ã€ŠDragon&#x27;s Soulã€‹


 Prologue: An End and A Beginning

    There is a saying that for every beginning there is also an end, but this is not always the case.

    At least not for Lang Lei, who was born as the 2nd son of a successful business entrepreneur. Lang was born with a gift, since the age of three he was able to remember everything he saw and learn from it, he could recite books he only read once word for word and paint perfect pictures of his memories. This was however, not only a blessing but also a curse. Thanks to this gift Lang would be considered a genius, but because of this he would walk a lonely path, being the only one at his age with an intellect such as his.

    Ever since then, he had immersed himself in gaining knowledge. He did this for no real reason, but purely out of curiosity. From an early age, Lang had always been a ¡°the pen is mightier than the sword¡±-type of person, he did not see the point of violence and the only reason he learned military tactics was because they tied in with history. There was also the fact that his father had always taught him to be kind to others and to always help those in need, thus enforced his beliefs. But all of these beliefs would, on one fateful day, prove to be misguided. For nothing is clad in black and white.

    It started out like any other day, Lang was getting ready for school, today was the first day of the new school year. Instead of going to university where he belonged, his parents had made him enroll with the rest of the kids his own age in the hopes that he would be able to make some friends.

    Lang was now 12 years old and was known around the world as a prodigy who possessed vast knowledge in science, art, history and even other more obscure subjects such as military tactics.

    He had gone to school, as always, even though it did not offer him any knowledge that he did not already know. He would go to school and just sit there for hours to learn about things that he had known about for years. All due to his parents hopes of giving him a normal childhood. And after an uneventful day at school, he would go home. His teachers and classmates paid him no mind. Lang had always been alone, normal students and teachers just couldn¡¯t relate to him, not that they tried to.

    To his surprise, there was a man whom he did not know, sitting in his kitchen when Lang got home today. He learned that his father had let the man into their home because the man was laying in front of their house, injured. The man wore plain clothing, and there was a faint smell of blood coming off from him, most likely from his injury.

    The man claimed that a passing car hit him, but that he was ok and would be alright with a bit of rest.

    There was not anything out of the ordinary with the man, but Lang thought that something was off about him. In the end, he ignored his gut feeling and left for his room.

    His father had offered the man to stay for dinner or if the man needed, he would drive him to the hospital. To which the man declined and asked to simply be allowed to rest on the sofa for a bit.

    Before dinner, everyone in Lang¡¯s family tried to strike up a conversation with the man, they had asked him what he did for a living, to which he simply replied ¡°I help send people to a better place.¡±

    After a light dinner, Lang headed to his room to read a book and get some sleep early. His father led the man to the door and said his goodbyes, while everyone else went to bed.

    Lang hopped onto his bed, and opened a book to read before going to sleep like usual, today he had picked a book about religion, mainly focusing on reincarnation. This particular topic was mentioned in school today and Lang had never really thought about it before, so he figured he would give it a read.

    Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

    But in the middle of the night, Lang heard a scream. It was obviously odd to hear a gut wrenching scream in the middle of the night so he put down his book and left his room to investigate.

    Any regular teen would have simply ignored the scream or ran to their parents, but not Lang. He had always been the independent type, who didn¡¯t ask for help unless he absolutely needed it.

    Eerie red moonlight shone on him as he walked down the stairs and a flash of light caught his attention. It was the moonlight reflecting off a bloody knife. Lang had stumbled onto the bloody scene of the man, whom his father had let into their home, stabbing his father.

    Lang panicked, he realized that this man was the serial killer that they were talking about on the news this morning, the one that had killed nine people.

    He tried to run to the phone to call for help, but instead stumbled to the ground. As he tried to get up the man had noticed him and came running.

    He saw the limp body of his older brother lying in the kitchen staring at him, with empty lifeless eyes, still holding an empty plastic cup in his hand. Lang had stumbled due to his brother¡¯s leg.

    A sharp pain was felt on his back. Lang realized that the man had stabbed him and that he would most likely die.

    Lang¡¯s mother had heard all the commotion and came running down from the 2nd floor of their home. To her horror both of her sons and husband were laying on the floor. She let out a miserable scream, but it soon stopped and was replaced by the mad laughter of the man.

    Lang heard him laughed as he proceeded to slowly walk past Lang holding his blood-stained knife, then ran towards Lang¡¯s mother.

    Lang¡¯s life flashed in front of his eyes.

    Lang began to question himself, why was it that he had to die, why was it that this was happening to him. At that moment, in a flash, he realized that so far he lived an empty life, he had done nothing but gather knowledge and live by that ridiculously black and white philosophy his father had ingrained into him.

    Lang screamed in his mind ¡±WHY?!! Why did this have to happened?!!¡±.

    While staring blankly at his father¡¯s bloody corpse, if he had not let this man into their home none of this would¡¯ve happened. Lang¡¯s mother would still be alive, his brother would also be alive and Lang himself would not have to die.

    The sharp pain from his back, the sight of his dead family members further pushed Lang into despair and hatred, hatred for their killer but also for his own powerlessness.

    At that moment Lang swore that if he were to survive this ordeal he would not live like he had before. He would live a different life, a life for himself and no one else, because he had nothing to blame but his lack of power and his family¡¯s misplaced trust in other people.

    Lang took his last breath and his vision blurred out. He believed that this was the end and his life had ended without him truly even living it. Thus he swore that if there was indeed a next life, he would obtain power, power to rule over others, power to shake even the heavens. And so this marked the end of his life, but for some, the end is only the beginning.

 Chapter 1: New Life

    Chapter 1: New Life

    Written by: IEndWorlds

    Today was a joyous day because it marks the year of the creation of the Heilong Kingdom located on the Wulin continent. It was also the day of the Stellar Alignment that only happens once every 1000 years. The Heilong Kingdom had been established since the end of the great war between humanity and the Black Soul Eating Dragon, also known as Heilong. In honor of defeating the dragon, the kingdom was named after it.

    The Heilong Kingdom wasn¡¯t the only kingdom, nor was it the largest kingdom, it was actually the  weakest kingdom and definitely the one with the least history. However, it was made up of people from different kingdoms that had been wiped out during the war.

    Festivals and parties were at a full swing today, especially for one family, the Zhou clan.

    The Zhou clan lived in a small city that could be categorized as a big town, that went by the name of Blue Tear City. Despite not being a large city, it had all the necessities of one due to its location at the very border of Heilong Kingdom.

    Lots of merchants and people would pass Blue Tear City, thus allowing a large amount of money to flow into the city and made the residents wealthy.

    Blue Tear City was run by three clans, the Zhou, Wu, and Liu. Each clan having control over a different aspect of the city.

    The Zhou controlled the regulation of trade, making it the wealthiest of the three clans. While the Wu controlled a small army stationed to protect the town, thus making them the law enforcers of the city. And finally, the Liu who neither had the most wealth or power but control most of the land in the city. They alone own basically half of the city¡¯s farmlands and possess the longest history in the city, being able to trace their lineage back to the founders of Heilong Kingdom.

    The Zhou and Wu clan had a friendship spanning over many generations and were in league with one another. Whereas the Liu clan remained secluded by themselves, believing they were above the other clans and residents of the city because of their lineage.

    Today the Zhou clan would be welcoming the newest addition to their family. The wife of Zhou Cheng the leader of the Zhou clan, had just given birth to his first son named Zhou Zhang.

    Zhang¡¯s birth was just like any other baby, but the midwife panicked when he came out, he was a particularly odd baby, unlike most babies he did not cry when he was born. She had thought that he was possibly stillborn.

    But as soon as he opened his eyes, a ray of blood-red moonlight from the stellar alignment shone on his tiny body which attracted the attention of everyone in the room.

    Zhang¡¯s mother picked him up and cradled him gently in her arms, as he stared at her and everyone in the room intently.

    ¡°What a precious looking child you are.¡± She said as she cradled him in her arms.

    Their mansion was filled with activity, maids and servants were running left and right in preparation for the big party that was going to be thrown tomorrow to celebrate Zhang¡¯s birth. Invitations were being sent out to the other clans, and to just about everyone in the city, anyone who had considerable status would be at the party.

    The next day, the Zhou mansion was filled with people, servants were outside keeping an eye on horses and carriages while their masters were congratulating Zhou Cheng.

    Gifts of gold, jade, and other expensive things were stacked into a small mountain. Every guest was seated to a table filled with various food that would make anyone¡¯s mouth water. Beautiful maids were pouring wine and dancing to add to the festivities.

    Zhou Cheng was so happy that he had ordered his servants to allow everyone who wished to join the festivities to enter the mansion. People that usually would not be at such a social gathering soon flooded into the mansion and seated nonetheless.

    Everyone was enjoying the food and the dancing until an old man dressed in rags walked in the front door. The man¡¯s clothes were so tattered he was practically half-naked, and his body gave off a foul smell that made everyone take a few steps back as he walked in their direction.

    ¡°Is this the place that¡¯s giving out free food?¡± The old man said cheerfully.

    Zhou Cheng¡¯s servants assisted the man to his seat as ordered to by their master.

    ¡°This way sir.¡± A maid said as she led him to a table.

    ¡°Oh, my so much food, and all of it looks so good.¡± The old man said as he stuffed food into his mouth with his hands, paying no mind to anyone else at his table. As soon as he finished a dish, he would move on to the next and then the next until there was no more. Servants would bring more food, but the man¡¯s appetite was enormous, everything they brought soon disappeared into his stomach.

    Not so long after the man had entered the mansion, Zhang¡¯s mother, Zhen Jin, who was known as the prettiest woman in the city walked out of her room carrying Zhang in her arms.

    Soon she was surrounded by a sea of people hoping to see the newborn and offer their blessings. But then a foul odor flew into her nostrils, which make her almost gag. Then she noticed standing in front of her was a man dressed in rags.

    The man proceeded to thank her and husband for the food and offered to give them his greatest treasure, and a few words to the baby.

    Zhen Jin thought to herself, ¡°what could this man possibly have that her family did not already have?¡± Nonetheless, the treasure of someone of his status was probably worth nothing to her. But she kept quiet and simply smiled.

    The man pulled out from his pocket a pitch black jade pendant, with an exquisite dragon carved onto it. The man said, ¡°This has been in my family''s possession for hundreds of year and is carved out of the crystallized heart of a dragon.¡±

    The pendant had a strange glow to it, although it was pitch black there was a somewhat blue sheen to it, which mesmerized everyone who looked at it.

    Stunned by the appearance of the pendant, Zhen Jin did not say a word except for ¡°thank you¡± and received the pendant from the man.

    The man then proceeded to say, ¡°Your child¡¯s future will be riddled with tragedy but also filled with greatness. He will experience the most terrible ordeals and enjoy the best world has to offer. He will stand on top of millions with power that can bring down the heavens or he will be like me, penniless, homeless, and alone.  Being born during the Stellar Alignment and blessed by the Blood Moon could be viewed as a blessing, but it can also be viewed as a curse.¡±

    Everyone was left speechless to what the man had just said, they did not know whether to laugh or cry at what he said.

    Zhen Jin however was furious, she had not heard anything the man had said after he had told her that her child¡¯s life would be filled with tragedy. She was certain that this man was a lunatic and then ordered her servants to kick the man out of the mansion. And in a fit of rage, she tossed the pendant the man had given Zhang into the pond in her garden on her way back to her room.

    In the morning, when the servants came to nurse Zhang, they found that the pendant which was thrown into the pond by her mother somehow ended up around his neck. And when they tried to take it off, there was a strange force that kept them from touching it. No matter who tried to touch it they weren¡¯t able to, and the only one who seemed to be able to touch the pendant was Zhang.

    Eventually, the people in the mansion gave up trying to take the pendant off Zhang¡¯s neck.

    A few months had passed since Zhang was born, and the city was once against filled joy, the leader of the Wu clan¡¯s wife had given birth to a daughter, named Wu Ling.

    Zhou Cheng and his wife Zhen Jin brought their son to the Wu clan¡¯s mansion to celebrate Wu Ling¡¯s birth.

    In no way did Wu Ling¡¯s party fall shorts of Zhang Zhou¡¯s, esteemed guests filled the Wu mansion and to everyone¡¯s surprise Wu Tong who was the leader of the Wu clan had engaged his daughter Ling Wu to Zhou Zhang.

    This was to change the long-lasting friendship among the two clans into family ties. And thus two destinies were tied together, Zhang and Ling were to be married when they both reached the age of sixteen.

    ¡°Brother Zhou, don¡¯t you think our two kids are meant for each other?¡± Wu Tong said as he and Zhou Cheng watch their wives cradling the two newborns.

    ¡°How am I supposed to know? All we can do it hope they get along or else we might end up being terrible parents for doing this.¡± Zhou Cheng said with a chuckle.

    ====================================================================

    As a baby Zhang was very well looked after. Teams of maids and servants helped his mother him  take care of him around the clock.

    He was given the finest clothes and the best things that could be bought. From silk woven blankets to gorgeous tiny articles of clothing that were made especially for him.

    One could say that besides Ling no other baby was treated as wonderfully as Zhang in Blue Tear City. Being the first and only child of the richest and more influential man in the city had it¡¯s perks.

    Zhang was like any other baby who was showered with love and care grew very quickly. By the age of eight months, he had started waddling all around the Zhou clan¡¯s mansion. Sometimes  he even managed to waddle away from the watchful eyes of the maids assigned to watch over him.

    Some of the maids often said ¡° if you take your eyes off the young master for a second then he might disappear right before your eyes.¡±

    By the time Zhang was around two he was reintroduced to Ling. The two toddlers quickly became playmates as their parents often left them together. They would mumble baby talk and giggle about with each other when together. They became so attached that one of them would start crying if they were separated.

    As Zhang¡¯s father and Ling¡¯s father watched the two children play they felt at ease about their decision to engage the two.

    ¡°See I told you it was a good decision.¡± Ling¡¯s father Wu Tong would often say to Zhang¡¯s father Zhou Cheng.

    Thier attachment grew as the months and years went by and the two toddlers became small children. The two playmates  became the best of friends who were inseparable from each other. Without a worry or care in the world the two of the spent every waking minute playing with each other.

    Besides each other they didn¡¯t really have any friends that were the same age. This of course is because there were no other clans besides the Liu clan who were equal to the Zhou and Wu clan. Meaning that no other children were fit to be their friends status wise. If given the chance there were many people who wanted to kidnap these two children and demand a ransom from the two families. Thus, they only had each other as friends, well not that they minded only having each other.

    When Zhang was not playing with Ling, he was exploring the clan¡¯s large garden. Zhang could be described as a very curious and adventurous child who could run about for hours on end and not become bored. Zhang often spent his time sitting under a large apple tree that was on top of a hill that overlooked a part of the city. He and Ling would often play under the cool shade of the apple tree on hot summer days.

    All this being said Zhang¡¯s time was not all spent playing once he reached the age of four his father arranged for a private tutor to come to their home and teach him. Zhou Cheng wished to groom his son and provide him with the best tool needed in life. Thus, Zhang was taught all kinds of things by the many private tutors the clan employed.

    He learned art, literature, basic etiquette, and other general knowledge that one should know. Zhang was about to learn everything taught to him at an astounding speed that made his tutors all awestruck. As the eventually ran out of things to teach him, they  soon left one after another ashamed of their lack of knowledge. In the end, only one tutor stayed behind to teach the young boy.

    Although Zhang was able to quickly learn many things he did not seem to enjoy sitting in a classroom, writing poems or drawing pictures. Instead, what he truly enjoyed with learning about the sword. Due to his adventurous personality, Zhang really enjoyed learning how to hold a sword or ride a horse.

    One time he scared the living daylights of out of the maids assigned to watch over him. Zhang had climbed up on a horse for the first time while the reins were being held by a male servant. Once Zhang was on top of the horse he accidently pulled on the mane of the horse which caused it to go mad and kick about sending him flying off the horse. Seeing this, all of the servants rushed to where Zhang fell to see if he was okay, worrying about his safety.

    When they got to him they could see that one of his knees had scrapped on a rock and was bleeding. However strangely Zhang got up as if he did not feel a thing and climbed back up onto the horse that knocked him off.

    This however was not the only odd thing about Zhang. Often times late at night he would wake up screaming and yelling. And when asked what happened he would tell everyone that he saw scary looking man chasing him.

    ============================================================================================

    Time flew by  Zhang grew to be more handsome by the day, and his trusty childhood friend Ling grew more beautiful. People called them a pair made by heaven itself.

    This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

    Zhang had recently turned ten years old, he was like any other child of his age, except sometimes he would talk about things that someone his age would have no knowledge about.  When asked how he knew such things he would say that he saw them as fuzzy images in his dreams.  One dream that he could clearly recall was that of a man laughing and running towards him wielding a knife on his hand, to which he would wake up screaming.

    Most people just shrugged it off as the random talk of a child, who was probably just repeating what he heard an adult had said.

    Now at the age of ten, Zhang would have to take the city¡¯s internal essence test that happened once a year in a few months. Which basically measures the amount of essence a person possessed. Essence being the energy needed to bend the elements to one''s will.

    Essence was in every living thing; some called it the soul, others called it life energy. Essence had many uses, one could harness the powers of nature and bestow it to their weapons for combat. For instance, someone with essence related to lightning might be able to bestow their sword the power of lightning. If one was able to train and reach a higher level, they could possibly shoot lightning from their fingertips; or use the elements to strengthen their bodies beyond the realms of man.

    There were ten basic levels, and each level they managed to pass, they would be able to produce enough essence to prolong their lives and if someone was able to pass the ten basic levels they would be able to live indefinitely and be labeled immortals or saints. But this was easier said than done, average people would only be able to reach the 6th or 7th level at most through hard work and countless years of training. And some geniuses would be able to reach the 8th or 9th level, and even less would be able to reach the 10th level and so on.

    Although it was very hard to become saints, there were quite a few of them in the Wulin continent, mainly because once they became a saint they would be free from illness, aging and live indefinitely.

    Zhang was waiting for his turn to test his essence level with Ling. The vast majority of the residents of  Blue Tear City had come to see the tests. An official from the capital of the Heilong Kingdom came to administer the test for those between the ages of ten and sixteen, to record their level and see if they would later qualify to attend the Royal Academy for gifted youths in the capital of the kingdom.

    To be able to attend the Royal Academy was an honor that most of the families dreamed of, but the requirements weren¡¯t easy to fulfill. Every age group had a set of parameters for essence levels and one had to be at least two levels higher than the average of their age group and a high elemental amplitude to even be considered for admittance.

    As the line began moving, Zhang heard the official call out names of people being tested and their levels and amplitude. They would have to walk up the stage watched by the entire city and sprinkle a drop of their blood into a transparent crystal. The crystal would then glow in different colors telling people what element they had the high amplitude, and a number would also appear on it reading their essence level.

    Typically, someone at ages of ten through twelve would have an essence level of one, and someone at the age of thirteen through sixteen would most likely be a level 2. Whereas essence could be increased and trained, amplitude was what one was born with and would never increase or decrease.

    Ling and Zhang were an inseparable pair that was often seen playing together and being born only a few months apart they would be taking the test at the same time.

    When it came to their turn for the test Zhang walked up to the stage where he was greeted by a kind looking old man who happened to be the official who administered the test. The official had picked up a clean needle and pricked Zhang''s index finger and directed him to the transparent crystal on the center of the stage.

    Zhang then sprinkled a drop of his blood onto the crystal, and in an instant it projected his age and essence level, which as 10 years old and level 1. He waited for the crystal to change color to reveal what element he had an amplitude in, but it remained transparent. Disappointed and somewhat ashamed, Zhang walked off the stage.

    Ling had run up to Zhang and asked him if his finger hurt, to which he laughed and said, ¡°no.¡± Ling then wrapped his finger with her handkerchief, told him to ¡°stop pretending it didn''t hurt¡± and walked towards the stage.

    Zhang couldn¡¯t help but smile because it truly didn¡¯t hurt, it wasn¡¯t that he was pretending it didn¡¯t hurt nor was it that he was distracted by something and didn''t notice the pain. Zhang simply could not feel pain, ever since he was born Zhang had never been able to feel pain. No one knew of this besides his parents.

    As Zhang was busy staring at his finger, the crowd suddenly roared, as the official read out Ling¡¯s test. Wu Ling, age ten, essence level three, the high amplitude in the element of water. Not only was her amplitude high but she was also two levels ahead of the average of her age group. From this day on, Ling would be labeled a genius.

    If Ling¡¯s essence kept increasing at the age of sixteen, she would be admitted for sure into the Royal Academy.

    Seeing Ling¡¯s results Zhang cheered for her and smiled, he was truly happy for her but also in a corner of his heart sad he was sad because of his poor results.

    Ling came running down from the stage towards Zhang, with a broad smile across her face as her silky black hair flew in the wind.

    The two of them walked shoulder to shoulder on their way home from the exam. Seeing that Zhang was somewhat sad, Ling tried to cheer him up.

    ¡°You¡¯ll do better next year for sure Zhang!¡± She said.

    Zhang not wanting her to worry about him, he said, ¡°I sure will! Next year I might even do better than you Ling.¡±

    And so they continued on their way home, when they had reached Zhang¡¯s home, he took Ling¡¯s hand and told her that he wanted to show her something.

    The two ran through the mansion, and out into the garden. The Zhou clan had a massive garden that expanded from the back of their home onto a hill. Filled with all sorts of unique flowers, and fruit trees, one would be able to immerse themselves into nature here.

    Zhang and Ling ran up to the hill and stood under a big apple tree. Zhang began to climb up the tree and Ling soon followed. Once they reached the top they were able to see the whole city and the sun setting.

    Smoking chimneys and the people walking around the city could be seen from here. The sight was something to behold for these two.

    Zhang picked an apple and handed it to Ling, and the two would sit and chat until it was time for Ling to go home.

    Zhang was laying on his bed tossing and turning, he was having a dream that he often had, in this dream he would see a man running towards him wielding a bloody knife, and the knife would reflect an eerie red color due to light from the moon. Every time Zhang would wake up panting, the dream seemed so real, and after each time, he saw this dream his head would be filled with a bunch of just random knowledge. Things that he knew nothing about would become common knowledge to him.

    He didn¡¯t think too much about it, it became a common occurrence for him and would happen quite frequently.

    At first, he would question why he kept having the same dream, who was that man and why did he attack Zhang. Many questions popped up but like all else with time, everything goes away.

    Zhang woke up the next day somewhat tired from the lack of sleep, but nonetheless still energized, he began dressing to get ready because his tutor was coming.

    His father hired a private tutor for him, the tutor taught various subjects such as literature, geography, art, and overall basic etiquette.

    But today was different, Zhang waited for the tutor to come in his study room, but the tutor never showed up, instead when the doors opened an old man dressed in all white robes walked in.

    The old man had long droopy eyebrows, a well-kept beard and long white hair that was kept tied in a bun.  He then said with a smile, ¡°you must be Zhang, your father invited me here to teach you how to cultivate your essence, I will also continue to teach you what your previous tutor was teaching you.¡±

    Thus began Zhang¡¯s path into cultivating, the first thing he was taught was the various uses of essence. He learned that a person who used their essence to strengthen their bodies would be classed as warriors, and people who used their essence to manipulate outside forces would be called mages. Generally, people pick one or the other, everyone had their own preferences but once they reached sainthood it would all be the same since they would have mastered control over essence.

    Next, he was taught how to channel and make his essence flow. He had to sit cross-legged with his eyes closed and breath in and out while imagining a flowing river, that started from his stomach and circulated to every corner of his body.

    He was told once he mastered this he could be able to use the energy in two ways, he could channel it into his body parts to make them stronger than they normally would be or if he had the talent release it from his body and make it take shape.

    Most people were only able to channel it within their bodies because it was much harder to keep the released energy condensed as a whole and take shape when outside of the body. Hence, there were fewer mages than warriors.

    Zhang would try to circulate his essence but each time he was able to gather some, in an instant it would disappear. As if he was trying to get water out of an empty well.

    No matter how hard he tried, he was not able to gather any energy. His teacher checked his vitals and said that his body was perfectly normal but oddly, it possessed very little essence within it. Zhang was told that he would just have to train ten times harder than the average person if he wanted to advance. And without a word Zhang would keep attempting to gather his inner energy again and again.

    Not seeing any results, however, his teacher offered him an alternative. Instead of strengthening his inner energy, strengthen his body. Instead of gathering energy inside a vessel and use that energy to strengthen the vessel, they would instead directly strengthen vessel itself.

    This method wasn¡¯t widely practiced due to the slow pace and amount of time and effort required, it was not a method for the weak-willed simply said.

    However, not wanting to fall behind Ling any further Zhang gave it his all. He would wake up every morning and strap weights onto his arms and legs like his teacher told him and run laps from his house all the way to the hill in the back of the garden. Roughly a mile-long stretch to the hill from the house and as soon as he got back he would have to start over.

    He would have to do this until he no longer felt the weights on his body, and when he wasn¡¯t able to they would be exchanged for heavier weights. Sword play was also taught while the weights were strapped onto his arms and legs.

    When Ling came over to play, Zhang would always be too busy training, he did not want to be left behind by her.

    He would eat, sleep, and train until he dropped with these weights on. One would think that a ten-year-old wouldn¡¯t have the determination to go on after a day, but Zhang was different.

    Thanks to his weird dreams he possessed knowledge that someone his age wouldn¡¯t normally possess, and this made him mature much quicker and had a firmer and decisiveness that others in his age did not.

    Ever since he started training Zhang always had a weird feeling in the back of his mind, he felt that something or someone was telling him to get stronger and obtain more power. It made him feel afraid of being weak and afraid of being left behind thus, he would always push himself to the limit.

    His parents encouraged him by getting the best doctors, and physicians to keep Zhang at top shape. He would be given rare medicines that helped one to recover faster. What would take a normal person three days to recover, he was able to recover in a day thanks to the medicine.

    Most of his training was done alone, and did not need any supervision, so his teacher would only come to every couple of days to see his progress and teach him the ways of the sword.

    Zhang learned two different sword styles, the first used a traditional long sword and was meant to follow a certain flow to use the enemy''s power against them, which was more appropriate for one on one duels.

    The 2nd style uses two swords a long sword and a short sword, this was a good style to use when fighting many people, one would use the longsword to keep enemies back at a safe distance and when closing in use the short sword to finish them off.

    One followed a flow that was best for defending and fighting long battles, whereas the other was best for its explosive movements and fast attacks. Zhang honed his skills in both styles and would soon master all of the techniques that his master taught him.

    Also only recently did Zhang notice that if he trained at night under the light of the moon he would not feel tired at all, it was as if the moonlight was giving him strength. He didn''t know exactly why this was the case or did he really bother to look into it, but now he would often sleep during the day and on nights when the moon shone he would train through the night.

    Zhang would keep training day in and day out and gradually grew stronger by the day.

 Chapter 2: Strength

    Today, Zhang started his day by strapping two weights to his leg and two weights to his arms each weighing roughly fifty kilograms. He also tied a weight of one hundred kilograms on his back.

    Then Zhang would proceed with his daily routine of running from his home to the hill and back.

    If someone were to watch him, they won¡¯t think he was carrying so many extra weights, because Zhang was running so fast it looked like he was gliding a bit off the ground.

    After one hundred laps, he tossed away the weights which made a heavy thump sound as they hit the ground.

    "Time to get heavier weights", he sighed.

    It had been six years since Zhang started training his body instead of his inner essence. His current strength could be considered monstrous for a sixteen years old, if one were to compare his strength with someone training inner essence he would be around a level five.

    This would place him at the level of a regular full grown adult in their prime. Although he was still a little bit off from the ultimate limit of a regular person.

    For the last six years he never bothered taking the essence exam again, mainly because there was really no exact way to measure his strength. If he were to sprinkle his blood on the reading crystal, it would still read an essence level of one.

    Thus it was pointless to take the exam and being laughed at for his low level, so Zhang would rather spend that time training.

    After weight training he would walk up to a cauldron filled to the brim with iron sand. Zhang was currently training his fingers to achieve a technique that would make his fingers hard as iron.

    This technique required Zhang three years of grueling hard work to accomplish. Although he was already at the last level of the "Iron Fingers" technique, Zhang kept practicing hoping to even further strengthen his fingers.

    He had long ago mastered the two sword forms his teacher had taught him. Now, the swords had become like extensions of his arms. Zhang preferred the dual swords technique the most. His father had found him a pair of swords made of "Blood Iron".

    Blood iron was unbelievably hard, even harder than steel. This was due to how it was made. When a swordsmith was forging blood iron they would have to forge their blood into the iron in flames formed using their cultivation base. The blood would mix with the iron and add a part of the swordsmith¡¯s essence and vitality into it. This made the weapons made out of blood iron a fourth tier weapon. Which would make them very good weapons. Since weapons were classed the same as the levels of cultivation.

    Swords such as these were fairly rare and not many smiths were able to make them. So eventually the method to make them was lost.

    As a stroke of luck Zhang''s father had acquired them in a faraway village on one of his business trips. He spent a sizable sum of money before the previous owner was willing to part with them. But what was money to Blue Tear city''s richest man.

    The swords had a bloody red sheen in contrast with its black blade. A murderous aura was given off every time they were unsheathed. This showed that countless lives had been taken by these swords over the years.

    As he was practicing his swordplay, Zhang noticed that someone was watching him.

    Actually he knew who it was, it was Ling. Shortly after he has started training six years ago, Ling would come every day to watch him.

    He, out of the corner of his eye, could see her sitting intently watching him.

    She wore elegant white robes, that complimented her glossy long black hair. With cherry colored lips, flawless snow white skin, and beautiful hazel colored eyes.

    Ling was currently hailed as Blue Tear City''s genius, and it''s most beautiful young maiden with many suitors trying to win her favour.

    Her essence level was currently five, and a few months ago she received an invitation from the Royal Academy to join them when the new school year started.

    This called for a huge celebration in the city. The Royal Academy is what all the youths wanted to attend, but only one in a thousand, youths with extraordinary talent, were selected.

    In the long history of Blue Tear City, Ling was the first ever to be selected. This gave all the residents of Blue Tear City a sense of pride and joy.

    As Zhang finished his daily routine, he turned towards Ling with a broad smile and asked her what she wanted for breakfast.

    To this she replied, "Want to make a guess?"

    Zhang smiled, the two of them had a deep understanding of each other. So of course he knew what she wanted.

    But of course he had to tease her. So he replied, "Nope." He picked up some weights and started juggling them.

    Ling retorted with a "guess I will just go eat alone hmph" and started walking off.

    Zhang laughed, jumped up into a ten feet tall tree and grabbed a basket of food he had left there earlier.

    He then jumped down and ran after her. She turned back and laughed. Of course she had noticed the smell coming from the basket long before Zhang had grabbed it from the tree.

    The two of them were practically a married couple after being together for so many years.

    Neither of them really understood love, but after so many years they''ve become irreplaceable person in each other''s lives.

    After eating breakfast, Zhang would continue his training and Ling had to go back home to meet her teacher.

    Ling''s teacher, a level eight Mage, who rarely accepted students. But after seeing her potential, he accepted her as a disciple and then began teaching her at the age of eleven.

    Every day she would have to train by channeling and manipulating essence.

    After Ling left, the garden became quiet, Zhang soon fell into his regular pace of training.

    As he trained his mind fell into a state of emptiness. And soon images would begin to flash in his mind.

    He learned how to enter a dream like state while being awake. This allowed him to see the visions or shall we call them dreams that he would usually have.

    From these dreams he would learn a great deal about various things, although many of the things he saw were strange and couldn''t be applied to everyday life, others proved to be beneficial in his training.

    He developed a great understanding of the human body thanks to these dreams. They allowed him to train to the limit without hurting himself. His knowledge about the body would put a seasoned doctor to shame.

    Although the dreams were very beneficial to him, he did not dive too deep into them. Because once he had pushed himself into the dream state for far too long, he began sensing a murderous entity appeared within his mind and began to spread across his entire consciousness and shook his soul as if wanting to take over his mind, but oddly enough a strange black spark would appear and pushed it back, cleansing his mind.

    After training he would soak in a bath of medical herbs that helped to increase his strength and restore the energy in his body.

    As the medical bath energized him, Zhang fell asleep.

    He woke up hours later, rubbed his eyes and looked out the window to see the sun setting.

    "%!?%^*% it''s time for dinner!", he yelled. Hurriedly, he got dressed and ran to the dining room.

    And so a regular day for Zhang ended.

    Little did he know these days would soon come to an abrupt end.

    A few miles away from Blue Tear city outside of the border of the Heilong Kingdom, storms were brewing.

    A mass of soldiers, clad in red armor laced with gold thread, stood in formation. Holding up red flags with a golden lion head in the center.

    Anyone would know that this was the flag of the Siwang Empire. The Wulin continent¡¯s second largest empire that neighbored the western border of the Heilong Kingdom.

    It is roughly twenty times bigger than the Heilong Kingdom and its borders ran along many kingdoms.

    The soldiers were waiting for their commander to appear.

    They were just one of the many battalions taking part in today''s mission. There was a total of one million soldiers mobilized to the eastern border of the Siwang Empire.

    A man walked in front of the rows of soldiers dressed in shiny golden armor with red lacing and began talking.

    "Today we shall bring glory to the empire, and ensure that our empire lasts thousands of years.", he said.

    The soldiers roared and cheered him on.

    "All soldiers rest and prepare, for in a few hours we and the other battalions will march across the borders of those puny kingdoms and add them to our glorious empire." The commander roared.

    The sight of soldiers hurriedly saddling their horses and sharpening their weapons soon followed.

    Soon scouts were sent out and the soldiers got into formation and began their march.

    They had to march in the dark only aided by the little moonlight that there was. They did not wish for the other side to know they were coming.

    A few soldiers were conversing amongst themselves.

    "Be careful there might be demonic beasts in this forest."

    Demonic beasts were animals that had absorbed a large amount of essence from nature and gained intelligence.

    Once an animal became a demonic beast their offspring that followed after would be a demonic beast as well.

    Generally, demonic beasts only appear in forests with a high concentration of essence.  And they usually live in packs. So if one was unlucky to run into one demonic beast they''d most likely soon run into a whole pack.

    Most demonic beasts that lived in packs aren''t too strong individually but when swarmed with hundreds of thousands of them, even mighty armies would disappear.

    Even if one ran into a demonic beast that wasn''t part of a pack, it could kill a regular human or two.

    Or if one was really unlucky there was a chance of running into a divine demonic beast, which is a demonic beast that reached sainthood. These beasts were extremely intelligent and powerful and a single one can easily wipe out a whole city or two. And there was a rumor that they were even able to speak like humans.

    The army was now in the border of the Heilong Kingdom, roughly ten miles away from Blue Tear City. A man dressed in green robes had ridden out of the city to greet them.

    This man who greeted the army was the leader of the Liu clan, Liu Bei (yes <_< >_> lol). Liu Bei saluted the Siwang army¡¯s general, after getting off from his horse.

    "Liu Bei greets your lordship" he said as he kneeled on one knee.

    The general dressed in golden armor then asked, "Have the preparations been complete?"

    "Yes milord, everything is going smoothly. I have instructed my men to infiltrate the city guard. They will open the gates for us once I¡¯ve given the signal." Liu Bei said,

    "Good! Your Liu clan will be the new master of this city and the surrounding cities once we conquered them." The general said with a smile.

    On the city wall, guards were keeping watch and chatting with each other.

    One of the guards spotted something in the corner of his eye. He saw a speck of light illuminating the forest. He squinted his eyes and was able to make out a vague figure in the darkness. Soon he gasped at the sight he saw, rows and rows of figures made their way out of the forest.

    Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.

    And to add to his surprise the city gates began to creak and slowly opened. The guard realized what was happening, but before he could even utter a word, a hand covered his mouth and in a flash a knife ran across his throat.

    He fell on the ground and the last thing saw was the other guards were also being dispatched in the same way.

    Not so long after the soldiers of the Siwang Empire rushed in through the city gates, they began to systematically occupy the city walls.

    Liu Bei and the general clad in golden armor walked to the top of the walls and looked down into the city.

    The general told Liu Bei to kneel so he can bestow Liu Bei a gift.

    Liu Bei was filled with joy, soon his family would control this city and the surrounding ones. So he excitedly got on his knees.

    He then heard the unsheathing of a sword and looked up, horrified to see the general swing his sword at Liu Bei and before he could say a word his head rolled onto the floor .

    The general laughed and pulled out a piece of red crystal shaped like a heart. This was called a "Soul Stone" and had the power to absorb essence. He hovered the stone over the corpse and a bluish light came out and flew into the crystal turning a small part of it purple.

    This was Liu Bei''s soul, theoretically speaking, a soul was made up of pure essence. The stronger a soul was the more essence it contained.

    Tonight each and every soldier of the Siwang Empire was given a soul stone. Their mission was to slaughter every person within the city and to collect their souls.

    These soul stones would be sent back to the empire for the emperor to use and increase his power.

    Soon, the city was filled anguished screams.

    Zhang was awoken in the middle of the night due to the screams and ran out of his room seeing his family¡¯s servants hurriedly packing things.

    His father came running holding his mother¡¯s hand. "Zhang pack lightly we are leaving, soldiers from the Siwang Empire have invaded and they are indiscriminately slaughtering people. We are going to escape from the city with the Wu Clan through our clan¡¯s underground tunnels."

    The Zhou and Wu clan had jointly built a system of underground tunnels that leads out of the city and were connected to safe houses throughout the city. The tunnels¡¯ existence was only known by certain members of each of the respective clans.

    Soldiers were attempting to knock down the gates to the Zhou Clan.

    Loud bangs could be heard as the gate was being struck. Eventually, although the gate was really solid it broke from the hinges and slammed to the ground.

    After the gates fell, soldiers rushed into the mansion. Where they were met with the Zhou clan''s private army.

    Composed of three hundred elite soldiers the clan had trained for many years, the Siwang Empire¡¯s foot soldiers met a quick end.

    The same thing happened at the Wu residence, but instead of three hundred soldiers there were one thousand two hundred soldiers. Both clans were a force to be reckoned with in Blue Tear City.

    The Wu clan was able to quickly gather their belongings, ran into the tunnels and sealed the entrance.

    Whereas the Zhou clan wasn''t as fortunate, after defeating the first wave of soldiers, cavalry soldiers from the Siwang Empire rushed in and quickly dispersed throughout the mansion.

    Zhang''s parents were in the process of unlocking the entrance to the tunnel when horsemen charged into the courtyard.

    Zhang jumped at one of them and silently slit the man''s throat through the opening in his armor.

    He screamed, "Mother, Father!! Go!! I''ll keep them here, I''ll catch up to you soon."

    His father knew the seriousness of the situation, but he had faith in his son''s abilities so he took his wife''s hand and dashed into the tunnel.

    Zhang unsheathed his swords and was ready to dispatch of anyone who would try to go into the tunnel.

    There were at least twenty cavalry soldiers facing Zhang. He gracefully dashed at them. He threw one of his swords with a deadly precision. The sword soared through the air and pierced a soldier¡¯s neck. The sword was thrown with such force that it also knocked the man off his horse.

    The other soldiers were utterly stunned.

    What they failed to realize was that when Zhang had thrown his sword, he did not stop and kept running while slashing the legs of their horses.

    Without them knowing what had happened, their horses began to, one by one, slump on the ground, making some of the soldiers lose balance and fall towards the ground.

    Once they had fallen to the ground Zhang took advantage of them and quickly dispatched them to afterlife.

    It did not take him long to kill all the twenty soldiers.

    One would think that Zhang would be scared because this was his first time killing anyone.

    But actually, Zhang was used to death, he would often dreamed of the man killing him with a knife.

    This was the same at that but he was the one who did the killing, a part of himself seemed to encourage this.

    After killing all twenty soldiers, before Zhang could even catch his breath, many more rushed into the courtyard.

    There was no end to the soldiers coming into the courtyard and soon there wasn''t enough space for more come in.

    Facing such a large group of enemies, most people would be scared out of their wits, but Zhang wasn¡¯t like most people.

    Rather, he was mapping out how to best face this group of enemies.

    He knew if he even let one soldier pass, his family would be in danger. So he punched his arm into the wall collapsing it into the tunnel.

    The soldiers lifted their shields and went into formation, boxing Zhang in from three sides.

    Zhang jumped into the sky and as he landed he did a horizontal slash and cut one of the soldiers into two.

    And as soon as his feet touched the ground he started to sprint while slashing wildly at the soldiers.

    Some soldiers lost their limbs due to the sharpness of Zhang''s sword, others lost their lives. None of them were left unharmed as Zhang ran past them.

    The soldiers soon realized they were no match for this youth and began falling back and rearranging their formation. Archers started coming in behind them and shoot countless arrows at Zhang.

    Zhang was able to dodge and parry some of the arrows but against a large number such as this it was impossible for someone at his level to come out unscathed.

    An arrow landed and stuck itself into Zhang''s shoulder, then another into his leg, and another and another. Soon he became riddled in them.

    The soldiers couldn''t believe that Zhang was still standing with so many arrows pierced in him. They winced imaging the amount of pain he was in, but actually Zhang could not feel a thing.

    He was born not being able to feel pain luckily.

    But he felt tired, fighting hundreds of opponents alone was easier said than done. Nonetheless, he stood his ground and continued fighting.

    The soldiers had reported back to the golden general and he was on his way to where Zhang was.

    What the golden general saw when he arrived was horrifying.

    Zhang''s body was covered in arrows and a few spears were stabbed into his back while sitting on a small hill of corpses.

    The general knew he had to kill Zhang and quickly. He gathered essence in his palm which ignited into a flame. He is in fact a Mage and one at the 8th level that specializes in fire magic.

    A massive fireball flew across the courtyard and smashed into Zhang throwing him off the hill of corpses and smashing him into a wall knocking him unconscious.

    Believing Zhang to be dead, the commander ordered another squad of soldiers to come in and collect the bodies of the dead soldiers.

    Some of the bodies were cut into mush, none of them were left intact. The most horrifying thing was some of them weren''t dead just cleaved into two at the hip.

    The general walked up to Zhang, ignited another fire ball and was about turn Zhang into ashes. When he suddenly heard a voice.

    The voice sounded ancient, at first he wasn''t able to make out where or what the voice was saying. Just random words in no particular order.

    After a while he was able to make out what it was saying.

    "Guess I will help you this time, for awakening me from my death-like sleep." The voice said.

    And instantly Zhang''s body ignited and was covered by pitch black fire.

    The general jumped back and launched his fire ball at Zhang, which seemed to be swallowed by the black fire.

    Zhang''s body began to rise as if some unknown force was lifting him up or as if a puppeteer was manning his puppet.

    He flew toward the general at high speed and swung his sword. The general parried his strike but the pure power behind it numbed the general¡¯s arms.

    Zhang continued his onslaught of slashes that seemed to follow no style or technique.

    The general''s armor was covered in cut marks, some pieces were even falling off.

    The general used fire magic and infused it with his sword, igniting the sword. He was barely able to fight evenly with Zhang even though he could not sense any essence in Zhang''s sword strikes, just pure physical strength.

    He knew that if he dragged the fight on he would be no match for Zhang so he quickly ordered all of his soldiers to charge.

    The general knew that he was not a match for Zhang one on one, but when it was ten on one or a hundred on one he definitely would be at an advantage..

    But as soon as they surrounded Zhang the devilish black fire began lashing out like whips. Whoever was touched by it slumped over and fall lifeless onto the ground.

    This terrified the general. Suddenly Zhang''s speed increased, it looked as if he was teleporting and before long ended up in front of the general and slashed off his arm.

    He knew he couldn''t beat Zhang at that point so instead he stood still. Zhang had appeared in front of him once more and lunged the sword into his heart.

    He, then, used all his might to pull Zhang closer to him and pulled out a soul stone from his pocket and smashed it with his remaining hand.

    "Haha if I''m going to die I¡¯ll take you with me." He screamed.

    The soul stone emitted a massive explosion that rocked the whole city.

    Normally this would not happen, but the general was a level 8 Mage and used all the essence he had left to ignite countless souls that was in the soul stone.

    The whole Zhou mansion and a good part of the city was gone. Only a massive crater was left.

 Chapter 3: A New Place

    Blue Tear City rumbled, as all the energy stored in the soul stone ignited and exploded. A whole section of the city was now gone.

    The underground tunnel shook as the Wu and Zhou clan were evacuating. The part of tunnel they were in was located outside of the city, so it did not collapse like the other parts of the tunnel.

    Ling had stopped in her tracks and stared back at the direction they had came from. An image of Zhang had flashed in her mind, and she suddenly started running back towards the city.

    She knew something had gone wrong and that she had to go back. She had to go back for Zhang, no matter how strong he was he did not possess much essence and how would he be able to take on a whole army alone.

    But before she could even take a few steps her path was blocked by the clan¡¯s soldiers. It was their duty to keep Ling, her family and the Zhou clan¡¯s members safe. For this, many of their brothers in arms had died.

    The 300 soldiers of the Zhou clan had most likely all died to buy enough time for them to escape.

    Ling''s father walked towards his daughter, and tried to persuade her. He told her that Zhang would be probably fine, and they''d be able to meet up with him at the capital where it is safe.

    Not far away from Ling, Zhang''s mother had fainted. She had been worrying about Zhang ever since she entered the tunnel. And the explosion had made her imagine all sorts of nightmarish scenes, where her son was killed.

    Both of the clans resumed their evacuation soon after the tremor. They were almost at the end of the tunnel and would soon reach an underground safe house, where they could stay for a few days and then proceed to the capitol.

    Unknown to them, their greatest fear had indeed came true. In the crater where the explosion happened, a black colored flame flickered as the wind blew and soon disappeared. Zhang had indeed gone to the world of the dead and was no longer part of the living world.

    The soldiers of the Siwang Empire went frantic, their commanding officer had just died and they were still in enemy¡¯s territory. Out of the 10,000 soldiers only roughly 4000 are alive. Zhang was able to kill possibly 200 or so of them, while the explosion and the ground collapsing down had claimed the lives of the rest.

    That night, the Siwang Empire had successfully taken over ten cities within the Heilong Kingdom, along with many other cities in various neighboring kingdoms. And also collecting millions of souls, slaves, and lots of wealth to send back to the empire.

    The kingdoms neighboring the Siwang Empire fell into a state of panic. Alone, they were no match for the Siwang Empire. So each kingdom sent out hundreds of messengers and emissaries to their neighbors asking for aid.

    As the continent fell into chaos, a particular person was oblivious to it all. This person being of course Zhang. He was currently laying on top of a hill. A hill located in a place called the underworld, also known as hell to some.

    When the golden armored general ignited the essence in the soul stone and caused the explosion, Zhang¡¯s necklace flashed and a black fire engulfed his whole body and turned it into dust. The necklace had converted his body into pure energy much like the souls that the soldiers were collecting. The pure energy was then used to open a rift in space and send his soul to the underworld, where he would have a chance of living. Where there is life there is hope.

    Zhang had just awoken to find himself in a strange place that he had never been to before. The sky projected an eerie green color, white mist were everywhere making visibility terrible, howling winds could be heard, lightning could be barely seen flashing the across the sky, and  sense of death hung in the air.

    Zhang only recalled that he was impaled by countless arrows and had blanked out.

    He wanted to find his family and Ling so he got up and began walking. He couldn''t tell which direction he was going and his sense of time slowly disappeared also.

    What seemed like day had pass would be only a few hours to Zhang.  As he kept walking, he soon saw the figure of a person, wearing a long white robe with long flowing hair.

    "Hey! You there, can you tell me where this place is?" Zhang called out.

    But he did not receive a reply. Despite this he kept walking closer to the figure, and when Zhang reached an arm¡¯s length distance from the person he once more asked the same question and even tapped the person shoulder.

    And to his surprise the figure began to turn around, but what would surprise him even more was the. It was a man, not just any man, but one with one of his eyeballs popping out from the socket and dangling, a part of his head was sunken in and his brain was visible. His mouth slowly began to open, and as it did, flies flew out and maggots fell out. There was no possible way for the man to be alive, he was most likely an undead!

    "Welcome to the underworld!!!", he screamed.

    Then suddenly his hands launched at Zhang and took hold of Zhang''s neck and began to exert force.

    To Zhang''s horror he could not pull off the it¡¯s hands, and in addition to the currently bad situation the white mist surrounding Zhang suddenly lifted and thousands of undead were revealed as they move all around Zhang.

    Undead with missing limbs, bloated stomachs, charred bodies, and undead of all shapes and sizes surrounded Zhang,then one by one they latched onto him.

    There was no way for Zhang to break out of the mob of undead, and he was gasping for air but to no avail. Until his pendant flashed once and the black fire once more appeared. Each time it touched an undead, it would instantly turn to dust and as if feeding the fire, making it bigger and spreading faster.

    Soon enough all the undead had been exterminated, leaving little patches of black fire where they were standing. Then all of a sudden all of the black fire floated into the air, and flew towards Zhang.

    Not knowing what was happening Zhang stood there dumbfounded, and as the black fire reached Zhang it was sucked back into his pendant.

    And a sudden feeling spread throughout Zhang, he could sense his essence circulating throughout his body, although only a minuscule amount which had never happened before.

    Zhang touched his pendant, and for the first time in his life, he started to wonder ¡®what the heck was this pendant?¡¯ Over the years it became practically a part of him, he never took it off, nor did it ever part from him.

    Zhang decided that it was not safe to stay in one place. Who knows if more undead would come here or if something more sinister was lurking around within the mist. Zhang kept moving as quickly as possible through the mist, then suddenly he came to a complete stop.

    He almost ran off the ledge of a very steep cliff, if not for the fact that he accidentally kicked a rock when he was running and heard it fell down the cliff, he would¡¯ve ran off the ledge.

    To his amazement the mist suddenly dissipated and revealed a massive city that stretched further than the eye could see, and what seemed like rivers of people heading towards the city. He could make out that these were people and not undead, or at least he hoped so, because they were not dressed in all white like the undead that attacked him. The odd thing was that the people were all in orderly lines, and did not run about.

    Zhang decided to head towards the palace because it was so far the only sign of people that he encountered. Each step he took toward the city the more details he would notice about it. It had many towers that spiraled into the clouds, walls that stretched across the horizon, and gave off a dominating aura.

    When he finally reached the back of the line heading to the city, Zhang walked up and asked a man who was standing in front of him in line. "Sir can you happen to tell me where this place is?"

    The man turned back toward Zhang and said "Do you not know? Are you perhaps one of those people?"

    "What people?¡± Zhang replied all confused.

    "I''m not sure how to tell you this kid but you''re dead, this is the underworld. Were you not paying attention when you entered into the gates of hell and were briefed by the reapers?" The man asked.

    The man''s words made Zhang remember when the countless soldiers attacked him and after managing to fight for a while he blanked out. He should have realized sooner because why didn''t he have a single wound on his body? Obviously if someone had saved him or if he somehow got away he would still have an immeasurable wounds on his body.

    As the shock and realization slowly kicked in, the man began speaking to him once more.

    "It¡¯s okay kid, it takes everyone a bit of time  to accept that they are dead. Like for instance, who would''ve thought that I died because I choked on that piece of tofu I was eating. Might be a dumb way to die but well, we all end up in the same place no matter how we die. Since you seemed to missed the briefing I suggest you follow me when we get into the city. It is probably fate that we met today."

    Zhang simply nodded and stood waiting in line like everyone else. The man would occasionally talk to him about this and that. For instance, once a person entered hell they would be sorted based on their good deeds and sins. Those who had done more good deeds than evil would be sent to the city to wait for their turn to be reincarnated again, those who have done more bad than good were sent to the 18 levels of hell where they would undergo an unimaginable torture to make up for their sins.

    Also, the place where Zhang appeared before was called the Forest of the Forgotten. Those whose bad deeds outweigh their good deeds but not by very much that they would be sent into the 18 levels of hell. They were exiled into the forest for a certain amount of years before they would be judged once more. So they would lose their minds wandering in the white mist and would become like animals, while others who were able to hold on to their humanity will eventually be let into the city.

    Hell also has its own hierarchy, which starts with Yama (King of hell) sitting at the top, then the ten Diyu (judges of hell), the vice Diyu who were more than one can count, then the soldiers of the army of the underworld, and regular people who had died. The Yama ruled over all of the underworld and kept the order, while the Diyu and their assistants judged the dead based on their sins.

    While the army of the underworld was comprised of souls who did not wish to be reincarnated and wanted to stay in hell. These were mostly people who wished for power, or had very strong lingering thoughts of their loved ones. Because if they stayed in hell they could possibly one day be reunited with their loved ones, instead of reincarnating and forgetting all their memories. But it would took one of strong willpower to wait because ten years in hell was equivalent to one year in the mortal plane. One would have to wait for thousands of years before one of their loved ones to appear.

    Zhang also found out that once they entered the city every soul would be given a crystal card. This card could be used as currency in hell, everyone''s deeds will be weighed once more and a corresponding number will appear on the card. Then when one wanted to purchase something they could simply transfer the points from the card to the other person.

    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    As souls there was no need to eat, but most prefer to do so, although it provided no substance, they would still want to be able to taste and enjoy food. People started hotels and, shops that sold this and that.

    When Zhang entered the city he was welcomed by a kind looking old lady, who directed him to stand on a scale. When she read the number that appeared on the scale, she was amazed. Although Zhang was only 16 years old, his good deeds outweighed most people who lived most of their lives doing good. This was because Zhang had sacrificed himself so others could live. If not for him, the entire Zhou clan and most likely the Wu clan would''ve all died. The thousands or so lives of the Wu clan and the hundreds of the Zhou were all saved by him. Thus, Zhang was given an astonishing number of points to use.

    She then told him that since he had done so much good when he was alive, he would most likely not needed to wait that long to reincarnate. The lady also told Zhang to be careful in the city, because, although only those whose good deeds outweigh their bad deeds were let into the city. However, not everyone stayed good, people were not judged again after they entered the city and like any other place, the city also had crime and evil doers.

    But in Zhang''s mind he had not once even thought about reincarnating, he would either join the army of the underworld or somehow find a way to return in the world of the living. He also realized that the underworld is probably the perfect place to train and cultivate, due to the the difference in time between it and the mortal plane. This also meant the army of the underworld was immensely powerful. Little did Zhang know that everyone in the army of the underworld was at least a level 8 mage or warrior with a large number of them having reached sainthood and an exceptional few who have even gone beyond that level.

    Zhang and the man whom he was talking to while waiting in line was called Yun Zhao. As they entered the city, they saw a mixture of old ancient buildings and many newer buildings. It only showed how long the City of the Dead had been around. Buildings of all shapes and sizes littered in the city, but what stood out the most was a huge palace that could be seen even in the distance. The palace had four massive towers at each corner, a massive dome in the center and then a few smaller looking domes to the side. It gave off an intimidating aura of dominance.

    The streets were filled with people dressed in all sorts of different manners, and speaking all sorts of different languages. Zhang was able to make out what some of the people were saying, some of the languages seemed out of this world to him. But thankfully, the majority spoke the same language as he did.

    Having never left even Blue Tear City before Zhang was in a daze, he had never been to a city this big before. That being said, how can any city in the world of the living be close to the City of the Dead. Countless people died every day and constantly ended up in the underworld. Although not all of them were concentrated in this one city because there were other cities, but this one happened to be the capital of the underworld.

    As Zhang walked around the city, he spotted someone running down the street. As the person got closer, Zhang was able to make out that it was a girl around the age of sixteen much like himself. But her beauty stunned him, her skin was white as snow, with fiery red hair that seemed to go to past her waist and red pupils that seemed to draw him in. He stood there awestruck by how beautiful she looked. Then he saw that she was being chased by two soldiers dressed in pure black armor.

    Zhang decided to help the girl get away.

    "This way." he yelled at her.

    The girl nodded and followed him, the two of them ran into an alleyway, where Zhang had previously seen a bunch of barrels stacked up on a wagon. As they ran past the wagon Zhang kicked it and all the barrels started rolling off the wagon blocking the alley.

    After running for a while the two stopped to catch their breath, Zhang didn''t know when, but he was holding onto the girl¡¯s hand. When he realized, he quickly let go and looked at her. The girl was clearly blushing because of having her hand held by a stranger.

    "Thank you for helping me back there, my name is Yuying, what¡¯s your name big brother?", she said.

    Her voice sounded like a heavenly instrument, that soothed the soul.

    "You can call me Zhang." He said with a smile.

    "How long  you been in the city?" Yuying asked Zhang while looking intently.

    To this, he shook his head and told her that he had just entered the city today.

    "Why don''t I show you around the city as a thanks for helping me out earlier?" Yuying said.

    The two of them visited all sorts of places around the city, food stalls, shops, iconic places, there were even tourist locations. Who would''ve thought that the underworld would have tourist attractions. Zhang and Yuying spent the whole day having fun. Although he only met her for not even a day the two of them truly enjoyed each other¡¯s company.

    They found a spot to sit down in a busy restaurant and began telling each other stories. Zhang learned that Yuying was actually born in the underworld and had not died.

    He couldn''t help trying to catch glimpses of her when he had the chance, this girl was too beautiful. If she was in Blue Tear city she would be as beautiful as Ling, but instead of giving off an unapproachable lady like aura like Ling, she would have a friendly one that made it easy for anyone to become her friend.

    Unlike in the world of the living, the night in the underworld had no stars and no moon. The world would become pitch black and only the lanterns that contained hellfire would illuminate the streets.

    Yuying told Zhang that it was time for her to go back home.

    "Will we ever see each other again?" Zhang asked.

    "We will leave that up to fate big brother, if it is meant to be then it shall happen. I''ve had the most fun ever for the first time today."

    "How about I walk you home?" Zhang asked her, while smiling.

    Yuying shook her head and told him it was alright, and began walking away.

    Zhang wanted to grab her hand and ask her to stay a while longer, but like she said if they were meant to see each other again they would.

    Yuying glanced back at Zhang after walking a considerable distance away, then she began walking again. She walked all the way to the Palace in the center of the city and up toward the giant gates. There were two giant dragons carved into the gates and a team of ten soldiers clad in pitch black armor stood guard. When they saw Yuying walked toward the gates, instead of stopping her, they saluted.

    "Princess, the king has sent men looking for you all day." the lead guard said.

    "Tell father I''m back now." Yuying said as she walked into the palace toward the throne room.

    When she opened the doors to the room there was a big bulky man dressed in black robes with dragons engraved on to it. He was seated on a golden chair or well a golden throne. This man was known to everyone in the underworld as the Yama.

    "Father I''m back!" Yuying yelled with a smile.

    The man got up from this throne walked towards her and patted her head.

    "You silly girl, always causing trouble. Now go to your room and rest, also no more sneaking out of the palace without guards who knows what kind of trouble you might run into." The Yama said.

    Zhang was sitting in a room in an inn he had rented, he didn''t know where Yun Zhao was. He stood up and walked toward the bed then laid down. He couldn''t get Yuying out of his mind, but as he thought about her Ling popped up in his head. "She is probably worried sick about me." he sighed.

    "One day we will meet again Ling, one day I''ll come back for you." Zhang said as he closed his eyes.

    Earlier today he sensed a bit of essence build up within his body after the black fire entered the pendant. He held up his pendant and stared at it. He decided to do something he had never tried before. Zhang was going to enter a blank state of mind and then infuse what little essence he could into the pendant then see if there is a reaction. By entering a blank state of mind he would be able to pick up slight changes if anything were to happen.

    As he did so, an immense aura suddenly gushed out of the pendant, and in Zhang''s mind he could see a pair of golden eyes looking at him. He couldn''t see anything except for the pair of eyes, but a voice soon followed. "Hey you whelp", the voice said.

    Zhang was still dazed by the aura that gushed out of the necklace so he didn''t reply.

    "Thank you for waking me up. I''ve been asleep for a while or I guess I''ve been dead for a while." The voice said with a chuckle.

    "Was it you who saved me from the ghosts?" Zhang asked.

    "No, I was simply using the opportunity to gather more essence, since you alone do not supply me with enough to keep my consciousness awake." The voice said.

    Zhang came to a realization, it wasn''t that he was not able to produce his own essence it was that whenever he did, the pendant would absorb it all.

    " It was you! You''ve been the one that''s been keeping me from gathering essence!" Zhang yelled.

    "I needed it or else my consciousness would fade away and I would disappear. But I will tell you this after absorbing those undead, a small portion of my power has returned now. I don¡¯t need to take from you anymore. I am one who remembers those that have showed kindness to me, so I will help you become powerful and leave the underworld." The voice said.

    Then a golden drop flew out of the pendant. It projected a powerful aura of pure condensed energy.

    "I have refined some of the essence from the souls into a single drop of pure energy and also added a little extra something for you. If you absorb this your level will raise quite a bit." The voice said and the golden pair of eyes disappeared.

    Zhang tried to talk to it again but it did not respond. Gripping the golden drop in his hand, Zhang was somewhat torn. He wanted to be angry at the voice for robbing him of his power for the last 16 years, but a part of him also felt gratitude. If he indeed had essence like a regular person, he would have not trained physically and would become reliant on his inner energies instead.

    He took the golden drop and placed it in his mouth and swallowed it, and the golden drop slowly expanded from inside his stomach and spread throughout his body. It then began emitting a visible aura around Zhang.

 Chapter 4: Against Heavens Will

    The golden tear drop, circulated throughout Zhang''s body and dispersed its power into his body.

    After a day Zhang finally stood up, as the golden tear had completed integrated into his body. Surprisingly his essence is now at level 4. After being stuck at the first level for most of his life, Zhang was filled with joy. Then suddenly he heard the mysterious voice once more.

    "Although your body lacks the ability to produce a lot of essence, thanks to that drop of pure essence it has reached the 4th level unexpectedly. This is probably the highest level you can reach if you were alive."

