwu, who had little talent for cultivation, would be able to succeed the throne.

Even her father thought the same way.

The demons were different from the humans.

The demons did not bother about the lineage or bloodline. Yun Qingwu’s father began to concentrate more on the other Yun disciples.

He wanted the Yun family to stay in power.

Yun Qingwu was not too bothered about this. Being born into this family meant that she could still be a princess.

Then, one day, she saw her father in the library. Her father was depressed, lost, even helpless.

As the Demon Lord…

Yun Qingwu had held her father in high regard. Her father was the Demon Lord, the leader of the demons, the most powerful demon there was.

He should be powerful, domineering, and happy.

But why?

Why was her father…

So depressed?

Yun QIngwu did not understand it. However, the next day, she heard that one of the Yu Family disciples had broken through to the Heavenly Reflection State at the age of 12.

Since that day, she did not see her father much.

That child of the Yu Family moved to her place, and she was sent to a residence miles away from the Blood Shadow City.

At that time, she was five.

Five years later…

Yun Qingwu returned to the Blood Shadow City. The disciples of all the three families, including that 12-year-old Heavenly Reflection State talent, gathered at the gates and welcomed her respectfully.

From that moment on, Yun Qingwu was rarely called by name.

Every demon called her…

Young Master!

Yun Qingwu was 10 that year.

Another five years passed in a flash.

Everyone knew that the demons had a mysterious young master, but they did not know she was Yun Qingwu.

Yun Qingwu smuggled her way into the human world and became an artistic talent in an instant. All of the boys loved her.

Yet, no one knew how she looked like.

Yet, her talent captivated all of the talents in the Great Xia Dynasty.

She went through all the cities and provinces of the Great Xia Dynasty, performing at all the hangouts for talents. If those places were mud…

Yun Qingwu was a white lotus flower who wasn’t tainted by the mud around her.

…

Si Ponan was a talent who had attained the pinnacle Supernatural State before the age of 20. He was probably one of the top three disciples of the three powerful families.

Si Ponan was one of the contenders for the throne. However, he was willing to stand in front of Yun Qingwu without hesitation.

This was…

How powerful Yun Qingwu was.

She could move the powers of the ten domains at will. Any disciple of the three biggest families would willingly give up their lives for hers.

“Qingwu, this is your chance!” Si Ponan had no idea what was happening to Fang Zhengzhi, but he knew that Fang Zhengzhi was unstable.

This was clear for all to see.

As such, Si Ponan picked up on it quickly. Standing this close to Fang Zhengzhi meant that he was able to feel it even more keenly.

If his arms could still move…

He wouldn’t hesitate to stab his Spectre Sword into Fang Zhengzhi’s heart. However, he could not move his arm. Even holding the blade in his hand was taking all the energy he had in his body.

But this did not matter.

He may not be able to move, but Yun Qingwu could.

At this distance…

With him as her meatshield, Si Ponan was sure that Yun Qingwu would not miss.

The rain continued to pour, flowing down Si Ponan’s sleeves and onto his hand and sword.

The forked blade glimmered icily.

Yun Qingwu was extremely close to Fang Zhengzhi. If not for Si Ponan, she may even be able to hear Fang Zhengzhi’s breathing.

Many people thought that Yun Qingwu would have some protective treasures or a powerful demon protecting her from the shadows.

But the truth was…

She had neither.

When she roamed the Great Xia, she only brought along 49 servants. They were all in the Heavenly Reflection State.

However, they knew one sword formation, one created by Yun Qingwu.

This was the formation that blocked the pinnacle Supernatural State Nangong Hao’s attack.

Since she didn’t bring along any protective treasures in the Great Xia, why would she bring any here?

As such, when Fang Zhengzhi had rushed to the top of the cliff and lowered his sword at her throat, the only thing she could do was take the hit.

She couldn’t do anything but wait for Fang Zhengzhi to slash.

It may have seemed unbelievable that the young master of the demons would not have any protective treasures.

Yun Qingwu had thought that way. Furthermore, she had already made the necessary preparations. No one knew what Yun Qingwu was thinking…

Except herself.

At that moment, she was very calm.

“Why did you have to stop?” Yun Qingwu looked at Fang Zhengzhi and asked. However, it was quickly clear that it was a rhetorical question.

Her arm was already raised…

Chapter 398: Breakthrough to the Supernatural State

“Crush!” The blade was driven into Fang Zhengzhi’s chest. It was a fine blade, but it was extremely sharp and clean from the washing it got from the rain.

This blade was named Spectre.

Si Ponan had no energy to raise the blade. It wasn’t Si Ponan who drove the blade into Fang Zhengzhi, it was Yun Qingwu.

Blood rushed out from the wound and onto the blade. It was washed to the ground by the rain, staining the ground red.

Si Ponan was stunned and surprised to see this. He knew that Yun Qingwu would attack, but he didn’t expect Yun Qingwu to be so decisive.

The reason wasn’t very obvious.

As the young master of the demons, Yun Qingwu would never show a human talent mercy.

But…

Si Ponan kept thinking about what Yun Qingwu had said, “Why did you have to stop?” He heard this clearly.

Even though he had no idea why Yun Qingwu would ask a question like that, it did not matter. Yun Qingwu had attacked.

Silence.

Other than the sound of rain, the entire arena was quiet. No one spoke, their breathing light.

“Fang Zhengzhi… failed?!”

“Yun Qingwu actually managed to stab Fang Zhengzhi!”

“How did this happen?”

All of the candidates and soldiers could not find an answer to that question. No one could believe their eyes.

Bai Xing unclenched his fists. He had no idea what just happened, but he was glad that Yun Qingwu decided to kill Fang Zhengzhi.

That meant that…

Fang Zhengzhi would not survive.

“Stab!” The sound pierced through the rain.

This was not the sound of the Spectre blade being removed from Fang Zhengzhi’s body. This was the sound of Traceless falling to the ground.

It stabbed the ground like a knife through butter.

The strange purple light shot to the sky like a pillar, intertwining with the purple lightning in the sky.

Yun Qingwu gripped the hilt of Spectre tightly. She stared at Fang Zhengzhi, watching those eyes that were filled with killing intent.

Then, the spinning swords in his eyes slowed down.

To be more precise…

They were disappearing, almost like a cloud of smoke. They cleared from his eyes, together with that strange shade of purple…

…

The lake was filled with clear water.

Fang Zhengzhi was confused when he saw the lady in the white dress and the lake. Why would he appear in the World of the Sage?

This…

Where was this?

Was he even in a dream?

All of these questions flew past in his mind, but there was no one to answer him. The only moving person was the lady in the white dress.

“Why don’t I capture and interrogate her?” Fang Zhengzhi smirked with lust momentarily.

But it did not last very long.

He remembered that he had the same thought before. However, when he jumped into the water, he could not find the lady in the white dress.

He had already been fooled once.

He was not going to be fooled again.

So…

If he could not get close and interrogate her, how was he going to find out the true identity of the lady? How was he going to escape this place?

Fang Zhengzhi began to think about the scene back at the Divine Constabulary’s Heavenly Treasure Hall.

He remembered that when he last saw this lady in the white dress, he had understood the essence of the Heavenly Reflection State.

But this time…

He did not feel anything.

Hang on, he was feeling something. Fang Zhengzhi turned to look at his surroundings. There were trees, grass, and a lake.

This was a world without any wind. There were no ripples on the surface of the lake. The surface was so calm it was almost like a mirror.

It was very clean.

Clean?

“It’s calm!” Fang Zhengzhi’s eyes brightened. At that moment, he knew what the feeling was. It was calmness.

Even though the lady in white was constantly moving, dancing on the surface of the water…

It was precisely this movement that allowed Fang Zhengzhi to realize the calmness in this world.

The surface of the water was calm, the surrounding woods were calm, the grass was calm, even he was calm.

Seeing something move allows one to understand calm?

Fang Zhengzhi never really tried to understand these theories. However, he recalled the incident back at the Heaven Dao Sage Tablet.

He did not know why he managed to escape.

But…

Now, he understood.

He had moved!

He had disturbed the calm!

That time, Fang Zhengzhi had thought that he had disturbed the cleanliness by bathing in the lake. In actual fact, he had disturbed the calm!

By disturbing an otherwise calm world, he had broken the rules of the world. Without rules, the world would implode.

To be more accurate…

The world would reject Fang Zhengzhi and expel him from it. Fang Zhengzhi had broken the calm, so he was kicked out.

“Heaven Dao Sage Tablet… was I expelled by the Heaven Dao Sage Tablet? Then… why am I back?” Fang Zhengzhi remembered that Chi Guyan and Ping Yang had told him something…

Each Heaven Dao Sage Tablet embodied an extremely powerful Dao.

Anyone who could understand it would become a Sage.

Since he managed to figure out why he was expelled from this place before, he could guess that this Heaven Dao Sage Tablet had something to do with “calm”.

Calm?

Was it to do with the heart?

Or was it that he had to be as calm as the water?!

If that was the case, the water and the lake in front of him could be explained. However, the trees and the grass…

What could explain those?

That was not it. If the Heaven Dao Sage Tablet represented a powerful Dao, the Dao could not be this simple. However, what could calm represent?

Calm…

If it was not as calm as water, what other calm could there be?

Cleanliness?

Fang Zhengzhi reverted to his original train of thought. When he thought about that, his eyes brightened.

That was it!

Calm. In the ancient times, calm and cleanliness meant the same thing. The word clean was made up of the words green and determination.

Green represented life in its nascent stage. Determination meant that one would preserve what was important.

Calm meant that one would preserve the initial purity and character.

There was mention of this in the “Six Secret Teachings”.

And again in the “Book of Songs”…

All of these passages regarding calm flooded Fang Zhengzhi’s mind. He began to think about them individually.

Contemplating…

Fang Zhengzhi realized that he was becoming calmer and calmer. He began to assimilate into the lake and the vegetation around him. His vision also began to clear.

After some time, when he looked at the lady in white, he seemed to be able to make out her lips.

Those exquisite, luscious lips.

They were very familiar.

Almost as if he had seen them somewhere before.

Fang Zhengzhi wanted to get a closer look, but he realized that the appearance of the lady was blurry. No matter how hard he tried, he could not see what she looked like.

Why was that?

He wasn’t very far away. Why can’t he see her clearly?

Why did she feel so familiar?

Fang Zhengzhi kept thinking about these questions. However, he did not want to harp on the same question over and over again.

He tried to put it out of his mind.

However…

Just as he found some success, he saw the white dress and began thinking about it again.

“I have seen her somewhere!” Fang Zhengzhi looked up and still saw that her face was blurry. This time, even her lips were blurry.

Must he be calm in order to see the lady’s appearance?

Fang Zhengzhi had seen this lady twice now.

If…

He did not even get a good look at her, was he still a man?

With that goal in mind, he began to take steps in the appropriate direction. He calmed himself down, even kneeling on the ground to help himself calm down.

The lady continued to dance on the lake.

Hang on.

He felt as though his vision was different from before. All of his cells were in a strange state. They felt calm and clean…

Calm and clean.

Cells!

The Supernatural State!

It was said that the Supernatural State occurs when one’s on the brink of death. The state was characterized by the vitality of the cells.

No!

It is not the vitality, it’s the calmness and cleanliness!

The cells are all calmer and cleaner than ever before. This allows the body to rid itself of illness and injuries and revert to its original state.

Fang Zhengzhi’s heart jumped, then calm down. Then, it jumped again before calming down. He felt as though he was going in circles.

When he first accessed Dao, he had started from his body.

At that time, he felt that he could control every cell, every drop of blood, every muscle in his body.

And now…

He was able to change his body and rid it of what was bad!

Hang on, did he really manage to understand a powerful Dao? Or was he on the verge of it?

Or had he already broken through to the Supernatural State?

Should he cut himself and test it out? Did his power just increase manifold? Or, was he already a sage?

“Hahaha… am I really a Sage now?” Fang Zhengzhi began to chuckle, shattering the calm and peace in this world.

Then, the dancing lady in white stopped, almost as if she had heard Fang Zhengzhi chuckling. Then, she turned around…

…

“Yun Qingwu?!” Fang Zhengzhi’s gaze froze. The veiled face appeared in front of his eyes.

It was pouring.

Where was this?

Was this a dream?

It felt very familiar. There was a valley below him. He felt as though he had been here before, but why was the purple gone?

Hang on…

The lady in white is Yun Qingwu?

Fang Zhengzhi subconsciously extended his hand, then removed Yun Qingwu’s veil in a swift motion.

In that instant, he saw an exquisite face staring back at him. Her eyebrows were thin, her skin fair as snow, her luscious lips slightly open, revealing two rows of ivory white teeth.

Yun Qingwu was like a white lotus in the middle of the torrential rain. To have her veil removed by Fang Zhengzhi… especially in the face of hundreds of thousands of soldiers…

Was an insult.

It was almost as if an angelic lotus flower was removed by a mere mortal.

Yun Qingwu was shocked.

Anyone would be equally shocked. No one would expect that after Fang Zhengzhi had been stabbed, his first reaction would be to remove her veil.

Not only did Yun Qingwu not expect it.

No one else in the valley expected it.

All of the soldiers stared at Yun Qingwu in disbelief.

All of the demons, including Bai Xing and Wu Ji, were furious at what they saw.

“How dare this dead man walking insult Yun Qingwu!”

“Audacious!”

“…”

Fang Zhengzhi ignored it all. All he wondered was why the lady in white would be Yun Qingwu.

Just as he was thinking about it, he felt his heart shudder, then he felt pain in his chest. It felt as though he had just been stabbed.

That’s impossible.

Why would he feel pain in his dream?

Why would the pain be so clear?

Fang Zhengzhi did not understand. He instinctively looked at his chest and saw a blade driven deep into it.

“Oh? Why is there a blade in my chest?”

Chapter 399: Travesty

第三百九十九章作孽啊 Travesty

Imagine waking up and seeing a beauty next to you. At that point, you have one of two choices.

You could rub your eyes and the lady would disappear in a cloud of smoke.

Or, you could just go for it and sleep it off after that. The lady would disappear in a cloud of smoke when you woke up anyways.

The final result was the same.

But any intelligent man knew which was the better choice to make.

Fang Zhengzhi was a smart man, but it was not a beautiful lady in front of him, it was a blade. A blade that he could not just sleep off.

As such…

He decided to rub his eyes.

“Why is the blade… still there?!” Fang Zhengzhi realized that the blade was still embedded in his chest.

It hurt!

A lot.

It was an indescribable pain. Anyone who had been stabbed before would attest to it.

Dream?

Or reality!

This was the second time Fang Zhengzhi asked this question since opening his eyes. He firmly believed that it was a dream. Only a fool would choose to believe that there was really a blade in his chest.

