Gate of God

Chapter 412: You must not marry him!

Princess Shan Yu bit her lip. She felt that something was amiss, but she did not have any other choice.

The Sagely Mountain City was surrounded.

The order had been given.

She could not hesitate any longer! She had to make a decision now!

“Give the order. The entire army…” Princess Shan Yu stopped herself as she looked at Fang Zhengzhi, whose eyes were closed.

All of the generals widened their eyes as they waited for the order to be given.

“Fang Zhengzhi, you’re awake?”

“Bong!”

One of the generals fell on his butt when he heard this.

All of the other generals were equally stunned. They never expected that Princess Shan Yu would say something like that.

What was that?

Hang on!

Fang Zhengzhi is awake?!

Wouldn’t that mean that he heard everything that was discussed?

Die!

All of the generals immediately thought of killing him. However, that thought was quickly suppressed by Princess Shan Yu’s next sentence.

“Fang Zhengzhi, stop acting! I know that you have been eavesdropping. If you express your opinion, I will consider letting you go. What do you say?”

“Let him go?”

“Princess, we cannot let him go?”

“Princess! He is from the Great Xia! If we let him go, the Great Xia will find out that the Sagely Mountain City is surrounded! They could take this opportunity to retake the border fort and get access to reinforcements! This war…”

All of the generals expressed their concerns immediately.

Princess Shan Yu did not speak. She squinted as she scanned the floor, her expression icy.

All of the generals kept quiet when they saw this.

The room was so silent you could hear a pin drop.

Fang Zhengzhi did not move. It was almost as if he had not heard what Princess Shan Yu had said. If not for some light breathing, he was no different from a corpse.

“Looks like he still hasn’t woken?”

“Princess, are you mistaken?”

All of the generals were doubtful, but they did not dare to question the princess too much.

“Fang Zhengzhi, open your damn eyes now. If you continue to play dead, I will kill you right now!” Princess Shan Yu raged.

Silence.

Pin drop silence.

Fang Zhengzhi did not move.

All of the generals looked at each other doubtfully. Fang Zhengzhi was clearly still in a coma, why did the Princess insist that he was awake?

“Okay then, go to hell!” Princess Shan Yu glared as she leapt from her seat and landed in front of Fang Zhengzhi.

Then, she drew a dagger from the holder on her thigh and placed it at Fang Zhengzhi’s throat.

“Open your eyes or I will kill you!”

Silence…

Fang Zhengzhi did not move.

“Your highness, our capital is surrounded and the order has been given. Why do you need the advice of an outsider?” One of the generals could not hold himself back any longer.

“Your highness! He is clearly still in a coma. Even if he was awake, could his opinion be better than ours?” Another general chimed in.

“If I gave any of you 500 Silver Horned Wolves, would you be able to take over the Thunderous Lion Settlement and imprison over 50,000 Great Xia soldiers?” Princess Shan Yu looked at the two generals, the dagger in her hand pressed against Fang Zhengzhi’s throat as she placed a foot on his chest.

It was not a glamorous stance.

But, none of the generals took notice of that.

They were all floored by Princess Shan Yu’s words. She was right. They had heard about Fang Zhengzhi’s exploits, but that did not mean…

That they were willing to accept him.

“He is a candidate for the examinations! Furthermore, he used the power of our soldiers and your token, that’s why…” One of the generals found a minute point to contest.

“Candidate? Fine, what about Feng Su? That is a place that hasn’t been broken for centuries. What idea do you have?” Princess Shan Yu pressed.

Silence.

This time, there was no comeback.

This was a fact. Feng Su had been a natural barrier and fortress for the Southern Region for centuries. Yet, Fang Zhengzhi had found a way through.

This was a feat that none of them could replicate.

“Fang Zhengzhi, the capital of the Southern Region has been surrounded. I do not have time to waste. If you can give me a way out of this, I will… make you a general! What do you say?” Princess Shan Yu grit her teeth and offered.

“General?!”

“Princess… about that… he is so young!”

All of the generals looked on in disbelief. That rank was extremely high! The equivalent in the Great Xia would be a rank two official!

Silence.

Fang Zhengzhi did not move.

“Okay! Fine fine fine… Fang Zhengzhi! Is that not enough for you? What about Deputy Commander-in-Chief! The Deputy Commander-in-Chief for the Southern Region! So long as you remain loyal to us, that position is yours!” Princess Shan Yu was getting agitated, her legs shaking.

All of the generals felt their legs turn to jelly when they heard this.

Deputy Commander-in-Chief.

If this was true, it would shock everyone in the world.

A 16-year-old Deputy Commander-in-Chief.

Fang Zhengzhi would be peerless.

But…

It still didn’t work.

There was no other sound in the tent except for Princess Shan Yu’s roars and heavy breathing.

“Give the order! The army is to march on the Sagely Mountain City! Then… drag this one out and feed him to the wolves!” Princess Shan Yu could not take it any longer.

“Yes, your highness!” All of the generals replied in unison.

Just at that moment, a lazy voice could be heard from underneath Princess Shan Yu’s foot. It cut right through the tense atmosphere.

“Hang on, it’s not that I don’t want to wake up. But your terms are unattractive, how do you expect me to wake up?”

Silence.

Everyone was stunned.

All their eyes were trained on Fang Zhengzhi.

“Unattractive terms?”

“Did he just say that those terms were unattractive?!”

“Deputy Commander-in-Chief! Unattractive?! Does he want to be the Emperor?!”

All of the generals were furious. Fang Zhengzhi had just insulted the dreams of everyone present.

“Hang on… does he want to…” One of the generals looked to Princess Shan Yu, then blurted out, “No way! That cannot happen! Your highness, you must not marry him!”

“Marry him?” Princess Shan Yu’s expression froze as she looked at Fang Zhengzhi in shock.

This fella is so shameless…

Why would I marry him?

That being said… he is extremely fluent in the Law of Dao. If he remains loyal to the Southern Regions, then he will raise our understanding of the Law of Dao. Furthermore, he is skilled in the Art of War and is a 16-year-old Supernatural State cultivator.

If he really is our Deputy Commander-in-Chief, he needs to be loyal to us. If not, he could cause more trouble in the future.

Perhaps…

“Ew, urgh! My wife must be someone who is gentle and doting. She must know how to raise our kids and take care of the house. I don’t want this barbaric princess…” Fang Zhengzhi stopped halfway through his sentence.

He felt the dagger pressing down on his throat, its sharp blade forcing him to keep his mouth shut.

All of the generals stared, wide-eyed.

Only one thought ran through their minds. Fang Zhengzhi was going to die an ugly death.

However, even after 15 minutes, Fang Zhengzhi was still alive. However, there was a wound on his throat…

Yet, that wound was healing rapidly.

“Supernatural!”

“This fella is really in the Supernatural State?!”

“A 16-year-old Supernatural State cultivator! It is true!”

All of the generals had heard about this from Teng Shisheng, but that was merely a story.

Seeing it for themselves was a completely different experience.

Princess Shan Yu removed her dagger as she glared at Fang Zhengzhi. She bit her lip so hard that a blood began to trickle down the sides.

If she could see through Yun Qingwu’s plan and was not being forced into a corner… If not for her nation… she would not let Fang Zhengzhi blink another time.

Hang on…

Why is he blinking so much?

Princess Shan Yu followed Fang Zhengzhi’s line of sight. In that instant, she paled, then blushed.

Chapter 413: The Demons’ Plan

…

Fang Zhengzhi wasn’t actually to blame.

He didn’t know what Princess Shan Yu was thinking. That being said, would anyone not open their eyes when a blade was pressed to their neck?

It was a reflex.

One would look towards the aggressor.

This would have been a very normal reaction. However, Princess Shan Yu had planted a leg on his chest.

The angle…

Was perfect.

All this while, Fang Zhengzhi had wondered what the Southern Region ladies wore under their clothes.

Now, his question had been answered.

However, he could not say it out loud. The generals in the room were just waiting for a reason to take his head.

Even though Princess Shan Yu was hot and beautiful, she was too barbaric. Nothing could make Fang Zhengzhi forget that.

Having the lady on top…

Was too restrictive.

As such, Fang Zhengzhi did not say anything. He did not want Princess Shan Yu or the surrounding generals to misunderstand.

He really wanted to remind Princess Shan Yu of something…

“You’re not wearing anything underneath!”

But, the blade at his throat was too sharp. He could barely even breath, much less talk. Any movement would have killed him.

Furthermore, he was surrounded by so many generals. If he had told the entire tent he saw the Princess’ privates…

It would be akin to courting his own death.

As such, the only thing Fang Zhengzhi could do was blink. He kept blinking at Princess Shan Yu and looking down to hint at her…

It was obvious.

“You are not wearing anything underneath, change a position! This is not good!”

This was what Fang Zhengzhi was thinking. However, to Princess Shan Yu, Fang Zhengzhi’s actions…

Only meant one thing…

Fang Zhengzhi was turned on by what he saw…

Having been raised in the Southern Region, Princess Shan Yu was much more liberal than her Great Xia counterparts. She was not ashamed to confess to the warriors she liked.

She also didn’t mind being intimate before marriage.

However…

That did not mean that she could remain stoic whilst a man looked at her privates.

Furthermore, this was a man who had despised her for being barbaric, uncouth, and not gentle enough…

How dare he look at my privates so audaciously?! How shameless!

Princess Shan Yu wanted to dig Fang Zhengzhi’s eyes out and drink them in wine. However, she could not realize this wish.

Because…

She was faced with a difficult situation which she could not find a way out of. She needed a second opinion so that she can make an informed decision.

“Fang Zhengzhi, if you cannot come out with a satisfactory idea, you can forget about leaving this tent!” Princess Shan Yu grit her teeth and sheathed her blade as she stood up.

The pressure on Fang Zhengzhi’s chest was relieved.

Fang Zhengzhi heaved a sigh of relief but that was all that he could do. He was still wrapped up like a dumpling.

He had fainted on the cliff in Feng Su.

Why was he in Princess Shan Yu’s administrative tent?

Fang Zhengzhi had no idea what happened, but he could guess. Teng Shisheng must have brought him here.

Princess Shan Yu had given him command of Teng Shisheng and his squad. That was the only way she could keep tabs on him. He had known this all along.

Princess Shan Yu had given him the 500 Silver Horned Wolves to participate in the examinations so that she knew what was happening in the court examinations.

That way, she would have all the intel she needed.

As for the secondary motives and reasons…

Fang Zhengzhi did not bother with them.

He had bigger problems to deal with now. He had to find a way to get out of here alive.

Inside the tent…

All of the other generals looked at Fang Zhengzhi. Princess Shan Yu had made her point very clear. As such, they wanted to know what this bloody kid could come up with that was better than their war-hardened brains could come up with.

All of them stared at Fang Zhengzhi.

Fang Zhengzhi felt the pressure on him increase. His throat began to itch, a sign that his wound was healing.

“Can you release the string tying me down first?”

“String?! This is the thousand-year-old “Beast Containment Lock”. Even a Rebirth State cultivator could not break it!”

The general who proposed using the lock was furious. His favorite treasure had just been dismissed as a string!!

But, he couldn’t do anything about it.

After all…

There were dozens of generals around to protect the Princess. As such, there was no need for the lock.

Fang Zhengzhi was released.

“Even a Rebirth State cultivator would be trapped? How powerful!” Fang Zhengzhi took the lock in his hand and kept it.

“That is mine!” The general’s expression changed when he saw Fang Zhengzhi’s actions.

“What? How is that possible? It was just restraining me moments ago!” Fang Zhengzhi explained innocently.

“You… this was a gift from me to the Princess…”

“Enough!” Princess Shan Yu interrupted the general and turned to look at Fang Zhengzhi. “Fang Zhengzhi, the lock has been broken, tell us your opinion!”

“Aren’t we going to agree on the terms first?” Fang Zhengzhi wanted to know his incentives before he even said anything.

Of course…

Fang Zhengzhi was also buying time for himself.

He had heard it all.

He had heard everything clearly.

“The Sagely Mountain City was besieged by 50,000 Demons. The Crown Prince of the Southern Region had given the order for Princess Shan Yu to rescue the city!”

What else was there to say?

She had to go!

If Fang Zhengzhi was in her position, he would give the order without hesitation. “Brothers, it is time for us to protect our country, charge! Fight it out with the Demons!”

But he could not say that.

Firstly, he was not in her position. Secondly, this opinion had been raised by all of the generals present.

How could he say something like that?

Princess Shan Yu wanted a satisfactory answer. That meant that all the opinions that had been voiced were unsatisfactory.

Okay then…

The order was for you to reinforce the city. All of the generals have already shown a willingness to fight. Why the f*ck are you still hesitating?

Fang Zhengzhi had tried so hard to feign being in a coma because he had no better opinion.

But, he couldn’t admit to this either.

How tedious!

Fang Zhengzhi did not like this at all. He had to think too much. His opinion was simple, just follow the order.

But Princess Shan Yu did not want that.

As such, he had to keep this opinion to himself and think of another one.

Don’t fight?

Then run!

If the Demons are attacking the Sagely Mountain City, then you can turn around and attack the Blood Shadow City! You could basically swap capitals!

How perfect was that plan?

Hang on!

Blood Shadow City?!

A thought flashed through Fang Zhengzhi’s head. It was a weird thought, but…

He began to sweat profusely.

“Fang Zhengzhi, this is an urgent matter! You still have the mood to discuss terms with me? Fine… tell me what you want!”

Princess Shan Yu was furious when she heard what Fang Zhengzhi said. However, she had no choice. Fang Zhengzhi would continue to remain silent otherwise.

Of course…

As a princess…

She had a million ways to satisfy Fang Zhengzhi. As long as Fang Zhengzhi’s terms were reasonable, she could grant them.

Even if they were unreasonable…

She could agree to them now…

Then renege on her word after all was said and done.

When dealing with a shameless person…

One had to be even more shameless.

Of course, Fang Zhengzhi had to be able to see through the Demon’s plan. Furthermore, he had to come up with a plan that would get them out of this situation.

Princess Shan Yu made up her mind.

However, it was almost as if Fang Zhengzhi had not heard what she said. He stood in his spot, sweat pouring from his forehead.

“Come on, tell us what your terms are!” Princess Shan Yu pressed impatiently.

“Oh no… oh no oh no… we are in deep trouble. The Southern Region is dead, no… it’s not just the Southern Region. This is a war between the Demons and the Great Xia!” Fang Zhengzhi screamed, almost as if he never head what Princess Shan Yu said.

Chapter 414: Master Plan

“What? What’s going on?!”

“Yes, even though we have lost the initiative, as long as we stay together, the Demons will never take over the entire Southern Region!”

“Why should we fear 50,000 Demons?”

All of the generals frowned when they heard what Fang Zhengzhi said. Defeat was never in their dictionary.

Fang Zhengzhi was in the zone.

Princess Shan Yu was extremely discontented when she heard this. She had waited so long for a doomsday prophecy?

Just as she was about to scold him, Fang Zhengzhi spoke again.

“You can’t go to the Sagely Mountain City. Princess, you must not go there!” Fang Zhengzhi grabbed Princess Shan Yu’s arm as he spoke.

“What is he talking about?!”

“We can’t go to the Sagely Mountain City? Then what about the King and the Crown Prince?”

“That’s right! Your Highness, please do not listen to this rubbish! He must have been scared sh*tless by the Demons!”

All of the generals channeled their rage, fury, and despise towards Fang Zhengzhi. After all, it was their King who was in danger.

Not go to the Sagely Mountain City?!

Then where would they go?

They generals were angry, but Princess Shan Yu swallowed her words. This was partly because she was slightly nauseated by Fang Zhengzhi shaking her.

The other reason was…

Even though she did not understand what Fang Zhengzhi was saying, it was a differing opinion.

She decided to hear him out.

But…

After Fang Zhengzhi shook her arm, he frowned and seemed to re-enter the zone. He murmured to himself constantly.

“No! That’s not right… yes, this should be it, no… oh yes, this is definitely correct, hang on, no there’s something wrong…”

Fang Zhengzhi continued to analyze the intel he had.

Princess Shan Yu waited anxiously by the side. She did not push Fang Zhengzhi away because she did not want to break his train of thought.

After all, she knew that he would need some time to figure out what the Demons had planned. Even a genius couldn’t figure it out instantly.

Furthermore, the person who had come up with this plan was Yun Qingwu.

Someone who had a reputation almost equivalent to that of the Demon Lord himself.

The generals were riled up at first, but seeing as Princess Shan Yu remained silent, they too stopped chiding Fang Zhengzhi.

They were waiting as well.

However, they were not waiting for a plan, they were waiting for an explanation.

Fang Zhengzhi did not realize that he was grabbing onto Princess Shan Yu’s arm. He could guess what Yun Qingwu’s target was and how she would proceed. However, he still hadn’t figured out the exact method and time.

As such…

He needed more time to think.

This depth of thought caused his fingers to make some involuntary movements. Every now and then, he would wipe the sweat and oil off his hands. When he got close, he would also pinch whatever was nearby.

Fang Zhengzhi did not know much about how the war was progressing. If not for the battle at the Icy Monkey Settlement, he would not have known that the Stable Mountain Gate had fallen.

He had limited intel.

This made it all the more difficult for him to guess Yun Qingwu’s plan. This was also the reason why he wanted to suggest that they strike the demons at the Sagely Mountain City.

Then…

He thought about the Blood Shadow City.

It was an accidental thought, coming from someone who tried to remove himself from the situation. That being said, he squashed the thought as soon as it rose.

Was it possible?

Would the Southern Region be able to take the Blood Shadow City?

How naive!

Even the Great Xia Empire would not dare to attack the Blood Shadow City. It was not a shell city like the Sagely Mountain City.

The Demon Army of the 10 Demonic Domains was stationed there.

Fang Zhengzhi did not know the exact numbers, but it would be at least 200,000.

This was a very reasonable number.

However, when he thought about this, he broke out in cold sweat.

Since Yun Qingwu wanted to surround the Sagely Mountain City, why did she only use 50,000 soldiers?

If she had used 100,000 soldiers, or even 200,000 soldiers, the Southern Region would have to face two enemies at once. The war would be over.

Facing two enemies at once!

That was it!

The Great Xia Dynasty places the Stable Mountain Gate as a barrier and accepted the Southern Region as a vassal in order to prevent any sneak attacks from the Demons.

The location of the Blood Shadow City was obvious.

The Southern Regions were in between the Demons and the Great Xia Dynasty!

Fang Zhengzhi had been wondering why the Demons would cooperate with the Southern Region.

He surmised that the Southern Region wanted to leverage the Demons in order to gain independence. The Demons wanted to use this opportunity to infiltrate the Southern Region…

Or… control the Southern Region.

It seemed rather obvious, but the implications were terrifying. Were the Demons only after the Southern Region?

Would they put in so much effort…

Just for that?

Was it enough?

No!

There was something wrong. The Southern Region and the Demons have already agreed to work together. The Demons were able to hide 50,000 of their soldiers inside the Sagely Mountain City.

In other words…

It would be extremely easy for the Demons to take over the Southern Region. Why did they have to wait till the Great Xia soldiers entered the Southern Region? Why did they have to wait till the examinations were almost over?

That didn’t seem very wise.

This would complicate matters! Furthermore, the hidden blade is always the most dangerous one. Since they can control the Southern Region so easily, why did they have to show their hand?

There was only one possible reason…

Their aim was not to control the Southern Region!

Instead…

They wanted to make the Southern Region their vassal. If possible, they wanted the Southern Region to be their sword!

That must be it!

Fang Zhengzhi’s eyes glittered when he figures it out. It was a terrifyingly ingenious plan.

But, he was not surprised that Yun Qingwu would come up with such a masterful plan.

