To annihilate my entire Xu Clan, then so be it! Only if you all can still possess such power after today? Do you truly believe victory is already yours? The Sovereign possesses great foresight and strategy, with contingencies you all could never fathom?”
Xiong Yu listened, her expression freezing momentarily. Contingencies? What contingencies?
No matter how strong that Zong Shou was, could he possibly have a countermeasure prepared to handle the combined ambush of all sects and still retreat unharmed?
Then, she heard Xu Zhengyuan’s voice, laced with mocking derision: “You all assume that Qiantian Mountain is doomed to collapse within these few days. But in my eyes, this is the hour of demise for you Eastern Lin sects. Just wait and see! Ten years of vengeance, settled today—exhilarating! Utterly exhilarating!”
Hearing these words, Xiong Yu nearly laughed aloud. This Xu Zhengyuan must truly have gone mad, his mind completely clouded, to commit such a foolish act!
The downfall of the sects? How laughable!
Yet, the thought of the five thousand elite Dao Soldiers being utterly destroyed just now brought the laughter to a halt.
Opposite them, the twenty-four ten-thousand-man phalanxes of Qiantian Mountain, plus the contingent from Cloud Saint City—over two hundred thousand troops—were pressing forward.
Though their speed was measured, they advanced like a dense forest, their momentum like a mountain. They adjusted their formations seamlessly while marching; even if momentary gaps appeared, they vanished in an instant. This was the work of a master strategist, the transformation of their ranks steady yet breathtakingly magnificent.
With the elite cavalry of Dao Soldiers neutralized, the Qiantian Mountain core forces began to expand their influence without restraint, spreading out in all directions.
Xiong Yu felt an intense headache coming on, and she tilted her head back to look at the sky. Earlier, she felt the timing of the dark clouds was off. Now, she desperately wished it would start raining sooner.
Then she gasped again. She saw that in the sky, the cloud cover was inexplicably beginning to disperse once more, revealing the distant, rising morning sun.
After staring blankly for a long while, Xiong Yu finally shook off her daze.
What was this? Did Heaven itself wish for her to suffer a crushing defeat?
“Heh. The clouds have scattered! This is truly Heaven smiling upon us—”
At that very moment, Zong Ling was also looking up at the sky, his eyes filled with surprise. He then lowered his gaze, shaking his head with a faint smile.
“It seems there’s a real chance we might completely shatter the enemy before us today!”
Next, he saw a figure approaching from the distance on horseback. Looking from afar, it was likely the Lord of Cloud Saint City, Xu Zhengyuan. Zong Ling quickly followed Qiu Wei in a deep bow. Zong Shou seemed to place immense value on this man.
Even setting aside everything else, this man’s turncoat action on the battlefield saved Qiantian Mountain from casualties numbering tens of thousands, perhaps even hundreds of thousands. He deserved a profound salute!
Xu Zhengyuan hastily moved to avoid the full depth of the bow, murmuring that he dared not accept such reverence. Then, his eyes gleaming sharply, he inquired, “May I ask, what is the current situation on Jun Shan’s side?”
He knew that victory here was not enough to decide the overall war. The critical battle was still taking place on Shangxiao Mountain. In fact, as long as Zong Shou could safely withdraw from that front, the victory would be cemented.
Qiu Wei shook his head, then swiftly sent a communication talisman toward Xu Zhengyuan: “We don’t know the details yet! However, intelligence arrived from that side less than half an hour ago. The Sovereign, leading four thousand Blood Cloud Riders, planted the Blood Kill Banners below Shangxiao Mountain and utterly routed the million-plus forces of the Thousand City Alliance! The Cloud Dragon Iron Swordsmen of Lingyun Sect, the Shangqing Thunder Masters of Shangxiao, and the Dao Spirit Wind Masters of Dao Sect, all broke ranks without fighting and have now been completely annihilated. The Sovereign is currently assaulting Shangxiao Mountain—”
Xu Zhengyuan was momentarily stunned. His first thought was that Qiu Wei was fabricating lies to deceive him.