“This cannot be real!” Fang Zhengzhi could not believe his eyes.

Could the Heaven Dao Sage Tablet appear in reality? No way! Furthermore, he had just been smacked by Yan Xiu, he should be resting on the ground below.

Why would he be on the cliff? And why would he be stabbed?

Sleepwalking?

Rubbish, he never had a habit of doing that.

Furthermore, no matter how he sleepwalked, there was no way he could have flown to the top of the hill through the hundreds of thousands of soldiers below.

Who was Yun Qingwu?

The young master of the demons!

How could he have made it this close to her?

Fang Zhengzhi did not think that it was possible. However, he was not stupid. He could feel the sharp pain coursing through his veins.

This was too real and too deep.

As such…

All he could do was admit that everything that he was seeing was real.

“Move away, don’t block me!” Fang Zhengzhi grit his teeth and kicked Si Ponan.

Si Ponan was stunned by what he saw. He still thought that Fang Zhengzhi was the living embodiment of massacre.

That cold, iciness gave him an aura that almost made him the God of Death.

Did he charge all the way to the top of the cliff just to remove Yun Qingwu’s veil? That did not seem very likely.

What was happening?

What was the aura coming out of Fang Zhengzhi’s body just now? Where did that domineering killing aura disappear to?

Questions flew through his mind but there were no answers. When Fang Zhengzhi kicked him, the only thing he could do was…

Stare…

He had no other choice. He was completely drained of energy.

Si Ponan had never felt this cowardly in his life before. He felt that he should be protecting Yun Qingwu.

However, after he was kicked by Fang Zhengzhi, his body tumbled off the cliff uncontrollably.

“Aiya!” He screamed as he rolled off.

Even though he was a Supernatural State Demon, he had no other choice but to scream. Having been drained of his energy, he needed the soldiers below to catch him.

After all, he really didn’t want his life to end this way.

He would have failed to save his master and fallen to his death.

Everything had changed so quickly. Fang Zhengzhi’s rampage, then Yun Qingwu’s attack, followed by the removal of her veil, and Si Ponan’s tumbling down the hill.

Everything was so fast and real.

Yet, no one could understand what in the world was going on.

The stab? And then the removal of the veil? Was it linked? Yun Qingwu was the one who stabbed Fang Zhengzhi, but why did Fang Zhengzhi kick Si Ponan off?

Si Ponan was relatively innocent!

If these incidents were taken individually, it would have been less confusing. However, mashing them all together meant that it was impossible to grasp.

And then…

The impossible happened.

After Fang Zhengzhi kicked Si Ponan off the cliff, he extended his hand and lifted Yun Qingwu’s head with his hand.

“Mm, eyebrows… eyes, dainty lips, oh my… you have not changed since the last time I saw you!” Fang Zhengzhi sized up Yun Qingwu’s features. It was almost as if he was admiring an art piece.

“Boom!” A ray of purple lightning lit up the dark sky. Yun Qingwu’s face was also illuminated by this bolt of lightning.

Shock.

That was an understatement. There were no words to describe the emotions of all the soldiers watching from below.

They were stunned beyond belief.

At this moment, Bai Xing’s eyes widened to their maximum and Wu Ji’s jaw dropped so much he could stuff both his fists inside.

All of the demon elites were stupefied.

So much so that they forgot to catch the screaming Si Ponan.

What kind of pain was this?

It felt as though someone else was toying around with your most prized possession. Fang Zhengzhi was having his way, stroking Yun Qingwu’s face wherever he liked.

This should not have been witnessed by the soldiers.

Even in the art houses, the talents would never treat the girls that way. This was an immense insult.

They could have fun, but they would never insult.

But now…

Fang Zhengzhi’s actions went against that very principle. If they could, they would throw Fang Zhengzhi into a pigsty, or drown him in a river.

Perhaps Fang Zhengzhi had some difficulties that no one knew about?

No!

Even if he did, he should not have done something like that. The only logical thing for him to do was draw his sword and kill Yun Qingwu.

Why would he…

Toy with her like this!

“It’s a shame that we are with this man!”

“Shameful! This man has no shame!”

“Travesty!”

All of the talents stared at Yun Qingwu. It was painful to watch their treasured Yun Qingwu being handled this way by Fang Zhengzhi.

“Erm…” Xing Yuanguo, dressed in his purplish golden robe, stared at the cliff in exasperation.

Yun Qingwu was extremely intelligent. This was something that the entire demon race knew.

However, she still did not know what Fang Zhengzhi was thinking. Even though her chin was just lifted by Fang Zhengzhi, even though she was so close to Fang Zhengzhi she could feel the heat from his breath…

She still could not understand.

Shameless?

She knew that Fang Zhengzhi was extremely shameless, but he had to have a limit? She had just stabbed him, shouldn’t he be taking revenge?

Why is he still trying to play around with me?

More importantly, where was the ferocious man who had charged towards her? How could a person change so quickly?

Oh yes!

Where was the killing aura? Where had that gone to?

Just as she was thinking about it, she felt someone touching her where she had never been touched before.

It was electrifying.

“Mm… it’s smooth and soft, slightly warm to the touch. I can even feel her body temperature. No way? How is it that real?” Just as Fang Zhengzhi finished with one side, he moved to the other one. He smiled in satisfaction.

This feeling was too real, so much so that his heart was fluttering.

He knew for a fact that he had never touched Yun Qingwu’s body before. If this was a dream, he should not be feeling this as clearly as he was!

Hang on!

“This… this… this is real?!” Fang Zhengzhi’s smile froze as his hands stopped moving around Yun Qingwu’s breasts.

“Kaboom!”

The dark sky was illuminated by lightning once again. Everyone could see that Fang Zhengzhi’s palm was resting on Yun Qingwu’s breasts.

“Clang clang clang…” Weapons dropped to the ground as all the soldiers looked on in disbelief.

“Die die die…”

“Kill him!”

“We must smash his body to smithereens!”

“I want to cut off his hands! How dare he contaminate my goddess!”

Voices shouted from the valley before. Fang Zhengzhi’s actions had stunned them previously, but his actions now had brought them back to life.

Because…

Rage had consumed them.

They were no longer in control of their bodies.

Fang Zhengzhi could not control himself either. His body froze and he instinctively looked at Yun Qingwu.

He saw that Yun Qingwu was blushing. After all, she had just been molested by Fang Zhengzhi. Any lady, even the cold and aloof Yun Qingwu, would react the same way.

Fang Zhengzhi wanted to explain himself.

After all, this was quite the embarrassing scene.

Of course…

The real explanation was that he really wasn’t that kind of person. All he wanted to do was verify if he was in a dream.

Even though he had done it in a very liberal and audacious fashion, it would not have been this frowned upon in his previous world.

After all, he couldn’t impregnate her just by touching.

However…

Would Yun Qingwu believe him?

Fang Zhengzhi had no chance to explain himself. Yun Qingwu’s expression had already changed from embarrassment to anger.

Then, in the blink of an eye…

He saw a ray of white light flash past his eyes. It was thin and looked like a blade.

Fang Zhengzhi was quite certain that this light was the sword that was embedded in his chest moments ago.

“Removing the blade?! Ah…” Fang Zhengzhi felt the blood gushing out of the open wound and screamed in pain.

At this moment, he was certain that everything was real. He had just been stabbed.

The question was…

Was he stabbed by the demon he just kicked? Or was he stabbed by Yun Qingwu?

This question did not matter anymore. After all, Yun Qingwu had already removed the blade.

Are females the most savage?

How could she remove the blade after she stabbed him?

Even if she did, she should have prepared antiseptic! Did she prepare for surgery?

If his artery had been cut…

“Damn it, my artery is spewing blood!” Fang Zhengzhi sprang into action when he saw the blood gushing out.

His hands clutched his chest.

Why? What happened? He was understanding a Dao in the Heaven Dao Sage Tablet. He had just understood the essence of the Supernatural State.

Wasn’t he supposed to turn into a sage?

Why…

Why was he back in reality?

Furthermore, he had been stabbed, and Yun Qingwu had just plucked out the sword. This was the painful truth.

Was he going to die?

“No! Someone save me please, I have just been stabbed. The blade has been removed and I’m bleeding heavily! Someone give me a blood transfusion! My blood type is A+!”

Chapter 400: Supernatural

Fang Zhengzhi wanted to scream out loud. He had been maligned. He was just doing what any man would do in a dream, but it had resulted in tragedy.

Reality?

Dream!

He was just understanding a major Dao in the Heaven Dao Sage Tablet a moment ago. And now, he had been stabbed?

The change was too quick!

Anyone else in the same position would not have been able to differentiate dream from reality.

As such, Fang Zhengzhi’s actions were understandable.

Who hadn’t fantasized before?

Any normal man would know to control himself in the real world. However, why would he continue to hold back in a dream?

Fang Zhengzhi was a normal male, and he did something that any normal man would do. The only mistake he made was that the transition between a dream and reality…

Was too quick.

At that moment, Fang Zhengzhi had thought that Yun Qingwu had appeared in his dream. In fact, it was all real.

There was a very simple example to explain his situation.

Imagine that you dreamt of a beautiful lady, then, just as you were about to confess to her, you were woken. The first person you saw was your male roommate.

Then…

You couldn’t possibly be called a gay just because of that right?

Of course, only you would know if you were gay. But, at the very least, when you were about to confess to the lady, you were not!

Okay.

That was not the point. The main issue here was that Fang Zhengzhi was still bleeding and there were over 100,000 people staring at him.

No one was rushing to save him!

He was bleeding!

Was the world so cold?

Weren’t humans supposed to work together against the demons? Weren’t they a team? Why are they all so shocked?

Haven’t they seen something like that before?!

F*ck!

Fang Zhengzhi finally understood that he could only truly depend on himself. Everyone below was useless.

He had two choices. He could fight Yun Qingwu on the cliff and kill her after an intense battle. Then, he would probably die for his wounds.

The humans would not react in time, and by that time, the demons would have responded.

The dozens of demon elites, Bai Xing, and Wu Ji were all rushing to the top of the cliff.

What did they want?

There was no need to guess.

His second option was to escape and dress his wounds. Then, he would capture a few people to test their blood or get some sort of pill to heal himself.

There were so many people here anyway.

As an ambitious youth, he decided to choose the latter. This wasn’t because Fang Zhengzhi was afraid of dying.

The real reason was that he respected the ladies.

Mm…

After all, he had just molested this lady in front of more than 150,000 soldiers. To raise his sword and kill this lady right after would be vicious.

He could not bring himself to do it.

Even if the lady was the young master of the demons.

What did that have to do with him?

Fang Zhengzhi wanted to live a leisurely life. He had no interest in being involved in the battle between humans and demons, nor the battle between empires.

The only reason why he came to the Southern Region was to save Yan Xiu. If he could do well and rank highly in the court examination, that was a bonus.

Who wouldn’t want to win a prize?

That being said, he had no intention of sacrificing his life for that prize.

The only thing Fang Zhengzhi wanted to do was live. He did not want to kill the young master of the demons in front of so many people…

God knows how the demons in the Blood Shadow City would react!

Was he going to beg for protection?

Fang Zhengzhi had seen too much of this kind of situations in his previous world. The Emperor would be glad that he killed Yun Qingwu. There would be a huge celebration and he would be promoted and rewarded with silvers. Then, he would be left to fend for himself.

Protection? What kind of protection?!

Fang Zhengzhi could probably spend the rest of his life hiding out in the capital.

But what about the Northern Mountain Village?

His family was still there, and he had to think about his parents and the hundreds of villagers.

After all, if he really killed the young master of the demons, he would not put anything past them.

Fang Zhengzhi did not want to live his life in fear just for this moment of glory.

He decided to leave this glory for someone else.

At the very least, at his current power, he did not want to stick his hand into this hornet’s nest.

The main problem now was how he was going to ensure a safe retreat.

Turn and run? There were dozens of demon elites, as well as Bai Xing, chasing him down. Where was he going to run to? Fang Zhengzhi had to think of something easier.

He had to find a hostage. To be exact, he would take the most powerful demon here as the hostage.

“Tell them to stay where they are, all I will kill you where you stand!” Fang Zhengzhi growled ferociously.

“Kill me?” Yun Qingwu’s lips parted, her anger turning into mockery. Then, she raised the Spectre Sword in her hand.

The rain beat down on that white light as the sword continued to exude an icy aura.

The light flickered.

The target…

Fang Zhengzhi’s throat.

Fang Zhengzhi’s expression froze. He had thought that being this close to Yun Qingwu meant that he would be in a superior position to bargain.

After all, Yun Qingwu was the young master of the demons. However, Yun Qingwu didn’t even say much.

Kill me again?

No, is she courting death?

Fang Zhengzhi finally understood what Yun Qingwu meant. She may not be scared of dying, but she still had weaknesses.

For example.

“If you dare to attack again, I will strip you!” Fang Zhengzhi dodged to the side, then made it behind Yun Qingwu. He placed one hand on her throat, his other hand on her chest.

“Don’t you dare!” Yun Qingwu tightened her grip on the Spectre Blade. However, she still stopped moving.

If this was said by anyone else, she would never believe that they would go through with something so audacious.

But…

This was Fang Zhengzhi.

This was a person who had just touched her breasts moments ago in front of more than 150,000 soldiers.

She didn’t dare to move!

“Not only do I dare to do that, I dare to take it one step further!” Fang Zhengzhi had no intention of doing that, but he had to make a show of it. His hand slid down to Yun Qingwu’s skirt.

“Kaboom!”

Lightning shot across the sky, accompanied by thunder.

When Bai Xing, Wu Ji, and the other demon elites saw this, flames ignited in their eyes.

“Bai Xing! If you dare take one more step, I will kill Yun Qingwu!”

Just as the demons were about to quicken their pace, an icy voice pierced through the sky.

Flames continued to burn in Bai Xing’s eyes.

But, he stopped.

…

Yun Qingwu’s dress began to dance in the wind. Her face was pale, but she was smirking.

She was determined not to back down.

“Fang Zhengzhi, you can forget about trying to humiliate me further!” Yun Qingwu’s voice was cold, almost as if she had come straight out of hell.

“You want to commit suicide? Sure! But, even if you die, you will not be able to stop me from doing what I want to do. I will strip you naked, then, in front of all the soldiers, I will… hehe, you are the young master of the demons right? Aren’t you afraid news of this will spread?” Fang Zhengzhi rarely saw such a look from a lady.

To be honest.

When he saw Yun Qingwu’s expression, he wanted to try and explain it all to her.

He wanted to tell her that he was having a dream. He did not really want to touch her.

But…

Who would believe him?

Furthermore, Fang Zhengzhi could feel Yun Qingwu’s determination.

As such, he had to let Yun Qingwu know that even death would not stop him from humiliating her!