“Your Highness, please give the order for 80,000 soldiers to head for… what’s the settlement nearest to the Demons?” Fang Zhengzhi stopped himself. He realized that he had forgotten the name of that faraway settlement.

“Nan Ling. Hang on, what are you saying? U want me to send 80,000 soldiers to Nan Ling?! Are you… out of your mind?” Princess Shan YU never thought that she would hear such a ridiculous idea after putting up with that much nonsense.

She couldn’t take it anymore!

Anyone in her position would have felt the same way.

All of the generals were equally infuriated. The Sagely Mountain City was surrounded, why are should we send soldiers to Nan Ling?

What would we do there?!

Nothing!

This is not war, this is causing chaos!

“Why do I feel like he is a spy for the Demons?”

“80,000 soldiers to Nan Ling? Does he want us to attack the Blood Shadow City? Attack their capital to save ours?”

“What a joke! How can 80,000 soldiers conquer the Blood Shadow City?!”

All of the generals mocked as they instinctively kept their distance.

“You’re wasting my time, let go of me!” Princess Shan Yu shook him off and prepared to storm off.

“If you don’t believe me, the Southern Region will die!” Fang Zhengzhi was calm as he looked at Princess Shan Yu and the generals.

“How dare you! How dare you affect our morale! Even if you’re in the Supernatural State, you will not exit this tent!” One of the generals could not hold back any longer.

He drew his blade.

“Die!”

“Whoever dares to affect our morale will die!”

All of the generals bellowed in rage as they unsheathed their swords. A domineering aura loomed over Fang Zhengzhi.

“Stop!” Princess Shan Yu stopped in her tracks and turned back. She glared at Fang Zhengzhi, “Fang Zhengzhi, I think that you are a talent, but I will not allow you to spout nonsense. We are at a crossroads now and urgently need some advice. Yet, you continue to mess up our morale. If you do not give me an explanation for this, I will not let you off!”

Princess Shan Yu’s body began to emit rays of red light. The light danced on her body.

“An explanation?” Fang Zhengzhi looked at Princess Shan Yu and the surrounding generals. He walked over to Princess Shan Yu’s seat and picked up a piece of fruit.

“Why don’t you explain how the Demons managed to sneak 50,000 soldiers into your territory without you realizing it?”

Fang Zhengzhi chewed on the fruit.

“That is because we had made an agreement with them! Else, do you think that will be able to come near the Sagely Mountain City?”

“Exactly! Furthermore, if not for the fact that we have to fight off the Great Xia, the Demons would not have this chance either!”

“He is just…”

All of the generals began to answer. However, they stopped themselves before they revealed anything important.

“What’s wrong? Why don’t you keep talking?” Fang Zhengzhi urged.

“Fang Zhengzhi, these are military secrets. You are a member of the Great Xia, we would never discuss these with you!” One of the generals replied angrily.

“Is that so? My guess is that you have concentrated all your forces in the four major settlements. You have left the rear of the Sagely Mountain City completely undefended, am I right?” Fang Zhengzhi smirked.

“You… how did you know that?” The expressions of all the generals changed instantly. This was their biggest secret.

“Is that very difficult to guess? You do not have the power to battle both the Great Xia and the Demons at the same time. You have limited soldiers. In order to ensure victory with minimal losses, your best bet is to set up ambushes in all the four major settlements. Nan Ling and Iron Hill are completely unguarded!” Fang Zhengzhi added.

“Rubbish, how can they be unguarded? Other than our standing army, all of our citizens are trained warriors! They will defend the territory!” One of the generals retorted.

“You are right. All of the citizens are warriors capable of defending the settlement. But, are you sure that they can hold it. If the main Demon army marches on the settlement from the Blood Shadow City… what do you think will happen?” Fang Zhengzhi squashed the fruit in his hand for dramatic effect.

“About that…”

“How is that possible? Why would the Demons do that?!”

“Your Highness, don’t believe him! He is just trying to scare you!”

All of the generals began to lose their cool when they heard this.

“Is that right? The Demons would never do that? Then, did any of you expect the Demons to surround and attack the Sagely Mountain City?” Fang Zhengzhi’s crisp voice cut through the air and interrupted all the generals.

All of the generals glared at Fang Zhengzhi.

They wanted to rebut and chide Fang Zhengzhi for being blatantly disrespectful, but they couldn’t.

Because…

If the Demons really did that.

The Southern Region would be destroyed.

Chapter 415: Ridiculous Terms

Princess Shan Yu’s expression changed countless times in the short span of a few seconds.

When Fang Zhengzhi had asked about the 50,000 Demons, she had been rather frustrated. However, when Fang Zhengzhi mentioned the Blood Shadow City…

She was rendered speechless.

As a Princess of the Southern Region and the commander of 80,000 elite soldiers, she knew what it meant.

It was a sword!

A sword with the Southern Region’s name on it.

It was just waiting for the opportune moment to strike. For the longest time, the Southern Region had concentrated its soldiers in Nan Ling Settlement.

It was to guard against this sword.

However, ever since the Crown Prince had decided to ally himself with the Demons, the citizens became complacent and forgot about this threat.

In the beginning, the Southern Region still kept their guard up. However, as time passed and their relations became closer, the Demons gave large amounts of aid to the Southern Region. They even sent some of their elites to train the soldiers of the Southern Region.

Furthermore, they also provided raw materials to build weapons. The Southern Region soldiers were now better equipped than they ever were.

This also caused them to let down their guard. Finally, they forgot about this looming threat that was waiting to take their head.

“Fang Zhengzhi, you say that the Demons will strike from the Blood Shadow City. Do you have any proof? Aren’t they afraid that we will strike back?” One of the generals spoke up after much thought.

These generals knew the result of such an attack. However, they refused to believe and accept that this would happen.

“Strike back? Haha… you need time to be able to assemble your troops!” Fang Zhengzhi smirked.

“What do you mean?”

“If I am correct, the Demons have already set off from the Blood Shadow City. On the other hand, your troops still have to pass through the Icy Monkey Settlement if they are to reinforce the Sagely Mountain City. The Icy Monkey Settlement is under the control of the Great Xia. You won’t reach the capital in time!” Fang Zhengzhi scorned.

“You…” The general’s expression changed instantly. Even though he was furious, he had no retort.

All of the other generals fell silent as they looked at each other worriedly.

Fang Zhengzhi was right.

They had no time to recall their troops even if they wanted to.

This was why Yun Qingwu chose to attack the Sagely Mountain City now. This was the perfection of her plan.

Even if they figured out what was happening…

It would be too late!

They would be unable to stop it! That was the most terrifying part.

“Fang Zhengzhi, if the Demons are already on their way, then my 80,000 soldiers would not do much. What… what other ideas do you have?” Princess Shan Yu grit her teeth and asked as she looked at her generals.

“Of course I have other ideas.” Fang Zhengzhi replied.

“Then say it!” Princess Shan Yu replied agitatedly. She was in no mood for any more delays.

“Oh…” Fang Zhengzhi dragged his voice. He sat down at the head of the meeting and placed his legs on the table, “You aren’t killing me?”

“You! Fang Zhengzhi, do you not see what is happening? This is an urgent matter, out with the plan! This doesn’t only concern the Southern Region! If we fall, the Great Xia will fall as well!” Princess Shan Yu’s expression turned ugly when she saw Fang Zhengzhi defile her seat and table. However, she swallowed her anger.

All of the other generals glared at Fang Zhengzhi when they saw him sit on the golden leather. However, before Fang Zhengzhi told them the plan, they had to tolerate it.

Fang Zhengzhi looked at Princess Shan Yu and the generals, beaming as he did so.

Every time he had entered this tent, Princess Shan Yu was the one in a position of power. She always seemed rather aloof.

As a man…

Someone who had ambitions… someone who did not even kneel to the Emperor of the Great Xia Dynasty… how could he be suppressed by a Princess of the Southern Region?

This was a chance at redemption.

This was a moment that he had dreamt about.

Previously, he had not tried to wrestle back control because the time was not right. Now that the opportunity presented itself, he would be a fool not to take it.

“Is that so? The Emperor of the Great Xia would have to worry about the fate of the empire. I am just a lowly rank four official. The affairs of the state have little to do with me. As for you… a princess… you will no longer be able to retain your position.” Fang Zhengzhi added.

“You… Fang Zhengzhi, you… I will kill…”

“You want to kill me again? Come on, I promise I will not move. However, can you have someone come over and wash the blood off my neck first?” Fang Zhengzhi replied scornfully.

“Urgh, urgh! You will be the death of me! Fang Zhengzhi, what the hell do you want?” Princess Shan Yu was furious. She was on the verge of going insane.

“We haven’t even made a deal yet.” Fang Zhengzhi replied calmly.

“A deal?” Princess Shan Yu finally realized what was going on. The Southern Region’s survival had nothing to do with Fang Zhengzhi.

Shameless!

How dare he take advantage of the situation?!

Princess Shan Yu cursed in her heart.

The other generals were equally infuriated. However, they had no other choice but to listen carefully to what Fang Zhengzhi had to say.

“What do you want?” Princess Shan Yu suppressed her anger.

“Gold!” Fang Zhengzhi replied without hesitation.

“Gold? Hahaha…” Princess Shan Yu chuckled, “I was wondering what kind of terms you had in mind? You are just a greedy mercenary. No worries, we have vast resources and have no lack of gold. How much do you want? 100 taels? 1000? Haha… why don’t you just ask for 10,000. I can even give you 20,000!”

“Haha… is that so? What if I want the gold mine?” Fang Zhnegzhi chuckled. He liked people like Princess Shan Yu, who had vast amounts of wealth.

She was just making herself even bigger of a target for Fang Zhengzhi.

In essence, she was just…

Dumb!

“Gold mine?! No way! The gold mines have always been controlled by the royal family! Even the leaders of the six major settlements have no part to play in the mining. How can we give one to you?” Princess Shan Yu’s smile froze as she paled.

The Southern Region had plenty of resources.

They also had quite a few gold mines.

Even so, Princess Shan Yu would never give the mining rights to anyone outside of the royal family. That represented the control and power the royal family had.

Fang Zhengzhi smirked when he saw Princess Shan Yu’s determined look.

He knew exactly what the gold mines meant to the people of this world. It was akin to a money printing machine. No country would ever give an outsider control of its treasury.

But Fang Zhengzhi wanted that to happen.

In fact, after he figured out Yun Qingwu’s plan, he knew that he could not solve this by rushing things.

Not only could he not panic.

He had to be stable and composed.

In fact, in order to foil Yun Qingwu’s plan, everything had to work in perfect harmony. He had to eliminate all doubt for a chance at success. Failure at any point would result in defeat.

As such, he needed Princess Shan Yu to calm down.

Furthermore…

There was one other important factor.

Princess Shan Yu had to have complete faith in him. She must be willing to sacrifice everything to carry out every part of his plan.

This was why he wanted the gold mines.

If a rich person bought 10 miracle pills, ate three of them and didn’t notice any effect, he may decide to just take three more. If there still wasn’t any effect, he would probably throw the remaining four away.

But…

What if he spent his entire fortune?

He would definitely finish eating all 10. He wouldn’t even leave a morsel behind.

That was the difference between the two scenarios.

“I am not done. I want 10 gold mines, the 10 largest gold mines!” Fang Zhengzhi added, almost as if he did not hear what Princess Shan Yu said.

“10 gold mines?!”

“Is he crazy? We won’t even give him one and he is asking for 10?! And he wants the 10 largest ones? Doesn’t he know that we only have 50 gold mines in the entire Southern Region?”

“Daydreaming! He must be daydreaming!”

All of the generals could not suppress their anger any longer. They pointed at Fang Zhengzhi and began berating him.

“Fang Zhengzhi, stop dreaming. I won’t give you a single gold mine!” Princess Shan Yu fumed.

Chapter 416: Nothing

“I see, then you can keep your gold mines. I am going to take a nap.” Fang Zhengzhi waved them off and leaned back.

“Fang Zhengzhi!” Princess Shan Yu raged.

“Is there anything else, Princess?”

“Okay, I agree to your terms. Can you tell us the plan now?” Princess Shan Yu’s eyes glimmered.

“Your Highness, you can’t!”

“You can’t give the life source of the Southern Region to such a thief!”

“Your highness!”

All of the generals pleaded when they heard what Princess Shan Yu said.

“Shut up!” Princess Shan Yu bellowed and beamed at Fang Zhengzhi. “Fang Zhengzhi, I promise to give you the 10 biggest gold mines. Are you happy now? Tell us your plan!”

“Okay then, let’s sign the paperwork!” Fang Zhengzhi’s eyes glimmered when he heard this.

“Get someone to draft the agreement for the gold mines.” Princess Shan Yu turned and ordered one of the generals. “Any other issues?”

“None!”

“Then tell us the plan?”

“I will after we sign the deal.”

“Fang Zhengzhi, don’t try to push your luck. I have already agreed to your terms. Do you really think that I won’t honor my word?” Princess Shan Yu raged.

“Do you dare to swear on your gods?” Fang Zhengzhi looked at the princess with scorn and shook his head.

Does this chick…

Really think that I am stupid?

“You, you… Fang Zhengzhi, ask me for anything else and I will definitely give it to you!” Princess Shan Yu’s face was flushed.

“Your Highness, did you forget what you just said? You just called me a greedy mercenary. I don’t want anything other than the gold mines.” Fang Zhengzhi replied.

He did not really think that he would be able to get those gold mines.

After all, Princess Shan Yu did not rule the Southern Region.

There was still the King and the Crown Prince. Even if Princess Shan Yu agreed to the terms, they may not be fulfilled.

However, he needed Princess Shan Yu to make this decision. That was the only way the had any chance of success.

Of course…

If they really became his…

10 gold mines!

What a windfall that would be.

Even if they only gave him a single gold mine, he would be able to live in luxury for many lifetimes.

Men need to be ambitious.

Without ambitions…

They would have nothing to work towards. Even if the ambition borders on the impossible…

“Fang Zhengzhi, are you not afraid that I will just kill you right now?” Princess Shan Yu’s body glowed with red cloud patterns. It was clear that she was losing control over her emotions.

“I am… but, are you not afraid?” Fang Zhengzhi replied.

“What?!” Princess Shan Yu bellowed, the red light enveloping her body like an inferno.

Fang Zhengzhi was shocked by this.

All of the generals instinctively took a step back, horror and terror written all over their faces.

The tension in the tent could be cut with a knife.

The red light continued to swirl around Princess Shan Yu.

“Fine, I agree to your terms!”

After a whole 15 minutes, Princess Shan Yu finally spoke. However, this time, her tone was calm.

After she said this, all of the light dissipated instantly.

Fang Zhengzhi did not reply immediately. He pushed an exquisite leather parchment to Princess Shan Yu.

This was the second time Princess Shan Yu had agreed to the terms. But this time, Fang Zhengzhi knew that she had made up her mind.

Princess Shan Yu did not hesitate either. She walked to the table, bent over and signed the agreement.

Then, she took out a green stamp and stamped the agreement. Finally, she bit her finger and dripped a drop of her blood onto the parchment.

After she was done, she passed the agreement back to Fang Zhengzhi.

Fang Zhengzhi looked through the agreement. The names and locations of the gold mines were clearly written. Furthermore, the lease was…

Freehold!

Fang Zhengzhi’s eyelids twitched and he kept the agreement. Then, he waved Princess Shan Yu over.

Princess Shan Yu frowned but decided to lean in.

Fang Zhengzhi could feel the inexplicable aura emanating from Princess Shan Yu’s body. He felt as though he was in a furnace.

His heart fluttered.

But he quickly calmed himself down.

He did not announce the plan for fear of spies within the ranks. When facing the Demons, he had to take precautions. The plan can only be heard by the commander.

“Actually, I was just kidding when I asked you to send 80,000 troops to Nan Ling…” Fang Zhengzhi whispered.

“You…” Princess Shan Yu shuddered. She had no idea if this was because she was angered by what she heard or if it was a reaction to Fang Zhengzhi’s breath at her ear.

“I am quite sure that the Demons from the Blood Shadow City have already taken Nan Ling Settlement. As such, the best option now is to send a party of elite soldiers to set up an ambush between Nan Ling and Iron Hill. This will buy us some time. The rest of the army will reinforce the Iron Hill Settlement!”

“Elite soldiers?”

“Yes, the fastest ones! I think that there is no better candidate than your 3000 silver horned wolves!” Fang Zhengzhi added.

“You want me to commit my 3000 silver horned wolves and the 80,000 select soldiers? Then what about the Sagely Mountain City?” Princess Shan Yu whispered.

“I will go!” Fang Zhengzhi replied without hesitation.

“You will go to the Sagely Mountain City?” Princess Shan Yu asked doubtfully.

“Of course.” Fang Zhengzhi nodded. He wasn’t trying to be a hero, but he was keenly aware of something else.

The Great Xia army would never stay in the Icy Monkey Settlement for long.

They would go out!

As quickly as possible!

That was their only option.

As such, the Great Xia army should have already begun marching towards the Sagely Mountain City. Furthermore, they would be fine as long as the Demons from the Blood Shadow City didn’t reach the Sagely Mountain City.

He could ensure his own safety and be a hero at the same time.

Fang Zhengzhi was extremely proud of his plan.

“I don’t like the idea of you going alone!” Princess Shan Yu shook her head instinctively. Then, she realized that what she just said could be easily misunderstood. She quickly added, “I don’t like the idea of placing the fate of the Sagely Mountain City, the King, and my Third Brother in your hands!”

“Oh…” Fang Zhengzhi nodded, then looked at Princess Shan Yu…

…

The night was ice cold.

The day of fighting had caused the air around the Sagely Mountain City to be filled with the stench of blood.

Bodies lay in piles outside the imperial palace. The blood formed streams and puddles around the bodies.

Cries could be heard throughout the night. They were the cries of the elderly, the children, the wives… yet, there were no sounds of soldiers.

The entire capital was deathly silent.

Heavily armored soldiers guarded the walls of the imperial palace. Each of them carried a black spear in their hands.

They were the imperial guard, a group of elite soldiers loyal only to the royal family. Despite the stench of blood and the chilly air, they continued to stand tall.

Their only mission…

Guard the palace!

They were to guard this sacred ground, the most important land in all the Southern Region.

Two black figures appeared under the moonlight. Then, they quickly disappeared into the darkness, almost as if they were never there to begin with.

“Enter the city!”

“No, no we can’t!”

Two voices whispered in the dark.

One voice was from a lady. Her tone was urgent. The second was male, and his tone was equally urgent.

There was no doubt…

The voices were from Princess Shan Yu and Fang Zhengzhi.

Princess Shan Yu was worried about the King and her brother. She wanted to enter the city to check on them. However, Fang Zhengzhi was in no hurry to do that.

He was panicking because…

Damn it!

Where is the Great Xia army?

He had already stalled for time, choosing to scale the city walls after dark. Yet, he still did not see a single Great Xia soldier.

There was no trace of them!

Fang Zhengzhi’s plan was simple. He was sure that the Great Xia would take this opportunity to launch an attack on the Sagely Mountain City.

The plan was simple.

He would have Princess Shan Yu order the Southern Region soldiers to take over the empty Icy Monkey Settlement. Then, they would join forces with the Great Xia and devour the Demons.

But what now?

There wasn’t any movement!

The plan…

Seemed to be going wrong!

Chapter 417: Reckless Charging

Fang Zhengzhi could not figure out where he had gone wrong. The commander was Xing Yuanguo, someone who had the foresight not to stay in the Icy Monkey Settlement.

Furthermore…

Xing Yuanguo would definitely have seen the chaos in the Sagely Mountain City. He would not let such a golden opportunity pass.

Was there something that he had missed?

Fang Zhengzhi did not understand. However, he had to solve the immediate problem first/ He couldn’t just stay outside the city walls.