But then he felt that something was wrong. He had already defected; he had no way back. What reason would Qiu Wei have to tell him such tales?
He observed the talisman again with his spiritual sense, and indeed, it matched what Qiu Wei had said. But how was this possible?
When he had proclaimed that these few days would be the end for the Eastern Lin sects, it had only been bravado, never truly believing it would come true.
Just based on four thousand Blood Cloud Riders? To cause the elite forces of the sects, including over a thousand Sixth-Tier Dao Soldiers, to collapse without a fight—was this some kind of joke?
Wait! The Blood Cloud Riders—weren't they the famous cavalry that made the Wulie Kingdom dominate the realm ten thousand years ago?
It had to be them; there could be no other possibility!
He vaguely recalled Ling Xueyun mentioning not long ago that Zong Shou held shocking trump cards, and that this battle would certainly result in a great victory over the Eastern Lin sects. But what kind of hidden power was it? Neither Zong Shou nor Ling Xueyun had revealed the details.
It turned out to be this elite cavalry, powerful enough to sweep across a realm!
His eyes flashing, Xu Zhengyuan tilted his head back and laughed again, feeling no sense of betrayal that Zong Shou had kept this from him. Such matters could not be known by everyone.
This was truly exhilarating! This time, his great vengeance might actually be achieved!
He had always known that Zong Shou would eventually reign supreme in the Eastern Lin territory, and one day, he would drive the Lingyun Sect off this continent!
And now, it was happening—even several years sooner than he had anticipated!
Zong Ling, standing nearby, also smiled faintly, showing no sign of disapproval toward Xu Zhengyuan’s outburst.
Less than half an hour ago, wasn't his own mood just as intensely stirred? Even now, he struggled to contain himself.
Looking at the vast army before him, his heart was filled with emotion.
When he followed Zong Weiran to start from scratch in the old days, who would have imagined this day?
He also remembered the gloom that settled over him the day the former Sovereign vanished in the Sinking Cloud Sea, believing Qiantian would decline from then on.
At that time, he never expected Zong Shou to return to Qiantian Mountain with such forceful authority and reclaim the title of Demon King.
Nor did he ever imagine that this young Sovereign, whom no one favored, would achieve successive, massive victories—
In a matter of months, he had recovered all lost territories and expanded the domain by tens of thousands of li. And now, the opportunity to unify the Eastern Lin territory was emerging!
It seemed that soon, he would establish a kingdom and declare himself king—
Zong Ling’s eyes flashed brightly, and then he looked up at the sky.
Former Sovereign, O Former Sovereign, did you see this?
Your lifelong wish, the Sovereign has fulfilled it on your behalf! Qiantian Mountain City is now beloved by all its people. And now, unity across the Eastern Lin is imminent!
My Qiantian Mountain’s Celestial Fox Xu Clan is at its zenith!
There is nothing left in my life to regret. I only wish to serve the Former Sovereign, to help the Sovereign, and protect this hard-won foundation!
However, I must wait. The Sovereign has not yet crushed Shangxiao; thus, variables remain. I cannot afford to become complacent.
Qiu Wei remained impassive, continually issuing military orders. He appeared outwardly calm, yet completely failed to notice that his robes had been ripped in several places by the surge of vital energy erupting from his own agitation.
Suddenly, he sensed something and turned his gaze toward the northeast—the location of Shangxiao Mountain.
This aura is incredibly strong! Even transmitted across ten thousand li, it still carries such might, seemingly above the Ninth Tier?
As this thought flashed through his mind, a hint of worry surfaced deep within Qiu Wei’s eyes.
Then, in the very next instant, he saw that the distant horizon had turned utterly dark.
Xiong Yu and Zu Renkuang were also watching the direction of Shangxiao Mountain. They exchanged looks, their faces grim.