Fang Zhengzhi was betting.

He was betting on the fact that Yun Qingwu would not commit suicide.

If Yun Qingwu really committed suicide, he would definitely be hunted down by the demons. However, if he let Yun Qingwu off, he was bound to die.

Bet…

That was his only option.

He had used this tactic on Ping Yang before. Back then, even Ping Yang had given in.

However, Yun Qingwu…

Was a completely different person. This was a lady who wasn’t afraid to die.

“You… Fang Zhengzhi! You… even if I let you off today, do you really think that you will survive?” Yun Qingwu bit her lip as blood trickled from the corner.

She hesitated. After all, she was a member of the Yun Family, the current ruling family of the Demons. She could die, but she could not let her family name be tainted.

“From the moment you had Bai Xing attack me, did you want to let me live?” Fang Zhengzhi questioned.

“I…” Yun Qingwu went silent. If everything was traced back to the origin, it had all started from the moment she ordered Bai Xing to strike.

Furthermore, she knew why Bai Xing had failed.

Because…

She had failed too.

She had stabbed off to the side and missed his heart. Logically, she should not have missed at such a distance, but she missed.

Yun Qingwu had no idea what she was thinking. Perhaps her hand trembled, or maybe she knew that Fang Zhengzhi had a Heart Protection Mirror.

No matter what, she had missed the heart. That was why the blade hit home.

“How about we make a deal? Swear that you will not let the Demons hunt me down and I will let you go. How about that? Furthermore, as the young master of the demons, you should have some healing pills! Give me a couple! After all, we did spend some time together before!” Fang Zhengzhi laid out his terms.

After all, time was not on his side.

“Healing pills? Our time together?” Yun Qingwu had thought that she knew Fang Zhengzhi quite well. However, upon interacting with him again, she realized that it was impossible to follow his train of thought.

He was just threatening her a moment ago. Yet now, he was ready to talk terms, even bringing up their time together.

Most importantly, he was asking his enemy for healing pills?

Pills…

What were they?

“Yes, look at the amount of blood flowing out of my wound. I must stop it now, or… oh?” Fang Zhengzhi removed his hand from his chest.

Then, his gaze froze.

There was no more blood flowing out from the wound. Furthermore, the huge gash was healing at a rapid pace.

Chapter 401: The Double Dragon Roll Champion would shock the world, and bring peace to the world!

That feeling…

It was warm, almost as if his body had become a puddle of water. His wounds began to heal under the constant washing of this water.

The cells in his body were splitting and reassembling at a rapid pace. The dead cells were expelled and new ones took their place.

It was a strange but comfortable feeling.

“Super… Supernatural?”

Fang Zhengzhi thought about this instantly. He had seen this before. He had seen this when he successfully attacked Ying Shan in the World of the Sage.

He had used the Blazing Qilin Spear to stab Ying Shan in the back.

At that time, Ying Shan’s wound had healed just as quickly. That was the gist of the Supernatural State.

It was the ability to heal oneself.

“I broke through?!” Fang Zhengzhi was stunned. After realizing that what was happening now was real, he had thought that everything that he saw in the Heaven Dao Sage Tablet was just a dream.

In that dream, he had felt the cleanliness and the calm of the Heaven Dao Sage Tablet. He felt as though he had been cleansed.

But…

That was just a dream.

Did he really breakthrough in a dream?

Fang Zhengzhi was confused and lost. Could it be that the Heaven Dao Sage Tablet was not a dream? If it wasn’t a dream, what was it?

Was it a parallel dimension?

Did he just teleport?

Why would he enter that world? Where was that world? Was it inside his body? Or…

Questions flew through Fang Zhengzhi’s mind. He felt that this was rather inexplicable, but he could be sure of one thing.

He had broken through!

He had managed to break through to the Supernatural State!

Fang Zhengzhi looked at Yun Qingwu instinctively. He wanted to say that since his wound had healed, he wanted to change the terms to include valuables instead.

However, he could not bring himself to say it.

Yun Qingwu was stunned by what she saw. This was an emotion that was rarely seen in Yun Qingwu’s eyes.

After all, she was the young master of the Demons.

As the young master of the Demons, she should be calm and composed at all times. However, this time, she was utterly floored.

Yun Qingwu did not know what to think.

“Su… Super… natural?! You, you…” Yun Qingwu’s lips quivered in shock.

How old was Fang Zhengzhi?

No more than 16 years old!

And he was already in the Supernatural State! A 16 year old Supernatural State human?! How is that possible?

Bai Xing, Wu Ji, and all of the demon elites were equally stunned by what they witnessed.

Their gazes locked onto Fang Zhengzhi’s wound, which was closing up with each passing second. They knew what this meant.

“Supernatural State!”

“Fang Zhengzhi broke through to the Supernatural State?!”

“How is this possible?”

If there was one thing in this world that they could not bring themselves to believe, it was that Fang Zhengzhi had broken through to the Supernatural State.

This was something that should never have happened.

The entire Demon Race would be terrified by this news.

A 16-year-old Supernatural State human was a cause for fear. More importantly, this human was Fang Zhengzhi.

The unpredictable and shameless Fang Zhengzhi.

Most importantly, Fang Zhengzhi’s pocket dimension had limitless potential. He had the ability to take the world by storm.

Bai Xing was rarely terrified of the possibility of a human surviving.

Even Xing Yuanguo had never struck any fear in his heart. Letting Xing Yuanguo live was not a terrifying prospect.

However, when he saw Fang Zhengzhi’s wound healing, his hand began to tremble in fear.

A human can be a talent and a freak, but…

他不能妖孽到这种地步啊!

This was absolutely ridiculous!

…

As a Demon, Bai Xing’s fear was understandable. However, even the 50,000 Great Xia soldiers were terrified.

“Fang Zhengzhi broke through? He is in the Supernatural State!”

“That’s impossible!”

“Didn’t he say that he had 388 Daos in his pocket dimension? How could he breakthrough with these many Daos? Why is it so simple?”

“How long has it been since he broke through to the Heavenly Reflection State?”

All of the candidates were terrified as well. However, their terror was laced with depression and jealousy.

It felt like they had been spending their entire lives researching something…

They poured everything they had into it for over a decade. Yet, upon looking up, their 10-year-old younger brother was running to them with something similar. It was almost as if their younger brother was shouting, “Brother, look at what I made in two hours! Am I good?”

At that time…

Any normal person would reply the same way.

F*ck you!

My hard work and time have been wasted!

All of the candidates felt that way. They were once proud of their achievements, believing that they were more powerful than everyone around them. However, when faced with Fang Zhengzhi and his unprecedented breakthrough to the Supernatural State, their achievements meant nothing.

The pain was immense.

Chen Feiyu felt it more than anyone else.

Chen Feiyu’s feelings were inexplicable. If he could do it all over again, he would not break through to the Supernatural State and embarrass himself.

Xing Qingsui looked on with fear, surprise, and worry in his eyes.

Xing Yuanguo’s expression was similar to that of his son’s.

Xing Yuanguo looked as though he had just seen a star. He could not help but look at Fang Zhengzhi in admiration.

However, this star was so bright that it was hard for them to keep their eyes open.

“Did he breakthrough? He… broke through so quickly?” Xing Yuanguo was taken aback by what he saw.

Because…

There was no one else in the Great Xia Dynasty who could break through to the Supernatural State before the age of 16.

Did that mean that Fang Zhengzhi was the top talent?

Xing Yuanguo thought about the prophecy believed by everyone in the empire.

Did the prophecy still hold?

The Double Dragon Roll Champion would shock the world, and bring peace to the world!

“Supernatural State?! A Supernatural State cultivator with 388 Daos! Fang Zhengzhi… you have progressed faster than I expected!” Nangong Hao looked at Fang Zhengzhi.

He sheathed his sword.

However, his eyes continued to shine brightly. His battle intent was strong, a feeling that he rarely showed.

It was just like the time he had stood in front of Chi Guyan.

Nangong Hao had never compared anyone to Chi Guyan, not even when Fang Zhengzhi managed to go toe to toe against him.

But now…

He was eager to duel Fang Zhengzhi.

…

The rain continued to beat down on them.

Lightning continued to shoot across the sky, drawing huge cracks in the air and lighting up the ground below.

Yun Qingwu’s hands opened up.

The Spectre Blade in her hand fell to the ground with a loud clang.

Moments ago, she did not care about dying. Even if she was going to die here, it would not be overly painful.

However, when she saw Fang Zhengzhi’s wound heal completely, that determination disappeared like a puff of smoke.

The reason was that…

She could not die just yet.

Before this, she had thought that she had already done enough for the Demon Race. But now, she felt like she still had some unfinished business.

“I can make a deal with you, but there must be an expiry. Furthermore, there must be another condition placed on this expiry date.” Yun Qingwu began to speak, her tone clearly different.

Did she agree?

Fang Zhengzhi had thought that he would need to say something else to convince her. However, it was simpler than he thought.

An expiry date was to be expected.

The terms could be negotiated.

Just as he was about to speak, he felt his body turning to jelly, almost as if he had just been electrified.

It felt as though he had been drained of all his energy.

What was going on?

Fang Zhengzhi could guess that it had something to do with his Supernatural State. Afterall, he had heard that the healing required a large amount of energy.

That was to be expected.

It was extremely difficult for the cells to regenerate. In order to so, a large amount of energy must be used.

But, he was different!

He was different from others. Others may just have a lake worth of energy, but he had an entire ocean!

Speaking of which…

Where was his ocean?

Fang Zhengzhi entered his pocket dimension and realized something strange. The huge tree in his pocket dimension was visibly different.

It was taller and lusher.

More importantly, all of the fruits on the tree were glowing brightly, streams of light swirling on the skin.

There were patterns of mountains, rivers, and clouds on the fruits…

Improved?

Fang Zhengzhi could understand the changes to his tree. After all, he had just broken through, it was natural that the fruits on his tree had changed.

But…

Why did the sea disappear?

He couldn’t even find a single drop of water. The white mist that was so abundant in the sky had also disappeared without a trace.

He began to feel increasingly drowsy, so much so that he was struggling to open his eyes.

What was happening?

Why did his sea disappear?

Who used his sea?!

Hang on!

Those fruits…

Fang Zhengzhi saw a purple ray of light at last. That was the brightest light from his tree, and the fruit sat quietly at the top.

More importantly, the fruit had a small opening, and there was purple light swirling inside it, almost as if something was about to break out of the shell.

What was that?

Fang Zhengzhi did not manage to get a closer look. He exited from his pocket dimension, his legs turning to jelly.

Fang Zhengzhi had a sudden urge to fall to the ground.

“No, I haven’t discussed the terms of the deal!” Fang Zhengzhi shook his head vigorously in an attempt to wake himself up. However, he had lost all control of his body.

Damn, is he going to faint?

He can’t faint!

He had to last a little longer!

Fang Zhengzhi bit hard on his lip, a trickle of blood appearing instantly. This allowed him to regain some consciousness.

However, the drowsiness was too strong, so much so that he could not even stand up straight. His hand, which was on Yun Qingwu’s dress, slipped downwards.

“Mm…”

Fang Zhengzhi felt something soft. This feeling made him even more drowsy. Fang Zhengzhi was so drowsy that he could not be bothered by anything else.

“Yun Qingwu, I can’t hold on!”

He leaned forward and hugged Yun Qingwu, one of his hands on her chest, the other around her waist.

This was an extremely humiliating pose, but he knew that he had to do this to guarantee his survival after he fainted.

“Fang Zhengzhi, you shameless b*stard!” Yun Qingwu’s expression was cold. She did not move, allowing Fang Zhengzhi to continue touching her.

She had already decided that she had to live.

“Let’s talk… terms…” Fang Zhengzhi had no intention of dragging this out. He was going to faint at any time.

“I can order the demons not to hunt you down. But, it will only apply whilst you are still in the Southern Region. Furthermore, you cannot attack any demons during this time, else, the deal is forfeited…”

“Okay.” Fang Zhengzhi did not wait for Yun Qingwu to finish. In fact, he didn’t even hear what Yun Qingwu said.

Then, he face planted straight into the ground.

Chapter 402: Abilities

When everyone saw Fang Zhengzhi face plant into the ground, there was only one thought running through their minds.

“He fainted?!”

“Fang Zhengzhi… fainted?!”

All of them could not understand what was going on. It felt as though they had ordered a hooker only to find out that the hooker was a guy!

This was…

Completely inexplicable.

Wasn’t he supposed to kill off the young master of the Demons? Wasn’t he supposed to save them from destruction? Most importantly, he had just broken through to the Supernatural State!

Limitless glory and fame were ripe for the picking. All he needed to do was reach out and take it.

Everything would have been resolved.

But…

Fang Zhengzhi fainting had thrown a spanner in the works.

Could he still live?

When they saw Fang Zhengzhi’s wound heal, almost everyone thought that his life was guaranteed. After all, if he could go up against a Rebirth State Demon as a Heavenly Reflection State cultivator…

His powers as a Supernatural State cultivator were unimaginable.

Without thinking about anything else…

Staying alive!

Should not have been a huge problem.

But what now?

Bai Xing’s eyes were exploding with a bright starry light. He had been suppressing his rage and terror all this while.

But, when he saw what happened to Fang Zhengzhi, he let it all out.

He had never believed in luck. However, when he saw Fang Zhengzhi faint in such a mysterious manner, he had a feeling.

Perhaps…

He was a lucky demon after all.

It wasn’t just Bai Xing. Even Wu Ji and the dozens of demon elites had the same feeling. They saw a glimmer of hope.

The person who had been humiliating their young master had just fainted to the ground!

Most importantly, that human was a talent.

Someone who was so ridiculously talented that he could break through to the Supernatural State at 16.

“Kill!” Bai Xing’s eyes were red with excitement and fury. If not for the fact that he was surrounded by so many others, he would have wept tears of joy.

This was awesome!

That b*stard fainted!

Kill him quickly!

This was what Bai Xing, Wu Ji, and all the other demon elites thought. All of them unsheathed their blades and rushed towards the cliff.

On the cliff, the rain continued to beat down on Yun Qingwu.

Her chest and waist were still warm from Fang Zhengzhi’s touch. She was still blushing from the humiliation.

Shameless, shameless, shameless!

She kept repeating these words in her heart.

But now, she did not need to continue thinking about this. Fang Zhengzhi had fainted. He was now at her mercy.

Comically, this lamb had just been holding on to her for support moments ago. He had also tried to ask for a deal and medicine.

Now…

How was she going to kill him?

Yun Qingwu looked at Fang Zhengzhi’s hands. The first thing she wanted to do was cut off his hands.

These hands had taken off her veil more than once. Furthermore, he had done so in front of so many people!

Then, she would gouge his eyes out!