If the Great Xia army was still defending the Icy Monkey Settlement, then they will prevent the advance of the Southern Region army.

The Sagely Mountain City was being surrounded by 50,000 Demons, but they were in no immediate danger. However, Princess Shan Yu’s 80,000 troops could not hold out indefinitely.

Even though Fang Zhengzhi was quite sure he guessed Yun Qingwu’s plan correctly, his counter would not be effective if the Great Xia continued to stay in the Icy Monkey Settlement.

After a few days, the Demon armies would meet and become an unstoppable force.

Furthermore, the Southern Region Crown Prince can add a few hundred thousand soldiers to that force…

With two armies bearing down on the Great Xia…

The battle would be a hard fought one and any victory would be pyrrhic. If the Northern Barbarians took the opportunity to strike, the Great Xia would be in serious danger.

What was he to do now?

Even though Fang Zhengzhi was not interested in state affairs, he did not want the country to be run over.

He still cared for his family.

If the Great Xia fell…

The Northern Mountain Village would be affected as well. He did not want to see it embroiled in battle, and this was something no citizen wanted either.

As such, he had to come up with a plan.

But…

Fang Zhengzhi looked at the fires and the patrolling Demon soldiers helplessly.

They were 50,000 strong. Even if he tried his best, he would only be able to kill a few hundred. That was insignificant in the grand scheme of things.

He was immensely outnumbered.

Fang Zhengzhi tried to recall the military strategies of the past, where a significantly outnumbered army had managed to wrestle victory from the hands of the enemy.

Xiang Yu’s war against Liu Bang, Cao Cao’s battle against Yuan Shao, or even Zhuge Liang’s famous Empty City Strategy.

But, they could not be applied to his current situation.

Burn the rations?

Good plan!

But where were the rations?

The Empty City Strategy was a good plan as well. However, it would be stupid to use that plan here.

He would be completely smashed!

What about kidnapping Yun Qingwu?

Fang Zhengzhi’s eyes glimmered. However, they darkened almost instantly. For starters, he did not even know where Yun Qingwu was. Furthermore, after the incident at Feng Su, the Demons were bound to step up their defences.

A headache…

Fang Zhengzhi already had enough to deal with. Just as he thought he couldn’t get any worse, he realized he still had to deal with Princess Shan Yu.

After hearing Fang Zhengzhi reject her proposal, Princess Shan Yu decided to go at it alone.

Without waiting for an explanation, she went over the wall.

“F*ck me!” Fang Zhengzhi wanted to push Princess Shan Yu to the ground and sit on her.

However, Princess Shan Yu was someone who was used to being in control. She would never allow Fang Zhengzhi to control her.

Her wishes were orders to the Southern Region soldiers. This was how she was brought up. She wasn’t going to wait for Fang Zhengzhi’s approval.

By telling Fang Zhengzhi her plan, she was already showing him some respect.

Was he going to let the Princess go at it alone?

Or should he follow her into the city and continue to think of a plan after he was inside?

This was the dilemma that Fang Zhengzhi was presented with.

This wasn’t a difficult decision to make at the moment. Since he did not have any concrete plan at the moment, he decided to wing it.

Of course, he was also afraid that Princess Shan Yu would just leave him behind.

After all, this was her territory. The only reason why he could make it this far in without being spotted was Princess Shan Yu.

Even though he may be powerful, he still had to stay close to Princess Shan Yu if he wanted to survive.

“Wait for me!” Fang Zhengzhi followed behind Princess Shan Yu and entered the city.

His only hope was to follow Princess Shan Yu and confirm that the King and the Crown Prince were safe. Then, he would evacuate them.

The city was too dangerous.

Hang on.

Something was wrong. If he and Princess Shan Yu were able to enter without being stopped, why wouldn’t the Royal family sneak out?

Who would dare to stop them?

Oh no, it’s a trap!

Fang Zhengzhi’s expression changed instantly. The palace may have already been controlled by the Demons and everything outside was just a charade.

Did he just walk into a trap?

This did not bother Fang Zhengzhi for long. The moment he stepped onto the grounds of the palace, he was shocked by what he saw.

He saw a squad of rattan armored guards staring at him and Princess Shan Yu. They were clearly patrolling the area.

Dozens of eyes stared at the two of them in disbelief.

Fang Zhengzhi’s expression darkened.

He had always thought of himself as a specialist in sneak attacks. Yet, today, Princess Shan Yu had destroyed that reputation. She didn’t even check before she jumped!

She could have tried listening for footsteps! What if she had run into someone powerful? She was just in the pinnacle Heavenly Reflection State!

Awkward…

Fang Zhengzhi could tell that the sneak attack was a failure. The expression of the soldiers said it all.

What was he going to do now?

Fight, or run?

Also, were these guards the real guards, or were they Demons? Fang Zhengzhi had no idea. Their armor made it difficult for Fang Zhengzhi to see their forehead.

That meant that he could not see if they had a demonic eye.

“What are you looking at? Continue patrolling the grounds!” A peerlessly arrogant voice cut through the air and a red light beamed from Princess Shan Yu’s body.

It was a cloud pattern, and it revealed Princess Shan Yu’s identity.

Fang Zhengzhi knew why Princess Shan Yu was doing this, but he was afraid that the guards were actually demons.

Just as he was thinking about this, a miracle happened.

The guards were stunned when they saw the cloud patterns on Princess Shan Yu’s body. They looked at each other, then continued patrolling the grounds, ignoring Princess Shan Yu and Fang Zhengzhi.

Fang Zhengzhi still could not figure out if they were the legitimate guards, or Demons in disguise.

Both were still plausible.

If they were legitimate guards, they would recognize Princess Shan Yu and let them pass. If they were Demons, this could just be them staying in character.

Fang Zhengzhi could not tell.

He was slightly worried. However, Princess Shan Yu did not hesitate at all. She beamed radiantly.

Then, she proceeded to do something strange.

She seemed to be emboldened by what just happened. She dragged Fang Zhengzhi towards the palace.

She even took the main road!

Fang Zhengzhi was uncomfortable with this. He wanted to tell Princess Shan Yu off. He wanted to tell her to keep her identity hidden and keep a low profile.

After all, she was only in the pinnacle Heavenly Reflection State!

Of course…

He did not say anything. Along the way, they ran into no less than a dozen squads of palace guards.

They managed to pass through without any incidents.

However, Fang Zhengzhi still felt that they were being too conspicuous.

Even though he enjoyed the spotlight…

This was too high profile for him.

Was the palace still in the Southern Region’s control. Fang Zhengzhi continued to survey the palace guards, unsettled by the entire process.

If he had a second chance…

He would have knocked Princess Shan Yu out, found a place to hide out, and tried to gather some intel.

Barging into the palace like that…

May just cost him his life…

Chapter 418: Animalistic Movements

“Stop!” After walking for 15 minutes, Fang Zhengzhi could not take it any longer.

“What’s wrong? I want to see the King and my third brother, why should we stop?” Princess Shan Yu frowned and looked at Fang Zhengzhi in doubt.

“I think that we should change our clothes.” Fang Zhengzhi replied.

“Change? Why?”

“Your highness… just think about it. We may not have faced any problems thus far… but, we have to stop everytime we meet a squad of guards. This is delaying us, and also reveals your identity to the world. We could change and conceal ourselves…” Fang Zhengzhi explained.

“Mm, that makes sense!” Princess Shan Yu interrupted. Then, she surveyed the surroundings before rushing into a dark corner.

Fang Zhengzhi was confused.

There was no one there. Why would Princess Shan Yu go there? Did she just ditch him? How was he going to get out?

Just as he was thinking about it, he heard Princess Shan Yu’s voice.

“You, and you, take off your clothes!”

“Yes, your highness!”

Before long, Princess Shan Yu came out of the shadows.

She held two sets of rattan armor in her hands.

“The clothes are here.” Princess Shan Yu threw a set to Fang Zhengzhi, visibly proud of herself.

Fang Zhengzhi was unsettled by what he just saw. He knew exactly what had happened.

The royal palace!

Other than the patrolling guards, they had men hiding in the shadows as an ambush.

Danger was everywhere.

Hang on… if the locations of these ambushes had not changed, does it mean that… the royal city is still controlled by the Southern Region?

Fang Zhengzhi’s eyelids twitched. He felt that there was a good chance this place was not run over by the Demons just yet.

But…

If it really was in the Southern Region’s control, why did the King and the Crown Prince not take this opportunity to escape? If they could enter so easily, it would not be difficult for the royal family to escape.

Something was wrong.

Something was definitely wrong!

Fang Zhengzhi felt that there was something wrong, but he could not pinpoint what the problem was. He would just have to figure it out as he went along.

He found a secluded spot and put on the rattan armor. Then he heaved a sigh of relief. With this armor, there would be fewer confrontations.

Everything was simple from that point onwards.

With Princess Shan Yu to guide him along, they managed to enter the palace complex without any incidents. Then, they made their way to a humongous door.

This was a door adorned with gold and jewels. The gold and jewels combined to create a beautiful work of art.

They could hear the sounds of drums from inside.

Six heavily armored guards stood at the door. Each one of them was hulking in size and had skin as dark as ink.

The picture on the door was that of a beast.

It looked like a lion, but it had a pair of wings. Furthermore, it also had a pair of horns on its head.

There were complicated patterns on each of the horns.

Cloud Pattern!

By now, Fang Zhengzhi had seen the cloud pattern umpteen times. He had seen it first on the wall in The Vast World…

Then again on Wu Feng’s Jade Flute…

After that, he had seen it on Princess Shan Yu before seeing it on the horns of the beast. This piqued his curiosity.

The Cloud Pattern…

What was it?

Fang Zhengzhi wanted to ask Princess Shan Yu about it. After all, she had it on her body. However, at that very moment, the sound of the drums stopped.

Then, they heard the sounds of tables and chairs crashing. An angry voice could be heard from inside.

“Rebel, stop what you’re doing!”

Fang Zhengzhi’s eyes twitched.

Rebel?

From the exquisite decorations on the door, he was sure that the person inside was either the King or the Crown Prince.

That meant that the ‘rebel’ could only be one person.

It seems like…

There was trouble!

Fang Zhengzhi’s heart fluttered. Could the Crown Prince be taking this opportunity to rebel? This was something that had happened before in history.

They would ally themselves with outsiders to claim the throne.

Could this be what was happening?

Fang Zhengzhi wanted to go and take a look, but he knew that he had to keep his cool, so he did not spring into action. He chose to wait for the six guards to charge in first.

However…

The guards did not even blink when they heard the commotion. It was almost as if they didn’t hear the noises inside.

Something was wrong…

If there was a rebel inside, the guards should be charging in to protect the King!

Why weren’t they moving?

Could it be…

These were the Crown Prince’s men?!

Fang Zhengzhi knew that this was the only possibility. However, this had terrifying implications.

If the guards were loyal to the Crown Prince…

This rebellion was likely to succeed.

“Father!”

Murphy’s Law was at it once again.

Fang Zhengzhi was deciding between siding with the King and coming to his aid, or siding with the Crown Prince and going with the flow when Princess Shan Yu’s voice rang out.

Red lights beamed from her body.

The expression of the guards changed instantly as they looked at the Princess in shock.

“Princess!”

“It’s the Princess!”

“Greetings, your highness!”

The guards looked at each other, then whispered. However, none of them knelt in respect.

“Move aside!” Princess Shan Yu ordered.

“Erm…”

The guards’ expressions were conflicted as they stood their ground.

“I said, move aside!” Princess Shan Yu raged.

“Forgive us, your highness. The Crown Prince has ordered us not to let anyone through!” One of the guards replied respectfully.

“Third brother is in there! This is the King’s court, why is he not in his own residence trying to formulate a plan? What is he doing here?” Princess Shan Yu frowned anxiously.

“This… I do not know.” The guards looked at each other and grit their teeth.

“Rubbish, who else is in there?”

“I do not know.”

“You don’t know? Or you’re not saying? Stand aside, I’m going in!” Princess Shan Yu shook her head at the guards, her eyes glimmering icily.

“Please forgive us.” The guards grit their teeth.

“How dare you! I would like to see how many of you dare to stop me!” Princess Shan Yu’s body exploded with red light as she hollered.

Fang Zhengzhi had seen Princess Shan Yu get angry before. He had even experienced it for himself.

But this time…

It felt different…

Previously, her anger had stemmed from an inability to contain her anger. This time, she was showing her dominance.

A dominance that came from her position as a Princess.

As a princess of the Southern Region, she could accept that an outsider might challenge her authority, but she would never allow a guard to do the same.

The red light enveloped her body as the dense cloud patterns showed on her skin.

At the same time, a wave of heat could be felt. It was a unique aura.

It was rhythmic…

Almost like a heartbeat.

Animalistic.

That was the only word Fang Zhengzhi could use to describe it. Her eyes were fixed on the six guards in front of her, her legs slightly bent, ready to pounce.

Coupled with the red light and cloud pattern…

She looked like a leopard hunting for prey.

The six guards paled when they saw this, their hands trembling.

They looked like they were experiencing some sort of emotional struggle.

“This is your last chance, step aside!” Princess Shan Yu bellowed once again. This time, her voice seemed to come from deep within her body.

Fang Zhengzhi recalled that General Tai had done something similar during his duel with Fang Zhengzhi.

This time, Princess Shan Yu had the same animalistic growl.

But…

Unlike General Tai, Princess Shan Yu’s body did not change.

Did the Cloud Pattern have a role to play in this?

Chapter 419: Terrifying power

Fang Zhengzhi was extremely curious about the Cloud Pattern. He would not miss out on an opportunity to examine it.

He could have joined Princess Shan Yu and beat up the six guards.

But that would have been too disrespectful towards Princess Shan Yu.

After all, if she couldn’t even take care of a few guards herself, how could she still maintain her standing in the army?

Of course, there was another reason why he didn’t attack.

He would much prefer to sneak in whilst the battle was ongoing.

By doing so, he thought that it would give them a better chance of victory.

He was effectively killing three birds with one stone. He would be increasing their odds of victory, showing respect to Princess Shan Yu, and would be able to examine the Cloud Pattern.

Princess Shan Yu hollered.

The six guards tightened their grip on their black spears. Their knuckles whitened as they prepared for the assault. They were all elite soldiers in the pinnacle Heavenly Reflection State.

One of them was already a Supernatural State cultivator. However, they did not dare to underestimate Princess Shan Yu.

They did not speak.

They knew that words were useless right now.

They had to carry out their duties and obey their orders. The Crown Prince had made it clear that no one was to enter!

“Woosh!”

A red light flashed.

Princess Shan Yu sprang into action, drawing the daggers sheathed at her thighs. She lunged at the throat of one of the guards.

Fang Zhengzhi knew how sharp the blade was.

Furthermore, he knew that these daggers were not just sharp. They had a burning aura and were made from a unique material.

“Ding!”

A crisp sound rang out as the spear and the daggers clashed. The guard was defending against Princess Shan Yu’s attack.

His muscles tensed.

His skin could be seen through his armor. It was visibly difficult for him to defend against that strike.

But he still managed to block it.

At least, that was what Fang Zhengzhi thought.

His thoughts were quickly disproved.

After the clash, the daggers showed no signs of slowing down as they continued to press forward.

“Kacha!”

At that moment, the black spear broke into two like a slice of cheese being cut by a knife. Soon after, blood spattered all over.

That came from the chest wound caused by the dagger.

Princess Shan Yu had aimed for the throat. Even though the guard had managed to block the strike, Fang Zhengzhi was sure that she would not miss her mark.

But she did.

The blade went through his chest cleanly. Then, Princess Shan Yu spread her hands as though they were wings.

Afterward…

Something shocking happened.

Princess Shan Yu twirled on the spot before she spun into the group of six like a whirlwind of death.

She was outnumbered six to one, but she still charged into the middle of the fight.

Fang Zhengzhi thought that she had lost her mind.

More importantly, the six guards were not weak. Even if Princess Shan Yu had superior weapons, she should not charge in that way.

But…

That was exactly what she did.

The six guards were struggling to keep up. Their arms strained against the power of Princess Shan Yu.

When they tried to attack, the strangest thing happened. It was almost as though their attacks were drawn to Princess Shan Yu’s blade.

It was almost rhythmic.

A very strange, inexplicable rhythm.

Fang Zhengzhi did not understand what it was, or where it came from, but he was sure that Princess Shan Yu’s blade matched every move from the guards.

In fact, it felt like she was controlling their every move.

“Kacha, kacha!”

The spears broke in half as blood spouted from wounds in their chests. The encounter was short, a path had been opened.

They had not opened it themselves.

Princess Shan Yu had cut one through them.

Fang Zhengzhi was stunned. He had thought that Princess Shan Yu had lost her mind, but she had proved him wrong.

He was still wondering how long this battle would take. After all, if they were guarding the palace…

They would not be weak.

However…

This battle was over much faster than he had expected.

Much, much faster.

A spinning top technique?

Fang Zhengzhi quickly quashed that idea.

That whirlwind was not something that could be achieved with mere coordination. It was a special rhythm.

A rhythm that Fang Zhengzhi had never encountered before.

“How powerful!” Fang Zhengzhi murmured subconsciously. He had heard from the soldiers and Teng Shisheng that Princess Shan Yu had gotten to where she is not merely because she was of royal descent.

She had the abilities to show for it.

He did not understand this before.

But he understood it now.

Princess Shan Yu had already gone easy on the six guards. If not, their throats would all have been sliced open.

In other words…

Princess Shan Yu was capable of defeating all six guards in the blink of an eye.

Was this her power?

Fang Zhengzhi had thought that Princess Shan Yu’s power was linked to her fiery red and cloud pattern. What he had just seen disproved that.

Nangong Hao was powerful.

He was powerful because he understood Dao very well, and his heart was well cultivated.

On the other hand…

Princess Shan Yu’s power came from her battle experience. She had fought side by side with her soldiers and this had allowed her to grow stronger.

Rhythm?

A lady who could control rhythm that way, coupled with her insane reaction speeds, flexibility, and unique battle technique…

Powerful…

Terrifyingly powerful…

Fang Zhengzhi knew that he was already in the Supernatural State. Even so, he felt that if they were going to duel…

He could not let her get close to him!

She could slice open his throat, stab a dagger into his heart, gouge his eyes out…

At this moment, Fang Zhengzhi wanted to keep a distance from Princess Shan Yu.

Even if Princess Shan Yu wouldn’t attack him now.

Fang Zhengzhi finally understood why all the generals kept their distance when Princess Shan Yu lost her cool back in the tent.

“Boom!” A dull sound interrupted Fang Zhengzhi’s train of thought.

Then, Fang Zhengzhi felt a slightly chilly gust of wind at his back. It made a soft whooshing sound in his sleeves.

The doors had been opened.

Princess Shan Yu had kicked them open.

Everything had happened in one fluid motion.

It was shockingly quick.

Fang Zhengzhi never struck… he wasn’t even given a chance to attack.

Seeing the doors kicked open, the six guards instinctively tried to step forward to block the entrance. But it was too late.

Because…

Princess Shan Yu was already inside.

The guards paled. This was partially due to their loss of blood, but more because they were terrified.

Blood continued to flow from their open wounds. However, they grit their teeth and tightened their grip on their broken spears, determined to stop Princess Shan Yu.

This was their mission.

However, they were set up to fail.

Just as they were about to enter the hall, a figure pushed right through the middle of them.

“I’m sorry, coming through!” This was a very humble voice, but as it rang out, a huge wave of force crashed into them.

This was a cultivation state suppression.

It was just like there was a powerhouse controlling the space and preventing them from entering.

Before the guards could react, they were forced out the door by the force.

“Boom!” The door slammed shut behind them.

The six guards looked at the closed doors in shock. Their jaws dropped, and they momentarily forgot the wounds to their chests.