    "What is the point if I am dead?  What¡¯s the point of having power now? I have no one to protect, nothing to fight for." Zhang sighed

    "Indeed you are dead, but not all things stay dead. There is actually a way to for you to go back to the world of the living, without having to reincarnate actually. But first I need to devour more souls, my power is lacking and there is no way for me to help you." The voice said

    "What??!! There''s a way for me to go back?!! Zhang yell

    "There is a certain place in the underworld, a forbidden place, called "The Pool of Regrets. This pool links with the other side, but usually it only lets souls pass one way, meaning it only sends souls into the underworld. But every 1000 years during the solar alignment and if one had enough power they could reverse the flow and return to the world of the living as a loose soul. And once you are in the world of the living there are many ways to revive, for instance you can possess someone or if you manage to gather enough negative energy from a battlefield perhaps you can condense it into a body. But first you must gather 100,000 souls of the dead and the best place to do that is within the 18 levels of hell. I can coat you in a layer of energy making you invisible to weak souls. Also you must make haste the solar alignment in going to happen within two years¡¯ time" The voice said

    "How will I gather the souls? And where is the Pool of Regrets? Zhang asked

    "Simple I will lend you a bit of my power, use the black flame to absorb the souls into the pendant. And the pool of Regrets is within the Palace of the Yama." The voice said

    A layer of mystifying black energy coated Zhang''s body, and made his body appear transparent. And from the pendant a black fire shot out and revolved around Zhang, constantly flickering as if it would go out any second.

    For the next six months Zhang began mapping the city of the dead. He would have to find a quick route from the 18 levels of hell to the Yama''s palace. Because once 100,000 souls go missing it will obviously cause a huge stir in the underworld. The Yama would certainly send out army of the Underworld. And only possessing the little power he has how would Zhang contend with them. Even if the mysterious voice from the pendent helped him, he didn''t believe that he would be able to make it out. Because he needed all the energy from the 100,000 souls to reverse the flow of the Pool of Regrets to escape.

    Zhang had spent the vast wealth he had gotten hiring people to map out every party of the capital. Even though six months had passed only sixty percent of it was mapped. The entire city was simply too big, and was filled with too many alleyways and streets to be entirely mapped out quickly.

    The 18 levels of hell were located outside the capital, pass the Forest of the Forgotten. The tricky part of the plan was to sneak into the 18 levels of hell and then make it out and cross through the Forest of the Forgotten. The forest was huge and covered in dense fog that made one lose any sense of direction they had. Zhang would have to navigate his way through while possibly being chased by the Army of the underworld, which had many experts in it.

    So today Zhang had set out from the capital and headed into the Forest of the Forgotten, he wanted to leave markers, so he could make out a path later on. The day of the solar alignment was quickly approaching, so he had to make sure there was no loose ends to his plan.

    Zhang made a trial of rocks and marked various trees, as he made his way across the forest. Luckily he had not run into any of the mad souls that were banished into the forest. After he made it across the forest he saw an imposing fortress, with a massive tower in the center, this place being the 18 levels of hell. He activated the energy that the pendant had coated on him, and decided to scout out the fortress.

    Zhang had to test out to see if any of the guards were able to see him, because it would be simply stupid to try to sneak in if they could see him. And so he made his way toward the main gate, of the fortress.

    He saw groups of people in chains being escorted into the fortress by group of guards. Zhang got closer and closer at a relatively slow pace, he had to make sure not to make any noise. Eventually he reached the gate unnoticed, and walked right in. There were countless guards in the fortress, hundreds of thousands of them. What stood out the most in the fortress was the entrance to the giant tower. It looked like a monster with its mouth open, and everyone walking into it was simply walking into a monster''s stomach.

    Zhang made his way across the forest and back into the city, unnoticed by anyone. He came back to the inn he had been staying in and pulled out a huge map and began making a route.

    Two months have passed since Zhang''s trip through the forest, the map of the capitol was about eighty percent complete. Zhang was able to make connections with various powers within the city, using his wealth. He had planned for them to make disturbances throughout the city on the day of his escape. He even was able to get himself a map of a small section of the Yama''s palace. The map had about ten percent of the palace on it, and he was hoping to find a more complete one before the day of the Solar Alignment.

    Throughout this whole time the voice from the pendant had never once talked to Zhang. But he is now able to somewhat control its power, Zhang was now able to make four small black flames appear, and move at his will. Zhang decided to spend the rest of his time, trying to control more of the fire. Because the better he can control it the quicker he will be able to gather the 100,000 souls and escape.

    The day before the Solar Alignment, Zhang headed out of the city and into the Forest of the Forgotten. He would have to gather the 100,000 souls and reach the Pool of Regrets during the Solar Alignment which would happen at midnight. Zhang would have a total of ten hours to gather the 100,000 souls. He figured any longer than ten hours was too long, the larger the gap of time the more room there was for errors to appear in the plan.

    And so Zhang walked into the fortress, and into the gate of the 18 levels of hell. Zhang witnessed the horrifying scenes that played out in the tower. Although it is a tower but the 18 levels are actually located under the tower, and one would start from the first level and walk all the way down to the 18th level. The lower one went the more dangerous it became, because the lower levels only contain people who had sinned heavily or people who were too strong to be kept in the upper levels.

    Zhang''s goal was the 6th level, he didn''t want to go too deep. Nor did he want to absorb the souls of those who had sinned lightly. He felt those people didn''t weren''t necessarily evil compared to those in the lower levels, so Zhang decided to spare them.

    There were many terrifying scenes playing out in the 18 levels. The first floor that Zhang entered was called "The Mountain of knives." Where sinners are thrown off cliffs and land on mountains of sharp blades sticking out. While other were climbing trees with knives or sharp thorns sticking out of trunks and branches.

    As Zhang saw the exit to the 2nd floor, a smile appeared on his face. It did not take him very long to locate the exit, which was a good sign. But right when Zhang crossed the threshold through the exit, a loud bang rang in his ears. He turned his head back to see a giant Minotaur holding a huge trident standing at the exit he had just passed.

    "Who dares to pass without permission!!!" the Minotaur screamed

    Zhang''s heart sank at that very instant. If he got caught on the very first floor, then his entire plan would be a failure. All that time that went into planning would be for nothing.  But to his surprise the minotaur started swinging its trident at the ground randomly, nowhere near Zhang.

    "It seems he detected that I had passed the exit but does not know where I am." Zhang said with relief.

    Suddenly an immense heat struck Zhang, and as he turned his vision away from the minotaur he saw giant pots of oil. And huge lines of people being lead to jump into these sizzling hot pots of oil. This floor would be the floor where sinners were fried in oil cauldrons. But being dead they wouldn''t actually die, but they would still feel the pain from the torture. These poor souls would have to experience being burned in pots of oil over and over again until they make up for all their sins.

    Zhang winced as he imagined the pain these people would have to experience every waking minute until they redeemed themselves. The heat emitting from the cauldrons alone caused the air to be suffocating, let alone the actual heat of the oil.

    But his goal would still be the 6th floor, the people here did not deserve to be destroyed.  So Zhang quickened his pace, and soon he saw the exit to the 3rd floor. And to his surprise this time when he passed the exit nothing happened, like when he passed the first exit.

    Having passed the exit, Zhang had entered the hell of dismemberment where sinners are dismembered by various means, including sawing, slicing into half, mashing/pounding into pulp, being crushed by rocks/boulders, being run over by vehicles, etc.

    Each floor gave off a different aura, and as one went deeper down the aura felt more sinister and eerie. The atmosphere and conditions would get worse and worse. Zhang felt suffocated by just passing from one floor to the next, but oddly enough the guards that were torturing the sinners seemed to not be affected at all.

    Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

    Zhang continued running until he reached the Hell of Burning, where sinners would be set aflame and thrown into smoldering hot inferno. The air was dry and burned the back of Zhang''s throat, his energy sapped away much quicker. It eventually came to the point where he decided he had to kill one of the guards and find out how they seemed perfectly comfortable in these conditions. Although Zhang could have gone back into the previous floor and start gathering the 100,000 souls, from those who sinned less, he decided not to.

    It wasn''t because his moral compass was always pointed in the right direction, but when he decided he would do something, Zhang would do it. He would not turn back nor would he waiver, Zhang would simply push on harder. That is how he had lived his life from an early age. If he couldn''t practice his cultivation like everyone else, that did not mean that he would stop, it just meant he had to keep trying harder and in different ways.

    Thus so he pushed on and finally passed the Hell of Burning and entered the Hell of Ice. Also known as The Ice World where sinners are frozen in ice. Some unclothed sinners suffering frostbite in an icy world and their bodies eventually fall apart or break into pieces. The air was dry and cold, while the wind was fast and sharp. If one was unlucky a really strong wind could pass by and caused the person to be knocked into freezing cold water. Or worst yet bet cut in two. Although one could not die in the underworld but pain could still be felt. To the strong this could be seen as a sort of mental training to wash away fear and pain but to the weak it would be one of the worst possible ways of torture. The Hell of Ice was by far the hardest level that Zhang has been on, he had been cut countless times by the wind, and his entire body coated with small pieces of ice.

    Luckily the exits and entrances to the levels were located relatively close to each other, and always in a certain distance from each other. Because if one had to roam each floor it would take countless years let alone hours. Each floor was like its own world, and was vast and boundless.

    Finally, Zhang reached his goal the 6th floor. This floor is known as the Pool of Blood, where those who have murdered would be sent. Each floor after this the prisoners would have had committed greater sins than murder. The Pool of Blood, had no guards, nor did it have any land nor trees. The whole level was simply just blood, in some parts a person would find themselves knee-deep in blood, while other parts they would be in well over their head. Or if they were unlucky they would end up in some almost bottomless parts. The sinners would simply drown in blood. The blood here symbolized the blood of the innocent people who was spilled, and that the sinners would never be able to get the blood off their hands.

    Having arrived at his destination, Zhang reached into his inner soul, where a massive black fire was burning. And made 100,000 small black flames appear. Normally this would not be possible in the mortal world, but because in the underworld the essence in the air is much more concentrated, Zhang is able to form so many flames.

    And so all of the 100,000 flames flew up into the sky. All the sinners looked up in amazement and confusion. Some of them have been here for hundreds or even thousands of years and this had never happened before. It was a sight to behold, 100,000 black fires swirled in the sky and then began to descend like falling stars. Each fire would fall on one sinner, and the sinner would be set blazed in black fire and turn into nothingness. Then the black fire would fly back toward Zhang and then into the Dragon Pendant.

    Although Zhang is able to now independently control the black fire without the help of the Dragon Pendant, due to a part of it entering his soul from the golden drop. He still needed to use the pendant to store the souls. The mysterious voice that neither sounded young nor old, or like a man or a woman had told him that if he were to absorb the souls into his own body he would at most be able to hold ten or so and anymore would cause him to explode. Also that if he were to absorb the souls himself he would at most be able to get ten percent of the soul¡¯s total energy, whereas the Dragon Pendant is able to absorb all 100%.

    Many of the sinners seeing what happened began to frantically scream and run, while others seemed to embrace it. This would be their way out; they wouldn''t have to suffer anymore. They would finally be free of everything. Not much time passed before Zhang had been able to collect 100,000 souls. The Dragon Pendant now had a frightening amount of energy in it, and Zhang would use it to reverse the flow of the pool of regret and go against heaven''s will. Zhang would cheat death and fate.

    After collecting all the souls Zhang began to ascend through the floors. But now a problem presented itself, he was no longer invisible to the guards or the other souls.  The coating that the mysterious voice had put on him had no faded away, and the massive amount of energy that was in the Dragon Pendant was like a beacon and gave off a peculiar aura and golden white glow around Zhang.

    As he made his way back through the 6 floors, Various sinners would be attracted to Zhang and follow him. But when Zhang reached the exit back to the 5th floor he made a massive black flame appear and sealed the exit up. He did not want any of the murders follow him, if it were the souls from the first 5 floors, then that would be fine but not these murderers.

    Zhang entered into the 5th floor and just like in the 6th floor a massive group of sinners began following him, luckily the 5th floor had very few guards so none of them was alerted. But was Zhang reached the exit a group of guards saw him.

    "HALT!!! Any further and we will send you lot to oblivion." one of the guards yelled as he and the rest of the guards unsheathed their swords and readied their spears.

    But to their amazement small black fires appeared out of nowhere and engulfed the group of guards.

    Zhang would not give the guards any mercy, because a soldier was a soldier, in other words if one is a soldier who is ready to kill then they must be ready to be killed. That is a simple law of the battlefield that everyone must follow. To be ready to take a life, one must be ready to lose a life.

    The sinners following behind Zhang all had mixed feelings; some were excited while others were scared. But they all knew one thing that this would be a chance in a lifetime to escape. For those with light sentences they obviously choose to stay until their time was up. But for those who had to be punished for thousands or tens of thousands of years, they choose to follow.  They did not care if following Zhang meant they would be sent to oblivion and disappear, at least it would be better than being tortured for tens of thousands of years.

    When they entered the 4th floor a group of guards was stationed at the exit, but this time the group of guards chose to run. While one of them pulled out a strange-looking orb, the orb was green and had odd designed carved into it. The guard sent his energy into the orb and made it fly into the sky. And once it was in the sky the orb exploded and sent off a green wave of light across the sky. This was a signal that the guards used to call for reinforcements and that prisoners were leaving their assigned floors in large numbers.

    If wasn''t unheard of for sinners to amass and try to escape. So this was simple protocol for the guards. They would recall all the guards and have them amass at the exit to the 4th floor and then engage the sinners and push them back. Many sinners would be killed and fade away. This would set an example for the other sinners not to act up.

    Soon the sinners from the 4th floor joined with those from the 5th floor and the group doubled in size. Although they were following Zhang they were not with him. He paid no attention to them, and simply kept moving and eventually reached the exit to the 4th floor.

    An army of guards was present, with weapons drawn. They guards were naturally fewer in numbers then the sinners but they had weapons, and their energy was not sapped away due to being tortured. So they were very confident in containing the sinners and pushing them back. There was a total of 100,000 guards assembled on the 4th floor and if their essence was measured they''d all be categorized as level 8 warriors.

    One hundred thousand level eight warriors would be an elite force in the world of mortals, but these were simply regular guards in the underworld.

    In a flash the sky was once again filled with black fire and like before the black fire began to rain on the guards, Zhang decided to absorb the souls of the guards so if he needed to he would have a store of energy to pull from in a time of need. The energy that the guards gave him was many times more than the prisoners, due to their high level.

    And so Zhang entered the exit to the 3rd floor. Surprisingly only a small group of guards were located on the other side of the exit. This was due to the floors not successfully communicating to each other. Also the fact that Zhang had wiped out the guards at the exit in the 5th floor too quickly.

    So once more a guard pulled out a green signal orb and sent it into the sky, and also once more sinners congregated and joined the sinners following behind Zhang.

    When the exit was in sight, this time an army of 200,000 guards was present.  And the same scene unfolded once more. The sky was blocked out by black fire and the guards would again be annihilated. Using the black fire did not cost Zhang any energy because of the high energy levels in the air, and the low energy consumption of the flames themselves.

    When Zhang reached the exit into the 1st floor he did not see a massive army of guards waiting for him like before, but this time it was the gigantic Minotaur from before. And to make things worst he had two friends, who were both Minotaur¡¯s of a similar size.

    The sinners following Zhang were stricken with fear, but they did not choose to turn back because they had simply gone too far. And freedom was almost in reach.

    Thanks For Reading if you enjoyed it please vote for me >:D thanks lol

 Chapter 5: Gatekeepers Fury

    Chapter 5: Gatekeeper¡¯s Fury

    Written by: IEndWorlds

    The three massive minotaurs stared coldly at Zhang and the sinners behind him while emitting blood thirsty aura, that would make a person¡¯s legs go numb and shake. Some sinners even got on their knees and began kowtowing and begging for mercy while others tried to run in the opposite direction and back down to the lower floors.

    Hundreds of thousands of sinners were fleeing in all directions. But they were too late trying to escape, because suddenly, hundreds of thousands of guards also marched in through the gate. From the lower floors many guards came and blocked the entrance to the lower levels, while many soldiers from the fortress above and from elsewhere also began descending and blocking the exit out of the 1st floor.

    The sinners were now boxed in by the guards from every direction. Some guards could be seen floating in the air, which meant they were saint level guards.

    In Zhang¡¯s mind the mysterious voice suddenly said, ¡°It¡¯s time, use half of those souls that you stored after the 100,000¡å.

    ¡°All guards fall into formation and support the gatekeepers!¡± A commanding guard bellowed.

    But then suddenly a loud bang sounded. One of the minotaur was knocked back and fell onto a bunch of guards, crushing them to death. One of its arms holding a giant axe had been cut off, and it spun around in the air, before falling to the ground.

    ¡°Damn, it didn¡¯t die!¡± Zhang yelled in his mind.

    Zhang was currently enveloped in a blue light, this was the essence that he collected. Normally was not visible to the naked eye but due to such a high concentration it could now be seen. Zhang now possessed the power of the hundred thousands guards that he had absorbed and stored in the pendant.

    Ironically, it only enabled him to knock down the minotaur and wasn¡¯t able to kill it.

    The two standing gate keepers roared and charged at Zhang with blood-shot eyes. While the saint level guards began to fly closer and circle around Zhang. The two minotaurs swung their giant axes, while the saint level guards launched various attacks toward Zhang from a distance. Bolts of lightning, fireballs, ice lance, and many other things were all approaching Zhang from all directions.

    Zhang was only able to dodge some of the incoming attacks, while the layer of essence covering his body fended the rest.

    The two minotaur almost bisected Zhang, but he luckily was able to dodge by a hair¡¯s breadth.

    Zhang knew dodging wasn¡¯t the answer, because eventually the power he got would disappear soon and he who only had the cultivation of a level 4 warrior would be like an ant to these experts, so he decided to counterattack.

    The area around Zhang was slowly being engulfed in a sea of black fire. Guards were backing away left and right, and saints quickly flew away. While the minotaurs, despite their huge size, were able to agilely jump back and not get engulfed by the fire.

    A metre away from the two minotaur gatekeepers, the 3rd gate-keeper who fell over was slowly getting back up. Although Zhang was able to cut off its arm with the black fire, unlike the guards that he encountered so far, the minotaur did not die.

    Zhang decided to change target, he saw one of the saint level guards flying around him. What he now needed the most was a weapon. Up until now, he had relied on the black fire and did not bother to pick up any weapons. N that the black fire was ineffective against the gate keepers, Zhang needed to arm himself.

    He noticed that there was only one guard who possessed two swords. The swords had pitch black colored hilts, which looked particularly different from what the other guards had. The guard was dressed in gleaming black armor, that looked flawless. Little did Zhang know, this guard was the commander of all the guards in the whole fortress.

    Zhang formed hundreds of thousands of black flames once more. The flames ascended into the sky and flew around at amazing speeds. Some stayed near Zhang and flew around him to protect him, while others began to home in on the guard in black armor.

    Each flame flew in its own unique path like it had a mind of its own, which made it even harder for the black armored guard to evade. Amazingly, none of the flames touched him despite the level of difficulty he faced.

    The man was a veteran of thousands of battles, while Zhang had just recently stepped on to the path of taking lives. Thus gave the guard an advantage over Zhang, despite being currently weaker than Zhang. He knew he only had to evade until the energy boost Zhang got faded away or when the gate keepers and other guards closed in. Zhang was like a child holding a steel sword, he had no experience, while the guard was like a sword master holding a stick.

    If he faced him head on and based on his current power he would lose to Zhang for sure. But if it was based on skill he had the upper hand.

    ¡°Damn, this isn¡¯t working!¡± Zhang cursed in his mind.

    The fire that chased after the black armored guard began to slow down and change its directions.  The hundreds of thousands of flames began to go in all four directions and descended upon the regular guards on the ground. Countless guards scattered and ran like a bunch of ants. They knew how powerful the fire was and knew that they had no chance of survival if they were even touched by it.

    Although some guards managed to evade, vast majority of them were still hit. Soon it all flew back to Zhang once more which increased his power even more.

    Zhang quickly ran to where one of the guards had met his demise, picked up a sword and ran toward the gate keepers. Despite their strength, the gatekeepers were not capable of flying like the saint level guards nor the powered up Zhang. Thus, they were slower and held at a disadvantage despite their tough bodies and almost infinite strength.

    If killing the gate keepers was not an option then Zhang would have dismissed the idea then.. One of the gate keepers swung downward at Zhang with his massive axe. Zhang skillfully dodged the swing, and then proceeded with a jump onto the minotaur¡¯s arm while wildly slashing.

    The minotaur tried to swat Zhang off its arm but to no avail, Zhang was simply too fast at this point. Due to its huge size, it took a while for Zhang to reach its head. And then he jumped and stabbed the minotaur in one of its eyes. Then he slashed again the other eye before he jumped back onto the ground.

    A terrifying cry sounded after Zhang had landed on the ground. The minotaur covered its face with the one arm that was not disabled as it cried in pain. Without wasting any time, Zhang ran for its ankles and slashed its tendons with that, the gate-keeper fell over on the ground.

    ¡°One down, 2 more to go¡±, Zhang murmured.

    The one gate-keeper who had not been injured yet roared and began charging at Zhang, while wielding dual axes. Many of the guards rearranged their formations and once again they started to encircle Zhang.

    Sinners who tried to escape before began picking up weapons from the fallen guards, and then rushed at some of the guards. If they ran they would die later, if they didn¡¯t they would also die. So they decided to fight, some sinners even put on the armor of the fallen guards and during the confusion, tried to mix in with them.

    The minotaur charging at Zhang suddenly started glowing, a bright red aura covered its entire body and the two massive horns that was on top of its head also turned red.

    ¡°Everyone retreat! The gatekeeper has gone berserk.¡±,the black armored commander yelled.

    The gatekeepers were born from the accumulation of essence in one of the fiery pits of the underworld over the countless years. And due to the essence in the pit being tainted by hatred and malicious intent, once the minotaur had gone berserk, it would indiscriminately attack everyone. Being born from the accumulation of energy their bodies were extremely tough and their attacks extremely powerful. To the point that even though their cultivation had not yet reached sainthood, they would still be able to fight saints while saints were not able to contend them.

    Guards and sinners were being mashed up indiscriminately with each other, either fighting or fleeing from the direction the gatekeeper was charging trying to avoid getting killed.

    ¡°Guess I have to use it now,¡± Zhang said in his mind.

    All of a sudden the aura around Zhang increased dramatically, and changed into a much darker shade of blue. Zhang was using the rest of the souls he stored up to now, besides the 100,000. He figured out that, after he got rid of the gatekeepers, he would still be able to gather some more from the guards because he could always simply kill more guards.

    Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!

    Zhang knew that even if he managed to defeat the gatekeepers, there would be many more stronger opponents to block his path. And if he wasted anymore time here, he would miss the solar alignment and would be stuck in the underworld for another 1000 years which is equivalent to 100 years in the mortal realm.

    If he was able to escape 1000 years later, which was 100 years in the mortal world, he would most likely came back to a different, unfamiliar world. The current kingdoms would have already fallen, new faces would replace the familiar ones. And the scariest thing would be that his loved ones couldn¡¯t even recognize him anymore.

    Due to the fact that he would have aged 1000 years later, he would became an old man. Although time in the underworld moved at a different pace than the mortal world, one would still age, even though aging here would be somewhat slower than the mortal world.

    And thanks to the high essence present in the underworld, the people in it lived a lot longer than those in the mortal world, which allowed them to be able to wait until they were reincarnated.

    Zhang launched countless black flames at the minotaur but  had no effect on it. It continued its charge toward Zhang coming closer and closer.

    ¡°I need to think of something and fast!¡±, Zhang said in a small panic to himself.

    And then an idea popped into Zhang¡¯s head.  He focused all the energy he had into his right foot, and stomped onto the ground with all his might.

    BANG!!!

    A gale of dust blew in all directions pushing Zhang out of view, and cracks could be seen snaking across the ground.

    The charging gatekeeper simply swung his axe, which swept all the dust blocking its view away and kept on charging. But once the gale of dust had dissipate, a massive, deep crater was now visible. The gatekeeper could not stop due to the momentum he had and tumbled down into the crater.

    ¡°Ha, I can¡¯t fight you, but that doesn¡¯t mean I can¡¯t trap you!¡± Zhang laughed.

    Having gone berserk, the gatekeeper which possessed little intelligence to begin with, had no means of getting out of the deep crater. It simply began smashing its axes against the walls of the crater and roared out in rage.

    Zhang focused his eye on the last gatekeeper that would stop him, the one that was missing an arm. He dashed to it and with a few swings, disabled its remaining limbs.

    All that was left to do was to make sure the saint level guards couldn¡¯t stop him. He knew that the guards could not kill him as long as he was in his current state, but sadly the saint level guards were fairly experienced and fast, so he could not kill them either.

    He made a mad dash for the exit, while cutting down all the guards in his path. Seeing this, the sinners also began running instead of fighting the guards.

    Zhang had made his way out into the fortress. Now all he had to do was to pass through the Forest of Forgotten, reach the Pool of Regret and reverse its direction using the power of the Dragon Pendant together with the accumulated souls so he could escape from the underworld.

    When suddenly, a giant palm fell from the sky and smashed onto him. Before he could get up, another one slammed, then another and another. Soon enough, a small crater was formed and Zhang was practically imprinted into the ground.

    A man dressed in bloody red robe appeared in the sky and gave off an intimidating aura.

    The sinners behind Zhang simply stared into the sky and fell on their knees, seeing that their only hope of escape had been crushed. The guards finally caught up and assembled behind the sinners.

    ¡°Drag them all back down there and for that boy, send him to the lowest level with that old monster.¡± The man in the red robe said.

    ¡°Yes, milord!¡± the black armored saint said.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª-

    (A bit before Zhang made it out of the 1st floor of hell)

    ¡°Your majesty terrible news!!!!! There has been a massive escape from the 18 Levels of Hell!¡±, cried a soldier as he kneeled with panicked expression on his face.

    Seeing the soldier in that state the Yama calmly said waving his hand, ¡°The guards can handle it, no need to panic. These things happen all the time.¡±

    ¡°No your majesty!, This prison break is of an unprecedented level, hundreds of thousands of guards have perished. If we don¡¯t hurry and act, the number will most likely go over a million or two.¡±, the soldier stated.

    ¡°WHAT?!! How can some regular sinners kill hundreds of thousands of guards? Within the 18 Levels of Hell  no one was capable of doing this. All of the prisoners placed in there were continuously weakened by their punishment. The stronger ones should be contained at that place. The only one that was capable would be that one in the 18th level who was going to be moved soon.¡±, the Yama furiously said, slamming his hand on the arm of his throne.

    ¡°Your majesty reports say that a young lad, who is able to manipulate black fire had caused all this. The casualties so far are all due to him. The sinners are simply following behind and have yet to engage any of the guards.¡±

    Silence descended in the room, while the Yama fell into deep thought.

    ¡°Black flames, it can¡¯t be! The only thing that could create black fire had perished a thousand years ago.¡±, the Yama thought to himself.

    ¡°Have one of the judge personally go and stop them, now!¡± The Yama said.

    With a bow the soldier quickly ran out of the room while the Yama sat on his throne and once more fell into deep thought. Not long after, a knock could be heard on the door.

    ¡°Father, are you in there? It¡¯s me, Yuying.¡±

    As the door slowly creaked open, a pretty girl with fiery red hair  walked in carrying a tray of food. There were different foods on the tray, each looked very delicious.

    The Yama seeing his daughter brought him food, he was particularly happy and his mood improved right away despite what was happening. Over the countless years he lived, he had fathered many children but this daughter was his favorite.

    From an early age, she showed that she was extremely capable of amazing feats and was also gifted with extreme beauty. Many suitors came and asked for her hand but most eventually gave up, except for one.

    ¡°Father try these desserts that I made.¡± Yuying cheerfully said as she put the tray onto the desk in front of the Yama.

    The Yama picked up and ate a dessert his daughter personally made. A smile could be seen on his face as he ate.

    ¡°I also wanted to talk about that engagement that you had arranged for me.¡±, Yuying said timidly, lowering her lowering her head.

    A loud bang resounded as the Yama slammed his palm onto the desk. He was clearly not happy that Yuying had brought this topic up.

    ¡°No, there is nothing to discuss. The arrangements have been made and you are betrothed to the 3rd son of the judge of the Northern hell.¡±, the Yama yelled.

    And in a fit of rage, he swung his arm and the tray of food all fell on the ground.

    Tears slowly formed in the corner of Yuying¡¯s eyes, and began to flow like rivers. She then ran out of the room as she cried. She had always been against the engagement. To the point of running away from the palace when the Judge of the North came with his son to make the engagement official.

    But despite running away, the Yama did not punish her. He did not even yelled at her when she came back. Instead, he acted very kind to her but secretly increased the guards that kept watch over her. But this time, he had to make it clear that the engagement was set in stone and there was no way of changing it.

    He knew his daughter was the type that once she had set her mind, there was no way of changing it. So, at first, he tried to act as if nothing happened and maybe it would slowly ease the thought into her mind. But that did not work, so now was the time to act like a tyrant and instill it into her.

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª-

    Zhang woke up to find himself chained into the wall in a  cell of what was known as the 18th level of hell, also known as Avici.

    This was the lowest level in the 18 Levels of Hell, the level where only a few were imprisoned. There was no physical torture on this level, just pure psychological torture.

    Prisoners would be chained up in cells, some would be blindfolded in pure darkness and deafening silence as water dripped near them until it drove them mad. Or a feast fit for kings to eat would be set just out of reach of the sinners making it so they could only look but not eat. The sinners here would have to suffer for all eternity or until they lose all sense of reason.

    Thanks For Reading

 Chapter 6: Fateful Encounter

    Chapter 6: Fateful Encounter

    Written by: IEndWorlds

    After waking up, Zhang found himself chained to a solid and sturdy wall with very heavy, thick, strong chains. ( >_> <_< hehe) But to his amazement there were tons of delicious looking foods in front of him. However, this was kept just out of arm''s reach due to the chains.

    Delicacies that Zhang had never seen before in his life and ones that was very familiar to him were all placed in front of him just a bit out of arm''s reach. Just by looking and smelling the food, it would make anyone drool. However there was no point in  struggling to get some of it because there was no possible way to reach it.

    "If you want some, just condense the energy in the necklace into an object and use that to get some.", the mysterious voice said.

    AZhang was able to make a fork out of essence. Luckily, even though the guards had dressed Zhang in a prisoner¡¯s uniform and took away all his belongings, the pendant he always wore was still there. It was not that they didn''t take it, it was that the necklace had a will of its own and would always appear again on Zhang''s body one way or another.

    After having his fill, Zhang fell asleep. Unknown to him, there was someone who was watching him the entire time.

    A while later, Zhang woke up and to his amazement there was another person in the cell. An an old man that appeared to be a thousand years of age with a white beard that seemed to be an extension of his white silky hair together with his long droopy eyebrows covering his eyes. was chained to the wall adjacent to him. This startled Zhang because before he fell asleep there was no one in the cell beside him. This old man somehow ended up in the cell with him without even noticing despite being asleep. If someone had entered or opened the cell, Zhang would have at least woken up.

    "I see you have woken up. Mind telling this old man how you ended up here?" the old man asked.

    Although somewhat surprised that the old man was there, Zhang began telling the old man how he died and how he ended up in the lowest level of hell. The entire time he was in the underworld he had no one to talk to nor anyone who conversed with him besides Yuying and that one man who waited in line with him. So talking to this old man made Zhang feel as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. It made him feel that at least there was someone here willing to listen to him.

    After telling the old man his story, Zhang asked how the old man ended up on this floor. ¡°I am called Xin Tao¡±, as he started to tell his story. When Xin Tao was still alive, he was a cultivator who had luckily stumbled upon a treasure that allowed him to reach sainthood.

    Shortly after becoming a saint, he used this opportunity to propel his clan to newer heights of power and influence, to the point of establishing a kingdom. Like the majority of kingdoms in the Wulin continent which had a saint or two as founders and protectors.

    Xin Tao eventually became bored with governing his kingdom and left to travel the continent, leaving his descendants to rule in his place as he traveled. Through his travels, he encountered many other saints. A few of these saints were just like him and were exploring the vast continent themselves. Although saints could fly and travel at a faster speed than regular people, the continent was simply too vast and there were many unexplored areas which was enshrouded with mystery.

    After sometime, Xin Tao became a part of a group of traveling saints. Being immortal, what these people lacked the most was companion. Some were lucky and had spouses or family members who had attained sainthood. But most of them were not, and after becoming saints, they would have to watch as their loved ones aged and passed on right before their eyes. Despite having many ways to prolong a person''s life, there was no other method besides reaching sainthood for them to be an immortal. They say the longer we wait, the harder our hearts will become.

    Thus, this group of saints decided to become friends and travel with each other to keep company. They went far and wide and eventually, they stumbled upon an unexplored gorge that leads to a dense forest. The essence within the forest was a staggering ten times higher than which would be normally present in the mortal plane.

    Because of this, many demonic beasts gathered there. These demonic beasts fed off the energy coming from the forest and multiplied to huge numbers. However, none of them were a threat to their group. Due to the abundance of demonic beasts inhabiting the forest they decided to name it, ¡°The Beasts¡¯ Nirvana". Due to encountering such an odd place for the first time, the group decided to explore it in its entirety.

    While exploring, they found an enormous cavern at the side of a steep mountain. The entrance to the cavern opened on the side of the mountain roughly a hundred feet off the ground. Being a curious group they entered and began exploring. The inside of the cavern was like another world. There was a small, dense forest growing within it inhabited by many odd-looking creatures. As they went deeper and deeper, some of them felt that they were being watched. But when they used their powers to scan the area they did not find anything out of the ordinary and so, they continued.

    After some time, they found a small opening in one of the walls of the cavern. To their amazed to see that the small opening lead to a massive room filled with treasure. Small mountains of gold and silver, rivers of jade and precious gems filled the entire room. And if one looked closer there were many unique looking artifacts scattered about and mixed in with the gold and silver.

    These would be recognized as various magical items. Objects such as spatial rings that could store other items within them, using a small pocket dimension. Swords that were empowered with lightning, water, and fire. There were also many other artifacts with unknown powers laying around.

    Even extremely rare materials such as liquid mithril were found in huge pools. Liquid mithril was extremely rare and only appeared naturally. It appeared in a liquid state but if a cultivator used a special method to refine them and then infuse some of their energy in it, the liquid mithril would turn into an extremely hard but light artifact. Cultivators would be able to turn the liquid mithril into any shape they wanted, which meant that they could create a weapon with endless possibilities or a lifesaving object in a dire situation.

    Anyone who stumbled upon such treasures would go mad from excitement,even this group of immortal saints. Although there were plenty of treasures laying on the ground, none of them felt the need to contend with each other. The various treasures were all divided up beside the precious metals, precious gems, and liquid mithril.

    The saints decided to delve deeper and would divide these items later because carrying these items now would be of no use. Refining the liquid mithril would take too long so they decided to leave it for later.

    As they went deeper, there was much more treasure lying about. Soon they stumbled upon an altar and atop the altar was a sword. The blade of the sword was made entirely of some sort of crystal and was nearly transparent. It gave off a blue glow and if one looked closely they''d be able to see that there was an intricate moon etched into the blade.

    They had all come to the conclusion that the sword was none other than the legendary "Rising Moon" which was one of the most sought after treasures in the world. These treasures consisted of:

    Falling Sun - short sword

    Rising Moon - long sword

    Star Shooter - bow

    Endless Abyss - cape

    Underworlds Heart

    Eternal Flame

    Heaven''s Lost Armor- Armor

    Although there were many rare magical items scattered across the continent and many more were created every day. These seven legendary treasures possessed mythical powers that no one had been able to replicate. It was rumored that whoever was able to possess even one of them would have the power to wipe out an entire empire or face an endless armies alone. Simply possessing one would bring an infinite power and influence.

    Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

    And thus it began, for all of the saints fell into greed. All but Xin Tao, as he did not see the point in honor or power. What was honor and power when one had to fight friends and companions. Being a man of righteousness who sought power to protect his family and friends, he wanted no part in this struggle and so, he decided to simply watch from afar. Believing that his companions would simply compete for the Rising Moon. But once one of them acquired the sword in his possession, the others ganged up and drew the weapons they had acquired a short while ago.

    Attacks flew in all direction and without enough time to even bind the sword with his blood the first one who grasped the Rising Moon met his demise. Then, to Xin Tao''s disbelief, the others began slaughtering each other. These people had traveled with each other for years and had been through thick and thin together. But now, they were using any means possible to kill one another.

    He knew that he had to stop them somehow so Xin Tao joined the fray. He hoped to prevent any more senseless killing between the group. Sadly, they also wanted his life. Luckily Xin Tao was fairly strong and was able to hold his own against the others. He made sure to hold back so that he would not fatally wound anyone. But that would prove to be a fatal error. There was only Xin Tao and another individual left standing while the rest were either dead or on the brink of death due to heavy injuries.

    The last individual tossed his weapon to the ground knowing he was no match for Xin Tao and promised he would no longer seek to obtain the Rising Moon. Believing his words Xin Tao began treating his injured companions who were on the brink of life and death. But when his attention was elsewhere, a blade sank into his back and pierced his heart. Then the same blade was pulled out and cut his neck. Xin Tao fell to his knees and onto the ground. Fill with rage, he used all of his power and turned the one who stabbed him into a mist of blood. But the wounds he received were fatal.

    But the story did not end there. After dying, Xin Tao ended up in the underworld where he joined the underworld army. Where he found out that there were individuals who had attained a power beyond saints. He too, one day would obtain such power and eventually became a judge in the underworld.

    Hundreds of thousands of years soon passed as he stayed in the underworld. Until one day, he ran into one of his descendants, he learned that their entire clan had been massacred by a rival kingdom. No one was spared, not even children. His entire clan of thousands were all killed, the graves of their ancestors were all dug up and all the bodies were hung up on the walls of their kingdom''s capital.

    That was when Xin Tao decided that he had to get revenge for his clan. He decided that he would use his influence as a judge of the underworld and then use the same method that Zhang was going to use to return to the world of the living. And wipe out the ones that did this to his clan. The only difference was that he would use his own power to reverse the flow of the pool. His plans however did not succeed, he ran into another judge on his way and his path was blocked. Then the other judges came and engaged in battle with him. Although they were called judges, they were all assistants of the ten Diyu and each of them were all powerful individuals. Xin Tao was only a low level judge to begin with and was comparatively weaker than the majority of judges.

    Xin Tao was then captured and sent to where he was now and many years have flown by ever since then. But soon, he would be transferred to another place. There were many places where sinners were kept and the 18 Levels of Hell was only one of these places. The 18 Levels of Hell held weaker prisoners, basically regular sinners. Xin Tao was only imprisoned here because they needed a place to detain him but he was soon going to be transferred to one that held stronger prisoners.

    After the story ended the two men sat there in silence. Zhang was somewhat dejected because the solar alignment had ended. Until Xin Tao told Zhang that he had a way to help Zhang escape. He told Zhang that the 18th floor that they were in was very unique. And only the 18th floor was special because there was a treasure hidden here. He had learned while he was still a judge that the Underworld''s Heart was hidden here but no one knows where. A sinner who had once been imprisoned on this floor had hidden it after stealing it from the treasury of the underworld.

    The Underworld''s Heart had the power to manipulate essence in unbelievable ways. It had been a regular gem that had been formed when the planes were created and had absorbed the energy within the underworld for countless years. If one acquired it he would had the power to move mountains and diverge rivers on a whim. He or she would be able create objects by utilizing just from the latent essence within the surroundings. Out of the seven treasures, the Underworlds Heart was one of the most mysterious. As to why the mortals knew about it, no one knows. Perhaps someone who had reincarnated did not completely lose their memories and from that person the Underworld''s Heart was introduced into the mortal world.

    If Zhang had the Underworld''s Heart, he would be able to use it to escape the 18 Levels of Hell and then use it to reverse the flow of the Pool of Regrets. But finding it was easier said than done. Xin Tao had seen that Zhang was able to still use his powers despite being chained which constantly absorbed the essence within his body.

    There were no guards stationed on this floor and they would only came down once in awhile. So they two of them had all the time in the world to search. And since Zhang was able to use his powers they would be able to get out of the chains and out of the cell. Xin Tao did not want to rot away in the underworld so he would join Zhang in returning to the world of the living.

    The two of them would search every nook and cranny of the 18th floor. When guards came down they would pretend to still be bound by the chains. And when the guards left they would continue their search. After combing the massive 18th floor a few times they decided to rethink their methods. And came to the conclusion of searching the individual cells which they had not searched.

    The reason they had not done so before was because if the other prisoners knew that Zhang and Xin Tao were free to roam about they might tell the guards. But the two knew they had to do it or else they might very well not find the Underworld''s Heart.

    Although the 18th floor was massive there weren''t that many people kept within it. Only a few thousand or so people were kept here. Xin Tao had begun teaching Zhang various martial arts, spells, and techniques. Zhang was now able to use his energy to put the other prisoners to sleep so the two could search the cells. Xin Tao, despite not being chained up anymore, could not gather any essence as the very air itself lacked essence. While Zhang had to rely on the essence stored within the necklace.

    The two of them had some close encounters with guards, almost leading to their capture when sudden inspections happened. Eventually, they had searched all of the cells but made no progress on finding the Underworld''s Heart. With no other means but to continue searching, the two of them pressed on.

    Until one day, after searching the entire floor for god knows how many times, in a fit of rage, Zhang smashed his fist into the wall of their cell. To which he heard a thump, which was odd because the wall was supposed to be made of solid stone. And there were no other cells next to his.

    Zhang condensed some energy into his fist and once more hit the wall and another thump sounded but the wall was still solid with only a slight indentation. He did not know whether to use more energy or not because on the off-chance that there was a surprise inspection the guards would be able to sense the energy he would be giving off. After conversing with Xin Tao, the two decided to wait until after an inspection happened before attempting again.

    Oddly enough, no inspections happened and weeks went by. The longer they waited the more impatient they grew. Thankfully, after two months an inspection happened. And the very day after, Zhang was stood in front of the wall and had drawn a large amount of energy from the Dragon¡¯s Pendant. This time when his fist connected to the wall, a loud bang sounded and cloud of dust scattered throughout the room. When the dust dissipated, a small fist sized hole could be seen.

    There was clearly another room behind this wall. But when Zhang peered into the hole it was too dark for him to perceive anything. So he began pounding at the wall again and again until the hole was big enough for a person to climb through.

 Chapter 7: Fate and Destiny

    Chapter 7: Fate and Destiny

    Written by: IEndWorlds

    Zhang and Xin Tao both entered the hole together. Zhang used a bit of his essence and created an orb of light which floated into the air and illuminated the hidden room. The instant the orb of light was created light flooded to the once pitch black room.

    The room looked exactly the same as Zhang and Xin Tao''s cell. That''s when the thought hit Zhang. Perhaps the one who hid the Underworlds Heart had created an identical room to the original cell he was locked in. Then hid the Underworlds Heart in the original room that he was locked in and when he was taken away, the room somehow became sealed and blended into the walls.

    The man had probably been under strict surveillance so he could not hide the Underworlds Heart any elsewhere, but only to the cell where he was imprisoned in. And if he did not create an identical room and hid the Underworld¡¯s Heart here, there was a chance someone else would be imprisoned in the same cell he was in and they''d stumbled upon it. Had Zhang not hit the wall in rage, he would have never realized that there was something on the other side. Also, if a regular sinner was imprisoned here they''d have no way of breaking the wall.

    "The person who did this was indeed too crafty. But luck was on our side this time.", Xin Tao said happily.

    Zhang nodded while smiling also. And the two of them returned to their cell and Zhang used some essence to mask the hole.

    "Zhang there is one more thing we have to do in order to successfully return to the world of the living. On our way to the Pool of Regrets we must sneak into the treasury of the underworld and locate the Book of Fate. And once we do, we need to tear out our pages from the book. Or else, once we left the underworld they would be able to find us using the book." Xin Tao worriedly said.

    The Book of Fate contained the record of everyone''s destiny in their previous life, current life, and next life. A person''s time of birth, time of death and all the events that have happened and are going to happen were all recorded within the book. The book records also what¡¯s currently happening in a person''s life. Also, by tearing out one''s page from the Book of Fate a person would not be bound by destiny nor fate any longer. Not only would they not be bound any longer but those who had relations with them will also no longer be bound.

    The destiny of those close to them would became blank. Or if their pages did not become blank, at the very least, all the events triggered by the person with the tear out page would not show up in the book. A false history would show up instead. Those not bound by fate and those close to them would no longer die from illness, or accidents. Only from old age or if someone were to murder them would these people die.

    Zhang and Xin Tao began to plan how to escape the 18 Levels of Hell and then sneak into the Palace of the Yama.

    In the end, they came up with two plans. The first plan was for Zhang to absorb the souls of all the prisoners in the lower floors and then use all of that energy to break out and then directly enter the Yama''s palace. The only downside to that was there was a chance of them alarming strong experts who could stop them. Zhang could only use a certain amount of energy from the necklace if he were to use too much he would be at the risk of self-destruction, an overload of sorts.

    The second plan would be for them to wait for the next inspection and kill the guards inspecting. Then put on the guard''s armor and try to sneak out and once they got out, sneak into the palace. This plan would have them to wait much longer and there was still a chance of getting found out.

    Xin Tao assured Zhang that if they were able to enter the palace he would be able to take Zhang directly into the treasury and Pool of Regret. This was all due to his experience from being a judge before.

    They decided to go with the 2nd plan and if they were found out Zhang would absorb as many souls as he could and then charge out of the 18 Levels of Hell.

    And from the recent inspections they figured the next one would be in two months or so.

    Each time an inspection happened a squad of full armored guards would descend and check every cell. Once they reached the floor they''d break into teams of two and once the inspection was over they''d regroup and ascend then returned to their barracks. Thankfully, none of the guards were truly acquainted with each other due to the huge number of guards and the constant shifting and moving to different prisons.

    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Outside of the 18 Levels of Hell, the whole underworld was celebrating. In two months¡¯ time the 99th princess of the underworld, Yuying, would tie the knot with the 75th son of the Northern Diyu. The engagement had taken place two years ago and in two months it''ll be the third year which would be the date of the wedding.

    Occasions such as this rarely happened in the underworld so sinners werewas pardoned 100 years off their sentences. And the regular residents of the underworld would all enjoy a small gift of deed points on their crystal cards.

    The 99th princess was said to be extremely beautiful and gifted. So everyone was looking forward to the wedding day in the hopes of catching a glimpse of her on her way to the groom¡¯s home.

    Everyone was happy, but naturally Yuying who was against the whole thing was not. But there was not much she could really do, butwe hoped that someone would come and take her away.

    The mere thought of this made her feel like laughing at herself,. Because who in the underworld could save her? The ruler of the underworld himself had arranged this marriage sadly, there was no way of stopping it sadly.

    Just thinking about the marriage reminded her of that pig that she was engaged to. The man hads no shame and there were rumors that he would use his influence to abduct young girls and have his way with them. How could she marry someone like that? Let alone she did not have any feelings for him except for disgust.

    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Two months had passed and the inspection of the 18th floor was pushed up to the day before the royal wedding. The Yama had given all of his subjects a day off to celebrate this joyous occasion. He felt that the 75th son of the Northern Diyu of the North would become a perfect match pair forwith his daughter. His daughter was gifted with an extreme beauty and talent while the son of the Diyu of the north was the same. Thus, the two would make a power couple together and also help the two families unite as one.

    For the guards, today would be just like any other day but little did they know, today would be the day the underworld would beis sent spiraling into chaos.

    Zhang and Xin Tao satwere sitting in their cell patiently waiting for the guards to arrive. Zhang still had the hundreds of thousands of souls stored within his necklace if he needed its power. The guards would stand no chance against him if he were to go on a killing spree.

    Xin Tao had told him that he was lucky this prison only had weak guards. There were places that Diyu personally guarded and they were many times stronger than saints. Their power levels were astronomical and not something either of them can handle. And besides the places the Diyu guarded, there were places where all the guards were stronger than saints or made entirely of saints.

    The thought of someone many times stronger than a saint was a foreign concept to Zhang. He had learned that saints were extremely powerful in the mortal realm as a child and still believed so till today.

    Not long after the inspection began, a click sound could be heard coming from the door¡¯s cell where Zhang and Xin Tao were in. Two guards dressed in armor walked in, from head to toe they were encased in armor.

    The second they walked in, a small black flame flew in directly from the opening of their helmets. Once the fire made contact with them, their bodies turned into a puff of dust and their swords and armors fell to the ground.

    Before the swords and armors hit the ground, Zhang had dashed and caught them as to not make any noise. He did not want to risk attracting more guards here.

    Zhang handed Xin Tao a suit of armor and donned a suit of armor himself. Luckily the armor partially covered their faces so if they played it cool, no one would possibly notice them.

    Soon, the inspection was over and the guards began congregating before the exit. Xin Tao and Zhang were able to blend in as the guards were forming ranks. After forming ranks, the guards began ascending the floors. This time Zhang''s necklace no longer emitted any energy so no one noticed as he ascended the floors.

    Once they reached the fortress on the very top, the next part of the plan would begin. They would now have to find a way to get out unnoticed or begin to go on a rampage.

    Xin Tao slowly regained some of his power as he stepped outside into the fortress. The air was once more filled with essence unlike in the 18th level where there was none or very little.

    If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.Both Zhang and Xin Tao decided they would enter the guard¡¯s barracks and then in the dead of night sneak out.

    The guards in the fortress had four shifts each lasting roughly six hours. After six hours another group of guards would come relieve them of their duties. When the switch occurred there would be a small interval of time where no one was truly keeping guard and this would be the best time to sneak out.

    Zhang was able to acquire another sword within the barracks when it was time to leave. He preferred using two swords better than one. It would allow him to engage in battle with a larger group of enemies if needed.

    There was only one gate in the fortress that could be used to get in or out. But Zhang decided that they instead would use a different means of escape.

    When no one was looking, two men did the unthinkable, they jumped off over the gates of the fortress. The walls of the fortress were hundreds of feet tall and any regular person that fell off from it would meet their end. Luckily, Xin Tao was around and he could fly. Although he wouldn''t be able to fly for a long duration of time due to just regaining his powers, Xin Tao would be able to slow their landing.

    Although Xin Tao was able to somewhat slow their descent they were still falling at a very fast speed.

    Bang!!!

    As Zhang and Xin Tao crashed into the ground it caused the ground to shake a bit.

    The two made a mad dash into the Forest of the Forgotten. Lucky for them, after they ran into the forest a thick fog rolled in and covered the ground.

    The thick fog also blanketed the forest making it very hard to navigate. Not wanting to attract unseeded attention neither Zhang nor Xin Tao used their powers. Slowly, they made their way through the forest.

    "Senior, this is the 3rd time we passed by this tree. Last time I had broken a branch off as a marker." Zhang said to Xin Tao.

    The fog had made them lose all sense of direction. They were running around in circles this entire time.

    "Perhaps we should rest for the night. We are in no rush, the pool and book aren''t just going to grow legs and walk away." Xin Tao said with a smile then jumped into a tree. Zhang did not question and also jumped up a tree.

    "It is safer up here, we won''t run into any lost souls up in here." Xin Tao said.

    Zhang nodded and closed his eyes to rest. Soon he and Xin Tal both fell asleep and the next time they woke up would be the day of the royal wedding.

    The fog has lifted when the two of them woke up. Thus, they began to cross through the forest once more.

    After a few hours, Zhang could see an opening out of the forest. It was like a light at the end of a tunnel.

    Suddenly a pair of hands extended from out of nowhere and grabbed on to Zhang''s legs. The arms pulled his legs while he was mid run causing Zhang to lose balance and tumble-down.

    That was when he saw countless mad souls surrounded him. Xin Tao had also been grabbed and surrounded.  Groans and screams could be heard all around. The forest we now filled with noises.

    Black fire ignited within Zhang''s palms and turned all the mad souls around him into nothingness. The forest once more became quiet.

    Oddly, there was one mad soul still standing. This fellow was emitting an odd red aura. Its eyes were completely white, pitch black veins could be seen all over its body and a massive amount of killing intent was being projected from it.

    "Zhang get back that is a Fallen Soul!!! With our current strength we can''t beat it. GET BACK NOW!!" Xin Tao screamed.

    Fallen Souls were souls that had overtime became corrupted by negative energy and after being corrupted, they assimilated with many other souls. Over time, they became extremely powerful and were hard to deal with. A fallen soul would corrupt and then assimilate other souls. Thus, if a single fallen soul were to get loose in a city in the underworld, a catastrophe would happen.

    Zhang quickly jumped back and tried to create some distance between him and the fallen soul. Zhang''s black fire could only deal with those who were weaker than him or those who were a bit stronger than him. But if the opponent''s power vastly out stripped his, it would not work.

    However, in an instant he came up with an idea. Why not use this fallen soul''s power to his advantage. If he were to lure it close to the city, then all the guards would be preoccupied with dealing with it. Then, in the confusion, he and Xin Tao would be able to sneak in unnoticed.

    Though this was easier said than done. The fallen soul was many times more powerful than Zhang and he wasn''t sure if he would be able to keep himself out of its grasp. But it was do or die . If he did nothing, then he would die or if he tried to fight the fallen soul alone then he would also die. So the only option he had left was to get someone else to fight it for him.

    While Zhang was contemplating, the fallen soul suddenly lunged at him. He was able to dodge by a hair''s breadth. Due to his momentum Zhang tumbled behind a tree.

    The fallen soul charged at the tree where Zhang was behind and with a wave of its hand, the tree fell over and crashed into the ground. Zhang began running in a zigzag path weaving between trees. He would use the trees to keep the fallen soul from getting near to him.

    As Zhang and the fallen soul breezed through the forest, Xin Tao quickly followed behind at a safe distance.

    Soon the city was in sight; what seemed odd to Zhang was all the red lanterns and festive decorations that could be seen on the walls and on the gate.

    "ROAAAR!!!!!!!" The fallen soul howled.

    All of the people within the gate and in front of the gate turned back and saw the fallen soul. Then a mass panic happened, many people did not even know what a fallen soul was but also fell into panic due to the deathly aura that was leaking out of its body.

    While those that knew, were in a deeper state of panic because they had heard the horror of what would happen if one of those things got into the city.

    Seeing the souls in front of the gate the fallen soul changed targets. It totally ignored Zhang and went after a group of souls. Instead it lunged at Zhang it lunged into a group of innocent bystanders.

    Bang!!!!

    A thunderbolt fell from the sky and struck the fallen soul. Then after the first thunderbolt ten more fell from the sky. Each thunderbolts carried huge amount of power, each strike was able to shake the ground and would probably char any unlucky soul that was close by.

    The fallen soul screamed due being attacked incessantly by the thunderbolts. Its screams made the faint hearted souls fell to their knees. Even someone who would be considered brave would shake in their boots.

    Eventually, hundreds of lightning bolts had snaked from the sky and landed on the fallen soul. But as soon as they appeared the thunder bolts came to a sudden halt.

    A crater was formed where all the lightning bolts landed. After all the dust cleared, the fallen soul was no more. It turned completely into nothingness due to the thunderbolts. A figure could be seen flying in the air after the thunderbolts stopped.

    "Hpmh! Dare to cause trouble on the day of my son¡¯s wedding. You¡¯re courting death!" The man floating in the air said as he flew away.

    Zhang who had mixed into the fleeing crowd with Xin Tao, they watched all of thunderbolts which landed on the fallen soul in amazement.

    But not wanting to waste the opportunity, the two sneaked into the city as everyone else was still left in a daze.

    Once they entered the city they found out that today was the wedding of Yuying, the 99th princess of the underworld and the 75th son of the Northern Diyu.

    "Probably just a coincidence.", Zhang said in his mind as he and Xin Tao headed for the palace.

    The wedding would be a perfect opportunity for them to sneak into the palace and escape. Because everyone would be preoccupied with the celebration.

    Thanks For Reading if you enjoyed it please vote for me >:D thanks lol

 Chapter 8: Unforgettable

    Zhang and Xin Tao, after entering the city, were able to mix in with a group of guards who were headed for the palace.

    So far, everything had gone smoothly and they had not run into any inconveniences.  As they both entered the palace, Zhang and Xin Tao waited for a chance to break off from the group of guards and headed to the treasury.

    The chance came when a large carriage passed by them and all the guards saluted and kneeled. Someone of high social standing was currently inside the carriage and none of the guards wanted to offend this person, so none of them dared to look up. As soon as the carriage passed and while the guards were still looking at the ground, Zhang and Xin Tao snuck away.

    Zhang was lucky that Xin Tao knew the layout of the palace like the back of his hand. If not, the two of them would have wandered about for days on no end without knowing where they were. Xin Tao even knew places where guards would not frequently pass thus, allowing them to avoid detection.

    After some time passed, Zhang stood in front of a huge set of gates. The two gates were massive and had intricate designs carved onto them, depictions of the 18 Levels of the Hell, dragons, phoenixes and many other things were visible. These gates would lead into the treasury of the underworld.

    To open the treasury, one had to know the where the secret mechanism that unlocked the gates were. On the right gate, at the very bottom right corner, was a carving of a dragon. Two sapphires were used as its eyes for this carving. Xin Tao pressed on these two gems and with a click, a series of mechanisms within the gate went off.

    He then proceeded to the left gate where a phoenix carving was on the bottom left corner of the gate. A set of rubies were embedded into the gate where the phoenix''s feathers were. Xin Tao pressed the rubies in a certain sequence and then a clicking sound was also heard as the mechanisms went off. The gates rumbled and slowly began to open.

    Although it was called a treasury, there were no gold or silver nor precious gems. The treasury of the underworld only housed a few items. Because what would the dead do with gold or precious gems? The inside of the treasury was massive and had many corridors leading to different treasures. Zhang, however, only had one goal, the Book of Fate.

    ¡°Senior please lead the way. We best hurry to avoid any unwanted happenings.¡±

    While following behind Xin Tao, Zhang took the chance to marvel at the intricate carvings on the walls. Many events were depicted, some being about the history of man, others of rare and mythical beasts.

    There was one that popped up that was very familiar to Zhang. It was a painting of a black dragon fighting against a massive army that were dressed in silver armor. The painting was the first of a series of paintings that depicted the battle.

    From the beginning, where the dragon held the advantage and slaughtered the people. Then came a painting of a man holding two swords, one with a carving of the moon and the other with a carving of the sun on it. The man was shown standing on top of the dragon after having defeated it and held its heart in his hands. This man would be the founder of the Heilong Kingdom, Han Jian.

    Xin Tao came to an abrupt halt and reached for a box that was sitting on a pedestal. The box was made of ice jade which was best used to store rare medicines that contained natural essence within them. Xin Tao opened the box and it revealed two red colored pills one of which he took and handed the other to Zhang.

    ¡°Here take this, it is called the Yama¡¯s calling dan. This pill was a gift from the Diyu of the East to the Yama many years ago. The pill itself took 100 years to refine and whoever ate it would gain a sudden burst of energy that¡¯s nearly unstoppable. But once they had taken it they¡¯d be on the brink of life and death. Who knows what we might run into so it¡¯s best to have these just in case.¡±

    Zhang, not saying a word, took the pill and stuck it into his pocket.

    A short while after, they entered into an opening. In the middle of this chamber, on top of a sacred looking altar, sat the Book of Fate.

    Zhang quickly dashed up the altar and stood in front of the book. And magically, the book suddenly opened and its pages began turning. It then stopped on a blank page as letters started appearing on the pages. The letters soon formed into words. The name Lei Lang formed on top of the page. A light then shot from the book into Zhang¡¯s forehead. Thousands of images flooded into Zhang¡¯s mind.

    ¡°Hahahaha I remember now, it¡¯s all so clear now!!!  Those visions, that bastard that keeps appearing again and again in my visions. Hahaha!!!¡±, Zhang suddenly broke out laughing maniacally

    Standing at the bottom of the altar, Xin Tao was dumbfounded, he had no idea what was happening.

    ¡°Zhang are you alright? Speak to me son!¡±, he cried out.

    ¡°Yes I¡¯m more than alright haha! It is as if a veil had been lifted and now everything is so clear.¡±

    The page on the Book of Fate began turning once more and drew Zhang¡¯s attention again. And then it turned to another blank page and letters and words began forming a second time. This time the name on top of the page was Zhou Zhang. However, no strange light shot out of the book this time. Zhang began reading the story about his life.

    Everything from the time of his birth until the time of his death was mentioned. Why this happened and how that happened was also listed on the pages. But there was one thing that struck as odd to him, the book never mentioned anything of his necklace.

    For something so mystical that had been with him since birth, it had to be mentioned a couple times or at the very least, once. But strangely, the necklace was never mentioned nor the homeless man that showed up on the day they celebrated his birth.

    But none of that mattered right now, so Zhang extended his hand grabbed onto the pages and tore them out.  By tearing his pages out, Xin Tao¡¯s pages in turn would also disappear by association.

    An extremely bright light shot out from the book and through the ceiling of the treasury and into the sky.

    ¡°Damn!!!!!¡±

    Zhang screamed as he dashed down the altar towards Xin Tao. The two of them had to quickly get out of the treasury or else they would be captured.

    The royal wedding was about to commence when a beam of light suddenly shot into the sky and gathered everyone¡¯s attention.

    ¡°Your majesty that light is coming from the treasury!!!¡±,a soldier yelled out.

    ¡°It can¡¯t be! That light looks exactly the same as 1000 years ago, when that monster went on a rampage and then tore out a page from the book of fate.¡± The Yama thought to himself in disbelief.

    ¡°Quickly send all the guards and surround the treasury! All Diyu and Vice Diyu go as well! We have intruders in the treasury!!!¡±

    The man that was seen extinguishing the fallen soul earlier stood up from a chair with a frown on his face.

    ¡°One thing happening and another keeps on happening today. Why did they have to occur today! On the day of my son¡¯s damn wedding!!!¡±

    This man was the Northern Diyu, after angrily shouting he flew out of the room with a bunch of other people.

    While inside the treasury, Zhang and Xin Tao were making haste for the exit.  But by the time they reached the exit, it was too late, the second they stepped outside, they saw countless guards and imposing experts surrounding the treasury.

    One could say that there were so many people that not even a fly would be able to escape in such a situation.

    Seeing the bleak situation they were in, Xin Tao came to a decision and placed a hand on Zhang¡¯s shoulder. And stuck his other hand into Zhang¡¯s pocket and grabbed the Yama¡¯s Calling dan.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry Zhang but it seems our journey together ends here. If you would help an old man with a selfish request. I know that you will one day become a person who stands on top of countless others. On that day, if you happen to run into the remnants of my clan please help them and I also wish to give you one final gift.¡±

    A beam of light shot from Xin Tao¡¯s finger and entered into Zhang¡¯s forehead.