Those eyes had seen her too many times, she had to gouge them out.

Those were the first thoughts in Yun Qingwu’s mind. However, another thought entered her mind just as quickly.

No!

She had already promised him that she would not kill him or hunt him down whilst he was still in the Southern Region. This was a matter of honor.

Most importantly…

He did not kill her!

Yun Qingwu rarely hesitated, but she hesitated this time. On one hand, she felt that she had to take this opportunity to kill Fang Zhengzhi.

However, she reminded herself that her life was once in Fang Zhengzhi’s hands. Fang Zhengzhi had not killed her then. If she were to take advantage of the situation and kill Fang Zhengzhi now…

Then…

She would blame herself for the rest of her life.

“I had sworn on this, I must keep my promise!”

“But, I can’t let him off… if I let him off now, I may not have such a good opportunity in the future. He is too dangerous. Furthermore, he has humiliated me, I can’t let him live!”

“What should I do?”

Yun Qingwu clenched and unclenched her fists repeatedly, her eyes glimmering. She stared at Fang Zhengzhi, her breathing intensifying.

“Young master!”

“Young master, are you alright?”

“Young master, leave Fang Zhengzhi to us!”

Just as Yun Qingwu hesitated, figures appeared next to her. Bai Xing, Wu Ji, and the demon elites turned to Yun Qingwu.

They were no longer anxious or terrified.

All of the demons were excited and joyous. They had been thrown a lifeline.

“Fang Zhengzhi… prepare to meet your maker!” Bai Xing raised his hand, a silver ray of light in his palm.

“Hold it!” Yun Qingwu’s voice rang out at that moment.

“Young master?” Bai Xing’s hand stopped in mid-air, the silver ray of light preparing to hit Fang Zhengzhi.

“Let him go.” Yun Qingwu ordered.

“Why? Young master!” Bai Xing’s expression was filled with doubt. This was the first time he had questioned orders from Yun Qingwu.

“I said let him go!” Yun Qingwu’s tone was icy.

“Young master, I have never questioned your orders, but this time… you must give me a reason!” Bai Xing’s gaze froze.

“Are you going against my orders?”

“I do not dare. I know the consequences of insubordination. However, I am willing to give up my life to take his!” Bai Xing’s eyes were filled with determination.

“Young master, I am willing to do the same!”

“Me too!”

All of the demon elites fell to one knee, their green demonic eyes glowing in the rain.

“How dare you! I had already made a deal with him not to chase him down whilst he is still in the Southern Regions! Do you want me to break my promises?” Yun Qingwu bellowed.

“Young master!”

“Young master, please think twice. Fang Zhengzhi cannot be allowed to live!”

“Young master, please give the order to kill Fang Zhengzhi!”

All of the demon elites looked at each other after hearing what Yun Qingwu said. Then, they replied in unison.

“Young master, I will take responsibility for the dishonor. I made up my own mind and disobeyed your orders. However, I hope that young master can spare my family!” Bai Xing’s eyes were filled with an icy aura as the silver light in his hand glowed radiantly.

Yun Qingwu’s expression changed.

She did not expect that Bai Xing would be this determined. She did not expect that he was prepared to disobey her orders.

The silver light in Bai Xing’s palm beamed.

Yun Qingwu knew how powerful this strike was going to be. If it hit home, even the Supernatural State Fang Zhengzhi would not be able to survive.

“Bai Xing, don’t you dare!” Yun Qingwu stepped between Bai Xing and Fang Zhengzhi, her expression steely.

“Young master!” Bai Xing’s hand stopped in mid-air, his expression filled with anxiety and disbelief.

Fang Zhengzhi was ripe for the picking.

If he missed this opportunity, he may not have another one. This was an unprecedented chance.

As such…

How could he miss it?

He had to kill Fang Zhengzhi!

He had to destroy this potential threat to the Demons. This was something that he had to do. However, Yun Qingwu was in his way! How could he strike?

“Capture Bai Xing!” Yun Qingwu’s voice was icy.

“Young master, please let Domain Chief Bai off!”

“Young master, please spare him!”

All of the demon elites looked at Bai Xing and Yun Qingwu and began to plead on Bai Xing’s behalf.

“I have controlled the Star Domain for more than a decade. Since I have disobeyed the orders of the young master, my death is imminent. However, I must kill Fang Zhengzhi. Is there anyone else who is willing to die with me? Help me hold down the young master whilst I take care of Fang Zhengzhi!” Bai Xing bit his lip and drew blood.

“Domain Chief Bai, I will die with you!”

“Me too!”

Two demon elites stood forward.

“What is this rubbish! Whoever dares to disobey the young master is going up against the entire Demon Race. Do you think that your death will change anything?” Wu Ji’s voice rang out, his sword lowered at the two demon elites who stepped forward.

The expressions of the two demon elites changed.

They were loyal to Yun Qingwu, but when they saw Fang Zhengzhi faint, their emotions got the better of them.

They had the same idea as Bai Xing.

Fang Zhengzhi had to die!

They knew the consequences of insubordination…

However, when Wu Ji had spelled it out…

Their determination wavered.

Death…

Would not be enough to wash the slate clean.

Insubordination was akin to rebelling. A demon like this would go down in infamy. Generations of demons would shame and demean such a demon.

Hesitation, terror.

“Young master, my apologies!”

“Please forgive us!”

The two demons fell to their knees and kowtowed to Yun Qingwu.

When Bai Xing saw this, he chuckled rather manically. He had expected this to happen.

Yun Qingwu!

She had become the young master of the demons at the age of 10. She was not particularly talented. To be more precise, her talents were not in cultivation.

The Demons prized ability above all else.

Ability and prowess gave you status amongst the Demons.

However, Yun Qingwu had shown them another type of ability, an ability that was terrifying. This was an ability that made everyone willing to serve her.

When she was five, Yun Qingwu was sent to a neighboring city many miles from the Blood Shadow City. That was a city which was extremely barren.

Five years later…

Yun Qingwu had made that outpost a bustling city.

The security around that outpost was not less than the Blood Shadow City. She was not particularly powerful, but her subordinates included countless powerful demons.

Each of them masters in their own rights.

However, all of these powerful demons were willing to serve a 10-year-old girl.

No one in the Blood Shadow City knew how she had managed to accomplish all of this.

However, they knew that Yun Qingwu’s return to the Blood Shadow City was not out of pity or talent…

It was ability!

After the defeat, the Demons had been trapped in the Blood Shadow City and embroiled in civil war.

In five years, Yun Qingwu had managed to stop all the infighting and set up the Six Domain Demonic Army.

When she returned to the Blood Shadow City…

There were countless powerful demons standing behind her. All of them were loyal to her and her alone.

Talents?

The Demons had countless talents!

But they only had one Yun Qingwu.

Yun Qingwu did not use her talents in cultivation to re-enter the Blood Shadow City. She had used her ability to unite the Demons.

That year, she was 10.

The Demon Lord, the leaders of all the four largest families, all of the reputable demons, and all the talents stood at the entrance to the Blood Shadow City.

They waited to receive their new young master!

“Capture Bai Xing!” Yun Qingwu’s voice was icy, her aura enough to scare most demons into submission.

“Young master… I have been with you since you were seven. I have never disobeyed any of your orders. But this time, I really cannot listen to you!” Bai Xing’s eyes sparkled. It was almost as if the stars in the skies were captured by his eyes.

At this moment, a ray of light shot down from the sky.

A figure stepped forward.

Chapter 403: Xuan Heavenly Dao Body

When that ray of light shot to the Earth, everyone rubbed their eyes in shock, including Yun Qingwu.

At that moment, Yun Qingwu’s expression changed slightly.

She did not expect that Bai Xing would still go ahead with his plan and attack Fang Zhengzhi.

However, she quickly realized…

Something wasn’t quite right.

That starlight felt different. Every Dao had its own unique point. Even though Bai Xing’s Dao manifested as starlight, it was filled with sharpness.

But…

This starlight was filled with grandeur. It felt as though a million constellations had gathered at a single point. If Bai Xing’s Dao was a single star.

This was the entire galaxy.

“Who is this?” Yun Qingwu turned to look at the figure. However, she did not move from her spot. As the young master of the Demons, she would never retreat.

Wu Ji and the demon elites all looked at Bai Xing, but their attention was quickly drawn towards the approaching figure.

It was a dainty figure.

Nowhere near as tall as they expected. However, when she appeared on the cliff, she did not show any trace of fear.

Her pink dress danced in the wind, her waterfall-esque hair resting on her shoulders.

This lady’s eyes were bright, almost as if they contained entire constellations. To be more precise, it felt as if her eyes were made of stars.

Her legs were long, her skin fair and flawless. Her lips were luscious and soft.

Yun Qingwu was beautiful.

But Yun Qingwu’s beauty came from her inability to be affected by anything around her. This lady’s beauty came from her starry bright eyes and her brightness.

Her name was…

Chi Guyan!

“Chi Guyan?!” Yun Qingwu’s expression changed. Her emotions were inexplicable, but she did not even feel this way when Fang Zhengzhi was humiliating her.

She was not alone. Even Bai Xing, Wu Ji, and the demon elites looked on in disbelief.

All of the demon elites took a step back instinctively. They did not even notice it themselves.

If Yun Qingwu was the most powerful lady in their hearts.

Then Chi Guyan was the brightest star amongst all the humans. This name was sufficient to strike fear in the bravest of hearts.

“Chi Guyan!”

“It’s Chi Guyan!”

“Chi Guyan is here!”

All of the candidates looked at Chi Guyan. They did not ask why Chi Guyan had come to the Southern Region, neither did they think about how she got there.

When it came to Chi Guyan, nothing was impossible.

It continued to pour.

Nangong Hao, who was carrying the Standstill Sword on his back, looked at Chi Guyan quietly.

His expression was strange.

Normally, when a guy laid eyes on a lady, there were only two emotions. Either he liked her or he did not. However, Nangong Hao’s expression was neither.

It felt like a mix of both.

“She… also broke through!” Nangong Hao did not think about why Chi Guyan was here. All he did was say something that no one else would say.

However, he did not notice that his voice was quivering when he said this. In fact, his lips were quivering as well.

…

“Yo!”

Just as everyone was focused on Chi Guyan, a crisp voice cut through the air. Then, a snow-white figure burst through the clouds. It was a humongous, winged beast.

A pair of fiery red eyes looked down at the crowd on the cliff. The feathers were not just feathers, they were snow like scales. This beast looked like an eagle.

However, there was one main difference. It had a long tail, almost like that of a phoenix, and it glimmered like crystals.

Snow Wind Eagle.

This was a rare beast. Even members of the royal family rarely got their hands on one.

This was a beast that had the blood of the ancient phoenix running through it.

Furthermore…

It could fly through intense winds. It’s stamina and speed also meant that it could cover unparalleled distances.

Rare and ferocious.

There was someone riding on its back. This figure was wearing a bright red armor. She pouted as she looked down.

This was also a lady.

She was even younger than Chi Guyan, but she was immensely arrogant.

Ping Yang!

The favorite princess of the Emperor.

Ping Yang looked down and saw Fang Zhengzhi’s limp body. She smirked contentedly.

“Shameless fella, I see you still need me to come and save you?” Ping Yang nagged but she had no intention of dismounting.

This was a deal.

A deal that she made so that she could come to the Southern Region.

This was a deal she made with Chi Guyan. Chi Guyan was the only person who Ping Yang would listen to.

The torrential rain continued its assault.

Chi Guyan stood quietly on the cliff as she looked around. Her gaze finally rested on the unconscious Fang Zhengzhi.

“Leave Fang Zhengzhi here, you can all leave.” Chi Guyan spoke. Her voice was not loud, but it was melodious.

A human.

A single human standing in the face of dozens of demon elites.

Yet, the first thing she said was, “Leave Fang Zhengzhi here, you can all leave”. In any other situation, this would be comical, but Yun Qingwu was not laughing.

None of the demons were laughing.

Because the person who said it was Chi Guyan.

“You can all leave, leave Fang Zhengzhi here.” Yun Qingwu’s voice was not loud, and she used the same words as Chi Guyan.

The words were the same, but the meaning was completely different.

The rain continued to pummel them all.

Neither Chi Guyan nor Yun Qingwu spoke. They knew that there was no need to speak anymore.

A ray of light shot through the sky, then a second, third and fourth appeared…

Within moments, the dark sky was illuminated. To be more precise, these rays of light had pierced through and covered the dark clouds.

Silver rays of light shot towards the ground, intertwining with the raindrops, almost as though they were infusing the raindrops with light.

It was a beautiful sight.

However, when Wu Ji and the demon elites saw this, their expressions were filled with shock and disbelief.

Within moments, lights shone from the bodies of the demons. They were of different colors, but it was their most powerful forces.

“Boom!”

“Boom boom boom…”

Explosions rang out all over the sky. Every explosion was accompanied by a terrifying tremor. Furthermore, the sounds were enough to send chills down everyone’s spine.

This feeling…

It was almost as though the rain had become rays of light. In other words, the rain had become lightswords.

The Million Sword Illustration!

The secret art of the Divine Constabulary.

Fang Zhengzhi had seen it once. At that time, he had understood Dao would give rise to one. One would become two, two becomes three, and it would keep going on!

This was the gist of the Million Sword Illustration.

If he could open his eyes now, he would realize that this was the Million Sword Illustration, but it was Chi Guyan’s version.

Torrential rain!

Could not become lightswords.

However, lightswords could become torrential rain!

The lightswords fused with the raindrops, the purple lightning in the clouds, the wind blowing across the cliff…

“Xuan Heavenly Dao Body”

“Is this the power of the Xuan Heavenly Dao Body?!”

“No, this is not just the Xuan Heavenly Dao Body! With such power… she is definitely not in the Heavenly Reflection State!”

“Protect the young master!”

All of the demon elites paled. They knew how powerful Chi Guyan was in the Great Xia Dynasty.

She was the top-ranked talent on the two Dragon Rolls. She was the one mentioned in the prophecy, the future general of the Great Xia Dynasty.

However, this was all in the future.

Right now…

She should just be a talent in the Heavenly Reflection State. However, the lightswords said otherwise. She had broken through the barriers of the Heavenly Reflection State.

“Supernatural State!”

“Is Chi Guyan also in the Supernatural State?!”

Chapter 404: I am still a Demon

If Fang Zhengzhi’s breakthrough had instilled fear and shock in the Demons, Chi Guyan’s abilities instilled terror, unparalleled terror.

If Fang Zhengzhi was a threat to the Demon race, so was Chi Guyan!

Even though all of the Demons knew that Chi Guyan was a threat two years ago. However, when they saw how much she had progressed, their hearts still trembled in fear.

Fang Zhengzhi was in the Supernatural State!