Chapter 420: The Answer is in the Edict

Embarrassed.

The six defeated guards had expected to lose to Princess Shan Yu, but to be defeated by a fellow ‘guard’…

In such a domineering fashion…

They simply could not accept it.

More importantly, they could tell that this ‘guard’ was still in his teens.

Who was this?

Who had entered the room with Princess Shan Yu?

Fang Zhengzhi did not answer any of the questions, neither did he have the mood to entertain their questions.

He had expected to see a heated battle upon entering the room. However, he was shocked to see what was happening…

“Should I just leave quietly?”

The Southern Region Throne Room was not like the Great Xia’s. After all, the Great Xia’s had been constantly improved and refurbished with valuable gems.

However, it was still extremely grand and adorned with precious gems.

Other than the gems, the pillars and walls were engraved with pictures of beasts and ancient scriptures.

Most importantly, next to the pictures and the scriptures…

There were skeletons of slain beasts.

The skeletons and thick pillars embodied the animalistic, ruthless, and powerful character of the Southern Region.

Fang Zhengzhi could tell from a glance that those beasts were incredibly powerful…

As such…

The beasts represented the achievements of the best in the region.

Then, Fang Zhengzhi was shocked by the blood on the floor.

It was a stain from someone crawling away. At the head of the trail was an old man who laid prone on the ground.

He was in his 50s and was visibly terrified. He was pale, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. The blood trail had originated from a wound in his chest.

Blood continued to trickle from the open wound, forming a puddle in front of him.

There was a group of scantily dressed ladies holding instruments in their hands by the side.

There were drummers, flutists,…

Their instruments may have been different, but their expressions were all the same.

Shock. The same shock that Fang Zhengzhi was feeling.

However, Fang Zhengzhi was shocked because of a different reason. He had spotted the Minister of Rites.

Most importantly…

The Minister had stretched a hand out towards him.

“Save… save… save me…”

Fang Zhengzhi wanted to leave because of that. He would much rather act as if he had not heard the Minister’s pleas.

“Sister?!”

A voice interrupted the pleas of the Minister of Rites. In fact, this person had completely ignored the Minister from the start.

A man walked towards Princess Shan Yu and Fang Zhengzhi. He held a blood-stained blade in his hand.

He looked to be in his 30s and he wore an exquisite silver leather armor. His shoes were embroidered with gold thread and there were two five-colored feathers on his head.

There was a bright sapphire in between the feathers.

“Brother, what is going on?” Princess Shan Yu tightened her grip on her daggers as she glanced towards the Minister of Law.

Fang Zhengzhi could guess that this man was the Crown Prince, Shan Ling.

“Haha… you shouldn’t be asking me this question. You should be asking Father!” Shan Ling chuckled as he looked at Princess Shan Yu affectionately.

“Father?” Princess Shan Yu looked at the elderly man seated on the throne.

He was over two meters in height, well built but with silver hair. He wore purple leather.

If not for his wrinkles, one would not be able to guess his age.

The King of the Southern Region!

Was this him?

Fang Zhengzhi looked at the King. He could see the pain in the eyes of the King, a pain that only the elderly felt.

“Rebel!” The King did not seem to want to explain. He directed his anger towards Shan Ling, but did not seem to want to save the Minister of Law.

“Sister, you don’t have to care about this. Since you are here, you should already have fought the Demons outside?” Shan Ling shook his head. He had no intention of debating with the King. He looked at Princess Shan Yu with anticipation.

“Brother, what the hell is going on here?” Princess Shan Yu looked at the King and Shan Ling with a steely determination in her eyes.

“What’s going on? What else could be going on! Our soldiers have laid down their lives and spilled their blood on the battlefield! How many men did we lose at the Icy Monkey Settlement? Do you know? 8,000! 8,000! And what is Father doing? Negotiating for peace! He is negotiating with the Great Xia after 8,000 of our men lost their lives! Sister… what do you think I’m doing?!”

Shan Ling was fuming after being interrogated by Princess Shan Yu. He tried to suppress his anger, but his tone had changed significantly.

“I don’t care what father did. He is still our father, the one who raised us!” Princess Shan Yu’s eyes glimmered and she clenched her fists.

“Yes, he is our father, but he is also the father of his citizens! Are our soldiers not his children? Have you seen a father who would make merry and negotiate with the enemy right after losing 8,000 children?!”

“Brother, are you still dreaming about being an Emperor? Do you not see what is happening?” Princess Shan Yu’s expression changed.

“Situation? Haha… let me tell you what is happening. This is happening!” Shan Ling retrieved an exquisite piece of leather with a fresh red stamp.

Princess Shan Yu looked at it.

Fang Zhengzhi looked at it. However, the King and the Minister of Law did not even take a look at it.

“Your Highness, the agreement you hold in your hand is just a ploy. They want to break up the Southern Region and the Great Xia. Even if you kill me, they will still conquer your capital and you will not have a chance to recover. We are now giving you the option of drawing back from the Stable Mountain Gate and releasing our soldiers in exchange for our support. We can join forces…” The Minister of Law knew what was written within that piece of leather.

“Shut up!” Shan Ling’s voice was icy. He kept the leather, “What do you know? The Demons may go back on their word, but they will not do so if they swore in the name of their gods. The agreement states that I will have three days if I kill you. We can break the Icy Monkey Settlement in three days! By that time, their 50,000 soldiers…”

“It also says that if you kill me, the Demons will pull back from the Sagely Mountain City and help you to the throne. Isn’t that even better for you?” The Southern Region King’s voice interrupted the Crown Prince.

“Father, do you not understand? I only have one aim, to buy us some time. Three days, three days is all I need! The Demons? I don’t need them! Father, don’t you want to be an Emperor? Do you want to be subservient to the Great Xia forever? What do they have? 400,000 of our soldiers would be able to go up against a million of theirs! Why should we obey them? Wake up, father!”

“You need to wake up, brother!” Princess Shan Yu’s body began to glow red.

“Me? Haha… I am very much awake. I have never been this awake before. Sister, I am the one who pampers you the most. You have not let me down! With the 80,000 soldiers you brought, the Demons would not be able to take the city in three days even if they wanted to!” Shan Ling chuckled.

“Brother, what if I told you I didn’t bring a single soldier?” Princess Shan Yu continued.

“This is not the time for jokes, sister! How could you not bring any soldiers? I gave you the best of the best. Furthermore, with the 3000 Silver Horned Wolves you have, they should have no problem getting past 50,000 Demons!” Shan Ling did not believe Princess Shan Yu.

“Yes, it is not difficult for 3000 Silver Horned Wolves to cut a path through the Demon army, but I didn’t bring any soldiers.” Princess Shan Yu shook her head.

“You… sister, this is really not the time for joking. If you didn’t bring any soldiers, then what are you doing here?” Shan Ling’s expression changed as he tried to keep his tone calm.

“Negotiate!”

“For peace? With who?! The Great Xia?! Sister… have you lost your mind? This is the best chance we’ve had to be independent from the Great Xia! Why should we negotiate with them?” Shan Ling became agitated once again.

“Brother, we cannot possibly take on both the Great Xia and the Demons at the same time!”

“I know!” Shan Ling nodded. “But so what? Sister, do you think that I am an idiot? We don’t have the ability to fight them both at the same time. But, the Great Xia still hasn’t launched an attack! Even after we took the Stable Mountain Gate!”

Shan Ling paused.

“Taking the gate was just a test. The results have shown that the Great Xia doesn’t dare to attack us! They will not let us die even if we are not their vassal!”

“What is the Great Xia without us?”

“They will just be a prime target for the Demons! Without the Southern Region in the way, the Great Xia would not be able to prosper! Neither will they be able to fight the barbarians in the North!”

“Sister, tell me why the Southern Region cannot be independent! Tell me why we can’t be an empire!”

“Negotiate? Why should we negotiate?!”

“We have to give them a fortune every year, and that isn’t including the leather that we give them! What do they give us in return? Books! A few books! Books on architecture, policy, and economics! They tell us that it is better to teach a man to fish than to give a man a fish!”

“Don’t you see? The Great Xia treat us like fools! They send their Minister of Law and our King must receive him? We treat him with respect, entertain him, feed him, all whilst our men are dying on the battlefield!”

“Today, I will make sure that this Minister of Law opens his eyes and sees how powerful we are!”

Shan Ling looked at the Minister of Law with a posture that exuded confidence. The blade in his hand hummed.

Shan Ling was ready to kill.

The King looked at Shan Ling, wanting to say something, but he didn’t make a sound.

Fang Zhengzhi had wondered how he would feel when he met the King or the Crown Prince.

He had expected a rebellion, embarrassment, anger…

He had also prepared speeches for the various scenarios.

Fang Zhengzhi felt that the Southern Region was in immediate trouble because of the threat to their capital.

As such, it should not have been too difficult to convince them to ally themselves with the Great Xia.

However…

After listening to Shan Ling…

He had a whole new outlook on the situation.

Even though this was the most difficult moment for the Southern Region, the Great Xia did not dare to attack.

In other words, not only was the Great Xia not going to attack, they were doing everything they could to help the Southern Region tide through this situation.

Regardless of their attitude.

The Great Xia could never let the Southern Region fall, even if they wanted to be independent and form an empire.

As such…

How were they going to negotiate?

There was nothing to negotiate.

The Great Xia had watched on as the Southern Region took the Stable Mountain Gate and imprisoned thousands of their soldiers. They would also have to tolerate the Crown Prince killing any missionary they sent!

This was the situation the Great Xia was in.

As long as the Demons continued to threaten the Great Xia, they could not take action against the Southern Region.

His blade shone.

He raised it above the Minister of Law’s head. He could take the Minister’s head in the blink of an eye.

Sweat poured from the Minister’s forehead.

He wanted to say something, but he had nothing left to say. After hearing what Shan Ling said, he knew that there was no chance for a negotiation.

They had no bargaining chips.

Shan Ling had rejected everything that they had to offer.

As such, this negotiation could not continue, and he was destined to fail and die here.

Hopelessness!

The desperation could be seen in his eyes as the energy exited his body. The Emperor’s edict that had given him strength before now felt heavy.

“Dong!”

The golden edict felt into the pool of blood, the words plain for all to see.

Fang Zhengzhi looked at the edict.

With his current abilities, he could easily see the words written on the edict. He managed to understand it at a glance.

The gist of it was that the soldiers had to obey the orders of the Minister of Law.

It also contained Emperor Lin Mubai’s wish to make peace with the Southern Region.

After reading the edict…

Fang Zhengzhi finally understood why the Minister of Law would be here, and why the Great Xia soldiers would stay in the Icy Monkey Settlement.

If not for this edict, the soldiers of the Great Xia would have probably made it already!

With the Icy Monkey Settlement emptied, hundreds of thousands of Southern Region soldiers could march on the Sagely Mountain City.

Everything would have gone according to plan!

But…

F*cking Murphy’s Law!

Hang on, something is wrong!

The Emperor would never be so stupid!

The Emperor would know that he had no bargaining chips. He would not have destroyed his army’s best chance at victory! What was wrong?

Fang Zhengzhi frowned as he stared at the edict. For some reason, he had a feeling that…

The answer…

Must be in the edict!

Chapter 421: A Turn of Events

The edict bore just a few lines of words, but its message was surprisingly coherent. This made Fang Zhengzhi a little apprehensive.

He believed the answer should lie within the edict, yet if he could not see it, then it had not served many purposes.

Was it an acrostic poem?

Fang Zhengzhi turned his eyes at the start of each line, and the end of each line, then diagonally through every line…

But after he had tried every conceivable method, he still could not discover any other meaning.

Was it really just an appeal for peace?

This… should not be like this!

Wait a second!

In peace we shall live, in separation we shall perish.

“In peace we shall live, in separation we shall perish!”

In an instant, Fang Zhengzhi squinted slightly, and this sentence was not difficult to find. Yet it blended with the rest of the words in this edict.

But, this sentence had a major problem.

It had an incorrect word!

“In peace we shall live, in separation we shall perish?” Shouldn’t it be “united we stand, divided we fall?” Why would it contain a homophone?

Was the sage careless and wrote a wrong word?

Fang Zhengzhi believed this was of little possibility, almost impossible, so this phrase ‘in peace’.

No!

It was not a homophone, but a word of a different meaning. Its actual meaning was not ‘peace’ but ‘mix’, like the mixing of many elements into homogeneity. Like water and flour, kneaded and pressed into a sticky lump of dough.

(Translator’s Note: In Chinese, the words for ‘peace’ and ‘mix’ share the same character but are pronounced differently)

Mixing…

Now he understood!

Fang Zhengzhi’s eyes sparkled in epiphany. He finally understood the hidden meaning of this edict.

Understood the meaning of this edict…

Naturally, he knew why Li Mubai sent the Ministry of Rites official here.

He was a worthy emperor indeed!

Fang Zhengzhi found it a little hard to believe. Although the Great Xia Dynasty was in a precarious position, this sage still saw the rays of hope in an abyss.

Mix and we shall live, in separation we shall perish.

Li Mubai had already predicted that Demon Race would attack the Southern Region, thus in anticipation, he made such a decree, to mix the Southern Region and the Demon Race.

Only when both are mixed, conflicts could then arise.

Only then, Great Xia could have a chance.

Indeed, it was a chance, though a painfully difficult one. If not for the threat from Blood Shadow City’s Demonic Army, according to his plan, it would have been a great chance.

However…

If the Demonic Army from the Blood Shadow City was charging towards Sagely Mountain City like Fang Zhengzhi predicted, then this could no longer be called a chance.

Even if you had mastered the most sophisticated techniques, in a duel against a very powerful individual, you could only raise your hands and cry in desperation for mercy.

“Third brother!”

Princess Shan Yu’s voice lit up once again. Her voice was not loud, but very firm.

Shan Ling stopped his hand, his blade in its icy gleam against the neck of the Ministry of Rites official, its sharpness leaving a bloody cut.

The Ministry of Rites official shivered in fear, his face a pallor, yet he did not beg for mercy.

Maybe…

This is the Six Council Official’s last remaining shred of dignity.

Even if he would die, he would never beg for mercy!

“Sister, must I repeat myself?” Shan Ling’s hand had not moved, his eyes turned towards Princess Shan Yu.

“Third brother, if I say that the Blood Shadow City’s Demonic Army is charging towards Sagely Mountain this very moment, do you think you would still get your way as the emperor?” Princess Shan Yu clenched her teeth.

Of course, she did not know whether Blood Shadow City’s Demonic Army would rush out at full force.

All of this…

Were just Fang Zhengzhi’s predictions.

If the Demonic Army did not charge towards Sagely Mountain, according to Shan Ling, it would be possible for the Southern Region to separate from Great Xia.

Yet, if the Blood Shadow City’s Demonic Army came, the idea of the Southern Region leaving Great Xia and Southern King being the Emperor would then be just a joke.

Would a country controlled by another race still be honored as a real country? How, then, would the emperor differ from a mere foreigner?

Princess Shan Yu was taking a gamble.

She was gambling her trust in either Shan Ling or Fang Zhengzhi. And she chose to believe in Fang Zhengzhi, whom she had known for less than a month and seen only a few times.

“What? Sister… Blood Shadow City’s Demonic Army is heading towards Sagely Mountain? This… This cannot be true. If it is as what you’ve said, why did they want to sign a pact with me, and even gave me three extra days?” Shan Ling still found it hard to believe.

“This…” Princess Shan Yu’s voice trailed off. She fretted, equally puzzled.

If the Blood Shadow City’s Demonic Army was really charging towards Sagely Mountain, in normal circumstances, timing would be of utmost importance. They would never allow Sagely Mountain any time to prepare.

In addition, with the Sagely Mountain already within in their control, the Demonic Army would have absolutely nothing to gain by doing this.

But why did the Demonic Army sign this pact?

“Sister, are you sure the Blood Shadow City’s Demonic Army has emerged? Have you seen it with your own eyes?” Shan Ling, in Princess Shan Yu’s silence, started to grow a little impatient.

“This…” Princess Shan Yu was tongue-tied once again. Of course, she did not see it, but she felt Fang Zhengzhi made sense. Well, that was just her opinion.

Without a single bit of evidence to back that up.

Lost for words, Princess Shan Yu’s attention turned towards the youth who had hidden behind her and remained silent since they entered the palace.

Written upon their expressions were only questions marks.

“Initially I wasn’t sure, but after seeing this pact, I’m now sure!” Fang Zhengzhi blurted, his gaze met that of Princess Shan Yu awkwardly.

He did not really wish to stand out at this juncture, not with the Ministry of Rites official still helpless on the floor.

Whether to help him up was almost a philosophical inquiry.

“Who are you?! You… are not a Castle Guard! You’re from Great Xia! Tell me your name, and I can grant you a painless death!” Shan Ling turned to Fang Zhengzhi as he immediately saw through Fang Zhengzhi’s impersonation.

But this was not to say Shan Ling was previously careless.

The matter of fact was…

After Fang Zhengzhi followed Princess Shan Yu into the palace, he witnessed the Ministry of Rites official with his outstretched hands, begging Fang Zhengzhi to save him. To prevent revealing his identity, he hid behind Princess Shan Yu and lowered his head.

This way, Shan Ling could not see at Fang Zhengzhi’s face.

Well, Shan Ling did not seem to mind that. In any case, it was natural for Princess Shan Yu to be protected by a Castle Guard.

However, when Princess Shan Yu turned towards Fang Zhengzhi, who then voiced aloud, this identity just could not be kept secret any further.

“Your highness, surely you should be more concerned about the Demonic Army’s attack rather than my name?” Fang Zhengzhi forced a laugh.

Indeed, Fang Zhengzhi should have walked away quietly instead of being mired in this mess, but now with this situation at hand…

It seemed he could not leave as he wished.

The only thing he could do was to clench his teeth and soldier on.

“Haha, you think you’d convince me otherwise, you Great Xia lobbyist?” Shan Ling stared with a smirk.

“It’s up to you to believe, I only care about speaking the truth.” Fang Zhengzhi nodded and a brief glance at Shan Ling. “If my guess is right, it hadn’t been long since you signed the pact with the Demon Race. Let me guess, it was two hours ago?”

“So what?” the Noblelite’s expression changed slightly, his tone remained calm, yet the smirk did not fade.

“With the Sagely Mountain City surrounded, the Demon Race has no reason to give up control of the Castle, not to even mention giving the Southern Region three days to prepare, unless…” Fang Zhengzhi words hit a block.

“Unless what?” Princess Shan Yu seemed impatient.

“Noblelite, you really don’t know?” Fang Zhengzhi did not pay heed to the Princess and continued to stare at Shan Ling from his distance.

“Say it!” Shan Ling scowled, his brows furrowed. He tightened his grip on his sword. When he saw the shivering official, he clenched his teeth and raised the blade.

With the sword lifted on the Ministry of Rites official, who heaved a sigh of relief, the bewildered Fang Zhengzhi felt an urge to say something.

That was not what I meant!

Whether or not you kill this official, I really do not care.

I didn’t say it just only to keep you in suspense!

Alright.

Fang Zhengzhi knew Shan Ling had misunderstood him. He thought Fang Zhengzhi threatened him so that he would spare the official. Well, at least this indirectly confirmed Fang Zhengzhi’s prediction.

The pact was, in fact, signed an hour ago!

“Demon Race and the South have something in common: they both lack manpower, but it is worse for the Demon Race. Therefore, for the Demon Race to be so determined to give up the on Sagely Mountain City, there could only be one reason… They also need a little more time!” Fang Zhengzhi exclaimed his heartfelt opinion.

“They also need a little more time?!”

Upon hearing this, Princess Shan Yu’s expression changed.

This was the same for Shan Ling. The high and mighty characteristic of a Southern Region noblelite he formerly displayed vanished, replaced with an expression of shock and terror.