    Then before anyone could react, Xin Tao pulled out another Yama¡¯s Calling dan from his pocket and tossed both into his mouth. Soon enough, his entire body became coated in a black energy.

    Xin Tao grabbed Zhang and they both flew into the air. There was no possible way for him to fend off all these opponents, so there was only one option left. Once he reached a suitable height, Xin Tao was greeted by tens of hundreds of enemies. While in the air his entire body began to bulge. And the black energy around him began changing color. From black it became pure white. Dazzling white light was emitting from Xin Tao¡¯s body.

    Eventually his eyes and mouth began emitting white lights also. Faces of horror could be seen on those flying near Xin Tao,for they knew what he was doing. Xin Tao was igniting his soul and preparing to self-destruct. An explosion from the self-destruction of someone of Xin Tao¡¯s level was devastating enough, let alone when he was empowered by not one, but two Yama¡¯s Calling dans.

    Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.

    At the very last second, Xin Tao used all his strength and threw Zhang in the direction of Pool of Regrets.

    And with a smile on his face, cracks began forming all over his body and eventually, his entire body turned into white light.

    BOOOOOM!!!!

    A blind light shot out in all directions, many of those who were near Xin Tao had perished in the explosion while those afar were stunned and blinded.

    Being thrown full force by Xin Tao, Zhang smashed into a building and from his momentum the building wall collapsed.

    Although saddened by what had happened, Zhang had to press on. If not, Xin Tao¡¯s sacrifice would be for naught. Xin Tao would forever remain in Zhang¡¯s heart as an unforgettable senior who had used his very life as a means for Zhang to get away.

    When he got to his feet, however, he found himself in a room filled with decorations. Mainly, wedding decorations were hung on the walls. A few decorations could be seen lying on the floor due to the wall he had knocked over.

    In the doorway, he could see someone dressed in a bridal gown.

    ¡°I mean no harm! Please don¡¯t scream.¡±, he begged.

    ¡°Zhang? Is that you??¡±, the bride said as she lifted her bridal veil.

    After the veil had been removed, Zhang saw yet another person who he would never be able to forget, it was Yuying!

    ¡°You youare the princess??!¡±

    Yuying simply looked at him and smiled.

    Before Zhang could utter another word, he could hear many footsteps approaching.

    ¡°Use me as a hostage to escape!!¡±, Yuying said as she walked to Zhang¡¯s side. Without any other option, he drew his sword, placed it on her neck and walked out of the room together.

    Although there were only regular soldiers, the entire room had been surrounded. But when the soldiers saw who Zhang was holding as a hostage, they did not dare to engage him rashly.

    ¡°Unhand my daughter!¡±, a voice rang out.

    The voice came from the sky, and if one looked up they would see that the Yama looking down on them.

    ¡°Father¡­.¡±, Yuying said in a whisper as she looked up.

    At that very moment, Zhang draw out the power of the hundred thousand souls that was stored in his necklace. A massive black flame along with countless smaller ones condensed out of nothingness.

    The mere sight of the black fire made a frown appeared on the Yama¡¯s face. A thousand years ago, a monstrous being had used black fire to cause chaos in the underworld and even torn pages out from the Book of Fate. And now, someone who was also using black fire had torn pages out of the Book of Fate and caused panic.

    The countless smaller black flames flew in every direction, as for the massive black flame it headed directly for the Yama.

    The guards all fell into panic because they had heard rumors of what had happened in the 18 Levels of Hell and none of them wanted to be the one to find out if the rumors were true or false.

    Zhang knew that the black flames were currently too weak to harm him with the Yama simply extinguished it with a sweeping motion of his hand.

    He looked back at the spot where Zhang and Yuying were, however, there was no one there. The two of them had disappeared.

    Xin Tao had imprinted the layout of the palace along with some other memories into Zhang¡¯s mind. So Zhang, while grasping Yuying¡¯s hand, navigated his way to the Pool of Regrets.

    He had planned to thank Yuying and let her go once they reached the pool. Although there was a debate going on within his mind. Zhang was not sure if he should ask if Yuying wished to join him and go to the world of the living. A part of him wanted to ask her while another part was afraid. He was afraid that she would reject him and laugh at him for thinking her act of kindness meant something else. Today was her wedding day after all.

    Then the scene of a boy whose body was covered in blood while lying on the floor popped up in his mind.

    ¡°No not this life. No more regrets. No more going with the flow.¡±, he thought.

    Once they reached the location where the Pool of Regrets was, many figures could be seen floating in the air. The Yama had guessed where Zhang was headed and since he could fly, he arrived sooner than Zhang.

    ¡°Release my daughter now!! And I will spare your worthless life!!¡±

    ¡°Yes unhand my fianc¨¦e this instant scum!¡±, a young man who was floating in the air said. The young man had a smug smile on his face and from that alone, one could tell that he was a person who looked down on others.

    Zhang wasn¡¯t sure, but just from the smug look on the guy¡¯s face his blood began to boil. Soon enough, many black flames ascended into the skies and began homing into their new target.

    Seeing this, the smug look on the young man¡¯s face was completely replaced with a face full of fright.

    Thousands of flames flew towards him wanting to claim his life. However, at the last second before he met his end the Yama had personally appeared in front of him and extinguished the flames. Sadly, he had missed a single flame that was about one tenth the size of the other ones.

    Zhang knew that the Yama would not just stand there and watch as his future son-in-law died. He also knew that his black flames had no effect on the Yama thus, he decided to control a tiny black flame and went for the kill.

    As soon as the tiny black flame touched the young man, he turned into nothingness.

    ¡°NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!¡±

    The Diyu of the North could be seen flying towards the direction where his son was.

    He looked at Zhang with blood thirsty eyes and at that moment, lightning condensed in his hand. A bolt of lightning that looked like a fierce dragon snaked its way towards Zhang and Yuying.

    ¡°I¡¯ll offer your life to my son!!!¡±

    ¡°Shit, it¡¯s time to use it.¡±, Zhang cursed as he pulled a heart like crystal from his pocket. This crystal was none other than the Underworld Heart.

    A wall of pure essence formed in front of Zhang and Yuying. He used a huge amount of energy along with the Underworld Heart to manipulate the essence into a wall. At most, this method could be used a couple more times before Zhang ran out of power.

    The Northern Diyu was about to launch another attack when the Yama blocked him.

    ¡°What are you doing!! My daughter is over there!¡±, the Yama barked.

    Taking advantage of this, Zhang grabbed Yuying and entered the palace where the Pool of Regrets was located.

    Upon entering, a crystal clear pool could be seen, the pool looked as if it possessed no bottom and was perfectly round. A thin layer of smoke or fog was on top of the pool swirling.

    ¡°Yuying! Would you like to accompany me?¡± Zhang said after he mustered up a bit of courage.

    Yuying fell into deep thought. She had prayed and hoped that someone would come and whisk her away all this time, and right now there was someone offering to take her to a faraway place. She did not know what to do exactly. If she left now, would she ever be able to return here? Would she able to see her family again?

    But if she didn¡¯t leave, would she ever be truly happy? Although the son of the Northern Diyu was dead, it did not mean that this would be the last forced marriage that would be pushed on to her.

    After a short while, she looked at Zhang. The person who had helped her despite not knowing who she was two years ago was the same person who came and saved her from the wedding. The words finally came out of her mouth.

    ¡°Yes.¡±, she said with a smile.

    At that moment, Zhang grabbed her hand and the two of them jumped into the Pool of Regrets. The pool then began to glow, as did the Underworld Heart. All the water in the pool began to swirl about rapidly.

    And a light many times brighter than when Xin Tao self-destructed appeared and shot into the sky.

    Thanks For Reading if you enjoyed it please vote for me >:D thanks lol

 Chapter 9: The Other Side

    After the Underworld Heart sank below the surface of the Pool of Regrets, it began to emit a purplish glow. As it glowed, the water in the Pool of Regrets swirled at a rapid speed and formed a whirlpool.

    It also began sending out pulses of energy. These pulses of energy then began to travel in all directions around it. Upon hitting the edge of the pool, they would bounce back and overlap with the next pulse. Until hundreds of pulses danced about in the pool. Finally, a golden pulse shot out from the Underworld Heart and then all the water glowed in golden hue.

    The Underworld Heart, realistically speaking, would be the weakest of the seven treasures. It solely possessed the power to condense and manipulate the flow essence that was present in the surroundings within a certain distance from itself. Realistically speaking, the Underworld Heart didn¡¯t have many uses. Forming objects, required a lot of essence and was not very practical. For instance, the wall of essence Zhang formed to block the Northern Diyu¡¯s attack took a massive amount of essence to form.

    While submerged in the Pool of Regrets, Zhang was holding onto Yuying. The two of them was now enveloped by the pulses of energy that the Underworld Heart released. Three green tethers of energy lastly shot out from the Underworld Heart.

    Suddenly, mesmerizing light shot out from the Pool of Regrets and projected itself into the sky. Simultaneously, streams of water also shot out after the ray of light.

    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The Heilong Kingdom fell into utter chaos after the Siwang Empire attacked and conquered the ten cities. Armies were being recruited and trained day and night. Emissaries were sent to many neighboring kingdoms to try to form an alliance against the Siwang Empire.

    All males from the ages of 17 through 35 were required to show up for inspection to see if they were fit to join the army to serve their motherland.

    For those who were currently admitted to various schools throughout the kingdom were exempted from the inspection. This was because anyone who was admitted into a school for cultivation was going to grow stronger than they would if they were put directly into a military camp.

    Good seedlings were better harvested after they had been given time to grow. This was especially the case for those in the Royal Academy. Everyone who was admitted into the Royal Academy was recognized genius of sorts.

    Precisely, because of this, those in the Royal Academy paid little attention to the happenings of the outside world. They focused all their attention on cultivation.

    However not everyone in the academy was focusing on cultivation.

    In one of the thousand boarding rooms at the Academy, there sat a beautiful young girl who was gazing at the stars. There was a sense of longing and lost present in her eyes as she peered into the endless night.

    The longer she stared into the night, the more tears began forming at the corner of her eyes and eventually began to weep.

    Before the Siwang Empire attacked the Blue Tear city, her life could be said as a perfect one, at least for her that is. She had parents that loved her, nice clothes, tasty food, all the things that one could wish and hope for was there for the taking. Life was simple and was void of worries or sorrow.

    But nothing lasts forever, no matter how much we wish and pray it did. When the Siwang Empire came, they were like a hammer that completely shattered her world. Her life which had been perfect, spiraled into the abyss. What was always there, was no longer in her reach anymore.

    She would never be able to walk down the same street that she did when he was growing up. Never will she be able to see and be greeted by the kind old woman who sold food at the street in front of her home. It was all these little losses that would gradually build to the bigger ones.

    Her home that she had grew up in the place that offered shelter from storms. The place where her family had dwelled in for generations. All of these things were now gone. What kept her from going insane, however, was the faint hope that a certain boy was still alive.

    No matter what others said, for her he was still alive. Be it in her heart or by some slim chance that he avoided the disaster.

    She longed to meet him again even if it was for a second in time. Those who were left behind would always be the ones who were more hurt than those who had gone away.

    This girl was the same girl who had climbed up that tree with a certain boy on a certain day. This girl was Ling.

    Despite what everyone else said, she truly believed that Zhang would one day came back to her. Until that day, she would continue to push her limits and reach for new heights. She would focus all her energy into cultivation and not letting go to hope.

    After Ling had arrived at the Royal Academy, she was like a fish in the water. She proved that she was a genius among geniuses. Ling was recognized as a student who would one day achieve great feats and would play a large role within the kingdom once she graduated.

    Many young men fell for her enchanting beauty, while many more marveled at her talent. Some chose to look from afar and count themselves lucky for being in her presence. While the vast majority tried to court Ling. They believed that only they were worthy to possess such an outstanding beauty.

    Everyone advanced differently. Some used money, while others used influence and many more tried to use power to impress her.But did Ling lack money? Did she lack influence? And lastly did she lack power? That would be a no.

    She had all of these things. Being the shining star of the Royal Academy there was no way she lacked influence. One of the last things she lacked was money, her family, although not at wealthy as Zhang¡¯s, still controlled one third of Blue Tear City which was a trade hub for the eastern side of the Heilong Kingdom. Many people who were high up in the government wished for her to jump on their boat. As for power, she would rely on her own power.

    Shortly after they escaped Blue Tear City, the Wu clan and Zhou clan relocated into the capital of the Heilong Kingdom.

    Although their homes were lost. The two clans still possessed a large amount of wealth and influence with this, they quickly rebuilt and began expanding their roots within the capital.

    Filled with grief and lost, they strived for power. Why? Some might ask, the answer is simple. They wished for power so that they could revenge.

    The Zhou Clan being the most vengeful of the two. It had lost its only heir and Zhou Cheng had lost his only and most cherished son. Filled with grief, he vowed that one day he would lead troops to flatten the Siwang Empire and get revenge for his son¡¯s death.

    Sadly, Zhen Ji had fallen into a coma and hadn¡¯t woken up after the shock of her son dying hit her.

    =====================================================================================

    A storm was brewing in the Wulin continent. The Siwang Empire had initiated an era of war and conquest.

    Every kingdom was now preparing for the imminent war. Some wished to protect themselves while others were preparing to conquer.

    On a smaller scale, many influential families had begun plotting. They too wished to become royalty. They too wanted their clan to be worshiped as founders of a kingdom or better yet, an empire.

    Soon war would break out everywhere. Experts would come out from every corner of the continent to seek glory and power.

    Preparations were taking place everywhere except those places deprived of humans. Demonic beasts paid no mind to the affairs of man nor did they know what was happening.

    This goes the same for another place. On the southern coast of the Heilong Kingdom, were a hundred small islands of various shapes and sizes.

    These islands were not inhabited by humans, for the animals and demonic beasts living there, they were all on the weaker side in terms of strength.

    The only people who came to these islands were either pirates or merchants looking for a place to dock for the night. Well all but one, this island was uninhabited. Of the hundred islands, there was one that was roughly ten times the size of the rest. And on this island, was a small port town.

    Beside that largest island, there was another particular island. This island was avoided by everyone who came remotely close to the 100 islands. This island was also known as the Cursed Island where strange lights would occasionally.

    It was said that on this island lived a tribe of cannibals and for any unlucky souls who got stranded on this island, there was a chance they might get eaten.

    There were also rumors that deep within the center of the island was a cave that leads to a network of caves. These caves formed a natural maze and who knows what lurks in them. But one thing was for sure, within the caves, there were countless pool of waters and it was said that these pools lead to the underworld.

    Well of course, these were only rumors because those who docked on the island didn¡¯t exactly explore to confirm if the stories were true or false.

    However, today, strange lights shot out from the island continuously. Seeing that the lights came from the Curse Island, the few inhabitants of the 100 islands were frightened out of their wits.

    This was the first time such a visible light appeared from the island. Usually, it was a quick flash which they believe it could have been their eyes playing tricks on them. But today, how could their eyes be playing tricks on them?

    The ray of light beamed through the area of the 100 islands and it was even visible on the southern shore of the Heilong Kingdom.

    Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

    Some people awed at the magnificent light while others feared that this was an ominous sign.

    Deep within the Cursed Island, through a thick and dense forest, was the entrance to the cave system. Inside of the cave system buried a very deep underground, through many twists and turns there was a huge and perfectly round pool of water. The water in the pool however was bloody red and at the bottom of it laid countless bones.

    The rumors had indeed been true, inside the cave was actually an entrance to the underworld, but today, it would also serve as an exit.

    When the final light shot out from the pool, the Underworld Heart could be seen flying out of the water and floating in midair above the ground. From it shot out three rays of green light. Then it began to hover for a moment then, as if it had run out of power, it dropped to the ground with a clank.

    =====================================================================================

    Zhang awoken in a somewhat dazed state. His vision was blurry and everything around him was dim. Had it not been for some oddly glowing stones embedded into the ceiling, he would not be able to see anything at all. The next thing he realized was his necklace that had been around on his neck since he was a baby was gone.

    When Zhang tried to move his arms to feel around for the necklace he could not move them. However, there was an oddly soft sensation when he tried to move his hands.

    As he turned to his right, he saw Yuying was laying unconscious on his arm. She was completely naked, two hills and a valley were completely visible. His face began to glow bright red at the mesmerizing sight but after a quick look he turned to his left as to avoid looking at her.

    But ironically on his left was another girl who was also completely naked!! However, he had no idea who she was or where the heck she came from. The only thing he knew was that she was extremely gorgeous. A beauty that would make nations fall.

    Zhang was currently living every man¡¯s dream. He was sandwiched between two completely naked and extremely beautiful women. If he wasn¡¯t so confused, he would probably be basking in this moment.

    He did not know what to do if Yuying were to wake only to find herself naked next to him. Nor did he know how this girl he had never once met in his life react to this situation.

    But he was about to find out as he heard someone yawning to his right. The yawn soon followed with a scream.

    Yuying had woken up and realized that she was nude and had been sleeping on top of Zhang¡¯s arm. The second she realized, she screamed and did a few maneuvers and got herself away, Using her hands to cover what she could cover.

    ¡°What is this! And who is that!¡±, She yelled.

    ¡°I DON¡¯T KNOW!¡± Zhang said as he got up from the ground and tried to cover himself with his hands. Then, another yawn was heard.

    Zhang and Yuying both looked toward the source of yawn. The girl who they both did not know had also woken up.

    She had long black hair, snow white skin, small lips, and long beautiful eyelashes. Her delicate looking hand covered her mouth as she yawned. Her eyes slowly opened to reveal two large golden pupils.

    She looked around the room and then looked at Zhang and Yuying.

    ¡°Where am I? Who am I? Who are you?¡±, were the first words that came out of her mouth.

    ¡°We we don¡¯t know where we are!! As for who you are?? How are we supposed to know!¡±, Yuying yelled back at her.

    ¡°My name is Zhang, and she is Yuying.¡±, Zhang said.

    As Zhang tried to avoid looking at the two beauties when something else caught his eye. It was the Underworld Heart laying on the ground.

    Zhang quickly went and grabbed it into his hand and sent his essence into it. Bluish light began to appear and swirl in the air. And after a short while, three simple white robes appeared in Zhang hands.

    He had used the power of the Underworld Heart to condense essence into clothes. These clothes would only be of use temporarily though. If someone drew essence from the air, there was a small chance the clothes would disappear. This was because he didn¡¯t exactly know how to properly use the Underworld Heart yet.

    What he also didn¡¯t know was the Underworld Heart had use the power within the Pool of Regrets to create his new body. Had he simply gone through the pool without it, during the solar alignment, he would had been just a soul and wouldn¡¯t have possessed a physical body.

    The Underworld Heart possessed little to no practical combat capabilities, but it possessed the unique ability to condense and mold essence to the users will at least in a limited area.

    It had used Zhang¡¯s soul as a blueprint to create his new body, his new body would be exactly the same as his old one when he was alive. However, in one aspect it was different. It was a newly created body, just like an infant. These kinds of bodies allowed for natural essence to flow into them much easier, at least until they had aged.

    Zhang tossed a robe to Yuying and another to the unknown girl. After dressing themselves, the three tried to figure out their situation.

    ¡°Put these on.¡± Zhang murmured trying not to peek.

    Zhang and Yuying had jumped into the Pool of Regrets in the Underworld after tossing in the Underworld Heart. They most likely were in the world of the living on the other side of the Pool of Regrets. These two things they were almost sure of.

    The fact that their bodies had been formed by the Underworld Heart was something that could be possible also. They also realized that none of them had any cultivation having only the essence level of one.

    ¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t remember anything?¡± Zhang asked the mysterious girl.

    To his question she shook her head with a clueless look on her face. they decided not to question her very much because it would not help because she claimed she did not remember a thing about herself..

    They decided one thing though, they needed a name to call her. Thus, began the difficult task of naming someone.

    Zhang came up with a few names which were instantly shot down by Yuying. She had said that he had no naming sense at all and he was just saying random names.

    ¡°Xiaqing? Su Ling¡¯er? Lu Lingqi?¡± Zhang murmured to himself after being shot down by Yuying.

    ¡°How about Ai?¡± Yuying said suggesting a name for the mystery girl.

    The girl seemed to like the name Ai also. Ai and Yuying quickly became friends. Yuying had always wanted another girl as a friend. Being a princess had prevented her from making any true friends. So Ai was a friend she had always wanted.

    Zhang, Yuying, and Ai began exploring the cavern and had found an exit. They did not think staying in the cavern was very safe. There was a pool filled with red water that seemed like blood and there were bones lying laid at the bottom.

    Zhang was able to chip off some of the glowing rocks from the walls to use as a light source.

    As they exited the cavern and began exploring they, came across many splits in the road and many dead ends. This place was exactly like a maze.

    Walking around aimlessly was going to get them nowhere, so Yuying began marking the walls as they walked. She would drew on the walls as they passed them, this would allow them to know where they had been and where they hadn¡¯t been.

    While walking, they all heard a howl that echoed in the cavern. The sound had come from somewhere very close to where they currently were. But they weren¡¯t able to make it out where.

    There was nothing to do but to continue onward though.

    After walking a short distance, they heard another howl, this time, from behind them. As the trio turned back they saw hundreds of blood-red eyes glowing in the dark.

    Not wanting to stick around to see what those eyes belonged to, the three of them ran at full speed ahead.

    However, the owners of the blood red eyes didn¡¯t give them the chance to slip away.

    The three of them continued running with the two girls in front and Zhang in the back. This was so that if the whatever was chasing them had caught up, Zhang would be able to buy time for the girls to escape.

    ¡°RUN!!!¡± Zhang yelled. The trio ran and ran through the cavern until Yuying and Ai came to a sudden stop. In front of them was a cliff, Zhang who was right behind them had also came to a stop.

    Their pursuers come into sight.

    ¡°Those are One Eyed Hellhounds!!!¡± Zhang said hurriedly. It turns out they were pursued by a pack of One Eyed Hellhounds. This was a type of demonic beast that looked very similar to wolves. Except, they only had one big eye at the center of their face. One Eyed Hellhounds were usually low level demonic beasts who ranged from levels two through four. They often lived in caves and in large packs.

    The Hellhounds charged and jumped at Zhang and the girls. This was when Zhang¡¯s arm suddenly extended. And a wall of essence formed in front of the trio. Unlike the wall that had blocked the attack from the Diyu, this wall was many times thinner.

    ¡°This wall won¡¯t last for much longer. I don¡¯t have enough essence to make a stronger one.¡±, Zhang said.

 Chapter 10: Survival

    The wall that Zhang had erected was about to fail, he did not have enough power to sustain it.

    In front of the trio was a cliff to which they could not see the bottom and behind them was a pack of One Eyed Hellhounds.

    While being cornered a sudden thought entered Zhang¡¯s mind. The black fire that practically allowed him to escape hell. Although he did not have his pendant anymore, Zhang would still be able to barely conjure a bit of black fire. But since he was no longer in the underworld, Zhang could not summon thousands of black flames anymore.

    ¡°Let''s see how much of it I can conjure on my own.¡± Zhang murmured as he channeled his essence and tried to conjure a black flame. Soon a tiny black fire appear on his finger tip.

    ¡°Well fuck¡­.¡± Zhang cursed. The flame was tiny and looked like it could go out any second.

    But this tiny black flame was still capable of claiming the life of the unlucky soul that went against him. Well only if they were not much stronger than him. And of course, if he was able sustain the flame long enough to hit them.

    As the wall began to flicker and fade away, Zhang decided to take a gamble. He ran back towards Yuying and Ai and put an arm around each of their waists and hopped off the ledge of the cliff. The three of them fell into the darkness.

    A loud splash was heard moments later.

    There was a large underground lake at the bottom of the cliff. The water in the lake was crystal clear and many fish could be seen swimming below.

    Yuying was the first one to make it to the shore because Zhang had to help Ai. She sadly did not know how to swim.

    The particular shore they swam to was sort of cut off and was only a small piece of land sticking out the side of a wall. One end of it was higher than the other and was unreachable from the water. This made for an ideal resting place because there was only one way up or down making it easy to guard.

    Zhang dug a small hole and used his essence to form a regular fire in the hole. This fire would be sustained by his essence because there was nothing to use to fuel it.

    Then he walked knee deep into the water and did something miraculous. Zhang was able to catch fish with his bare hands. While in the Underworld, Xin Tao had taught him how to clear his mind and heighten his senses which he was making full use of it right now.

    He can anticipate where the fish were going to swim to, he then quickly grab them and toss them ashore. After catching three big fish he began grilling them.

    All three of them were extremely hungry due to exploring the caves all day and then being chased by demonic beasts. So the fish quickly disappeared and Zhang had to go catch more.

    After a few trips into the water and everyone¡¯s stomachs was full, it was time to rest.

    ¡°Ah that was pretty good.¡± Yuying said.

    ¡°Anything is good when one has an empty stomach.¡± Zhang chuckled as he thought how as a princess in the underworld Yuying probably has eaten many of the delicacies the world had to offer.

    It was decided that the girls would sleep first and Zhang would keep watch for a while to see if any danger was present. After a few hours Zhang began to doze off and eventually fell asleep also.

    Although he fell asleep, Zhang was only able to rest for a few hours before he woke up. Sleeping on the ground in an underground cave was not a very ideal place to sleep.

    So he decided to try meditating and try the idea that he had came up with earlier. He sat cross-legged with the Underworld Heart placed in front of him. Zhang closed his eyes and sent a bit of energy into the Underworld Heart and it floated up in the air.

    Zhang was going to use the Underworld Heart to channel natural essence into his body and increase his cultivation.

    Normally, this could not be done but thanks to the Underworld Heart''s ability to control essence he was able to accomplish it.

    Usually, cultivators would overtime generate their own essence within their bodies or took pills or used various means to induce more essence into themselves.

    Some consumed plants that possessed high concentrations of essence in the form of pills. Some people even absorbed the soul of others. Being a soul of a person or animal, it would be much easier to absorb into one¡¯s body. This was due to the essence having been originally from a person or animal.

    But now Zhang was doing something that had never been done before. He would channel the natural essence in the air to the Underworld Heart the into his body and used it to strengthen his own production of essence.

    He sat there as the Underworld Heart absorbed the essence in the air around it and sent strands of green energy to him. After an hour, he felt that his cultivation had increased one level.

    Had Zhang not acquired a newly formed body, this would have taken much longer. Naturally, a newly formed body or a baby¡¯s body that had not been aged was able to retain more energy and thus develop much quicker.

    Zhang continued to mediate for another two hours however he did not breakthrough again. What he didn¡¯t know was the Underworld Heart made the essence, in the area around Zhang, too sparse. This was due to it having absorbed a large portion of the essence in the area earlier and it would take some time for essence to once more fill the air again.

    Yuying and Ai had woken up as Zhang was meditating but they decided not to bother him, so they sat and quietly chatted with each other. Yuying was telling Ai various stories of this and that. Because Ai cannot remember anything before meeting Yuying and Zhang, Yuying had to take the initiative.

    As she told the stories she had come to realized that Ai was lacking a lot of common sense and had little knowledge of everyday things. But this might have had been due to memory loss as well

    After eating their fill of fish, the trio began exploring once more. They had swam from one shore to the other. The shore nearest to them had a single large tunnel entrance.  This tunnel was also lined with glowing stones and provided a lot of light.

    The tunnel began to broaden as they walked into it and eventually opened up into a large room. The first thing that caught Zhang¡¯s attention were many shiny things scattered all over the ground. Upon closer inspection these were gold coins.

    However, Zhang was not able to tell which kingdom they were from. Being the son of the clan who controlled all the trade in the eastern border of the Heilong Kingdom Zhang was very well versed in many types of currency available in the continent. But he had never seen coins minted like these before.

    Perhaps they were coins from some long forgotten kingdom that had long been forgotten in history. Nonetheless these coins were still made of gold and could prove to be useful later on after leaving this place. So Zhang and the girls collected them and put them into an old rag Zhang had found laying around.

    After picking up all the gold coins in the room they entered into another tunnel. As they walked, they continued picking up gold coins that were littered on the ground.

    Soon, they entered another opening. This one had a lot of coins also but alongside the coins were many skeletons.

    In the center of the room was a small mound of gold coins and on top of these a flag was sticking out.

    The flag had a skull and crossbones on it. Clearly it was a pirate flag and from the clothing of the skeletons.

    ¡°Pirates¡­¡± Zhang thought.

    Some of the skeletons had swords sticking out of them. The pirates he most likely fought amongst themselves for the treasure and ended up all perishing.

    ¡°Well a man¡¯s misfortune was another man¡¯s lucky day¡±, Zhang thought. He picked up a rusty sword sticking out of the skeleton and handed it to Yuying and then took one for himself.

    They decided not to disturb the skeletons anymore, beside from plundering the gold coins and swords they could have salvaged some of the clothing on the skeletons but decided against it.

    After leaving the room, they walked into another tunnel, they saw another skeleton, this one was hugging a large leather sack. Zhang picked up the sack and opened it to found out that it''s full of gold coins and a piece of really old looking paper.

    He plucked the piece of paper out of the sack and unrolled it. Turned out this piece of paper was an unfinished map of the cave system. Although it was unfinished, it showed a way out from the place where they currently were to the outside world.

    From the map, they could tell that the cave system was massive and if they did not find this map and kept wandering around, they could easily spend months on end roaming the caves.

    The map even had the territory of various demonic beasts that lived in the caves marked and labelled. Besides the One Eyed Hellhound there were 3 other groups that called these caves home. There were Gigantic Iron Furred Rats. Which had fur as tough as iron and lived in huge groups. Then there were Silverback Bears, that grew to be twice the size of a regular bear and had thick silver fur that covered its entire body. Lastly there were the Acid Spitters that were giant roaches that spit acid.

    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    Luckily, they were able to avoid all these groups of demonic beasts thanks to the map. However, they almost had a few close encounters with these beasts, luckily, nothing happened.

    The map had a chamber label that intrigued Zhang. It was a chamber filled with many types of crystals. Some of these crystals were made up of naturally condensed essence. The crystals would take centuries to naturally form and looked extremely beautiful. Taking so long to form also meant that they were very rare and valuable.

    But Zhang had something else in mind. He would use the Underworld Heart to draw out the pure essence from the crystals to himself.

    When the trio entered the chamber of crystals, they stared in awe. The crystals naturally emitted light which would reflect off another crystal and then back and forth until a beautiful scene was displayed in front of them.

    ¡°So beautiful.¡± Ai and Yuying said at the same time.

    ¡°Not as beautiful as you two.¡± Zhang thought to himself.

    Zhang was currently using the leather sack he had found on the skeleton with the map. The crystal he wanted was indeed rare. But luckily Zhang was able to locate a few small pieces and couple large chunk in the chamber.

    He decided use a few large chunks and then do the same for the girls, while saving the smaller pieces to use as gifts or for trade later on. He had channeled the essence in the air to them earlier and the outcome had been just like his. So if the crystals worked for him, it would also work for the two girls.

    Zhang sat crossed leg as the two girls kept watch. The Underworld Heart had once more flew mid air and hovered on top of Zhang¡¯s head. It then emitted a green strand of light into a crystal and then soon after, it hit him.

    Having built up this the crystal Zhang¡¯s cultivation had once more increased and was now at the 3rd level. And soon, Yuying and Ai were also both at the 3rd level. They would only be able to advance so quickly for a certain period of time. After this period of time, their bodies could not retain as much essence as they could now. So they would not be able to increase their cultivation as quickly as this using this method and as their levels got higher it  would require them more essence.

    Following the map for nearly four hours, they almost reached the mouth of the cave. Zhang decided that it would be best to rest for the night in a small chamber that would be roughly an hour or two from the exit.

    They did not know what was outside and staying inside the caves would be safer since they knew what areas to avoid.

    Charging outside without rest after walking for many hours and being exhausted was not wise. What if the outside of the cave was crawling with many demonic beasts. Then they would be in over their heads.

    Being at level three meant that Zhang did not have to rely on the Underworld Heart as much as before. As he channeled the essence within his body, Zhang lifted some stones and used them to partially cover the entrance of the chamber that they were going to sleep in.

    Yuying and Ai were the first to fall asleep as Zhang sat in a corner of the chamber contemplating.

    He was wondering how long had it been in the world of the living since was sent in the Underworld. There was no way of knowing for sure how much time had passed. Although the time in the Underworld flowed roughly ten times slower than in the world of the living he could not be sure.

    Zhang wondered how his family was doing, and most of all, how Ling was doing. He wanted to know if they were safe or not because the last time he saw them, everyone was fleeing from the armies of Siwang Empire.

    Many things filled and occupied his thoughts, however, the sight of the two girls sleeping peacefully without a care in the world had helped him calm his mind. Other things could wait but the priority now was for him and these two to safely return to human civilization.

    Zhang closed his eyes and a short while after, fell asleep.

    After sleeping for around 6 hours Zhang woke up to see that Yuying and Ai were intently staring at him. They had woken up early but did not wish to disturb him so they sat down and waited for him to wake up.

    Zhang removed the rocks he placed in the entrance, then the three of them set out for the exit.

    After a mere two hours of hiking, the exit was in sight. The entrance to the cave was hidden behind a waterfall. No one would have been able to realize that there was a massive cave behind the waterfall if they did not come directly in front of it.

    On the other side of the waterfall was a thick forest with trees that stretched into the sky. To figure out what direction to go in, Zhang had climbed up a tall tree. He wanted to see which way had the signs of civilization but to his amazement, there were no signs of people. The only thing he was able to see was the vast sea.

    In all four directions some further than the others were all bodies of water.

    The best course of action now was to walk to the nearest water front and establish a shelter and to build a raft or some kind of beacon for help.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go toward the water.¡± Zhang suggested.

    The beacon however would not be a priority because they had no idea where they were and if people frequently passed by.

    So the priorities were making a shelter, finding a food source, and building a sturdy raft that was seaworthy.

    Zhang, Yuying and Ai traveled toward the western side of the island because it was the only one  in walking distance.

    The western side of the island opened up into a beautiful beach. There was an entire beach made up of sea glass. The sea glass ranged from many colors such as red, white, blue, green, and even purple. It was truly a sight to behold.

    Yuying and Ai charged onto the beach and despite being stranded, played on the beach. This of course would be their first time at a beach. Being a princess in the Underworld there were no beaches to begin with. As for Ai she had no memories of the past so this in a way was her first time.

    ¡°Brother come join us.¡± Yuying yelled as she splashed water on Ai.

    Zhang had also never been to the beach but after the Book of Fate gave him some of his memories from his past life, it was as if he had gone to the beach before. The book had restored his vast knowledge to him but as far as memories went, he only remembered a few. While the rest were bits and pieces.

    Seeing the girls having so much fun Zhang decided to join in and the three had the time of their lives.After a few hours of merrymaking it was time to get to business.

    They had to make a shelter for the night. Thankfully, Zhang had some knowledge in architecture and basic construction.

    Zhang skillfully used the rusty sword to chop down huge leaves, vines, branches and some long bamboo. Then he found some fallen over trees and gathered all the materials on the edge of the jungle and the beach.

    It was not wise to build a shelter on the beach because of the possibility of the rising tide. Nor was it smart to build inside the dense forest because god knows what is lurking in those bushes.

    Zhang used the sword to dig four deep holes. Then he stuck four mid sized logs he had found into them, these logs would be used as the pillars of the shelter.  He then used the sword to make four notches on the sides of the logs and then crisscrossed the bamboo into the notches.

    Slowly he built a sturdy shelter. He had showed Yuying and Ai how to weave the leaves together to make a roof for the shelter. Soon, they had a sturdy hut that was built off the ground. This would make do for today and tomorrow, Zhang would start building a long term shelter.

    Then he would get started to build the raft they would use.

    With the shelter completed, Zhang dived into the ocean to look for food. The ocean housed a variety of fish and was a treasure trove for the hungry.

    He was able to pry two huge oysters off a reef under the water. And catch a small shark (yes a shark). That night the three castaways held a small feast. The two oysters each had a large pearl inside of them, to which Yuying and Ai claimed.

    ¡°To think I would end up on a beach with a full belly after escaping hell.¡± Zhang thought to himself

    After the feast, the three laid on the beach and stared into the starry night.

    Thanks For Reading if you enjoyed it please vote for me >:D thanks lol

 Chapter 11: Paradise

    Three months had passed, much like a breeze. Life on the island had been a paradise. There was an abundant food available in the ocean and various fruits at the edge of the forest. The trio¡¯s small hut was now a sturdy cabin made entirely of logs.

    Zhang had started working on the raft that they would use to leave. The raft had taken nearly two months to build. But now, it was near completion.

    During the day, the girls would gather food as Zhang built the raft. At night, they would sit together and cultivate.

    After reaching the 4th level of essence, Yuying was now able to use some of the techniques she knew. When she was in the Underworld, she learned many techniques but they all required her to possess a large amount of power.

    If the trio were to be ranked by strength, Zhang of course would be strongest. Whereas if they were ranked by technique and skills Yuying would vastly outstrip Zhang. But if they ranked each other based on cultivation speed, Ai was leaps and bounds ahead of Zhang and Yuying. She had reached the 5th level and was one level ahead of the other two.

    The three of them, under normal circumstances, would be considered monsters. No regular person would believe them if they said they had advanced from level 1 to level 4 or 5 within 3 months. The other party would most likely laugh at them rather than believe them.

    Over these three months, they had stayed purely on the beach and did not venture into the forest. This was because at night, they would hear loud roars and howls off in the distance and thundering footsteps that shook the ground.

    Who knew what lurks in the forest, and they did not want to be the ones to find out.

    The island was truly odd, this was due to the fact that, so far, there had been no signs of people. You would think that, on an island with such an abundance of food, there would at least be a small striving population or at least a small port town of sort for ships to dock.

    =====================================================================

    Today, the sky was clear and the weather was nice and warm too Zhang decided to take a day to rest. The raft was nearly completed now and he only had to do the finishing touches. It was a fairly large raft or well we can call it a barge.

    Many large logs were tied together using vines and then smaller logs crossed over the bigger ones in notches. This made the enter raft a single solid object.

    Now, all Zhang had to do was add sails and a rudder. Then make some oars to use when there was no wind to propel the raft.

    For sails he had planned to enter the forest and hunt some animals and use their hides or bind leaves together. Making the sails out of essence like he did with their clothes wouldn¡¯t be a very smart choice. This was because compared to the clothes the sails would be massive. And of course it would be much easier to mend the sails if they were made of fur or leaves.

    After resting for half a day Zhang grabbed a wooden spear he had made and set out to survey the surrounding jungle.

    Three months had passed since Zhang last stepped foot this deep in the forest. However, this time he would be twice as strong and he was fairly confident that he would be able to take on anything that would jump out at him. Or at least he would be able to get away.

    Zhang had his trusty spear and the rusty sword that he had found in the cave and some rope made of vines.

    After walking a distance, he decided to climb into a tree and observe to see if there was any wildlife in the area.

    He had chosen a fruit tree to climb up into. This type of fruit tree grew everywhere on the island and had a strange taste to it. The first bite into the fruit would be sweet, but the 2nd bite would have a strangely sour taste. The fruit itself looked strange also. It was an oval shaped, bright red in color and had small spikes all over.

    As Zhang sat in the tree, a pair of deer passed by under him. It was a mother deer and her fawn. They were eating the fruit that had fallen onto the ground. It was a somewhat heartwarming scene. That was when Zhang shot out of the tree and pounced on the two deer! The two deer didn¡¯t see what was coming as one of them was stabbed by a spear and the other slashed with a sword.

    Making quick work of the two deer, Zhang began to tie them with his vines and started heading back to the cabin. The two deer would serve as dinner tonight and their hides would be used at part of the sails.

    Then suddenly, in the bushes ahead of Zhang rustled and behind them a giant white panther jumped out! It was a White Jade Panther. These demonic beasts were the kind that lived in solitude and were fairly powerful, maturing at the 7th level.

    ¡°SHIT!!!!!!!¡± Zhang yelled

    The panther was attracted by the smell of blood.

    Zhang knew he did not have a chance of victory over this monster so he bolted the opposite direction.

    Seeing Zhang ran the panther began pursuing. It was extremely fast but luckily for Zhang the forest was dense so it was not able to run at full speed. Trees fell over and rocks were crushed as the panther pursed Zhang.

    ¡°Maybe this will work¡±, Zhang tossed the fawn at the Panther hoping it would stop pursuing him. But when the fawn landed in front of the panther, it was totally ignored.

    ¡°FUCK!!!!¡± ( T___T greedy panther lol)

    Off in the distance there was a side of a cliff. If he was able to climb up this cliff the panther would not be able to pursue him but to do that, Zhang would have to abandon his deer.

    He cursed as he tossed the deer¡¯s carcass to the ground toward the panther. The panther stopped pursuing Zhang and began eating the deer.

    Then out of nowhere a giant lion appeared. It was a three eyed voracious eater. This type of demonic best also matured at the 7th level like the panther but it was double the size of the panther.

    The lion pounced on the panther and the two began an epic battle.

    Zhang took the chance to escape and he prayed that neither of the two beasts would pursue.

    Luckily, Zhang was able to make run a fairly long distance before the battle concluded.

    The voracious eater had snapped the panthers neck with its powerful paw and then began eating the panther and the deer.

    Not willing to leave empty handed Zhang came back and picked up the carcass of the fawn.

    By the time he returned to the cabin, it was night and the stars shone from the skies.

    He skinned the fawn and began grilling its meat. The deer¡¯s meat was most welcomed because eating fish and shellfish for three months would make anyone feel sick. Thus, the deer meat quickly disappeared.

    Zhang decided the he, very next day, would try his luck again and try to get more meat. This time, he would have to be cautious. He could, instead of using his spear or sword, use brute force to take care of the animals. This would prevent other predators from picking up the scent of blood.

    Three months had passed since Zhang started hunting. He had long ago became an extremely skilled hunter and after a short while, an area of the forest was filled with various traps that he had set. Pitfalls and countless other traps littered everywhere.

    The cabin was now filled with furs of different animals and even some demonic beasts. Yuying had asked Zhang to get fur so she could make blankets for the voyage. They did not know where they were and how far they were from civilization, and on the sea the weather was constantly changing, one day it could be warm and sunny and the next it could be freezing cold. So it would be best to be prepared.

    This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

    Yuying was extremely skilled at sewing and had made many blankets and even sewed together most of the sail.

    Now they were preparing food for the voyage and after doing so, they¡¯d be ready to embark and leave the island.

    Dried fish and dried meat were being prepared. Fruits were being picked and stored away for later. The trio had gathered a large amount of food for the trip. They had basically everything they¡¯d need for a long voyage.

    So today, would be the last day the trio would stay on the island. So they had a small feast because it would be their last warm cooked meal for a while.

    After stuffing themselves full, the three had went to bed early to rest in preparation for the long voyage ahead.

    However, that night a loud roar sounded in the night.

    The loud roar had woken up the trio. Soon after the first roar another could be heard but the second roar sounded different from the first. One after another, many roars and howls could be heard and it was as if they were coming closer. The whole island felt as if it was shaking.

    Zhang was the first to run out of the cabin to see what was happening. In the distance, he could see a giant snake sticking out high above the forest. In front of it was an equally giant ape.

    The two monsters were battling each other in the middle of the night. The snake opened its huge maw and attacked the ape. It was able to latch its fangs onto the ape and then began coiling around its body to constrict it.

    Just when it seemed like the snake had the advantage, the giant ape overpowered it and broke out of its coils. The ape then tossed the giant snake away and when the snake''s body landed it caused a huge boom. Many trees fell over due to the impact of the giant snakes fall and clouds of dusts were formed.

    The giant snaked opened its mouth and a huge lightning bolt shot out and struck the giant ape.

    ¡°That¡¯s snake is a level 8 Lightning Eater!!!¡±, Zhang yelled.

    The ape after getting hit by the lightning bolt, it had been knocked to the ground. It slowly struggled its way up from the ground and also opened its mouth and from within, a blue beam shot out.

    Anything that was touched by the blue beam was instantly coated in a thick layer of ice.

    ¡°And that is a level 8 Frost Emperor Ape!!!¡±, Zhang yelled even more excited than before.

    Level 6 demonic beast''s were rarely spotted by humans and level 7 were even more rarely spotted but here, were two beasts at level 8 battling in front of Zhang. It was a sight truly to behold.

    But now was hardly the time to stand and watch because at any moment Zhang, Yuying and Ai could be caught in the crossfire of these two monstrous beasts. A random lightning bolt or even being skimmed by the emperor ape¡¯s ice beam would send them straight back to the underworld. This time, it would be permanent.

    ¡°Quickly gather up our things we are setting sail. It is too dangerous to stay here any longer.¡±, he screamed

    Time was of the essence so everyone grabbed what they could carry and headed for the raft. Luckily a lot of things had already been packed onto the raft or else they¡¯d find themselves in trouble later on.

    Yuying and Ai hopped onto the raft and each grabbed an oar as Zhang pushed the raft into the water.

    BANG!! BANG!!

    They looked back to the emperor ape and the lightning eater and saw that once more the lightning eater had wrapped the emperor ape. But this time. it had blasted the ape at point blank range with its lightning.

    Scorch marks could be seen on the emperor ape¡¯s white coat of fur.  A bit of blood could also be seen flowing out of the place where the snake had bitten the ape earlier.

    In retaliation to the lightning eater, the emperor ape shot its ice beam also at point blank range. However, the ice beam had a devastating effect on the snake unlike the lightning on the ape. Being cold blooded the extreme cold temperature from the ice had greatly injured the snake.

    But it wasn¡¯t out for the count the lightning eater began strengthening its coiling around the ape. It wanted to crush the ape to death.

    And for the first time, the ape did something he had not done before, it bit into the snake, a grievous wound appeared near the snake¡¯s head. Streams of blood was now flowing out of the snakes wound.

    Zhang, Yuying and Ai were not a short distance out in the water. Zhang had tossed some large stones tied to vines into the water to anchor the raft.

    He wanted to see who would win this death match and afterwards try to scavenge what he could from the loser¡¯s corpse. These were demonic beasts at the 8th level their bodies would be consider treasures troves.

    Their blood alone could be used to make high level pills. Their fangs, scales, and claws could be used to make rare weapons and armor. Zhang was hoping the lightning eater would be the one to meet its demise.

    The lightning eater¡¯s scales would prove to be very useful and valuable. Those scales were incredible hard and since they belonged to a lightning eater the scales were resistant to lightning attacks.

    The battle raged on until the emperor ape¡¯s coat of fur turned entirely red. This wasn¡¯t due to the huge amount of blood that had leaked out from its body but the emperor ape had entered a frenzied state and was now going berserk.

    A weird bulge appeared on the lightning eaters upper body and this bulge continued growing until it popped and another lightning eater¡¯s head appeared. Both demonic beasts were going all out and at the end for sure, one of them will perish.

    The ape had jumped and managed to land on top of the snake and began pounding away at the snake¡¯s head. Although it was able to keep one head down the 2nd newly formed head lunged at the ape.

    One of the ape¡¯s arms were now occupied with the snake¡¯s other head. The ape still looked like it had an advantage though. This fight continued for hours and at the end of the fight the sun was about to rise. The giant snake had constricted the ape to death.

    ¡°Damn, but I guess I¡¯ll have to make do with the ape.¡±, Zhang sighed

    However, shortly after the giant snake began departing, it slumped over and also fell to the ground. It sustained too many injuries during the fight and had also expended too much essence.

    Now, all Zhang had to do was go scavenge what he could from the two corpses before any other smart demonic beasts showed up.

    An eerie silence broke out after the battle, to the extent where crickets could be heard. Zhang wanted Yuying and Ai to stay on the raft but they flatly refused him and wished to see the two corpses close up. Seeing that both of the huge threats were now gone, Zhang did not refuse.

    The trio hopped off the raft and swam back to shore. Docking the raft on the island would take too long so they decided to swim.

    Their first target was the Lightning Eater. Zhang was hoping to find some of its cultivation in a crystallized form. Zhang was also hoping to get many scales from the snake eater so he could use it to get an armor for Yuying, Ai, and himself.

    The trio began walking into the forest towards the giant snake.

 Chapter 12: Man vs Beast

    Small fires had started in the forest due to the lightning that was shot everywhere earlier. These small fires, in mere instances, turned parts of the forest into a raging sea of fire.

    ¡°You two go back to the cabin and get whatever you can and bring it on to the raft! I¡¯m going to see if I can get anything useful for us from those two monsters.¡±, Zhang yelled.

    ¡°Okay!! But be careful and come back in one piece!¡±, Yuying yelled back.

    ¡°Yeah don¡¯t die!!!¡±, Ai also yelled.

    Zhang nodded and headed off into the forest with a smile plastered on his face. Although it was dangerous to go into the forest now, he felt that there was a huge harvest waiting for him.

    Having spent months in the forest, Zhang was able to breeze through it. Shortly after entering the forest, he was already in front of the corpse of the Lightning Eater.

    From the Lightning Eater¡¯s mouth, a strange liquid was leaking out and whatever this liquid touched it would begin to corrode. This most likely was the snake''s poison being a level 8 demonic beast, it¡¯s poison was extremely fearful.

    With a wave of his hand a canteen appeared in Zhang¡¯s hand.

    ¡°This might come in handy later.¡±, he said as he crouched down, as he used the canteen made out of essence to fill it with as much poison as he could dripping out of the Lightning Eaters mouth.

    Had he tried to store it in something else, the poison most likely would of ate through the container. Only ice jade or something made out of a demonic beast of a higher level could possibly store this poison.

    But using the Underworld Heart, Zhang was able to condense pure essence into a canteen. This canteen being made of essence would naturally be very sturdy but Zhang would have to keep channeling a bit of essence into it or else it would disappear.

    Another treasure was also in front of Zhang, the Lightning Eater¡¯s skin and scales. The skin had huge scales overlapping each other and tiny scales that clustered underneath the large scales.

    The Lightning Eater had some especially big scales that grew on its head. These large scales could be used as shields or breast plates, whereas the skin itself with the small scales could be used as chainmail.

    Zhang lifted up his sword and chopped into the snake¡¯s corpse.

    Clang!

    ¡°What the¡­..¡±

    His sword bounced right off not even scratching the skin. Regular blades wouldn¡¯t even be able to scratch the Lightning Eater¡¯s skin and scales. Let alone Zhang¡¯s rusty sword that was as dull as a butter knife.

    He could possibly try to peel the skin off without cutting it but the snake was massive and there would be no way to carry off its entire hide.

    Zhang was in the middle of a dilemma, he did not know how he could get some of the snake¡¯s skin and there was no way he was going to leave such a treasure alone and leave without any part of it.

    That¡¯s when he noticed something shiny on top of a bush. It was a scale and a piece of skin as big as curtain.

    ¡°How did this end up here?¡±, he thought,

    Zhang quickly stuffed the skin into his sack and held the shield sized scale in his hand. Then he began to search to see if there were more pieces laying around.

    The skin and scale had most likely fell off during the fight with the ape.

    Although he wasn¡¯t able to find anymore loose pieces, Zhang ended up where the ape had bit the Lightning Eater¡¯s skin.

    The left side of the snake¡¯s 2nd head had a huge gash and the skin and scales were sticking out and ripped to shreds. This was perfect for Zhang, and he walked up and began plucking the scales and playing them in a huge sack he had made out of essence. The torn pieces of skin that was barely attached to the corpse was also plundered.

    Soon, Zhang¡¯s huge sack was full of spoils of war and he decided it was time to pay a visit to the other corpse.

    As the fires raged, a big part of the forest was set ablaze so he had no time to waste. Zhang quickly mapped out a path in his mind and navigated through the burning forest to the body of the Frost Emperor Ape.

    But when he reached his destination he encountered something that he did not wish to encounter.

    A Voracious Eater was feasting on the Frost Apes remains. It was gorging itself with the Frost Ape.

    From afar Zhang was able to see a shiny purple gem sticking out of the chest of the ape where the Voracious Eater was feasting. This was most likely the Frost Apes cultivation core.

    Demonic beasts unlike humans kept all their essence stored up in a core within their bodies. These cores were extremely valuable and very beneficial for cultivation. They could be melted and then fused with herbs to make pills.

    Zhang decided to hide in the bush until the Voracious Eater had its fill and left. However, what it did next stunned him. The Voracious Eater was gnawing on the Frost Ape¡¯s core.

    Upon pulling the core out of the ape¡¯s chest the voracious eater began gnawing on it.  A short while passed and the entire core was consumed.

    After consuming the frost ape¡¯s core, the voracious eater began to emit a dazzling light from its body.

    Thanks to the core of the ape it had advanced into the next level.

    ¡°Shit¡­ It¡¯s time to get out of here.¡±

    Zhang turned back and began to walk away into the forest. As Zhang walked away something followed him.

    As he ran through the forest Zhang could feel that something was watching him.

    Then out of nowhere a big shadow pounced at him from a bush. It was the now level 8 three eyed voracious eater.

    Zhang ducked and rolled to the side and dodge.

    ¡°You damn glut; you just ate that huge frost ape and now you want a piece of me?¡±

    The Voracious Eater charged at Zhang, and when it was about to reach him, Zhang pulled out his canteen of poison.

    A stream of corrosive poison flowed out of the canteen and splashed onto the charging beast.

    ¡°Ha! Maybe now you¡¯ll learn not to bite on more than you can chew!!!¡±

    Howling and scratching at its face, the lion was rolling about on the ground.

    Using this opportunity, Zhang ran once more. This time though, he was not headed to where the girls were but back to the corpse of the Lightning Eater.

    The lion sensed that Zhang was trying to get away fell into a raged frenzy, ignoring its pain, it rushed after Zhang.

    Zhang and the lion stormed through the forest. In its wake nothing was left standing, trees were knocked over and stones were crushed to dust.

    As the two of them dashed through the burning forest, Zhang was barely able to stay in front of the lion, had it not been for the trees he would have been caught long ago.

    It was exactly when White Jade Panther had chased Zhang before.

    Soon the corpse of the Lightning Eater was in sight and a smile appeared on Zhang¡¯s face.

    After reaching the corpse Zhang turned back and waited for the lion to appear. A few seconds passed before he was once again in front of Zhang with blood thirsty eyes.

    The Voracious Eater was filled with rage because Zhang had blinded one of its eyes and badly damaged a part of its face with the Lightning Eaters poison.

    ¡°Come and get me if you can, you overgrown cat!!!!¡±, Zhang roared.

    In response to Zhang¡¯s taunt, an extremely loud roar echoed out of the Voracious Eater¡¯s mouth.

    Then it began charging at Zhang once more.

    Zhang had a broad smile across his face as he watched it rush toward him.

    At the very last second he jumped to the side dodging it yet another time. This time however would be the last.

    Behind Zhang was a small pond that had formed beside the Lightning Eater¡¯s corpse. This pond was made entirely of corrosive poison.

    The Voracious Eater became entirely coated in the corrosive poison as it landed in the pond. Slowly it¡¯s skin began to sizzle and liquefy. Chunks of its flesh began sliding off and eventually bone began to show. But once the bones touched the poison they too liquefied.

    Zhang watched as the beast slowly turned into nothing and laughed.

    In the end the mighty beast was no more and all was left was a bloody puddle and a pair of fairly large fangs.

    Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.

    ¡°This poison¡­.. I NEED MORE!!! Hahaha¡± Zhang laughed as he formed another canteen and filled it with poison.

    Although he wasn¡¯t able to get anything from the body of the Frost Ape, Zhang had a huge harvest anyway. Two canteens of Lightning Eater poison, a huge sack filled with Lightning Eater scales and skin, along with a pair of fangs with the size of daggers from a Voracious Eater.

    These things could not be easily found for sale anywhere and even if they were, it would cost a fortune to acquire them.

    Zhang tied the sack tightly to himself and began running back to where Yuying and Ai was.

    However, before he even made it half way back he heard a couple voices.

    ¡°Zhang you''re safe!!¡±

    As he looked in the direction of the voice he saw Yuying and Ai.

    They had been worried because he was gone for far too long and decided to go look for him in case he had gotten himself in over his head.

    Zhang ran up to the two of them and as they went back to where the raft was he narrated the events that had occurred.

    ¡°Ha serves that cat right!¡± Yuying laughed after she heard what happened to the Voracious Eater. While Ai simply smiled.

    After reaching the raft, the two girls hopped on while Zhang pushed it out into the water once more.

    This time they would truly bid the island goodbye.

    =================================================

    A couple days flew after the trio had set sail from the Cursed Island. The weather had been clear and sunny but there was still an abundance of wind which made ideal for sailing conditions.

    Since they had a large amount of fur, and the raft was basically the size of a barge, the trio had made a hut out of fur to sleep in. However, the two girls would sleep together as Zhang slept in a corner of the hut alone.

    The hut even came with a cooking place. Which was basically the Lightning Eater¡¯s large scale, it was used to hold a fire and prevent it from burning the raft. They¡¯d roast fish that they caught from the ocean on top of the scale using fire made by essence.

    It had been a smooth sailing so far however, black clouds could be seen in the distance.

    ¡°We should be okay for now but soon, as we sail under those black clouds, most likely, we will get hit by a heavy storm and the water will start to get rough.¡±, Zhang said as he stared at the clouds.

    ¡°Then me and sis should go put everything that shouldn¡¯t get wet into the hut!!¡±, Ai said cheerfully.

    Yuying and Ai had begun calling each other sisters and had grown awfully close. While Zhang would occasionally be called brother, mostly when they wanted something from him.

    He could not refuse neither of the beauties when they made puppy eyes at him and begged him to do something. Well, who could?

    As Zhang stared at the clouds. something else caught his attention. It was a ship! A very large ship with four massive sails. The ship was currently in the storm going up and down the huge waves.

    Seeing a ship made Zhang excited, this was an opportunity to come in contact with civilization. The sailors on the ship must have set sail from a port and was currently headed towards one so they¡¯d be able to give Zhang general directions back to the port.

    And after reaching the port, Zhang would be able to make his way home and back to his family.

    However, the ship was far distance away from the raft. And there was no way to be sure that they¡¯d be spotted on the raft by the people on the ship who were caught up in a storm.

    The only thing Zhang could do now was wait and prepare to face the storm himself.

    An hour or so later, the raft entered the storm. The winds howled as the waves towered above one another. Lightning rained down from the sky and an endless amount of rain sprinkled down from above.

    Zhang, Yuying, and Ai had retreated inside of the hut where it was nice and cozy. A fire was lit in the giant scale and food was cooking. Each of them was embraced by a warm fur blanket.

    Occasionally, Zhang would peak out of the opening of the hut and see if he could spot the ship from before.

    But most of the time was used to converse amongst themselves.

    ¡°Brother tell us about the kingdom you came from?¡± Yuying asked.

    ¡°Well I grew up in a small city at the border of the kingdom so I don¡¯t really know much about the entire kingdom but I can tell you about the place I grew up.¡±

    Telling stories and jokes was the main source of entertainment within the hut and it kept everyone occupied and not bored. It also helped them bond with each other.

    As Zhang was telling the girls about his birthplace, he saw something in the corner of his eye.

    ¡°What the... That couldn¡¯t be¡±, he murmured.

    Zhang saw what seemed to be a person walking on top of the water in the middle of the storm. However, the person was too far for him to make out any distinguishable features. But he was fairly certain that his eyes were not playing tricks on him. He was sure that he saw a person.

    BANG!!! A blinding lightning bolt had snaked down from the sky and struck the surface of the water.

    When Zhang opened his eyes the person wasn¡¯t there anymore.

    ¡°It must have been a saint.¡±, Zhang mumbled

    ¡°What was that brother?¡±, Ai asked

    ¡°Nothing. So back to that story!¡±

    ==============================================================

    The storm had raged on for three days and three nights before dispersing. The sun came out of its hiding and began to shine once more.

    Since the storm dispersed, the watered became calm and there weren¡¯t any more gigantic waves towering about.

    A school of dolphins could be seen frolicking in the distance and after a while, they began swimming alongside the raft.

    ¡°Brother! Look! Look!!! What are those!¡± She yelled out as she saw the dolphins. Since she was born in the underworld there was no such creatures like them.

    It was the first time anyone in the trio had seen a dolphin so they were very excited and continued to watch the dolphins for hours.

    Zhang still kept an eye out for the ship he had spotted before entering the storm. Which eventually paid off because Zhang was able to spot the very same ship from before a distance away from the raft.

    Zhang grabbed the oars and began rowing. He became hell-bent on reaching that ship. It was his ticket back home and he couldn¡¯t afford to lose sight of it a second time. Because if not, Zhang wasn¡¯t sure if they¡¯d ever make it back to civilization. None of the members of the trio knew how to navigate at sea so they had no way of knowing what direction they were even going.

    The ship seemed to be anchored and not moving so Zhang was able to close in on it.

    Soon, he was able to see people on top of the bow of the ship.

    ¡°HEYYYY!!!!¡± He screamed, trying to get the attention of the people on the boat.

    Soon after, the two girls joined in and began swinging their arms side to side.

    The people on the ship had lowered a small dingy and began rowing toward the raft. Moments later, the trio, would for the first time in a long while, met people who was not a part of their party.

    A mid-aged man with long black hair tied in a ponytail walked onto the raft from the dingy. As the man stepped onto the raft, the first thing he noticed was the two beauties aboard and the next thing he noticed was the many commodities on the raft.

    ¡°Hello)?¡±, The man cordially said.

    ¡°My name is Zhang and this is Yuying and that is Ai. We have been stranded at sea for months and was hoping that you could help us reach land.¡±, Zhang said.

    ¡°Of course! My crew and I would be more than happy to help you. I will signal for our ship to come over and we can tow this raft of yours with us to our destination.¡± Jian Wei said with a smile.

    ¡°Many thanks sir.¡±, Yuying said.

    ¡°No thanks needed, none at all, we are just doing what we should do.¡± Jian Wei replied as he pulled up a signal flare and shot it into the sky.

    After seeing the flare, his ship began moving towards the raft.

    >>> Vote for me <<<

 Chapter 13: Suspicion

    Jian Wei¡¯s ship sped its way toward the raft at high speeds. Minutes after the flare had been shot, the ship was towering over the raft. Jian Wei had suggested that he¡¯d go back to his ship first and make some arrangements for Zhang, Yuying, and Ai before inviting them aboard.