Chi Guyan had also broken through to the Supernatural State!

Did the Demon race still have a future?

All of the demons had no other choice but to suppress these thoughts. The blood in their hearts was already boiling.

Supernatural State demons were elites in their own rights. However, when they were facing Chi Guyan, they felt like they were nothing.

“Sh*t!”

“Ah…”

Blood and screams filled the air.

The lightswords penetrated their bodies and exploded inside their bodies. Then, the injuries were reopened by additional lightswords before they could heal.

Wu Ji watched on ferociously.

As a Rebirth State Demon, he had the abilities and ego of a Rebirth State cultivator. He wanted to capture Chi Guyan when he saw the ray of light shooting earthward.

But, it was a fleeting thought.

Because…

After he found out that Chi Guyan had broken through to the Supernatural State, he was not confident of succeeding. Even if he teamed up with Bai Xing…

Their success was not guaranteed.

Generally, any probability above 50% was worth a shot, but he could not go for it this time. He had another important mission.

Protect Yun Qingwu.

Could the dozens of demon elites protect Yun Qingwu?

Definitely!

However, they were struggling to protect themselves. What if Yun Qingwu was still injured despite their best efforts?

But if the two Rebirth State Demons joined the fray…

Even Chi Guyan’s powerful attack would not be able to harm Yun Qingwu.

Chi Guyan knew this. As such, she used the Million Sword Illustration and combined it with the rain. This ensured that Wu Ji had to spend his effort protecting Yun Qingwu.

As for Bai Xing…

She had placed herself right in front of Bai Xing. Since she did not move, Bai Xing could not move.

Yun Qingwu’s expression was icy.

She knew that Chi Guyan would possibly appear here, but she did not expect that Chi Guyan would be in the Supernatural State. Neither did she expect that Fang Zhengzhi would breakthrough here.

“Two Supernatural… Supernatural State talents?” Yun Qingwu looked at Chi Guyan and Fang Zhengzhi as she heard the screams around her.

A look of helplessness flashed across her eyes.

This should have never appeared. After all, she was the young master of the demons, someone who was immensely powerful and intelligent!

When she was 10 years old…

Yun Qingwu had led the armies of six of the demonic domains back to the Blood Shadow City, stunning the entire race.

Six domains of soldiers.

Loyal to the 10-year-old Yun Qingwu.

How scary was that?!

On the second day, her father had given her command of the remaining four domain armies in front of the four most influential families.

On that day, the Demon Lord had only one request.

On that day, Yun Qingwu had sworn to the Demon ancestors that she would serve the Demons till her last breath!

“Young master, leave Fang Zhengzhi to us! You should leave first!”

“Protect her retreat!”

“Ah… young master, please go!”

Voices rang out from atop the cliff as blood mixed with the rain. The dozens of demon elites continued to struggle and scream…

Yun Qingwu’s body shivered.

It wasn’t because the Million Sword Illustration had injured her. In fact, she had been standing in the same spot throughout…

But the lightswords could not hurt her.

Because…

She was being protected by the dozens of demon elites as well as Wu Ji.

“Young master, don’t hesitate any longer!”

“Young master, please leave first!”

“Young master, we will bring back Fang Zhengzhi, even if it costs us our lives!”

Their voices were filled with anxiety and loyalty. They were willing to lay down their lives for her.

“Go?” Yun Qingwu raised her head and looked at the rays of silver light dropping from the heavens.

How powerful!

That thought flashed past Yun Qingwu’s mind. Even though she admired Chi Guyan’s power…

Xuan Heavenly Dao Body…

Supernatural State!

The top talent of the generation!

Powerful, really very powerful!

How powerful would a Supernatural State talent with 388 Daos be?!

Yun Qingwu looked at the prone figure next to her. Fang Zhengzhi was there…

No one was closer to him than Yun Qingwu.

When Fang Zhengzhi fainted, he was still holding onto Yun Qingwu’s leg…

The lightswords continued to fall to the ground.

Yun Qingwu was not hurt and neither was Fang Zhengzhi. After all, Fang Zhengzhi was right beside her.

I am… a demon!

Yun Qingwu’s lips twitched as she looked at Fang Zhengzhi. She saw that he was still unconscious and her eyes glimmered.

I swore that I will not let the Demon Race kill you, but I never said that I would not do it myself!” Yun Qingwu’s voice rang out.

At the same time, her feet moved.

The movement was not big.

However, it was enough to kick the unconscious Fang Zhengzhi…

Off the cliff!

There wasn’t much sound, but there was already a figure tumbling down the side of the cliff.

“Let the heavens decide your fate!”

…

In the sky, the Snow Wind Eagle shrieked and shot down from the sky like a comet.

Ping Yang would not watch idly by as Fang Zhengzhi tumbled down the cliff.

As such…

She decided to show off her abilities as a princess.

However, she underestimated the Demons behind Yun Qingwu. They were willing to die for her.

Just as Fang Zhengzhi was tumbling down the cliff, two figures in black jumped off the cliff along with his body to block Ping Yang.

“No one can interfere with the young master’s decision!”

“Let me go!”

The two black figures did not follow Fang Zhengzhi. Fang Zhengzhi’s fate was in Yun Qingwu’s hands.

Since Yun Qingwu had made her decision, no one could be allowed to interfere.

Two rays of light beamed.

They unsheathed their blades and charged towards the Snow Wind Eagle. They jumped right in front of the eagle.

They were not slower than the Snow Wind Eagle.

However, the Snow Wind Eagle had the upper ground.

“Boom!”

The ensuing crash was resounding.

“Aroo!” The Snow Wind Eagle shrieked and spread its wings. After its clash with the demons, it flew back into the sky.

Ping Yang’s jaw dropped because she never thought that there would be demons prepared to block her advance.

This moment of lapse…

Meant that the opportunity had lapsed.

The Snow Wind Eagle would not risk further injury to try and rescue Fang Zhengzhi. After all, its main mission was to ensure Ping Yang’s safety.

As such, after being blocked by two Supernatural State Demons, it chose to turn back and fly to the sky.

Chi Guyan wanted to move.

However, Bai Xing was standing in front of her. If Bai Xing didn’t move, neither could she.

“Save him!” Chi Guyan’s voice rang out from the cliff. This time, her tone was filled with anxiety.

She was truly anxious.

The candidates heard Chi Guyan’s voice but they could not save Fang Zhengzhi. They were too far away.

Xing Qingsui wanted to save him too, but he was commanding the 50,000 strong army towards the gates of the Icy Monkey Settlement. He could not appear on the cliff.

Xing Yuanguo was fast, but even his speed was insufficient to punch through 100,000 soldiers and turn up next to Fang Zhengzhi.

Neither could Nangong Hao.

Every member of the Great Xia army wanted to save him.

But…

The ones at the bottom of the cliff were not soldiers of the Great Xia.

The Great Xia army had been surrounded from the start. That area was firmly in the hands of the Southern Region soldiers.

Chapter 405: Wait and see

Would the Southern Region soldiers save Fang Zhengzhi?

Clearly not.

They were ordered to cooperate with the Demons and surround the Great Xia army at the gates of the Icy Monkey Settlement. As such, even though they may not follow the orders of the young master of the Demons, they would not go against it.

However, the soldiers from Feng Su did not represent the all of the soldiers of the Southern Range.

If there was a group that could go through both armies without being stopped…

It would be Teng Shisheng’s 500 Silver Horned Wolf Cavalry.

The Great Xia soldiers have seen Fang Zhengzhi command this group in battle. As such, they would not strike at the cavalry.

The Southern Region soldiers also knew better than to attack. The Silver Horned Wolf Cavalry were the elites of the Southern Region. They represented the authority of Princess Shan Yu.

From the moment the Southern Region soldiers appeared, Teng Shisheng acted as though he was an outsider.

No one would attack his group.

Even though he was surrounded by Great Xia and Southern Region soldiers, he could confidently stay out of the fray.

During this entire time, Teng Shisheng had only done one thing. He had shadowed Fang Zhengzhi.

Like a wolf waiting for the opportune moment to strike.

Fang Zhengzhi’s battle with Nangong Hao’s battle was risky, so Teng Shisheng did not interfere. When Fang Zhengzhi was slapped by Yan Xiu, a golden opportunity was presented to him.

However, Yan Xiu continued to guard Fang Zhengzhi afterward. This opportunity… lapsed.

Then, Fang Zhengzhi had defeated Shi Kou and got embroiled in a duel with Wu Ji. Teng Shisheng was only in the Supernatural State, so he could not strike.

Wait!

He continued to wait.

He waited for Fang Zhengzhi to charge up the cliff. He never gave up, patiently waiting for his opportunity. He made sure that he was not too far away throughout the entire sequence.

When Fang Zhengzhi charged up the cliff, he chose to take up a position at the foot of the cliff. He could see Fang Zhengzhi if he raised his head.

Was it difficult?

It may have been difficult for others but it was no issue for the Silver Horned Wolf Cavalry. All of the Southern Region soldiers opened up a path for them to pass through.

In truth, this had something to do with their status, but it had more to do with their stallions.

After all…

No one wanted to be too close to a ferocious Silver Horned Wolf.

As such, when the 500 Silver Horned Wolf Cavalry passed through, no one dared to step within a two-meter radius.

Teng Shisheng had been waiting for a long time.

Even though he was beginning to lose hope, he did not give up. After all, he was riding a Silver Horned Wolf and had its animalistic nature.

He was never going to lose sight of his goals.

“Aroo!” A loud roar rang out in the sky. At the same time, a huge figure leaped skyward as thousands watched on.

That figure leaped high up into the sky. Everyone on the ground could see it clearly.

Then…

The figure landed on the ground and began sprinting away without a moment’s hesitation. It charged straight towards Feng Su, hundreds of equally hulking figures following behind.

“Aroo!”

“Aroo!”

The beasts roared as they sped away, They were the Silver Horned Wolf Cavalry.

Stunned! Dumbfounded!

At that moment, there was no other sound in the sky except for the roars of the beasts, the thunder, and the torrential rain.

Everyone knew who was that figure who leaped into the sky.

Teng Shisheng!

The leader of the 500 Silber Horned Wolf Cavalry.

The Southern Region soldiers always knew the cavalry as heroes and courageous soldiers. Why would they save Fang Zhengzhi?

All of them wondered to themselves. Then, they began to ask themselves where Teng Shisheng was bringing Fang Zhengzhi.

Why would the Silver Horned Wolf Cavalry run towards the entrance of Feng Su?

No one could answer their questions.

Neither would Teng Shisheng. He began to scream commands at the soldiers around him, “Move aside, quickly! All of you, move aside!”

They could all hear that Teng Shisheng was in a rush.

This was indeed the case. Even though he had managed to get his hands on Fang Zhengzhi, it did not mean that he would be able to escape.

“Yo!” A crisp voice could be heard above Teng Shisheng as a huge shadow began circling overhead.

“Put down the shameless fella!” Ping Yang’s voice could be heard.

“Don’t bother about her, just run!” Teng Shisheng ordered his cavalry without hesitation. Capturing Fang Zhengzhi was their true mission.

As for Ping Yang…

They did not have to worry about her. Feng Su was a narrow place and the Snow Wind Eagle would never be able to make its way in. The only thing it could do was circle overhead.

“Yes, sir!” The 500 Silver Horned Wolf Cavalry replied in unison.

All of the Southern Region soldiers opened up a path for them. They could not stop the Silver Horned Wolf Cavalry. They only listened to one person.

That person was…

Shan Yu!

…

At the entrance to the Icy Monkey Settlement, all of the soldiers continued to be rooted to the ground. That had all happened too quickly.

They were unable to respond in time.

The fact was Fang Zhengzhi had been saved by Teng Shisheng. They were speeding towards Feng Su at this very moment.

“He is now in the hands of the Southern Region. Father, what do we do now?” Xing Qingsui looked at Xing Yuanguo worriedly.

“It’s still better than having him in the hands of the Demons. Take the Icy Monkey Settlement first. If we can win this battle, the Southern Region will no longer be the enemy,” Xing Yuanguo’s gaze turned icy. As the commander, he had to maintain his calm and composure.

“I understand!” Xing Qingsui nodded.

He could see the determination to kill Fang Zhengzhi in the eyes of the Demons. Thus, Fang Zhengzhi still had value to the Southern Region.

As such…

Until he was no longer useful, Fang Zhengzhi’s life should not be in much danger.

“Kill!” Xing Yuanguo bellowed.

“Kill!”

“Kill!”

“…”

All of the Great Xia soldiers, Mountain Breaking Army, and the Dragon Protection Squad sprung into action. They threw themselves in the direction of the gates of the Icy Monkey Settlement.

The Southern Region soldiers also began their defense.

However, without their general, they could not put up a resistance in the face of such a well-oiled killing machine.

…

On the cliff, Yun Qingwu looked at the figure on Teng Shisheng’s back. She had been watching in from the beginning.

All of the Demon elites, as well as Bai Xing and Wu Ji, turned to look at Yun Qingwu. They were waiting for her orders.

However, Yun Qingwu did not give any.

From the moment she kicked Fang Zhengzhi off the cliff, she had not uttered a single word.

The torrential rain of lightswords also stopped.

However, the rain itself did not stop. A white dress and a pink one danced in the wind, almost like two flowers in the rain.

“Aren’t you going to chase after them?” Yun Qingwu finally spoke, almost as though she was talking to herself. However, everyone knew that Yun Qingwu’s emotions were not stable.

“I do not want you to chase.” Chi Guyan’s gaze also flickered towards the figure speeding away from them, as well as the circling Snow Wind Eagle overhead.

“I see. I understand.” Yun Qingwu followed Chi Guyan’s gaze and saw the Snow Wind Eagle in the sky.

“Are you leaving?” Chi Guyan looked at Yun Qingwu.

“Yes, what about you?”

“Not right now.”

“If you don’t leave now, it may not be convenient to leave next time.”

“We can only know what will happen in the future when it happens.” Chi Guyan remained calm.

“Then… we will wait and see.” Yun Qingwu nodded lightly, then turned and walked down the cliff.

“Wait and see.” Chi Guyan nodded, showing no intention of staying.

…

Having lost their general in the heat of battle, the Southern Region’s formation was broken and the outcome was all but determined.

The soldiers of the Southern Region may not be afraid of death, but that did not mean that they wanted to die.

When the deputies saw the general fall, all of the soldiers were in disarray. Finally, the gates to the Icy Monkey Settlement were breached by the Mountain Breaking Army.

The 50,000 strong Great Xia army rushed into the Icy Monkey Settlement, locking the Southern Region soldiers outside.

At this point, the Southern Region soldiers had two choices.

They could continue guarding the entrance to the Icy Monkey Settlement, or they could retreat through Feng Su.