Chapter 422: A Favourable Turn of Events

Shan Ling aside, even the King of the Southern Realm and his humble female servants were horrified and stood rooted to the ground.

This was because both Shan Ling and Princess Shan Yu were smart.

Although Fang Zhengzhi did not finish his speech, Shan Ling, Princess Shan Yu and the King of the Southern Realm had already captured the underlying message and discovered a serious problem.

“Before I arrived with the princess, I have already ordered 80000 elite troops to stand guard at the Iron Hill Settlement, so as to defend against any sneak attacks from the Demonic Army of the Blood Shadow City. If I am right, the news of Princess Shan Yu sending down 80000 elite troops as a defensive force had already reached the ears of the Demon race, which is to say… There are spies in the army!”

Fang Zhengzhi went straight to the point this time around, no longer keeping anything under covers.

A frown immediately appeared on Shan Ling’s face. The presence of a few Demon race spies within the Southern Realm Army was nothing too surprising. After all, it would be too simple for a few Demon race to sneak into a ten thousand strong troop.

Furthermore, the ongoing mission was extremely large in scale. It would be impossible that the Demon race overlook this massive threat.

However, while the Southern Realm Army was now infested with spies from the Demon race, the Demon race army had yet been infiltrated by any of their own. This was a huge mistake on Shan Ling’s part, a mistake that might cause them the entire battle.

Princess Shan Ling similar had a tight frown on her face. Although she knew it was inevitable for a few spies to be in the army, it still made her uncomfortable after listening to the confirmation.

After all, she was revered as the commander of this 80000 strong troop.

Fang Zhengzhi then stared at Shan Ling, Princess Shan Yu, as well as the King of the Southern Realm who was sitting on his throne. He then finally cast his glance on the official from the Ministry of Rites.

He then shook his head and sighed helplessly.

The Ministry of Rites official could naturally guess Fang Zhengzhi’s message from his expression. His face immediately turned a crimson red, clearly showing signs of anger.

He was a dignified official of the Ministry of Rites, one of the prestigious Six Council Officials.

However, he could only lie on the ground as he listened to a person with no experience in foreign affairs diplomacy flaunt his juvenile tactics. Most importantly, the King of the Southern Realm and even the usually obstinate Noblelite seemed to be giving him their full attention.

How then, could he stay calm?

How could he not be fuming with bitter rage?

Fang Zhengzhi ignored the clear signs of anger that the Ministry of Rites official displayed. Instead, he waved his hands at the female servants at the side and pointed at the chair which originally belonged to the official.

The female servants then stared at Fang Zhengzhi before immediately turning to look at the King of the Southern Realm.

Upon the King’s approval, a few female servants brought the chair to the spot right behind Fang Zhengzhi and simultaneously brought over a plate filled with chunks of luxurious, juicy fruits.

Fang Zhengzhi displayed his satisfaction with the inferential ability of these female servants. He then picked up a fruit with his hand and popped it into his mouth before continuing.

“The Demon race has extremely high quality soldiers who specialises in one-on-one combat. However, their numbers would often be small. Although the Demon race from Shadow Blood City have the absolute advantage in numbers and power, they will lose their geographical advantage. If our 80000 strong troop were to set-up ambushes and traps along the way and stand guard firmly at Iron Hill Settlement, it will be almost impossible for the Demon race to secure a fast victory. The only way they can accomplish that is to attack with full force without consideration of the consequences!”

“Hmm…”

Upon hearing those words, Shan Ling and Princess Shan Yu nodded their head in agreement. The greatest advantage of the Southern Mountain Range was their geographical position, coupled with the defence mechanisms and architecture the Six Settlements had painstakingly built up in the past hundreds of years.

Even if the Demon race had absolute advantage in power and numbers…

They would still be able to hold their ground.

If the Demon race wanted to take over the Iron Hill settlement guarded by a 80000 strong Southern Realm Army, they would definitely suffer great losses.

“As I have mentioned, the Demon race is running out of time. They will not want to waste any more time on the road. Charging ahead with full force is thus their only choice. However, they also cannot afford the incredible losses of doing so. Hence, they would have to temporarily give up on Sagely Mountain City, using the 50000 strong Demonic Army currently surrounding the City to conduct an attack on both ends on Iron Hill Settlement! In three days… signing the contract with the Southern Mountain Range would put the Noblelite at ease as well as delay time. Why not go for the best of both worlds?” Fang Zhengzhi stopped at this point.

Because he knew that it was enough.

There were many things that did not need to be spelled out too clearly. Doing that would even evoke sense of disgust from others, which was something Fang Zhengzhi would not want at the moment. He wanted to maintain a good impression in front of the King and Shan Ling.

Shan Ling did not speak right away. In fact, the moment Fang Zhengzhi mentioned that the Demon race would need time as well, he had never planned to interrupt his speech.

He had believed in his own judgement and always had utmost confidence in his plans.

However, he too had utmost confidence in facts.

From his perspective, this young lad from the Great Xia Dynasty was making claims without any concrete basis. Everything he said up till now were simply speculations on his part. However, Shan Ling could not help but consider these baseless speculations as well.

This was because…

The consequences of these speculations were too heavy. Shan Ling would not be able to afford such losses.

Princess Shan Yu similarly fell silent. She merely kept her gaze on Fang Zhengzhi, who was currently sitting leisurely on the chair while munching on a lamb leg. She had already gotten used to Fang Zhengzhi’s gluttony habits and simply shook her head while she walked slowly towards the King sitting on his throne.

From the moment she entered the palace, she had been standing still at the doorway. However, she had now moved and was walking towards the King with slow and steady steps.

The King of the Southern Realm stared at Princess Shan Yu with a loving and benevolent expression. However, when his gaze inadvertently landed on Fang Zhengzhi, the tender expression in his eyes turned into one of surprise and curiosity.

Naturally, he could tell how young Fang Zhengzhi was.

What tender age…

And with Princess Shan Yu at his side.

Might this young lad be…

“Who are you exactly!” Shan Ling shouted and cast his glance back on Fang Zhengzhi after a moment of silence. He did not stop Princess Shan Yu from walking towards the King. He merely stood quietly as he carefully observed Fang Zhengzhi’s features. His eyebrows, eyes, nose, from top to bottom, again and again.

“Hasn’t the Noblelite guessed it after so long?” Fang Zhengzhi smiled as he said. He still had to give the Noblelite some respect as he still had not gotten to a vantage point.

“Yes… I have indeed. The youngest Heavenly Reflection State in the Great Xia Dynasty after Chi Guyan. The Double Roll Champion and the only person who tied with the Nangong noble Hao as champions in the Court Theory Examinations. You are Fang Zhengzhi!” Shan Ling nodded his head as he said, his eyes shining with excitement.

“Third Brother, you have stayed way too long in the capital. This guy is now a Supernatural State!” Although Princess Shan Yu did not want to admit, she still could not hold back her words after listening to Shan Ling’s speech.

After speaking, Princess Shan Yu then sat beside the King of the Southern Realm.

“Supernatural State! You are saying that… he is already a 15, 16 year old Supernatural State?!” Shan Ling gasped as his expression changed to one of shock, one that resonated from within the very core of his body.

The expression on the King’s face had also undergone some changes. However, it was not from the shock like what Shan Ling had displayed. More specifically, the changes in his expression was due to his observations of Princess Shan Yu.

From such close proximity, he could clearly se the changes in Princess Shan Yu’s expression, and the hint of brilliance that was flashing through her beautiful eyes.

How could a father not understand his own daughter?

Princess Shan Yu was a proud individual. This arrogance came from her own talent and her diligence. However, when Fang Zhengzhi was mentioned, the King had seen a different kind of arrogance on Princess Shan Yu’s face.

How could such a discovery not be shocking?

“Supernatural State!” Each and every of the female servants gasped in awe even though they had all gone through strict training in decorum.

They still involuntarily glanced at Fang Zhengzhi the moment they heard Princess Shan Yu’s words.

As for people from the same domain…

They only worshipped one type of people, the Warriors.

Powerful Warriors.

Fang Zhengzhi’s prowess had undoubtedly won him the title of a Warrior in the hearts of these humble female servants.

The King of the Southern Realm swept his gaze across the surroundings and saw the Ministry of Rites official lying on the ground. However, he quickly lost interest and shifted his gaze away.

“I have heard that Lord Fang had already been conferred the title of a Fourth Rank Sword Envoy by the Great Xia Sacred Lord even before the results of the court examinations were out. It is really a glory that is unprecedented and extremely difficult to surpass. It is my honour to be able to meet such an outstanding young lad. Although I have reigned over the Southern Mountain Range for many years as the Ruler in place of the Sacred Lord, I know that my knowledge in the art of war and strategy is still leaps and bound away from a true genius strategist. I am extremely emotional to have met such an individual today. May I then ask for Lord Fang’s opinion on the battle of Iron Hill Settlement?”

As the King gave his speech, he stood up from his throne and gave a slight bow. He actually bowed in Fang Zhengzhi’s direction.

Fang Zhengzhi could recognise this bow as well. It was the Bow of the Great Xia.

From this alone, he could figure out the King’s intentions. However, he still would not explicitly say that the King of the Southern Realm had the intention to normalise relations with the Great Xia Dynasty.

But at least…

The King of the Southern Realm still referred to himself as the Ruler in place of the Sacred Lord.

After the King’s speech, Shan Ling’s body trembled ever so slightly. His hand that was grabbing the hilt of his sword seemed exceptionally pale. He also pursed his lips tightly, seemingly trying to keep his words to himself.

But he still chose to keep silent the entire time.

As for Princess Shan Yu, she lay beside the King all this time while staring at Fang Zhengzhi with her beautiful black eyes expectantly.

Fang Zhengzhi then slowly put down the lamb leg and cleaned the grease off his hands with a napkin. He was actually not keen in giving his view on this matter.

However, he knew that if he kept silent under such circumstances, he would once again push the optimistic situation back into a stalemate.

“What if I say…. Your Majesty and Noblelite should give up on this 80000 strong army? What would Your Majesty think?” As Fang Zhengzhi said these words, he kept his gaze firmly on the King of the Southern Realm and the Noblelite.

Chapter 423: The Growl of the God of Death

“Abandon 80 000 elite soldiers?!”

Shan Ling and the Prince of the Southern Region were both stunned as they never expected Fang Zhengzhi to give such a response.

How many soldiers did the Southern Region have?

They had barely 400 000 soldiers.

Among the 80 000 soldiers, 3000 of them were Silver Horned Wolf Calvary. Such a loss was like amputating an entire arm.

Not only did Shan Ling and the Prince of the Southern Region disagree, even Princess Shan Yu disagreed.

“Impossible!” Shan Ling replied without even thinking.

The Prince of the Southern Region’ mouth twitched. However, before he could speak, he swallowed her words. Instead, he turned to look at Princess Shan Yu. His intentions were clear in his eyes.

Princess Shan Yu naturally understood the intention in her father’s eyes. However, she understood what Fang Zhengzhi was saying too.

Hence, she kept silent.

At least…

She would not say anything right now.

After Fang Zhengzhi heard Shan Ling’s word, he lifted a glass that was full of wine from the Southern Region. Casually, he poured it into his mouth.

What a huge mouth.

Fang Zhengzhi did not care so much because he drank the wine that Teng Shisheng had brought before. However, the moment this wine entered his mouth, he felt as if he could breathe fire.

So spicy!

It was like drinking pure alcohol.

His face turned red and he quickly stuffed a piece of meat into his mouth to suppress the alcoholic taste in his mouth. Then, he exhaled, his breath reeking of alcohol.

Fine…

He could not act the part well.

When the Prince of the Southern Region and Shan Ling saw this scene, they exchanged a gaze.

“Mr. Fang has a good tolerance indeed. This wine is an exquisite product from the Southern Region. Normally, I only dare to take small sips of it. I never expect Mr. Fang’s tolerance to be so good.” The Prince of the Southern Region’s words had no correlation with what he had said just now, but his intentions were clear.

He wanted to improve the atmosphere.

Fang Zhengzhi wanted to retort, “What tolerance?” However, he forced himself to say, “Thank you for your praise, my lord!”

After he said that, Fang Zhengzhi had no intention to drink any more wine. He adjusted his position to one which was more comfortable.

“If you do not wish to sacrifice 80 000 elite soldiers, it means that you have another plan in mind, right?” Fang Zhengzhi said as he looked at Shan Ling.

“I have no plan, but that’s entirely my business!” Shan Ling tightened his grip. However, his tone was confident and self-assured.

“Indeed, that’s your business. The Demon Race has left the Sagely Mountain City last night and I believe that they’ll reach the rump of the Iron Hill Settlement by noon tomorrow. Right now, the army of the Southern Region could not enter the Icy Monkey Settlement. I am curious, what plan do you have, Your Highness?” Fang Zhengzhi nodded his head and a small smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

Shan Ling’s face changed. He knew the current predicament. However, just as what Fang Zhengzhi had said, it was hard enough to protect the Sagely Mountain City, so how could there be any soldiers that could render assistance?

“Fang Zhengzhi, stop beating about the bus. If you have a plan, say it!” While Shan Ling did not want to admit it, he was hapless at the moment.

“I have no plan other than what I just said. Right now, the only plan is to abandon 80 000 elite soldiers, the Sagely Mountain City, and let the troops hide in the forests of the Southern Region. Only when the main army of the Southern Region could they plan a counterattack!” Fang Zhengzhi shook his head with a helpless expression on his face.

“You… If we go down this path, why do I still need your advice?” When Shan Ling heard that, he was naturally incensed.

“Indeed, why do you need to ask me anything? I’ve already said that the only plan is to abandon 80 000 soldiers. Oh right… Do you think I’m joking? Do you honestly think it’s possible to block the pincer movement of Demon Race with 80 000 soldiers? Or do you believe that the Demon Race would spare the elite soldiers after the Iron Hill Settlement falls, which is like stabbing themselves in the back?” Fang Zhengzhi waved his hands.

“You…” Shan Ling’s face changed once again.

He turned deathly pale because he knew what Fang Zhengzhi was true. The Demon Race would never spare those 80 000 soldiers, not a single man.

When the Southern Region maidens around them heard these words, their faces all paled too. Among the 80 000 soldiers, some of them were their family members.

“My lord, please save my younger brother. He is a warrior of the Southern Region and has contributed greatly to our realm since he was five years old. My lord, please don’t abandon my younger brother!”

“Your Highness, please show mercy! Please save the Iron Hill Settlement. My… my family lives there. My 70 years-old mother and father…”

“My lord, Your Highness, Princess, please save the soldiers of the Iron Hill!”

The maidens of the Southern Region finally knelt down prostrating themselves on the ground. They begged their lord, their noblelite, and their princess.

The Prince of the Southern Region looked at the kneeling maidens and his face started to change as well.

As the Prince of the Southern Region, how could he not understand the current situation? 80 000 soldiers. Could he really give up 80 000 soldiers?

If he did that, he might as well abdicate.

Princess Shan Yu’s face had an ugly expression on it too. She personally picked each of the 80 000 soldiers. They all contributed greatly to the Southern Region.

How could she abandon them?

“Fang Zhengzhi, do you have a plan or not?” Shan Ling’s tone turned icy-cold. The knife in his hand slowly came down. Once again, it was positioned on the throat of the Ministry of Rites official.

His body froze over once more.

He looked at Fang Zhengzhi, who sat casually in a chair. He hated him. He knew that Fang Zhengzhi was deliberately sabotaging and undermining him.

However, what could he do?

“Mr. Fang, even if you don’t care much for me, can you at least spare a thought for the brave soldiers of the Southern Region? If you can, please… please help them!” The official gritted his teeth as he said that. He had an ugly expression on his face.

“You are indeed a cunning person with many tricks up your sleeves, a true epitome of a crafty person. Instead of pleading for your life, you plead for the lives of the Southern Region soldiers. I respect this magnanimity and spirit of yours.” When Fang Zhengzhi heard the words of the Ministry of Rites official, a smile crept across his face.

The official’s face turned black.

He wanted to argue but he quickly swallowed his words.

He was not scared of offending Fang Zhengzhi. However, right after he said that the blade pressed against his neck trembled slightly.

Evidently…

Shan Ling inferred that there was a history of enmity between the two of them.

Hence, it was hilarious to threaten Fang Zhengzhi with the Ministry of Rites official.

The Ministry of Rites official recognized this problem. However, as one of the Six Council Officials, he was brazenly insulted by a Rank 4 official and called a cunning and crafty person. Yet, he could not even retort.

This incensed him.

“Pfft!” He spat a mouthful of blood onto the ground. In the end, the Ministry of Rites official fainted. It was not because he was exhausted. Instead, the humiliation was too much for him to bear.

Fang Zhengzhi looked at the Ministry of Rites official, whose eyes were closed. Then, he looked at Shan Ling, who gritted his teeth. Afterward, he looked at the silent Prince of the Southern Region and Princess Shan Yu, as well as the prostrating maidens. He thought for a while and then opened his mouth.

“Looking at the current predicament, I have no plan indeed. However, I believe my lord and Your Highness have no plan too because this is a doomed scenario, created by the noblelite himself!” After he said, Fang Zhengzhi kept silent. He knew that Shan Ling understood what he meant.

Shan Ling fell silent.

He understood Fang Zhengzhi’s meaning.

Two hours ago, he was describing his majestic plan to the Prince of the Southern Region and Princess Shan Yu. He even swore to kill anyone who wanted appeasement.

Yet…

Two hours later, he had no choice but to consider ‘appeasement’.

Originally, he felt that the Great Xia Dynasty could not threaten him any more. He could easily infringe upon its bottom line. However, after he heard Fang Zhengzhi’s words, he realized it was he who had no way to go.

What a curious change of heart.

And it stemmed from just a few words.

Could it be the “silver tongue” mentioned in the Great Xia Dynasty’s “Law of Dao”? Without expending a single soldier, it could reclaim lost territories.

Shan Ling never believed in it.

Up to now, he still did not want to believe or accept it.

However, there was no retreat for him.

If this continued, he would lose 80 000 soldiers immediately. This was an undeniable fact. Hence, all he could do was to negotiate.

The only way was to seek assistance from the Great Xia Dynasty to stop the Icy Monkey Settlement’s resistance.

All for some time.

Three days!

Wait!

No!

Even if they started negotiation right now and the Great Xia Dynasty abandoned the Icy Monkey Settlement, it would still take a day for the army to reach the Sagely Mountain City from the Icy Monkey Settlement. Then, it would take another day for the army to reach the Iron Hill Settlement…

There was no time!

An army of 300 000 could not reach the Iron Hill Settlement before 50 000 demons. Hence, what was the point of negotiation?

“No time, no time… From the Icy Monkey Settlement to the Iron Hill Settlement, we would need at least 2-3 days… Fang Zhengzhi, you despicable man, I almost fell for your trick. Even if we negotiate a peace with the Great Xia Dynasty, there was no way to save the soldiers of the Iron Hill Settlement. You are lying to me and inciting a conflict between my father, my sister, and me. You want the Southern Region to sink into a civil war, so that Great Xia could benefit from it, right? My father and my sister almost believed you!”

When he said the last line, Shan Ling’s gaze turned icy cold. The knife in his hand brimmed with a deathly chill.

“Slash!”

A cold light flashed.

A human head flew into the air. Then, it dropped down to the ground.

Blood spurted everywhere.

The scene took place too quickly and nobody could have reacted to it. The maidens from the Southern Region stared blankly at the human head that just dropped next to him. Their eyes widened in shock as they shrieked in unison.

“Ah!”

The Prince of the Southern Region was shocked too. While he knew Shan Ling’s personality well, he never expected him to really attack.

Princess Shan Yu had seen blood before. However, what was this place?

The palace!

The palace of the Southern Region!