    Jian Wei smiled at Zhang as he was hoisted up onto his ship while holding onto a rope that his crewmates had tossed down from above.

    ¡°Yuying, Ai come here for a second.¡±, he said in a low tone as he signaled them to go inside the hut.

    Once they were in the hut, Zhang pulled out 3 pieces of Lightning eater skin.

    ¡°Wrap this around your body underneath your clothes before getting on that ship. We don¡¯t know if these people are friends or foes. It¡¯s best to be on the safe side than to regret it later.¡±, he whispered

    ¡°If they are bad people all we have to do it beat them up, right sister?¡±, Ai said with a smirk on her face.

    ¡°This girl.¡±, Yuying said while shaking her head.

    Zhang had left the hut to let the girls put on the Lightning Eater skin. He himself would put it on after them and as a precaution he took out his canteen of poison.

    ¡°This might come in handy¡±

    While holding the canteen in his left hand Zhang flipped his right hand and a tiny vial appeared. It would be too conspicuous to carry around the large canteen all the time, but if it was a small vial he could tuck it in his clothes without anyone noticing. Then he sent some energy into the canteen in his hand and drops of the Lightning Eater¡¯s poison began floating out and entered the vial.

    After filling the small vial, Zhang tucked it into his sleeve and sent energy into the canteen both in his hand and in his sack. He had to supply them with enough essence to stay tangible for some time or else they¡¯d disappear and all the poison would spill.

    Just when Zhang finished sending energy into the canteens, Yuying and Ai walked out of the hut. This signaled his turn to don the snake¡¯s skin. After a short while, Zhang emerged from the hut and walked towards the two girls.

    As he was walking toward the girls, a rope ladder was dropped from the ship.

    ¡°Come up, arrangements have been made.¡±, Jian Wei yelled from above down towards the trio.

    Soon tethers were tossed down from above and the trio fastened them to the raft. This was so the ship could tow the raft along instead of abandoning it.

    After securing the tethers, they began climbing up the rope ladder. At first, Ai wanted to go first, but Yuying grabbed her shoulder and whispered something in her ear. Ai¡¯s face gradually turned bright red and she no longer wanted to climb up first anymore.

    ¡°Bro brother!!!! You go first!!¡±, Ai said as she pointed to the rope ladder.

    Zhang had guessed what Yuying had whispered in Ai so a broad smile appeared on his face.

    ¡°Don¡¯t wanna, you can go first and I will go right after you.¡±, he said with a chuckle.

    Ai¡¯s face became even more red.

    ¡°Ouch!!¡± cried Zhang as he felt that the skin on his arm was being twisted.

    ¡°Okay okay! I¡¯ll go first¡± he said as he rubbed his arm, looking at Yuying with a dejected expression

    Thus, Zhang began his climb up the ladder. Since the ship was so big it took Zhang sometime to make it to the top. After him, Yuying was the next one to come up and finally it was Ai.

    Above the deck of the ship, stood four huge masts that hung four massive sails. There were people running around mopping the decks, moving various things or just lazing around.

    ¡°Welcome aboard!!!¡±

    Zhang looked to his side and saw Jian Wei smiling at him while standing next to another man. The man next to Jian Wei had an eye patch on his left eye. A large scar ran from his forehead across to his left cheek.

    Just from looking at this man one can tell that he was a hardened veteran in combat and could probably hold his own against two men who were on the same level as he was.

    ¡°Ah I almost forgot, this is my first mate Yan Li.¡±

    ¡°Nice to meet you my name is Zhou Zhang, this is Yuying and Ai.¡±, Zhang said.

    ¡°Yan Li here will show you guys to your lodgings. Make sure not to get lost, our ship is pretty big. Also, we have a curfew that is not to be broken. Everyone is to return to their room, 3 hours after the sun sets. I will see you guys later for supper.¡±

    After telling Zhang about the curfew, Jian Wei gestured his hand toward a big door and departed.

    After Jian Wei departed, Yan Li gave the trio a small tour of the ship as he led them to their rooms. The interior of the ship was like a maze, all the hallways looked similar and it was easy to get lost.

    ¡°Ah, here is the room we prepared for these two young ladies.¡± Yan li said as he opened a door.

    The room that was prepared looked very simple but had all the necessities that one would need for a long voyage. A large comfy bed, a dresser, and a table was used to decorate the room.

    Yuying and Ai walked into the room and thanked Yan li.

    ¡°Lad that will be your room right there down the hall.¡±

    ¡°Oh you shouldn¡¯t have. I going to stay with my two wives anyway.¡± Zhang said as he walked into the room where Yuying and Ai were.

    The two girls stared at Zhang after he had said that they were his wives. Dazed and confused, they did not say a word and simply just stared at him. However, Yuying was the first to snap out of the dazed state and walked up to Zhang and put her arms around his arm.

    ¡°Yes there won¡¯t be a need for another room, my husband will be staying with us.¡±

    ¡°Is that so. Then I won¡¯t be bothering you any longer. If you need anything, please come and find me or the captain. I bid you a good day.¡±

    After bidding Yan Li farewell, Zhang shut and latched the door.

    The instant the door closed Yuying grabbed Zhang¡¯s collar.

    ¡°What¡¯s the big idea huh?!¡±

    ¡°Wait wait wait¡±, Zhang whispered.

    Then he lifted his hand and a large bubble of essence was formed. Xin Tao taught Zhang how to create a separate space from the world around him using the Underworld Heart. In this space, sound would not be transmitted outside and made it a perfect place to talk when one did not want anyone to eavesdrop.

    Zhang gestured as he walked into the bubble. And soon Ai and Yuying followed into it.

    ¡°I believe it would be best if all three of us stay in the same room. I don¡¯t know why, but I don¡¯t have a good feeling about the captain of this ship. He seems too willing to help. Although it might do him some injustice but we aren¡¯t sure if this ship is safe for us to stay.¡±

    ¡°Brother you could be right, it¡¯s easier to deal with demonic beasts than it is to deal with people. At least you know a demonic beast is out to get you, unlike people who would greet you with a smile but are ready to slit your throat the second you turn your back toward them.¡±, Yuying said

    ¡°If anyone asks, we are married and for our honeymoon, we had gone on a trip but ended up stranded at sea. But it is best not to talk much to these people, at least for now.¡±, Zhang added

    ¡°Ok brother.¡±, Ai agreed.

    After the conversation, the bubble of essence disappeared. The trio began to make themselves at home in the room. The bed was big enough for all three of them to sleep on however, Zhang opted to lay the many furs they had on the ground and sleep there while the two girls slept on the bed.

    As a man, he would not allow them to sleep on the ground as he slept on a bed so this was the only solution. Well unless they let him sleep together, however that was not the case.

    The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

    Just when they had gotten themselves comfy a knock was heard coming from the other side of the door.

    ¡°It is time for supper, come to the mess hall down the hall to the right.¡±, a voice said.

    Zhang, Yuying, and Ai had not experienced a true proper meal in months, so they were all excited and departed from the room for the mess hall very quickly.

    The ship''s mess hall looked very much like a tavern. There were drunk sailors singing and dancing while the other sailors cheered. Although it was a merry environment, Zhang couldn¡¯t help but feel vigilant. All the men in the mess hall gave him this weird feeling. They also all looked somewhat creepy.

    Also, because when Yuying and Ai had walked into the room, everyone¡¯s eyes were glued onto them. Some of the men that were dancing on top of tables even tumbled down as they lost their footing due to not watching where they were stepping.

    The men on this ship had never seen two beauties that were this beautiful in their entire lives. And being on a ship consists of only men for months on end did not help at all. But now, in front of them was not one but two world class beauties that could make kingdoms go to war for them.

    How could they not stare? Some of them looked like hungry wolves who was seeing a pair of lambs in front of them.

    Lips were licked, and a few couldn¡¯t walk with their backs straight.

    Zhang seeing this put his arms around the waists of Yuying and Ai. After doing so, he walked with them to where the food was being distributed.

    When he walked down the rows of tables many hateful glares were locked onto Zhang. However, it would be better for the sailors to hate him than to start hitting on the girls.

    The trio were guests on this ship, and Zhang did not want to hurt anyone for being impolite to Yuying or Ai. By showing that they were his, a majority of the sailors would back off and would not come looking for trouble.

    After getting a couple dishes, the trio picked an empty table in a corner to have their meal. Yuying and Ai¡¯s faces had hint of pink on them thanks to Zhang.

    Before they could start their meal a sailor walked up their table. The man looked around 30 to 40 years old. He had a long black beard, a  mustache and stood two heads higher than the rest of the sailors. Various scars could be seen etched on his boulder like arms.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you two ladies ditch that boy and come eat with a real man. And maybe after, papa can show you a good time.¡±, the man said with a grin on his face.

    However, his words were completely ignored. The trio began eating and did not even pay attention to him.

    ¡°Yuying say ahhh.¡±, Zhang said as he picked up some food with his chopsticks and guided it in front of Yuying¡¯s mouth.

    Yuying¡¯s face became as red as a beet but she opened her mouth and allowed him to feed her.

    ¡° You too Ai.¡±, Zhang said with a smile

    ¡°Oo-okay.¡±, Ai said while opening her mouth.

    The bearded giant of a man seeing this became irritated and slammed his first into the table causing a loud bang sound.

    ¡°Please go away I¡¯m trying to enjoy a meal with my two very very beautiful wives.¡±, ( >:D ) Zhang sneered at the man.

    However, the man was not going to have any of it and with a twist of his hands, he flipped the table that the trio was using to eat dinner.

    Food had scattered everywhere on the floor creating a huge mess. Pieces of plates and dishes were also scattered everywhere on the ground.

    ¡°Hey kid if you want dinner so bad why don¡¯t you eat it off the ground!! Maybe if you did daddy will let you off. Oh yea I¡¯ll be having a bit of fun with these two beauties later in my room too if you don¡¯t mind. Hahahaha.¡±, the bearded man said in a menacing voice.

    ¡°What did you say? I¡¯m sorry I can¡¯t understand dogs who only knows how to bark!¡±, Zhang said while glaring at the man.

    ¡°Still playing the tough guy aren¡¯t you? Let me teach you a lesson and then we¡¯ll see who¡¯s the tough guy around here!¡±, the bearded man said as he charged at Zhang.

    ¡°You two step to the side and enjoy the show.¡±, Zhang said to Yuying and Ai and he also charged towards the man.

    He was not sure how high the man¡¯s cultivation was but he was fairly confident that as long as the man was not a level 8 or above, he would be completely fine. Even if the man was a level 8 practitioner, he wouldn¡¯t be caught dead on this ship.

    That was because those who had reached level 8 would almost all be recruited by the kingdoms or empires they were a part of. Level 8 practitioners would be made into commander in armies or recruited to schools to teach and train disciples. There would be no way they¡¯d be on a ship in the middle of nowhere dressed in shabby looking clothes and picking a fight with a someone of Zhang¡¯s age.

    The man swung his fists wildly at Zhang, who was able to dodge them all. In retaliation to the man¡¯s fists, Zhang began jabbing the man with his fingers at various pressure points and meridians.

    His memories from his previous life helped him know where all the pressure points on a human¡¯s body was. Paired with the knowledge with his current life about cultivation, he was able to temporarily seal a person¡¯s meridians cutting off their essence supply in their body.

    After a few jabs from Zhang, the man could be seen getting weaker and weaker. His punches did not possess the power they had earlier and he began to grow sluggish.

    The bearded man started to breathe heavily and as if he was sapped of all his strength, he fell over and slammed his body onto the floor with a hard thump.

    Everyone in the room was stunned. A man who was three time bigger than his opponent was lying almost lifeless on the ground while his opponent didn¡¯t even have a scratch.

    ¡°Hmph only possessing that much power and you dare to come looking for trouble?¡±, Zhang said as he stepped over the man¡¯s body and back toward where the food had been distributed.

    Zhang once again took some food and began walking back to where Yuying and Ai were.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go and eat in our room, else another dog might come and try to bite us.¡±, he said as he began walking towards the hallway.

    But as Zhang was walking out of the room, he felt a cold presence watching him from afar. However, when he turned back to look he could not tell where this presence was so he began walking once more.

    Once the trio had returned to their room, Zhang used the Underworld Heart to seal the door. The door would become one with the wall and wouldn¡¯t be able to be opened.

    This was a precaution in case any unwanted visitors were to come in at night. One could never be too safe, especially in a ship in the middle of the sea with a group of strangers.

    The trio began eating their meal and chatting among themselves late into the night until Yuying and Ai had fallen asleep.

    Zhang however, would not go to sleep. He sat on the floor and began meditating, he channeled his essence and circulated it within his body. This was to strengthen his body by soaking it with essence.

    As Zhang sat on the floor meditating, he heard what seemed like people running around in the hallway. At first, it was only one or two people but soon Zhang would not be able to tell how many people were running around in the alleyway.

    However, after a while he could not hear anymore footsteps from the hallway.

    That was when the door to the room began shaking. Someone was trying to get into the room. Luckily Zhang was still awake and the door had been sealed or else who knows what could have happened.

    Zhang walked up to the door as it continued to shake. He then placed his hand on the door and released the seal.

    That was when the door shot open and a man charged into the room wielding a gleaming sword.

    The instant the man saw Zhang he swung his sword.

 Chapter 14: Cornered

    The man lunged at Zhang with sword in hand. However, before he could even get close to Zhang a blade suddenly entered through his back and ran straight through his heart. The man dropped his sword and used both hands to hold onto blade that was stabbed into him. Moments later, his legs buckled as he lost his strength and slumped onto the ground.

    Behind the man stood Jian Wei with bloodshot eyes and beside him was Yan Li together with a small group of men.

    ¡°Quickly follow me!! We are being attacked!¡±, he yelled at Zhang.

    Without questioning him, Zhang woke up Yuying and Ai. The trio then followed Jian Wei out in the hallway.

    ¡°Senior what exactly happened?¡±, Zhang asked.

    ¡°Moments ago after the we had laid anchor, a fleet of ships came out of nowhere and encircled us. So far only one ship from that fleet had boarded ours. We must quickly rally as many men on board as we could and rebel them or we all die.¡±

    Upon reaching the deck of the ship one could see a mass hysteria of fighting was occurring. The sailors on the ship were fighting a desperate battle due to the enemies¡¯ number of combatants.

    Yan Li grabbed a man who was running to join the battle.

    ¡°What happened why are there so many more enemies!!!¡±, he yelled.

    ¡°Sir four more enemy ships joined in on their raid and have boarded.¡±, the man said trying not to stutter.

    The sailors were outnumbered 1 to 4 and were fighting a losing battle. Not all of the enemies¡¯ fleet had even joined the battle, there were roughly six more enemy ships a short distance away just watching.

    ¡°All men fall back!!! Fall back into the lower deck and protect his majesty!!¡±, Yan Li yelled as he led Jian Wei and the trio back down into the lower deck.

    Slowly one by one the sailors gathered to where Yan Li was and began descending into the lower levels of the ship.

    ¡°The ship had a total of 500 crewmembers if we can gather half of them down in the lower deck of the ship we might be able to hold out for a while.¡±, Jian Wei mumbled.

    Their group currently consisted of about 50 people in the front was Jian Wei, Yan Li and the trio, behind them was a mass of what seemed to be battle hardened veterans holding the rear. They were currently headed for the mess hall which was the biggest room on the ship. The plan was to enter and barricade themselves inside.

    ¡°Once we reach the mess hell we should be a bit safe, if their objective is what I think it is then they wouldn¡¯t dare to burn this ship.¡±, Jian Wei said as he led the group through the maze like interior of the ship. Zhang, Yuying and Ai had not said a word this entire time and simply followed.

    However, there was a lingering question in Zhang¡¯s mind. It seemed that the sailors knew what the invaders wanted and that something most likely was on Jian Wei. The current best situation would be to blend into the crowd and not to stick out and if needed, he would grab Yuying and Ai and jump into the ocean.

    Although he couldn¡¯t maintain it for long, Zhang could create a sphere of essence like before and submerge the trio into the sea. The sphere would separate them from the water and allow them to stay under for an extended period of time. Then all they needed to do would be to come back up the ship after everyone had left.

    But this plan would only be used as a last mean of survival because if they used it they¡¯d most likely become stranded at sea once more.

    Once everyone was inside of the mess hall, chairs, tables and whatever else could be found was stacked up in front of the doors. Then rope was used to bind everything into place.

    All of the sailors took up positions around the door with swords and spears raised. Whoever got through the barricade would be met with a wall of blades.

    Due to the dire situation they were in, Zhang decided to use the Underworld Heart and reconstruct the doors to become one with the walls. He made it so the change was subtle that no one was able to see it.  He did not want anyone else to know that he was in possession of the Underworld Heart.

    The Underworld Heart being one of the 7 treasures made it unwise to let others know that it¡¯s in his possession. Even if it allowed him to escape harm now, there was a chance that some of the sailors would want it for themselves later.

    Soon cries could be heard outside of the door. Some stragglers were being viciously slaughtered as they tried to make their way to the mess hall.

    Sounds of pleas for mercy and begging was ignored by the invaders and everyone outside were killed and soon silence filled the hallway.

    Everyone in the mess hall had their nerves on end as they stood there in silence praying that no one came through those two doors.

    Suddenly a loud, BANG!!!, could be heard.

    When everyone looked to the direction where the noise had came from, they stared in disbelief. A middle-aged man with a goofy looking grin on his face was scratching his head. He had bumped into the counter and knocked over a bowl. Some of the other sailors wanted to walk over and punch him in the face.

    They were as tense as could be and could lose their lives any moment now and for this retard to startle them like that. However, before anyone could go and beat up the man another loud, BANG, could be heard. This time it was from the twin doors that lead into the mess hall.

    Soon afterward another BANG and another and another could be heard. After a while they stopped and the room once more fell into silence.

    The some of the sailors had a slight smile hanging on their faces. They believed as long as the doors held they¡¯d be safe.

    BOOOOOOOM!!!!

    One of the walls had blown up and pieces of wood were flying everywhere. Some unlucky souls were impaled by a few sharp pieces of wood.  A few died almost instantly, while another few were laying on the ground rolling about in pain.

    One unlucky man had a piece of wood stuck in his eye, while another had a long piece of wood sticking out of his knee much like an arrow. Yes, he had what seemed like an arrow in his knee.

    While everyone was still startled a giant man walked in from the hole in the wall. The man was as big as a bear and stood taller than the door. He was walking shirtless so all the folds of fat on his body were hanging loose and squishing around as he walked.  On his bald scalp were two large scars that formed a X.

    He held a wooden club which he propped up on his shoulder. This club was studded with many spikes on one end to the point where one wouldn¡¯t be wrong to call it a giant mace.

    ¡°Ha ha ha you fools think you can hide in here? Hand over the duke now! And we will spare the rest of you.¡±, the huge man said with a sneer.

    ¡°Duke?¡±, Zhang thought to himself and then turned to Yuying who looked equally perplexed.

    ¡°Who sent you!!!¡±, Yan Li yelled.

    ¡°Hpmh, you think you have the right to question us? At a time like this? Quit yapping and hand over the DUKE!!!!!¡±, the huge man replied.

    ¡°Over our dead bodies!!! Men protect the duke and charge!!!¡±, Yan Li yelled as he led the charge toward the huge man.

    Half of the sailors followed Yan Li¡¯s charge while the rest formed up around Jian Wei.

    Stolen novel; please report.Yan Li and his men ran quickly towards the huge man and circled him. Spears and swords poked and slashed wildly at the huge man. However, all of this seemed useless against him. He stood there as if he wasn¡¯t injured in the slightest.

    ¡°Hahaha puny scum let a real man show you true strength.¡± The man laughed as he raised his giant club and swung it horizontally. The club swept the Yan Li and his men off the ground and slammed them into a wall.

    Some were unlucky and were impaled by the spikes on the club and some were equally unlucky and had their spines and bones crushed by taking the impact of the club head on. The only lucky ones were those who were hit by the bodies of those in front of them.

    What no one noticed was while the man had swung a shadow had weaved its way through the mass of sailors. And when they did, the shadow was already behind the huge man. This shadow could be made out to be none other than Zhang.

    Zhang had made his way through the sailors and behind the man¡¯s back and when he reached his destination, he pulled out a crude looking long dagger. If one looked closely dagger they¡¯d be able to see that it was what looked to be a huge tooth tied between two smooth pieces of wood. This dagger was made from the Voracious Eaters razor sharp tooth.

    Zhang drew a vertical slash down the man¡¯s shoulder and then a horizontal one slitting the man¡¯s Achilles tendon. Zhang knew he could not end this with a simple slash to the neck or a stab to the heart so he decided to try to immobilize the man as much as possible.

    In fact, if he had gone for the man¡¯s heart his dagger most likely would have been too short or maybe only the tip would touch it¡¯s target. As for the neck, one would have to ask what neck? Layers on top of layers of fat had made the man¡¯s neck indistinguishable from his torso.

    ¡°Gahhh you little piece of shit. How dare you injure me!!!!¡±, he bellowed as Zhang jumped back a short distance away.

    The man fell into a frenzy and swung his club in an endless barrage towards Zhang. Thankfully Zhang had already immobilized his ability to move on his right leg. This made it so Zhang was for sure more agile and quicker than the man.

    ¡°You useless fools what are you doing standing there watching HELP ME!!!!¡±, The huge man screamed to his men who were standing at the hole in the wall that he had made.

    Soon many men with their faces covered by black cloth filled the room with blades drawn.

    However, they were ignored as Zhang charged at the man once more this time aiming for his other leg. The man saw Zhang running towards him slammed his club into the ground and swiped to the side.

    Zhang jumped into the air and did a somersault then slammed his dagger into the man¡¯s left eye and kicked off the man¡¯s chest and landed on the ground.

    After being stabbed in the eye and kicked, the man fell to the ground and covered what used to be his eye and howled in agony.

    Taking this chance, Zhang jumped on top of the man¡¯s chest landing on his feet and stabbed into the man¡¯s hand that was currently covering his face pinning his hand into his face. Then stomping the man¡¯s sternum hoping to cave in his chest.

    But the man had too much body mass for this to be done. The man waved his left arm wildly trying to strike Zhang. He knew that if he wallowed in his pain and did nothing he might lose his life.

    Not being able to cave in the man¡¯s chest Zhang pulled out his dagger and used it to slice off the man¡¯s right hand that was covering his face.

    Then hopped off the huge man¡¯s chest and picked up his massive club. While on the island, Zhang had trained his body once more from scratch to get it back on par with his previous body. Although it wasn¡¯t quite there yet his body now possessed a lot of strength. Enough strength to barely lift up the giant club that was about as big as he was.

    While Zhang was dragging the club toward the immobilized giant man, it made a scraping noise against the floor of the ship. Once he was in front of the man, he slowly lifted up the club and raised it above his head and slammed it down on top the man¡¯s head.

    The giant clubbed smashed the man¡¯s head to a pulp and his brain matter was splattered all over the floor. The entire time, the sailors and their adversaries watched in silence both at awe of Zhang¡¯s power and in fear of it.

    After using the club to smash the man¡¯s head Zhang lifted it up once more and began spinning. He was trying to pick up momentum and when it was just right he released the giant club sending it crashing into the group of invaders.

    Five of the invaders was stuck under the giant club and when they fell over, they had knocked down many of their comrades that stood by them.

    ¡°KILLLL!!!¡±, Yan Li screamed as he charged toward the stunned enemies.

    The sailors rushed toward the invaders and almost systematically killed them. The mess hall was now a bloody mess. Blood, guts, and body parts littered the ground. Anyone with a weak stomach would of have emptied their stomachs a few times by now if they saw this sight. Zhang walked up to one of the corpses and began taking its clothes off.

    ¡°Brother what the hell are you doing?¡±, Ai asked.

    Without answering, he tossed the clothes toward Ai and began doing the same thing to another corpse.

    ¡°What are you guys waiting for! Do you want to leave or not?!¡±, Zhang asked as he began putting on the clothes that he took from the corpse.

    As if they understood what he was doing all of the sailors including Jian Wei began taking clothes off the corpses and put them on. Yuying and Ai had headed for the kitchen to change. Because there was no way they¡¯d do it here in a room full of man.

    Zhang stood guard in front of the kitchen making sure no wondering eyes or people entered it.

    All of the corpses had black clothing with an insignia on the right shoulder with a picture of a shark. After donning the black clothes, the group started slowly heading back in upper deck. Anyone who met them along the way and wasn¡¯t on their side was taken care of in a swift way.

    Above, there were many men in black however, they paid no attention to the group coming up from below.

    There were currently four ships with planks heading on to the ship they currently were on.

    ¡°Sir we searched the raft that was attached to the ship and found some valuable things where do you want me to take them?¡±, a man asked.

    ¡°Put them on my ship in the cargo hold.¡±, another man said.

    ¡°Follow me everyone.¡±, Zhang whispered.

    All the sailors and Jian Wei after seeing Zhang¡¯s performance no longer questioned him. They knew this young man could very well be their only hope of escaping alive. Zhang led the group toward the direction of the raft and eventually onto it.

    Once on the raft, he began helping the men in black carried things off the raft. Zhang¡¯s plan was to help them carry things onto one of their ship and then sneak aboard and commandeer the ship.

    Everyone from the group picked up a few things and followed Zhang¡¯s example and then headed towards the ship that was going to store the treasures.

    They all walked onto the ship unnoticed and after all the men were on board this new ship they began to disperse. They were going to split up into smaller groups and took care of the men in black on the ship they were on.

 Chapter 15: Storeroom

    Upon boarding the enemy¡¯s ship while undercover, Zhang suggested for them, the sailors, to break up into small squads and clear the ship. They pretended to help the men in black carry things back onto the ship and had to make their move soon before the enemies found the corpses in the mess hall.

    The men in black brought a large portion of the trio¡¯s things onto the ship beforehand and were now busy stacking things on the ship.

    The ship they boarded was much smaller than the ship they previously were traveling on. This one was only roughly one third the size of the other ship.

    Jian Wei and a few of his men were tasked with keeping guard above deck on the ship and made sure to inform the others if anything happened. While the sailors were to sweep the entire enemy boarded on ship and stealthily silence everyone.

    Once the ship was completely taken over, they would cut all of the ropes that kept the ship bounded together, free the ship, allowing them  to escape. This was of course after they somehow set fire to the three other enemy¡¯s ships and the large ship they were on before.

    But the real question was, if they could escape the six other enemy ships that had stayed a short distance away. Particularly, a very large ship that was the farthest away from them. This ship was twice as big as the ship they had just taken over and was most likely the enemy¡¯s flagship. The large ship had hundreds of oars poking out from its side and would most likely be able to catch up to them once they fled. On top of the massive sail of the ship hung a black flag with a skull and crossbones.

    Zhang had broken off from the group along with Yuying and Ai. They were currently headed toward the storage room of the ship. Zhang¡¯s goal being to get his two canteens of corrosive poison. Although he didn¡¯t hope they would work but they most likely would come in handy during the escape.

    Everyone who had ran into the trio was almost instantly killed. Zhang had given Yuying a dagger just like his, made of the other fang of the Voracious Eater. She was able to skillfully use it and quickly ended the lives of many unfortunate people who ran into her.

    ¡°Damn maybe we shouldn¡¯t have killed all of those guys, at least after they tell us where the storage room on this ship is.¡±, Zhang said with a sigh.

    ¡°Brother come here I¡¯ll show you something.¡±, Yuying said as she gestured him to come toward her. Beside her was the corpse of a pirate.

    Once Zhang walked up to her, Yuying placed her hand on the corpse''s forehead. Then strange runes appeared and covered her hand. The runes danced about on her own skin and then shot straight into the corpse.

    Once all the runes disappeared from Yuying¡¯s hand, they appeared on the corpse. The corpse suddenly started jolting and then it¡¯s eyes opened to reveal blank white pupils.

    ¡°Stand.¡±, Yuying commanded.

    As soon as the words left her mouth the corpse got onto its feet and stood.

    ¡°Now lead us to the storeroom.¡±

    Again, the corpse responded to Yuying¡¯s order and began walking.

    ¡°Impressed brother? Hehe¡±, she said with a laugh.

    Zhang became kind of distracted as he intently watched her smile. However, after a couple moments he was able to snap out of it and ask her, ¡°What exactly did you do?¡±

    ¡°Simple, I used a technique I learned in the underworld, called ¡°Reanimation.¡± This technique lets me send essence into someone who had recently died and reactivate their body. Once someone dies, their soul passes on into the Underworld however, their body still retains a bit of their intelligence. I¡¯m able to reactivate the body and command it to do my bidding. I could use this on living people also but to a lesser extent but we shouldn¡¯t rely on it because the technique isn¡¯t meant for someone only at the 4th level in terms of essence to us. If one wasn¡¯t mindful, they¡¯d end up sapping themselves of energy and might die.¡±, she explained.

    Zhang although was intrigued did not ask anymore. This was because it currently was not the time nor place to be comparing notes on this technique or that technique. They were currently on an enemy ship and could be found out and attacked at a moment¡¯s notice.

    The corpse stumbled its way to the storeroom as the trio trailed behind it. The corpse had lead them to an iron door that was bolted into the walls of the ship.

    Zhang reached his hand and pulled on the door handle but it was locked. One would need the key to the room to access it. However, Zhang had another means of entering. He pulled out a vial in his sleeve and dripped a few drops of Lightning Eater¡¯s poison into the lock.

    Once the drops entered the lock, a fizzing sound could be heard and smoke could be seen floating out of the lock.

    Moments later, the door creaked open. Ai grabbed the handle and opened the door. The inside of the storeroom was filled with chests of all shapes and sizes. This was somewhat odd being that this was not the flagship of the pirates, so they shouldn¡¯t have many things besides the stuff they had just looted.

    Zhang reached his hand and opened a large chest by the entrance. Countless shimmering golden coins filled the chest to the brim. As he opened a larger chest he found that they were all filled with gold coins. Upon closer inspection Zhang found that all of these coins were from an area on the southern peninsula of the Wulin continent.

    This place was known as the land of Warring States. Taking up the entire southern peninsula of the continent and a broad area above it the Warring States took up roughly one tenth of the entire continent. This area was made up of hundreds of duchies and city states that each had their own ruler. Although this area was split into small ruling powers no empire or kingdom had ever been able to take over or control this area. This was because each time an army was assembled to invade, all of the small ruling powers would band together and repel the incoming invaders.

    That being said the ownership of land in this area still constantly shifted from one person to the next. Rulers would be challenged and replaced or one state would conquer another. The rulers of the states did not bother with internal struggles only when invaders from other kingdoms intervened.

    Each portion of the land although divided when it came to rulers, used the same type of currency. And all of the gold coins in the chests had the symbol of the Warring States, an eagle carrying a sword with its talons. This was to represent that there is always someone looking to seize power in the area.

    ¡°Brother, sister look!¡±, Ai yelled at Zhang.

    In her hand was a small chest and inside the small chest was four rings. The rings all looked somewhat the same with many etchings on.

    ¡°Those are interspatial rings!!! Just what we needed.¡±, Zhang exclaimed.  With these rings they would be able to store away all of their things and not have to carry loads of stuff while traveling. Ai handed Zhang and Yuying each a ring and put one ring on her finger and put the box with the extra ring inside her interspatial ring. They only needed three rings one for each person and the extra ring they¡¯d most likely sell.

    Interspatial rings fetched high price if sold on the market. Usually, however even if one had the money there was a chance they could not even find a ring to purchase.  These rings were rare and the method to make them had long been lost.

    Finding the rings on this ship was extremely odd how could pirates come into possession of such pricey things and not even store them on their flag ship?

    After putting on the rings Zhang dripped a drop of his blood onto it and binded it. The ring was now his and no one else but him can access the things inside without him unbinding the ring first. Then with a swept of his hand all of the large treasure chests he had touched before were sucked inside the ring. Then one by one he began storing the smaller boxes and chests. And finally Zhang stored away the things that were taken from the raft.

    If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.

    After he stored everything away, it was time to go back to the upper deck and meet up with the sailors. As they made their way up, the trio did not meet any enemies. However, when they reached the upper decks they stumbled upon a horrific scene.

    The sailors along with Jian Wei and Yan Li were surrounded and had their backs to the entrance to the lower deck. More than half of them laid on the ground covered in blood either dead or dying.

    Only around fifteen sailors including Jian Wei and Yan Li were still left standing. Whereas in front of them stood roughly a hundred pirates with weapons ready to draw blood. Jian Wei¡¯s face was white as paper and blood was dripping off of his fingertips.

    ¡°What happened!¡±, Zhang yelled as he ran on deck.

    ¡°They found the bodies of their comrades quicker than we thought and then had everyone confirm that they were their comrades. All of them have a tiger tattoo on one of their arms.¡±, A sailor told Zhang.

    As soon as the man finished his sentence the pirates charged. Seeing this Zhang also moved forward with his blade in hand., Zhang made his way to the closest pirate and plunged his dagger into the man¡¯s neck. And before pulling his dagger out Zhang used his other to work the man¡¯s sword loose from his hand.

    Seeing Zhang moved the rest of the sailors charged also, along with Yuying and Ai. If they faltered all that waited them was death. So naturally they, had nothing to lose and fight all out.

    Zhang was able to procure another sword and stored his dagger into his interspatial ring. Although the dagger was incredibly sharp compared to the two swords Zhang had obtained, using dual swords had always been his forte.

    Like a whirlwind Zhang danced through the mob of pirates. As he passed by, severed limbs were sent flying and blood sprayed in all directions. Zhang was like a bloodthirsty beast that had just been uncaged.

    Jian Wei watched as Zhang slaughtered his way through the pirates in awe from the rear.

    ¡°Li he might be the one that I¡¯ve been looking for all this time.¡±, he whispered.

    ¡°Yes my lord he might be a fitting successor for you.¡±, Yan Li replied also in a whisper.

    Shortly after, more pirates came over from the other ships and filled the deck of the ship. A man watched the battle from the crow¡¯s nest of another ship and pulled out a flare from his pocket.

    Bang!

    A red flare could be seen in the sky. After this flare was shot two more blue flares were shot from the pirate flag ship. Once those two blue flares were shot two of the ships that had been waiting from afar moved toward where Zhang and the sailors were.

    Soon those two ships reached the ship Zhang was on and started tossing grapple hooks over and roped their ships in. Then the pirates on those two ships began boarding also.

    ¡°Retreat to the lower decks!!! We can¡¯t fight them all at once!¡±, Zhang yelled.

    The sailors had long ago fallen under Zhang¡¯s charisma and had followed his orders without question. Only ten or so sailors were left that was including Jian Wei and Yan Li. One by one they started running down the stairs to the lower floors.

    If battle was to break out in the lower decks it would be much more manageable than on the upper decks. This was because the hallways only allowed for roughly two or three people to stand side by side. So at most they¡¯d only have to fight three pirates at one time. Rather than fighting pirates from multiple directions.

    The sailors had found a small room to hole up in the lower deck. Thanks to this, they¡¯d only have to face one pirate at a time. Giving them an advantage because some of the sailors had spears, whereas all the pirates used only swords.

    ¡°You all stay in here I will go out and stretch a bit.¡±, Zhang said as he rushed out of the doorway slashing wildly.

    In such a small space no one was his match. Zhang was most adept at facing many enemies at once. Adding to that, was the ability to use the small spaces to his advantage. When one person attacked him he agilely moves close to another enemy. This caused his foes to waiver because they did not wish to hit their comrades which would give Zhang time to dispatch them and their comrade one after another.

    Using both swords in his hand he did not waste any of his movements. Every swung cut flesh, and every lunge pierced skin.

    To the pirates Zhang was a grim reaper who crawled from the depths of hell to claim their lives. Well in part, what they thought was true. Zhang did indeed crawl back to the world of the living from hell.

    Everything was going smoothly until a man with a silver mask walked in the corridor. The masked man had long flowing black hair and pitch black battle armor on.

    ¡°You are sure dressed odd for a pirate.¡±, Zhang laughed.

    ¡°Hmph don¡¯t group me with those lowlifes. I¡¯m part of the order of the blue moon. I was hired to return back a certain man¡¯s head and present it to my employer. Now move out of the way and I just might let you live.¡±, the masked man said.

    ¡°If you want the old man¡¯s life then don¡¯t even think about it! I owe him for letting me aboard his ship and that is a favor I must pay back.¡±, Zhang said as he charged toward the man.

    Swinging both of his swords horizontally Zhang wanted to bisect the man in two. However, to Zhang¡¯s amazement the masked man¡¯s  sword cut Zhang¡¯s two swords into halves.

    Tossing the two swords to the ground, Zhang pulled out his vial of corrosive poison and tossed it at the man.

    Seeing the strange vial, the man instinctively dodged but when he was in close proximity with the man Zhang released his essence which made the vial to hold the poison. Once the vial disappeared the poison splashed everywhere.

    Some of it landed on the man¡¯s armor while some landed on his mask. Oddly only his mask started corroding but not his armor. The man quickly took off his mask and tossed it to the ground where it melted beyond recognition. The armor the man wore despite being splashed with the poison stayed in perfect condition.

    ¡°What the fuck was that? You brat you''re looking to die!!!¡±, the man screamed as he glared at Zhang.

    ¡°Looks like I¡¯ll have to use that.¡± Zhang thought to himself as he once more charged at the masked man.

    The masked man also charged at Zhang. When the two was in reaching distance of each other the man lunged his sword looking to pierce Zhang¡¯s heart. Seeing this, Zhang moved to the side. But he was not quick enough and the man¡¯s sword pierced his shoulder.

    But taking this chance where the man would not be able to use his sword Zhang reached out his hand and struck the man with his palm. In his palm was a tiny black flame. Once the black fire touched the man his face fell ashen.

    ¡°Wha what did you do to me!!¡±, the man screamed as he felt his consciousness fade and after a few moment his body like many others before him, slumped to the ground and became lifeless.

    Zhang winced as he pulled out the sword lunged in his shoulder.

    Afterwards, not wasting anytime, Zhang quickly took off the man¡¯s armor and donned it. He also took the  man¡¯s sword and tied it to his waist.

    Once the armor was donned Zhang began his killing spree again.

 Chapter 16: The Truth

    As Zhang continued his killing spree through the corridors of the ship he had realized that although the black armor was extremely hard it was oddly very light. No matter how many hits Zhang took while in it he did not feel a thing nor did the armor did not dent or give way. This of course was obvious because the armor was able to withstand the corrosive poison of a level eight Lightning Eater snake.

    With this armor Zhang was practically unstoppable. Everyone he met would meet their demise. While on his rampage Zhang happened upon a group of five men who had masks that looked similar to the man that he obtained the black armor from. However, these man wore bronze colored masks and possessed equipment of a lower quality then the man with the silver mask. Nonetheless they still possessed better things than the pirates that Zhang had been fighting so far.

    Unlike the man with the silver mask the group of men with bronze masks fought in a group. They had impeccable coordination and changed from one formation to the next. These men made it hard for Zhang to use their numbers against them. All of their movements were in unison and hard to predict.

    If it was not for the black armor Zhang most likely would have been slain long ago.

    Although they were able to overpower Zhang with teamwork did were not able to stop him from drawing blood. The five masked men were covered in cuts and bruises and were in a much worse off condition then Zhang was.

    This was because they only had leather armor on and it provided little protect against the sword the Zhang had picked up from the silver masked man. Although the sword was not made of Blood Iron like Zhang¡¯s swords that his father had gifted him, these swords were extremely sharp and light. This allowed Zhang to swiftly slash and cut at his enemies.

    ¡°Brothers that armor is strong and this brat isn¡¯t a walk in the park either. I think we need to use a different strategy.¡± One of the masked men said to the other four.

    Although the other four did not reply they each pulled out a large pellet from their robes. And almost simultaneously they tossed the black pellets onto the ground. Once the pellets hit the ground they caused a small explosion and white smoke filled the corridor.

    Once the smoke filled the corridor there was utterly no visibility.

    ¡°Shit!¡± Zhang yelled in his mind.

    Now that there was no visibility Zhang was at a greater disadvantage. The five masked men clearly were adept at fighting with no visibility or else they would have not created the smoke screen.

    And he was indeed correct because moments later he heard a blade sweeping toward in head. Zhang quickly ducked however when he did he could feel that another blade was incoming. To avoid the 2nd blade that was coming down from above. But if Zhang did not avoid it the blade most likely would cleave his head into halves.

    Sending energy into his legs Zhang jumped back to avoid the 2nd blade. And with a thump his back slammed into a wall.

    ¡°Dam they just keep on coming!!¡± He cursed and ducked once more. After Zhang ducked two blades could be seen chopping into the wall at the spot where he head was.

    Zhang knew he had to act or he would eventually be killed. So he gathered all his strength in his fist and punched the wooden wall, shattering it into many pieces.

    Once the wall broke Zhang quickly ran to the other side of it. However, when Zhang entered the room on the other side of the wall daggers with chains attached to them flew pass Zhang¡¯s sides from behind.

    The daggers nailed themselves into the wall in front of Zhang. Then the five men rushed in and began twisting the chains and making overlap roping Zhang.  Moments later Zhang was wrapped by chains.

    ¡°Ha we caught you now you brat!¡± One of the masked men laughed as he held on to one of the chains that bound Zhang.

    The moment after he finished his sentence to his surprise a blade punctured from his back through his chest.

    The other four men were also caught by surprise and could do nothing to but watch as their comrade slumped over and rolled onto the ground after the blade was pulled out of his body.

    At the spot where the man had been standing stood a beauty that was out of this world. The four remaining masked men stared in disbelief, how could someone be so beautiful they thought.

    This person was Yuying who had come to help Zhang and happened to appear at just the right time.

    Without saying a word, she bent down and placed one of her fingers on the dead masked man¡¯s forehead and strange runes formed on her hand and flowed onto the corpse. Just like before she was taking control of the corpse.

    ¡°Stand! And kill!¡± She yelled at the corpse.

    The four remaining masked men stared in horror as their fallen comrade slowly got to his feet and charging at them.

    Taking advantage of the confusion Zhang jumped and fell on his back. When Zhang landed on the ground his body weight tugged the chains that were in the hands of the masked men and caused two of them to fall over.

    Once on the ground Zhang started rolling trying to loosen the chains.

    Yuying¡¯s feint worked so she released her control over the corpse and it once more slumped over and fell to the ground.

    She rushed toward the nearest masked man to her and began swinging her sword. From behind her shadow yet another out of this world beauty appear and lunged at the man Yuying was fighting with her sword.

    Seeing his comrade in trouble the other masked man who was still standing let go of the chain he was holding and rushed over to help. But he was too late Ai had already stabbed her sword into his comrade¡¯s stomach while Yuying had kept the man busy.

    By the time the two masked men who had fallen had gotten up Yuying and Ai were already overpowering their comrade. The two beauties had unbelievable coordination and every movement they made seemed to just blend together.

    Zhang finally had broken loose from the chains that bound him and jumped onto his feet. With chains still in his hand he ran up to one of the two last masked men who were now fighting Yuying and Ai. Once he got behind the man Zhang took the chains in his hand and looped them around the masked man¡¯s neck.

    With a strong yank Zhang made the man fall to the ground. Once the man was on the ground again Zhang pounced on him and began strangling him with the chains. Slowly the man¡¯s face turned purple, his eyes bulged outward and tongue stuck out because he was gasping for air.

    The last masked man seeing that he had no chance to win this fight any longer began running toward the hole in the wall that Zhang had made.

    Zhang pulled the daggers that were attached to the chains out of the wall and skillfully embedded them into the man¡¯s leg and should.

    ¡°GAAHHHHHHHH¡± The man screamed.

    ¡°You¡¯re not going anywhere.¡± Zhang said sternly as he slowly reeled the man in by pulling on the chains.

    ¡°I SURRENDER PLEASE SPARE ME!!! The man scream as tears formed around the corners of his eyes.

    ¡°Tell me why have you guys attacked us!¡± Zhang questioned the man.

    ¡°We we were hired to capture someone on the ship. I don¡¯t know much. We were given lots of money and treasure. The orders were simple we just needed to capture a man who was in the drawing we were given and kill everyone else. I¡¯ve told you please spare me please!¡± the man plead

    The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

    ¡°Fine I¡¯ll spare you.¡± Zhang said as he plucked the daggers out of the man¡¯s leg and shoulder. Once the daggers were taken out Zhang took the dagger and with a sweep sliced the back of the man¡¯s other leg.

    ¡°You you what are you doing!! You said you¡¯d let me go!!¡±

    ¡°Of course I¡¯m letting you go. I¡¯m keeping my word of course. Obviously this won¡¯t kill you, I¡¯ll make sure of it.¡± Zhang replied with a smile as he slashed and cut at the man¡¯s tendons.

    This man would most likely live but would he ever be able to walk or move his limbs again? Most likely the answer would be no unless some sort of miracle happened.

    ¡°If one is prepared to take a life then they must be prepared to lose a life.¡± Zhang said softly.

    ¡°Where¡¯s Jian Wei?¡± Zhang asked as he looked toward Yuying and Ai.

    ¡°He¡¯s still in the room before, we were worried about you brother so we came to see if we could help.¡± Ai replied.

    ¡°Alright let¡¯s head back, there¡¯s something he¡¯s obviously not telling us.¡± Zhang said as he stood up.

    Before heading out the door Zhang made sure to loot the things on the bodies of the five men and of course take the daggers with chains with him. These would be handy things to have.

    The corridors of the ship were filled with bodies and blood. Limbs were scattered everywhere. Although Zhang had slain many enemies there were still more coming down from above deck.  As the trio walked through the corridors they¡¯d often run into small groups of pirates.

    Of course these pirates would serve as cannon fodder in front of the trio. Zhang made sure to take anything that was of value on these pirates as they made their way back to the room where Jian Wei was.

    A large mob of pirates could be seen trying to squeeze in through the entrance into the room Jian Wei was. But the entrance was too small and at most only one or two of them can fit. This made it so that the sailors could fend off the pirates without being overwhelmed.

    The pirates in the back kept pushing forward trying to enter the room. While the pirates in the front were pushed into the room where they would be met with spears and swords.

    As they were busy trying to get into the room the pirates were being dispatched one by one from behind by the trio.

    Now the pirates were sandwiched between the trio and the sailors and their numbers began to dwindle until none were left alive.

    Zhang lead Yuying and Ai toward the room.

    ¡°Hold your swords it¡¯s us!¡± Zhang yelled out.

    When the trio entered the room they could see that two sailors had lost their lives defending the room and the rest of them was not that better off. Their bodies were covered in blood from either their own wounds or from the enemies they had slain.

    Zhang closed the door and with a sweeping motion of his hand sealed the door into the wall. Once the door was seal Zhang began treating the injured, the Underworld Heart could be used to mend wounds and regrow limbs so Zhang was able to bring everyone¡¯s bodies back to perfect condition.

    ¡°Senior I would like to know why all of these people are after you. If you don¡¯t wish to tell us, then it is fine but we may have to part ways. I will not risk my own live along with their lives without even knowing the reason why.¡± Zhang said as he pulled up a chair that had fallen over on the ground and sat on it.

    ¡°Who are you to question our lord?¡± One sailor said angrily.

    ¡°Enough. If it was not for him, we would be died long ago.¡± Yan Li reprimanded the man.

    ¡°Ok Zhang I will tell you the truth.¡± Jian Wei said as he pulled a chair and sat on it.

    ¡°Have you heard of the warring states area within the continent?¡±

    Zhang did not reply but he nodded and continued to listen.

    ¡°Within the warring states area there are many different powers, some weak some strong. The strongest is Aurora city. Aurora city is the largest city within the warring states area and possesses one of the largest armies in the area. Aurora city¡¯s influence stretches over a vast area of the warring states area to the point of control a few other smaller cities. It¡¯s size alone makes it a duchy and its ruler naturally would be called a duke but being the absolute ruler the man is more like a king. And that man is standing right in front of you.¡± Jian Wei said with a hint of pride in his tone.

    ¡°That still doesn¡¯t explain why all these men are after you. Also as the ruler of Aurora City why are you here at sea?¡±

    ¡°Roughly two years ago when the Siwang Empire began its invasion of the various kingdoms an alliance was formed. My domain stretched over a vast area and parts of it is very close to the Heilong kingdom. Thus we were invited to join the alliance. Naturally many people were against joining the alliance because they thought that by joining we would provoke the Siwang empire. But nonetheless I decided to join and my word is law. Ever since my decision to join various factions had formed and have been working to overthrow me.¡± Jian Wei sighed.

    Then recalled receiving a letter from the alliance for a meeting between the rulers of the various powers. They would meet and map out a plan to reclaim the land that the Siwang Empire had occupied and possibly invade parts of it.

    Jian Wei had arranged to secretly travel to the Heilong Kingdom for the meeting. After the meeting he and his people traveled to the isle of 100 islands and return home by sea. This was to avoid any ambushes that those plotting against Jian Wei had set.

    But somehow on their way home they were hit with a storm and the trip became delayed. This allowed the plotters enough time to assemble forces to attack.

    If they allowed Jian Wei to return to Aurora city, he would once more become untouchable. So the plotters hired large numbers of pirates and assassins attack Jian Wei. Of course they could not kill him because if Jian Wei was not around anymore his 2nd in command would naturally take over and if the 2nd in command would naturally purge the city to avenge the death of his master.

    So they needed to capture Jian Wei and then use him to subdue his loyal subordinates and slowly usurp his power and rule the city.

    Sadly, a wrench fell into their plans. This wrench would be known as Zhang, and the two beauties. Had it not been for the trio their plan most likely would of succeeded. This was in part because Jian Wei did not want to draw a lot of attention so he only brought a small amount of men with him. And of these men most of them were just ordinary foot soldiers because moving the elite troops of the city would draw too much attention.

    ¡°I see¡± Zhang said as he nodded.

    ¡°Since we have come this far I would like to ask you to escort me back to Aurora City. Naturally you¡¯ll be awarded once we return.¡± Jian Wei said to Zhang.

    Zhang did not know how to reply to Jian Wei¡¯s request. Had he not already been tangled up in this mess he would obviously decline. No reward is worth one¡¯s life. But no that he was already so tangled up in it he obviously had no way out. The pirates would not let him off even if he declined.

    A veil of silence fell upon the room as Zhang contemplated.

    ¡°Since things are already like this I will stick with you in return for letting us aboard your ship. Of course we will take the reward that is being offered. That is if we all make it out here alive¡± Zhang said with a slight smile.

 Chapter 17: Escape?

    Escaping from the pirates would not be an easy task. Zhang¡¯s group had less than twenty people whereas there are hundreds of pirates wanting to claim their lives. Zhang was confident he could single handedly kill most of the pirates. But he was not confident in being able to safeguard Yuying, Ai, and Jian Wei.

    He is only one person how would he be able to slaughter enemies while protecting others? In battle one would have to pick between the two because unless you possessed enough power choosing both would be a fool''s dream.

    ¡°There had to be a way.¡± Zhang though.

    That¡¯s when it hit him. He could sink their ships they would allow him and everyone else to avoid having to fight the pirates head on. As for how he would sink the ships? Well he just happened to have two large canteens of super corrosive Lightning Eater poison in his interspatial ring.

    ¡°Everyone follow me! We have to make sure there are no more pirates on this ship. Once we know that the ship is clear we can escape! I have a plan!¡± Zhang said excitedly as he headed for the door.

    Zhang had become the leader of the group within everyone¡¯s heart by this point and no one questioned his decisions. His actions showed that Zhang is a decisive person and was a natural born leader.

    If the pirates did not outnumber the sailors by such a high number by following Zhang¡¯s commands they most likely would have beaten back the pirates by now.

    As the group walked through the corridors they could still spot one or two pirates walking around. Compared to before the ship seemed empty and void of life.

    Every pirate who came across Zhang¡¯s path was quickly cut down before they could even utter a single word.

    Once Zhang reached the deck of the ship he found it empty, well besides the corpses of the dead that laid everywhere.

    A thought suddenly entered Zhang¡¯s mind. The storage room on this one ship had so much treasure then the other ships most likely had an unbelievable amount of treasure also.

    Although it was not the time to be greedy Zhang felt the need to check out what the other ships held. They might have some useful treasures for him to use to combat the pirates.

    Thus he decided after the sunk the other pirate ships he would visit the store rooms to the ships that were now pirate free. Zhang somewhat regretted the he would not be able to get the treasures that could very well be on the ships that he will sink. But he was not going to let greed get the better of him at least not in a situation like this.

    Off in the distance the remaining pirate ships including the flagship began moving. It had been a while since they sent two ships over to reinforce their comrades but afterwards they did not receive any signals that they mission had ended in success.

    Anticipation filled Zhang¡¯s eyes as the ships inched closer and closer toward him.

    The wind blew and the sea rose up and down as Zhang waited for the pirates to come within range.  He had taken out the two canteens and reshaped them. Zhang had turned the two large canteens into twenty orbs that could fit within his hand.

    These orbs of course were filled with the corrosive poison inside and if throw against a hard surface would shatter like glass.

    ¡°Yuying, AI come here I have something fun for you two to do.¡± Zhang said with a devilish smile on his face.

    Once the two girls had walked up to Zhang he handed them each six of the orbs filled with poison.

    ¡°Let¡¯s make a bet whichever one of us can sink one of their ships the one who uses the least amount of orbs will win. The losers will have to listen to one demand from the winner. How¡¯s that?¡±

    ¡°Hmmmm why not.¡± Yuying said.

    ¡°If I win then you¡¯ll do whatever I want brother?¡± Ai said excitedly.

    Thus the trio started a game which in a way decided the fate of hundreds of pirates.

    Jian Wei, Yan Li and the rest of the sailors stared at the trio is disbelief. What kind of monsters were standing in front of them? So far they had seen that the trio was nearly fearless and extremely powerful. How could people so much younger than them be so much stronger?

    The logical answer would be these three are geniuses. But being a genius also had its limits thus the trio was labeled human shaped monsters in the eyes of the sailor. This was meant in the nicest way possible with a hint of reverence

    Once the pirate ships were a few hundred feet away the trio began throwing the orbs. Zhang was the first one to throw and the orb he threw landed on the side of the ship¡¯s hull of one of the smaller ships. The orb shattered splashing corrosive poison all over an area of the ship¡¯s hull.

    A huge hole soon became vision on the ship''s side and water began leaking. After moments the pirate ship bow began sinking. Not long after that the pirate ship disappeared from sight.

    A few pirates who were above deck had been able to survive the sinking of the ship but the vast majority of pirates on that ship had sunk to the bottom of the sea only with the ship. Most of them died because they were stuck in the ship and others died due to the suction that the ship caused as it sunk pulling those unlucky souls down with it.

    ¡°One point for me.¡± Zhang said smugly

    Not wanting to lose Yuying and Ai quickly threw one orb each landing on a different ship. Yuying¡¯s orb had landed on the hull of a ship towards its stern. The ship began to take in water but oddly enough it did not sink.

    Ai¡¯s orb hit the hull of a pirate ship towards it¡¯s bow just like Zhang. The ship began taking in water and began sinking and soon it just like the ship before it disappeared from sight.

    A proud look could be seen on Ai¡¯s face whereas a somewhat dejected look could be seen on Yuying¡¯s. However shortly after the ship Ai targeted sank the ship Yuying had targeted began to sink also.

    ¡°Now it¡¯s a three-way tie. What now brother?¡± Yuying said with a smile.

    ¡°Then that big ship will be the tie breaker.¡± Zhang said as he began throwing.

    Zhang¡¯s orb landed square on the side of the ship at the place where it meets the edge of the water. Water could be seen flowing into the hole that was made but the ship still stayed afloat.

    Next was Yuying and Ai who also hit spots that would normally sink a ship. However strangely the ship was still floating as if nothing had happened. The trio kept throwing orbs until they ran out but the ship continued moving toward them without slowing.

    ¡°It must have floating compartments in the interior of the ship keeping the whole thing afloat.¡± Zhang said looking at the ship.

    ¡°Brace for impact!!¡± One sailor yelled out.

    ¡°This way!¡± Zhang said as he led everyone in the direction of one of the empty ships.

    Soon after the flag ship collided with the ship that they had previously been one and pirates jumped over from the decks of the flag ship.

    These pirates were out for blood. Many of their comrades had perished and they wished to get revenge. A man bulging with muscles jumped down from the deck of the flag ship.

    This man was shirtless but wore a black cape and in his hand he held a giant halberd.

    ¡°Captain! No one is here!¡± A pirate yelled toward this man.

    ¡°FIND THEM AND BRING ME THEIR HEADS!¡± The man yelled.

    At this point he clearly did not care about the mission that he was hired for anymore. Too many of his subordinates had died and he fell into an endless abyss of rage.

    What he didn¡¯t know was when his ship rammed into the abandoned ship Zhang and his followers had all jumped over the opposite side of the ship into the water.

    And as the pirates searched for them on the ship they swam to the other side and were climbing their way up and onto the pirate flag ship.

    The pirate flash ship was roughly twice the size of the abandoned ship so naturally it took them a while to claim to the upper decks from the side of the ship.

    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

    Once they reached the deck of the pirate flash ship they found it completely empty.

    ¡°It seemed they all went over to the other ship looking for us.¡± Jian Wei said with a hint of laughter in his voice.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go see if anyone is still left on board and silence them.¡± Zhang said.

    They were planning to attack the pirate flag ship and then escape before anyone noticed. They would use this method to slowly sap the pirates out their numbers.

    At once they rushed down toward the lower decks and slayed everyone they came across. Zhang¡¯s primary objective was to kill as many pirates as he could. His 2nd objective was naturally the storage room in the pirate flag ship.

    The interior of the flag ship was roughly identical to the other pirate ships which made it easy to navigate as Zhang headed for the storage room.

    Soon they reached the door leading into the storage room. Zhang withdrew his sword from the interspatial ring and stabbed it into the lock of the door.

    Once the sword was stabbed into the lock the door slowly began to creak open. After the door opened Zhang peered in and saw a massive room.

    Thousands of chests laid about most likely filled with gold. Hundreds of smaller boxes and chests were neatly laid out on shelves. Without bothering to open the large chests Zhang took them all into his ring.

    Naturally the sailors did not question Zhang. They were willing to let him get all the treasures if he was able to lead them to safety.

    What caught Zhang¡¯s attention was in the corner of the room were hundreds of kegs stacked on top of one another. A black powder like substance was scattered on the ground in front of these kegs which peaked Zhang¡¯s interest.

    From the knowledge from his past like these kegs were most likely filled with black powder which is basically gunpowder. Most likely the pirates were using the gunpowder to sterilize and cauterizing their wounds. This was of course there were no such things as cannons in this world yet, at least to Zhang¡¯s knowledge.

    A glint could be seen in Zhang¡¯s eyes as he took the kegs into his ring.

    Once they had cleared out the pirate storage room it was time to leave and head back to the other ship and catch some stragglers.

    As they made their way toward the upper deck Zhang left behind a gift for the pirates when they came back.

    After the group made it to the upper decks Zhang ordered them to jump in the water and hide as they did before. He was going to stay on the ship and wait until the pirates began coming back to their flag ship. Eventually they¡¯ll have to come back once they find that all the ships were empty.

    During his wait for the pirates to return Zhang took the chance to set up his trap further.

    Suddenly he heard someone scream.

    ¡°COME OUT HERE NOW!!!!!¡±

    ¡°Ha guess they searched all of the ships and came up with nothing.¡± Zhang laughed as he climbed up on of the sails of the flag ship.

    A short while after the pirates began dejectedly coming back to their flag ship. Their search had been fruitless and many of their comrades had died for no reason. Their captain being furious is not a good thing either.

    One by one the pirates boarded the ship and to their amazement their comrades who were left behind on the ship were all dead.

    ¡°BOSS!! Something is wrong! All our men that were left behind are dead!!¡± One pirate yelled out toward their leader who was still onboard the other ship.

    ¡°WHAT!!!!?¡± The leader of the pirate¡¯s scream as he jumped up in the air and landed on the flag ship from the other ship. This was an amazing feat the flag ship was double the size of the other ship and was roughly one hundred feet taller than the other ship.

    ¡°Time to leave.¡± Zhang said as he jumps off the massive sail of the pirate flag ship. As Zhang falls toward the water in his hand appears a small orange fire.

    The fire shot out from Zhang¡¯s hand and landed on top of a trail of black powder. Once the fire touched the trail of black powder it triggered a burning trail.

    Looks of horror appeared on all of the pirates faces. They saw the trail and the ones near it tried many means to stop it. Some kicked at the small trail of black powder on the ground. Others toss things over it. Some heroic souls even took to jumping on top and trying to stop the fire.

    But Zhang made sure that they would not be able to stop it. He had made it so the trails of black powder would split off into multiple trails. One trail eventually turned to two and two eventually turned into four. Also the fact that the black powder burned at an extremely quick rate made it very difficult for the pirates to stop it.

    Many pirates seeing that they had no way of stopping the burning trail jumped off the side of the ship. However only a few of them made it off before the trail reached its destination. Zhang had lined the 2nd of the flag ship with kegs of black powder at certain intervals.

    Soon a massive explosion happened. Smoke, pieces of wood, fire, and various limbs of people flew in all directions. The last remaining pirates had been eradicated.

    Watching from after was the group of survivors they had swam onto the ship on the opposite side of their original ship. Once they got onto the ship they had cut the ropes attaching it to the other ships and began sailing away.

    Shortly after Zhang popped up to the surface of the water and made his way to them.

    Once he reached the side of the ship they tossed down a rope and pulled him up.

    ¡°Good plan, good plan Zhang!! Haha¡± Jian Wei said as he patted Zhang on the back. If it had not for this young man he would of most likely died long ago so Jian Wei was filled with gratitude toward Zhang. In his heart he was dead set in making Zhang his successor.

    Although Jian Wei is the powerful ruler of Aurora City he did not have any successors this was due to him being too caught up in developing the city and its influences ever since he had become the rule of the city.

    He would spend all his free time building up the power of the city and making the lives of its people better. But time waits for no one and before he knew it he had become a middle aged man. Of course if he chose to as the ruler of a vast area he could choose any women he wanted to be his wife and then work towards having a child. But the one thing he worried about was that if he indeed had a child he worried that his child would not be a worthy successor.