It did not take long for them to decide on the second option. After all, it was impossible for them to choose the first option.

They were out of rations!

That was the key factor.

Those soldiers rushing out of the Icy Monkey Settlement would naturally not bring rations out with them!

The soldiers coming from Feng Su were also out of rations.

They had only brought enough rations for the duration of the battle. After all, they were coming for an ambush and could not carry so many rations.

Furthermore…

The Icy Monkey Settlement had plenty of rations.

Why would they bother bringing more?

The Southern Region soldiers had no rations, whilst the Great Xia soldiers had rations to last them a couple of years. As such, retreat was the only logical option.

“Retreat!”

All of the deputies gave the order to retreat, bringing the battle to an end. This was an intense battle with huge losses.

The soldiers began picking up the bodies of their fallen comrades.

Those bodies were disfigured beyond recognition and some were missing limbs. However, the Southern Region soldiers never left a body behind, even if it was just a limb.

Because…

This was the Southern Region.

This was a place that ferocious beasts roamed. A warrior could die on the battlefield, but they would never allow a comrade to be food.

The Southern Regions were considered barbaric.

They were brave, and they would never leave a fallen comrade on the battlefield. Even though they had lost, even though they were shivering from the cold…

They did not retreat quickly. On the contrary, their retreat was slow.

After they finished retreating, the gates to the Icy Monkey Settlement opened once again and wooden carts were rolled out. Armored bodies began to fill the carts.

However, other than bodies, the wooden carts were filled with armor and spears, which were scattered all over the battlefield.

As an army fighting in a foreign land…

The Great Xia soldiers had to conserve their resources so that they had enough to continue fighting.

As such, armor and spears were a necessity!

This was war.

The cold, cruel truth of war. War was brutal to both the victorious and the fallen.

Night fell and the rain stopped.

There were little streams forming in the ground as the smell of blood filled the air, lingering on despite the rain stopping.

“Aroo!” A crisp howl could be heard.

Balls of flames rose up from the Icy Monkey Settlement. That was the flame that carried the souls of the fallen back home.

“War, war, the brutal cruelties of war!” A voice rang out in the night, filled with anger and mourning.

However, the voice came from the entrance of the Icy Monkey Settlement, not from inside. This seemed rather strange.

“The official is here, the war is over.” Another voice could be heard. This voice was rather confident and proud.

“Mm, get the soldiers guarding the gates to open them!” A figure walked forward. He arrived at the entrance of the settlement and frowned as he saw the blood.

“Yes!” Another figure also walked forward. That was a middle-aged man in bright armor. He squinted as he looked up at the gates, his face filled with arrogance.

Chapter 406: Critical Situation

After the middle-aged man stopped moving, synchronized footsteps could be heard as hundreds of armored figures stood solemnly in the dark.

They were clearly a squad of guards.

Furthermore, their armor showed that they were from the Great Xia.

“The Minister of Rites is here with a decree from the Emperor! Open the gates!” A voice pierced through the night sky.

“Minister of Rites?! Why will the Minister of Rites come here?” A head popped out from the city walls and looked down at the squad doubtfully.

“The Emperor’s Decree is here! Open the gates!”

“It really is an Emperor’s Decree. Report to Xing Hou immediately!”

…

Even though the soldiers of the Great Xia had managed to emerge victorious in the battle at the Icy Monkey Settlement, they were still trapped.

The Stable Mountain Gate had been breached and tens of thousands have been held prisoner. Furthermore, the Crown Prince was surrounded, leaving this army to fend for themselves.

The Great Xia would be unable to reinforce them in the near future.

As such…

The surviving 40,000 soldiers only had two choices. They could either wait for reinforcements here, or they could follow the initial plan and strike at the heart of the Southern Regions.

Prima facie…

The first option was not bad at all. They could prevent further losses and the rations in the Icy Monkey Settlement could last a long time.

However, no smart man would choose this option.

What was the Icy monkey Settlement?

This was one of the six great settlements apart from the Sagely Mountain City!

This was foreign territory. To put it even more plainly, threats to their lives were everywhere.

Even though they had control over the Icy Monkey Settlement, that was about all they had. It would be virtually impossible for them to hold this position.

The citizens here would never cooperate with the Great Xia. To make matters worse, they may even cause disruptions during the defence.

Furthermore…

Season and weather were a concern.

Winter was coming, and the soldiers of the Great Xia weren’t prepared for it. If the battle dragged on, they would all freeze to death.

Rob?

This was not a bad idea. However, if they really did that, Xing Yuanguo would immediately execute the culprits.

They were effectively left with one choice.

The would stab straight at the Sagely Mountain City.

40,000 soldiers was not an extremely powerful force. However, with the Dragon Protection Squad and the Mountain Breaking Army, they had a decent chance.

Of course…

They needed the element of surprise.

In other words, they had to be quick. They needed to strike before news of the Southern Region Defeat reached the Sagely Mountain City.

They had to strike before defences could be set up.

They would attack the city and seal the victory for the Great Xia Dynasty.

In actual fact, this was the Emperor’s plan from the start. Of course, the number of soldiers was insufficient, but for the Great Xia to send millions of soldiers…

That would be impossible.

Without even considering the losses and the costs, the terrain itself was the biggest unknown. It would be like throwing thousands of lions into a forest.

The sheer numbers who would get lost were enough.

They were unfamiliar with the terrain. Coupled with the ferocious beasts that roamed the ground, this battle would likely be a long one.

The Southern Regions could afford it.

But the Great Xia couldn’t. No matter how full the coffers were, they could not possibly spend it all on this one war.

As such, this could never be a full-fledged war.

According to the original plan, the final meeting point would be the Icy Monkey Settlement. The Crown Prince would command the army here and a force 100,000 strong would gather at the Icy Monkey Settlement.

Whilst everyone’s attention was focused on the combat examination in the Icy Monkey Settlement, they would strike at the Sagely Mountain City!

No reinforcements?

That was the plan from the start!

In order to account for any surprises, the Emperor had given the elite Dragon Protection Squad to Nangong Hao and hidden the Mountain Breaking Army amongst the ranks. It was all for the final strike.

However…

It was not to be. Fang Zhengzhi had commanded his 50,000 strong army to the Icy Monkey Settlement, breaking through Feng Su and Nangong Hao’s preparations.

In the end, Nangong Hao had to show himself…

And the rest was history.

A simple act like that seemed to have thrown a spanner in the works. However, it had also created a golden opportunity.

To the Southern Region leadership, it was impossible for them to lose the battle at the Icy Monkey Settlement. As such, if they set out during the night…

They could strike the Sagely Mountain City before they even knew what had hit them!

They would seal the victory!

“No, we have already emerged victorious here. This is the perfect time to negotiate. We have been on good terms with the Southern Region for centuries. We cannot destroy it like that. We have to try diplomacy first. How can you not know this?” The Minister of Rites dismissed any idea of an attack.

Then, in order not to embarrass Xing Yuanguo, the Minister added another sentence, “These are the Emperor’s wishes. Xing Hou, you must respect them!”

Silence.

Other than the flickering flames inside the stone house, there was no other sound. No one expected the Minister of Rites to appear here.

Least of all with a decree from the Emperor.

“Minster, if the Southern Regions really wanted to negotiate, they would not have taken the Stable Mountain Gate and surrounded the Crown Prince. They even ambushed us…” Xing Qingsui spoke up.

“Qingsui, you are still young. You cannot just take everything at face value. Even though the Southern Region has taken over the Stable Mountain Gate, they haven’t killed a single soldier. Furthermore, they have surrounded the Crown Prince but have chosen not to attack.”

The Minister of Rites shook his head and continued, “I think that the Southern Region is sending us a message. By surrounding us and not attacking, they are asking for a sincere negotiation. After all, all they care about is benefits.”

“How does the Minister of Rites plan to negotiate?” Xing Yuanguo frowned slightly and shook his head at Xing Qingsui.

“The Southern Region is after freedom. We can try to agree to their terms and join forces to drive the Demons out. Then, we can improve our relationship with them. There are many ways to do this. We can have a bond through marriage. We could marry a princess off to the Southern Region. This way, the relationship will be more stable!” The Minister of Rites immediately expressed his opinion contentedly.

“Father, this is a golden opportunity for us to strike. If we miss this, we may not have a similar opportunity in the future. Once the Southern Region has had time to set up their defences, we are bound to be defeated!” Xing Qingsui urged.

“Qingsui, you are the heir to the Stabilization Constabulary. It is natural that you have your own views, but, how can you be so sure that the Sagely Mountain City is defenceless? If you strike now and end up being ambushed, how would you emerge victorious?” The Minister of Rites interrupted.

“Erm…” Xing Qingsui’s expression changed. The Minister was right, no one could be sure that the Sagely Mountain City was defenceless.

That being said, who could predict what would happen?

In a war…

Even a 50% chance was worth a shot. After all, the battlefield was constantly changing and one had to fight tooth and nail.

“The Minister of Rites makes sense. However, in war, we prize timing and opportunity. We only listen to the general. Even though you have the Emperor’s Decree, I am sure you have faced delays along the way. Things could have changed. I am sure you understand that the General has the final say in the field?” At this point, another voice rang out.

This voice came from behind Nangong Hao, but it wasn’t from Nangong Hao. It came from a middle-aged man behind Nangong Hao.

He was the leader of the Dragon Protection Squad!

His name, Yan Qing!

Even though he followed the orders of the Emperor, he was arrogant in his own right. After all, he was a disciple of the 13 Constabularies and had a keen eye for battle.

The Minister of Rites’s expression changed instantly. He looked at Yan Qing, the leader of the Dragon Protection Squad. Normally, he would not want to antagonize him, even as the Minister of Rites.

But this time was different.

He had been ordered by the Emperor to head to the Southern Region. He was tasked to save the citizens and end this pointless war.

As such, even though Yan Qing was the leader of the Dragon Protection Squad, the Minister was not too bothered about antagonizing him.

“Official Yan, even though you are the leader of the Dragon Protection Squad, are you prepared to commit a crime and defy the orders of the Emperor?” The Minister of Rites flashed the Emperor’s decree.

Chapter 407: Congenital Arrogance

The light brightened up the stone house, shining on the golden parchment in the hands of the Minister of Rites, causing the parchment to glow.

The decree represented the wishes of the Emperor.

Going against it meant going against the Emperor’s orders.

Yan Qing clenched his fists tightly. Even though he was the leader of the Dragon Protection Squad, he would not go against the will of the Emperor.

After all, this had nothing to do with life or death. This had to do with his honor and the reputation of the 13 Constabularies.

But…

He did not want to stand by and watch this golden opportunity to disappear. This concerned the lives of thousands of Great Xia Dynasty soldiers.

“Minister, if this delay causes this opportunity to slip and kills the army where it stands, will you take responsibility?” Yan Qing’s voice was icy

“If we fail to come to an agreement, I will pay for it with my life!” The Minister had a steely determination.

Then, without taking a breath, he continued. “Diplomacy should always take precedence

“Without it?”

“There would be no order, no value system. The leader of a country can use diplomacy to allow his country to prosper.”

“Only diplomats can ensure that the power stays with the throne.”

“War!”

“War is definitely a way to resolve conflicts.”

“However, the best method to win is always to do so without any losses on either side. Diplomacy has to be tried first.”

“If we just use force without discretion, would we be any different from barbarians?”

The Minister straightened his back as he finished. Even though he was aged, his eyes continued to glimmer with vitality.

“Stubborn!” Yan Qing bellowed when he heard this. He felt a wave of rage well up in his chest as he did so.

The Minister has his point.

However, even though it was a well thought out argument…

This was a battlefield… and the battlefield was unforgiving.

As such, there were many things that could not be measured using theories. The Minister thought that the victory put them in a good position to negotiate.

However, in the grand scheme of the war, victory here was insignificant. The Southern Region continued to hold the advantage.

Where would they have the chips to negotiate?

Furthermore, there were the Demons. The Demons would never allow the negotiation to happen!

Stubborn!

Yan Qing could not think of any other words to describe the glow in the Minister’s eyes.

They were two people with very different ideals.

They each had their own points and ideas. At the end of the day, there was no absolute right or wrong. As a result, Yan Qing was exasperated.

“It doesn’t matter what you call me, I will continue to stand my ground. Furthermore, this is the will of the Emperor. Will Official Yan ignore the will of the Emperor?” The Minister ignored that outburst.

The will of the Emperor?

Xing Yuanguo squinted.

Xing Yuanguo had spent most of his life interacting with the Emperor. The Emperor did have his weaknesses.

He pampered Ping Yang too much and would sometimes use some questionable tactics.

But…

When it came to international relations, the Emperor had never made a single mistake.

That was how he managed to build the Great Xia Dynasty into the powerful empire it now was.

Something was wrong!

Xing Yuanguo frowned. Normally, there would be some delay for the situation here to reach the capital, but it could not have taken too long.

A day or two at most.

As such, Fang Zhengzhi’s actions in the Thunderous Lion region would have reached the eyes and ears of the Emperor.

As such…

The Emperor would have definitely expected Fang Zhengzhi to strike at the Icy Monkey Settlement!

Once that battle unfolded, the plan would be spoilt.

The Emperor would definitely have expected this.

Furthermore, the falling of the Mountain Stabilizing Pass happened days before. Yet, the Emperor did not send people to retake the pass, choosing instead to send the Minister of Rites.

What was the aim?

“Minister, could you please let me take a look at the decree?” Xing Yuanguo spoke once again, his tone calm.

“The Emperor’s decree? Erm… if Xing Hou wants to take a look, by all means!” The Minister hesitated, then nodded and unfurled the decree.

Xing Yuanguo.

The commander of the Mountain Breaking Army, the leader of the 13 Constabularies, the pillar of the Great Xia Dynasty. Even the Emperor showed this man respect and valued his opinions.

If not for that.

The Minister would not have rushed all the way here to prevent the next attack.

Xing Yuanguo did not say anything else. He nodded and began to examine the decree.

Lines of words were written on the golden parchment.

Right at the bottom was the Emperor’s personal seal.

The gist of it was that the Emperor wanted to talk terms with the Southern Region. He had the Minister lead those discussions in a show of sincerity.

After reading it, Xing Yuanguo frowned again and read it from the beginning…

Time passed slowly.

The atmosphere inside the house was tense. The decree was short, but Xing Yuanguo read it repeatedly for an hour.

The Minister’s patience was wearing thin.

However, he did not speak.

After all…

He was facing Xing Yuanguo, someone the Emperor treated as his own brother.

Yan Qing did not speak either.

Even though he knew that the battle would become more dangerous as time passed and their chances of a sneak attack would be lower, he did not speak.

The reason was the same. The person in front of him was Xing Yuanguo.