In the palace of the Southern Region, how could there be so much blood?

“Third Brother, you…” Princess Shan Yu still did not fully understand what was going on. Just when things seemed to be getting better, how could this happen?

Of course, no one was as shocked about as the Ministry of Rites official…

He did not understand how could this have happened even after he had pretended to faint. He did not say a single word and yet, this was his fate.

At least…

Could you not tell me first before you cut my head off?

His eyes opened slightly right before his head landed on the ground. However, all he saw was a blade streaked with blood.

“Is that my blood?”

This was the last thought in his mind.

Fang Zhengzhi heard a similar expression in his previous life. There were many forms of this expression, such as putting on a cute front upon disagreement, or driving away upon disagreement…

What was it called now?

Killing someone upon disagreement?

“I’m sorry, I didn’t prepare for this…” Fang Zhengzhi looked at the Ministry of Rites official, whose eyes had yet to close, and he exhaled.

“Die, Fang Zhengzhi!” Shan Ling did not want to give Fang Zhengzhi any chance. Killing the Ministry of Rites official was akin to raising his hand.

In other words, he did it casually.

There was no aim. He just wanted to vent. He was infuriated at having been taken for a spin by Fang Zhengzhi. He also vowed to never fall for Fang Zhengzhi’s trick.

A cold wind blew in the room.

The blade glinted.

As a noblelite of the Southern Region, Shan Ling’s power was not bad. Indeed, it could even be said to be high, as it benefitted from his innate talent.

It was also because of his own hard work. How strong could someone who worked hard and was talented be?

One could only imagine.

In reality, as Shan Ling was too powerful, his two elder brothers appeared ‘ordinary’ in his eyes.

Before the blade reached, the chill had already struck Fang Zhengzhi. A layer of ice appeared on Fang Zhengzhi’s thick armor.

Enlightenment State…

Late rebirth stage!

“What if I have a plan to reach the Iron Hill Settlement before the demons?” Fang Zhengzhi said as he reached out to brush the layer of ice off his armor.

Pa. Pa. Pa.

As Fang Zhengzhi dusted the ice off, they dropped onto the ground like snowflakes.

The blade that came for him stopped. It was only an inch away from Fang Zhengzhi’s throat. The faint vibration from the blade was the growl of the god of death.

Chapter 424: Faking the Emperor’s orders

The sharp aura danced in the air.

However, Shan Ling’s blade stopped in mid-air. He did not want to believe what Fang Zhengzhi said.

But…

He had to listen to it.

He was the Crown Prince of the Southern Region.

He could set up his brothers in pursuit of the throne, but, he could not risk the lives of the soldiers.

“Speak! You only have one chance!” Shan Ling’s voice was icy and aloof.

Fang Zhengzhi was a talent.

But he was just a talent. He would still die in the face of absolute power and ability.

“I do not like people to point their blades at me.” Fang Zhengzhi’s mouth twitched in scorn as he glanced at Shan Ling.

“Hum!” The blade whirred.

Shan Ling’s knuckles whitened as the tip began to shake. As a man, he felt that he should just keep his word and drive the sword into Fang Zhengzhi.

But he could not.

He was the Crown Prince, and he could not defile the honor of his ancestors.

Fang Zhengzhi smirked as he looked at the ferocious Shan Ling. Then, he used his finger to tap the blade.

“Clang!” A crisp sound rang out.

The blade was dropped.

The King and Princess Shan Yu looked at each other and heaved a sigh of relief. However, they did not understand something…

The situation now was critical and tense…

Yet, Fang Zhengzhi still looked cool as a cucumber!

Was he that confident?

“Crown Prince, please answer this question. If the 3000 Silver Horned Wolves were here, can they reach the Iron Hill Settlement before the Demons?” Fang Zhengzhi asked.

“Of course…” Shan Ling replied, then hesitated.

He already understood where Fang Zhengzhi was going with this.

The Demons may be powerful individually, but they could not match up against the elite soldiers of the Southern Region.

Furthermore, the 3000 Silver Horned Wolves would be launching a surprise attack and could take the settlement before the Demons.

The King and Princess Shan Yu also seemed to understand.

However, they could not understand something else…

The 3000 Silver Horned Wolves were not in the Sagely Mountain City, so this hypothetical had little meaning.

“The Silver Horned Wolves are the elites of the Southern Region. For the Great Xia, they are the Mountain Breaking Army and the Dragon Protection Squad!” Fang Zhengzhi continued calmly as he looked around.

At that moment…

The expressions of Shan Ling, the King, and Princess Shan Yu changed.

Fang Zhengzhi had not stated it explicitly, but it was clear to them all. The Dragon Protection Squad and the Mountain Breaking Army were here!

“If you are all willing to negotiate with the Great Xia, the Dragon Protection Squad and the Mountain Breaking Army will get ahead of the Demon army. They will join up with the 80,000 soldiers already there and fight the Demons together. There is still time!” Fang Zhengzhi added.

Shan Ling was silent.

His gaze was conflicted. He looked like he was thinking deeply. Rays of iciness filled the room.

“How do I know I can trust you?” Shan Ling finally responded after 15 minutes of silence.

“You have no choice.” Fang Zhengzhi’s voice was calm.

“What I am asking is, you’re just a rank four Sword Envoy. How can you claim to represent the Emperor’s wishes!” Shan Ling’s tone was icy.

“What if I add this to the mix?” Fang Zhengzhi chuckled lightly. He had anticipated this question way in advance.

He took out a golden token.

The token was not big, but it was made from pure gold. It was adorned with dragons and had one word carved into it.

“Emperor!”

This was the Emperor’s token.

Fang Zhengzhi had seen Xing Qingsui use this. Of course, his was not meant to give him control over the army.

It was…

For him to enter the Ministry of Rites.

Seeing the token was akin to meeting the Emperor.

This was a great token to use. Furthermore, the token would never state the intended use of the token, so his ruse would not be broken.

However, there was a price to pay…

If used ‘inappropriately’, then he would be guilty of ‘misrepresenting the views of the Emperor’. If he was found out, there was only one fate for him…

Death!

“This is… the Emperor’s token?!” Shan Ling could not believe his eyes. He immediately withdrew the icy aura.

“That’s right.” Fang Zhengzhi nodded. This was the effect he was aiming for.

“Why do you have this?” Shan Ling could not understand what was happening.

“Your Highness, do you really think that I am here only to participate in the examination? I entered the Southern Region and the Princess’s camp. Do you really think that this is normal?” Fang Zhengzhi replied.

Shan Ling was silent.

He had his spies in Princess Shan Yu’s camp. As such, he knew who Fang Zhengzhi was and had heard of his exploits.

He also knew that…

Princess Shan Yu had given Fang Zhengzhi command of 500 Silver Horned Wolves before.

However, when he heard Fang Zhengzhi say this, he frowned. He knew exactly what Fang Zhengzhi meant.

As a result, he felt a chill down his spine.

Initially…

He had thought that he was in control of this war. But now, seeing the Emperor’s token in Fang Zhengzhi’s hand, he had a feeling…

That he was just a puppet.

To the Demons, he was someone to be taken advantage of. To the Great Xia, his every move had been calculated by the Emperor.

Sweat poured from his forehead.

“This is impossible, how can the Emperor guess that you will be negotiating with me? How could he have sent you in preemptively? Most importantly, how could he have known that the Princess will let you go and let you rejoin the examinations!” Shan Ling was in disbelief.

“Is there a difference if the Princess did not let me go? Does my participation in the examination matter? Your Highness, please think about it, what is the most important thing here? It is that the Demons will definitely attack the Southern Region… as such, my presence is necessary!” Fang Zhengzhi replied as he kept the token.

Silence.

Shan Ling did not speak.

The King and Princess Shan Yu did not speak either. However, the two of them knew that it was over.

Since there was no other option…

There was no need to hesitate.

“Fang Zhengzhi… tell us what the Great Xia wants!” Shan Ling broke the silence. He was keenly aware of the situation now.

There was no free lunch in this world.

“Even though the Dragon Protection Squad and the Mountain Breaking Army are strong, they are not familiar with the terrain here. If we are to beat the Demons to the Iron Hill Settlement, we need your cooperation.”

“What kind of cooperation?”

“The terrain, we need to know the terrain!”

“You want a map of the Southern Region?!”

“Yes.”

“No way! That is the advantage that we have. The map is owned only by the royal family. If we hand it to you, we will be showing the Great Xia everything we have.”

“Mm, you make sense. So, please give the order.”

“What kind of order?”

“The order for your men to come with us? Since you are not going to give us the map, we will need a guide!” Fang Zhengzhi added.

“No need, I will be your guide!” Princess Shan Yu interrupted and walked to Fang Zhengzhi’s side.

She did not seem to be asking for permission.

Shan Ling looked at Princess Shan Yu and the King. He bit his lip so hard that blood began to trickle down from the side.

“And me… I will guide you too!” Shan Ling made a decision.

“My son!”

“Father, please take care of the city!”

“Son… daughter, please be careful.” The King nodded as he looked at Shan Ling and Princess Shan Yu.

Someone needed to defend the Sagely Mountain City.

This was the core and root of the Southern Region. As long as it stood, the morale of the Southern Region soldiers would never be broken.

“Long live the King, long live the Crown Prince, long live the Princess!” All of the servants hollered in unison.

Princess Shan Yu looked at the servants, then back at Fang Zhengzhi.

She felt like there was something strange about this. Fang Zhengzhi would normally have taken advantage of such an opportunity to rob the Southern Region.

But…

He didn’t ask for anything.

The negotiation was far too easy and smooth.

There was no draft, no signature, no document. They had simply made a verbal promise! That was it?

Princess Shan Yu felt that something was wrong.

But, that was how it went down.

…

Fang Zhengzhi did want to take advantage of the situation. However, the situation was critical and he didn’t have time.

As for the agreement Princess Shan Yu was thinking about.

He would never sign it.

Because…

He wanted to forget it all. He never wanted anyone else to know that the deal with the Southern Region had anything to do with him.

It wasn’t because he was noble.

It was because he did not want anyone to know that he had used his Emperor’s Token inappropriately.

He was much too young to die. This was despite the fact that it was likely that the Emperor would spare his life in this case.

Even so, he wasn’t willing to risk it.

It was just a possibility.

He would not dismiss the possibility that it would go wrong. Furthermore, Fang Zhengzhi had no intention of rising through the ranks and becoming a politician.

As such, he would never take such a risk.

Finally…

And most importantly…

He did not know if the Dragon Protection Squad and the Mountain Breaking Army were here. This was just a guess.

He also had no idea if they could really beat the Demons to the Iron Hill Settlement and buy enough time for the rest of the army.

These were all questions.

There were too many uncertainties.

As such, all the terms, deals, and agreements would be meaningless.

“Shall we go?” Princess Shan Yu looked at Fang Zhengzhi. She didn’t know what he was thinking about, but she knew that they had no time to lose.

Shan Ling looked at Fang Zhengzhi as well.

The Sagely Mountain City had 20,000 guards initially. However, the battle had already killed 30% of them, leaving only 14,000 behind.

These men would remain to defend the city.

They were here just in case the Demons doubled back and tried an attack on the capital.

As such…

Shan Ling and Princess Shan Yu were only waiting for Fang Zhengzhi’s soldiers. To be more precise, they were waiting for the Dragon Protection Squad and the Mountain Breaking Army.

“Okay, let’s go!” Fang Zhengzhi stood up and nodded. Then, he wiped the water off of his body and walked out.

Outside…

The six wounded soldiers raised their broken spears when they saw Fang Zhengzhi exit.

“Stop!” Shan Ling bellowed.

The six spears froze in mid-air.

Fang Zhengzhi did not even take a second look at the guards. He simply walked through them.

Because…

His first order of business was to find the Dragon Protection Squad and Mountain Breaking Army.

“Xing Hou… I believe in you. If I can see the hidden message in the order, I am sure you can too! Where are you all? Inside the city? Or at the foot of the hill? Could you… give me a hint?” Fang Zhengzhi looked at the sky.

The night was calm.

Stars filled the night sky and an icy wind assaulted his body. Winter was coming.

Chapter 425: The link between a low cut and your neck

…

As the leader of the Thirteen Constabularies, Xing Yuanguo could see through the hidden message embedded within the Emperor’s orders.

“In peace we shall live, in separation we shall perish.”

Furthermore, Xing Yuanguo’s understanding of this statement was even deeper than Fang Zhengzhi. He also considered the diplomatic implications.

A powerful empire would accept its smaller neighbours as vassals. This is something that was very common throughout history.

Sometimes, it was because the empire was in its nascent stages and had other pressing issues to settle. Other times, it was due to a stark difference in cultures, and the Empire wanted to ensure peace and relative uniformity throughout its citizens.

The relationship between the Southern Region and the Great Xia belonged to the latter.

Culture and beliefs.

Even if the Great Xia could conquer the Southern Region, they would not do so. The Southern Region was far too different from the Great Xia.

If the Great Xia tried to enforce their ideologies…

This would result in chaos and rebellions. They would need a disproportionate amount of resources to maintain peace here.

Both Emperor Lin Mubai and Xing Yuanguo were keenly aware of this fact.

As for diplomatic relations…

Any rational Emperor would use a mixture of benevolence and dominance. That being said, one would always be used more than the other.

He would not get into the details of their pros and cons right now.

However, one thing was certain. The Great Xia did not want to conquer the Southern Region. The Great Xia was not looking at immediate returns, they were looking at long-term survival.

Most people would have chosen to exert dominance.

In fact, the Great Xia had been doing just that all these years.

Even though the Southern Region declared war on the Great Xia and wanted to form an empire of their own, the Great Xia still chose the path of dominance.

The reason was simple.

Long-term survival.

This was not an empty statement.

The Southern Region was unique.

Exert Dominance?

How?

Were they going to send an arrogant official? Or were they going to dispatch soldiers as a garrison? Both these solutions were of no use.

The best way was to kill!

They would kill so much that the Southern Region would submit.

However, how many people were there in the Southern Region? Not many… if they committed genocide, this land would be barren.

As such, there was only one way the Great Xia could deal with the Southern Region. Benevolence…

When it came to benevolence…

The best method was not to bribe them with treasures, beauties, and rations. The best way was to give them aid when they needed it the most.

When Xing Yuanguo had seen the statement, “in peace we shall live, in separation we shall perish”, he had already understood why Emperor Lin Mubai had sent the Minister of Law.

Wait!

Wait for the right time to help the Southern Region.

Fang Zhengzhi’s appearance had caused the war between the Great Xia and the Southern Region to be brought forward. On the surface, it seemed like the Great Xia had lost the initiative.

However…

It had also made the Great Xia irrelevant in the eyes of the Southern Region and the Demons.

With the Stable Mountain Gate broken, they would have no access to reinforcements. Furthermore, the Crown Prince could not start moving to the Icy Monkey Settlement before the examinations were over.

The Crown Prince would never have interfered with the battle between Nangong Hao and Fang Zhengzhi. That would have been akin to announcing to the Southern Region that they were plotting to attack the capital.

As such, when Emperor Lin Mubai received news that the Stable Mountain Gate had been breached, he had already foreseen the direction of the war.

The Crown Prince was surrounded, and any victory at the Icy Monkey Settlement would be pyrrhic. In the best case scenario, they would be able to take a lone city.

A lone city that was bound to fall.

Under such circumstances…

Neither the Southern Region nor the Demons would see the Great Xia as a threat. As such, they would move on to the next steps of their plans.

They would try to gain the upper hand.

As a result, the Great Xia would be able to hide in the shadows.

They would benefit from this conflict.

Initially, the conflict seemed to be between the Great Xia and the Southern Region whilst the Demons watched from the side. However, in the blink of an eye, the Great Xia were now the bystanders.

How was this a bad thing?

When Xing Yuanguo saw the edict, he understood exactly what the Emperor meant. As such, he bided his time and waited for the right time to jump in and aid the Southern Region.

From here on out…

Things were simple.

In order to observe, he could not stay in the Icy Monkey Settlement. There was no battle there to be observed. Neither could he bring his entire army. As such, Xing Yuanguo only brought the elite squads, the Mountain Breaking Army and the Dragon Protection Squad.

As he predicted.

The Sagely Mountain City was embroiled in battle.

It was an intense battle.

The Southern Region was being beaten back as predicted. However, Xing Yuanguo could not understand how the Southern Region was able to hold out this long despite being severely disadvantaged.

Furthermore…

He could not understand why there was a sudden ceasefire.

Most importantly, the Demons actually decided to retreat despite having every advantage.

Xing Yuanguo was stunned.

He had the latest, most accurate intel. As such, he knew that the Southern Region had set up an ambush of 80,000 soldiers just outside the Sagely Mountain City. However, based on the current situation, they would be insufficient.

Even if they managed to emerge victorious, it would be pyrrhic.

As such, his plan was to wait for the reinforcements to arrive and for the battle to intensify. Just before the city was broken…

He would swoop in and save the King and the Crown Prince.

But in the end…

The city wasn’t broken!

The 80,000 soldiers didn’t show up!

And the Demons retreated!

It was no wonder Xing Yuanguo was stunned.

Under such a situation, they could not enter the city to ‘rescue’ the King and the Crown Prince. If they did so now, it would have been kidnap!

Xing Yuanguo was not rash.

In fact, he was extremely calm.

He did not know what happened between the Demons and the Southern Region, but he knew that he had to be patient.

The capital was not broken and the King and the Crown Prince were still in the city.

He would wait.

Wait for the Demons to double back. He would wait for the next opportunity.

Of course, he also sent people to tail the Demons and find out where they were headed towards.

Before long…

He was rewarded with new intel.

“Xing Hou, the Demons are headed towards the Iron Hill Settlement!”

“Iron Hill Settlement?” Xing Yuanguo was shocked.

At that moment, he began thinking about the possibilities. Why would the Demons rush over? Was there a battle there?

That’s impossible… there are no soldiers in the Iron Hill Settlement… hang on, could it be that the 80,000 soldiers went there instead of the Sagely Mountain City?

Why would they go to the Iron Hill Settlement…

“Oh no! I see now!”

Xing Yuanguo was an experienced general and he could guess the direction of the battle. He also understood what would happen at the Iron Hill Settlement.

He was now faced with two choices.

His first option was to stay put here. His second option was to reinforce the Southern Region at the Iron Hill Settlement. The first option would prevent an excessive loss of lives.

The second option would go against the Emperor’s wishes and may also result in complete annihilation.

“Qingsui, what do you think I should do?” Xing Yuanguo turned to Xing Qingsui.

“Erm… I think that we should get to the Iron Hill Settlement!” Xing Qingsui’s eyes glimmered. He hesitated initially but shrugged it off with steely determination.

“What about Young Master Nangong?” Xing Yuanguo turned towards Nangong Hao.

“I am just an academic. When it comes to battle, I will follow your orders.”

“Okay then, pass the order, we will head for the Iron Hill Settlement!” Xing Yuanguo chose the second option without hesitation.

This had nothing to do with arrogance or a want to be recognized.

It was because…

He was Xing Hou of the Stabilization Constabulary!

“Yes, sir!” The soldier responded.

…

Fang Zhengzhi had guessed that Xing Yuanguo would have brought the Dragon Protection Squad and the Mountain Breaking Army here. It was true that they had come.

But…

They had left.

The result was no surprise.

Fang Zhengzhi tried many ways to attract Xing Yuanguo’s attention.

For example, he chose to walk slowly through the capital, changing into his signature blue long sleeved shirt as he did so.

In his mind…

Since Xing Yuanguo had come to the Sagely Mountain City to wait, he would definitely send in some spies!

However…

Fang Zhengzhi’s methods did not pay off.

“So they are at the foot of the hill.” Fang Zhengzhi felt like he had overestimated Xing Yuanguo.

The most dangerous place was also the safest!