    What he wished for the most was for his people to thrive and not all successors were good ones. He had seen many times over where ancient clans were taken over by useless successors and began to decline.

    He figured if he found a suitable successor it would at least guarantee that his clan would be safe. The successor of course would not harm him because he would definitely not choose someone who would harm their benefactor as his successor.

    Zhang smiled back at Jian Wei and began walking towards Yuying and Ai. But before he was even able to take a few steps he heard a roar off in the distance.

    As everyone looked toward the direction in which the roar came from they saw a hulking man swimming toward them at an unbelievable speed. This man was the pirate fleet captain.

    ¡°Shit, everyone go hide!! I will try to take care of him. If not abandon ship and swim in different directions. That way if he purses at least some of us will survive.

    ¡°No! I will fight with you brother!¡± Yuying said. Ai standing next to her also nodded.

    None of the sailors seemed willing to go either.

    ¡°Fine then we will make our last stand here. We will die together or survive together!!¡± Zhang yelled

    That instant the captain of the pirate fleet had jumped out of the water and landed on the deck of the ship. His eyes filled with fury as his vision swept the deck of the ship.

    >>>>>>>VOTE FOR ME<<<<<<<<< T__T

    <hr />

 Chapter 18: Many Against One

    The leader of the pirate fleet after sweeping the deck of the ship with a furious glare began running toward the nearest sailor.

    In a blink of an eye he was in front of the sailor and with one punch sent the sailor slamming into a wall causing it to break.

    That instance Zhang knew that he would not be able to beat this man alone. This man was the sort of person you¡¯d see as the last boss in a fairy tale.

    His body bulged with muscles and his eyes gave off a fierce gaze.

    The group was lucky that he had lost his halberd in the explosion or else they¡¯d most likely be dead. But the most surprising this is although this man was caught up in the huge explosion he seemed somewhat unharmed.

    ¡°Everyone careful.¡± Zhang yelled as he withdraws three daggers attached to chains from his interspatial ring. He then tossed one to Yuying and Ai.

    Zhang knew if he allowed the man to get close he¡¯d most likely be overpowered and would be killed. So he had to keep the man at a distance from him.

    However, the was easier said than done the man although huge is extremely fast. If one did not pay attention they might lose their life when facing this man.

    Thankfully Zhang had figured out a way to slow him down.

    From his pocket Zhang activated the Underworld Heart and made the essence around the man solidify.

    Although this would not be able to stop him due to the fact that the essence in the air was too thin and the area Zhang could draw power from was too small. This was because Zhang has not reached a level high enough to completely control the Underworld Heart. But still it provided a means to slow the man down.

    The man¡¯s body seemed to be trapped inside a bubble of water. He could try as hard as he could but he could not get out of the bubble. His body seemed to be locked in place within the bubble.

    If he moved forward his body would still be in the center of the bubble. Within the bubble the men''s movement speed was literally cut in half. He no longer possessed the explosive speed he had before.

    ¡°NOW!¡± Zhang yelled as he launched the chained dagger. Following his example Yuying and Ai also launched their chained daggers.

    Once the daggers entered the bubble they unlike the man was not slowed in the slightest. This is because Zhang was the one manipulating the bubble to begin with so thus he made sure that the bubble would not restrict the speed of their daggers.

    The man seeing the daggers coming toward him tried to dodge. Although he was slowed down within the bubble he was still fairly agile and quick. This allowed him to dodge two of the incoming daggers escaping with only two scratches.

    Yuying luckily was able to puncture the man with the dagger she launched. It became embedded within his right left piercing through his calf muscle.

    Once the dagger had become embedded within the man¡¯s leg Yuying began to pull seeing this all the sailors ran toward her to help. With the strength of Yuying and the sailors they managed to drag the man to the ground.

    Before the man could get up Zhang jumped into the air and a sword appear within his hands. Zhang lunged at the man from above like a hawk coming in for the kill.

    But to his amazement the man grabbed the sword right before he plunged into his heart. And with his overwhelming strength shattered the blade of the sword.

    ¡°Shit¡­¡± Zhang murmured as he did a backflip to get away.

    The man reached out his arm and grabbed onto the chain attached to his leg and tugged. Once he tugged on the chain and pulled back he caused all the sailors and Yuying to stumble and fall down.

    Then without even wincing he plucked the dagger out and threw it toward one of the sailors embedding the man into a wall.

    The other sailors looked in horror as one of their comrades was nailed into a wall. The sailor screamed in agony as he tried to work loose the dagger that kept him stuck to the wall. But to his disbelief the dagger was so lodged into the wall that he was stuck to the wall and the hilt of the dagger was keeping up in a standing position.

    With his sword shatter Zhang picked up the chained dagger from the ground and once more launched it at the man. If they could hit the man with two chained daggers they might be able to bind him with the chains. Ai and Zhang both shot their daggers out from their hands.

    This time the man was able to dodge only one dagger while the other one plunged into this abdomen. However, the dagger that he dodged with a tug from Zhang arced backwards and plunged into the man¡¯s back.

    Without a word Ai and Zhang ran in circles around the man and crisscrossed the chains. Soon the man was wrapped up in chains from his neck down to his legs.

    Zhang picked up one of the spears that a sailor had dropped and tossed it into the air. Once the spear was in the air Zhang jumped up and with a kick sent the spear flying toward the man.

    With his body bound the man could no longer dodge so the spear pierced through his stomach and stuck out of his back.

    With an enraged roar the man flexed his muscles and the links of the chains began to snap. Then the man lifted his arms in fury and sent pieces of the chains flying in every direction.

    ¡°Fuck this guy is a monster!¡± One of the sailors screamed as he walked toward the sailor pinned to the wall to help him.

    Without time to even think Zhang rushed toward the man. He did not want to use the black fire because for one it required too much energy and 2nd there was a chance that it would fail if the opponent''s power was vastly greater than his own.

    But now had to use it although there is a chance that it will not work Zhang had run out of means to deal with the man. Of course he had a tiny bit of the lightning eater¡¯s poison left but there was the chance that the man would dodge when he used it and the poison would be wasted.

    Soon an eerie black fire formed in Zhang¡¯s palm. It danced about flicker in his palm as if it was alive and then suddenly it shot out from Zhang¡¯s palm toward the man.

    ¡°Hmph!¡± The man snorted and dodged as the fire shot toward him.

    However, once he dodged the fire it split into two smaller flames and circled around him.

    ¡°What kind of trick is this!¡± the man said.

    ¡°A trick that will take your life!!¡± Zhang yelled as the two flames both shot at the man at the same time one from behind one from the front.

    One of the flames hit the man from behind with the other one missed and continued to hover in the air. Once the flame hit the man his face became deathly pale but he was still standing.

    Although it was not enough to kill him the black flame ate away at a portion of the man¡¯s soul and power. After hitting the man, the fire seemed to stick to his back and slowly damaged him.

    The man feeling his strength being sapped away roared and pulled out the spear stuck in his stomach and charged at Zhang.

    The bubble still somewhat slowed him down but not enough. He plunged his spear into Zhang abdomen and lifted Zhang up into the air. Zhang had taken off the armor he found because he had to swim back to the boat and if he had left it on he would have sank in the water.

    ¡°DIE Hahahaha¡± the man laughed as he lifted Zhang into the air.

    Everything happened within an instant and once it happened everyone could only watch in horror.

    ¡°NOOOOOO¡± Yuying and Ai both screamed as they rushed toward the man to help Zhang.

    Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.But before they could something happened.

    ¡°YOU¡¯LL BE THE ONE TO DIE TODAY!!!!¡± Zhang screamed as a small vial appeared in his hand.

    SMASH!

    The vial slammed into the man¡¯s face and shattered and smothered poison all over the man¡¯s face. Zhang made sure to coat himself in a layer of essence using the Underworlds Heart to avoid being splashed by the poison of course.

    The man screamed in agony as the poison ate away at his face and bones. Letting go of the spear he cupped his face with his hands and screamed.

    Once the man let go of the spear Zhang began falling toward the ground. With a thump he landed on the ground.

    The moment he landed on the ground Zhang took both of his hands and grabbed the spear sticking out of his stomach and began pulling it out.

    With the bloody spear in his hand Zhang plunged it into the man. This time the man did not dodge he was too busy wallowing in pain.

    The poison had eaten half of his Face including part of his jaw and his left eye.

    The sailors watched all this from a short distance away and winced as they imaged the pain the man was in from the poison alone.

    Zhang twisted the spear once it entered the man¡¯s chest and pulled it out and stabbed the man again and again.

    A while later Jian Wei walked up to Zhang and said ¡°Enough he is dead.¡± He placed his hand on Zhang¡¯s shoulder trying to put Zhang at ease.

    Zhang had fallen into a bloodthirsty state of mind when he began stabbing the man with the spear and did not stop for a while.

    The man¡¯s body was covered in blood and small holes from the spear.

    After looking at the man¡¯s body. Zhang¡¯s vision began to become fuzzy and soon he fell over onto the ground.

    ¡°Quickly! Give him first aid immediately or he will die from blood loss!¡± Jian Wei yelled.

    Immediately after some of the surviving sailors lifted Zhang up and brought him into the lower deck and found a bed to set him on. They began looking for gazes and medicine to apply onto Zhang. Yuying and Ai also rushed down to the lower decks.

    The other sailors took the man¡¯s body and tossed it into the sea and began preparations to sail away.

    Yan Li walked up to Jian Wei and said ¡°my lord we should be safe for now. Thanks to the lad.¡±

    ¡°Yes thanks to him.¡± Jian Wei said with a smile on his face. However, a hint of worry could be seen on his face. This was due to the condition Zhang is currently in.

    =====================================================================================

    A few days passed as before Zhang opened his eyes. When he woke up he saw Yuying and Ai asleep by his side. They had stayed up taking care of him and fell asleep due to fatigue.

    A warm smile appeared on Zhang¡¯s face. Having two beauties such as them care for him truly was a blessing from heaven he thought.

    He thought maybe if it was these two and Ling he could find true happiness in this world.

    ¡°You''re awake¡± a voice sounded out.

    Jian Wei was sitting in a chair in a corner of the room looking at Zhang, with a smile on his face.

    ¡°How are you feeling Zhang?¡± Jian Wei asked.

    ¡°I¡¯m alive. Although I¡¯m still a bit tired¡± Zhang replied with a smile.

    ¡°That¡¯s good that you woke up. You¡¯ve been out for three days and three nights. You must be tired I¡¯ll let you and your wives rest. I¡¯ll have someone bring you three some food later¡± Jian Wei said with a glint in his eyes as he walked out the room.

    A while later Yuying woke up to find that Zhang was no longer in a coma and was intently looking at her. A broad smile covered her face as she jumped and hugged him.

    Zhang is the only person she knew besides Ai in this world. If he was gone she would not know what to do. Without anyone besides Ai where would she go? Ai didn¡¯t know a thing about the world nor did she, the two of them wouldn¡¯t have anyone or anywhere to go to.

    Due to Yuying jumping onto Zhang Ai woke up and she too jumped at him. The three of them stayed like this for a while in their own little world. No one wanted to say anything to ruin the moment. They simply stayed in this position embracing each other with broad smiles on their face happy to be alive and to be together.

    Then the door to their room opened and a sailor walked in holding a tray of food.

    ¡°Oops looks like I¡¯m interrupting. I¡¯ll just leave the food here and not bother you three.¡± The sailor said as he winked at Zhang and left with a smile on his face.

    Once the sailor left Yuying and Ai¡¯s faces were hot red and they quickly let go of Zhang.

    ¡°That reminds me! I won the bet! I sank that last ship!¡± Zhang yelled looking at the two girls.

    ¡°So my order to you two is for each of you to kiss on.¡± Zhang said with a devilish smile on his face

    Yuying and Ai¡¯s faces became even more red after they heard his words.

    ¡°I I I, pick something else!¡± Yuying said as she stuttered.

    ¡°Nope that¡¯s my wish.¡± Zhang said as he looked at her with an even broader smile.

    Before Yuying could retort Ai gave Zhang a peck on the cheek.

    Seeing this Yuying gave in and leaned in to give Zhang a kiss on the other cheek. Her face moved closer to his and she could feel his breath touch her skin. The world fell into silence as she moved closer and closer.

    Just when her lips were about to touch his check the door slowly creaked open.

    ¡°Zhang! I almost forgot I have something to discuss with you!¡± Jian Wei yelled out as he opened the door and walked in.

    ¡°Whoops.... eh I¡¯ll come back later. Sorry for interrupting.¡± Jian Wei said with an apologetic face as he slowly backed out of the room and closed the door.

    Once the door was closed he could be heard saying, ¡°Man kids these days doing those things and it¡¯s not even noon yet.¡±

    Yuying¡¯s already super red face went up another level after hearing his words.

    ¡°Gahh I¡¯m not doing this anymore!¡± She yelled as she tried to get up.

    However, as she tried to get off the bed her hand slipped and she fell over planting her lips right onto Zhang¡¯s.

    Afterwards she sat up and stared at him with wide eyes and a confused look on her face.

    Seeing her face Zhang couldn¡¯t¡¯ help but laugh.

    Not knowing what to say and her face being so red that steam could start shooting out of her ears any second Yuying ran out of the room while covering her face with her hands.

    >>>>>>>>VOTE FOR ME<<<<<<<<<<<

    Also i would like some help figure out names for a city since i''m terrible with names if some suggestions could be made that would be wonderful. Thanks.

 Chapter 19: Land!

    Roughly two weeks had passed since the encounter with the pirates and Jian Wei had told Zhang that they should be approaching land soon.

    Originally if the storm had not knocked them off course Jian Wei and his men would have had reached port by now and would have avoided the run in with the pirates. They would of also not have run into the trio.

    Jian Wei had withdrawn a map from his interspatial ring and showed Zhang that they most likely would dock at a city called Red Mist city.

    The city got its name due to the many wars waged to occupy it. As legend has it that after one war that a bloody red mist came in from the ocean and ever since then the city had been renamed.

    Red Mist city was located on the southern coast of the warring states area and had been under the control of the Jin clan for centuries. However, many people wished to claim the city as their own.

    This was due to this city being the largest port and harbor on the southern coast. It served as a strategic trading hub for many kingdoms which allowed it to grow extremely rich.

    The Red Mist city currently possessed the 4th largest standing army in the warring states region making it a force to be reckoned with. Besides that, fact Red Mist city also housed one of the many branches of the Golden Lotus auction houses.

    The Golden Lotus auction houses were spread all throughout the continent and was based in the Jiang Empire which is the wealthiest empire in the continent.

    The Golden Lotus served as an auction house for the wealthy and powerful. It auctioned off many things that people sought after. Such as rare weapons and armor to even tamed demonic beasts. If one had money they¡¯d be able to buy pretty much anything at the Golden Lotus auction house.

    Every decent sized city would have one of their auction houses and every major city would have a branch. Thus the Golden Lotus auction house had a web of influence over the entire continent.

    And since a branch office of the auction house was situated within Red Mist city no one would dare to openly invade it.

    Upon learning about the Golden Lotus auction house Zhang wanted to see it for himself. In Blue Tear city there wasn¡¯t a Golden Lotus auction house. This was because despite Blue Tear city being a trading hub for the western region of the Heilong Kingdom it did not have very many wealthy people.

    This was because most of its wealth fell into the pockets of three certain families. Although the citizens lived happy lives there was no way they could afford to buy anything from a Golden Lotus auction house so there was never one set up.

    Actually there weren¡¯t that many Golden Lotus auction houses in the Heilong empire to begin with. There was only one and it was located in the capital city.

    This made Zhang want to see one of the auction houses for himself.

    =====================================================================================

    A few days later Red Mist city could be seen far off in the horizon. It had massive walls that encircled the city and ran into the water.

    These walls encircled the harbor and in had two tower statues that stood on each side of a pair of giant gates that would open and close allowing ships to pass.

    Having these walls meant that during storms ships could safely dock inside without worry about being washed away by the tides.

    Zhang looked in awe at the walls, which were hundreds of feet tall. The two statues stood as tall as the gates. These two statues depicted two men crossing swords. Their swords formed an arc over the gates.

    Besides the walls Zhang could see a huge castle on top of a hill in the middle of the city. Most likely this was the lord¡¯s castle.

    ¡°We will drop anchor here for now.¡± Yan Li said.

    ¡°Wait why aren¡¯t we sailing into the harbor?¡± Yuying who was standing beside Zhang asked in a perplexed tone.

    ¡°This is of course because of the laws of Red Mist city. All ship who wish to enter must drop anchor and shoot a flare requesting entry. The city will send out their coastal guard to inspect the ship before allowing anyone to come closer. If we were to sail through the gates without permission, then we would most likely be attacked or arrested.¡± Yan Li replied informatively and then pulled out a flare from his pocket and shot it into the air.

    Soon after a small boat could be seen coming out from the harbor toward them. Once the small boat reached their ship the sailors tossed down a rope ladder. And up from the boat came an armored soldier and following after him were nine more soldiers.

    ¡°Tell me your reason for wishing to enter our city.¡± The soldier asked.

    ¡°Milord we are a merchant ship that originally wished to come to the great Red Mist city to trade. But sadly we were attacked by pirates at sea and lost all of our cargo.¡± Yan Li quickly replied.

    ¡°Is that so then who are they?¡± The soldier asked as he pointed toward Zhang, Yuying and Ai.

    ¡°Clearly they do not look like sailors nor are they dressed like merchants.¡± The soldier stated.

    ¡°Sir that is our master¡¯s son and the two young ladies beside him are his wives.¡±

    ¡°Yes sir this is my father in law¡¯s ship and this is my husband and this is my lord¡¯s other wife.¡± Yuying said as she walked up toward the soldiers.

    Although Yuying talked to the soldiers they did not reply. They were too busy staring googly eyed at her.

    Before when Yuying was standing by Zhang her hair had covered her face and they did not get a good look at her. However, as she got closer the soldiers became mesmerized at her beauty.

    ¡°Is Is Is that so¡­¡± One soldier replied.

    ¡°Yes sir this ship is my father¡¯s he below deck and these two are my wives.¡± Zhang said as he walked up with Ai next to him.

    Now seeing Ai close up the soldiers could not help but curse at Zhang in their minds for being so lucky to have two such beautiful wives. It was hard enough to meet a woman as beautiful as one of these two beauties let alone marrying not one but two of them.

    ¡°We will commence the inspection now have everyone come above deck and wait,¡± A soldier ordered.

    Soon all everyone on the ship assembled above deck and waited for the inspection to be over.

    Besides two soldiers who were left behind to stand guard the rest of the soldiers went to inspect the ship. If anything odd happened the soldiers above deck would shoot up flares signaling that the inspection failed. Once that happened a naval fleet stationed within the gates would sail out and attack the ship.

    A while later the inspection had concluded and they had passed. The soldiers were not getting back on their boat. However, as they one by one got off the ship they couldn¡¯t help but spare one quick glance at the two beauties.

    Once the soldiers got off the ship began slowly heading into the harbor.

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell them our identities? I would think they if we did so they would provide a guard unit to escort us to Aurora City.¡± Zhang asked.

    ¡°No that would not be the case. If they found out our identities, we would most likely be imprisoned and used as bargaining chips. Remember all the powers within the warring states region wish to dominate one another. If they had the chance they would want to occupy Aurora city.¡± Jian Wei replied

    Once they had entered the harbor and docked Jian Wei suggested that they find an inn to stay in until he could make arrangements for their departure to Aurora city.

    ¡°Excuse me could you please tell us where the best inn in the city is?¡± Zhang asked a man who was passing by.

    ¡°You guys aren¡¯t from around these parts?¡± the man asked.

    ¡°Yes we are traveling merchants.¡± Jian Wei said as he walked up from behind Zhang.

    ¡°Is that so, then you would want to look for the Happy Endings inn. It¡¯s just down the street over there and it¡¯s the biggest inn there is within the city.¡± The man replied with a smile

    ¡°Thank you very much.¡± Zhang said to the man as he man walked off.

    ¡°Senior we would like to look around the city a bit. How about we meet you at the hotel later after some exploring.¡± Zhang said to Jian Wei.

    ¡°Of course take your time. We will dine together later at the hotel.¡± Jian Wei said to Zhang

    After splitting up Zhang decided the first place they should head to was a clothing store. Neither he nor the girls had any real clothes. The only thing they wore were the outfits he had crafted out of essence.

    Not knowing which clothing store to go to Zhang picked the busiest one. This store stood three stories tall and had many people coming in and out. They had some very exquisite clothes on display in the front of the store which attracted a lot of wealthy looking people.

    Once trio walked into the clothing store they saw that it was filled with people and clothes.

    You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

    Zhang saw a middle aged lady standing by a counter and decided to ask for some help. There were so many clothes the trio did not know what to even start.

    ¡°Can you please help us pick out some clothes?¡± Zhang asked the lady.

    She glanced at him from head to toe and said ¡°I think you should try another store. I¡¯m sorry but I don¡¯t think you¡¯d be able to afford anything here.¡±

    Zhang indeed was dressed in plain looking clothes and looked like a poor scholar so the lady treated him coldly.

    ¡°Can¡¯t afford?¡± Zhang said in a somewhat angry voice.

    Since birth he had more money than he could spend in a lifetime and now sitting in his interspatial ring was mountains of gold if he was not able to afford the clothes in here who was? It was not because he was stuck up or anything but he hated people who judged others based on outward appearances.

    There are plenty people who are extremely rich but wear shabby clothes, while there are also extremely poor people pretend to be wealthy.

    ¡°Yes can¡¯t afford. Now go beg somewhere else.¡± The lady said snobbishly

    ¡°Brother let''s go...¡± Ai said as she tugged on his sleeve. She knew that he wasn¡¯t very happy with the lady¡¯s attitude so it would be best to leave.

    However instead Zhang waved his hand and a small mountain of gold coins appeared. Then just as quickly with a wave of his hand made all the gold coins disappear

    ¡°Can¡¯t afford? Hmph!¡± Zhang said as he looked at the lady.

    Once the mountain of gold coins appeared it caught the attention of everyone in the store. And many gazes were cast on the trio and the lady. Soon a small crowd was formed.

    From behind the crowd an elderly man walked out. Seeing this man, the middle aged lady was somewhat afraid.

    Before she could open her mouth the elderly man took out a few silver coins from his pocket and tossed it at her.

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to come back to work here anymore.¡± The elderly man said coldly.

    ¡°Please give me another chance sir, please!¡± The lady begged the man.

    Seeing this Zhang felt kind of sorry for the lady. Although she tried to chase him off he did not wish for anyone to lose their job because of them.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry young master for her rude behavior towards you. If you still wish to purchase some clothes I will personally accompany you and afterward I¡¯ll even give you a discount.¡± The man said with an apologetic smile on his face.

    ¡°Yes please bring help us pick out some clothes as for that lady I think she learned her lesson. I think if you could give her a second chance that would be good.¡± Zhang replied.

    ¡°Did you hear that? Go thank the young master and get back to work.¡± The elderly man said to the middle aged lady.

    ¡°Th-thank you young master.¡± The lady said with tears in her eyes and then walked off to another part of the store.

    ¡°If you would follow me young master I¡¯ll help you pick out some outfits.¡± The elderly man said as he gestured the trio to follow him.

    They walked to a staircase leading to the 2nd floor and then to the 3rd floor. The 1st floor had common clothes and were where most people spent their money. Whereas the 2nd floor had clothes made of more special materials such as demonic beast furs and skins. And on the 3rd floor was where the clothes made of rare materials are kept.

    A young woman walked up to the elderly man and greeted him once he stepped onto the 3rd floor.

    ¡°Bring out our best outfits for this young master and young misses.¡± The old man said to the women.

    ¡°Yes right away master. Please wait a bit.¡± The young women replied and quickly ran off to fetch the outfits.

    Soon she came back with a few outfits.

    ¡°Here is an outfit made out of extremely rare fur of Ice fanged wolf for the young master. It¡¯s the best men¡¯s outfit we have in the entire store. This outfit is extremely tough due to the natural properties of the ice fanged wolf. This is natural because ice fanged wolves are all at least level six.¡±

    A fancy white gown was placed on the counter. Sewed onto it using golden thread was a dragon.

    ¡°Next we have a few female outfits. The first is an outfit made out of the skin of a level six Snow Phoenix. And here we have an outfit made of the skin of a level six Shadow Bear.¡±

    ¡°That is enough you can just wrap up all those outfits we will take them all.¡± Zhang said.

    ¡°Are you sure you want all of them young master? These outfits are quite expensive.¡± The young women asked.

    ¡°Yes we will take them all.¡± Zhang replied with a smile.

    ¡°Also can we place a special order?¡±

    ¡°A special order? Or course young master. What would you like.¡± The elderly man replied.

    ¡°I would like you to make us some outfits out of this.¡± Zhang said as he waved his hand.

    And out of thin air a smile pile of Lightning Eater skin appears.

    The elderly man stared at the pile of skin slacked jawed. He obviously knew which beast this skin belonged to due to the unique color of a Lightning Eater.

    The more he looked at the pile of Lightning Eater skin the more mysterious the trio seemed. Why would people who had so much wealth and even had Lightning Eater skin dress so shabby.

    ¡°If young master does not mind waiting a few days I¡¯m sure we can have the outfits made. After we get your measurements of course.¡± The elderly man replied to Zhang and pointed to a set of dressing rooms.

    ¡°Alright I¡¯ll leave these with you.¡± Zhang said as he picked up the outfit made of the Ice Fanged wolf skin and walked toward a dressing room.

    ¡°Sis pick me one!¡± Ai said to Yuying with a smile on her face.

    ¡°hmmmm this one! I think will look best on you!¡± Yuying said as she picked up the outfit made of snow phoenix skin. The outfit was pure white with a phoenix embroidered onto it with golden thread.

    ¡°Okay thank you. I think this will look best on you sis!¡± Ai said as she grabbed the outfit made of shadow bear skin and handed it to Yuying. This outfit was pitch black as the night sky with fancy looking laces and a phoenix embroidered onto it with golden thread.

    After having picked out outfits Yuying and Ai went to put them on. Once they took off the clothes they were wearing the clothes disappeared into nothingness.

    Zhang was the first one to finish changing and sat down to wait for the two girls. The old man had brought tea and he and the old man began drinking tea and chatting.

    Then Yuying and Ai walked out from the changing room.

    Before they had been extremely beautiful already but after they changed into these outfits people most likely would compare them to living goddesses.

    ¡°You two look lovely.¡± Zhang said

    Hearing this Yuying¡¯s face blushed a bit.

    After seeing farewell to the store owner the trio decided they needed to go buy weapons.

    However, once they walked down to the 1st floor of the clothing store a crowd formed around them. Many men who had come to buy clothes with their wives stared slack jawed at the two beauties as they descended the staircase.

    Not wanting to cause a commotion the trio quickly left the clothing store and headed to their next destination.

    They headed to the town''s biggest weapons store. Once entering the store, they could see weapons lining every inch of the walls of the store. Weapons of all shapes and sizes could be seen.

    ¡°Sir can you please tell us where you keep the higher quality weapons?¡± Zhang asked a man walking the counter.

    ¡°Young master if you¡¯re looking for the higher quality goods please follow me I¡¯ll take you to our lower floor,¡± The man replied as he pointed to a staircase leading downward.

    Unlike the clothing store the weapons store built downward and only had two floors.

    In the lower floor weapons of high quality were kept such as swords and armor made from high level demonic beasts.

    In the middle of the room something caught Zhang¡¯s attention.

    It was a pitch black sword that was kept on a pedestal in the middle of the room.

    >>>>>>>>>>>VOTE FOR ME<<<<<<<<<<

 Chapter 20: Happy Endings Inn

    ¡°How much for that sword right there.¡± Zhang asked the storekeeper as he pointed to the pitch black sword.

    ¡°Ah you have a good eye young master that sword is made out of the tooth of a level six giant Desert Lurker.¡± The shopkeeper replied.

    ¡°No wonder it looked so sharp. Those things are known to live off of eating the hard materials underground. ¡°Zhang said as he looked at the sword

    ¡°Brother what is a Desert Lurker?¡± Ai asked.

    ¡°Well it¡¯s basically a giant lizard that usually lives in the desert. Although most of the time it lives off of eating rocks and metals underground once in awhile if someone is unlucky it¡¯ll pop out of the ground and eat them. Also even though it¡¯s only level six it¡¯s teeth are razor sharp and can cut through metals like butter¡± Zhang said

    ¡°Ahh.¡± Ai said as she looked at the sword.

    ¡°We will take it. If you could show us around a bit, we are looking for other things also.¡±

    ¡°Sure thing young master.¡± The shopkeeper replied as he began walking and pointing out various swords and armors.

    Although there were many weapons in the store Zhang was not able to pick out anything else besides the black sword. Also because it was getting late he decided it was time to head to the hotel.

    Just as they paid and walked out of the weapon store Zhang withdrew the black sword from his interspatial ring and gave it to Yuying.

    By now they had become to close that it was pointless to refuse so Yuying quietly took it and stored it in her ring.

    The trio walked down the street and saw a huge four story building at the end of the street with a sign at the entrance labeled ¡°Happy Endings Inn¡±.

    The odd thing was from the 2nd story floor they could see many women dressed provocatively and waving at the people passing by.

    Also in front of the big entrance many women could be seen standing and trying to get the attention of people walking pass them.

    ¡°It can¡¯t be¡­¡­¡± Zhang said

    ¡°What can¡¯t be, brother?¡± Yuying asked.

    ¡°I think this place is a brothel¡­¡­¡­¡­¡± Zhang replied as he continued walking toward it.

    Hearing that Yuying and Ai¡¯s faced became a bit blushed. This was because Jian Wei probably already got rooms for everyone already inside and they¡¯d have to stay here for the next few days.

    So thus the trio continued walking towards the Happy Endings Inn. And indeed they found out that it was in fact a brothel when they walked closer to it.

    ¡°Young master you looking to have some fun tonight?¡± A young lady said as she walked toward him.

    ¡°Yea If you are looking for some fun tonight how about with me?¡± A middle aged women walked up.

    However, when Zhang looked at the lady he puked a tiny bit in his mouth. The lady totally did not belong at a place like this, just by looking at her people would get nightmares.

    ¡°You get out of here! Stop scaring away our customers!!¡± An angry man ran out of the brothel with a stick chasing off the lady.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, she¡¯s just some crazy lady that likes to come around here to mess with people.¡± The man said and he walked back into the inn.

    ¡°So how about me young master?¡± Another young lady walked up toward Zhang. This young lady had well-endowed bosom and which went up and down as she walked.

    ¡°Umm sorry I already have someone.¡± Zhang nervously said as he grabbed Yuying and Ai¡¯s waists and quickly walked into the inn.

    Once inside the trio was at awe by the grand architecture of the inn. Indoor ponds could be seen everywhere. Archways and small bridges connected one side a floor with the other. The man who had suggest this inn was not wrong to say it was the best in the city.

    But inside Zhang somewhat cursed the man. That is because this inn is a brothel. And for him to come here alone was not that big of a deal but to Yuying and Ai was a big deal.

    Bringing two extremely beautiful women into a brothel is not a very wise decision.  Sooner or later some drunk guy will appear and hit on Yuying and AI. That or someone will confuse them with one of the prostitutes in the brothel and that won¡¯t lead to anything good.

    But Jian Wei most likely already got rooms here and it was best to stay together in a group. Of course the trio could stay somewhere else but what if someone came to assassinate Jian Wei? Zhang had already promised to help escort him back to Aurora City and he to go through with it.

    So they had no other choice but to stay here for the next couple days.

    As Zhang was lost in thought a yell could be heard to his left.

    ¡°Kyaaa!!¡± Yuying yelled. Some guy in his late twenties had grabbed her butt.

    ¡°Come here and have a drink with me.¡± The man said

    Zhang grabbed Yuying¡¯s hand and began walking once more ignoring the young man. He clearly drank too much and Zhang did not want unneeded attention.

    ¡°Hey you do you know who I am? Come back here with my women!¡± The young man yelled as he flipped the table he was seated at.

    Ignoring the man, the trio continued walking but they did not get far before the young man ran in front of them and blocked their path.

    ¡°Get out of my way.¡± Zhang said as he glared at the young man.

    ¡°Oh you''re pretty too. Come with me.¡± The man said as he saw Ai.

    ¡°I said get out of my way!¡± Zhang said once more as he kicked the young man in the abdomen sending him slamming into a table.

    ¡°Do you know who I am?!¡± The man said as he got up from the broken table.

    ¡°I know you are a drunk momma¡¯s boy now get out of my way!¡± Zhang yelled as he sent the young man flying once more with a kick.

    ¡°FUCK!! Where are my guards!! You useless fucks get him!!¡± The young man yelled.

    Moments later six hulking men dressed in blue uniforms came out of nowhere and surrounded Zhang. One man who seemed to be their leader walked up to the drunk young man from before.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry young master but master had told us not to intervene unless things got out of hand.¡± The man said respectfully.

    ¡°I don¡¯t give a fuck! What¡¯s the point of ruling this city if people don¡¯t even listen to me!! NOW GO AND KILL HIM!!¡± the young man yelled.

    The hulking man didn¡¯t say a word and walked toward Zhang.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry but you offended the wrong person tonight. I¡¯ll make sure to give you a quick and painless death.¡± The man said as he drew his sword.

    ¡°You small fries think you can kill me?¡± Zhang said with a glare. He could sense that these men were only around the 5th level.

    In an instant all six men rushed at Zhang. But before they could reach him they felt as if they ran into a wall and couldn¡¯t not go any further.

    Before they could say a word Zhang appeared in front of one of them and did an uppercut sending his victim flying up and then falling on top of a table.

    Then Zhang appeared in front of another man and with a backhand sent the man slamming into a wall and before anyone could do anything he disappeared.

    ¡°Wahhh.¡± One man screamed as Zhang appeared right on top of his hand while performing a downward roundhouse kick. Once the kick connected the man¡¯s head was sent slamming into the floor.

    Appearing beside Yuying and Ai, Zhang said ¡°Kill me? Maybe it will be me who kills you.¡±

    A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

    He then once more disappeared and appeared in front of the man who seemed to be the leader of the six guards and kicked at the man¡¯s knee. Making the me kneel down and once the man kneed Zhang grabbed his head and lifted up his body and with one handed tossed the man at his two comrades who were standing close by.

    Then Zhang slowly walked toward the drunk young man.

    ¡°Wha what do you want! Stop or I¡¯ll have you kill!¡± The young man yelled

    Totally ignoring the young man Zhang grabbed his arm and began pulling.

    ¡°Consider this a warning. Maybe next time you should keep your hands to yourself.¡±

    CRACK

    ¡°GAHHHHHHH.¡± The young man yelled in agony as his arm was disjointed.

    ¡°Now scram before I kill you.¡± Zhang said as he kicked the young man.

    After kicking the young man Zhang proceeded to walk to where Yuying and Ai was and continued walking.

    ¡°Now we have to find Jian Wei, I¡¯m getting hungry and he said he was buying dinner.¡± Zhang said.

    ¡°Yea we haven¡¯t eaten all day. I¡¯m starving.¡± Ai said

    ¡°You two sure are carefree I think we might have caused a bit of trouble just now. Although that jerk sort of deserved it.¡± Yuying said.

    Not long after Yan Li had spotted them from the 2nd floor and went down to get them.

    For dinner Zhang, Yuying, Ai, Jian Wei, and Yan Li ate at the same table. While the rest of the group opted to eat at a separate table. They were only normal soldiers and didn¡¯t dare to sit at the same table as their lord.

    However, they all ate in the same room. They had opted to pay a bit extra to dine in a separate room from the everyone else.

    On the table were many dishes a few bring as roasted duck, Zhang¡¯s favorite sweet and sour pork, wonton soup, and many other dishes.

    Having not eaten such extravagant dishes in such a long time all table manners were lost and forgotten. Everyone stuffed themselves full of food. In an instant all of the food on the tables were gone and they had to order more.

    Naturally the people who operated the inn came looking for Zhang. Turns out the drunken young man was the son of the ruler of the city Jin Chang. So they didn¡¯t dare to go ask him for reparations for the broken tables and furniture.

    They also warned Zhang that Jin Chang was a known lecher within the city and often used his father¡¯s influence to make trouble for others so Zhang had to be cautious.

    After eating they found out the Jian Wei had reserved the entire 4th floor of the inn for everyone. The 4th floor having the more extravagant rooms. He also offered to pay if anyone wished to get any ¡°happy endings¡± tonight.

    To which Zhang turned down, but a few of the sailors went for.

    Jian Wei naturally had reserved a single room for Zhang, Yuying and Ai. Still believing they were all married.

    The trio would have slept in the same room anyway even if he did not arrange for it. This was mainly for security reason. They felt safer when in the same room and if anything happened they would not be separated and could help one another.

    In the room that the trio was going to sleep in was a giant bed in one corner and in the center there was a huge indoor hot spring. Well it of course it was not a real hot spring because the room is on the 4th floor.

    Somehow the inn had recreated a hot spring in the floor on 4th story of the building.

    ¡°You two go in. I promise I won¡¯t peek.¡± Zhang said with a devilish smile on his face. Naturally he meant it of course.

    So he went to the bed in the corner and took off some blankets and pillows and laid them onto the ground. Once he had a small den set up on the floor Zhang went to bed.

    The two beauties seeing that he had gone to sleep got undressed and bathed in the hot spring.

    Well of course Zhang was not asleep. Who could fall asleep when two living goddesses was naked in the same room with them. The answer would be no one.

    But he wanted them to enjoy themselves so he pretended to be asleep and laid facing the wall. However, many wild fantasies ran about in his brain as he laid there pretending to be asleep.

    Water splashed about as Zhang laid there not making a sound then a thought ended up in his mind.

    ¡°Maybe just a little peek he thought. Yes a little peek wouldn¡¯t hurt anyone. They wouldn¡¯t even know he he he he.¡± Zhang thought

    Slowly he pretended to toss and turn in his sleep and turned to the opposite direction he had been facing. Then slowly began to open his eyes.

    ¡°BOOO!!¡±

    ¡°GAHHHH!¡± Zhang yelled.

    Ai was laying right next to him in pajamas and staring at him.

    ¡°Gotcha! Ha ha ha ha.¡± She said as she laughed and got up and walked to the bed.

    ¡°Dang it!¡± Zhang cursed in his mind. He was too late and missed an opportunity of a lifetime.

    Thus the night ended and everyone went to sleep.

    Early in the morning it was time for breakfast.

    Zhang had ordered room service to bring up a small banquet for the trio. He naturally did so before the two girls woke up to surprise them.

    He ordered shumai, har gow, turnip cake, custard buns, won ton soup, fried shrimp balls, egg tarts, congee, and a ton of other dishes.

    Every dish was to die for and could make people drool from their smell alone.

    One Yuying and Ai woke up and smelled the delicious food they quickly changed and got to the table and began dining.

    The trio naturally ate until they could not eat anymore. Everything edible on the table was gone and only empty plates were left.

    Well everything but the last custard bun.

    The three hungry wolves were all eyeing this last custard bun and wished to obtain it for themselves.

    Ai took the initiative and plunged for it with her chopsticks. However not any slower then Ai Yuying also went in for the kill and with a twist of her wrist knocked back Ai¡¯s chopsticks.

    Bang!

    Zhang slammed his hand onto the table sending the custard bun into the air. Once it was in the air he too joined the fray and lunged at it with his chopsticks.

    The trio battled each other over the last custard bun. Using every trick and move in their arsenal. Sadly, in the end the custard bun fell to the floor while they were battling.

    ¡°Dam it¡­. I¡¯ll go order some more.¡± Zhang said as he opened the door and called in a waiter.

    After eating breakfast, the trio jumped onto the huge bed and laid down next to each other enjoying each other¡¯s company.

    But this was cut short when they heard a yell from outside of the inn.

    ¡°GET OUT OF HERE YOU SON OF A BITCH THAT HIT ME LAST NIGHT!!!!!!¡±

    ¡°It seemed that guy is back for more¡­.¡± Yuying sighed

    ¡°Guess I should break his legs and arms this time.¡± Zhang said as he got up from the bed and headed for the door.

 Chapter 21: Golden Lotus

    ¡°Who¡¯s dog is barking so loudly in the morning!¡± Zhang yelled as he poked his head out of a window.

    ¡°WHAT DID YOU CALL ME?¡± Jin Chang yelled back at Zhang.

    ¡°What? I wasn¡¯t talking about you. But I guess since you responded I guess you admit that you are a dog. Hahaha.¡± Zhang replied with a laugh

    ¡°If you have the guts then come down here this instant and I¡¯ll show you who is a dog!¡± Jin Chang said as he glared at Zhang.

    Standing beside Jin Chang were forty hulking men that looked even more well-built then the six that he had with him last night.

    "Hmph to deal with dogs like you I don''t need to come down there! I can do it from up here." Zhang snickered as he withdrew a chained dagger from his interspatial ring.

    "I''ve been meaning to test this out for a while." He murmured

    Zhang tosses the dagger into the air while gripping the chain and then used the Underworld Heart to send energy into it.

    Once the energy coated the dagger and chain it began to move in midair according to Zhang''s will.

    The dagger and chain began sneaking about in the air as if it had a mind of its own.

    A white light shone from Zhang''s hand and an almost endless amount of chains shot out. Using the Underworld Heart Zhang also lengthened the chain so it could have extended to an unbelievable length.

    " You think you can kill us with that parlors trick!" Jin Chang yelled at Zhang from below.

    "No no I wouldn''t dare kill the young master of the Jin clan. But teaching you a lesson is another story." Zhang once more snickered

    Whoosh!

    The dagger began weaving between the hulking men and Jin Chang at unbelievable speeds.

    Zhang made the chain form knots and loops around the men while skillfully controlling the dagger.

    As if it was a snake the chain began constructing the men and binding them closely together.

    "Let me loose. Let me loose! You can''t do this to me my father is the ruler of this city!!!!" Jin Chang screamed as he was bound to his guards and struggling to break free.

    "You want me to let you go? Sure if that''s what you want." Zhang said with a smile.

    With a wave of his hand the dagger snaked itself through the air and back into his hand. Once the dagger was in Zhang''s grasp he released the chain links he had formed using the Underworld Heart.

    The chain links that he had formed dissipated and turned into specks of white light.

    Yuying who was standing next to Zhang quickly covered Ai''s eyes and looked away.

    A cool breeze blew by.

    "What the..." Jin Chang said as he felt the breeze brush against his skin.

    When he looked down all he saw was strips of cloth barely covering his body. In fact, all of his guards were also in strips of clothing and we''re practically nude.

    Zhang had made the dagger cut all of their clothes to ribbons.

    Once realizing what happened Jin Chang quickly uses his hands to cover his important parts.

    "You bastard! I''ll get you for this!!!" He screamed at Zhang.

    Before Jin Chang could say anything else the dagger in Zhang''s hand shot out and once more soared through the air. This time with a loud bang it embedded itself into the ground right in front of Jin Chang.

    "Maybe next time I''ll cut something else off. Probably wouldn''t miss it because there wasn''t much there to begin with." Zhang said with a taunting tone.

    Hearing this a bit of fear could be seen on Jin Chang''s face.

    "You idiots what are you doing! We are leaving. Do you like being watched by others!! And quickly form up around me." Jin Chang said as he kicked one of his guards.

    "Qu-quickly form up around the young master we are leaving!" One of the guards yelled toward the others.

    As they walked away a small crowd formed around them. Many onlookers¡¯ bursts into laughter as they saw the sorry sight that Jin Chang was in. Many of them had been bullied by him and watching this spectacle had helped them work off some of their anger of him.

    "What the fuck are you looking at!?" Jin Chang screamed at one of the onlookers.

    "No-nothing." The man replied.

    "Get out of my way!" Jin Chang yelled as he kicked at the man and stormed off.

    Seeing this the trio couldn''t help but break out into laughter.

    "So what do you two want to do today?" Zhang asked Yuying and Ai.

    "I was wanted to go see the auction house with brother and sister." Ai said.

    "Yea I wanted to have a look at the auction house too." Yuying said.

    "Then that will be our go to destination today. But first I wanted to place a special order at the weapons store." Zhang said as he started heading for the door.

    After placing his order at the weapon store Zhang, Yuying and Ai began heading for the auction house.

    Oddly the large castle that they saw before entering the harbor was not the lord''s castle but the Golden Lotus auction house.

    While the trio walked through the streets they reviewed a mix of gazes. Some were filled with awe due to the two beauties. Once the donned the dresses that Zhang had bought they became like polished gems. Just by walking on the street they would mesmerizing people.

    While other gazes were filled with envy. Some people upon seeing Zhang sandwiched between the two beauties cursed inside their hearts. They are men too but why wouldn''t they be accompanied by women with such beauty.

    While others looking at the women beside them thought that they were lacking and felt somewhat dejected.

    After an uneventful stroll through the streets the trio came upon the Golden Lotus auction house.

    Seeing it afar from the harbor was one thing but seeing it up close was another.

    In front of the auction house was a water fountain that was ran by magic. Water shot out in sequence. On the top of the fountain was a giant golden lotus.

    The auction house itself looked magnificent with many beautiful statues built into the side of the building. Its entrance was a pair of golden gates with flowers and vines laid on top with gold. In the center of each gate stuck out two large golden lotuses.

    Once the trio walked through the gates they walked up toward a counter where an elderly man was standing.

    "Hello young master and misses, how may I help you today." The elderly man said in a kind tone.

    "Hello senior, we would like to partake in an auction." Zhang replied

    "Ah is that so, to take part in the auction you must pay an entry fee of two gold coins per a person. And if you wished to bid for anything a depositor must be put out beforehand. This is to ensure that people do not bid and then not be able to pay for the item they won." The man explained.

    "Of course." Zhang replied and with a wave of his hand six gold coins appeared on the counter.

    Once the elderly man recorded the six coins with another wave of his hand Zhang made a pile of one hundred thousand gold coins appear.

    "Here are one hundred thousand gold coins. I would like to deposit this for the bidding." Zhang said.

    The man was stupefied once he saw how causally Zhang seemed and for him to be so young yet have so much wealth on him.

    Because one hundred copper coins was one silver coin. Then one hundred silver coins was one gold coin.

    A hundred silver coins would allow an extremely poor family to survive and thrive for a year. While a hundred of gold coins were all a regular family has.

    Ten thousand or so gold coins was close to all the wealth a middle classes family had.

    While the entire wealth of a regular wealth family was only a few hundred thousand gold coins.

    An extremely wealthy family most likely had a few million or so gold in assets.

    For someone of Zhang''s age to casually pull out one hundred thousand gold coins the elderly man could only guess how rich his family was.

    If he knew this was only a small fraction of what Zhang had in his ring he would probably lose his mind.

    The amount of gold Zhang had gotten off the pirates was unbelievable. It included gold that they had accumulated over years of pillaging and the amount they recorded to assassinate Jian Wei was astronomical.

    This of course is because Jian Wei is practically a king and if one did not pay an astronomical sum who would have the guts to try and assassinate a king.

    After counting the coins Zhang had placed into the counter the man leads the trio to a private vip room with a balcony. The balcony would overlook where the auction would be taking place.

    There were many balcony reserved for vip clients. While regular people sat in stands below.

    Zhang naturally knew the value of the amount of coins he had put out but having never been to an auction house he did not know where the winning bids ranged from.

    Naturally he did not want to come short when bidding for something that he wanted to have. And of course he did not want to deposit too much money.

    The room the trio was in had fruit and refreshments placed on a table for guests and came equips with comfy seats and even a maid.

    Soon the auction began all of the light that were kept on magically turned off besides the light on the auctioning stage.

    A pretty young lady walked onto stage and greeted the people in the auctioning hall. She is going to be the auctioneer for this auction.

    This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

    "Welcome ladies and gentleman, my name is Chi Zhen and I will be your host tonight." She said.

    Many whistles and cheers could be heard from the audience. This is of course because a majority of them had come just to see her. In Red Mist city she was one of the most sought after women and naturally the auction house has hired her because of this.

    "The first item we will be auctioning off today is a fairly sought after interspatial ring." Chi Zhen said as a pretty maid pushed a cart out from behind stage and on top of it on a cushion was a green interspatial ring.

    Seeing this a portion of the audience went nuts. Interspatial rings were indeed very sought after and not very often put into auction. Only the rich could afford to own one of these rings and most of the time the kept them within the family.

    The bids started at one gold coin and immediately shot up to one hundred and then to a few thousand. In the end a chubby looking man had won the ring with a bid of twenty thousand gold coins.

    This man was named An Gao and controlled roughly twenty percent of the cities rice trade.

    Then next few things up for auction did not catch Zhang''s attention although they were rare they were not things he needed.

    "Next we have a pair of hairpins made of extremely rare white jade. They are treasures that would make any woman''s heart move." Chi Zhen said as a maid placed two delicate looking hairpins on a pedestal.

    The hairpins looked very pleasing to the eye and all of the details on them were extremely well done. The body of the hairpin was made of ice jade and decorated with gold with a pearl handing to one of its ends by a small gold chain.

    "We will start the bidding at two hundred gold coins."

    Naturally the hairpins are not as sought after at the interspatial ring so it was set a reserve price to ensure it met the price the seller wanted to sell it at.

    "One hundred and fifty!" Zhang yelled from the balcony he was in.

    "Two hundred gold coins." Another voice rang out.

    "Three hundred." Zhang yelled.

    He wanted to get the two hairpins as gifts for Yuying and Ai.

    "Any more bidders?" Chi Zhen asked with a slight smile on her face. She was somewhat amazed that the price of the hairpins shot up so quick. Usually people bit by one or two gold coins or in increments of ten for such items.

    "Five hundred gold coins! Who''s the fucker who keeps upping the price!" A voice rang out.

    Looking toward the balcony where the voice came from Zhang saw Jin Chang.

    A smile appeared on his face.

    "Young master Jin! So we meet again!" Zhang yelled out as he stood up at the balcony.

    "It''s you!!" Jin Chang yelled.

    Before Jin Chang could say another word Zhang placed another bid.

    "One thousand gold coins!"

    Yuying and Ai couldn''t help but giggle a bit when Zhang doubled the price. This is because they did not like Jin Chang and seeing how mad he got when Zhang raised the price made them somewhat happy.

    "Hmph you can have those two useless hairpin! There are better things going up for auction later!" Jin Chang yelled as he sat back down.

    "Thanks young master for letting me win the hairpins for my two lovely ladies here. I couldn''t possibly outbid you if you wanted the hairpins for yourself." Zhang teased.

    After winning the hairpins a maid had brought them up to the room where Zhang was and once he got up and recorded them he called out to Yuying and Ai.

    "You two come here and let me put it on for you." He said as he gestured Yuying and Ai to come.

    Seeing this the two girls for up and stood in front of him.

    "Brother how can you be so cheap. Getting only a pair of hairpins while there are two of us." Ai said.

    "Do you don''t want one? I''ll give both to Yuying." Zhang replied with a smile on his face.

    "Of course I want one! Since they are a pair I''ll match with sis!" Ai quickly replied.

    "Fine come here." Zhang said as he gently put the hairpin on each of them.

    The two hairpins looked as if they were made to be put into these two beauties once they were place on Yuying and Ai''s hair.

    "Next up we have a level four demonic beast up for auction. This beast is called a Death Worm. It is of course tamed by our auction house before being put up for auction." Chi Zhen said as two hulking men pushed out a cage with a worn the size of a large dog inside.

    "We will start the bidding start the bidding at three hundred gold coins. Don''t miss out on the chance to own demonic beast!" Chi Zhen said.

    "Three hundred and ten gold coins!" A skinny looking man yelled out from the audience below.

    "Five hundred gold coins! If you know what''s good for you don''t you dare to bid against me." Zhen Chang yelled out.

    Hearing this no one wanted to offend the Jin clan so naturally the bidding stopped.

    Seeing this Chi Zhen of course was not happy. If no one bid, then the auction house would not make a profit and she would get into trouble.

    "Only five hundred gold coins for a demonic beast of the 4th level. That''s a very cheap price anyone want to bid?" She said trying to get someone to vote.

    "Five hundred and one gold coins."

    When Jin Chang looked to the direction where the voice came from he could see Zhang along with Yuying and Ai.

    "Son of a...." Jin Chang cursed in his mind.

    Before he only saw Zhang and not the two beauties but now that he saw them he was reminded once more of their beauty and of course like many other men became envious of Zhang. And with envy comes hatred.

    "Hmph two thousand gold coins." Jin Cheng yelled out.

    "Two thousand and one."

    "Three thousand!" Jin Chang yelled.

    "Ten thousand! Hmph some people think they have money but they just keep waving around chump change." Zhang said in a mocking tone while sneering at Jin Cheng.

    Hearing this Jin Cheng became extremely mad.

    "Twenty thousand gold coins! Fucker you think you have more money than my Jin clan?" Jin Cheng barked.

    "Of course not then you''re Jin clan, but more than you of course." Zhang replied.

    "Twenty thousand and one gold coins."

    "Gahhhh!!!! Forty thousand gold coins!!" Jin Cheng yelled out.

    "You can have it ha ha ha that overpriced worm." Zhang laughed hysterically.

    Yuying and Ai beside Zhang also began laughing to the point that tears formed at the corner of their eyes.

    "Sold! To the young master of the Jin Clan. Thank you for your patronage!" Chi Zhen said cheerfully.

    Of course she was happy, the death worn at most was worth one or two thousand gold coins. But Zhang has made Jin Cheng but it with forty thousand gold coins.

    "Young master the clan leader won''t be happy about this." A guard standing behind Jin Cheng said.

    "Shut up! Go back to my estate and bring more money! I have to wipe that smug look off that fuckers face." Jin Cheng barked

    "But"

    "But what! Go do as I say or I''ll toss you in the dungeon!"

    "Ye-yes young master." The guard said as he sped out of the room.

    "How much more money do we have." Jin Cheng asked another guard

    "After that forty thousand we have another twenty thousand left young master." The guard said.

    "Next up we have ten bottles of Phoenix blood. Each bottle will start at one thousand gold coins. Cultivation materials such as these don''t come by very often and in such quantities so make sure to place your bids." Chi Zhen said.

    Phoenix blood is a very rare cultivation material that had many uses. One could use it to boost their cultivation speed or heal fatal injuries. As long as someone hasn''t died yet Phoenix blood could save their life.

    "I''ll take all ten bottles for two thousand coins each!" Zhang yelled out.

    Although the Underworld Heart could mend wounds and recreate lost limbs it was not possible to use it to heal disease. Whereas Phoenix blood could heal practically anything.

    "Any other bidder? Since that young master wishes to buy all of the bottles of Phoenix blood we will now sell them as a set." Chi Zhen said.

    Although Jin Chang wanted to bid against Zhang his bodyguard had not return with more money yet so he only had twenty thousand gold coins to bid with.

    "Going once, going twice, sold!"

    Like before a maid brought up the ten bottles of Phoenix blood to Zhang''s room.

    With a wave of his hand the ten palm sized bottles disappeared into his interspatial ring.

    After the Phoenix blood a few more items were auctioned however none of them caught Zhang''s attention.

    There was even a fists worth of liquids mithril up for auction. But even that did not catch Zhang''s attention. This was because Zhang knew a place that had an unbelievable quantity of it. Thanks to Xin Tao of course.

    "The last item up for auction tonight is a rare treasure called Ruler''s Dominion."

 Chapter 22: Friends and Enemies

    "The ruler¡¯s dominion is a rare treasure that allows the user to create a separate space within it. Unlike an interspatial ring it can store living things within it. Of course the size of the space that is inside this treasure is dependent on the user. A master at the headquarters of the Golden Lotus has tested it and was able to create a small room that could fit roughly four people." Chi Zhen said as she helped up a pitch black ring.

    "Four people? Isn''t that kind of small? Interspatial rings can hold an almost infinite amount of things." A man said.

    "So what if it can only hold about four people. Being able to store away living things makes it a treasure nonetheless." Another man yelled out.

    "So we will start the bid at fifty thousand gold coins." Chi Zhen said as she once more held of the black ring.

    "Fifty thousand!" A fat man yelled out. This made was known as Le Chan who happened to control about fifty percent of Red Mist city''s rice trade.

    Zhang waved the maid that worked at the auction house over and withdrew from his ring another hundred thousand gold coins.

    "Deposit this for me."

    The maid seeing this quickly called a clerk over to count the gold coins.

    "Eighty thousand gold coins!!" A person yelled out.

    This person was Jin Chang. His bodyguard had just come back with another forty thousand gold coins.

    "Why didn''t you bring more!" Jin Chang yelled at his guard.

    "I''m sorry young master this is all I could take without alerting the master." The guard replied timidly

    "Fine I bet that fucker doesn''t even have close to eighty thousand gold coins and who else has this much money sitting around." Jin Chang said with a hint of laughter in his voice.

    "One hundred fifty thousand gold coins." Zhang yelled out.

    Jin Chang stated at Zhang''s balcony slack jawed once he heard the amount.

    "Fuck! I can''t let that fucker won this."

    "Eighty thousand gold coins and deed to my summer villa." Jin Cheng yelled out.

    "Young master we only accept currency for the auction." Chi Zhen said.

    "Fuck that my family rules this city what I say goes!" Jin Chang rebuked.

    "We will gladly accept the young masters bid but we will value your summer home at eighty thousand gold coins. Will that be acceptable?" The middle aged man walked out from behind the stage.

    Upon seeing this man Chi Zhen quickly bowed and said "branch manager."

    This man is the branch manager of Red Mist city and called branch manager by everyone.

    "Fine I accept." Jin Cheng replied

    "So the highest bid is currently one hundred sixty thousand gold coins. Will the other young master raise his bid?" Chi Zhen said as she looked at Zhang''s booth.

    "One hundred sixty thousand and one gold coins." Zhang yelled out with a laugh.

    Jin Cheng''s face sank. He did not have any more money on him and if he bid anymore his father would kill him. And he was afraid that Zhang would back out after raising the price sky high like the death work.

    "Going once, going twice, sold!!! To the young master in that booth." Chi Zhen yelled.

    "You go and use this medal to bring one squad city guard over here!" Jin Chang said to one of his guards.

    "R-right away young master." The guard said. He did not want to be the one that Jin Chang released his anger on so naturally he followed the order without questioning or delay.

    "Thank you everyone for coming to tonight''s auction and with that today''s auction ends." The branch manager said and he bowed to the audience.

    Once Zhang received the black ring he stored it into his interspatial ring.

    "I''m tired brother let''s go back to the inn." Yuying said as she poked Zhang''s shoulder.

    "Alright time to head back." Zhang replied and he proceeded to walk out of the room.

    Once the trio walked back into the main hall of the auction house they were approached by the branch manager.

    "Hello young master on behalf of our Golden Lotus auction house we would like to thank you for your purchases today."

    "No thanks needed senior." Zhang replied with a nod.

    "I would like you to have this."

    A black card with a golden lotus appeared in the branch manager''s hand.

    "If you take this to any golden lotus they will help you with whatever you need."

    "Thank you senior." Zhang said as he received the card.

    Naturally the branch manager seeing how much money Zhang could spend without batting an eye thought that Zhang was part of some powerful clan. So he wished to be on Zhang''s good side and possible make some connections.

    Suddenly a loud cry could be heard outside.

    "You fucker! Get out here now!"

    Zhang sighed as he could guess who it was.

    Once the trio walked outside they could see a hundred or so city guards dressed in full suits of red armor in front of the auction house.

    "Now get on your knees and beg and maybe I''ll let you off with a beating." Jin Cheng barked.

    "You two come enjoy a fun night with papa and I won''t kill your friend." He said licking his lips while pointing at Yuying and Ai.

    "Ha ha ha look it''s the dog who only knows how to bark." Zhang said as he sneered at Jin Cheng.

    "Charge!!!" Jin Cheng screamed.

    That second all of the soldiers charged toward Zhang.

    "You two stay here and don''t get involved. If anything go back to the hotel and find Jian Wei and have him get help." Zhang said toward Yuying and Ai.

    "Ok brother, make sure not to get hurt." Yuying said to Zhang.

    Zhang had not want the girls to intervene because their current opponents were the city guard. And he did not want Jin Chang to have an excuse to in prison the two of them.

    Zhang knew if the trio had stayed within the auction house that Jim Chang would be too afraid to do anything to them. But hiding was not an action he preferred.

    Zhang jumped into the air and made the chained dagger appear.

    The dagger danced about in the air and then shot out toward the ground slashing one guard in the side.

    While grasping the chain Zhang made it retract and pulled himself toward the ground at extreme speeds.

    WHAM!!

    Zhang''s knee slammed into the guard¡¯s face sending him crashing into the ground and knocking him unconscious. Once his knee connected with the man''s face Zhang did a backflip and propelled himself back into the air.

    While in the air Zhang used the chained dagger like a whip a lashed out at the city guards. Being in heavy armor they naturally were much slower then him.

    A unit of city guards were equipped with bows and arrows and began shooting into the air.

    "Shit they are pulling out all of the stops." Zhang cursed

    Skillfully avoiding the arrows Zhang landed onto the ground and weaved his way between the soldiers.

    He knew if the battle dragged out for too long he would be at a disadvantage. So his goal is to capture Jin Chang and then escape the city. Once he escaped the city he could meet up with the rest of the group later.

    However, plans are just plans and they failed very often. Just when Zhang was about to reach Jin Cheng a powerful arm pushed its way through the crowd and grabbed onto Zhang''s wrist.

    You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

    "You can''t touch the young master with me here!" A guard with a distinct looking helmet yelled out.

    "Shit..." Zhang murmured as he tried to work his wrist out of the man''s grip but to no avail.

    Suddenly a voice could be heard a bit away.

    "Halt! Who dares to cause trouble in front of the Golden Lotus!!"

    Everyone paused to look at the direction where the voice came from. The branch manager of the golden lotus could be seen standing at the entrance to the auction house.

    "Hmph are you going to listen to him or me! Kill that bastard!" Jin Cheng screamed.

    "If you don''t heed my warning then so be it." The branch manager said with a sigh.

    As soon as his sentence ended hundreds of armored men began marching out from the auction house.