He could maintain his cool on a battlefield regardless of the situation. This was a man with an even fiercer reputation than King Duan.

There was only one other person who was equally calm. That was Nangong Hao. He too was examining the words on the Emperor’s decree.

“I understand!” Xing Yuanguo’s voice rang out, breaking the silence in the room. At the same time, he rolled up the parchment and handed it back to the Minister respectfully.

The Minister’s mouth twitched. He wanted to say something but couldn’t bring himself to say it. He was waiting for Xing Yuanguo’s decision.

“Minister, it must have been difficult for you. I I’ll send 500 soldiers along with you to ensure your safety!” Xing Yuanguo added.

“That means… Xing Hou… plans to…” The Minister was ecstatic, but he was careful.

“Obey the order!”

“Xing Hou is wise. I will head straight for the Sagely Mountain City right away and carry out the wishes of the Emperor!”

“Qingsui, have 500 elite soldiers follow the Minister!” Xing Yuanguo turned to Xing Qingsui.

“Father, this…” Xing Qingsui was unwilling to accept the outcome.

“This is an order!”

“Yes, Father!” Xing Qingsui’s expression changed as he grit his teeth and exited the house with the Minister.

Watching the two of them leave…

Yan Qing’s expression changed as well. He bit his lip and clenched his fists but did not say anything.

“When do we leave?” Nangong Hao stood up and pressed a hand on Yan Qing’s shoulder, his expression calm.

Xing Yuanguo did not speak. He looked out the window towards the broken cliff at the edge of the valley…

The night was quiet and the wind continued to pummel the city, howling as it did so. It brought with it the stench of blood.

There was a blade that glowed, stuck to the top of the cliff.

This was Traceless.

The sword of the Sagely Battle God Meng Tian.

Fang Zhengzhi had been kicked off the cliff by Yun Qingwu and did not have a chance to take his sword with him.

Even though Yun Qingwu had Bai Xing and Wu Ji, Chu Guyan was on that cliff as well. As such, she could not get the blade either.

As for Chi Guyan…

She did not even look at the sword when she left.

This sword was hidden in Meng Tian’s parallel dimension. It was a blade that everyone wanted to own.

When this blade was removed from the World of the Sage, even the Crown Prince and King Duan tried to fight for it.

But now, this blade was stuck on the cliff, exposed to the elements. It looked down on the world from its vantage point. Yet, no one could take it away.

It was determined not to leave.

This was a power and arrogance it possessed.

Power and arrogance it was born with.

There was another possibility…

It was waiting!

…

Chapter 408: Pet

The nights in the Southern Region were filled with the roars of beasts and a heavy mist. The moonlight shone weakly, giving the foliage a faint silver glow.

But…

It failed to shine through the canopy.

A large black figure shot through the sky, blocking the moonlight and casting a large shadow on the ground.

“They will be the death of me! These sneaky Southern Region b*stards! Sister Yan, where do we go now?” Ping Yang pouted unhappily. She had lost Fang Zhengzhi.

This wasn’t her fault either.

What kind of place was the Southern Region?

It was filled with towering trees and forests. Even from above, one did not have a clear line of sight.

That made pursuing and tracking highly ineffective.

Furthermore, Ping Yang was not born and bred here.

After the 500 silver horned wolves shot out of the valley, they went into the dense forest and split up into 10 groups.

Ping Yang was stunned.

She could not even figure out which one was the lead group, much less figure out which group Fang Zhengzhi was in. As such, she could only pout and turn back.

“The Sagely Mountain City!” Chi Guyan stood up as she looked at the peak some distance away, her pink dress dancing in the wind.

“Sounds good. I heard that that is the capital of the Southern Region. There must be many fun things to do! But if we want to go there, why didn’t we go with Nangong Hao?” Ping Yang asked excitedly.

“Do you want to be with Nangong Hao?”

“Of course not. That fella might be powerful, but he is so boring. Furthermore, he did not listen to the Emperor! He rejected an official post! I do not want to be with someone like him.”

“Exactly.”

“So Sister Yan chose not to go with them because of me?”

“I did not say that.”

“Hehe, anyways, I know that Sister Yan treats me the best. Oh yes, Sister Yan, you mentioned that both you and Nangong Hao are at the pinnacle Supernatural State. So who is more powerful?” Ping Yang’s eyes glimmered as she looked on in anticipation.

“Who is more powerful?” Chi Guyan became silent as she looked up at the stars, deep in thought…

…

The second day, the mist began to clear up slightly.

In a forest between the Sagely Mountain City and the Icy Monkey Settlement, an army sat nestled in the trees.

There was a humongous tent in the middle of the camp.

There were all sorts of carvings on the tent and a few statues surrounded it, giving it an imposing look.

Inside the tent, two rows of guards in tartan armor. They all looked at the lady seated above them with anticipation and worry.

This lady sat atop a piece of golden leather and held a leather book in her hand. Her skin was radiant and Snow White leather covered her important areas.

Her stomach was flat and her legs were slender and long. There were two small dangers strapped to her thighs.

A five colored feather was stuck to the top of her headdress.

She looked ferocious.

“Your highness, Teng Shisheng is back and he is waiting outside the tent!” Just at that moment, a soldier entered.

“He’s back? Good, let him in.” Shan Yu straightened her back and looked up.

“Yes, your highness!” The soldier took his leave.

Before long, Teng Shisheng walked in, his skin glowing radiantly. Upon entering the tent, he fell to his knees.

“Greetings, your highness!”

“Mm, did you bring him back?” Princess Shan Yu did not raise her head immediately, choosing to read her book calmly.

“I have!” Teng Shisheng replied.

“Very well, have him enter.”

“Princess… Fang Zhengzhi had suffered serious injuries in the battle and is currently comatose. I’m afraid…”

“Comatose? Serious injuries? Then… is his life in danger?” Princess Shan Yu’s hands trembled as she looked up.

“I… don’t think so!” Teng Shisheng thought about it before shaking his head.

“Mm, that’s good. Have Ling Mu take a look!” Princess Shan Yu heaved a sigh of relief when she heard this.

“Commander Teng, did you bring Fang Zhengzhi’s sword back as well? Why aren’t you presenting it?” Two generals spoke up at this point.

“That sword… I… forgive me, your highness. The situation was tense and the blade is on the cliff. I did not manage to bring it back!” Teng Shisheng’s expression changed instantly.

“It’s on the cliff in Feng Su?” Princess Shan Yu frowned as she looked at Teng Shisheng.

Teng Shisheng was a loyal soldier of hers. He had followed her for five years and she had no doubt Teng Shisheng was telling the truth.

When Teng Shisheng saw the expression on Princess Shan Yu’s face, he immediately began recounting what happened at the Icy Monkey Settlement.

“What?! You’re saying that Fang Zhengzhi has 388 Daos in his pocket dimension?” One of the generals widened his eyes in disbelief when he heard this.

“Yes! This was something Fang Zhengzhi said himself. I was shocked too, but I think that it is true!” Teng Shisheng reaffirmed.

And then…

Another voice of shock rang out.

“He killed a Rebirth State Demon?! Him?! How is that possible?”

“You said that he managed to kill his way to the top of the Feng Su cliff? And he nearly killed the young master of the Demons? That’s impossible! How could he even get close? Did she not have anyone protecting her?”

“Supernatural State!”

“You’re saying that Fang Zhengzhi broke through to the Supernatural State?!”

“Leader Teng, this is not something to joke about. How old is that boy? A 16-year-old Supernatural State! This has never happened in the Southern Region history!”

All of the generals were floored when they heard that Fang Zhengzhi’s wound healed by itself after he was stabbed by Yun Qingwu.

A 16 year old Supernatural State human?

This was far more impressive than Fang Zhengzhi killing a Rebirth State Demon using the Traceless Sword. After all, there were many factors in a duel.

Techniques and luck were just two of many other variables.

But…

Breakthrough was not something that had an element of luck. There was no recorded history of anyone breaking through to the Supernatural State at 16. Not in the Southern Region, not in the Great Xia, not even in amongst the Demons.

This was true talent!

However, when they thought of Fang Zhengzhi’s actions in their camp, they shook their heads.

He was a talent.

But he was shameless.

Else…

The generals could not finish their thoughts. That decision was not theirs to make.

“Where is he?” Princess Shan Yu’s eyes glimmered as she watched on.

She was not happy about this.

Who was she?

She was the top talent of her generation. She would only accept a few people being more powerful than her. One of those was Chi Guyan…

The other was Nangong Hao…

But when she heard that it was Fang Zhengzhi…

She could not accept it.

How could someone so shameless overtake her?

Princess Shan Yu felt a wave of angst when she thought about Fang Zhengzhi’s look of shamelessness.

“Your highness, Fang Zhengzhi is currently being guarded by the Silver Horned Wolves.” Teng Shisheng replied.

“Mm… have Ling Mu take a look at him, then send him to my tent.” Princess Shan Yu ordered.

“Your highness, you must not!” One of the generals stepped forward worriedly.

“What’s wrong? Why not?” Princess Shan Yu’s gaze was icy.

“Your highness, I do not mean any harm… what I mean is… If Fang Zhengzhi has broken through, he will be dangerous when he regains consciousness. Yun Qingwu had stabbed him and kicked him off a cliff. He would be out for revenge. What if he wakes up and takes you hostage… in an attempt to threaten the Demons…”

“Yes, your highness! General Li makes sense. Please lock Fang Zhengzhi up!” Another general echoed the sentiments.

“It’s too dangerous!”

All of the other generals began chiming in. They were a lot more liberal here.

Even though it would be inappropriate for Princess Shan Yu to host Fang Zhengzhi in her tent…

But if she really wanted it…

Then they could not stop her.

After all, with her status, it was completely acceptable for her to keep a man as her companion.

Chapter 409: The Demons’ Plan

The Southern Region…

A pure and unadulterated territory.

Over here, the relationships between males and females were seen as the release of their desires. The males fought courageously on the battlefield.

And return, they had the love and adoration of the ladies.

Before they were married, a lady would give her virginity to the male warrior to prove her courage and determination.

She was willing to give it up for love.

Similarly, if two males liked the same lady, they would duel constantly for her virginity. This was respected by the others.

Of course…

The lady would still be able to choose who she wanted to be with.

No one was ever forced to do anything they didn’t want to in the Southern Region. This was a place which valued freedom of choice above all else.

Princess Shan Yu calmed down and looked at the worried expressions on her generals’ faces. She smiled.

“If you are afraid that he will harm me, then why not just tie him up tightly before sending him to my tent?”

“Erm… yes, your highness!”

All of the generals looked at each other before sighing to themselves.

“Commander Teng, I have a thousand-year-old rattan ‘beast containment lock’. Please use it to tie Fang Zhengzhi down!”

“Thank you, General Lin!” Teng Shisheng was slightly exasperated when he took the lock from General Lin. However, he had to ensure Princess Shan Yu’s safety…

…

Fang Zhengzhi did not feel good when he regained consciousness.

He felt like there was a mountain crushing him from above. Then, before he could release himself, he heard crashing sounds.

Then…

He felt like he was falling.

That feeling caused him to panic. However, just before he hit the ground, he was caught by a rattan string.

However, it was clearly unstable.

He continued to bob up and down as well as sideways. This caused him to become increasingly nauseated.

He swung for a long time before finally coming to a stop.

Just as Fang Zhengzhi thought he had escaped it all, he felt himself being restrained once again.

This restraint was incredibly strong.

Snake?

No!!!

He did not want to be strangled by a snake and eaten.

He struggled and struggled…

In the end…

Fang Zhengzhi saw a ray of light in front of him. It was bright, and it inspired hope. Then, he saw something that resembled a mountain peak.

It was almost the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. It tempted him towards it.

Fang Zhengzhi wanted to touch it.

However, he realized that he could not even move his fingers. It was almost as if he had been strangled by a python.

“Ah, evil creature, let go of me!” Fang Zhengzhi bellowed in frustration as he blinked to regain his sight.

The view in front of his eyes began to clear up.

Then…

His jaw dropped.

He realized that there was a lady in white leather in front of him. As for the mountain peaks…

That belonged to a lady.

This lady exuded an animalistic beauty and was firm in all the right places.

Fang Zhengzhi knew this for a fact.

It was shaking right in front of his eyes…

…

Princess Shan Yu’s expression darkened.

She was not happy about this.

Fang Zhengzhi had been sent to her tent.

Trussed up securely.

Princess Shan Yu was happy about this. However, when Fang Zhengzhi began to struggle, she could not resist getting closer to see what happened.

She was next to Fang Zhengzhi.

However, she did not expect that his first words would be, “Ah, evil creature, let go of me!”

“Evil Creature?!”

Princess Shan Yu knew what Fang Zhengzhi meant.

The Southern Region residents lived side by side with the beasts. Even though it was dangerous, the residents treated the beasts like their neighbours.

They were a part of each others’ lives.

To call one an evil creature…

That was derogatory and showed a complete lack of respect for such an ideal.

“How dare you call me an evil creature? Are you tired of living?” Princess Shan Yu exploded as she grabbed a wooden pole by the bedside.

“Bong!”

A dull knock echoed out.

Fang Zhengzhi felt the impact and the world in front of him turned black once again. His head continued to throb.

Princess Shan Yu watched on dazedly.

“Oh? Did he faint again? Hey… shameless b*stard, wake up! I am ordering you to wake up immediately!” Princess Shan Yu roared.

But…

It was no use.

Fang Zhengzhi continued to remain in a coma.

After some time, a voice could be heard outside the tent.

“Your highness, there is an order from the Sagely Mountain City! Please attend to it!”

“Okay, I got it!” Princess Shan Yu nodded and turned to look at the comatose Fang Zhengzhi.

It’s all your fault!

If you had not called me an evil creature, I would not have knocked you out!

You deserve it!

…

The Sagely Mountain City.

The capital of the Southern Region, and the highest point in the Southern Region. It was built out of stone and was meant to be a fortress.

Shan Ling.

The third son of the king and the heir to the throne.

Normally, being the third son, he would not be able to be the heir to the throne.

However, that position was his. Furthermore, he had little to no competition. He had already made a name for himself in the Southern Region.

This was also linked to his talent.

He was decisive and courageous. He had everything that was respected and prized in the community and was the ideal candidate.

However…

He had clearly lost his cool.

“Boom!” A loud crash echoed out and the jade table was smashed into the ground, creating a large crater as it did so.

“You want me to go past the point of no return?!” Shan Ling roared, his silver leather coat flapping, the two five colored feathers on his head quivering.

He was infuriated.

However, the man in black standing in front of him was unaffected. He did not even take a step back.

“We do not understand. How is this a point of no return? This is how our race will take care of you.” The man in black replied calmly.