In that single instant, both of them simultaneously felt an intensely powerful jolt of dread!
※ ※ ※ ※
On Zhenqian Peak within Qiantian Mountain, in the Council Hall.
The atmosphere was currently deafeningly chaotic. Hundreds of councilors were gathered in the main hall, some debating, others arguing, a scene of utter pandemonium.
“The son of gold should not sit idly by! Why does His Highness not understand this principle? Knowing it was a trap, why did he still go to Shangxiao Mountain?”
“Damn it, if the Sovereign were here, what would we fear from the Thousand City Alliance? Going to Shangxiao for one Princess of Xuan Mountain was simply not worth it!”
“The Sovereign is lustful, yes, and sentimental, which is indeed very inappropriate. But these Eastern Lin sects are too despicable!”
“In short, my Yuan family is determined to fight to the death! Even if the Sovereign is gone, we must muster our private forces and fight them!”
“Have you considered? The combined might of the sects is immense. If it comes to the worst, caution is paramount?”
“Caution about what? My clan received boundless grace from the Former Sovereign and the current Sovereign across two generations; we owe them our very lives!”
“I may be a new subject of Qiantian, but if the City Lord were truly replaced, I would rather die. With anyone else in charge, would I even have the chance to speak my mind like this?”
“But now the structure is collapsing! Whether we wish it or not!”
“Damn it! Fei Hai City has also betrayed us; I knew these people couldn’t be trusted!”
“And that City Lord of Leqing is even more abominable! To demand our surrender without a fight, and then to decapitate the Qiantian official we sent, using his head to flag their banner. He deserves death!”
“Outrageous! I’ll ride back immediately and mobilize my private troops to suppress the rebellion! At worst, we’ll fight them to the end!”
Ren Bo sat serenely in the main seat next to the dais. He paid no mind to the arguments raging in the hall.
He possessed inherent confidence and could therefore sit as still as a mountain. The intelligence received from Shangxiao Mountain half an hour ago had settled his heart completely.
Now, he only needed to wait quietly for the news of Zong Shou’s great victory over the sects to return.
Though a small knot of worry remained in his chest, he was already contemplating how to mobilize grain and supplies from various regions to support the armies pushing forward in their campaigns.
First, they must purge the rebels and sweep across the Eastern Lin territory; these tasks must proceed concurrently.
If Heaven offers an opportunity, one must seize it; to hesitate is to invite disaster. Such a long-sought moment must not be missed. Delaying would only invite complications.
As he pondered this, a bitter laugh sounded beside him: “Prime Minister, your mastery of composure is truly remarkable. At the very moment of Qiantian’s potential demise, you remain so calm and at ease. Xu Shu certainly does not possess such skill; I am fidgeting with anxiety right now!”
Ren Bo glanced sideways. The speaker was Councilor Xu Shu, one of the leaders among the two hundred human councilors in the hall.
Ren Bo smiled slightly and paid him no mind. Xu Shu persisted: “The Prime Minister received a communication talisman earlier. Did you receive some news?”
His eyes pierced forward like blades. Ren Bo hesitated slightly, then shook his head.
The content of the talisman itself held nothing secret.
But even if he told them, would these people believe it?
Telling them that their Sovereign, leading four thousand Blood Cloud Riders, had already won a massive victory at Shangxiao Sect? That the twelve hundred Sixth-Tier Dao Soldiers mustered by the combined sects were broken before they even met face-to-face? Wouldn't such words sound like fantasy?
Perhaps these people didn't even know the origins of the Blood Cloud Riders—
Even with his vast learning, he only discovered their history after poring over ancient texts.
At that moment, two shafts of golden light descended sequentially outside the hall. Ren Bo received one of them first, then smiled faintly, saying, “Minister Qiu Tingzhu has broken the main force of the Thousand City Alliance, slaying millions, and is now in pursuit—”
This single sentence sent the Councilor Hall into another frenzy. Ren Bo then reached for the second talisman. (To be continued)