This was something that had been recorded in the annals of history!

As the leader of the Stabilization Constabulary, how can he choose to hide at the foot of the hill? He should be braver!

Fang Zhengzhi did not approve of that decision.

But, he could understand it.

In order to draw attention to himself, Fang Zhengzhi tried to walk towards the more secluded areas, making funny noises as he did so.

“Hahahaha…”

“Hehehe!”

“Hohoho… gagaga…”

“…”

He literally made every sound one could possibly think of. However, to his disappointment…

Apart from drawing queer looks from Princess Shan Yu and Crown Prince Shan Ling.

It was no use.

It was just as quiet as before.

“Crown Prince, Princess, what color do you like?” Fang Zhengzhi did not lose hope. He decided to announce his companions.

He was virtually shouting it out at this point.

He was sure that Xing Yuanguo would definitely look out when he heard something like that.

However…

It was still silent.

Shan Ling and Princess Shan Yu were now at a loss.

“Color?” Shan Ling glanced at Fang Zhengzhi, too lazy to answer such a stupid question. Why is he asking about color?

Shouldn’t he be linking up with the Great Xia army?

They were almost at the foot of the Sagely Mountain, yet, they had yet to see any soldiers.

Shan Ling was beginning to doubt Fang Zhengzhi’s words.

How can someone sent by the Emperor have no way of contacting the soldiers?

Was he faking it?

Did they fall for another one of his tricks?

Shan Ling wondered to himself.

However, he decided to dismiss that suspicion. After all, Fang Zhengzhi had the Emperor’s token in his hand.

In Shan Ling’s mind…

No matter how audacious and shameless Fang Zhengzhi was, he would never give a fake order. This was a crime that was punishable by death!

No one would dare to do it.

Furthermore, Fang Zhengzhi was a young rank four official with boundless potential. He was not going to risk it all in this way.

Wait!

Shan Ling decided to wait!

Of course, if they reached the foot of the hill and Fang Zhengzhi had no way of contacting the two elite squads, then it would mean that he was lying all along.

There was no Dragon Protection Squad or Mountain Breaking Army.

The 80,000 soldiers at the Iron Hill Settlement were dead meat.

As such…

Was there any point in keeping him alive?

Shan Ling clenched his fists as he watched Fang Zhengzhi swagger ahead. Then, he unclenched them slowly.

Princess Shan Yu was slightly different.

She did not doubt Fang Zhengzhi’s words.

She was curious as to why Fang Zhengzhi would ask such a question? What was he trying to do?

Or…

Was he going to buy clothes for her?

But why would a Princess need someone to buy clothes for her?

“I like white clothes, pure white. I do not like having other colors on it. Furthermore, it must be low cut, so that my neck seems longer…” Princess Shan Yu laid out all her conditions for clothes.

“Are you stupid? With a low cut, who would be looking at your neck?” Even though Fang Zhengzhi didn’t know why Princess Shan Yu would talk about clothes…

He still felt a need to correct her idea.

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Chapter 426: Lost her mind

“Where will they be looking then…” Princess Shan Yu asked hesitantly as she stroked her neck.

However…

When her hand extended downwards, her expression froze and she blushed.

“Shameless!”

…

Fang Zhengzhi finally understood why he should never be completely honest when talking to girls. Else, the consequences would be unimaginable.

How close was he to Princess Shan Yu?

He was right next to her! Their shoulders were almost touching!

How terrifying was Princess Shan Yu in close combat?

Fang Zhengzhi could only imagine it before. However, now, he could feel it for himself! Two fingers jabbed him in the thigh with an immense amount of force.

“Ow!!!” Fang Zhengzhi exclaimed.

As to why he was hit…

After saying what he did, Fang Zhengzhi felt that it was inappropriate and that he should explain himself.

He was still thinking of the most appropriate explanation to use.

For example, he planned to say that he did not mock her on purpose. He was just trying to lighten the mood and made an inappropriate joke.

However, before he could say anything, he saw the attack coming towards him.

“Sneak attack?” Fang Zhengzhi never expected Princess Shan Yu to strike without warning.

He had to admit that the sneak attack at a close distance was a great tactic. However, it was no use on Fang Zhengzhi.

He ducked and it sailed over his head.

However…

Fang Zhengzhi didn’t expect that it would be a two-pronged attack. He had dodged the attack from the top, but he didn’t notice the one coming from below. Just as he ducked, he felt a sharp pain at his thigh.

He felt someone pinch his thigh really hard.

Even the toughest men would scream in pain.

“A feint! Good tactic!”

Fang Zhengzhi thought to himself as he screamed. Princess Shan Yu was experienced and battle-hardened, especially in close combat.

Fang Zhengzhi had no idea what he was thinking.

He decided to imitate the technique.

He didn’t think that the technique was too complicated.

After all, he wasn’t going to get hit without retaliating.

As such, whilst he was screaming in pain, his hands sprung into action. His right hand swung towards Princess Shan Yu’s face at lightning quick speeds.

His left hand copied Princess Shan Yu’s technique and went to the inside of her thighs.

Since Princess Shan Yu was so adept at close combat, she would definitely hear the attack coming and duck.

He would be able to retaliate the same way! An eye for an eye.

However…

It was not to be…

This was the first time Fang Zhengzhi had used such a technique. His inexperience caused him to neglect the fact that Princess Shan Yu was on his left.

He failed to consider the distance.

Since Princess Shan Yu was on his left, which attack would find its mark first?

The question was quickly answered.

Fang Zhengzhi’s left hand hit home first. Furthermore, it had hit the bullseye. Princess Shan Yu’s thighs were smooth, almost like silk.

“How smooth!”

At that moment, Fang Zhengzhi lost all concentration. This caused him to forget that his purpose was to attack.

Perhaps…

It was a natural reaction for a man.

Princess Shan Yu had no idea what Fang Zhengzhi was thinking. She felt someone touch her thighs. She was completely stunned by Fang Zhengzhi’s audacity.

How dare he touch the insides of my thighs?!

That was such a sensitive location. Princess Shan Yu shuddered instinctively.

If Fang Zhengzhi had stabbed her with his fingers…

She may not have been so riled up. However, Fang Zhengzhi did not attack, choosing to stroke it instead.

This was a very different feeling. It felt as though there were electrical currents flowing through her body, numbing her senses. As a result, she failed to notice the other attack coming for her face.

At that moment, she only had one thought in her mind.

How dare he do this?!

How dare he?!

She was a princess!

However, her train of thought was quickly interrupted. She felt something clash against her face.

It was, fast, heavy, and hot.

“Smack!”

A crisp sound broke the silence.

Princess Shan Yu had taken the full brunt of the slap. The pain caused her to see stars and caused her mind to blank out.

For the first time ever, Princess Shan Yu…

Was stumped.

Fang Zhengzhi was equally stumped.

His left hand was still on Princess Shan Yu’s thigh whilst his right hand was still warm and numb from the slap.

What was going on?

Why didn’t she duck?

Isn’t she an expert in close combat? How could she fail to dodge a simple slap? What is going on?

Hang on…

He… he just slapped a Princess!

Fang Zhengzhi was rarely stumped after a successful attack. He would usually express his scorn and disdain.

But this time…

He was at a loss.

He had absolutely no idea what to do.

Even the war-hardened Crown Prince of the Southern Region was speechless.

Was his sister slapped?

Right in front of him?

What a powerful slap!

Shan Ling didn’t know how to respond. He never expected Fang Zhengzhi to have the audacity to do such a thing! They were in the Southern Region!

How dare he…

Hit my sister?!

He hit her right after he mocked her?!

Who the hell does he think he is?!

Shan Ling felt a wave of fury well up in his chest. At that moment, he completely forgot about the 80,000 soldiers waiting for his help.

All he thought about was…

How he was going to kill this shameless and audacious b*stard!

“Ah!! Fang Zhengzhi, I am going to kill you!” Shan Ling’s blade shone brightly, like a firefly in the night sky, its terrifying iciness gushing out in waves.

Kacha, kacha.

The leaves on the trees all froze over.

Fang Zhengzhi was also enveloped by a layer of ice. He was only wearing his trademark blue long-sleeved shirt and had no leather jacket or armor to protect him.

It was cold…

Then, the second thought in Fang Zhengzhi’s mind was…

Run!

Initially, Fang Zhengzhi wanted to save the Great Xia and the 80,000 soldiers from this apocalypse. But now, he tossed that idea out of his mind.

Right now…

He needed to save himself.

Fang Zhengzhi never expected that things would turn out this way. He felt that he had already done his best to ensure that things progressed in a positive manner.

He had used all his skills and smarts to convince the Crown Prince of the Southern Region to follow his plan.

He had also managed to negotiate for an alliance.

Even though they did not sign an agreement…

The idea and intention were good.

By this time, he should have already found the Dragon Protection Squad and the Mountain Breaking Army. He would have brought along the Crown Prince and the Princess, gaining him the admiration of the soldiers.

He would then share his plan.

This was the perfect plan.

Everything was supposed to fall into place.

However… everything seemed to be going wrong!

Was he supposed to explain himself?

Fang Zhengzhi wanted to explain himself, but Princess Shan Yu wouldn’t bother to hear it, much less Shan Ling.

He had slapped the Princess!

Fang Zhengzhi had no idea what was going through Princess Shan Yu’s mind.

If he was the one who was slapped, he would never give the other party a chance to explain. This concerned his pride and dignity.

How can a princess be slapped by an outsider?

If they didn’t retaliate, then they would be easy pickings for others.

Fang Zhengzhi realized this, and Shan Ling’s response proved it. As such, there was no need to hesitate.

Running away was his only option.

He had to escape…

The faster the better!

At that moment, Fang Zhengzhi summoned his greatest strength. After all, he had grown up in the mountains.

Even though the terrain was unfamiliar, it didn’t slow him down.

How fast was he?

The only way to describe it was…

He was rolling and crawling at the same time!

He was using his hands and feet to get away.

He could not care about how he looked. After all, there was a blade coming for his neck.

Fang Zhengzhi was stable and fast. As he ran, he turned back to take a look at Princess Shan Yu’s reaction

He was greeted by a shocking sight.

If Princess Shan Yu was like a fireball before, right now, she looked like a red beast bathing in fire.

“Aroo!”

A guttural roar pierced through the air.

It was filled with anger.

An intense rage.

Her rage shot through the night sky and into the dense forest.

Fang Zhengzhi couldn’t believe his eyes.

The red patterns on Princess Shan Yu’s skin were clear for all to see. However, it was different from what he had seen before…

Her skin!

Previously, when the cloud patterns covered her skin, her skin did not change much. It still looked the same shade as before.

But this time…

It changed!

Very drastically!

Right now, her skin was as dark as ink. It was the same color throughout, from her face, all the way to her feet.

It looked as though she had been stained with black ink.

Most importantly, her pupils turned into balls of fire, dancing in her eyes.

“Monster!” Fang Zhengzhi thought to himself.

He had known that the Southern Region cultivation techniques were different from the Great Xia. They cultivated their bloodlines.

But, he was still stunned by this terrifying sight.

Was she transforming?

Why did she look like that?

I wonder if…

Can she still recognize me?

Just as Fang Zhengzhi was thinking about it, he saw the two balls of flame in Princess Shan Yu’s eyes lock onto him.

“Ah! Fang Zhengzhi, I will have your head!” Princess Shan Yu unsheathed her daggers.

At the same time, a ray of maroon light shot towards him.

“She still hasn’t lost her mind!” Fang Zhengzhi heaved a sigh of relief.

She had not turned into a beast.

Hang on!

No!

She had already lost her mind!

Fang Zhengzhi felt a chill down his back as he sprinted forward, not looking back anymore.

Forget the alliance and the lives of the 80,000 soldiers. Forget the Dragon Protection Squad and the Mountain Breaking Army…

Fang Zhengzhi cursed as he ran.

It had all come to nothing!

![JTJTY97][] JTJTY97

HI EVERYONE!!! We are back on Patreon to provide early access once again 🙂 We are sorry we have been slightly inactive on Patreon for a while because of school but we are back and we promise to deliver this time! Do show us your support as we continue to bring this exciting novel to you! Pledge your support and read ahead at https://www.patreon.com/gateofgod97

Thank you 😀

Chapter 427: Battle, a good opportunity to contribute

Fang Zhengzhi quickly made the choice between saving himself and saving others.

He really wanted to save others.

But, he needed to save himself first!

Guilt.

Fang Zhengzhi did feel guilty. Even though he did not really mean to slap Princess Shan Yu, it had already happened.

Provide an explanation?

Fang Zhengzhi wanted to explain himself, but this was not something that he could explain himself out of.

He had slapped a princess…

Even if Princess Shan Yu believed that he did not mean to slap her, it would not absolve him of blame! If you were drunk and slept with someone’s wife, you would still have to be responsible for it.

Just because it was an accident didn’t mean that you were off the hook!

Even without considering the possibility of a baby, the woman’s husband would never let you off!

That was the situation Fang Zhengzhi was in.

He had slapped Princess Shan Yu in front of Shan Ling. As such, Shan Ling would never let him off.

“Fang Zhengzhi, stop right there! I will have your head!”

“Don’t you dare run!”

Their voices reverberated throughout the forest.

Fang Zhengzhi was not going to stand there stupidly. He continued to sprint on all fours as he tried to put some distance between himself and the two furious royalties.

Visibility was bad in the forests and this made it hard for Shan Yu and Shan Ling to track Fang Zhengzhi.

After about 15 minutes…

They lost him.

“Phew…” Fang Zhengzhi caught his breath as he rested in between a couple of large rocks. That sprint drained him of much energy.

But now, he had a huge problem on his hands.

On the surface, it looked like Fang Zhengzhi was safe. However, without Shan Ling and Shan Yu to guide him, where was he going to go?

Was he going to find the Dragon Protection Squad and the Mountain Breaking Army?

Fang Zhengzhi had given up all hope of that. That 15 minutes of running meant that he had already left the Sagely Mountain City far behind him.

Throughout the entire journey, he didn’t see any trace of them.

Where were they?

Did they not come to the Sagely Mountain City?

That’s impossible!

The edict was clear! They were supposed to wait for an opportunity to play the savior! Where else was this opportunity supposed to come from?

Could it be…

That they were at the Iron Hill Settlement?

The thought flashed past Fang Zhengzhi’s mind.

Ordinarily, he would not think of something like that. However, the 50,000 Demon soldiers had already been ordered to the Iron Hill Settlement.

As such, if the two elite squads had been setting up an ambush here, they would have caught wind of that.

It wasn’t a stretch to think that Xing Yuanguo would bring his troops there. An astute general like him would know how important that battle was.

But, all of these were mere guesses.

What if…

Was he wrong?

What if he ran off to the Iron Hill Settlement whilst Xing Yuanguo was still in the Icy Monkey Settlement? Won’t he be jumping to his death?

No way!

The safest option would be to return to the Icy Monkey Settlement.

Fang Zhengzhi turned towards the Icy Monkey Settlement but stopped himself in his tracks.

If he really chose to run away…

Then…

What was going to happen to the Iron Hill Settlement?

How was he going to settle the misunderstanding between Princess Shan Yu and him? He could run for now, but could he run forever? Furthermore, how was he going to settle the misunderstanding between Princess Shan Yu and him? He can run now, but he can’t run forever.

Fang Zhengzhi raised his head and looked at the stars in the sky. Fang Zhengzhi raised his head and looked at the stars.

He was someone who was afraid of death, but he was still a responsible person. Since he had caused this…

He had to be the one to solve it.

He will have to risk it!

Fang Zhengzhi bit his lip. He would rarely risk his life on something, but he had no choice this time.

He would go to the Iron Hill Settlement.

If Xing Yuanguo was really on his way there, then he would have a chance to meet the two elite squads on the way.

Furthermore…

Fang Zhengzhi knew that the only way he could redeem himself was to save the lives of the 80,000 soldiers.

“I will go and have a look, mm… just a look!” Fang Zhengzhi clenched his fists and ran in the direction of the Iron Hill Settlement.

He did not know the exact location of the settlement.

However, based on the map given to him by Wu Yuer, he had an idea of the direction he had to run towards.

For an ordinary person, the dense forests may be difficult to navigate…

But for Fang Zhengzhi, it was no problem.

…

Shan Ling and Princess Shan Yu gave chase for a mile before stopping. Speeding through the forest was not difficult for them.

In fact, it was easy.

However, after chasing for so long, Shan Ling and Princess Shan Yu were beginning to regain their composure.

“That guy runs fast. Rest assured sister, as long as he is still here, no… even if he returns to the Great Xia, I will kill him!” Shan Ling looked at Princess Shan Yu affectionately.

Princess Shan Yu looked back at him, her posture relaxing as her skin reverted to its original state and color.

“Brother, what do we do now?” Princess Shan Yu asked as she looked into the dense forest.

Shan Ling was silent.

They were already a mile from the Sagely Mountain City and there was still no sight of the Dragon Protection Squad or the Mountain Breaking Army.

That meant that…

Fang Zhengzhi had lied to them.

Urgh!

He must have done it on purpose!

He had used this ruse as a way to escape from the clutches of Shan Ling!

How shameless!

“I will go to the Iron Hill Settlement. You go back to the capital and take care of father! As long as the capital stands, we will be fine!” Shan Ling said decisively. “Rest assured! As long as I am there, our soldiers have hope. Even if I am to die there, I will delay them long enough for reinforcements to arrive. We… still have hope!”

“Since you have decided to go to the Iron Hill Settlement, how can I go back to the Sagely Mountain City?” Princess Shan Yu had made up her mind too.

“But sister, I only have one…”

“Enough, do you not know my character?”

“Okay then! We will head straight for the Iron Hill Settlement. I am sure father knows what to do!”

“Mm!”

…

The Iron Hill Settlement was not named as such because its defenses were sturdy.

In fact…

Its location was quite unstrategic.

There were no cliffs, no raised plains, no natural defenses. The Iron Hill Settlement was one of the worst places to defend.

However, it was an extremely important settlement. In fact, it was arguably more important than the Icy Monkey Settlement, which bordered the Sagely Mountain City.

The Iron Hill Settlement was built on an iron mine.

In other words…

This was the weapons factory.

There were many blacksmiths scattered throughout the settlement. The metalworks caused the Settlement to have a metallic glow.

The walls of the settlement were some of the sturdiest around, but there were no natural barriers around the settlement.

They had been surrounded.

Furthermore…

Their opponents outnumbered them greatly. It was all too easy for them to attack from all sides.

The sun was at its zenith.

“General, what do we do now? Teng Shisheng has reported that the Demon Army will arrive in about two hours.” A messenger fell to his knees in front of a middle-aged man.

This man had black skin and carried two wolf tooth shaped weapons on his back. He was bald and wore heavy armor.

This was the General Mu, the same general who had been by Princess Shan Yu’s side during her archery competition with Fang Zhengzhi.

But now…

General Tai had already been demoted.

As such, General Mu became the deputy. In Princess Shan Yu’s absence, he was now the commander.

“Split our army into four and have them guard the gates!” General Mu frowned.

“Yes, general!” The messenger nodded and ran down the steps towards the other generals waiting at the base of the wall.

The generals on the city wall all looked at General Mu with doubt.

“Old wood, the Demons are already coming. We can’t be splitting our forces. Even if we concentrated on holding just one gate, we might not be able to do it!” A voice rang out.

The voice had come from the recently demoted General Tai. His beard was prickly, but he was missing an arm.

The arm that Fang Zhengzhi had taken.

No other general would have dared to address General Mu as ‘old wood’. However, General Mu wasn’t angered by this.

He sighed.

“Tai… we have known each other for quite some time. We have been training together since we were five and we came to serve the princess together. Now, we are in trouble, and this is also an opportunity for you to do something great. Are you willing to help me?” General Mu looked to General Tai.