“Take care of me? Take care of me! Hahaha… do you really think that I am dumb? You want me to kill the current king, my own father!” Shan Ling’s eyes were red, his rage building. His emotions were unstable.

“Just think about it, the throne would be yours!” The man in black was unaffected by the aura around Shan Ling.

“Who the f*ck cares? I will be killing my father!” Shan Ling clenched his fists tightly.

He wanted to smash this man where he stood.

But he could not.

It wasn’t because he wasn’t powerful enough. However, there were 50,000 Demons surrounding the Sagely Mountain City.

They should not be here.

Because…

According to the agreement, they were allies in this battle. The Southern Region would face the Great Xia with all that they had, whilst the Demons would send their elite forces to augment them.

However, there were 50,000 Demons outside the Sagely Mountain City.

Demons!

They had begun cultivation from the day they were born. They would easily destroy 20,000 soldiers.

And now, there were only 20,000 soldiers in the Sagely Mountain City.

This wasn’t a result of Shan Ling’s carelessness.

He did not have a choice.

The Southern Region was vast but there were not many people. As such, they had to try and reduce their expenditure in this battle.

In order to do so, Shan Ling had placed ambushes in all the four major settlements.

This did not mean that he had left the capital unguarded.

In fact…

A 20,000 strong army…

Under normal circumstances, Shan Ling had every confidence that he could hold back 100,000 Great Xia Dynasty soldiers.

However, when faced with a backstabbing army of 50,000 Demons…

He could no longer hold the city.

He had not underestimated the Great Xia. He never expected that the Demons would turn their backs on him and attack the Sagely Mountain City.

Chapter 410: The Throne

“Your filial piety is admirable. However, you should know what your father thinks about this war. The war is coming to an end and the defeat of the Great Xia Dynasty is inevitable. This is all your work. Do you really want to let your useless father rule for the next decade?” The man in black clenched his fists as he smirked.

“So what? He is my father, the one who took care of me!” Shan Ling’s gaze was filled with determination.

Even though he had committed multiple sins to become the Crown Prince…

But…

The battle for the throne was always a brutal one. As such, he was doing no wrong in fighting for it.

Furthermore, he would never let his two elder brothers rule this land. They were lacklustre and had no ambition.

The Southern Region was a natural fortress.

However, it was equally dangerous. It was only right that they tried to ensure the safety of the population, but they had no idea how to prosper.

Only when one was powerful could one best protect this treasured land.

Shan Ling fought for the position of heir for this ideal. The Southern Region also began to prosper under his leadership.

That was how they managed to get here.

But, killing his own father!

That was something he could not bring himself to do.

It would make him no better than a beast.

Even his most loyal subordinates would not do this for him. The only way to do it was if he did it himself.

However, if he was found out, he would never be able to show his face in the Southern Region ever again.

“Haha… and now you’re talking about kinship? What about the time you setup your eldest brother, Shan Jia? Where was the kinship then? What about the time you chased your second brother away?” The man in black snickered.

“What are you talking about? My eldest brother committed a sin. He got what he deserved, what does that have to do with me? Furthermore, he escaped on his own, and took away…” Shan Ling’s expression changed, sweat breaking out on his forehead.

“You want to say that he took away the prized jade flute of the Southern Region?” A jade green flute appeared in the hands of the black-robed man.

“This… you… how did you…” Shan Ling’s eyes widened. He knew that this was Shan Jia’s property.

The Jade Bamboo Flute.

One of the treasures of the Southern Region.

This was an heirloom. It could rally beasts into an army. However, it had disappeared with Shan Jia over a decade ago.

“10 years ago, you were not even 20 years old, yet you could think of such an ingenious plan! That is admirable! What was the plan? Oh, yes… you got Shan Jia drunk, that had him sleep with your father’s favorite concubine. Then, you had your second brother catch them in the act. However, you knew that they were close, so your second brother would never rat him out. Shan Jia could never stay in the Southern Region after that incident. He left the region and your second brother lost the trust of your father. Are you not afraid that your father will strip you of your title if he found out?” The black robed man recounted the incident, toying with the flute in his hand.

“Impossible! All of the elders are loyal to me and he is a mere figurehead. My position is as stable as a mountain. Furthermore, I will let him be Emperor whilst I conquer lands for him. He will be able to enjoy his old age! What… what else could he possibly want? Is a lady worth more than all these?” Shan Ling’s tone was agitated.

“The throne? Do you really think that your father wants this position? If I am correct, your father is currently meeting with the Minister of Rites from the Great Xia! They are probably talking peace terms!” The black robed man chuckled icily.

Shan Ling’s expression froze as he fell silent.

In fact, he did not need the black-robed man to remind him. He had known about this from the moment the Minister of Rites entered the city.

But, what could he do?

Peace!

Without his approval, there would be no peace!

“Crown Prince, my 50,000 strong Demon army is already at the gates of your city. Your 20,000 men will never hold them. Half of the city is already in my control. If you resist, your men will be torn apart. That would not be good for relations.” The black robed man advised.

“Relations? The Demons went back on their word, and now you want to talk about relations?” Shan Ling knew that he could not hold the city.

“That’s where you are wrong. The Demons have always kept their promises. However, my lord is not comfortable with your father ruling. We… are just thinking on your behalf.” The black robed man continued.

“Hahaha… you have a 50,000 strong army sieging my city and you claim to be thinking for me?” Shan Ling chuckled.

“We are just afraid that you will not agree to our terms. Actually, it is very simple. As long as you kill the king, we will leave immediately. You will become the king of the Southern Region, and we will be allies. What do you think?” The black robed man added sincerely.

“Bullsh*t! Do you really think that I am dumb? If I kill the king, I will always be threatened by the Demons. King… hahaha, even if I was king, I would just be a puppet!” Shan Ling burst out laughing.

“I do not understand what the Crown Prince means. What puppet? You will still have control over your army and we will not interfere. We already agreed to be allies for life. If you have no intention of taking advantage of us, why are you afraid of us?” The black robed man shook his head.

Shan Ling bit his lip.

He wanted to take advantage of the Demons, but he could not say it.

“Do you really think that your 50,000 soldiers will threaten me? You are not wrong, the six elders are all here. However, are you certain that I do not have a backup plan?” Shan Ling raised his head after a full 15 minutes of thought.

“The Southern Region is vast, but you have few people. You have about 450,000 soldiers in total. 30,000 of those are garrison forces. You have about another 80,000 soldiers in each of the four major settlements. That accounts for about 350,000 of your soldiers. There are 20,000 guarding the city right now for a total of 370,000. If I am not mistaken, you are referring to Princess Shan Yu’s 80,000 elite soldiers to the east?” The black-robed man’s eyes glimmered.

“You… I heard that the Young Master of the Demons could account for all variables. I never expected that you already accounted for my trump card. So what? I have already given the order and the army is coming to reinforce. As long as I can hold out for an hour and 15 minutes, they will arrive and pincer you in. Don’t forget that this is the Southern Region. Even though the Great Xia controls the Icy Monkey Settlement, they will not hold it for long. When my 320,000 soldiers take it back and charge towards this city, how many of your soldiers will live then?”

“Hahaha…” The black robed man chuckled loudly when he heard this, almost as though he had just heard the greatest joke. “You know that our Young Master has accounted for all variables? Hahaha… since you know that, you should know that we know all your plans. Why are you so naive?”

“Naive? You… what other schemes do you have!” Shan Ling’s expression changed.

“Crown Prince, if I were you, I would obediently go to the throne room and kill the Minister of Rites. Hang his head on the city wall, then kill your useless father. Finally, choose a prosperous date to take the throne. I’m sure you’ll see that that is the best option.” The black robed man sat back down and waited patiently.

Shan Ling’s expression was solemn, his fists clenching and unclenching repeatedly. Blood was trickling from his lips.

He did not know…

He didn’t know what the Demons were up to this time.

“Sister… sister, you are my last hope. Nothing can happen to you!” Shan Ling looked out the window and heard the sounds of death.

Shan Ling.

He was a person who would do anything for the throne.

This time, he had placed all of his cards and faith into one person, his sister.

Princess Shan Yu!

One of the most talented people in the country. Someone who should have been the heir but could not because she was female.

Chapter 411: We must not hesitate!

…

Princess Shan Yu’s tent was some distance away from her administrative tent. After all, her tent kept moving.

This was common practice for any army.

It was to ensure the safety of the commander.

When Princess Shan Yu heard the order from the Sagely Mountain City, she was slightly worried. However, she stopped herself in her tracks.

Then, she looked at the pole in her hand.

“Supernatural State… wooden pole?” Princess Shan Yu muttered to herself. Then, her eyes brightened as she entered her tent.

Inside the tent.

Fang Zhengzhi closed his eyes and lay on the bed unmoving. He looked like a lamb waiting to be killed.

“Get someone in here!” Princess Shan Yu smirked.

“Yes, your highness, what may I do for you?” One of the soldiers entered.

“Bring this fella to the meeting.”

“Ah? Yes, your highness!”

…

The administrative tent was already filled with two rows of generals. There were a few hundred soldiers guarding the tent.

The order had come from the Sagely Mountain City.

Even though they were not privy to the details, they knew that there were orders that awaited them.

“Your highness!”

“Your highness!”

“…”

Princess Shan Yu approached the tent. The chatter outside the tent had hints of admiration and surprise.

Behind Princess Shan Yu were four soldiers. These four soldiers carried and unconscious Fang Zhengzhi on a leather stretcher.

“Isn’t that Fang Zhengzhi from the Great Xia?”

“What is he doing here?”

All of the soldiers could not understand what was happening.

Until…

Princess Shan Yu entered the tent.

The four soldiers carrying Fang Zhengzhi followed closely behind.

This stumped all of the soldiers. The looked at each other in confusion.

Fang Zhengzhi was well known throughout the entire camp. After all, his battle with General Tai was extremely intense.

News of that duel spread and Fang Zhengzhi became quite the celebrity.

This was also a factor in their confusion.

Who was Fang Zhengzhi?

He was a rank four official in the Great Xia.

Where were they? They were at Princess Shan Yu’s administrative tent! Previously, this may not have raised many eyebrows…

But now… they were at war.

More importantly, this meeting was to discuss the order from the Sagely Mountain City. How could an outsider be present at the meeting?

When the generals inside the tent saw Fang Zhengzhi, they were stunned as well.

The four soldiers carrying the stretcher sensed the suspicions of the generals. However, they continued to follow their orders and placed Fang Zhengzhi on the ground before taking their leave.

“Princess, what… what is this?” One of the generals asked hesitantly.

“He still hasn’t woken up.” Princess Shan Yu waved the generals off rather frustratedly before taking her seat at the head of the meeting.

All of the generals looked at each other, unsure of what was happening.

They knew exactly what the Princess meant, but they were not asking about the status of Fang Zhengzhi. Their pressing question had yet to be answered.

But…

It did help to ameliorate their worry.

They did not want their tactics to be heard by Fang Zhengzhi. Since he was still comatose, he would not be able to hear them.

“The Demons have gone back on their word and surrounded the capital with 50,000 soldiers. Our 20,000 strong guard is being trapped. We have 80,000 elite soldiers here. However… it would still be a hard-fought battle. Princess, are we getting reinforcements?”

One of the generals stepped forward and reported the current situation. After all, they couldn’t afford any delay.

“Our soldiers would have to pass through the Icy Monkey Settlement to reinforce us and that settlement is controlled by the Great Xia. They will not reach us in time. I think we should head straight to the capital and relieve the pressure on the Crown Prince!”

“Yes, we have been stationed here to prevent a sneak attack from the Great Xia or the Demons!”

“Even though this will be a Pyrrhic victory, if we can make our way into the capital, we can hold it for at least half a month!”

“Yes, that will be enough time for the rest of our troops to retake the Icy Monkey Settlement and come to reinforce us!”

All of the generals began to express their views. Time was the essence here, but they still had to wait for Princess Shan Yu’s orders.

Princess Shan Yu continued to remain silent as she listened to the opinions of her generals

“Princess, you must not hesitate any longer! The guards will not last long! If we do not reinforce them soon, the Crown Prince and the King… will fall to the Demons. Then…”

“Princess, please give the order!”

“We are willing to lay down our lives in the defense of the Sagely Mountain City!”

All of the generals became increasingly anxious when they saw that Princess Shan Yu was not speaking.

“Princess!”

“Princess, this is urgent…”

“Princess!”

Voices echoed throughout the tent.

Princess Shan Yu continued to remain silent. Her eyes glimmered. She knew that this was urgent.

But…

That was also why she had to remain calm and composed.

These changes were rather suspicious.

50,000 Demons marched through the night to siege the Sagely Mountain City. It was dawn now, eight hours since the attack.

Eight hours…

How did the army of 20,000 manage to hold the city?

Intel reported that the Demons had only managed to conquer half the city. The other half was still in the Crown Prince’s control.

What was happening?

This was one of the suspicious points.

Princess Shan Yu also had another unsettling feeling.

If the Demons had hidden 50,000 soldiers here…

Their first target should have been her 80,000 elites.

Not the Sagely Mountain City!

The reason was simple.

Her 80,000 elite soldiers were only hidden from the Great Xia. It was way too easy for the Demons to know about and pinpoint their location.

Furthermore, the Sagely Mountain City was on top of the mountain and defended by nature. It was not easy to attack.

However, that was not the most important point…

They would definitely realize if the Sagely Mountain City was burning…

This didn’t seem right.

The Demons would never reveal their motives before the war was over…

Princess Shan Yu frowned as she bit her lip. She felt like there was more to this than met the eye.

But what was the plot?

She could not tell.

But she was sure of one thing.

The highly intelligent Yun Qingwu, Young Master of the Demons, would never make such a mistake.

What was happening?

“Princess, if you don’t give the order now, it’ll be too late!”

“Princess! We have already lost half the city! If the Crown Prince and the King are captured, we will lose the initiative!”

All of the generals couldn’t help themselves as they pleaded with the Princess. They were all riled up and ready for battle.

Princess Shan Yu frowned as a red aura circled her. Cloud writing also began to gather at her chest.

This meant that she was in a bad mood.

The Sagely Mountain City had been surrounded.

How could she not be worried?

Her beloved father was there, and so was her third brother. More importantly, they were the king and heir respectively.

However, she could not take action before she knew exactly what was happening.

The heir and the king were in the city.

But she had 80,000 of the Southern Region elites. A single command would send them into battle. But if they fell…

What was she going to do?

“Do you all have any other opinions other than charging towards the city?” Princess Shan Yu spoke up.

“Princess, the city is surrounded and we have been ordered to reinforce the Crown Prince. What cause for hesitation is there?” One of the generals was confused.

“Yes, we cannot hesitate any longer!”

“Princess, please give the order!”

All of the other generals began to chime in, urging Princess Shan Yu to march on the Demons.