    These men were dressed in gleaming golden armor. And each of them wore a scarf with a golden lotus sewn onto it.

    These men are the reason why many people avoided attacking cities with a branch office of the Golden Lotus. These men are called the Golden Core and are elite soldiers that are trained and houses by the auction house.

    All of these men are selected from thousands of people and are all level six or higher.

    "Young master we can''t offend the Golden Lotus or else the consequences will be disastrous." A guard told Jin Cheng.

    "Unhand that young man and buzz off or this won''t be the end of your troubles!" The branch manager yelled.

    "Hmph! retreat back to the barracks!" Jin Cheng yelled mounted a horse and rode away.

    After all of the city guards left the Golden Core began filing back into the auction house.

    "Many thanks senior." Zhang, Yuying and Ai said simultaneously.

    "No thanks needed if I had not shown up people would have started thinking that they could just cause trouble here and get away with it. I will see you another time." The branch manager said as he headed off into the auction house.

    ¡°Alright you two time to head back but before that we should go pick up our things we ordered.¡± Zhang said.

    ¡°That reminds me brother what did you order at the weapon store?¡± Yuying asked.

    ¡°You¡¯ll see when we get there.¡± Zhang replied with a playful smile on his face.

    Their first stop was the clothing store and there waiting for them were three outfits made out of the Lightning Eater¡¯s skin.

    ¡°I have to say young master these outfits have to be the made out of the best materials we¡¯ve ever worked with. And when working with them we found out that they are highly resistant to lightning and poison. Also naturally these outfits are very durable and protective and it¡¯s not farfetched to call them armor.¡± The elderly clothing store owner said to Zhang.

    ¡°Many thanks senior.¡± Zhang replied and with a wave of his hand a few hundred gold coins appeared on the store counter.

    ¡°Th-this is too much. We simply took the materials you gave us and worked with them.¡± The elderly man said.

    ¡°It¡¯s ok senior please accept these and consider them a token of friendship.¡± Zhang said.

    It wasn¡¯t that Zhang simply wanted to pay more. Zhang was simply using a few gold coins to set up a good connection with this elderly man. Being the owner of the largest clothing store within a major city meant that he naturally had a lot of connections. And maybe one day this man and his connections may come in handy.

    ¡°Okay I will accept these. If in the future, you ever need any more clothing please do remember our store.¡± The elderly man said.

    ¡°Of course senior with this we will be leaving now.¡± Zhang replied as the trio headed for the exit.

    Once the trio left the elderly man sat there contemplating. What kind of family could this young master come from? For one to have two beautiful wives such as his and to be able to drop a few hundred gold coins as a token of friendship? This meant that this young man had a monstrous background and that staying on his good side is something one should strive for.

    Their next stop was the weapons store. Once the trio walked into the entrance of the door they walked directly to the counter.

    ¡°Hi mister are my things ready?¡± Zhang said politely.

    ¡°Yes of course young master I had placed a rush order for you of course that will cost a bit more but your order is done.¡± The clerk said with a smile.

    ¡°I hope this will cover the fees.¡± Zhang said and wave his hand making a few hundred gold coins appear on the store counter.

    Just like the old man at the clothing store the clerk was somewhat speechless at the amount of money Zhang was giving him. However, after some talking he naturally accepted the money.

    Zhang had noticed that the clerk although he did not admit so was the owner of the weapons store and would be a good connection to build also.

    ¡°Here are the weapons you ordered young master. We had our best smiths work together to make them for you. I hope they are to your liking.¡± The clerk said as he placed three sets of black scale armor complete with helmets, two daggers attached to chains, and three big shields onto the counter.

    ¡°Also we have the arrows you had ordered in the back due to the quantity.¡± The clerk said while pointing to a pile of arrows in a room behind the counter.

    Zhang had the small scales of the Lightning Eater be made into scale armor. The many scales were placed overlapping one another making it difficult to penetrate the armor but also allowing for maximum movability when wearing the armor.

    The helmet was made of mid-sized pieces of the Lightning Eater¡¯s scales. These scales after being curved were big enough to cover the head from the forehead to the back of the skull using only five scales. The suit even came with gauntlets and gloves.

    The best part about the gloves where the finger tips were sharp pieces of Lightning Eater scale, while the rest of the glove was just like the armor and made of overlapping pieces.

    Voracious Eater teeth had been used to make the two razor sharp daggers for the chained daggers. While the three large shields were made of the largest Lightning Eater scales reinforced with smaller scales. This made the shields themselves weapons due to the sharp edges on the front of the shield due to the scales.

    And the hundreds of arrows of course were made of scales also, just the tips of the arrows of course.

    ¡°As a show of appreciation I would like to gift young master these three bows on behalf of our store.¡± The clerk said as he pulled out three expensive looking bows from below the counter.

    ¡°Many thanks mister. We will be leaving now¡± Zhang replied after placing everything into this interspatial ring.

    Having picked up all of the things he ordered Zhang and the girls headed back to the inn. Once back at the inn they met up with Jian Wei and of course ate dinner. During the course of the meal they told Jian Wei what had happened.

    ¡°Serves him right. His father has been getting on my nerves all these years anyhow. Also don¡¯t worry tomorrow night at noon we will be joining a caravan headed for Aurora City.¡± Jian Wei said.

    =====================================================================================

    ¡°You fool!! Not only did you move the city guard but you also caused trouble at the auction house! Do you know that is the one place we cannot offend in this city? What will we do if they moved the branch office elsewhere! If it was gone that is one deterrent that is helping keep our enemies away gone!!!¡± Jin Sho who is the father of Jin Chang yelled.

    ¡°Bu-but it¡¯s not my fault father it¡¯s that bastard! He¡¯s been mocking our clan and humiliating me in public.¡± Jin Chang replied.

    ¡°You can¡¯t deal with a single brat by yourself? And yet you dare to call yourself my son?¡± Jin Sho yelled.

    ¡°If the Golden Lotus had not intervened I would have father.¡±

    ¡°Hmph you can¡¯t do anything right; I will tidy up this mess you made personally. Else soon our clan will be more of a laughingstock for the entire city!¡±

 Chapter 23: Views

    Late at night once everyone had fallen asleep Zhang sat crossed leg in his room. Yuying and Ai were cuddled up on the comfy bed and fast asleep.

    Zhang was examining the Ruler''s Domain after dripping a drop of blood into it and binding it to himself. The ring looked just like any other regular ring. However, if you poured essence into it a blank space will appear in one''s mind.

    And using only thoughts the user of the Rules Domain could manipulate this space to their own will. The image appearing in their mind of course is the space within the ring.

    Zhang activated the ring by pouring not in all of the essence he could into it and a room appeared in his mind. This room was about the size of the inside of a closet.

    "Although the it''s not big I could use it to hide people still." Zhang said.

    He had gotten the ring with the intention of using it to hide Yuying and Ai away when danger fell upon them. By doing this he could ensure their safety and focus on escaping.

    As he examined the blank space something odd happened. The room seemed to be faintly expanding.

    It slowly grew from its original size a bit at a time and not showing any signs of stopping. When Zhang opened his eyes he could see that the Underworlds Heart which he kept at all times in his pocket was glowing purple.

    He kept it in his pocket naturally because if he needed to he could use it at a moments need.

    Faint trials of energy came out from the Underworlds Heart and flowed into the black ring. And once it entered the ring many tunes could be seen on the ring. The energy caused the runes to light up and glow.

    "So that''s how it is!" Zhang yelled out in his mind.

    The space within the Ruler''s Domain was based off of the user¡¯s essence level and the higher one''s level the more essence could be channeled into the ring. Of course humans had a limit on what they could release at a time.

    However, the Underworld Heart used essence naturally in the air allowing it to channel an almost endless amount into the ring. Thus feeding the ring and allowing it to grow.

    With a thought Zhang forcefully spiked the amount of essence that was flowing into the ring. At that instant the growth rate sped up a bit.

    ¡°Hmm once more!¡± Zhang thought and continued to pour in more energy from the Underworlds Heart into the ring.

    Soon the closet sized room expanded becoming almost double its original size. Then with a thought Zhang was able to create things within it. Since the space inside the ring was controlled by his mind Zhang naturally could make things appear within it.

    Of course living creatures could not be made using the power of the Rulers Domain nor could the things created within it be taken out.

    ¡°I¡¯ll make a miniature forest there.¡± Zhang murmured as he began sculpting a landscape in the domain.

    He erected small mountains, a lake, and a plain by the lake. On top of the plain he created a tiny castle. Once the exterior of the castle was made he began making the rooms individually.

    Creating things in the Ruler''s Domain of course was very enjoyable. One could create a mini world with their mind of course that would be amusing.

    ¡°Hmmm maybe if I designed a prison in there too!¡± Zhang thought.

    He sat there for many hours designing the castle laying hidden mechanisms and this and that within it. Naturally many of the things Zhang came up with could not be created outside of the domain.

    Soon an extremely beautiful castle was created and it came fully equipped with hidden rooms a dungeon, and hundreds of rooms. In each room Zhang even went to the trouble of creating furniture.

    Outside of the castle he made solid walls that towered above the ground. The inside the walls were lined with hidden passageways. Beside the castle stood an intimidating prison inside the prison of course were many cell and mechanisms that made escaping almost impossible.

    Zhang ended up creating many things within the domain. He became so engrossed in building the world that he lost track of time.

    Well of course these were all in miniature size but still it was an impressive sight to behold.

    "Maybe one day it''ll grow big enough for me to make these things in a bigger." Zhang thought.

    Being able to create all those miniature things would be epic Zhang would have another world inside the ring under his complete control. However, for now the domain inside the ring is still pretty small and could probably can only fit six or so people.

    As Zhang sat there basking in the glory of the domain he created a sudden a knock could be heard on his door.

    "Zhang I want to talk with you for a bit."

    "Senior is that you?" Zhang asked.

    "Yes it''s me Jian Wei."

    Zhang slid the Rulers Domain on to his finger and got up from where he was sitting. After getting up Zhang nimbly walked to the door and opened it.

    In front of the door Jian Wei stood waiting for Zhang.

    "Follow me I wish to talk with you somewhere more private." Jian Wei said as he gestured Zhang to follow him.

    The two of them walked down a corridor to a room at the very end. Although the entire floor of the inn was reserved by Jian Wei he had picked this specific room to talk to Zhang in.

    "From this room we are able to see a portion of the entire city. Come here and have a look." Jian Wei motioned to Zhang.

    "It''s a very nice view." Zhang said as he walked up beside Jian Wei.

    "What do you see when your look at this view?" Jian Wei asked

    "I see progress, senior." Zhang replied.

    "Do tell."

    "Of course, if you look at the city now it is a metropolis filled with people, places and things. However, all places have a beginning. This city of course had to start from a small village and grow to a town and so on. Without progress there will be no development and everything still stall and be stuck in today or yesterday."  Zhang said as he looked into the distance.

    "Indeed, indeed and can you tell me what you think brought about this progress." Jian Wei said with a glint in his eyes.

    "This of course is brought about by people. People influenced by other people and uniting to create something new. Leaders come about from normal people and bring about change."

    "That is true, and how do people unite others who have conflicting views." Jian Wei asked.

    "Often conflicting views lead to strife, confrontations and violence. However, having different views is what it means to be human. And to resolve different views force must be used. Once one side views then naturally there won''t be any more conflict. If one power controlled, the world there would no longer be any war. At least on a national scale, there would be still smaller conflicts of course." Zhang said with a slight sigh.

    "Yes, uniting the world would end many if not all large conflicts. Zhang you are indeed very wise and I''m very fortunate to have run into you. So far you have exceeded my expectations so I would like to purpose for you to become my foster son." Jian Wei said.

    "I don''t know what to say senior." Zhang replied.

    "Nothing to say. I wish for you not only to become my foster son but for you to be my successor. You''re gifted in combat and possess a mind that is many years beyond your age. You are decisive when the moment calls for it and is a natural born leader. I''ve been searching for someone to help me realize my dream of uniting the warring states region for many years now. And you are the first that I feel has what it takes." Jian Wei said excitedly.

    Zhang stood there not knowing what to say.

    "I''ll take your silence as a yes!" Jian Wei said as he pulled out a medallion from his pocket and presented it to Zhang.

    "This is the aurora emblem. With this whenever those part of Aurora City see you they must salute and listen to your commands. You can move the forces under my control as will using this." Jian Wei said while grabbing Zhang''s hand and placing the medallion into his hand.

    "Once we reach the city I will make an official announcement. And good night." He said as he left the room.

    Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

    Zhang stood below the moonlight still confused. Everything happened so quick that he was not able to process it all.

    "Sigh, I guess I''ll hold on to this and things that are meant to happen will happen." He said as he took another look at the city below.

    ========================

    A few hours before noon Zhang and the group had gone and bought supplies for their trip to Aurora City. Supplies such as food, and other necessities.

    Zhang made sure to stock up on plenty of food just in case anything unexpected happened. He even went back to the clothing store alone and bought many outfits for himself and the girls. Who knows when one might need to change into a new outfit.

    After buying a few things by himself he met up with Yuying and Ai.

    "What did you buy?" Zhang asked.

    "Just this and that." Ai replied.

    "Like what?"

    "Erm food, a bed, water, and a few other things." Ai replied

    "Is that so." Zhang said with a grin on his face.

    This is because she bought a bed to use during the trip to Aurora City. Somehow it just seemed funny to him.

    "Let''s go pick out horses." Zhang suggested.

    Although they would be traveling within the caravan it was best to have horse to use. They never know when they might need horses.

    Zhang had found out the location of the city¡¯s biggest horse breeder and lead Yuying and Ai to go together to pick out horses.

    Jian Wei had said earlier that he would squire horses for everyone but Zhang turned him down. He thought the experience of picking out their own horses would be an enjoyable one.

    The storefront for the breeder was located in the middle of the city and in front of the store were many people coming in and out.

    This certain breeder catered mostly to the wealthy supplying them with horses of various kinds.

    Once the trio entered the store a young woman greeted them.

    "Hello young master and misses. How may I help you today?¡± She asked.

    "We would like to pick out some horses for a long trip. Could you please recommend us some? Money is not an issue." Zhang said.

    He did not want to waste time because had he not said money was not an issue the attendant would most likely take him on a stroll through all of the stables they had from most affordable to most expensive horses.

    "Of course young master of you could follow me." The young women said as she gestured the trio to follow her.

    "Here are our best horses they are a mix breed of purebred horses that are ridden into war and horse demonic beast called Inferno Wind Walkers." The young women said.

    The horses she recommended were roughly one and a half times larger than a regular horse. These horses looked as if they were built for war.

    ¡°The Inferno Wind Walkers they were breed from can run hundreds even thousands of miles a day without tiring. They can run so fast that they look like they are running on the air. So naturally since these horses are a crossbred from them these horses are also possess some of their qualities.¡± The young woman said.

    "Are the Inferno Wind Walkers for sale?" Zhang asked.

    Naturally if a mixed breed looked so powerful then a purebred would be many times more powerful.

    "I''m sorry young master but is have to ask the owner not every day does someone ask to purchase one of them." The young woman said as she went to a middle aged man a bit away.

    Soon the middle aged man came over and greeted the trio.

    "Young master you said that you wish to purchase out inferno wind walkers? I must let you know they are demonic beasts although they are tamed they are not like regular horses. Also since they are tamed demonic beasts they are naturally very pricy."

    "Name your price." Zhang said.

    The man not saying anything raised up three fingers.

    "Thirty thousand gold coins? Why don''t you go rob someone? Zhang said.

    "No no three thousand gold coins¡¯ young master please don''t jest." The man hurriedly said.

    "I''ll take three for seven thousand." Zhang replied with a grin.

    "Seven is kind of low how about eight and a half."

    "Eight." Zhang said as he started to walk around.

    "You drive a hard bargain young master. I''ll do eight thousand just for you." The middle aged man said.

    "We will be needing saddles also." Zhang said as he waved his hand and withdrew gold coins from his interspatial ring.

    "Of course young master I''ll include those for free." The man said as he quickly took the gold coins and placed them into a tray to count.

    A while later the trio each picked out their own inferno Wind Walker. These demonic beasts were of the 4th level and were twice as large as normal horses.

    Their manes and tails were made entirely of fire. Although the fire was not hot enough to seriously burn anyone.

    The trio picked out matching horses with black coats. And matched with the red fire manes and tails these horses looked extremely fierce and dangerous.

    As the trio lead their mounts through the street something happened. Soldiers began filling the streets.

    "The lord of the city has announced that due to bandits sneaking their way into the city we will be closing the city gates and detaining any dispersions people." A soldier yelled out.

    ¡°Something must be going on we should quickly head back to the group.¡± Zhang gestured to the girls.

    "You there come with us! We suspect that you three may have met the bandits." A soldier said as he walked toward the trio.

    ¡°What we haven¡¯t done anything wrong?¡± Yuying said to the guard.

    ¡°Nothing wrong? We have orders from our superiors stating you may be related to the group of bandits come with me or don¡¯t regret it when we use force!¡± The guard barked.

    "Quickly let¡¯s go!" Zhang yelled as he jumped onto of his horse. Seeing this Yuying and Ai climbed onto their mounts. The trio sped away from the soldiers.

    With a neigh the Inferno Wind Walkers galloped away.

    "This must be related to that bastard!" Zhang yelled to the two girls.

    The soldiers must have been ordered specifically to capture the trio and there were probably no bandits at all.

    "Quickly we are going to go around and meet up with Jian Wei!"

    "Lead the way brother!" Yuying yelled back.

    The trio galloped through the streets at extremely quick speeds. Behind them soldiers hurriedly tried to follow.

    But how could men on two feet compare with a beast that has wind walked in it''s name.

    A short while later the trio was able to shake off the soldiers behind them.

    Once they lost the soldiers they headed directly to where they said they''d meet Jian Wei. When Jian Wei saw the trio in such a hurry he quickly asked them what was wrong.

    Zhang hurriedly explained the situation to Jian Wei.

    "Hmmm this may be a problem. We could always lay low and I''ll have my people contact the army of Aurora City and demand they let us out." Jian Wei said.

    "Actually I came here to tell you that I have a plan." Zhang said.

 Chapter 24: Escape

    The streets that were just moments ago teaming with people were now eerily quiet. If someone dropped a pin it would be audible in this silence. Breaking the silence, the sound of hooves pounding against the cobblestone laid streets could be heard. A lone rider could be seen in the distance. Zhang was galloping through the empty streets of Red Mist city alone.

    The city guard had ordered all civilians to return to their homes. Anyone caught outside would be imprisoned. Commoners ran home, merchants closed chop, and travelers made their way back to the inns they were staying in.

    Zhang¡¯s destination was the poorest sector within Red Mist city. To enact his plan, he needed to go there. Over the last few days Zhang had become a bit acquainted with the city¡¯s layout so as long as he headed in one particular direction he would reach the place he wanted to.

    As he sped his way through the streets in the distance he could see a group of guards coming out from an alleyway on the right.

    ¡°You! Dismount now! And come with us or we will use force!¡± A guard yelled out with his sword drawn.

    Totally ignoring the guard Zhang sped up his mount even more.

    After Zhang ignored him the guard pulled out a flare and shot it into the sky signaling for reinforcements. Soon many soldiers and city guard converged on the area where the flare was shot and began an encirclement.

    ¡°Form formations! Form formations!¡± A soldier yelled.

    In front of Zhang was a row of soldiers that blocked his path, from the alleyways toward his side teams of soldiers stormed out, and behind him his pursuers had caught up.

    ¡°Ha you fool I have you now!¡± A man dressed in full armor and sitting on top of a horse cried out. If one looked closely they would be able to see that this person was Jin Chang.

    ¡°You actually closed off the city gates just for us?¡± Zhang mocked.

    ¡°Of course no one mocks my clan and gets away with it. Also I couldn¡¯t possibly let my future brides run off now could I?¡± Jin Chang said while licking his lips.

    ¡°But they have already run off. Do you see them here? I¡¯ve had people smuggle them out of the city already.¡± Zhang laughed.

    ¡°Enough small talk! Men kill this fucker! Archers shoot at will!¡± Jin Chang yelled.

    Behind him rows upon rows of archers marched to the front and began drawing their bows.

    ¡°Hmph you¡¯re just looking to die!¡± Zhang yelled as two chained daggers appeared within his grasp.

    Zhang was currently dressed in his Lightning Eater scale armor while grasping the two chained daggers and riding an Inferno Wind Walker he looked like death reincarnated.

    Once Zhang was armed a hint of hesitation fell on the soldiers. Before Zhang had been unarmed and they were not afraid of him however now that he had weapons no one wished to lose their lives.

    These man had heard from their comrades about what happened in front of the auction house and knew about Zhang¡¯s prowess. Sure they could outnumber him and defeat him but they knew for sure some of them would have to die in the process. And who would want to charge at him knowing there was a chance they¡¯d die.

    ¡°What are you doing attack! Attack or I¡¯ll have you all executed!!!¡± Jin Chang screamed.

    If they didn¡¯t fight they¡¯d all die but if they fought only some of them will die hence all the soldiers put their fear aside and charged toward Zhang.

    Jin Chang wanted to capture Zhang alive so he can find out where Yuying and Ai were also to torture Zhang. So unless he needed to he would not order the hundreds of archers behind him to fire.

    ¡°CHARGE!!!¡± the soldiers screamed as they brandished their spears and swords and rushed to where Zhang was.

    ¡°Hmph!¡±

    Zhang swirled the chained daggers around himself and his horse creating a whirlwind of spinning chains and blades. The soldiers in the front being pushed by the soldiers in the back ran into this storm of blades and chains.

    The blades made of Voracious Eater fangs are naturally extremely sharp so with next to little effort they cut through the leather armor that the soldiers were wearing. But since the daggers were not very long they only created superficial injuries to the soldiers.

    Soldiers struggled to halt their advance toward Zhang, some lodged their spears and swords into the ground to help them hold back the momentum of those behind them. After a short while they were able to stop their comrades.

    Seeing this Zhang stopped the whirlwind of blades and whipped the chained daggers toward Jin Chang.

    ¡°If you want my life then I shall not show mercy anymore!¡± Zhang roared as the daggers pierced through the air.

    ¡°Not on my watch!¡± A familiar looking man appeared. It was the soldier who had caught Zhang¡¯s wrist the other day.

    The man slashed at one of the daggers aimed at Jin Chang and knocked it away. The dagger plunged into the ground pinning itself into the hard cobblestone road.

    ¡°You think you can stop me?¡± Zhang sneered.

    With a flick of his wrist the 2nd chained dagger that was still in motion snaked about. The dagger instead of going for Jin Chang backlashed toward the armored man. Seeing this the man used his sword to block the strike.

    With another flick of his wrist the dagger slashed downward and then back toward Jin Chang.

    The armored man¡¯s mouth opened in disbelief as Zhang¡¯s dagger hacked off the two front legs of Jin Chang¡¯s horse. Once that horse¡¯s legs were cut off it tumbled toward the front sending Jin Chang flying toward the ground.

    The armor man quickly jumped off his horse to catch Jin Chang. Jin Chang¡¯s cultivation was miniscule and a fall off a horse would injure him pretty badly.

    Using this chance Zhang tapped the side of his Inferno Wind walker and made it gallop. He charged toward a row of soldiers blocking an alleyway. Once in front of the soldiers the wind walker jumped over their heads. One unlucky soldier¡¯s head was smashed to a pulp by a hoof of the horse when it landed.

    ¡°Quickly you useless fools get him!!¡± Jin Chang yelled as he stood next to the armored man.

    Hundreds of soldiers began cramming into the small alleyway to chase after Zhang.

    As Zhang made his way through the maze like alleyways he finally reached his destination. In front of him were hundreds of homeless people. He had ridden to the poorest sector of Red Mist city. Although the city itself was extremely wealthy the vast majority of its wealth fell into the pockets of the already rich and privileged. The ruling clan pocketing a large chunk of the revenues of the city.

    Due to this a large portion of the city¡¯s population was left in poverty. Some could not afford to feed their families or provide shelter for their children. And a vast majority of them lived in this sector of the city or rather a better word to call this place was slums.

    With only so much wealth to go around the people in the slums only survived by scraping together the bottom of the barrel.

    ¡°Quickly get him!!¡± A voice rang out behind Zhang

    ¡°Everyone who follows me will receive gold coin!!¡± Zhang screamed while tossing a hand full of coins into the air.

    Seeing this the eyes of everyone who lived in the slums were lit. Never in their whole lives have they had more than a few silver coins. And if they worked and saved for most of their lives they¡¯d probably not ever have a gold coin.

    So they all rushed to where the gold coins fell ignoring the income soldiers.

    ¡°This is mine!¡± A sleazy looking man yelled as he kicked a woman who had managed to pick up a gold coin and stole it from it.

    If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.Puff

    A dagger was embedded into his chest causing him to slump to the ground.

    ¡°No fighting whoever picks up the coin it belongs to them!!! Also make way and there will be more than enough for everyone!¡± Zhang screamed.

    The people quickly made a path for Zhang and his horse to move. And keeping his word as Zhang moved through the crowd he would occasionally toss out dozens of gold coins.

    Soon a mob of thousands were trailing behind Zhang hoping to pick up some gold coins. However due to Zhang¡¯s words no one fought over the coins that other people had picked up. The man who was killed was a prime example of those who did not listen and were too greedy.

    The soldiers could not do anything due to the large amount of commoners amassing and forming a barrier around Zhang. Although they could see him riding his horse not too far from them there was no way they¡¯d be able to move through this mob and get to him. If they slaughtered their way through then they would incite the wrath of the mob and be overwhelmed.

    As some of them picked up the gold coins they thanked Zhang. This money would help them get a new life for their families and could ensure that they did not die of starvation on the cold streets. Although Zhang was doing this to help keep the soldiers at bay.

    But when he heard these people and their faces filled with joy a part of him felt happy.

    The mob by now had doubled in size and numbered tens of thousands. These people who lived in the slums had nothing to lose and these gold coins meant they had a chance at bettering their lives so troves of them began filing out of back alleys and their shacks to follow and pick up coins.

    Zhang of course had tons of wealth so a few hundred or a few thousand gold coins was nothing to him.

    Zhang with a sweeping motion of his hand made thousands of gold coins¡¯ rain from the sky. It was literally raining money and everyone went crazy.

    All of the people bent over to pick up their share of coins. All but the guards who did not dare to, if they tried to pick up the coins also then the mob would attack them. Because the common view in the city was the soldiers and guards were dogs of the nobles and aristocrats.

    Everyone besides the guards and a man stood and did not pick up gold coins. The man seemed roughly in his later twenties and was dressed in rags.

    ¡°You why aren¡¯t you doing what everyone else is?¡± Zhang asked out of curiosity as he looked at the man.

    ¡°What will a few gold coins do? A few gold coins will help these people but it won¡¯t help everyone in this city. Those in power trample on those without and bleed them dry. Today we can pick up these coins but tomorrow can we keep them?¡± The man replied.

    ¡°May I ask your name?¡± Zhang said.

    ¡°My name is Sima Yi.¡± The man replied with a slight bow. Upon further examination Zhang noticed that the man although dressed in rags and very skinny gave off a dignified aura within his gaze.

    ¡°I will remember you! Until the next time we meet¡± Zhang yelled as he tossed one gold coin at Sima Yi.

    With a smile on his face Zhang began galloping away. Once Sima Yi caught the coin he looked at it and his face was will with mix feelings.

    He could tell from Zhang¡¯s eyes that this gold coin was not given to him because Zhang pitied him. Had anyone ever treated him like this before? Before when his family was one of the wealthiest a few gold coins was nothing to him but when they lost everything did any of their so called friends bother to help them?

    Instead looks filled with pity and mocking was all Sima Yi saw.

    A year or so ago his family was extremely wealthy and thanks to his wisdom his future was extremely bright. He had a lovely fianc¨¦e named Xia Mei who he loved and would wed one day and money was not an issue.

    When Sima Yi turned twenty-five he became a strategist for Jin Sho and helped devise strategies for the clan¡¯s army. He had love, money, and prestige everything that a normal person wanted.

    However, this all changed with Jin Chang saw Xia Mei and wanted her for himself. Xia Mei¡¯s family was very influential within the city with many of their clansmen in official positions so the Jin clan did not bother them. However, the Sima clan was suppressed and all of their businesses were taken over.

    The engagement between the two lovers was cancelled and Xia Mei was then betrothed to Jin Chang. Thankfully for Sima Yi she was faithful and strongly refused to marry Jin Chang. However, there was nothing her family could do due to the pressure from the Jin Clan so all they could do was push the date of the marriage back. In a few years however she would be married to Jin Chang.

    Having lost everything Sima Yi no longer had a bright future as before and could not bear to see Xia Mei any longer.

    Grasping the gold coin in his hand Sima Yi walked off into an alleyway with a slight smile on his face.

    ¡°It seems that I¡¯ve run into someone interesting today.¡± He mumbled to himself.

    While Zhang lead the mob away he couldn¡¯t help by remember Sima Yi¡¯s gaze when he was talking about the situation of the people within the city.

    ¡°This man if given the chance could be a bright star and bring about lots of change.¡± Zhang thought.

    As the mob continued through the city it reached Zhang''s 2nd destination the eastern gate of Red Mist city. By now teams of hundreds of soldiers blocking the gates to exit the city. Archers were stationed on top of the walls ready to fire.

    ¡°You trash are looking to rebel!!?¡± A middle age man yelled out from above the walls. Many people recognized this man as the lord of the city Jin Sho.

    Seeing this man alone made some fall into fear. A few even went as far as to soiling their pants.

    ¡°It¡¯s about time.¡± Zhang thought.

    Suddenly a loud BOOM could be heard from the opposite side of the city.

    ¡°What was that!¡± Jin Sho asked one of his subordinates.

    ¡°I I don¡¯t know my lord.¡± The man replied.

    Smoke could be seen rising from the other side of the city from on top of the wall. Moments later a soldier came running up toward the wall.

    ¡°My lord! Someone blew a hole in the western gate!!¡±

    ¡°Wha-what?!¡± Jin Sho replied with disbelief on his face.

    ¡°Someone blew a hole in the western gate!! One of the massive gates fell over milord. And fire from the explosion is starting to spread to the guard posts along bottom of the wall¡± The man yelled.

    ¡°What are you doing here! Quickly send men over to put out the fires!¡¯ Jin Sho barked.

    Seeing that everyone fell into confusion Zhang activated the Ruler''s Domain. It had grown just big enough for him to keep his Inferno Windwalker within it. A black hole appears and sucked the horse inside of it.

    Once the horse was stored away Zhang sneaked into the crowd and began weaving his way toward an alleyway.

    ¡°Quickly find him!¡± Jin Chang asked as he saw Zhang jump into the crowd.

    However, this was easier said than done. The crowd had grown huge which made it hard for them to see where Zhang went.

 Chapter 25: Promises

    The city fell into confusion as commoners and soldiers alike ran about. The explosion had caused many people despite orders to stay in their homes by the city officials to come outside. One could say that the city fell into pandemonium.

    People hurriedly ran in the opposite direction from where the explosion sounded off. To their horror soon more explosions went off one after another. After these explosions a rumbling sound could be heard.

    Many curious people stopped running and looked back to find the portion of the city wall had collapsed.

    And to their horror the explosions did not stop there. Soon explosions could be heard the northern and south gates.

    ¡°Enemy attack!! Enemy attack!!¡± Someone yelled out.

    Once that was heard the city fell into a state of panic. People hurriedly packed their things and prepared to flee the city.

    As everyone ran toward the eastern gate there was one person mounted on a fiery steed galloping against the crowd.

    Of course this person is Zhang fully dressed in armor and on top of his Inferno Wind Walker. After he reached the alleyway he released his steed from the Ruler¡¯s Domain and sped toward the western gate.

    Everything had gone according to his plan. He had given Jian Wei all of the black powder he had gotten from the pirate ship, which was used to collapse the city wall.

    Zhang had gone and gathered the attention of all of the soldiers within the city upon himself. Once they were all focused on him his companions would be free to act.

    First he would get the soldiers to follow him and then gather a mob of onlookers keeping the soldiers at bay. This made it so that once a large crowd formed more soldiers that were meant to guard the gates would be moved to prevent a riot from happening. Once the soldiers moved the gates would naturally lack guards.

    Since the gates lacked guards it would be relatively eat for Zhang¡¯s companions to plant explosives and collapse the walls. He had planned it so that explosions would go off on all of the gates but the eastern one. They would funnel all of the city¡¯s people toward the eastern gate where all of the soldiers were.

    With the civilians of the city keeping all of the soldiers at the eastern gate Zhang would be able to casually stroll out of one of the other gates and no one would be able to stop him. He used the hundreds of thousands of civilians as a distraction to escape.

    After a few moments Zhang could see his companions waiting for him at the northern gate. Everyone was on top of their steeds and ready to move out. They had changed their original plan to travel along a trade caravan and decided to journey by themselves.

    ¡°You made it.¡± Jian Wei said.

    ¡°Yes let¡¯s go.¡± Zhang said.

    The group began galloping through the fallen northern gate and outside of the city. A trail of dust was left in their wake as they preceded to go east toward Aurora City.

    They had been lucky this time that Zhang happened to have so much black powder if not then the sturdy gates and walls most likely would have not collapsed.

    As the group headed east Zhang decided to go for a detour. He sped his way a distance away from the eastern gate of Red Mist city.

    ¡°Jin Chang you son of a bitch come out here!!!¡± Zhang screamed.

    A short while after many shadowy figures could be seen appearing on top of the wall.

    ¡°Archers fire!!!¡±

    Thousands maybe even hundreds of thousands of arrows flew downward from atop the city gates. So many arrows were shot that one could say they blocked out the sun. it turns out that Red Mist city¡¯s army is composed mostly of archers because the city lord prefers defensive battles.

    Although so many arrows none of them were able to hit. Zhang knew the maximum range that the arrows could reach so once he heard the archers firing he moved back to a safe distance. Once the rain of arrows stopped he would move back closer.

    ¡°I promise you that one day I will be back! And next time I¡¯ll have your head on a spike!!!¡± Zhang yelled.

    A bow and arrow appeared within Zhang¡¯s hands. Zhang plucked the bow string and pulled back as far as he could.

    Swooosh!

    The arrow shot out from the bow and its tip spiraled through the air.

    ¡°Gahhhhh.¡± Jin Chang yelled out

    The arrow had embedded itself into his shoulder piercing through it and poking out the other side. The impact of the arrow made Jin Chang fall to the ground.

    After giving them the message he left as quick as the wind to go meet up with his companions.

    The rest of the group was waiting for Zhang roughly three miles away on top of a small hill. Once Zhang arrived they would continue to their next destination a small village located at the entrance into the Dragon¡¯s Maw.

    Red Mist city was located on the upper south western coast of the warring states region while Aurora city was located toward the center of the region. And to go from Red Mist city to Aurora city one would have to pass a series of valleys called the Dragon¡¯s Maw.

    The Dragon¡¯s Maw stretched hundreds of miles and was fill with snaking valleys. The reason it was called the Dragon¡¯s Maw was due to its entrance being a cave shaped much like a mouth fill with rocks shaped like fangs. After entering the cave and travelling a short distance people would find themselves in a valley.

    The town the group was headed towards situated itself right by the entrance to the Dragon¡¯s Maw. And this town was the only town within miles of the entrance so many travelers would have to visit here before moving on.

    This village was called Haven village because it was a safe haven compared to the dangers within the dragon¡¯s maw.

    The group galloped on top of their horses for hours until it was time to make camp. Jian Wei needed to return to Aurora City as soon as possible because as the city¡¯s lord the longer he was away the more troubles may arise.

    After tethering the horse to a sturdy looking tree with lots of fresh green grass by it. The group started pitching camp. Naturally Zhang, Yuying, and Ai would sleep in the same tent. The group still believed the trio was married to each other so it was normal for them to sleep in the same tent. The trio did not bother telling the rest of the group they were in fact no married because they did not want any unforeseen issues to happen within the group.

    This is of course because if the rest of the group knew the two beauties were not take of course as men they would try to woo them and then that most likely would lead to internal strife within the group.

    Zhang had bought a particularly large tent one that an army¡¯s commander would use. Within the tent was the bed Ai had bought. Having interspatial rings, they were able to store and bring many things with them which made camping out very comfortable.

    When everyone was done pitching tents everyone gathered around a campfire and ate their rations. The group had grown relatively familiar with each other which made the air around camp very harmonious. Jokes were shared and stories were told to pass the time.

    While sitting under the sparkling starry night and surrounded by vast wilderness it seemed as if they were in a world of their own.

    However, one¡¯s world often intersects with another person¡¯s. As the Zhang¡¯s group sat by the campfire they saw what seemed to be lit torches in the woods. On light turned into two and two turned into four until there were hundreds of them.

    ¡°Welcome to my forest!¡± A voice rang out.

    A man holding onto a touch walked out of the woods and following him were hundreds of people also holding torches. The campsite had been surrounded but the odd thing was that no one was able to sense these hundreds of people coming. They had let their guards down too much and immersed themselves within their own world for too long.

    The man was in his late twenties and had short brownish black hair.

    Jian Wei took the initiative and got up to speak to the man.

    Stolen novel; please report.

    ¡°Hello we are just travelers and did not mean to intrude onto your forest. If you wish, we will pack up our things and leave.¡± Jian Wei did not want to cause unwanted conflicts if he could. Being a ruler of a city sometimes one must be strong but other times one must be able to pretend to be weak.

    ¡°You may leave.¡± The man replied

    ¡°Yes we will go pack our things and go now.¡± Jian Wei replied as he started to walk toward the rest of his group.

    ¡°No need to pack.¡±

    ¡°No need to pack?¡± Jian Wei questioned.

    ¡°Those things all belong to the White Tiger bandits now. Also empty your pockets and hand over all your valuables and you may leave. We only take things not lives.¡± The man said as he placed his hand on top of his sword.

    ¡°Those horse look like fine horses leave them also.¡±

    ¡°Hmph give someone an inch and they''ll take a mile.¡± Zhang chuckled as he stood up.

    ¡°Senior I¡¯ll handle this.¡± Zhang said as he walked up and placed his hand on Jian Wei¡¯s shoulder.

    Seeing Zhang, the man was somewhat confused he this was the first time someone did not just hand over their valuables and leave.

    The White Tiger bandits were famous within these parts for never killing if they did not have to. It was not that they were weak and did not wish to fight but it was because most of them were forced to become bandits due to how much poverty there was in these parts. The city lords and nobility gobbled up all of the wealth and left only a few scraps for the rest of the people.

    So it was no odd that some good decent people became bandits to survive. But that¡¯s not to say that all bandits are good this group was just one of the few who were good.

    ¡°So you¡¯ll let us go if we hand over all of our valuables?¡± Zhang asked.

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll let you keep some your rations and a map of the area that¡¯ll give you the quickest way to the nearest village.¡± The man replied.

    ¡°How kind of you, how about you leave now and I¡¯ll spare your lives.¡± Zhang said with a sneer.

    ¡°Hmph, impudent.¡± The man sneered back as he drew his sword.

    ¡°Everyone back I will fight him personally.¡± The man said to his followers.

    With his sword drawn the man charged at Zhang.

    Two chained daggers appeared in Zhang¡¯s palms and shot out toward the man. The daggers pierced through the air and caused it to whistle. Moments later they were in front of the charging man and inches away from him.

    However, with a sweep of his sword the man knocked the daggers upward into the air. Then using one of his hands the man grabbed onto the two chains and began to tug.

    The man¡¯s physical strength was clearly above Zhang¡¯s when the two began pulling the chains back and forth. Knowing that in terms of strength he was lacking Zhang made a white light appear in his palm.

    The man continued to tug on the chain something odd happened. The chain began getting longer and longer and because he was pulling back so hard the man fell over once the chain extended.

    As once as the man started falling over with a flick of his wrist Zhang made the chains dance about and loop around the man¡¯s arms. Zhang began pulling and with his hands bound the man could not do anything but be dragged.

    Zhang pulled the man as he weaved through the trees within the forest and after a short while he looped the chains around a tree and bound the man to the tree.

    ¡°You had your chance to leave but now only death awaits you.¡± Zhang said.

    ¡°Enough words do what you will!¡± The man barked back.

    ¡°STOP!!!¡± a voice rang out.

    ¡°Please spare my uncle!¡±

    A small figure could be seen coming out of the woods. A little boy appeared holding a torch.

    ¡°Little Yan what are you doing here! Go home now!¡± The man yelled.

    ¡°Please spare my uncle, He isn¡¯t a bad person.¡± The boy cried with trails of tears falling down his cheeks.

    ¡°Not a bad person? He¡¯s a bandit!¡± Zhang yelled back.

    ¡°He¡¯s not doing this because he wants to. He¡¯s only doing it to feed us and the rest of the village.¡± The boy cried out.

    ¡°Please spare our leader.¡± Many voices rang out as many figures holding touches emerged from the forest.

    Hundreds of people filed out from the shadows all dressed in shabby looking clothes. Although they looked physically fit one could tell that all these people lived a harsh life on the edge of survival and death.

    ¡°What¡¯s about. Explain.¡± Zhang said coldly to the man.

    ¡°All of you go back! Do not beg! Men shed blood not tears!¡± The man yelled.

    ¡°I will explain just please don¡¯t kill him.¡± A middle aged man spoke out.

    The man told Zhang that originally the White Tiger bandits was a group of soldiers that was about of the army of Red Mist city. However, their leader did not agree with the views of the city¡¯s lord and often clashed with him.

    Their leader was named Xi Ning had eventually offended Jin Sho and was to be executed. However due to huge public disapprove he decided to exile Xi Ning. Once Xi Ning was gone the Jin clan once more had total control of the city within any disturbances.

    Seeing their leader and his family exile Xi Ning¡¯s loyal men packed their things and along with their own families followed him. The group established a small village a few miles away from Red Mist city. At first everyone was filled with hope of making something better for themselves and their families.

    Now they were no longer oppressed by the nobility and rulers of the city. However, they soon found out that although they were no longer within the city they would still be oppressed. Red Mist city¡¯s lord ordered a trade ban upon the small village they established.

    No villages or cities within Red Mist city¡¯s domain was to trade with their village. Soon the village fell into utter poverty and had no means of generating revenue to support its population. Many people secretly helped them with rations and small funds but charity did not last forever. Eventually help stopped and the villagers were left to their own devices.

    That was when they decided to move the village and go elsewhere however when they tried to the city lord ordered the Red Mist army to block their path. He did not permit them to leave.

    Xi Ning took to begging Jin Sho as a means for survival for his people. After many days Jin Sho agreed to lift the trade ban upon the village but he had one condition that village would have to pay taxes to the city.

    By taxes he meant thousands of gold coins each year. How could a small village such as theirs be able to afford this?

    Without the means to leave or generate the gold to pay the taxes the soldiers who followed Xi Ning suggest that they split off from the village and become bandits. Of course they would not allow anyone to make a connection between them and the village.

    ¡°I Understand.¡± Zhang said as he released his grip on the chains binding Xi Ning.

    ¡°Here consider this as a gift, seeing that you are only doing this for survival of the village.¡± With a wave of his hand a few thousand gold coins appeared on the ground.

    Seeing this Xi Ning was stunned.

    ¡°No we can¡¯t accept this.¡± He said.

    ¡°Indeed you can, how about this. You take the gold and consider it as me employing you.¡± Zhang said.

    ¡°Employ?¡± Xi Ning asked.

 Chapter 26: Destination

    "Yes I wish to employ you and your men. Working for me would obviously be better than being bandits wouldn''t it?" Zhang replied.

    A hint of hesitation could be seen on Xi Ning''s face.

    "That or you can continue to be bandits." Zhang said.

    Xi Ning looked around at his men all wearing rags and his nephew beside him. Once a part of a mighty army now reduced to this.

    Just thinking about how they got here he cursed at himself. Had he known how to back down instead of always pushing forward blindly they wouldn''t be in such a situation.

    "Fi-fine my men and I will be in your service." Xi Ning said as he bent down on one knee.

    "Good from today on I''ll be your lord and you will be my men!" Zhang yelled so all of the bandit could hear him.

    "Uncle does this mean we don''t have to be bandits anymore!?" Xi Yan yelled out with joyful tears falling from the corner of his eyes.

    "Ye-yes." Xi Ning said as his eyes moistened. However, no tears fell.

    Cheers from the men rang out and some even broke out in tears.

    The entire time they were bandits ate away at their conscience but sadly there was nothing they could do. They tried to run but there was nowhere to run to.

    However, now they had a chance to start anew. With the gold Zhang presented they would be able to pay this eyes tax that was placed on the village and with the extra bit left over they may be able to spend it on their families.

    "My lord if you would come with me." Xi Ning said respectfully to Zhang.

    Xi Ning has a naturally stubborn personality which caused him to clash to with the Jin clan however he was a loyal man so once he bent his knee to Zhang he had pledged his loyalty to Zhang. Before his loyalty was only to his brothers in arms but not it was extended to Zhang.

    In his eyes Zhang have him and the entire village a possible way out of their misery.

    "Let us go pack our things." Yan Li said.

    "No need I will have some men do it." Xi Ning said.

    "Alright lead the way." Zhang said.

    "Is it alright to follow them just like this?" Jian Wei asked as he caught up to Zhang.

    "We won''t know until we get there. If anything they will be the ones in trouble, I have some tricks left in my sleeve."

    "Okay good. I can tell these men although somewhat out of shape are all veteran soldiers. And their leader most likely is a very experienced general." Jian Wei said.

    Xi Ning lead Zhang and his party through the forest and then on a narrow pass up a small mountain.

    Their village was built in a very strategic location. It overlooked a vast area of land and only had two possible ways to enter or exit. This allowed for it to be easily defendable.

    The village has high walls made of logs to keep wild animals out and provide a bit of protection to its people.  Sentry towers were placed from the top of the walls and on the sides of the mountain.

    "Welcome to our village." Xi Ning said as he pulled out a horn from a pouch he was carrying.

    "I knew it was a trap!" One of the sailors yelled as Xi Ning blew the horn.

    "He''s calling for reinforcements from the village." The sailor yelled.

    Smack*

    "Calm down man." Jian Wei yelled after slapping the man to calm him down.

    Moments later the front gate of the village opened and from within many shadows walked out.

    Once they got closer many women, children and elderly people could be seen. These were the families of Xi Ning and his men.

    The horn simply signaled their return and it was safe to open the gates. They were obviously not the only bandit group in this area so naturally they had to keep their loved ones safe.

    Once the women, children and elderly saw the men return they were filled with joy. Young wives running to husbands. Children running to fathers. Parents running to their kids.

    Xi Ning preceded to guide Zhang''s group into the village and arrange places for them to sleep.

    He then gathered all of the members of the village at the center of the village.

    "As of today we will no longer have to be bandits." He yelled.

    Many of those who did not know looked toward their loved ones in disbelief and then those looked quickly changed to looks of joy. They knew that the men for not wish for this but had to.

    These men would rather fight and die honorable deaths on the battlefield then this. But to keep their loved ones fed and to pay the unbelievably high tax they had to.

    After the news was announced everyone went back to their own homes.

    Xi Ning and Zhang walked to what seemed like a meeting hall. Once inside Xi Ning thanked Zhang.

    "How many men do you have under your command." Zhang asked.

    "My lord we have roughly five thousand men." Xi Ning replied respectfully.

    "Five thousand?" Zhang asked somewhat confused.  He was expecting more along the lines of five hundred towards a thousand men.

    "Yes when I was in Red Mist city I recommended a regiment of soldiers and when I left most of the men left with me. Most of the people in the city are fed up with the lord of the city. However, they are too afraid to do anything."

    "Is that so. Here take this and use it to equip the men with armor and weapons." Zhang said as he waved his hand and made thousands of gold coins appear.

    " I will be traveling toward Aurora city but afterwards I will be back. There''s a score to settle with that Jin clan." Zhang said as he slammed his palm onto s table.

    "Make sure no one knows about your preparations." Zhang added.

    "Milord you are going to Aurora city?"

    "Yes what of it."

    If you are going to Aurora city, then you must pass through the Dragon''s Maw. If so I know a shortcut through it." Xi Ning said as he pulled out a large map.

    On the map Xi Ning pointed to a certain hill on the map.

    "This is a secret pass that not many know about. If you traveled through here than your travel time will be halved. Also there is a hidden spring along the path that is great for cultivation."

    "Hmmm intriguing." Zhang said.

    "And from the looks of it you my lord have conflicts with the Jin clan." Xi Ning said.

    "Yes."

    "Then you must take this route because they control the entrance to the dragon¡¯s maw".

    "How did you know about this path?" Zhang questioned.

    "Before when I was still a general within Red Mist city I happened upon an ancient map that described this secret path. And when we were scouting for places to build our village we stumbled upon the entrance. However, we never fully explored the inside."

    "Then it''s settled we will take this path." Zhang decided.

    After talking briefly with Xi Ning, Zhang decided to give him another task. Leaving him with more gold coins Zhang had instructed him to recruit and train more men. And begin the construction of a certain project.

    In the morning Zhang''s group now in possession of the map leading to the secret passage and a guide provided by Xi Ning headed off.

    The guide quickly led them through the forest. Once the guide led them to the entrance of the oath Zhang ordered the man to return to the village.

    This secret path had only enough space for three people to walk side to side. So the group entered it in a single filed line. The path lead to an opening in the side of a cliff. Zhang took point and walked into the cave.

    Within the cave the walls were lined with glowing stones illuminating it.

    If the group used this group, they would go under a part of the Dragon''s Maw. And since the path did not have twists and turns like the surface above they would be able to travel much quicker.

    After traveling for a few hours the group decided to pitch camp. It would take them a few more days before they reached the end of the cave and there were in no rush to tire themselves out.

    A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    Like before Zhang, Yuying and Ai would be staying in the same tent. While everyone else would have their own arrangements.

    The group started cooking dinner after setting up their tents. And after a light meal everyone retreated to their tents.

    "Now is the time." Zhang thought.

    "Ahhh." He yelled he sat onto the ground.

    "What''s wrong brother!" The two girls asked as they ran into the tent to see Zhang on the floor rubbing his back.

    "I stumbled over a rock and hurt my back." Zhang said while continuing to rub his back and with a painful look on his face.

    "Here I''ll help you up and you can sleep on the bed and we will sleep down here on these blankets." Yuying said as he gently held Zhang''s arm and began helping him up.

    After Zhang got up she lead him toward the bed and let him lay down.

    "Step one down complete now on to step two." He thought.

    "You two I forgot to do something can you both come and help me get up?" Zhang asked.

    Yuying and Ai each came to one side of the bed and put out their slender hands to help Zhang up. Zhang reach out both of his hands and held onto the hands of the two beauties.

    Then with a tug he pulled them down. Taken by surprise both Yuying and Ai fell over landing on top of the bed.

    "Gotcha!" Zhang yelled and he let loss of their hands and embraced both of their waists.

    "Mission is a success!" He yelled out in his mind.

    The faces of the two beauties turned deep red as he embraced them.

    "You rascal." Yuying cried out as she worked her way out of his embrace.

    "You made us worry for no reason you jerk." Ai yelled as she also worked out his embrace.

    "He he he." Zhang chuckled with a grin on his face.

    "As punishment you are to sleep on the ground again." Yuying said as she pointed to the ground.

    "Okay okay." Zhang said as he got up and jumped onto the small den of pillows and blankets on the ground.

    "Next time if you want to you should have just said so!" Yuying said with a blushing face.

    "What was that?" Zhang asked with a grin on his face.

    "No-nothing!" Yuying yelled as she jumped on the bed and covered herself with a blanket.

    Soon Ai joined her and the trio fell asleep. Zhang slept soundly with a wide grin on his face that night.

    After a few hours of sleep, it was time to continue their journey so the group began packing away their tents. However, something odd happened one of their horses was gone.

    Through the night they did not hear a sound and everyone slept peacefully. Had a horse ran off they obviously would have heard its hooves hit the stone floor.

    "Maybe we were all just too tired and didn''t hear it." Jian Wei said as he tried to calm everyone. The worst thing to do now was to join to conclusions.

    "Yea let¡¯s get moving staying here and jumping to conclusions don''t get us anywhere." Zhang said backing up Jian Wei.

    So the group began their journey once more. The man who had ridden the horse that disappeared had to share a horse with someone else.

    As they got further the cave opened up more and more.

    "You could fit a small city down here!" Ai yelled out.

    An echo of her voice could be hear passing through the empty space in the cave.

    After half a day or so of traveling it was time to set up camp once more.

    This time the two beauties ignored Zhang and went directly to sleep.

    Tonight however Zhang would not go to sleep. He decided to stay up and make sure that there wasn''t something else inside this cave with them.

    Zhang sat on the ground inside the tent and began meditating. He had not had the chance to cultivate for a long time so now was the time to do so.

    He pulled out a small bottle from his interspatial ring and drank it. This bottle was filled with Phoenix blood. Once the Phoenix blood entered his system Zhang used the Underworld Heart to circulate it throughout his body.

    Normally a person would only receive fifty percent of the Phoenix bloods power however thanks to the underworld heart Zhang is able to utilize one hundred percent of its energy.

    The power within Zhang surged and pushed him through the next level. Now spiritually Zhang had reached level five. while physically he is still behind his old self and is only level four. But thanks to being a combination of both and along with his high level equipment he can outclass most of his opponents.

    Zhang sat there through the entire night regulating his energy increase. The entire night he did by hear a single sound.

    However, in the morning another horse went missing and to everyone''s horror one of the sailors also disappeared. When examining the man''s tent there was no sign of any struggles which made it even more odd.

    So it was decided the form now on that everyone would sleep in the same tent as someone else. Two people per a tent.

    The group consisted of seventeen people now so besides the trio there would be seven pairs. After traveling through the cave the group once more pitched camp.

    However, the festive and adventurous feeling that sweeper everyone''s hearts was no more. Everyone was vigilant and afraid.

    Maybe they would be the next person to disappear was the thought that was constantly on everyone''s mind.

    Fear of the unknown and fear of death filled the air and suffocated everyone within the group. Well everyone besides the trio of course.

    Of the entire group the trio would most likely be the ones to survive. They simply have to sleep dressed in Lightning Eater scale armor and their chances of surviving most ordeals would drastically increase.

    Tonight instead of one campfire several were lit and almost encircled the camp. It served as a sort of barrier to reply the darkness and the vile creatures that lurked within it.

    And so the third night passed and without a sound more people disappeared. This time it was two horses and four sailors.

    These four had their tents pitched on the outer ring of the camp.

    Zhang swore that tonight would be different in his mind. Tonight he had arranged for everyone to break up into groups three tents and for two people to be on constant watch.

    And after certain intervals of time they would signal to each other by whistling.

    Zhang could of had everyone sleep without a tent in a large group. However, the goal was not to ensure everyone''s survival but to find out the reason as to why everyone is disappearing and stop it. In the process of doing so if he found out those who disappear were killed he would avenge them and by doing so ensure everyone''s safety.

    Minutes passed as if they were hours and hours stretched on endlessly for those who stayed on watch.

    Zhang was one of the people on watch and a few hours had passed without any disturbances. Then suddenly a scream could be heard in the tent next to his.

    Zhang pulled out his dagger and slashed at his tent splitting the fabric. This would be way quicker than making his way to the flap of fabric that lead out of the tent.

    Once out said he saw a man being dragged away by something.

    Seeing this Zhang sprang to action he launched out his dagger into the darkness. Once the dagger connected with something a loud shriek could be heard. And the man although panicking was able to get up and run toward Zhang.

    "It it came out of nowhere as I went to go take a piss. I couldn''t tell what it was but whatever it was is big and strong." The man said to Zhang.

    By now everyone had woken up and ran out of their tents.

    "What happen brother?" Ai asked as she saw the panic filled face of the man

    "We caught our perpetrator." Zhang said calmly.

    And began pulling on the chain in his hand.  As he pulled a loud shriek sounded out.

 Chapter 27: Creatures

    As Zhang pulled on the chain the shrieking came closer and closer toward the group. Moments later a large black shadow descended upon the camp. Once light from the surrounding crystals and fire shone on this shadowy figure the group saw something horrendous.

    ¡°Wa-wa-what is that!¡± A sailor cried out.

    ¡°It¡¯s a Titanic Golden Spider.¡± Zhang said calmly.

    Before him was a giant spider that was easily twice as large as a human. Its body looked just like any other spider however all of its limbs was a golden yellow. Zhang¡¯s dagger was lodged in the beast¡¯s abdomen and it seemed like the dagger had managed to sever a couple of it¡¯s legs making it unable to stand up.

    Once the spider was in full view Zhang pulled out his 2nd dagger and shot it toward the monster¡¯s head. In an instant the dagger punctured one of its eyes and plunged into its brain killing it.

    After ending the spider¡¯s life Zhang began cutting it apart.

    Titanic Golden Spiders rank at level six but are one of the more dangerous demonic beasts to run into. Their silk is extremely durable and hard to deal with. While they also possess neurotoxins which would render those that are bitten by them unable to fight back. That and the fact that they live in massive colonies of hundreds of thousands and may even reach up to the millions.

    Each colony had only one queen spider that was vastly stronger than the rest of the colony. And since each colony could only have one queen when a new queen is born the old queen kills it and absorbs its undeveloped powers.

    So the longer a queen Titanic Golden Spider was around the stronger it is.

    ¡°Brother! That¡¯s gross what are you doing!?¡± Yuying asked as she watched Zhang cut open the giant spider.

    ¡°I¡¯m collecting it¡¯s silk and venom of course.¡± Zhang replied as he formed canteen with essence and began storing the spider''s venom within it. Unlike the Lightning Eater¡¯s poison, the spider¡¯s venom was not as power but it would have its uses.

    After the poison Zhang began gathering the spider¡¯s silk. Its silk had many uses such as making clothes, rope and this and that so Zhang made sure to collect as much as possible.

    Once he collected all he could and store it within his interspatial ring Zhang turned back toward the group.

    ¡°Everyone go rest we should be ok for now. But tomorrow we will not rest and push toward the exit.¡± Zhang said.

    ¡°Why? Didn¡¯t you just kill the monster that was making everyone disappear?¡± One of the sailors asked.

    ¡°We killed one but there are probably hundreds of thousands of them. However, the fact that we are alive still and not all dead yet means that we are not close to their colony.¡± Zhang replied.

    A mixture of relief and fear fell upon the group. Relief that they were not close to the colony of spiders but fear that there were hundreds of thousands of those monsters lurking around down here somewhere. Just knowing that they were out there chilled the members of the group to the bone.

    After resting for a few hours the group decided to head out they were roughly two thirds through the underground passage way and would reach the exit in the next day or two. So the group would continue moving without rest until they reached the exit.

    While galloping through the passage on top of their steeds the group began encountering large spider webs. They had not encountered any before on the trip so seeing the webs made the group remember the horrifying beasts that made the webs.

    Zhang¡¯s would collect as much webbing as he could and store it away for later.

    However, the group did not encounter any more spiders and soon a light at the end of the tunnel could be seen. Light shone in from the exit of the cave and once the group reached the exit they would not have to fear the Titanic Golden Spiders anymore.

    But something else that everyone noticed was that the ground would occasionally vibrate. At first the vibrations were very subtle and unnoticeable but as time passed they became noticeable but not the extent that the group had to worry.

    Although the Dragon¡¯s Maw is dangerous it is definitely not as dangerous as encountering a whole colony of hundreds of thousands of man eating demonic beasts. Inside the Dragon¡¯s Maw there were demonic beasts but these beasts stayed in their own territories and did not attack unless provoked.

    And the most dangerous thing one could encounter besides demonic beasts were bandit so the Dragon¡¯s Maw could be compared to heaven for the group.

    ¡°WE MADE IT!!¡± One of the sailors screamed.

    That was when the ground began to shake and tremble. Soon cracks could be seen on the walls of the cavern.

    ¡°Quickly! Rush for the exit now!!¡± Jian Wei cried how.

    However, before they could make it to the exit the floor of the cave collapsed and a pit full of darkness appeared right under their feet. The horses and people alike all due to gravity fell downward into the pit.

    ¡°GRAB ON!!¡± Zhang screamed as he tossed his chains to everyone. And with a sweeping motion of his hand he sent one of the Inferno Wind Walkers into the Ruler''s Domain. There were simply too many people to all fit within the domain and he was not going to play favorites.

    As for the steeds only one could possible fit within the domain so Zhang picked the best one there was and sent it inside so he could use it later.

    Zhang launched his dagger into the wall of the pit lodging it between the rocks. Thank to this the group was no longer falling. Well besides one man whose gripe slipped when the chain jerked as the dagger lodged itself into the wall.

    Now they were hanging god knows how far from the ground. When suddenly a shriek could be heard coming from the top of the pit. Moments later a Titanic Golden Spider could be seen crawling downward.

    ¡°Fuck¡­ Of all the times for it to appear.¡± Zhang cursed.

    ¡°Everyone hold on tightly!!¡± Zhang screamed as he let go of the chain.

    Using the wall as a kickstand Zhang propelled himself away from the group. Then from his hand shot out his 2nd dagger which pierced one of the spider¡¯s eyes. Had it landed a few inches elsewhere then the spider most likely would have died. The dagger that he launched although missing the spider was able to lodge itself in one of the walls preventing Zhang from falling down deeper into the pit.

    With its eye destroyed the spider shrieked and jumped at Zhang. But out of nowhere an arrow shot through the air and pierced the spider''s head. The arrow had ended the spider¡¯s life making it hang lifelessly from the strand of silk that was coming out of its behind.

    ¡°We have your back brother!¡± Yuying yelled.

    When Zhang looked toward her he could see that a bow was in her hand that was free while Ai was holding an arrow in her hand. The two had used one hand each to help each other shoot the arrow.

    ¡°Alright time to get down from here.¡± Zhang said as he jumped over and grabbed the end of the chain everyone was gripping.

    A white light appeared within his hand and the chain began to extend. The group seeing this began to climb downward. Zhang being the one extending the chain was the first one to reach the bottom. The pit was actually a hole in the layer of rack and lead to a massive chamber.

    When he landed he saw the fate of the man whose grip slipped and the fate of their horses. Surprisingly enough the two Inferno Wind Walkers survived the fall but sustained heavy injuries to which Zhang treated.