“With what? An arm? Haha… you want my only remaining arm?” General Tai hesitated.

He didn’t seem to be convinced.

However, he quickly suppressed it.

“Are you willing to help?”

“Hahaha… you know that I will help you. However, I am just a low ranking general now, how can I help you?”

“I will hold the front gate myself. The flanks are close by and I can take care of those as well. However, I am a little worried… about the back gate! If you are willing…”

“Enough, I will get there immediately!”

“Okay then, here are your orders. You are to take 20,000 soldiers and hold the back gate! You are not to let it fall! However, your rank does not change! These are orders from the Princess!” General Mu handed a tiger head token to General Tai.

“Roger that!” General Tai nodded and took the token in his hand as he turned and left.

General Mu looked at his disappearing silhouette, smiling as he did so, “You really haven’t let me down!”

…

Time flew.

There was an ominous boom at the gate of the Iron Hill Settlement as dozens of soldiers pushed it open.

“Aroo!”

The chilling roar of beasts cut through the air.

A squad of soldiers could be seen sprinting towards the settlement from afar. They were all well built and lightning quick.

The Silver Horned Wolves.

The best of the best.

The Silver Horned Wolves streamed into the city. They were rather flustered, a stark contrast from their usual disciplined demeanor.

After the last of them had entered the city, the gate was shut once again.

The sun shone brightly on the ground, revealing fresh blood stains. No one knew if they were from the soldiers or the wolves.

“General Mu, Teng Shisheng is back, but…”

“But what?”

“There are less than 1200 surviving Silver Horned Wolves. Of those 1200, 200 are severely injured, 300 have light injuries…”

“What?!”

![JTJTY97][] JTJTY97

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Chapter 428: Yun Qingwu predicted everything

General Mu was not the most powerful in the army based on ability alone. Furthermore, his bald head gave off a barbaric aura.

However, he had always been one of the most valued advisors to Princess Shan Yu. He was always able to maintain in composure.

But now…

Upon hearing that less than 1200 Silver Horned Wolves remained with 500 of those wounded, his expression changed drastically.

This was something that had never happened in the history of the Southern Region.

The Silver Horned Wolves…

Individually, they were not much of a threat, but 3000 Silver Horned Wolves together was a completely different matter altogether.

The ancestors had carried out experiments.

They had gathered beasts of similar ability and power together. However, they realized that none of them could match the power of a pack of Silver Horned Wolves.

If one pit 10 Heavenly Reflection State Purple Lightning Lions and 10 Heavenly Reflection State Silver Horned Wolves against each other, the difference would not be too great. But when that number became 100, or even 1000…

The difference was obvious.

The Silver Horned Wolves were agile, ferocious, and fast. Once they latched onto their enemy, they would not let go. Most importantly, they had an innate ability to cooperate.

Thousands of them could work together just as effectively as a handful. If they were trained well, every wolf could even maximize its potential on the battlefield.

This was a quality none of the other beasts had.

As such, the ancestors of the Southern Region elected to feed and train the Silver Horned Wolves, eventually forming the Silver Horned Wolves Squad.

But today…

The pride of the Southern Region Army had just been dealt a harsh blow. Less than half of them survived the clash.

What had happened?

General Mu never expected that this would happen. Their orders were to make use of their agility and use guerilla tactics to engage the enemy.

How could they suffer such terrifying losses?

“Could it be… that a huge battle had taken place?” General Mu frowned. That was the only possibility General Mu could think of.

General Mu knew Teng Shisheng’s abilities well.

As the leader of the Silver Horned Wolves Squad, he was no risk taker. On the contrary, he was extremely disciplined and had great patience.

As such, he would never have overextended.

So…

The only possibility was that they were revealed and the Demon Army intercepted them. As a result, they had to fight their way out.

General Mu clenched his fists.

The losses had already been inflicted and there was nothing he could do about it.

That being said, there should still be a silver lining.

After such an intense battle with the Silver Horned Wolves, the Demons must have been slowed down significantly.

“General, the Demons… they’re here!” Just as General Mu was about to catch some rest, an anxious voice rang out at his side. This stunned General Mu.

“So fast?!” General Mu missed a step and nearly landed on his butt.

How could they be that fast?

Didn’t they just clash with the Silver Horned Wolves? They should have been delayed! The Demons were here moments after the Silver Horned Wolves entered the city. Teng Shisheng didn’t even have the time to report the status…

And the Demons were here?

What the hell was going on?!

General Mu was at a loss.

…

“Kaboom!” An earth-shaking sound cut through the air as a sea of black appeared on the horizon.

This was a well organized and disciplined army.

Their black armor covered them from head to toe. The army was split into two formations.

The one on the left comprised archers, each one carrying a black metal bow on their back.

The bows glistened under the sun.

In their left hand were shields of various designs. Each shield was a meter and a half in height.

They held a large blade in their right hand.

The formation on the right consisted of cavalry. Their armor extended to their beasts as well.

They also carried bows on their backs but wielded spears in their arms.

The Demon Army.

They were the most powerful army in the region.

General Mu paled. He had always known that the Demon Army was powerful, but he was not expecting this.

A decade ago…

General Mu was a low ranking general at a border city.

He had clashed with the Demons then. The Demons were able to wreak havoc in his ranks, but he still managed to emerge victorious.

Back then…

The Demons were powerful, but they were an arrogant race. They were not willing to follow orders.

In a mad rush to show off their prowess on the battlefield, they failed to work as a team.

As such… General Mu was able to wrestle victory from the hands of the Demons.

But now… the Demon Army he saw sent a chill down his spine. Their rows were straight, their steps in sync…

Furthermore…

This was the Southern Region!

A land full of trees and rocks.

General Mu saw some Demons hanging between two rocks or climbing on some just to maintain the straight line…

This would have been impossible a decade ago.

What kind of power was able to instill such discipline into the Demon Army?!

That wasn’t all…

Most importantly, General Mu saw a squad dressed in black cloaks at the front of the formation.

This squad was 500 strong.

The black cloak covered their bodies, but could not hide the terrifying aura they exuded.

General Mu finally understood why the Silver Horned Wolves Squad suffered such heavy losses.

No matter how powerful they were, they could not beat this squad. No matter how fast they were, they could not be faster than this squad.

A faint red light shone through their black cloaks, revealing the cultivation state of these demons.

The Domain Chiefs, Vice Domain Chiefs, elites…

All of them were present!

“Why?! What is happening?” General Mu thought that he knew the Demons well. As such… he could not believe what was happening.

The Demons were different from humans.

There were significantly fewer demons, which caused them to treasure lives a lot more. The powerful ones were especially important.

As such…

The Demons had always been rather risk averse.

In their minds…

They would rather keep the powerful demons protected and let the weaker ones battle it out. That was the only way they could grow.

As such, the leaders would rarely appear on the frontlines.

At the very least…

They will not ALL be on the frontlines. This time, not a single domain chief or elite was at the back.

General Mu trembled where he stood.

He could only imagine what had happened when Teng Shisheng had clashed with the squad of 500.

It would have been a massacre.

It was a miracle that Teng Shisheng could lead the Silver Horned Wolves out of such a situation. 1200 survivors was a miraculous number.

“What is going on? What… happened to the Demons over the past decade?!” General Mu had never felt such fear.

The orderly Demon Army and the aura they exuded forced him to take a step back.

He was truly afraid.

In fact, a similar sight had occurred before over a decade ago. Back then, the terrified ones were the Demon Ancestors and elites.

When they saw the formation standing silently behind Yun Qingwu, they could not help but shiver where they stood.

“Kaboom!”

A booming sound echoed out.

The black armored demons finally stopped, their spears lowered towards the Iron Hill Settlement.

“Boom!” Their shields crashed into the ground with a thunderous sound.

The sun shone brightly on the land, revealing their demonic eyes and the powerful aura that they brought with them.

General Mu gripped the twin blades on his back. This was the only way he could stop himself from trembling.

“The Demons have really emptied their city for this attack!” General Mu sighed resignedly as he saw the gargantuan army.

He remembered the scene back in Princess Shan Yu’s administrative tent.

If Fang Zhengzhi wasn’t around…

The 80,000 soldiers would have been in the Sagely Mountain City? General Mu trembled at that thought.

The survival of the Southern Region was in the hands of an outsider?!

It was hilarious and exasperating at the same time.

General Mu took a deep breath as a crisp sound cut through the air. The sound had come from a large carriage at the front of the formation.

The body of the carriage was made from an unknown metal, and it was filled with engravings of various complicated pictures and patterns.

The door opened.

The crisp sound had come from the door opening.

A figure in white exited the carriage, her long hair extending to her waist. She wore a veil that covered her face. There was a white scarf around her waist which showed off her exquisite figure.

She dressed very ordinarily.

There were no jewelry or expensive items on her.

She looked like a flower blooming in the sea of black. When this figure exited, General Mu squinted his eyes.

He knew who this lady was.

Yun Qingwu!

The young master of the Demons.

“She actually came?” General Mu was not too surprised that Yun Qingwu had come. Her presence was expected.

But…

He was curious.

He was curious how Yun Qingwu had managed to do what she did. How did she manage to get through the defenses of the Southern Region?

The Demons were strong.

But so were the defenses of the Southern Region cities. Even though the Iron Hill Settlement did not have any natural defenses, it was not easily broken.

General Mu was stunned by what he saw next.

After Yun Qingwu dismounted, she showed no signs of stopping. Instead, she began walking towards the gates of the Iron Hill Settlement.

“What is she trying to do?!” General Mu simply could not understand what Yun Qingwu’s motives were.

Negotiation?

General Mu knew that negotiation was impossible.

Their army was here and they had already attacked the Sagely Mountain City before this. Not only would the Southern Region not agree to it, the Demons would not waste their time on something so meaningless.

So…

What the hell was she doing?

General Mu’s eyes widened even more, so much so that his eyes were on the verge of popping out of their sockets. Yun Qingwu had stepped into the range of his archers.

In other words, the moment General Mu gave the command, he could fill the sky with arrows and turn Yun Qingwu into a porcupine.

 JTJTY97

HI EVERYONE!!! We are back on Patreon to provide early access once again 🙂 We are sorry we have been slightly inactive on Patreon for a while because of school but we are back and we promise to deliver this time! Do show us your support as we continue to bring this exciting novel to you! Pledge your support and read ahead at https://www.patreon.com/gateofgod97

Chapter 429: Heavenly Rebirth Dao

Kill Yun Qingwu!

General Mu had no idea what Yun Qingwu wanted, but the thought of killing her flashed past his mind as he watched her walk towards the gate.

Enrage the demons?

General Mu knew that the death of Yun Qingwu would cause the demons to go crazy, turning this into a massacre.

But, he also knew that…

If he could kill Yun Qingwu, it would be a huge loss to the demons.

“Ready!” General Mu raised his arm.

The war had begun. There was no use trying to butter up to the demons in an attempt to avoid the massacre that was about to follow.

As a brave soldier of the Southern Region…

General Mu was not afraid of death. None of the soldiers guarding the city were afraid to die. As such, there was only one thing left to do, take as many lives as they could before they fell.

They would kill and kill until they couldn’t kill any longer.

Anyone who stepped forward…

Would die!

“Woosh woosh woosh…” All of the archers on the wall drew their bows when they saw General Mu’s raised hand.

The arrow glimmered icily under the sun.

Yun Qingwu did not even skip a step. It was almost as if she didn’t see it. She continued to walk towards the city, her dress dancing in the wind.

“Die!” General Mu did not hesitate any longer. Yun Qingwu had already entered into the range of the archers.

“Zoom!”

“Zoom zoom zoom!”

The sky was filled with arrows as the soared through the sky, homing down on Yun Qingwu’s position.

At that very moment, a ray of blue light shone radiantly from the contingent at the front.

It had come from someone standing to the side of the black carriage. He was covered by a black cloak from head to toe, making it impossible for anyone to make out who he was.

Even so… no one dared to underestimate the power of this ray of light.

Because…

After a brief moment, it seemed to have disappeared. When it reappeared, it was already above Yun Qingwu.

Since the ancient days, people had believed that the sky was blue.

There was no need to confirm if the ray of blue light had actually disappeared, or if it had blended into the blue sky as it sailed through the air.

What was certain was that when it appeared on top of Yun Qingwu’s head, it was sky blue.

The arrow rain sailed towards the ground.

It landed on the blue light, passing through it cleanly before the arrows lodged themselves in the ground.

“We hit our mark?!”

The Southern Region soldiers rejoiced when they saw the arrows in the ground. However, their excitement was short lived.

There was no blood on the tips of the arrows.

Yun Qingwu stopped for a while and looked up at the blue light above her head. Then, she looked at the arrows around her.

She continued to walk forward, taking care to step on the arrows, snapping them in half.

“What is going on?” The Southern Region soldiers were confused. They had no idea what had just happened, but they knew it had to do with the blue light.

General Mu’s expression was pained as well.

“Die! Fire again!”

“Zoom zoom zoom…”

The sky was once again filled with a hail of arrows.

Just like before, the rain of arrows passed through the blue light and stabbed themselves into the ground.

It seemed like they hit their mark, but Yun Qingwu was still unharmed.

It was a strange sight.

“What the hell is going on?!”

“We definitely hit her, why is she unharmed?”

“That is impossible!”

All of the Southern Region soldiers could not understand what was happening. They saw the arrows pass through Yun Qingwu’s body, but yet, she was unharmed.

“This… could it be…” General Mu’s expression changed as he thought of a terrifying possibility.

“General, could it be…”

The eyes of the other generals widened at this thought. Some of them were in shock whilst others paled.

“It is!” General Mu’s knuckles whitened as he clenched his fists. He could not accept that this was happening in front of his eyes. It was a terrifying thought.

All of the other generals gasped in horror when General Mu confirmed their suspicions.

Before this, they were simply stumped by what was happening. But now, knowing what the light was, they were terrified.

Because…

They finally understood what was happening.

From their vantage point, it looked as though the arrows pierced Yun Qingwu’s body. However, if one was on the ground, one would see that the arrows disappeared briefly upon hitting the blue light.

In other words, the arrows were transported to a parallel dimension upon hitting the blue light. They went around Yun Qingwu before landing in the ground.

Not many people knew how this could be accomplished.

It was just like how most could not attain the level of sage.

Rebirth comprised six Daos.

Each of this was a powerful major Dao. Embedded within these major Daos were countless minor Daos. These minor Daos combined to give the major Daos, just like how countless streams will merge into the sea.

This was how most people tried to understand Dao.

They would first understand the minor Daos before moving on to the major Daos.

Of course…

There were exceptions.

Yan Xiu was one such exception.

Yan Xiu had understood the Dao of Asura. That being said, Natural Law also dictates that one cannot leapfrog to the top without the proper foundations.

Even though Yan Xiu understood the Dao of Asura…

He was not in the Rebirth State because he had not understood the thousands of other minor Daos.

It was as though you opened a huge door but the road ahead was tattered and broken. Even though you were at the door, the road was narrow and unwalkable.

As a result…

You couldn’t open the door fully!

The moment you opened the door fully, the energy within would completely destroy the small road in front of you.

That was the situation Yan Xiu had found himself in.

Of course, this was a situation that many would give their lives to be in.

At the very least, Yan Xiu had already opened the door to the Dao of Asura. All that was left was for him to build on his foundation.

By understanding the Dao of Asura, Yan Xiu had already set one foot into the Rebirth State.

Similarly, in order to breakthrough to the Sage State…

There was another roadblock.

For countless years, many had managed to breakthrough to the Rebirth State but those who could attain Sage were few and far between.

The reason was…

The last one of the six major Daos.

“The Heavenly Dao! The Heavenly Rebirth Dao, the strongest of the six Daos!” The Southern Region soldiers finally understood what was happening.

“Heaven!”

“That is heaven!”

All of the soldiers stared at the patch of blue in awe and terror.

This meant that…

Amongst the demons, there was one who wielded the Heavenly Rebirth Dao.

In other words, they were up against a demon with one foot into the Sage State. They were not just fighting a vast demon army anymore!

How were they going to win?

All of the Southern Region soldiers were at a loss.

On the other hand, the demon army was infuriated. They had been forced to watch as waves of arrows were shot at their Yun Qingwu.

Even though the arrows did not do any physical harm to Yun Qingwu, the demons were riled up.

“Die!”

“Die!”

“Die!!”

The rage and fury exploded from the mouths of thousands of demons, causing the walls of the settlement to shake.

A dense killing aura rushed out from the bodies of the demons.

No demon could suppress their rage when they saw Yun Qingwu being threatened this way.

“Boom!”

“Boom!”

“…”

Despite no orders being given, the demon army raised and crashed their shields in unison.

This was a manifestation of their rage.

At this moment, Yun Qingwu stopped at the gate of the Iron Hill Settlement. A light breeze lifted the edges of her dress.

General Mu’s face was devoid of all color.

He finally understood why Yun Qingwu would walk over.

Everything…

From the moment she had stepped out of that black carriage, had been within her control.

She had managed to rile up the entire army…

Without uttering a single word.

She used her body as a target!

How vicious!

Most importantly, not only did Yun Qingwu motivate those behind her, she demoralized those in front of her.

The Heavenly Rebirth Dao.

Half sage!

She had ensured that she had gained every advantage, all by walking calmly towards the city.

“The Young Master of the Demons… is this her?!” General Mu trembled where he stood.

General Mu had heard about Fang Zhengzhi’s encounter with Yun Qingwu back in Princess Shan Yu’s administrative tent.

At that time, he did not think much of it.

But now…

When he came face to face with Yun Qingwu, he only felt one thing in his heart.

Fear! Pure, unadulterated fear.

The ability to strike fear into the enemy even before the battle began was paralyzing. General Mu had no idea how to lead his army anymore.

In a battle between two armies…

Morale was paramount.

But right now, he had no idea how to raise the morale of his men.

The hundreds of thousands of demons had already started marching towards the city, their steps causing the ground beneath them to shake.

“Die!”

“Die!”

“…”

…

In a huge valley in the Southern Region…

Countless soldiers in black armor wielded spears in their hands as they guarded the entrances to the valley.

The Crown Prince, Lin Tianrong, was lying down inside an exquisitely designed tent. Even though his bed was lined with silk, he could not fall asleep.

“Your Highness, there is an ambassador from the Southern Region requesting an audience with you!”

“Ambassador? Let him through.” Lin Tianrong seemed to be excited by this news, but his tone was calm.

“Yes, your highness!” The soldier replied.

Before long, the flaps to the tent were pulled opened and a thin, tanned, middle-aged man was led inside by two soldiers.

When Crown Prince Lin Tianrong saw this man, he blinked in surprise.

The people of the Southern Region tended to be well built and muscular. But this man was rather thin.

That being said…

Lin Tianrong felt a sense of danger from this man. It was almost as if this skinny man in front of him was hiding some immense power.

“Greetings, your highness.” The middle-aged man steadied himself, choosing to keep a distance from the Crown Prince.

Lin Tianrong was slightly relieved by this fact.

However, the two soldiers escorting the man grit their teeth in anger. How dare he not kneel when meeting the Crown Prince?!

Even though they were at war…

But…

As soldiers of the Crown Prince’s army, they had to protect the dignity of the Crown Prince and the Great Xia.

“How dare you not kneel when meeting the Crown Prince?!” One of the soldiers kicked the shin of the middle-aged man.

“Boom!”

The skinny middle-aged man ignored the soldier and allowed the kick to hit home. However, his legs did not move at all.

“Your Highness, this is a letter for you.” The middle-aged man retrieved an exquisite piece of leather and handed it to the Crown Prince.

“You and your people have always been like this. That being said, at the very least, you should still tell me who you are.” The Crown Prince frowned.

“Yan Ya, the Settlement Chief of the Yan Ya Settlement.”

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