    In the chamber there were hints of light from glowing stones however the visibility was very bad. So Zhang decided to ignite a fire using some of the spider silk he collected as fuel. He wrapped the spider silk around an arrow he had and ignited it with magic.

    Once the fire was lit it illuminated a part of the chamber. In the distance Zhang could see something reflect the light from the torch and walked closer. When he walked closer he was stunned. It was a pile of ice jade bricks!

    Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.

    As he looked around he could see tens or maybe hundreds of these bricks scattered about. Of course he collected them if he used them to make a cultivation room or a medicine storage room then they would be extremely useful.

    A short while after the rest of the group had descended and caught up to Zhang and he provided everyone with a torch. He then told them about the bricks that he found. Upon hearing what Zhang said a weird look appeared on Jian Wei¡¯s face however he did not say anything.

    Yuying and Ai now lead their horses to follow the group.

    The group began walking in one direction hoping to find an exit and not to run into anymore spiders. They found a tunnel and entered it the tunnel stretched for miles on end and after a few hours the group finally was able to navigate through it.

    When they did however they saw a marvelous sight. In front of them was a lake that shone and emitted dazzling light that could blind people. Water seemed to be dripping from the ceiling down and over thousands of years formed this lake.

    Thinking back Zhang remembered the Xi Ning mentioned that there was a hidden spring that was great for cultivation along the path however Zhang only saw signs of where there used to be water.

    Throughout the lake pieces of buildings were sticking out and all of these buildings looked very ancient and old. In the center of the lake sat a large brokedown palace.

    That was when Jian Wei yelled out.

    ¡°It can¡¯t be!! This is the lost capital of the Sai Empire!!¡±

    ¡°The Sai Empire?¡± Zhang asked

    ¡°The Sai empire many thousands of years ago was the first and only empire to ever unite the warring states region. But their reign was short lived because a natural disaster happened and their entire capital along with the royal family sank beneath the ground. Many say that the empire had angered the heavens and the entire capital was dragged to the underworld.¡± Jian Wei said.

    ¡°Over the countless years the exact location of where the capital city had been long forgotten but to think we would be the ones to find it. When you told me about the ice jade bricks I had a feeling that they were related to the Sai empire. This is because it was said that before the capital sank the emperor had order for thousands of those bricks to be made so he can create a grand palace out of jade. But before construction began the entire city disappeared.¡±

    ¡°If this is the capital then we must explore it! There is something that is extremely valuable here that may decide the fate of the entire region!¡± Jian Wei said with excitement in his eyes.

    ¡°Alright looks go but we can stay for long or else we may run into those spiders again.¡± Zhang said.

    To reach the ruins they would have to tread through the large lake so the group left their things by the shore along with the two wind walkers and jumped into the lake.

    Once in the water Zhang felt its energy rush into him. What Xi Ning said was true the lake possessed high concentrations of energy and just by soaking in it one¡¯s power would slowly raise.

    Deep in the water of the lake many skeletons could be seen. These probably belonged to the citizens of the Sai empire within the capital at the time of the disaster.

    As they got closer the group noticed that one some of the ruins there were strands of webbing. However, they did not see or hear any of the spiders so they kept moving forward. After a while they reached the center of the lake where the ruins of the palace had ended up.

    The part of the palace was submerged while parts of it was sitting on top of land. Once in front of the palace Zhang somewhat marveled at how some of the buildings were built. The architecture was outstanding and beautiful from what¡¯s left of the now ruined palace.

    A massive gate was still standing and it most likely was the entrance into the palace. By the gates side there was a small crack in the wall which probably happened when the city fell into the earth.

    The crack was big enough for one person to barely squeeze in. One by one the group squeezed their way into the crack. Once inside they saw what used to be a lavish hall with scattered things all around on the floors.

    Surprisingly the interior of this part of the palace was pretty much intact. Statues were still standing with slight damage and treasures from the ancient empire was lying about on the floor.

    Jian Wei told the group to especially go to the throne room where the thing he said would affect the fate of the region most likely was located.

    Zhang of course wanted to go take a look at the treasury. An ancient empire that ruled over the warring states region had to be filled with treasure and the best treasures of course with be in the empire''s treasury. There had to be lots of mystical weapons, riches, and other unique things just there waiting for him to take.

    A while later the group reached the throne room. Large columns of gold extended toward the broken ceiling and at the end of the room a lavish throne made of gold and jade could be seen, the group walked up toward the throne and began searching.

    Jian Wei had told them to look for a small cube made of jade, he mentioned that this was the imperial seal of the empire. However, after searching the entire throne room they found nothing except golden plates and this and that.

    ¡°It might be in the treasury.¡± Jian Wei said.

    The group began heading toward the treasury but before leaving Zhang with a wave of his hand took the throne made of gold and jade. Only the trio and Jian Wei had interspatial rings so naturally only they could take large things such as this throne while the sailors would take smaller things.

    The treasury was located just behind the throne room. Two beautifully carved gates stood in front of the entrance to the treasury.

    Everyone in the group had to work together to push the gate else it would not even budge. Once the room opened and the light from their torches shone into the room they could see mountains of dazzling gold.

    ¡°You three take your shares, as for everyone else I will hold onto your shares within my ring and give it to you once we return to the city.¡± Jian Wei said.

    ¡°Thank you my lord.¡± All of the men said in unison.

    Beautiful swords gleamed in the mix of gold coins. Jewelry and many other things were hidden within the piles of gold. The trio each took their pick of things they wanted. One thing that stood out the most a large map made of golden silk. Zhang took the map because he was the first one to notice something shown on the map.

    The trio was going to pick out the more unique items before just storing away their portion of the gold.

    This map did not map out cities or empires but mapped out the dragon¡¯s vein. Which are places where essence is highly concentrated. If he could find one of these veins and use the underworld heart to absorb it his power would increase greatly.

    ¡°I found it!¡± One sailor yelled out

    The man was pointing at a skeleton and in that skeleton¡¯s hand was a cube made of jade. The cube as carvings of dragons all around it and looked extremely delicate.

    The sailor wanting the merit of being the one to present the imperial seal to his lord run toward the skeleton and began working the seal loose from its grasp.

    As the man was busy getting the seal a yell rang out.

    ¡°Get back now!!¡± Jian Wei screamed with a face filled with horror.

    When the man looked up the blood in his face drained and became pale as a piece of paper.

 Chapter 28: The Swarm

    lAs the man looked up horror and fear chilled him to the bone. Before he can utter a word two giant fangs embedded themselves into him. He felt something being pumped into his neck and soon his body went limp.

    ¡°There is nothing we can do, now everyone take up positions and prepare to engage that thing.¡± Zhang yelled out.

    Yuying and Ai both pulled out bows and began shooting arrows rapidly at the giant spider.

    This spider was huge and hundreds of times larger than the ones they¡¯ve encountered so far and instead of the golden color like the rest it had a slight pinkish shine to it. However, it did not look as horrendous as the other spiders. Its features seemed a bit more refined and it gave off a sort of dignified aura.

    Being in the treasury of the Sai empire it made this spider seem more like a guardian of the treasure then a monster.

    Numerous arrows were shot out by Yuying and Ai but only a few hit their mark. The giant spider although very large was extremely agile for its size. When the arrows got close to it the spider would jump into the air and come crashing down elsewhere.

    Each time it landed it would cause the mountains of gold and treasures to shift and splash everywhere.

    Although not every arrow hit its mark a few still managed to embed themselves into the giant spider. Luckily the trio had arrows made from the scales of the Lightning Eater. These scales not only are extremely tough but also sharp.

    However, the arrows did little to no damage to the queen spider. They simply did not penetrate deep enough and only made shallow wounds.

    While the two beauties were keeping the spider busy Jian Wei ran toward the sailor who was bitten and with the help of another few men moved him outside of the treasury. Once they place the man in a relatively safe place they ran back in hoping to help.

    A few sailors threw their spears at the queen spider. The spears pierced through the sky and homed for the queen spider¡¯s abdomen. The majority of the spears upon impact simply bounced off the spider¡¯s hard exoskeleton. All but one spear, this spear managed to penetrate one of the spider¡¯s leg joints.

    The spider shrieked horrifyingly once the spear connected. The joints of its legs had little to no protection due the nature of its design, which made it so they could quickly propel the spider.

    A dagger shot out toward the spider as it was distracted by its punctured joint. The dagger weaved its way around two of the spider¡¯s legs wrapping them tightly together while looping around many times. Following that another dagger appear and wrapped around the same pair of legs.

    If Zhang had tried to cut the legs off it most likely would have failed due to their thickness. So he decided to bind the legs hoping to prevent the spider from being able to propel itself up into the air.

    ¡°HELP ME PULL!!!!¡± Zhang screamed.

    Upon hearing him everyone stopped what they were doing, ran up to him and began pulling on the chain attached to the dagger.

    ¡°Pull towards there!¡± He commanded while pointing to a pillar sticking out of the ground and extending into the ceiling.

    Their goal now is to wrap the chain around the pillar and immobilizing the queen spider. But instead of trying to get away the spider became furious and although three of its eight legs were disabled it sped its way toward the group.

    The spider pounced on Jian Wei who was busy pulling the chain and was the closest person to it. With its fangs and mouth wide open it jumped at Jian Wei.

    With no time to escape Jian Wei resigned to his fate and closed his eyes waiting for death¡¯s embrace. But with his eyes closed he felt a shove from his side knocking him a short distance away. When Jian Wei opened his eyes he saw that Yan Li had pushed him out of the way and was punctured by one of the spider¡¯s massive legs.

    A smile could be seen on Yan Li¡¯s face as blood spewed from his mouth. He tried to open his mouth and say something however all that came up was bright red blood.

    ¡°NOOOO!¡± Jian Wei screamed. Yan Li was a veteran of a hundred battles and had followed Jian Wei for countless years. The two of them had become close friends over the years and there was no one Jian Wei trusted more than this man.

    With a sweep of its leg the queen spider sent Yan Li¡¯s body flying and slamming into a pile of gold coins. Yan Li laid there gasping for his final breaths.

    ¡°My my family¡­..¡± Yan Li struggled to say as blood kept coming up his throat as he tried to speak.

    ¡°Rest assured I will treat them as my own.¡± Jian Wei said as he ran up to where Yan Li landed and grasped his hand.

    The spider ignoring the two began targeting other people and this time spat thread from its mouth. The queen spiders thread was extremely tough and hard to cut through and once it hit its target the thread would retract and pull the target into the queen¡¯s mouth.

    ¡°Kyaa!¡± Although Yuying rolled to dodge the thread it caught her leg. Once it latched onto her leg the thread pulled her toward the spider¡¯s jaws.

    Everything happened too fast for anyone to react by the time they came to their senses Yuying was already in front of the spider¡¯s jaws and its fangs about to bite into her.

    However, when it bit down the spider¡¯s fangs slid right off and was not able to penetrate the armor she was wearing. The scale armor was too slick and strong to be penetrated by its fangs. Drool and venom from the spider queen''s mouth sprayed all of Yuying¡¯s armor coating her in a layer of slime.

    ¡°EAT THIS!!!¡± A scream sounded out. A figure appeared toward the side of the spider¡¯s head and in its hand was a glossy black shield.

    It was Zhang holding a Lightning Eater scale shield! With the shield attached to his arm Zhang bashed the spider crushing one of its eyes. Then using the bottom end of the shield which was sharpened Zhang slashed at the spider wildly.

    The spider shrieked and cut loose the thread that was pulling Yuying toward its mouth. Still wrapped by the thread she rolled onto the ground.

    From his interspatial ring Zhang withdrew an arrow and plunged it into one of the larger eyes of the spider queen. Like regular spiders it possessed two large eyes and six smaller eyes. Once the arrow was lodged into the beast¡¯s eye while gripping onto it Zhang made another arrow appear and stabbed it into one of its smaller eyes.

    The spider jumped up into the air with Zhang hanging onto it. The chains that Zhang¡¯s comrades pulled on slid out of their grips freeing the queen spider¡¯s legs.

    Once in the air the spider queen landed on a nearly invisible web. From a distance away no one would be able to see this massive spider web. Unlike the webbing it spat out this web was not as sticky.

    Zhang had let loose his grip on the two arrows embedded into the spider queen''s head and fell onto the web. When he landed onto the web he noticed hundreds of cocoons laying around on top of the webbing. Some of the cocoons were too big to be human so most likely they were the remains of demonic beasts that the spider queen preyed on.

    Without even a moment to rest the spider queen lunged at Zhang with its two front legs. Lifting his arm with the shield attached to it Zhang took the blunt impact of one of the incoming legs. The spider began pounding again and again against the shield. It¡¯s massive weight alone made it hard for Zhang to continue keeping his shield up however if he didn¡¯t the weight of its legs hitting against his body would give him heavy internal damage.

    Zhang patiently waited for the next time the spider lifted up its leg and using the sharp end of his shield slashed at the webbing of the giant spider¡¯s web.  He held on to one of the loose threads and swung to another part of the spider¡¯s web.

    ¡°BURN!!¡± Zhang screamed as he lifted his numb arm and shot out a fireball. Once the fireball shot out of Zhang¡¯s hand it soared through the air and splashed itself onto the spider¡¯s web. The instant the two touched the spider¡¯s web light on fire.

    The flame began spreading rapidly setting a large portion of the spider¡¯s web on fire. Being brushed by the heat of the burning web the spider queen shrieked. But eventually it¡¯s body also caught on fire and it began shrieking even louder.

    Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

    Zhang had used this chance to use the loose threads to lower himself back onto the ground.

    ¡°Is everyone ok?¡± Zhang asked as he got to where the group was standing.

    No one said a word and instead looked at where Yan Li was laying on the ground close by. Seeing this Zhang quickly ran up to Yan Li and checked for a pulse.

    ¡°He¡¯s on the brink of life and death.¡± Zhang said with a sigh.

    ¡°Luckily we have this.¡± A small bottle appeared in Zhang¡¯s hand and from it red liquid flowed into Yan Li¡¯s mouth. It was the phoenix blood that Zhang had bought before at the auction house.

    Once the phoenix blood entered Yan Li¡¯s mouth his wounds began rapidly closing up and his pulse stabilized. However, he was still unconscious but everyone around him was put to ease.

    Once the giant web was extinguished by the fire the burning spider queen plummeted onto the ground. The group watched as it wallowed in pain and after a few breathes stop moving with small puffs of smoke still rising from its body.

    ¡°Glad that is over.¡± One sailor said as he wiped the sweat from his forehead and sat down onto the ground.

    Suddenly the spider queen''s body began twitching and a large split appeared from its head. And from that split a spider leg popped out and slowly the split got bigger and bigger and from within it another spider crawled out.

    The spider queen was molting in order to survive the fire.

    ¡°Shit everyone of you get out of here!¡± Zhang yelled while pointing for the door.

    As everyone headed for the door Zhang walked toward where one of his chained daggers had fallen and picked it up.

    ¡°Wait aren¡¯t you leaving brother!?¡± Ai asked.

    ¡°You guys go on ahead I¡¯ll catch up really soon.¡± Zhang said calmly.

    ¡°But we can¡¯t leave without you.¡±  Yuying said.

    ¡°NO buts! GO!¡± Zhang yelled.

    Knowing they could not convince him and if they stayed they might hinder him everyone retreated to the door.

    The spider queen sounded out a very distinct shriek which sounded very different from the ones she had done before. After doing so she lunged at Zhang looking to get revenge.

    Zhang brandished his chained dagger while running full speed at the spider queen. Once he was close enough he slid under it and while under the spider queen slashing wildly at the joints of its legs. However, he was only able to make shallow wounds due to the shortness of his dagger.

    As he was engrossed in fighting the spider queen something else happened. The ground began shaking and what seemed like an army of cavalry soldiers galloping through the land can be heard. Along with the sound numerous shrieks could be heard.

    ¡°It called for help!! Everyone find a safe place to hide now!! If they surround you use fire against them!¡± Zhang yelled toward the group.

    Hearing this the group began panicky running trying to find a safe place to hide. Moments later hundreds of spiders began descending from the broken ceiling of the palace. And these were just the first ones to arrive. A spider colony consisted of hundreds of thousands of these monsters so many more were on their way. The queen had her own chamber and the rest of the colony had stayed elsewhere but when she called for help they would all rush over to help.

    Tens of titanic golden spiders pounced at Zhang once they reached the ground. Zhang sent essence into the chained dagger and made it dance about around him slashing and killing the spiders. The only reason why he had not been able to kill the queen yet was due to its size but these regular sized titanic gold spiders were easily dispatched by him.

    The rest of the group had found a small storage room to hole up in. Jian Wei pulled out a large jar of wine and poured it a short distance away from the entrance into the room and ignited it. This fire would keep the spiders away and out of the room keeping the group safe.

    Hundreds upon hundreds of spiders filled the room after a while and they all targeted Zhang. At first Zhang slaughtered all that came his way but eventually he became overwhelmed. If not for his armor he would be dead long ago. The armor kept the spiders from ripping him to pieces but if he did not act sooner or later he would die from taking so many blunt hits.

    As the spiders mobbed him the spider queen whipped her front leg and sent him smashing into a wall. Zhang¡¯s dagger slipped out of his grip and fell to the ground. Weaponless Zhang would not have a chance at survival at all.

    Just when everything seemed so bleak a sparkling blade could be seen popping out of a pile of gold coins right by where he landed. Thanks to Zhang¡¯s impact a part of the blade could be seen as the gold coins slid away.

    Zhang had somewhat regretted not picking out one of the swords before and had let the sailors take them. All he had so far was his daggers, arrows, and shield. None of which could cut deep enough to kill the queen.

    Zhang sprang to action and used both of his hands to dig the blade out from under the pile of gold coins. After a few moments a beautiful halberd appeared in front of his eyes. The halberd¡¯s blade was a crimson red and its shaft pitch black. And on its blade the words sky piercer could be seen etched into it.

    With the sky piercer in hand Zhang stood up and to face the army of spiders. The blade was extremely sharp and cut through the spiders as if it was cutting through air. The spider queen jumped into the air and lunged at Zhang.

    Once more the two engaged in an exchange of blows. However now that Zhang was armed with weapon more fitting for the occasion he was able to hack off the spider queen¡¯s limbs after a few swings. Zhang would repeatedly aim for the same spot until the limb was chopped off. First went the spider queen''s left front leg and soon to follow it was the right front leg.

    When two front legs were hacked off the spider queen¡¯s speed slowed drastically. This allowed for Zhang to hack off one more leg and with that leg gone the spider queen''s body fell forward.

    Zhang lifted the sky piercer into the sky and was able to chomp the spider queen''s head off when the regular sized titanic golden spiders began swarming him once more. But they could only delay the inevitable as Zhang hacked them into pieces also.

    With a chomp Zhang cut the spider queen''s head into two. Seeing this the rest of the colony fell into a frenzy and attacked Zhang even more. Although he killed the queen there were still hundreds of thousands of her subjects around. Zhang tried as best he could to break out of the encirclement of spiders but a large portion of his strength had been exhausted fighting the spider queen.

    He did not know how much longer he could last before running out of energy to retaliate. The spiders filled up almost every corner of the treasury as they attacked Zhang.

    But from the corner of his eye he noticed oddly there was one corner of the room they did not seem to go near. He wondered if he made it to that corner of the room would he be safe.

    ¡°Guess I got nothing to lose.¡± He thought to himself as he tried to work his way toward that certain corner of the room.

    While Zhang was fighting the fire that Jian Wei had started slowly began to dwindle. But before it went out he would supplement it with more wine and flammables. But once the spiders fell into a frenzy they ignored the fire and began jumping in trying to kill the group.

    Luckily the entrance to the room at most would only allow one spider to get in at a time. The group would be able to defend themselves for a while unless something happened. And well something did happen one of the walls of the room started rumbling. Soon a small hole appeared on the wall and the eyes of a titanic golden spider could be seen peering in.

    Then the wall began rumbling once more.

 Chapter 29: Red Pearl

    The spiders continued to swarm around Zhang, countless claws and fangs scraped against the Lightning Eater scale armor. If not for it Zhang would be torn to shreds by now. And if not the sky piercer Zhang would not have a chance in this lifetime or the next to escape from the horde.

    Each time Zhang swung the Sky Piercer carnage followed. Limbs would be hacked off and pale blue spider blood splashed everywhere. Thanks to the sharpness of the Sky Piercer Zhang inched his way toward the corner in the room that the spiders stayed away from.

    ¡°DIE!!!¡± Zhang yelled as he panted. At all times he would have to fight at least five or six spiders and once he killed them more would replace them almost instantly. He is only human and would soon run out of stamina to fed off his foes.

    While Zhang made his way through the swarm the rest of the group faced their own troubles. The hole that appeared in the wall had long ago expanded. It became big enough for one spider to stick its leg through.

    If the group was not vigilant they might be punctured by the spider leg sticking out of the hole. With enemies to the front and the chance the wall toward their side would crumble soon the group fell into quite a predicament.

    ¡°Hold out as long as we can brother will come for us!¡± Yuying yelled black energy shot out from her black sword into the head of a spider. Once the energy entered into the spider¡¯s head runes began glowing on Yuying¡¯s hand and traveled onto the sword. From her sword the runes were transferred onto the spider.

    ¡°Obey! And attack!!¡± Yuying yelled as she pulled her sword loose from the spider¡¯s head. The runes on the spider¡¯s body began to glow and it began attacking its brethren

    ¡°Sis I thought they had to be dead for you to do that!¡± Ai asked.

    ¡°Since their intelligence is low I can use my magic to manipulate their minds while they are alive. This doesn¡¯t take as much energy as reanimating dead corpses.¡± Yuying said as she shot out black energy at yet another spider.

    Eventually in a short amount of time Yuying had five spiders under her control. With these five and the rest of the group she was able to create a secure area around the entrance to the room.

    The sailors looked toward Yuying with appreciation and awe.

    Hundreds of spiders had fallen to Zhang¡¯s blade with one swing of the sky piercer tens of spiders lost their limbs and stumbled to the ground. Once they fell to the ground the halberd came smashing down crushing them and the ground beneath them. If not the halberd Zhang¡¯s foot also brought the end to many spiders.

    The endless struggle was extremely taxing and exhausting for Zhang however he could not die here. There were still people that needed him alive. There were still people that he wished to see once more. Places to travel to and things to do.

    His past life and his current life had not provided him with the enjoyment he wanted and he would not go down like this before obtaining what he wanted.

    ¡°Fuck you bugs! COME AT ME!!! I¡¯ll kill you all!! I am not dying a virgin!¡± Zhang screamed as he chopped and hacked his way through the swarm.

    Dying a virgin in his past life was bad enough, then dying a virgin in this life was worst Zhang definitely did not want to go there again.

    As he walked Zhang spotted a sword handle sticking out of a pile of gold coins and quickly grabbed it. Although the sword was nowhere near how sharp the Sky Piercer was it would serve him fine for now. Swinging the sword in one hand and using the halberd in the other Zhang crushed everything that stood in his path.

    Soon he was able to retrieve one of his chained daggers. Using the Underworlds Heart, he made the chained dagger dance about around him. Although he could probably form countless weapons out of essence they would be too fragile and wouldn¡¯t damage the spiders. So Zhang had to pick up whatever weapons he could as he made his way toward the clear area in the treasury.

    After a while he was able to get back his 2nd chained dagger. With the two daggers flying about and chains attached to his belt while holding a sword in one hand and a halberd in the other Zhang looked like a true war god.

    The slaughter continued for a while until finally Zhang reached the clearing and just like he had hope the once he entered into this clear area the spiders stopped their attack and simply began observing him. Zhang climbed up the mount of gold as the spiders cornered him.

    Once he was at the top he realized why none of them dared to come over to this part of the treasury. In the corner of the wall a large man sized cocoon can be seen.

    ¡°Eggs¡­¡± Zhang murmured.

    Within the cocoon Zhang could see one egg that looked totally different from the others. While the other eggs looked white that certain egg was red. Like a large flawless pearl, the eggs glistened in the light.

    ¡°No wonder! They didn¡¯t want to damage their next queen.¡± Zhang murmured while lifting his sword and slashing the thread that made up the cocoon However the slash did not cut open the cocoon because the thread was too durable.

    So Zhang used his hands to move the thread and make a hole. Once the cocoon was opened up all of the eggs began spilling out onto the ground and with a sweep of his hand Zhang stored away all of the eggs but the red egg into the Ruler¡¯s Domain.

    While the thread from the cocoon he stored into his interspatial ring. This thread was made by the queen and would come in handy later.

    ¡°Now to test out my theory and see if it works.¡± He thought as he walked toward the swarm while holding out the red egg. The red egg barely fit in Zhang¡¯s palm due to its size.

    Seeing Zhang holding the red egg the spider¡¯s shrieked however none of them dared to attack him. When he walked by them the spiders would move back making a way for him. With the old queen dead if Zhang destroyed this red egg then the entire colony would die out.

    Zhang lifted the egg into the air with one hand and then in the other formed a fireball in his hand. Once he did that the spiders backed up from him even more. Even though their intelligence was not very high compared to the queen the drones knew that the colonies fate laid in Zhang¡¯s hands, literally so they did not dare to attack him.

    As Zhang headed for the exit of the treasury he suddenly remembered.

    ¡°The imperial seal¡­.¡± Zhang murmured as he turned back and walked toward the direction where it last was. A few moments later he found the skeleton gripping onto the seal from before.

    Extinguishing the flame in his hand and once more withdrawing the Sky Piercer Zhang used it to crush the bones of the skeleton. Once he did so he extended his hand down and plucked the imperial seal from the ground.

    ¡°Hmmm might as well take as much as I can.¡± He thought looking at all of the loot still laying around on the floor.

    Using the Underworld Heart, he created a wall of energy and used it to plow the treasures that haven¡¯t been taken yet toward him. He could not possibly just leave all of these treasures here now that he had the opportunity to take them.

    Soon a large portion of the treasury was plowed in front of Zhang and with a sweep of his hand he stored away all of it. All of this took moments despite how many things happened.

    He quickly made his way toward where the rest of the group was. Once he reunited with group they slowly made their way toward the exit. The spiders no longer dared to bother them but kept close watch from a short distance away.

    This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

    If the red egg disappeared or fell out of Zhang¡¯s grasp the hundreds of thousands of Titanic Golden spiders would continue their assault.

    ¡°Now we have to find a way out of here before they decide to attack us.¡± Zhang whispered to the group.

    One of the sailors bumped into Zhang as they make their way out of the ruins. This caused the egg in Zhang¡¯s hand to drop and hit the ground. Seeing this the spiders shrieked and rushed toward the group but before they could get closer Zhang quickly picked up the egg and held it up once more.

    Suddenly the egg that seemed like a flawless pearl in Zhang¡¯s hand began to crack.  Small cracks soon turned to large ones and traveled across the egg.

    ¡°Shit! Everyone run!¡± Zhang yelled.

    He had no idea what would happen once this egg broke apart.

    Moments later pieces of the egg began falling off and the swarm charged at the group. Zhang pulled out a bottle of phoenix blood and poured it into his mouth and using all the energy he got from it formed a bubble around the group to keep the spiders away. But this bubble was only temporary because it took too much power to maintain.

    The group made it outside when the egg shattered and from within it a fist sized queen spider emerged.  Once he was out of the egg the queen spider shrieked and jumped from Zhang¡¯s hand trying to get away.

    ¡°Not today¡­¡± Zhang murmured as he formed a small bubble around it lifting it into the air and in front of him.

    ¡°Let me have a try.¡± Yuying said as she reached her hand out and touched the baby spider¡¯s head. Once she did runes began flowing from her hand and on to it.

    Once dozens of runes transferred from her hand onto the spider Yuying pulled her hand back.

    "Alright you can release the bubble now brother." Yuying said while looking at Zhang.

    And with a thought the bubble disappeared and the baby spider queen landed on the ground. Once it landed on the ground the spider crawls up and onto Yuying''s head.

    "What did you do to it?" A sailor asked with a perplexed face.

    Before a black light had shot out of her hand but this time one did not so the sailor didn''t know what Yuying did.

    Unlike the drones that I''ve made to follow simple commands I implanted into this little one¡¯s mind that I''m it''s master and it has to obey me. Since it just hatched the process was very simple. Young minds are the easiest to corrupt of course.

    The baby queen spider sat on top of Yuying''s as it was her pet and since its body was red colored it somewhat blended into her hair.

    "You can release this bigger bubble too brother." Yuying said calmly.

    Without questioning her Zhang released the bubble keeping the swarm of drones away. Once the bubble disappear the drones surrounded them. However, the baby queen spider shrieked and when they heard it the swarm began to disperse.

    Thousands upon thousands of titanic golden spiders sped away and crawled up the walls of the cavern into tunnels and disappearing. They left as quickly as they came and left no sign of their being here at all once they were gone.

    "Wait so that means you have control over all of the colony of spiders!!" One sailor yelled out while staring at Yuying.

    "Of course the little one here is the only queen they have and the queen has absolute authority over the rest of them." Yuying said while she stroked the red spider queen that now crawled down to her shoulder.

    "Milord now that it is safe again are we going back to claim the gold?" Another sailor asked.

    Without replying Jian Wei nodded. The sailors deserved their share of the treasure for surviving so far and it did not seem right to leave the gold and treasures just laying around.

    After doubling back, the group collected the rest of the treasure. Jian Wei offered the trio half of the remaining treasure however Zhang refused.

    Not because he was a humanitarian and did not want wealth but he had already taken a bit more than half of the whole treasure already. But he did not tell anyone about it

    Yuying had not release her control over the few spiders from before yet. She was going to have them carry the group and their horse up the hole and to the exit. To her amazement the spiders can walk on top of water when the group exited the palace ruins and reached the water edge.

    The spiders ran across the water¡¯s surface at rapid speeds.

    Without any more interferences the group quickly made their way to the pit. Yuying ordered the spiders to carry the group up the hole.

    Using thread to latch onto the horses the spiders hoisted them up.

    Soon they reached the top of the hole and the exit one more in sight. When the group reached the exit Yuying released her control over the regular spiders and they scurried back down the pit.

    "Wahhhh daylight!" Ai yelled the second they made it out of the cave.

    The group was now located in the heart of the Dragon''s Maw. Thanks to the underground secret passage way, they were able to avoid the twisting paths of the dragon¡¯s maw.

    It took them nearly half the time it normally would take.

    When they exited it was mid-day so the group decided to pitch camp early and rest from their little adventure.

    Zhang was utterly exhausted the Sky Piercer was very heavy and using it over and over again to fight hordes of giant spiders is not something that happens too often.

    Once camp was pitched Zhang fell into a deep slumber. His body aches even his bones were bruised. Due to utter exhaustion Zhang fell asleep without a care in the world.

    If someone were to come rob then strip him naked and hang him up on the wall of a city, he still wouldn''t wake up.

    Hours later Zhang finally woke up. However, when he did his arms felt even more numb then when he went to sleep. There was a stinging sensation that one would get from lack of blood circulation also.

    Zhang looked around to find that the two beauties were comfortably sleeping beside him. They were using his arms as pillows and sleeping soundly.

    Seeing this a grin appeared on his face as he gently moved his arms toward and embraced their waists.

    Warmth was transmitted from their bodies making it very comfortable. Soon with a yawn Zhang fell back into his slumber.

    The trio cuddled up in their tent and slept for hours. All three of them were simply too exhausted from all of the events that happened. How after does someone run into a swarm of hundreds of thousands of giant spiders? Not very often would be the correct answer.

    Tossing and turned made all of their clothes come somewhat loose and if anyone were to walk in they¡¯d probably kill Zhang due to jealousy.

    >>>>> Got another chapter on the way please vote and help me bring up the rating T__T lol

 Chapter 30: Silver Spear

    Chapter 30: Silver Spear

    Jian Wei had been taking care of the unconscious Yan Li ever since they made it out of the underground ruins. His heart was filled with gratitude for this man in front of him.

    In a lifetime many people are met and many becomes friends, while many become enemies. However, friends come and go and the same goes for enemies. But there are always those people who stay and become irreplaceable in life.

    To Jian Wei his friend Yan Li was as close as family and for Yan Li to be willing take the blow for him meant a lot.

    As Jian Wei sat there contemplating he heard the rumbling of wagons and horse a short distance away. Once he exited the tent he saw a large caravan approaching.

    Flags with a silver spear could''ve seen looming over the caravan. A team of ten horsemen rode in front of the caravan toward where Jian Wei was.

    When the horsemen got closer Jian Wei was able to see silver emblems with a spear on the ten men.

    He recognized that emblem as the symbol of the Silver Spear mercenary group. As long as the employer has the money these mercenaries would do the job.

    Of course they did not take jobs that went against their code. No pillaging, no raping, and no killing of the innocent. Overall this group had a good reputation.

    "What are you doing here?" A mounted man asked Jian Wei.

    "Kind sir we are simply travelers. We wish to go to Aurora city to visit some family." Jian Wei replied. Although the Silver spears had a good reputation he still did not want to reveal his status as the lord of Aurora city.

    It was best to keep his status hidden because for now he can''t trust anyone besides those in his group.

    "So that so. How come your group is so small?" The man asked.

    That was when Jian Wei remembered that when traveling within the Dragon''s Maw there was a requirement of traveling in a party with at least a few thousand people.

    People would have to wait until a group met the required numbers before being allowed into the Dragon''s Maw. This was to ensure that groups would be big enough to repel demonic beast attacks and the risk of bandits.

    This he is questioning Jian Wei most likely is because he thought Jian Wei could be a bandit.

    "My son¡¯s wives could not keep up with the speed of the group so we ended up getting left behind." Jian Wei said.

    "Is that so? Would you guys like to join our caravan? But first of course I would like to meet and get a head count of how many is in your group." The man said.

    "Sure!" Jian Wei replied as he called his men out. One by one they emerged from their tents and lined up.

    Everyone but the trio and Yan Li was present. Yan Li was still unconscious.

    "Is that everyone? Which one is your son? And I also don''t see any women." The man asked.

    "We have one man who fell ill during the trip and he''s resting in this tent." Jian Wei said as he pulled back the curtain revealing Yan Li.

    "As for my son his tent is right there I''ll go get him." Jian Wei said as he began heading toward Zhang''s tent.

    "Let me come with you." The man said as he dismounted his horse.

    "Of course." Jian Wei said as he led the man toward Zhang''s tent.

    Pulled back the curtain Zhang could be seen sandwiched between two out of this world beauties. Their cloths appeared loosely and suggestively.

    Seeing this the man stared intently without batting an eye. The two beauties were too mesmerizing from their silky hair, snow white skin, to sliding curves that could be seen from the blanket laying on top of them. The man stared slack jawed at the two of them.

    After allowing the man a small glimpse Jian Wei quickly closed the curtain.

    "He he he kids these days." Jian Wei said smiling at the man.

    "Ye-yes." The man said while Still in somewhat of a daze. After a few moments he was able to snap of the daze.

    "If you guys want to you are welcome to join our caravan. They should reach here soon." The man said.

    "We would love to." Jian Wei replied politely. Joining the caravan would help the group avoid suspicion when they reach the checkpoint at other side of the Dragon''s Maw.

    On the other side of the Dragon''s Maw was under the control of Green Clover city. Famous for its rare seven colored mushrooms. These things can help cure hundreds maybe thousands of different types of poisons.

    After roughly half an hour the rest of the caravan reached where Zhang¡¯s group had camped. Once the caravan reached where the group was the man that questioned Jian Wei rode his horse toward another man who dressed in silver armor.

    Moments later the man in silver armor rode over toward the group. Just when the man reached where Jian Wei stood Zhang emerged from his tent along with Yuying and Ai.

    The trio finally had enough rest and woke up oddly at the same time. There was an awkward silence when they woke up due to the sleeping position they were in. A while later Zhang got up and walked toward the curtain of the tent and the two beauties followed after.

    ¡°Hello my name is Sheng Huo leader of the Silver Spear mercenaries.¡± The man in silver armor said with a smile on his face.

    ¡°Nice to meet you sir, my name is Wei Jiang. This is my son and my daughters in law.¡± Jian Wei said.  He did not wish to give his real name to Sheng Huo as to avoid trouble.

    Sheng Huo greeted everyone in the group and then welcomed them to the caravan. Sheng Huo lent the group two of his spare carriages for the remainder of the trip. The Silver Spear mercenaries numbered roughly five thousand while the rest of the caravan numbered another three thousand people. The caravan¡¯s regular people consisted of many merchants that sold a wide assortment of things.

    What Zhang thought wanted to know was why the Silver Spears were doing here. Being mercenaries someone must have hired them as escorts or to deliver something. But employing five thousand mercenaries meant that the person who did it must be very wealthy and powerful.

    This caravan had set off roughly a month and a half ago and in another two months or so they would reach Green Clover city.

    Later in on the day the caravan found a place to set up camp. Soon hundreds of tents were set up and hundreds of camp fires started burning. Many trails of smoke ascended into the air.

    ¡°Brother I heard that some of the merchants in the caravan formed a mini market and selling things out of their carriages. Do you want to go have a look?¡± Yuying asked Zhang.

    ¡°Sure let¡¯s go.¡± Zhang said. The trio left their tent and started walking to where the merchants had set up. While walking Zhang made a flask appear in his hand. The flask was one of the things he picked up in the treasury.

    This flask had the power to store large amounts of liquids despite its size. Using this flask Zhang had collected a huge amount of the concentrated essence water from the huge lake where the ruins ended up. The water from that lake held extremely high volumes of essence and it allowed the spider queen to grow so large.

    Zhang found out that if he drinks the water from that lake it would give him some essence and empowered him. This would be very useful when he is fighting for prolonged periods. He would have a source to replenish his essence and continue fighting.

    If others knew about this water they¡¯d paid extremely high prices to obtain it because there aren¡¯t that many things out there that could quickly replenish someone¡¯s essence especially during battle.

    Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.After looking at the flask for a while Zhang put it back into his interspatial ring.

    ¡°Next time I see Xi Ning I need to thank him if he did not suggest that path then I wouldn¡¯t have such a big harvest.¡± Zhang thought to himself.

    As the trio walked through the rows of tents countless eyes locked onto them. Yuying and Ai now possessed a huge amount of jewelry. All of the jewelry in the treasury of the Sai empire was there for them to pick from after all.

    Now the two beauties were using jewelry fit for a queen or princess which added to their beauty by giving them a noble aura. Anyone who saw them wouldn¡¯t think twice and believe that these two were princesses from some kingdom.

    Many men wished to walk up to the two beauties and try and woo. However, once these men thought it over they felt that they were inferior to the two beauties and were fortunate enough to even be able to see them.

    Then they would see Zhang walking next to Yuying and Ai, once they saw Zhang they would secretly curse at him.

    After walking for a while the trio reached the market that was set up by the merchants. Close to a few hundred carriages lined up next to each other each serving as a makeshift stall. Many merchants stood in front of their carriages trying to attach customers.

    Many types of goods were being sold here from things such as food, jewelry, weaponry, and even lower level demonic beasts. The demonic beasts here would most likely only serve as house pets or beasts of labor. They possessed little to no battle potential at all.

    And when compared to the first sized spider that sat on top of Yuying¡¯s head these beasts wouldn¡¯t amount to anything. The baby queen spider slept would always crawl all the way to the top of Yuying¡¯s head and sit there. From afar it would look like a unique hair ornaments of sorts.

    At night it would crawl off into the night to hunt for prey. For now, it¡¯s diet consisted of regular lizards, rodents, and sometimes even birds. Once it grew bigger the spider queen would most likely start hunting other demonic beasts.

    Zhang would leave small bowls of the essence water for it to drink in the hopes of increasing its growth rate. In the Ruler¡¯s Domain was a huge sack of Titanic Golden spider eggs and once they hatched trio would have a mini army of them. The new hatchlings would easily be controlled and bent to Yuying¡¯s will compared to the already grown spiders back at the ruins.

    The spiders at the ruins would only listen to simple commands even when ordered by the queen. Once these eggs hatched they would be different, they would be able to do intricate tasks thanks to Yuying¡¯s manipulation of their minds.

    Many merchants approached the trio and asked the two beauties to wear the things they were selling. These merchants thought that if two beauties such as them wore their goods then it would be great advertising for their business.

    But Yuying and Ai being as picky as they are, did not simply take everything that was handed to them. The trio continued walking for a while until something caught Zhang¡¯s eye.

    A merchant was selling magical transmission bracelets. These bracelets could be liked to become a set and once linked the owners would be able to converse with each other over a certain distance of space. The distance depended on the quality of the transmission bracelets.

    ¡°Hello sir how much for these? Also do you have any high quality ones?¡± Zhang asked.as he picked up three transmission bracelets.

    ¡°For all three? That will be three hundred gold coins¡¯ young master. And sadly I do not those high quality bracelets are very much sought after and don¡¯t come by very often.¡± The merchant said.

    ¡°Here you go.¡± Zhang placed a small pile of gold coins in front of the merchant.

    ¡°Customer would you like me to wrap these up for you?¡± The merchant asked.

    ¡°No thank you sir.¡± Zhang said as he took the bracelets from the merchant and walked away with the two beauties.

    Zhang gave Yuying and Ai each their own transmission bracelet so use. After Yuying and Ai bound the bracelets Zhang sent a bit of his essence into their bracelets. This would like his bracelet with Theirs. After Zhang linked his bracelet with theirs Yuying and Ai did the same.

    Now as long as the trio were in a radius of a few hundred feet from each other they¡¯d be able to keep in contact.

    The trio continued to stroll around for a while however nothing else caught their eye so eventually they headed back to their tent.

    Zhang he asked Jian Wei to come over to their tent to discuss some important matters.

    As Jian Wei entered the tent Zhang offered him a seat as a small table and then the two began talking.

    ¡°Senior I have something to give to you.¡± Zhang said.

    ¡°Senior? You are to call me foster father.¡± Jian Wei said with a stern face.

    Zhang knew that according to Jian Wei¡¯s personality if Zhang did not call him foster father he most likely would ignore Zhang until Zhang did call him foster father. So to save time and effort Zhang simply went with the flow.

    ¡°Foster father I have something to give to you.¡± Zhang said once more and made a jade cube with carvings of dragons on it appear on the table.

    ¡°This is the imperial seal? It simply slipped from my mind after everything that happened. I¡¯m getting too old¡­¡± Jian Wei said with a sigh and picked up the imperial seal.

    ¡°Do you know what¡¯s so special about this seal?¡± Jian Wei asked Zhang,

    ¡°It¡¯s because it¡¯s the symbol of authority of the first empire to ever rule over all of the warring states region?¡± Zhang replied.

    ¡°No. It does not symbolize authority. What kind of authority of an empire that disappeared thousands of years ago have and especially at a place like the warring states. What it possesses is power. The power to unite the entire region under one rule.¡±

    ¡°Legend has it that the emperor who united this land started out as an average farmer. But one day he stumbled upon a magical weapon. This weapon bestowed upon him amazing powers to which he used to unite the land and squash his enemies. However, after uniting the land he felt heavy regret toward the things he did. You must remember if he did not find the weapon he would have stayed a simple farmer. Sometimes living a normal life is better than ruling over an empire. With power comes responsibility. Those who stand at the time are always tasked with the hardest decisions. Because he was filled with so much regret and had no more need for the magical weapon he had a tomb erected and in this time he sealed away this weapon.¡±

    Jian Wei picked up a cup and poured some tea into it and drank it all in one gulp.

    ¡°After the tomb was sealed he had all of the people who worked on it executed. Besides the emperor no one would know of the weapons location. But he knew that power was needed to control a nation so he had a map made that led to the location of the tomb. And that map is the imperial seal of the Sai empire.¡± Jian Wei said as he lifted the seal up into the air.

    ¡°This delicate looking cube of jade held the only lead to a weapon capable of uniting the warring states region. Which is one of the dreams that I long to accomplish in my lifetime.¡± Jian Wei added.

    ¡°A weapon capable of creating an empire.¡± Zhang murmured

    =================================================

    PLEASE VOTE FOR THE STORY HELP BRING UP RATING AND ATTRACT MORE READERS LOL

    ALSO HERE IS A LINK TO MY POST ON HOW I IMAGINE THE LIGHTNING EATER SCALE ARMOR LOOKS.

    https://iendworlds.wordpress.com/2015/11/21/lightning-eater-scale-armor/

 Chapter 31: Home

    Today in Heilong Kingdom everybody was extremely busy. Earlier in the day an announcement was made that threw everyone into a frenzy.

    The king proclaimed that in six months the kingdom will host a tournament. All of the kingdoms and forces in the alliance against the Siwang empire were invited.

    This would be a way for the forces to mingle amongst each other and get closer.

    Anyone was eligible to enter and the winner would receive a very lavish reward.

    Once the news was announced the king declared that the construction of a grand arena would commence.

    Many young men eagerly wished to join the tournament. And many more were eager to make some money signed up to join the workforce building the grand arena.

    The grand arena would be huge and large enough to hold hundreds of thousands of people. This was a show of power for the Heilong kingdom to the other kingdoms.

    By erecting a massive arena such as this they would be able to show their authority over the people and the wealth the kingdom possessed. This was to regain the loss of authority after the Siwang empire invaded.

    The Heilong kingdom was one of the kingdoms that sustained the heaviest losses from the invasion and in the eyes of the other forces it was one of the weakest.

    Had it not been that the Heilong kingdom was one of the countries that bordered the Siwang empire and could be used as a battlefront then the other forces wouldn''t even bother to ally with it.

    The king hoped that the tournament would be a turning point for the kingdom. The construction projects that would go on would help stimulate the economy of the kingdom by creating jobs to those who were displaced by the invasion.

    Up until now most of the displaced people were living off of the kingdom. The massive influx of people made it so there were more people than jobs available.

    Had it not been for the government then these people would have starved. But feeding people while not recording taxes would soon drain the kingdom''s treasury.

    So the king''s minister of finances devised a plan. The minister only had recently come into power and was full of ideas to help boost the kingdom''s economy.

    By having the tournament jobs would be created for a while and tourism could add into the economy also. More people would be needed to do certain jobs thanks to the influx of tourists. Business would bring in more revenue and this would allow them to spend more. That would cause a tingling effect and bring stimulate the economy of the kingdom as a whole.

    Besides the minister of finances, a new minister of war also came to power.

    The minister of war came into power roughly the same time as the minister of finances. The two of them worked closely together one improving the economy while the other expanding the kingdoms small army.

    With proper finances the army could be properly funded and expand.

    Before the two previous ministers clashed for power and stalled the growth of the kingdom.  The minister of finance would stall funds meant to expand the army while the war ministry created debts by expanding on credit.

    However now that the two ministers took their positions the two ministries collaborated and worked in unison.

    The two ministers met with each other on a certain hill that overlooked the capital city and conversed almost every day. And today was like any other day two middle aged men could been seen sitting at a stone table chatting.

    Guards could be seen a short distance away keeping watch on the two.

    "Six months from now will be the day that he died." One of the ministers dressed in a sky blue robe said with a hint of sorrow in his voice.

    "Don''t worry brother after the tournament we will offer blood of the soldiers of the Siwang empire to him." The other minister who wore a black robe said.

    "Had I stopped him then he would still be here. Those useless wastes couldn''t even hold up and fight and help him." The man said angrily as he threw a cup onto the ground. Once the cup hit the ground it broke into many small pieces.

    "What''s happened has already happened brother. Nothing they could have done with such overwhelming odds. How would we have known that that bastard Liu Bei opened the gate and let so many of those soldiers in." The man in the black robe said also angrily.

    If Zhang saw these two men, he would call one of them father and the other father in law.

    The minister in the sky blue robe was Zhang''s father. While the man in the black robe was Ling''s father.

    Despite Zhang''s death the two family still kept extremely close relations. And they both shared a common goal, revenge.

    Ling''s father had always thought of Zhang as his own son and seeing how heartbroken his daughter was he could not bear. And of course Zhang''s father being his father was hell bent on getting revenge for his son.

    He felt extreme regret for letting his son stay behind. How could he have known that so many soldiers had entered the city?

    Once the two clans entered the capital Zhang''s father and Ling''s father used every connection they had and bribed everyone they could to slowly move up the ladder and gain power.

    They knew that without power they could not accomplish their goal. And even if they had complete control of the Heilong kingdom they would still not have enough power to go against the Siwang empire.

    So they had to strengthen the alliance and manipulate it to attack the Siwang empire.

    The alliance''s goal was on to be able to defend against the Siwang empire so they needed slowly nudge it to be the side on the offensive. And the tournament will be when this will happen.

    "How''s the plan coming along." Zhang''s father asked.

    "All the preparations will be complete by the time the tournament happens. I made sure to send out all of the invitations to the tournament. " Ling''s father replied.

    "But are you sure this is what we should do?" Ling''s father asked.

    "The alliance is too conservative as it we need to change their views and make them believe that if they don''t'' strike they will be wiped out." Zhang''s father said.

    A voice rang out from a distance away from the two men.

    "My lords we have received some replies from the invitations that were sent out." A soldier said as he kneeled on one leg toward the two men. In his hand was a small stack of letters.

    "Bring them here." Zhang''s father said as he gestured to the man.

    After receiving the stack of letters he opened them one by one and read them.

    "Most if not all of these are confirmations that they are coming back to the tournament. It seems Aurora city''s ruler is even sending his successor to come attend." Zhang father said to Ling''s father.

    The two men began conversing about their plan for a few hours and then returned home.

    When Zhang''s father came home he would go directly to his room. His wife had only recently woken up from her coma and was laying in bed.

    She was recovering slowly.

    "My lord is Zhang home yet? How come he hasn''t come home to visit me." She asked her husband.

    "How can he visit you when he''s so busy studying at the Royal academy?" Zhang''s father replied.

    When she woke up he had hidden the fact that they could not even recover Zhang''s body. He had told his wife that after coming to the capital their son had been admitted to the Royal academy.

    Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.

    He would eventually tell her once her condition stabilized he feared that she would not be able to take the blow if he told her the truth.

    Elsewhere in the capital of the Heilong kingdom within the Royal Academy all of the students were training twice as hard. The tournament was an opportunity for them to shine. The winner of this tournament will have an extremely bright future.

    As the finest in the kingdom the people at the academy knew that why would be the ones to represent the kingdom.

    "What do you think the prize will be?" One person asked.

    "Doesn''t matter because you know who will probably get it." Another person said.

    "Your right if that girl joins the tournament none of us will stand a chance." Yet another person added in.

    "Speak of the devil there she it."

    A short distance away from them a girl was walking by. If looks could kill, then she would be a mass murderer.

    She had silky smooth looking skin without and blemishes, and long flowing hair that droops pass her waist.

    This girl is the genius of the Royal Academy. Also known as Wu Ling daughter of the minister of war.

    Being a genius that only appeared once every few hundred years she was able to become a level seven mage at a very young age. Being so talented and beautiful even the prince of the Heilong kingdom repeatedly asked for her hand in marriage.

    However, she treated him exactly like everyone else. She shot him down without even a second thought. Whereas most girls would dream about a prince proposing to them Ling declined.

    But this did not deter the prince one bit every day he would send her countless gifts so which she would reject. When asked why she rejected something that most only dreamed about she simply told them she was waiting for someone.

    Today Ling had just rejected the gifts from the prince once more and was heading toward the academy''s technique hall.

    The academy had an extremely vast collection of techniques. Ling would spend most of her free time here absorbing as much as she could.

    Her goal in life for now was to grow as strong as she possible could. Because with strength and power no loved ones would have to die, one would not have to stand by as those close to them be slaughtered.

    Even after roughly two years she still has not admitted that Zhang was dead. She always had a feeling deep in her heart that he was alive. He might be very injured so he couldn''t come back to her or he ended up somewhere very far but one day he would come back.

    Until that day she would wait. And   Until that day she would continue to grow stronger in order to make those who harmed him pay.

    Ling was browsing through a restricted area in the library that she had special permission to enter. There were some extremely powerful cultivation techniques here. And spells that totally outclassed everything else in the library were all located here.

    Only with a special badge could anyone open the door into this part of the library. Every book and technique in this chamber was a treasure to the academy and not just anyone could browse them.

    She picked up an especially dusty book that seemed like no one¡¯s touched it for ages and began reading it once she found a chair to sit in.

    "Hmmmm wind god''s demonic scythe..." She said softly as she read the works on the book.

    After studying the book and grabbing some other techniques until the sun set. Ling took the books with her and went to her room and to at the stars. When looking at the stars she felt that she was alone.

    As she gazed at the stars a voice rang out. The second she heard this voice a frown appeared on her once tranquil face.

    "My little goddess I''ve come to see you! If you¡¯re willing to marry me in the future this kingdom will be yours, you sweet!" The voice yelled.

    Hearing this Ling walked into her room from her balcony and shut the doors.

    "Nothing can stop my love for you!" The voice rang out louder than before. Oddly it was audible even though she shut the door and the Windows were not open.

    Under her balcony a young man dressed in golden silk clothing could be seen talking into something in his hand.

    It was in the shape of a spiral sea shell. Some people could recognize this as a magical voice amplifier. These magical objects allowed someone to project their voice much louder than it regularly is. They would also recognize this man as the crown prince of the Heilong kingdom Huang Zu.

    The sound of doors slowly opening could be heard.

    "I knew my love would come through to you my little goddess!"  Huang Zu yelled with a smile on his face. He had been trying to woo Ling for about three weeks now. Ever since he saw her his soul left his body and followed her.

    He was determined to make her his.

    -Splash-

    A thick liquid fell from the balcony and splashed all over him.

    "Leave now!" Ling yelled.

    "Nothing can make me leave! Nothing can get in the way of my love!!l Huang Zu yelled.

    Then a smell suddenly entered into his nostrils. The smell seemed very familiar to him however he was not able to point out what it was.

    "If you don''t leave then don''t regret it." Ling said as a small fireball formed on the tips of her fingers.

    That''s when Huang Zu realized what was spilled all over him.

    "Is this lamp oil!?" Huang Zu asked in a somewhat frantic voice since he saw the small fire ball floating on the tip of Ling''s finger.

    -swoosh-

    The fireball shot out from Ling''s finger and landed a bit away from Huang Zu''

    "Consider that a warning shot. Leave or I''ll roast you." Ling said sternly.

    "O-okay! I''ll be back tomorrow my little goddess." Huang Zu said as he sped away into the night.

    Once more silence filled the night and Ling''s serenity was restored. Thus she once more gazed at the stars.

    The stars twinkled in the night sky shiny on those below them. Like unreachable diamonds.

    "Somewhere out there he must be looking at the same stars." She thought as she silently looked into the distant stars.

    "One day we''ll meet again be it in this life or the next I know it." She murmured.

    Elsewhere in the darkness of night a man fully dressed in shining black armor rode a fiery horse under the moonlight. Beside him were three other fully armored people also on to of fiery mounts.

    Behind them thousands of horsemen followed. Every soldier in this army wore black armor which helped blend them into the night. A few of them carried banners with a golden dragon on it.

    ¡°Faster!!¡± One of the soldiers yelled.

    The sound of hooves echoed through the night as this army advanced into the darkness or night.

 Chapter 32: Voices

    Two months ago Zhang''s group head reached Green Clover city. Once they reached the city they found that the Silver Spear mercenaries were escorting the three daughters of Green Clover city''s lord.

    After reaching the city the mercenaries completed their task and using this opportunity Jian Wei hired them to escort the group back to Aurora city.

    Along the way no one dared to cause trouble for the group any longer thanks to the five thousand soldiers that escorted them.

    When they reached Aurora city Jian Wei announced to his government officials that Zhang would be his successor. Although a few people objected they could not change what was set in stone.

    After proclaiming Zhang as his successor Jian Wei also announced his plan to unify the warring states region.

    On that very day he rallied all of the available soldiers under his command. Jian Wei originally wanted to divide his forces into four directions. But then a correspondence from the Heilong Kingdom arrived.

    It invited all allied forces to attend a tournament being held in the Heilong Kingdom after six months. Being apart of the alliance it would be rude to decline however he could not go personally and sending a messenger wouldn''t be giving the Heilong Kingdom face either.

    Jian Wei had already rallied his forces and if he did not act right away moral would fall. Worst of all of the other forces in the warring states region would out they''d band together and attack.

    That was when Zhang volunteered. He would represent Aurora city at the tournament as Jian Wei''s successor.

    Jian Wei put ten thousand cavalry soldiers under Zhang''s command for this trip. He mapped out a route for Zhang to take in which the Dragon''s Maw would be avoided and Zhang would circle above it. This would allow Zhang to avoid running into Red Mist city.

    Also worrying for Zhang''s safety Jian Wei ordered one of his generals to accompany Zhang on the trip. This man was called Lu Xun.

    But once Zhang left Aurora city he headed back toward Green Leaf city.

    "Onward! We must reach the city before sundown!" Zhang yelled.

    "You heard the commander!" A dressed in black armor yelled. This man would be called Lu Xun.

    Behind these two Yuying and Ai rode on their Inferno Wind Walkers. And behind them were ten thousand soldiers wearing black armor and holding black flags with a golden dragon head on it.

    Zhang was able to pick out a banner and the armor his new subordinates would be wearing. Jian Wei had let Zhang pick whatever he wanted out of the city''s armory. Given the opportunity Zhang cleaned out the armory of its black colored armor and also took piles of weapons which he stored into his interstitial ring. Thankfully interspatial rings could store a nearly endless amount of things as long as one took the time to store these things away.

    "My lord the tournament is going to be held in roughly five months and it will take us roughly three months to pass the Dragon''s Maw using that secret passage way. Which will leave us with only one month do execute that plan you devised and another month to reach the Heilong Kingdom." Lu Xun said.

    "We will execute the plan once we pass the Dragon''s Maw I estimate that it would take roughly ten days. That would leave use with plenty of time to ride to the Heilong Kingdom''s capital." Zhang replied.

    "Let''s hope we don''t run into any setbacks my lord." Lu Xun said.

    "My lord the city is just up ahead." A soldier riding from the opposite direction yelled out toward Zhang.

    Roughly half an hour later the army reached the outside of Green Clover city.

    Just when the army arrived the city gates closed and thousands of soldiers appeared on top of the walls.

    "Who goes there!" A soldier yelled out.

    "We are soldiers of Aurora! Headed for the Heilong Kingdom!" Lu Xun yelled out.

    "Have your commander come alone before our gates and verify your status and intentions!" The soldier yelled.

    "Insolent! You dare to give us orders?!" Lu Xun yelled.

    In the warring states region Aurora city was the strongest and no one dared not to give them face. However the soldier above the wall was barking orders at them and demanding their commander go to the city gates alone.

    While placing his hand on Lu Xun''s shoulder Zhang said "it''s okay their time will come soon."

    "Pitch camp here!" Zhang yelled

    Then he rode out alone to the city gate.

    The city gates creaked opened creating a gap big enough for a single rider to enter.

    "Apologies milord." A soldier said as he walked down from the top of the walls.

    "No need." Zhang replied quickly.

    "So your forces are from Aurora?" The soldier asked.

    "Yes we are headed towards Heilong to attended the grand tournament." Zhang replied.

    "Is that so, I would like to ask how come we have not received any correspondences from Aurora yet about your arrival." The soldier said.

    "Ah that is because my lord tasked me with a important mission up north. However mid trip we received orders to change course and go through the Dragon''s Maw and head to Heilong." Zhang replied as he pulled out the invitation to the tournament.

    Once the soldier saw the invitation he said "if you could wait here young master I will inform the city lord to meet you."

    "Sure I can wait." Zhang replied with a smile on his face.

    Shortly after the soldier rode off on a horse heading toward the city lord''s mansion.

    Roughly half an hour passed when a carriage heading for the gate could be seen. The carriages looked extremely lavish with gold and precious gems decorating its exterior.

    Once the carriage reached the gate a elderly man walked out of it. Once seeing this man all of soldiers bent one knee and bowed.

    This man was the lord of Green Clover city Lu Gong.

    "Greetings milord." Zhang said as he got off his and bowed.

    "So I hear you come Aurora and wish for my permission to pass into the Dragon''s Maw?" Lu Gong asked.

    "Yes, I come with orders from Lord Jian Wei to head to Heilong." Zhang said as he showed Lu Gong the invitation to the tournament and his medallion that Jian Wei had given him back in Red Mist city.

    "Ah yes I recognize that medallion. Without a doubt you are from Aurora. But why are you heading to Heilong so earl the tournament is not for another five months." Lu Gong asked.

    "I have a special task from Lord Jian Wei that I have to personally see to." Zhang said.

    "Alright fair enough you have my permission to pass. But before that I would like to invite you to my home for a feast to welcome you to our city." Lu Gong said.

    "Thank you milord, and sure I would love to attend the feast but my men are waiting outside the city." Zhang said.

    "They will be taken cared of I will have my men send them food and wine to show our hospitality. Follow me." Lu Gong said.

    Zhang did not actually wish to attend the feast because the more time he had to pass the Dragon''s Maw the better. However he could not turn down Lu Gong because if he got on the bad side of this man he might not be granted permission to enter the Dragon'' Maw.

    With an army of only ten thousand he would not be able to seize this city so he had to keep Lu Gong happy.

    Lu Gong had Zhang join him in his carriage as they headed toward the lord''s mansion.

    The lord''s mansion was extremely lavish and had many servants. When the carriage reach the front gate hundreds of servants lined up to greet Lu Gong. Zhang was led to a large hall where lots of food and tables were set.

    Soon the festivities began.

    As Lu Gong entertained Zhang a soldier walked in and bowed to Lu Gong. The soldier handed Lu Gong a letter and left the hall.

    Upon opening the letter and reading its contents, Lu Gong looked at Zhang. Then his artifice changed. Before he had only superficially tried to entertain Zhang simply out of formality.

    But after reading the letter he truly tried to befriend Zhang.

    "You should have told me you are Lord Jian Wei''s foster son!" Lu Gong said while smiling toward Zhang.

    "Ah I apologize milord do not like to use relations when dealing with others." Zhang replied with a smile.

    "Is that so." Lu Gong

    ¡°Ah yes how about I introduce you to my two daughters.¡± Lu Gong said.

    ¡°Um no need to bother the young misses.¡± Zhang politely declined.

    ¡°No no it¡¯s alright I think they will be happy to meet someone like you.¡± Lu Gong said as he ordered a maid to go fetch his two daughters.

    Soon the maid led back Lu Gong¡¯s two daughters. The sight of these two women would make any man have nightmares. They basically possessed all the features that no one wanted combined and worsened by one hundred times.

    ¡°Hello young master, it¡¯s my honor to meet you.¡± One of the two daughters said to Zhang.

    ¡°Yes it¡¯s nice to meet you young master, would you like to go on a stroll with me through the city?¡± the other one asked.

    ¡°Why would he want to go with you? When he can go with the beautiful me.¡± The other sister yelled while grabbing one of Zhang¡¯s arms.

    ¡°No no he¡¯s going with me!¡± The other sister said as she grabbed Zhang¡¯s arm.

    The two of them began pulling back and forth fighting over him.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry but I won¡¯t be able to accompany either of you today I¡¯m feeling rather sick due to the long journey.¡± Zhang said.

    ¡°Oh you''re not feeling well? Someone escort the young master to a guest room.¡± Lu Gong said.

    Although Zhang tried to turn him down the man would not take no for an answer. Eventually Zhang gave in and agreed to stay for the night.

    As Zhang laid in the guest room he thought something was odd. The lord of Green Clover city was said to have three daughters. However today at the banquet he only presented two of them. But if the last one was like the first two Zhang did not want to meet her.

    He disliked how they acted today at the banquet with all of the bickering and fighting. It gave him a headache just being near them. He preferred women who were more reserved when first meeting someone. More lady like to say.

    Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    A maid came into the room to give Zhang a bucket of warm water to wash himself.

    ¡°I wanted to ask didn¡¯t the city lord have three daughters?¡± Zhang said to the maid as she put down the bucket of warm water.

    ¡°Yes young master the lord does have three daughters.¡±

    ¡°I was wondering why only two of them appeared today at the banquet.¡±

    ¡°The eldest young miss had an accident as a child and does not often meet strangers. She is somewhat eccentric and does not often get along with others hence she does not attend such events.¡± The maid answered politely.

    ¡°Accident? Do tell.¡± Zhang was curious by nature so he kept asking the maid.

    ¡°The lord does not like outsiders knowing about the incident. I¡¯m sorry young master but I can¡¯t tell you anymore¡± The maid declined.

    ¡°But if I don¡¯t tell anyone, and you don¡¯t tell anyone how will he know? Perhaps my little friend can persuade you.¡± Zhang said as he made a gold coin appear in his hands.

    Seeing this gold coin, the maid¡¯s eyes lit up. As a maid she made a decent amount of money in the form of wages however a gold coin for a commoner was a lot of money.

    ¡°If you put it that way, I guess I can tell you.¡± The maid said as she took the gold coin from Zhang¡¯s hand.

    ¡°You see once the previous madam of the house passed the lord married again. Shortly after the new madam had two daughters with the lord. Once the two young ladies were born the lord due to the coaxing of his new wife paid all of his attention to his new daughters. The eldest young lady never got along with the new madam to begin with and this simply added to the fire. The two of them broke out into many arguments again and again to the point that they would not talk to each other. And one day the accident happened. I was told that the lord was throwing a banquet for his birthday. The madam wanted to personally cook a dish for him so she was cooking in the kitchen. The eldest young miss apparently had gone to the kitchen to make a dish for her father also. However, the two of them got into an argument and the young misses fell into a pan of hot oil.¡± The maid said.

    ¡°Her face became badly burned along with her hands. The oil had totally disfigured the once beautiful young lady. I bet if the accident had not happened there would be lines of men waiting outside to ask for the young lady¡¯s hand in marriage. I was told that as a child she was very pretty.¡±

    ¡°The odd thing was the young lady after waking up said that the madam had pushed her into the hot pan of oil intentionally. But since the two of them were in the room alone no one but them knew what happened. The lord at the time had been completely charmed by the madam and of course would believe her.¡± The maid said.

    She proceeded to tell Zhang about how after the accident the eldest young lady of the house stopped leaving her room and her father stopped visiting her as time pass and eventually to the point of not seeing her for months on end. The last time the young lady left her room was because it was her mother¡¯s death anniversary and they had to travel to her mother¡¯s home town to pay respects.

    ¡°That will be all for tonight, thank you.¡± Zhang said to the maid as he made another gold coin appear and handed it to her.

    The maid delightfully left the room and went on doing other tasks that she had to do.

    After the maid left Zhang decided to take a stroll through the lord¡¯s mansion. The stars were out tonight and very beautiful. They twinkled in the night sky and he thought they looked like sparkling diamonds high up in the sky.

    As Zhang walked due to the odd layout of the lord¡¯s mansion he became hopelessly lost. He roamed about trying to find his way back until he ended up in a garden. The garden was filled with various flowers and plants.

    One thing he noticed was all of the plants in this garden had a medical use. As the son of a merchant he had seemed lots of various medical herbs being sold.

    While walking through the garden he heard singing. Zhang walked toward the voice hoping to find the person singing to ask them for directions.

    The closer he got the clearer the voice became and soon he could make out the words of the song. The song sounded very sad and would make the strongest of men weep. However, the voice that sang that song was truly angelic.

    As Zhang got closer he saw the figure of a young women sitting by a pond on top of a rock.

    ¡°Hello there can you please give me some directions?¡± Zhang asked.

    However, when the young women heard Zhang¡¯s voice she panicked and tried to run away however she instead tripped on her long dress and fell into the pond. And to make things worst it seemed like she couldn¡¯t seem.

    ¡°He-help me! Help! I can¡¯t swim!¡± The young women yelled as her head went under the water.

    Zhang seeing this ran toward her and dived into the water and fished her out.

    Once out of the water the young women gasped for air.

    ¡°Are you alright?¡± Zhang asked.

    But when Zhang spoke to her she quickly used her hands to move her hair to cover her face after realizing her face was in full view.

    Her face had very severe burns to the point that some of her flesh melted and ended up somewhere else. The wound was so bad that till this day parts of it had not completely healed so there were scabs all over her face. Her hands were not any better off.

    ¡°Ye-yes thank you for helping me.¡± She said.

    ¡°I¡¯m guessing that you are the eldest daughter of the city¡¯s lord?¡± Zhang asked.

    ¡°Ye-yes my name is Lu Lingqi.¡± The girl said while looked away from Zhang.

    ¡°If you could please tell me the way back to the guest rooms.¡± Zhang said.

    ¡°Umm sure.¡±

    ¡°Oh I almost forgot you have a wonderful voice.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡±

    ¡°Nothing? It¡¯s most likely the best singing I¡¯ve ever heard. If I could listen once more that would be wonderful.¡±

    ¡°You mean it?¡± Lu Lingqi said.

    ¡°Of course if you can give me the honor of listening once more. But maybe after you change into dry clothes. I wouldn¡¯t want you to get sick from singing for me.¡± Zhang said.

    ¡°How about I meet you here again tomorrow?¡± She said.

    ¡°Tomorrow I will most likely be gone and I don¡¯t know when I¡¯ll ever come back. If it¡¯s too much to ask, then forget it. Listening once was good enough I guess.¡± Zhang said.

    ¡°If you would follow me.¡± Lu Lingqi said as she got up and began walking. A short distance away a small building could be seen. Lots of medical herbs could be seen being left to dry all around the building,

    ¡°Pl-please wait here.¡± She said.

    A short while later Lu Lingqi appeared once more and began to sing. Zhang sat down at a stone table to listen. After listening to her song Zhang asked her about the medical herbs.

    It turns out that Lu Lingqi was a doctor. She had learned about thousands of medical recipes and practices from reading medical books. Zhang found this very intrigue and the two chatted for a few hours.

    Lu Lingqi¡¯s medical knowledge was monstrous. She even knew of some lost practices from thousands of years ago. As the two chatted she gradually opened up to Zhang a bit and stopped looking away. However, her hair still covered most of her face.

    As they chatted Zhang felt that this girl was too pitiful. Having lost her mother at a young age and having to live such a lonely life due to her disfigurement. That was when he decided to give her a gift in exchange for letting him listen to her singing.

    ¡°It¡¯s about time I should be getting back now. Before then I want to give you something. But first you have to close your eyes.¡± Zhang said jokingly.

    Lu Lingqi had not talked to anyone like she did with Zhang for as long as she could remember. Since the accident a part of her seemed to have died. She lost interest in finding companionship with others. To be more specific she loathed it.

    But after talking with Zhang for a while she found the although he had seen her face he did not look down on her. He talked to her as equals without judging her. Lu Lingqi felt that she could trust this young man in front of her. He been the first person to not react to her disfigured face.

    She closed her eyes and waited for Zhang to tell her to open them.

    ¡°No peeking.¡± Zhang said as he took her hands into his own.

    Lu Lingqi felt a weird itching sensation on her hands. But her eyes remained closed. Moments later she felt that Zhang had let go of her hands. Then she felt a pair of gentle hands brush her hair to the side. After her hair was brushed to the side the hands gently touched her disfigured face. Then the odd itching sensation could be felt on her face.

    Moments later the two hands departed from her face.

    ¡°You can open your eyes now.¡± Zhang said.

    Upon opening her eyes Lu Lingqi saw that Zhang was holding a very beautiful necklace in front of her.

    ¡°This is for you. Thank you for singing for me. Next time we meet I hope that you will sing for me once more.¡± Zhang said as he left the necklace on the stone table and left.

    After Zhang left Lu Lingqi reached her right hand out to pick up the necklace. This was the first gift she had ever received from a boy besides her father in her entire life.

    But when she reached her hand out she saw a tender delicate looking hand with snowy white skin. Before she would see a burnt and scarred hand.

    Not believing her eyes she took her other hand and felt her right hand. That¡¯s when she saw that her other hand was delicate and snowy white also. She used both of her hands to feel her face.

    She felt smooth skin where bumpy and dry skin had been before.

    Lu Lingqi ran into her room and opened a closet. Inside was something that she had not used for years. A large hand mirror was left at the bottom of the closet collecting dust.

    When she picked up the mirror she was afraid. She was afraid that she would see a horrifying disfigured face. However, once she looked into the mirror two trails of tears began running from the corner of her eyes.

    ¡°He did this.¡± She murmured as the tears continued to fall.

    VOTE FOR ME T___T LOL

    Maybe a 3rd chapter on the way,

 Chapter 33: Next Time

    Lu Lingqi held onto the mirror that she took from the closet and sat on the ground in disbelief. All these years of being ridiculed, laughed at and pitied would be no more. Now that her appearance had been healed no one would look down on her anymore.

    ¡°People will actually wish to befriend me now.¡± She thought. However, moments later she slapped herself as hard as she could.

    A bright red handprint appeared on her smooth snowy skin. After slapping herself she began to laugh. She laughed at the fact that she still cared about other people befriending her. She laughed that she dreamt that her appearance would magically be fixed and a charming prince would come swoop her off her feet.

    A fool¡¯s dream was what she used to think of it. However now that the fool¡¯s dream came true she mocked herself.

    ¡°Why should I care about those people who ignored me because of how I looked? She thought to herself.

    From the looks people gave her while she was disfigured Lu Lingqi started to fear going outside. She feared how people would judge her because of her appearance. She was afraid that someone would see her and call her an abomination.

    But now everything is different. With her appearance fixed she no longer wanted other people to accept her. She had come to this realization after meeting Zhang. She had realized that there are people out there who would be kind to you and befriend you despite your looks or status. And these people were the only people who was worth befriending.

    Instead of wasting her time with those superficial fools who would not be around if her appearance reverted back to how it was hours ago. She should try to reach for those people who would accept her regardless of her appearance.

    For now, only one image appeared in her mind. She saw a young man who would smile at her and talk to her even if she was extremely ugly. This young man would treat her how he treated everyone else. If she was pretty he would treat her the same, if she was ugly he would treat her the same.

    Thus Lu Lingqi decided that in this world she only needed one friend, one person to acknowledge her because he was the person who shone a light into her lonely world and reached his hand out.

    The next day Lu Lingqi for the first time in a long while left her herbal garden. She headed toward the guest rooms in the hopes of meeting Zhang once more. Although she rarely left the herbal garden Lu Lingqi knew the lay out of the lord¡¯s mansion like the back of her hand.

    A short while later she stood in front of the guest room. She was contemplating on what to say to Zhang when she met him. Many things swelled up in her heart and she wished to spill it all out in front of him. A mass of feelings, dreams, and wants had filled her mind.

    Inside the corner of her mind a hint of fear also loomed about. She was afraid that this entire time her impression of him was but a misunderstanding. ¡°What if he isn¡¯t the type of person I think he is?¡± She thought to herself.

    But after a while of contemplating she decided to knock on the door.

    -Knock Knock-

    However, there was no reply from the inside of the room. After a short while a maid passed by.

    ¡°What happened to the young man that stayed here last night.¡± Lu Lingqi asked.

    ¡°Who are you? I¡¯ve never seen you before and I¡¯ve been working in the mansion for five years.¡± The maid asked somewhat afraid.  Although afraid she was stunned by this young woman¡¯s beauty.

    The city lord¡¯s mansion was not a place for random people to wonder about. With hundreds of guards patrolling the ground it meant that random people who are able to wander around on the grounds were very powerful in terms of cultivation to be able to avoid all the guards.

    Since the maid did not recognize this young lady standing in front of her and the mansion has only had on guest since yesterday the maid became somewhat afraid. As for the women living in the mansion whether as maids or residents she knew all of them and no one was as beautiful as this.

    ¡°Ha you don¡¯t recognize me?¡± Lu Lingqi broke out into a hysterical laugh. To become a stranger at her own home, how funny would that be?

    ¡°Wh-who are you tell me quickly or I¡¯ll scream! There are lots of guards patrolling the mansion they¡¯ll come right away.¡± The maid yelled. She had fallen into a complete confused state of mind. She did not know whether or not alerting the guards would be a wise decision. As a commoner she had very low cultivation and if the person in front of her of a higher level she would be a goner.

    ¡°Do you see this?¡± Lu Lingqi said as she pulled out a medallion made of green jade.

    ¡°Milady?¡± The maid recognized this medallion as the command badge that the lord had given to his eldest daughter when she was a child. This badge allowed her word to carry this authority everyone under the influence of Green Clover city would have to listen to her command as they were listening to the city lord¡¯s.

    ¡°Now tell me what happened to the young man in this room.¡± Lu Lingqi impatiently said. Although she did not care for the opinions of others anymore it still felt awkward talking to other people for too long.

    It turns out that early in the morning Zhang went to say his goodbyes toe Lu Gong and lead his forces through the Dragon¡¯s Maw. After saying his farewells Zhang mounted his Inferno Wind Walker and headed for the city gates.

    Upon hearing this Lu Lingqi dashed away in the direction of the mansion¡¯s horse stables.

    ¡°What happened to the young lady¡­..¡± The maid was left in a daze. How could someone who was said to be horribly disfigured be so pretty.

    Lu Lingqi dashed out the front gate of the mansion. As her horse sped through the streets her clothes fluttered and she caught the attention of many pedestrians. Many men stared at her without blinking an eye.

    ¡°That horse has the emblem of the city lord on the side of its saddle.¡± A man said.

    ¡°The city lord¡¯s mansion? When did someone like that live there.¡± Another man added.

    Soon discussions about her identity of the beautiful young lady broke out all around the city. Later on in the day they would find out from a rumor that had spread from within the lord¡¯s mansion. The rumor goes on as ¡°the lord¡¯s eldest daughter was pitied by the heaven¡¯s and was granted a new face.¡±

    Once this rumor and many others had spread out throughout the city lines of men lined up before the lord¡¯s mansion asking to meet the eldest lady of the house.

    But all of them instead of meeting Lu Lingqi would meet her two half-sisters and be scared off.

    Zhang had left the city lord¡¯s mansion a bit ago and was speeding toward the gate. He needed to have his troops prepare to move and the sooner the better. It would take them three months to pass through the Dragon¡¯s Maw maybe a bit longer due to the narrowness of the passage.

    After passing through the city gate something caught Zhang¡¯s attention.

    He looked back and saw that Lu Lingqi was high up in the city gates. Once he saw her he stopped his horse to see what she wanted.

    ¡°Until next time we meet!!¡± She yelled while grasping a magical voice amplifier.

    Upon hearing this Zhang smiled and waved at her. ¡°Until next time we meet!¡± He yelled back and began riding once more. As he began riding away from the city he could hear singing.

    Lu Lingqi¡¯s angelic voice thanks to the magical voice amplifier, projected over a large area of the city. Her voice made everyone stop what they were doing and simply listen. People stood on the streets, sat up from their beds, and stopped doing this and that to listen.

    The singers voice seeped into their soul. If she sang a sad song everyone would weep, if she sang a happy song then everyone would be happy. Lu Lingqi¡¯s voice alone was able to mesmerize everyone who was able to hear it. If they could listen to it for hours on end, then they would forsake everything they had to do to listen to her.

    If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

    Lu Lingqi watched as Zhang rode away into the distance. The further away he got the louder she would sing. Soon he was so far away that he looked like a speck of dust but she still continued to sing. She sang until she could sing no more. By the time she stopped a huge crowd had formed by the city walls. They all wanted to know who was the owner of such an angelic voice.

    The crowd had become so large that it caused the city¡¯s guards to come and disperse them. Using her green medallion Lu Lingqi commanded a group of soldiers to escort her back home. Once back home she went directly to her herbal garden.

    Zhang felt quite happy with what he had done. He gave that girl who had suffered so much a new chance and it seemed like she took hold of it.

    As he his mount galloped at full speed the camp that his soldiers had set up was in view. Overnight a mini fort was erected by the soldiers and when Zhang got closer the soldiers guarding the gate greeted him and opened the gate.

    Once inside he went directly to Lu Xun¡¯s tent. Although they have the same surname Lu Xun and Lu Gong have no relation one being from Aurora and the other being from Green Clover city.

    ¡°Commander.¡± Lu Xun said when Zhang walked into his tent.

    ¡°We got permission to pass have everyone get ready to move.¡± Zhang said.

    ¡°Right away.¡±

    After a short conversation between the two Zhang left and headed to where he was told two certain beauties had set up their tent. He found out that Yuying and Ai¡¯s tent was located in the middle of the camp.it was extremely easy to find their tent because a small mini fort had been erected around it.

    ¡°Good morning!¡± Zhang yelled as he walked into the tent.

    ¡°Ge-get out!¡± Two voices sounded out.

    When Zhang looked around the tent he could see two almost naked women trying their best to cover themselves with pieces of clothing. Turns out the two of them were changing clothes and Zhang happened to walk in at the best time possible well for him at least.

    Zhang stood guard in front of the tent keeping everyone else away after he was kicked out.

    Shortly after Yuying and Ai both walked out fully dressed in armor. Soon the entire army was mobilized and mounted. The trio along with Lu Xun lead the rest of the army through two giant gates that opened up into the Dragon¡¯s Maw.

    ¡°Hey would the two of you sing for me?¡± Zhang asked with a chuckle.

    ¡°Sing for you? Why should we sing for you?¡± Yuying teased.

    ¡°Yea you''re acting funny brother did something happen in the city?¡± Ai asked.

    ¡°If you won¡¯t sing for me would you get jealous if someone else did?¡± Zhang said jokingly.

    ¡°You go have someone else sing for you then.¡± Yuying teased back.

    As the trio joked with each other something jumped at Zhang.

    ¡°Damn you Silky you almost made me fall!¡± Zhang yelled.

    Yuying had named the Titanic Golden spider queen Silky. And it had doubled in size since it first hatched. It was still small enough to sit on top of Yuying¡¯s head though but over time she became fairly attached to Zhang and Ai also.

    ¡°I wonder when the other eggs will hatch.¡± Zhang thought.

    =====================================================================================

    Around two and a half months had passed since the beginning of the journey through the Dragon¡¯s Maw. The army was able to reach the entrance to the underground passage way and had pitched camp by it.

    Yuying released Silky into the passageway and had it order the colony of Titanic Golden spiders to not attack anyone from the army. After doing so Zhang ordered hundreds of men to go down the large pit that he had fallen into and bring up huge jars of water.

    He eventually emptied the lake of water. This water was highly concentrated in essence and would be very useful so he wanted to get all that he could. Once the men dried up the lake Zhang stored away all of the jars of water into his interspatial ring.

    After completing their task Zhang gave every soldier in the army three days of rest before continuing into the tunnel. Over the three days Zhang spent most of his time getting to know the soldiers better. Names, personalities, this and that. He felt as a leader the better he knew his men and the better they knew him then more trust could be built up and orders would be followed more precisely.

    Once the three days passed all the trio led the army into the tunnels. This time no one would go missing like before.

    ¡°Brother are you excited? In a month or two you¡¯ll be home.¡± Yuying asked as they rode through the tunnel.

    ¡°Very I¡¯ve not seen anyone from my family for years now. Although they probably think I¡¯m dead so I¡¯m looking forward to seeing their reaction once I pop up. And father will be pleased once he meets you two.¡± Zhang said jokingly.

    ¡°Why would he be happy?¡± Ai asked.

    ¡°Because he¡¯ll have two more future daughter in laws. Which means he will have more grandkids.¡± Zhang laughed.

    ¡°Who will marry you!?¡± Yuying yelled while blushing.

    The trio continued to joke and play with each other whenever they had the chance throughout the trip. This continued on until they reached the exit of the tunnel.

    Zhang directed the army to go to Xi Ning¡¯s village. He wanted to meet up with Xi Ning and see if the tasks that he had left the man was completed. Zhang wondered if the project that he left Xi Ning was completed by now because it would play an essential part in his plan.

    As the army rode through the night with Zhang, Yuying, Ai and Lu Xun in the front thousands of horsemen followed behind them under the moonlight. Everyone wore black armor while the trio sat on top of flaming horses.

    Soon the path leading to the village was before them. However, this time something was different from before. Blocking the way up the pass was a large fortress made up of logs. This had not been here before when Zhang had gone to the village.

    ¡°Send a messenger up and see what¡¯s going on.¡± Zhang commanded.

    ¡°Right away my lord.¡± Lu Xun as he ordered a lone rider to move out.

    Shortly after the messenger got to the gate they opened and another person on top of a horse rode out. The messenger along with the person from the fortress rode toward Zhang. As the person got closer Zhang recognized him as Xi Ning.

    ¡°My lord your back!¡± Xi Ning said as he jumped off his horse and bent one of his knees.

    ¡°Are the things I tasked you with completed?¡± Zhang asked while looking down from his horse.

    ¡°Yes my lord over the last half a year we have expanded and doubled in size. We absorbed seven other bandit groups and increased our total number of troops to ten thousand. These man are all veterans of battle so little training is needed. Using the funds, you left me all of them are properly equipped also.

    As for the other project it is near completion and has not been detected by anyone.

    ¡°Good, good you¡¯ve done well.¡± Zhang praised Xi Ning he did not expect that so much progress would be made over only a few months.

    ¡°My lord please follow me and rest in the fortress for tonight.¡± Xi Ning said respectfully.

    ¡°No need we will be moving out now. Rally your men.¡± Zhang said.

 Chapter 34: Invasion

    ¡°Now?¡± Xi Ning asked somewhat surprised.

    ¡°Yes, now. If we stall any longer then they might find out our presence and we won¡¯t be able to surprise them anymore.¡± Zhang replied.

    ¡°I shall go ready the men my lord.¡± Xi Ning said as he jumped on to his horse and sped back into the fortress.

    A short while later Xi Ning returned and behind him marched ten thousand fully armored soldiers. These men had all been bandits so they were somewhat proficient in combat. Xi Ning could not recruit from Red Mist city or the villages under its influence or else the city lord may catch on to what was happening.

    The original five thousand men he had were not fully armed so the city lord did not care too much about them. Red Mist city had roughly one hundred thousand active soldiers so five thousand was not much.

    Jin Sho had thought that Xi Ning¡¯s village would eventually run out of funds and starve to death or he would use the excuse that they did not pay their taxes to wipe them out.

    However, he would never have guessed that Zhang supplied the village with a vast amount of wealth. Using this amount of money Xi Ning was able to secretly buy weapons off the black market. Red Mist city had many back channels where if one had money they could buy pretty much anything. This was due to the city being too large and a key trading hub for the western edge of the warring states region.

    Of course he was able to procure large quantities of rations from the back channels also. Although to keep everything under wraps Xi Ning had to pay lots of money to his suppliers.

    Then came recruiting the bandits. This was a very easy task since most bandits only became bandits because they could not keep themselves fed. So the instant he told them about his employer and showed how much wealth he was given these bandits instantly jumped on board.

    Xi Ning of course had to give them some wealth on top of that. But he was given a very substantial amount of money from Zhang.

    Next came the hardest task that Zhang gave him. Zhang had ordered Xi Ning to construct a tunnel that would lead from the outskirts of Red Mist city to the inside of the city. This was a very daunting task.

    To accomplish this Xi Ning had to send many of his men out pretending to be loggers. These man would go into the forests around Red Mist city to find suitable places to construct the tunnel. The tunnel could not be too far from the city nor could it be built in soil that is too soft.

    After lots of searching Xi Ning decided to pick one location that was roughly three miles from the city. The soil here had many small rocks and lots of very large trees that prevented erosion. As an extra precaution he had the inside of the tunnel lined with stone and had support beams set up.

    Thanks to the size of Red Mist city parts of it stretched into what used to be jungle instead of being entirely near the beach. Had it been smaller than the soil would make it unsuitable to construct a tunnel without it collapsing into itself.

    Xi Ning had split his men into teams of one hundred and gave them all different tasks during the construction of the tunnel. Ten teams of men would work around the clock to dig the tunnel and lay the stonework inside of it. While the rest were given tasks regarding the construction of the fortress below the foot of the mountain leading up to the village.

    Zhang did not order for this but Xi Ning always kept the safety of the villagers in mind. If their plan was discovered the fortress would allow for them to hold out for a while instead of being utterly obliterated.

    Also as a precaution Xi Ning ordered some of his men to pretend to be farming or hunting in case someone working for the city lord came by. He made it so that the men in under his command was constantly on the more thus making the extra five thousand men nearly invisible.

    Even if the lord of the city came and demanded to inspect the village there wouldn¡¯t number over five thousand men.

    Zhang led ten thousand cavalry soldiers to the outskirts of Red Mist city. Behind him were eight thousand infantry soldiers armed with swords and pikes. One could say that this many soldiers made up a sizable force however in the Wulin continent there were many billions of people.

    When the Siwang empire had attacked the Heilong Kingdom it had mobilized one million soldiers from that alone one can tell how large certain armies can get. From what Xi Ning had told him Zhang found out that Red Mist one hundred thousand guard which meant that it outnumbered him five times.

    And the first rule to sieging a city was to bring five times the number of defenders. So logically Zhang needed five hundred thousand soldiers. This was due to defenders being up on high walls while attackers had to somehow get up.

    When attackers made it to the top of the wall they would be coming up one by one on siege ladders whereas defenders would stand in the thousands waiting for them on the top of the wall. To take over the walls one either had to send so many soldiers up that it exhausted the enemy forces. Or possess highly skilled soldiers who could vastly overpower the enemy. Or lastly come with enough siege weapons to take out the wall.

    Some may ask why not sneak into the city dressed as commoners and then attack from the inside. The answer would be those who sneaked in would not have weapons. When entering a city everyone was checked and if they had a weapon it would be recorded down. And of course if too many people appeared with weapons that would be suspicious.

    Another option was to hide all of the weapons into an interspatial ring however that would not work also. Upon entering a city interspatial rings would be checked. The city guard required owners of interspatial rings allow them to check the contents of their rings. Also if one person had everyone else¡¯s weapon and armor then they would have to be distributed to everyone somehow and that of course would gather unwanted attention.

    So instead of sieging Red Mist city had sent Xi Ning and two thousand men to use the tunnel to infiltrate the city. Once inside Xi Ning would occupy one of the city gates, open them and signal Zhang to move in.

    Xi Ning being a former general within the city knew the layout of the city perfectly he also knew where city guards would be posted and how many in number.

    Beneath Zhang¡¯s feet underground two thousand men were crammed into a small tunnel. The tunnel was large enough for two men to stand side by side when standing straight. Thus two lines of a thousand men each was formed.

    Each man was dressed in standard armor and had a long sword at his side. In front of them leading the way was Xi Ning dressed in a general¡¯s suit of armor and with a saber hanging from his waist.

    ¡°I never thought that day I come back to the city I would be using a tunnel such as this.¡± Xi Ning said

    with a chuckle. He had imagined the day he came back to Red Mist city was the day that the lord found some ridiculous reason to persecute him and hang him or somehow he was killed. Or the village was meeting its end and he came back to beg the lord to show mercy to the villagers.

    But who would think that this time he was coming back and bringing two thousand fully armed soldiers with him. To top that off there were eighteen thousand soldiers waiting above ground for his signal to charge into the city.

    Just thinking about how Jin Sho and his clan had exiled him out of the city after stripping him of his military authority Xi Ning could not help but smile at the thought of taking over the city. Once the city was their then the entire Jin clan would be at his mercy.

    A while later Xi Ning had reached the end of the tunnel they were directly under a shack in the slums. Xi Ning had one of his men purchase the shack and stuck a long wooden pole that was painted blue down into the ground. This pole was used by the man digging to know where to stop. The tunnel was relatively straight so as long as they knew what direction to go in they would be fine but they needed to know where to stop.

    Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

    Currently the army was only a few feet underground so pulling out his saber Xi Ning poked at the ceiling of the tunnel. Loose rocks and dirt fell down where he had poked his saber into. The men quickly scooped up the debris and passed it down the long line behind them. Eventually the ceiling opened up into an empty room.

    They had no made an exit hole because they were afraid that it would be discovered before the plan came into play.

    Two small ladders were passed to the front of the line of from behind. With the ladders in place the lines of soldiers began ascending one by one. Once a couple soldiers were out of the hole Xi Ning told them to form a perimeter around the shack.

    Anyone one who saw them would be either dispatched or knocked out and tied up. He did not want to drag innocent people into the battle if he could help it.

    Once another twenty or so soldiers were out of the hole Xi Ning led them to a guard post set up in the slums. Throughout the city hundreds of guard posts were set up in order to maintain the peace. Each guard post was equipped with a bell attached to a magical voice amplifier. If something was amiss, then the guards would signal to the rest of the city using these bells.

    There was only one post situated in the slums mainly because the city lord did not care about the poor. Xi Ning and his twenty soldiers silently moved through the night. They had wrapped their armored boots in cloth as to not make too much noise when walking.

    Soon the guards post was in view. Inside were five guards sitting at a table and gambling.

    ¡°Ha I win again! Pay up!¡± One of the guards laughed as he yelled at the other four.

    ¡°Hmph you¡¯ve been lucky these last couple games but not the next one! I refuse to believe that you¡¯ll keep winning.¡± Another guard yelled.

    ¡°Really? A fortuneteller told me this morning that today a big change will happen in my life! And since then I¡¯ve been so lucky. I even found a gold coin when walking on the street!¡± The guard said while laughing.

    Suddenly the other four guards looked at the guard who had just won with distressed faces. One of the guards reached for his sword.

    ¡°Hey you son of a bitch, just because I won a few silvers from you doesn¡¯t mean you pull a sword out on me!¡± The guard yelled angrily.

    But before he can utter another word a sword plunged through his back and ran through his chest.

    ¡°KILL!!¡± A voice rang out behind him.

    Xi Ning had killed the guard and yelled gaining full attention of the other four guards. That was when he men jumped in from the windows and dispatched of the guards.

    ¡°Destroy the amplifiers! We don¡¯t want anyone using them tonight.¡± Xi Ning ordered.

    ¡°Yes Sir!!¡± A soldier replied as he picked up his sword and hacked at the magical voice amplifier.

    Xi Ning had ordered his men to break up into teams and move around separately as they headed for one of the gates. If they stayed in a large group and ran into enemy opposition, then all of them would be stalled. However, if they split up into many groups only a few of them would be stalled.

    This would allow the others to go and open the gates to allow their allies inside.

    Some soldiers were tasked with different missions than others. Some would roam through the city while pouring lamp oil onto certain places. While others would have dispatched of certain guard posts they may be alerted of the army¡¯s movements. Everyone had a job to do.

    As Xi Ning led his men toward the city wall he spotted someone approaching.

    A man was walking down the street gripping onto and sipping from a wine bottle.

    ¡°Move through the alley and use a different route.¡± Xi Ning whispered to his men.

    As he watched his men move and was about to move himself a voice rang out.

    ¡°HEY! You got any booze on you?¡± The man who was walking down the street yelled.

    ¡°Fucker..¡± Xi Ning cursed in his mind.

    ¡°No I don¡¯t.¡± He replied softly.

    ¡°Don¡¯t fucken lie to me man I know you have some booze on you!¡± The drunk man yelled as he walked up and grabbed Xi Ning¡¯s arm

    ¡°I do not now go away.¡± Xi Ning said while brushing the man away.

    ¡°Hey Do you know who I am? I¡¯m the king of the world! Now give me some booze and I¡¯ll let you marry a princess.¡± The man said drunkenly.

    With a chop to the back of the neck Xi Ning sent the man into a deep slumber. Once the man was knocked out cold Xi Ning dragged him into the back alley and tied him up.

    After tying the man up he made his way toward his troops and continued heading for the gate.

    ¡°Once we reach our destination wait for the other teams before engaging the enemy.¡± Xi Ning whispered. Instead of replying his men simply nodded.

    They were the first squad to reach their destination and had to wait for the rest of the soldiers. Once a small force of roughly three hundred soldiers amassed Xi Ning led them to attack the guard¡¯s barracks located by the city wall. This guard¡¯s barracks was simply a rest station for the guards who guarded the walls so not a lot of soldiers stayed here.

    He ordered the rest of his men to attack and take over the city gate. Once the gate was in their control his men were ordered to shoot a green flare into the sky.

    A few hundred soldiers were positioned to guard the gates but after extended periods without any fighting these men had grown dull. Whereas the ex-bandits had lived by the sword to make a live thus making them as sharp as swords.

    Xi Ning charged into the guard¡¯s barracks along with his men and slaughtered every single guard that resisted them. They knocked out and tied up the rest.

    This entire event happened over a few minutes and no one under Xi King''s command was even injured. While outside one thousand and five hundred soldiers who reached the rendezvous point. Once all of them assembled they began the attack on the wall.

    Soon a green flare was shot up into the sky signaling for Zhang and the eighteen thousand soldiers outside to move in.

    Once the flare was seen in the air the ten thousand cavalry soldiers began moving. The eight thousand infantry also moved but they would arrive much later than the cavalry soldiers would.

    ¡°CHARGE!!!¡± Zhang yelled.

    Within the city when the green flare shot up the various soldiers who had been pouring out lamp oil everywhere began lighting flames. Soon fires sprang up everywhere within the city.

    ¡°Tonight Red Mist city might have some red mist floating around.¡± Zhang said

    <hr />

    Thoughts? :D  Help me come up with some names for people lol

 Chapter 35: Battlefield

    Outside of the city Yuying and Ai moved with the eight thousand infantry. They would come in as reinforcements for the cavalry soldiers who had went inside ahead.

    Being from the underworld Yuying thought very little about death. Death itself had no meaning to her because if she were to die she would be going back home. So far everything has been somewhat of a game to her. She wanted to see how long she could stay alive and how long she could stay with Zhang and Ai.

    Death was inevitable but she did not fear it nor would she try to avoid it. So on a battlefield she did not pity those who were going to die.

    ¡°Every meeting must have a parting.¡± She thought to herself.

    One day she will have to be apart from Zhang and Ai. That thought someone made her heart ache. Over the many months of being together the trio has had a very strong bond. Despite all of her reasoning and thoughts she knew if something happened to Ai or Zhang she would of course worry about them. If they died, then she would join them because they were the reason that kept her in the world of the living.

    Without them she would be alone and there would be no meaning to staying here any longer.

    Beside Yuying riding her horse was Ai. Over the many months Ai had grown very close to Zhang and Yuying, especially Yuying. The two of them became like sisters, eating and sleeping together. She learned many things from Yuying with the two stayed together.

    At first she had been strangers to the two of them but now they were like family. They had become an important part of her life in which she did not want to lose. As she saw it besides there two everyone else had little value.

    In other words, to her if thousands or hundreds of thousands of people disappeared in front of her she would not bat an eye. But if something bad were to befall on Zhang or Yuying she felt that a part inside of her would lose control and she would go mad.

    ¡°I hope he is fine inside there.¡± She thought as she and Yuying led the eight thousand infantry soldiers toward the city gate.

    Inside the city Xi Ning¡¯s one thousand and seven hundred soldiers stormed the wall they met little resistance. On top of the gate there were only roughly five hundred soldiers. The vast majority of Red Mist city¡¯s soldiers were kept inside the lord¡¯s mansion.

    Red Mist city had three levels and soldiers were split up accordingly. There was the outer ring where all the slums and poor people lived. Then the middle ring where the merchants and wealthy people lived and did business. Lastly there was the inner ring where the nobility and the lords of the city lived.

    Of the one hundred thousand soldiers the city had roughly five thousand was kept on rotating shifts to guard the walls. The walls of Red Mist city were built very high so they did not feel the need to have too many guards guarding it.

    The outer ring housed the least number of guards roughly ten thousand. These soldiers would be split up into smaller teams and spread throughout the outer ring this was due to the city of Red Mist city. The middle ring housed roughly twenty thousand soldiers. While the inner ring housed the rest. That being said unless all of the soldiers were mobilized the city only had about roughly fifty thousand soldiers on duty.

    In the lord¡¯s mansion a huge commotion broke out as messengers from all around the city came running.

    ¡°MY LORD THE EASTERN GATE HAS FALLEN!!!¡± One messenger yelled.

    ¡°Bad News thousands of enemy cavalry has stormed into the city!!!¡± Another one yelled.

    ¡°The middle ring has been set on fire!!¡± Yet another messenger yelled.

    It had been very late at night and Jin Sho had just went to bed but was woken up by all the screaming. Originally he was going to go outside and punish all of these people for bothering him when he was trying to sleep.

    However, when he heard what they had to say his heart sank. So many things happened so quickly that his mind fell into disarray.

    ¡°What are you fools doing?! Send the soldiers from the inner ring out! Stop them!! Also alert all soldiers who are not on active duty to return to duty and help defend the city!¡± He yelled.

    ¡°Ri-right away my lord!¡± A messenger replied as he headed out.

    ¡°Now go get someone to tell me the current status of the city!¡± Jin Sho yelled.

    Although he knew the situation outside was bad he did not comprehend the level of severity it was.

    Zhang had lead his ten thousand cavalry into the city and up the walls and then took five hundred cavalry soldiers while Lu Xun lead five hundred in opposite direction. Their goal was to capture the city walls. If they didn¡¯t there was a chance that the gate they came into might be closed from behind them and they would be trapped and surrounded.

    Zhang ordered the remaining nine thousand to secure the outer ring and evacuate the people. He did not want common people to be dragged into this battle so he gave them a chance to leave.

    The cavalry soldiers following Zhang galloped on top of the walls of the city and anyone they ran into would either be cut down or trampled over by their horses.

    On the ground below the walls the rest of the cavalry soldiers fanned out and keep the streets clear of enemy soldiers. They needed to wait for the infantry to arrive before moving in on the middle ring of the city.

    Being cavalry soldiers they were not very useful in occupying a city. Their job was mainly to charge and disperse the enemy or chase after fleeing enemies. If they stayed in one place too long they might be shot at by archers or outnumbered by spearmen. Thus they needed infantry.

    In taking over a city infantry played a key role.  Unlike cavalry they could clear out buildings and weave through small alleyways which allowed them to quickly maneuver around.

    However, clearing the eastern outer ring was fairly easy to begin with they had the element of surprise on their side. The soldiers guarding the outer ring of Red Mist city did not have a chance to fight back before getting killed.

    Once Yuying and Ai arrived with the eight thousand infantry the push for the middle ring began. The fire that was set earlier had kept the soldiers in the middle ring busy and had caused mass panic to occur.

    The infantry soldiers led the charge into the middle ring with cavalry following behind them. While moving in they screamed at the top of their lungs.

    ¡°Everyone who drops their weapons and surrenders will be spared! Those who do not will be slaughter!!¡± They yelled out.

    ¡°DISARM OR DIE!!¡± The soldiers continued to yell.

    Mass panic head already broken out in the middle ring due to the large fire and the chanting of Zhang¡¯s soldiers added more turmoil into the hearts of the soldiers of Red Mist city.

    Many soldiers of Red Mist city dropped their weapons and kneeled down onto the group with their hands cupping the back of their heads. Some feared death, while others were simply displeased with their current lord and did not want to fight for him.

    The vast majority of the city was oppressed by the ruling clan with high taxes and fear so a large quantity of people was unhappy with Jin Sho.

    Once they surrendered the soldiers of Red Mist city were all tied up and led to outer ring.

    While all of this was going on Xi Ning lead his men through the middle ring and directly to the inner ring. He knew there were fifty thousand soldiers in the inner ring and if he didn¡¯t do anything then they would have a tough fight.

    But he was confident that even if they had to face these fifty thousand soldiers they could win but with heavy casualties. The soldiers Zhang brought were elite soldiers from Aurora city. Aurora being known as the strongest influence within the warring states region meant that its soldiers were no laughing matter.

    It would be a matter of time if the fifty thousand soldiers of the inner ring met the ten thousand cavalry. It is common knowledge that when fighting in an open plain ten thousand cavalry soldiers was equal to one hundred thousand infantry soldiers. Riding on horses they had high mobility and would just constantly chip away at the enemy infantry. Or if the enemy infantry when facing a charge or cavalry broke out into panic then the horsemen would simply just pick them off one by one as they ran.

    Because there was no possible way for regular infantry soldiers who ran on two legs to outrun cavalry soldiers who had four legs. So if the attack on the city failed they would only have to retreat outside and constantly raid Red Mist city with their cavalry until they chipped away enough soldiers.

    Zhang¡¯s forces were making amazing progress through the city. The soldiers of Red Mist city had little to no morale at all in this situation. This was the first time an enemy force of this size has ever made it into the city. In a defensive war they would be confident in winning but on an even playing field the soldiers of Red Mist city lacked the furiousness of the bandits and the cavalry of Aurora.

    As Zhang¡¯s forces advanced the soldiers of Red Mist city got slaughtered. They could not repel Zhang¡¯s soldiers this was because if they formed formations to push back the invaders cavalry would charge in and trample them.

    However, the tides of battle changed in an instant thousands of soldiers from the inner ring came to reinforce the middle ring. Roughly twenty-five thousand soldiers pushed from the inner ring out toward the middle ring.

    ¡°ARCHERS FORM UP!¡± A man on a horse yelled out to the soldiers of red mist city.

    Thousands of archers filled the streets wearing Red Mist city¡¯s standard armor.

    Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

    ¡°FIRE!¡±

    Thousands of arrows shot from their bows and pierced the air.

    ¡°Fallback!! Fallback!! Take cover!¡± Zhang¡¯s soldiers yelled.

    Yuying and Ai were a part of this group of soldiers and some arrows flow right past them. Some even landed and hit Yuying however thanks to hear armor they simply slide off.

    ¡°Ai let''s fall back to the rear!¡± Yuying yelled as she whipped her Inferno Wind Walker to move. Ai soon followed and the two moved out of the distance of the archers.

    They did not have heavy infantry with them to counter the archers so all they could do was run and take cover.

    ¡°ATTACK!!!¡± A voice rang out.

    Hundreds of horsemen rode in from behind the archers and tramped them. These were horsemen who had split up to take over the wall. Once Zhang secured the Northern gate he had left fifty horsemen behind and went to meet up with the rest of his soldiers. As long as he took the northern fate and Lu Xun took the southern gate then there was no way for them to be surrounded inside Red Mist city.

    Originally the army entered through the eastern gate so all of the battling was happening on the eastern side of the city. This allowed Zhang to flank the defending archers who were keeping his soldiers at bay.

    The four hundred and fifty cavalry soldiers following behind Zhang charged into the rows of archers. The damage they dealt was huge. The archers had all of their attention focused on the soldiers in front of them which allowed Zhang to catch them totally off guard.

    To begin with Archers did not have very much armor this allowed the cavalry soldiers to cut them down with ease.

    ¡°Join the commander!!¡± A soldier who had been shot at by the archers yelled.

    ¡°JOIN THE COMMANDER!!!!¡± The rest of the army yelled as they charged to join the fray.

    The thousands of soldiers that were hiding from the onslaught of arrows ran out from their hiding places and charged.

    ¡°Brother! We are coming!¡± Ai Yelled and she and Yuying charged alongside the soldiers into battle.

    Soon the middle ring of Red Mist city became a battlefield. The two battling armies fought neck and neck.  Although Zhang was slightly outnumbered he had cavalry soldiers which kept the enemy formations in constant chaos. Once the cavalry broke enemy lines it would be very hard for them to reform in this situation.

    Hundreds of corpses lined the streets of Red Mist city and small rivers of blood flowed. Some soldiers were lying on the street heavy injured and just awaiting death.

    ¡°Brother!¡± Yuying yelled to Zhang as she rode up to his side.

    ¡°Take the wounded to the rear!¡± Zhang commanded to some soldiers.

    ¡°You two stick with me.¡± He said to Yuying and Ai.

    Ever since Zhang joined the main army morale shot through the air. Unlike some commanders he fought on the front lines with his men and inspired them to fight harder. His men felt that instead of being his subordinates they were more like brothers in arms.

    Whereas for the soldiers of Red Mist city their lord was safely at home while they were out here risking their lives to protect him. So many of these soldiers ran away or surrendered the instant an opportunity presented itself.

    ¡°Commander! The northern gate is ours and most of the civilians in the outer ring has been evacuated.¡± Lu Xun said to Zhang as he came on top of his horse coming from the northern gate.

    ¡°Good, now take over here I need to pay a trip to the Golden Lotus.¡± Zhang said as he rode off with a few hundred horsemen following behind him along with Yuying and Ai.

    Once Zhang left Lu Xun began commanding the soldiers.

    ¡°Form ranks spearmen in back swords man in front! Do not fight in the large streets move to the small alleyways and secure them! Cavalry fall back and get ready to charge!¡± Lu Xun shouted.

    Following his commands, the soldiers began falling back into the alleyways. In such tight spaces the enemy¡¯s numbers would not matter and that would allow for Zhang¡¯s forces to be able to fight them evenly. The alleyways were only big enough for five or so men to talk from side to side next to each other so only five enemy soldiers would be able to engage them in battle. Whereas for Zhang¡¯s soldiers they would break into formation with five swordsmen in front with five spearmen in back.

    The spearman would keep the enemy soldiers back with their spears while the swordsman moved in for the kill. Once someone was killed someone from behind would replace them.

    The cavalry soldiers moved back and assembled into formations. They stayed far away from the fighting allowing the soldiers of Red Mist city to group up and try to attack the alleyways where the infantry was holed up in.

    Once the enemy grouped up they would charge.  After repeating this for a few times the soldiers of Red Mist city fell into despair.

    Lu Xun was extremely experienced at the art of war and know how to properly use his troops strengths against enemies.

    ¡°Surrender! And you will be spared!!¡± Lu Xun yelled.

    Upon hearing this most dropped their swords and surrendered.

    However suddenly a loud cry could be heard.

    ¡°You imbeciles! Why are you surrendering!! Get up and fight for me!¡±

    When everyone looked toward the direction where the voice came from they could see Jin Sho leading a large number of soldiers. Sending next to him was the man who had stopped Zhang when he was trying to capture Jin Chang and use him as a hostage.

    ¡°Fight and everyone will get one hundred gold coins each! I may something but money isn¡¯t one of those things!¡± Jin Sho yelled.

    ¡°Also if you don¡¯t fight then behind me are ten thousand soldiers who will kill you all upon my orders.¡± Jin Sho said calmly. He had assembled all of the remaining soldiers who were ready for battle and come to repel the enemy to see that his initial forces were trying to surrender this man him very angry.

    If under normal circumstances he would of most likely put all of these men to death.

    ¡°Hmph you fools watch after this I¡¯ll execute your entire families.¡± He thought.

    Those dishearten soldiers picked up their swords once more and stood up.

    Seeing this Lu Xun decided that he needed to retreat and regroup his men. He had about four thousand infantry left and roughly eight thousand cavalries totally in twelve thousand. Xi Ning had disappeared somewhere with three hundred men and Zhang had gone somewhere with roughly four hundred horsemen. There were about two hundred horsemen left to guard the walls. So in total they had about thirteen thousand men.

    But Jin Sho just showed up with ten thousand fresh soldiers and on top of that the majority of the reinforcements that he had sent out earlier to the middle ring were still alive and fit for battle.

    ¡°Everyone fallback and form lines!¡± Lu Xun yelled.

    ¡°You think you can run!? Kill them! Whoever brings me their commanders head I will give that person the rank of general and ten thousand gold coins!¡± Jin Sho yelled.

    Hearing the words fifty thousand gold coins money signs appeared in the eyes of all the soldiers. With ten thousand gold coins they could live like kings for a while.

    ¡°How can the lord of Red Mist city which is the trading hub of the western edge of the warring states region be so stingy. Fifty thousand? You are giving them chump change.¡± A voice laughed.

    Zhang could be seen riding sitting on top of his fiery horse a short distance away and on his side were Yuying and Ai.

    ¡°It¡¯s you!¡± Jin Sho yelled. However, in his heart he cursed his son for making enemies of this man in front of him.

    ¡°Surrender to me and I¡¯ll leave you with a complete corpse.¡± Zhang said.

    ¡°Surrender? Why should I surrender! I clearly have the upper hand here. You are fighting within my city! With a trivial number of soldiers at your side. Once all my forces mobilize you will be outnumbered vastly and be crushed.¡± Jin Sho sneered. But he was indeed correct if all of his forces were mobilized he would be able to crush Zhang.

    That was when a rhythmic marching sound could be heard coming towards the battlefield.

    Shortly after the rhythmic marching got louder and louder and from the corner of the street behind Zhang, rows of soldiers in golden armor wearing white scarves with a golden lotus sewn on them appeared.

    ¡°Ha you are doomed now! Now the Golden Lotus has mobilized!¡± Jin Sho laughed.

    ¡°Yes! The Golden Lotus is here we are saved!¡± Some of his soldiers cheered.

    ==============================================================

    Thoughts? Not sure how this chapter turned out but I oddly spent most of the day writing it and changing this and that. T__T

 Chapter 36: Loyalty

    The soldiers of the Golden Lotus gave off a majestic aura as they marched in unison down the street behind Zhang. In front of them was a man also wearing golden armor and a scarf with a golden lotus sewn on to it however he was not wearing a helmet so his face was totally visible. This man was the branch manager of the Golden Lotus.

    Within the city he was the most respected man even more then the city lord. This was due to the influence of the Golden Lotus and disliked the city lord was by his people.

    As the soldiers of the Golden Lotus got closer and closer many of the soldiers of Red Mist city broke into cheers.

    ¡°We are saved!¡± Some of them yelled.

    Seeing this Lu Xun yelled orders to his men.

    ¡°Everyone quickly reform our formations and rescue the commander! We can¡¯t let him get sandwiched between those two groups of soldiers!¡±

    This battle could end in total failure but Lu Xun¡¯s first priority was still Zhang¡¯s safety he had been tasked with protecting Zhang by Jian Wei and if he were to fail then huge consequences would befall him. This is of course because Zhang is the successor chosen to become the next lord of Aurora.

    However, something unexpected happened the man who had stopped Zhang from capturing Jin Chang at the auction house drew his sword out of his sheath.

    ¡°We are surrendering!¡± He yelled as he placed his sword against the neck of Jin Sho.

    ¡°What is the meaning of this! Sun Ce!¡± Jin Sho yelled in a confused voice.

    ¡°We are surrendering is what this means.¡± Sun Ce replied calmly.

    ¡°How dare you plot against me with the enemy! You bastard! You traitor!¡± Jin Sho yelled out in rage.

    ¡°Traitor? I can¡¯t betray something that I was never loyal to, to begin with. My loyalty is to my brothers in arms.¡± Sun Ce said as he pushed his sword against Jin Sho¡¯s neck even more. A light trail of blood could be seen oozing out where the sword touched.

    ¡°Traitor!!¡± One soldier yelled out as he tried to jab Sun Ce with his spear.

    ¡°Idiot¡­¡± Sun Ce said as he kicked the incoming spear and swept his foot against the man¡¯s head knocking him out.

    ¡°We are surrendering everyone lay down your weapons now!¡± Sun Ce yelled.

    While Sun Ce was busy with the soldier with the spear Jin Sho used this chance to flee. Although he wanted to charge over to where the soldiers of the Golden Lotus where Zhang was in the way. His only option left was to flee.

    Sun Ce had replaced Xi Ning¡¯s position but thanks to his joyful personality he won over most of the men under his command unlike Xi Ning. This meant that a vast majority of the soldiers would listen to Sun Ce instead of Jin Sho.

    Jin Sho fled heading for his lord¡¯s mansion. As a precaution he had his family pack up all of their riches onto carts and get ready to flee the city at a moment¡¯s notice. He whipped his horse trying to make it run faster.

    Soon the city lord¡¯s mansion was in sight.

    ¡°You bastards just you watch I¡¯ll be back and next time I¡¯ll have an even larger army and crush all of you traitors.¡± Jin Sho cursed in his mind as his horse sped toward the mansion.

    Once he arrived in the front of the mansion he hopped off his horse however his foot got caught and he stumbled down and landed into a puddle covering his whole body in mud.

    ¡°Dammint!¡± Jin Sho cursed as he walked through the main gates of his mansion.

    Once he entered in front of him were tens of carts filled to the brim with things. Clothes, furniture, and many things were stacked up onto carts.

    ¡°Who ordered for all of this?¡± Jin Sho asked one of the servants loading things onto the carts.

    ¡°It was the young master my lord.¡± The servant replied.

    ¡°Hmph where is that fool?¡± Jin Sho asked.

    ¡°The young master is in his room with the mistresses.¡± The servant replied while pointing toward Jin Chang¡¯s room.

    Jin Sho angrily walked toward Jin Sho¡¯s room and kicked the door open. Jin Chang was laying in bed kissing a beautiful woman while another one was holding a tray of fruit. Once the door opened and he saw JIn Sho he quickly stopped and got up.

    ¡°Father you stopped the enemy?¡± Jin Chang asked with a smile on his face

    ¡°You idiot what are you doing at a time like this!? And why did you order the servant to pack unless things!¡± Jin Sho yelled as he kicked Jin Chang.

    ¡°Quickly give me that interspatial ring I gave to you before leaving and get on the carriages! We are leaving the city.¡± Jin sho said as he gestured at JIn Chang.

    ¡°We are leaving? How come?¡± Jin Chang asked his father.

    ¡°Stop asking questions and just do as I say! Quickly before they arrive here.¡± Jin Sho said to his son.

    ¡°Why are you in such a hurry my lord.¡± A voice rang out.

    As Jin Sho turned around he could see Xi Ning standing before him with hundreds of other men. Xi Ning had sneaked through the middle ring and had made his way to the lord¡¯s mansion and simply waited for Jin Sho.

    ¡°You! What are you doing here!¡± Jin Sho yelled surprised to see Xi Ning.

    ¡°I¡¯m here to meet my old lord of course and offer your head to my new one!¡± Xi Ning said as he pulled out his sword.

    ¡°Someone stop him!¡± Jin Sho yelled.

    ¡°Hmph no one will help you now they are all dead. All those dogs of yours are gone and there¡¯s no one for you to hide behind anymore!¡± Xi Ning said as he walked closer and closer to Jin Sho.

    However, before he could cut down Jin Sho a familiar voice rang out from behind him.

    ¡°Stop!¡± the voice said.

    Rows upon rows of soldiers filed into the courtyard of the lord¡¯s mansion and in front of them was Zhang riding his trusty steed.

    ¡°Wha-what happened to the Golden Lotus! How are you here!?¡± Jin Sho asked in a panicked tone.

    ¡°We are right here.¡± A voice rang out. Zhang¡¯s rows of soldiers split into two like a parting sea and in between them rows of soldiers in golden armor marched in with a middle aged man leading them.

    ¡°What¡¯s the meaning of this!! You are supposed to protect the city if war was to break out! That was our agreement!!¡± Jin Sho screamed.

    ¡°And indeed we are protecting the city. We¡¯ve helped evacuate a majority of its inhabitants ensuring no innocent lives were lost.¡± The branch manager said with a grin on his face.

    ¡°Traitors! Traitors!!! All of you!¡± JIn Sho yelled.

    ¡°Don¡¯t kill them I have plans for them.¡± Zhang said coldly from on top of his horse.

    ¡°Hmph my life and death you think you can decide that?¡± Jin Sho as he waved his hand and made a mountain of gold appear. Since he was inside a room the gold gushed outside blocking Jin Sho out of everyone¡¯s view.

    ¡°Surround the mansion! I don¡¯t want even a single fly to be able to get out of here!¡± Zhang yelled.

    ¡°Commander we captured some of the members of the Jin clan what do you want us to do with them?¡± A soldier walked up behind Zhang and said.

    ¡°Detain them.¡± Zhang ordered.

    His soldiers fanned out surrounding the entire lord¡¯s mansion and began to search through it. Zhang had taken the mountain of gold into his interspatial ring with the promise of giving every one of his soldiers an equal share once the battle was over. The soldiers of Aurora were highly disciplined so they had no objections however the ex-bandits began to complain. But they could not do anything due to the presence of the Golden Lotus army beside Zhang and the cavalry soldiers.

    ¡°So I take it you will honor our agreement lad.¡± The branch manager said as he moved his horse closer to Zhang.

    ¡°Yes senior for the next ten years the auction house will be exempt from taxes and on top of that after some reforms the city will offer twenty percent of its yearly revenue to the Golden Lotus as a tribute for the next five years.¡± Zhang said while cupping his hands.

    ¡°Good, I¡¯ll be going back now if in the future you need to make any more deals feel free to visit me.¡± The branch manager said as he led the golden core to leave.

    The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    Zhang¡¯s soldiers combed the entire lord¡¯s mansion however they could not find a trace of Jin Sho and Jin Chang. It was as if the two of them had turned into thin air. The soldiers continued to search madly once Zhang announced whoever found them would be given a hefty award.

    ¡°Expand the search radius!¡± Xi Ning yelled out to his men.

    ¡°Follow me men!¡± Lu Xun said as he rode out toward the city gates.  As a precaution they would close the city gates to make sure there was no escape route for the fugitives.

    In the city lord¡¯s main hall Zhang sat alongside Yuying and Ai. The trio was currently eating some food that they had the mansion¡¯s chef prepare. After giving orders to his men and the surrendered soldiers Zhang and the two beauties decided they deserved a much needed lunch.

    When they approached the chief cook of the mansion the man was so scared that he pissed himself. He had thought that he was going to be killed however ironically the trio simply asked him to make them some food. Once the chief had made them food Zhang order for food to be made and given to his soldiers.

    ¡°Congratulations brother on today¡¯s victory.¡± Yuying said while toasting Zhang with a cup of wine.

    ¡°It¡¯s not a victory until we capture those two. Where could they possibly be¡­¡± Zhang mumbled as he gulped his cup of wine.

    Suddenly a soldier ran into the room bent down on one knee. ¡°My commander! A man outside said they he knows where those two fugitives are.¡±

    ¡°Bring him in.¡± Zhang said with a wave.

    Moments later a man dressed in rags walked in. Zhang recognized this man as Sima Yi.

    ¡°Sima Yi greets the new lord of the city.¡±

    ¡°No need for formalities get up and tell me where those two are.¡± Zhang said.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Sima Yi replied.

    ¡°Don¡¯t know? They what brings you here.¡± Zhang said.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know where they are but I know where they will be.¡± Sima Yi replied.

    =====================================================================================

    Elsewhere deep under the city two figures were currently running. These two figures turned out to be Jin Sho and Jin Chang. They had fled to the clan¡¯s underground tunnel system that had been built as an escape route from the lord¡¯s mansion.

    ¡°Father how much further.¡± Jin Chang asked as he breathed heavily.

    ¡°We are almost there. Once we reach that place we can leave the city.¡± His father replied.

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you use the heirloom?¡± Jin Chang asked.

    ¡°The heirloom can only be used when our lives are on the line. So what if we lose the city I have all of the riches that our clan took from the city within this ring. With the amount of money in here we can bring back an army large and reclaim the city.¡± He said as he pointed to a ring on his hand.

    The two ran for a while later and ended up in front of an ancient looking bronze door. Jin Sho pulled out an emblem that is connected to a necklace that hung around his neck. With a yank the chain of the necklace broke apart.

    He then took the emblem and placed it into a hole in the bronze door and began turning. Slowly creaking mechanisms could be heard going off and shortly after the door slowly opened. The door opened up into the outside world.

    ¡°Quickly get on that boat!¡±

    The father and son climbed onto a small row boat and began rowing away. The door had led them under a pier in the harbor of the city and they would use the boat to escape. The city actually had a few different escape routes however Jin Sho had selected the sea route.

    This was because Zhang had cavalry soldiers. If he left by land he the soldiers under Zhang¡¯s command might be able to catch up to him because on two legs he could not outrun horsemen on four legs.

    ¡°Faster. They shouldn¡¯t have realized where we are yet so we have to leave before the sea gates are shut.¡± Jin Sho said to his son.

    However, the second he said that in the distance the two massive sea gates slowly began closing. Inch by inch they came together.

    ¡°Fuck! Row faster!¡± He yelled.

    But sadly it was all futile because the two massive sea gates closed before he even made it halfway to them.

    ¡°Men draw your bows!¡± A voice rang out.

    On land rows of archers could be seen with their arrows ready. Commanding them was Sun Ce.

    ¡°You traitor!!!!¡± JIn Chang screamed.

    ¡°Hmph a wise man follows a wise leader! A fool stubbornly fights for an idiot. And my loyalty is toward my brothers in arms not you! My loyalty is toward the city and its people!¡± Sun Ce yelled.

    Soon many small boats left the shore and began heading toward where the father and son were. They had no way out after the sea gates closed and were sitting ducks on top of water.

    ¡°Lord Zhang said he wishes for you to surrender and he might consider keeping your corpses complete.¡± Sun Ce said.

    ¡°Father use it! Or we both die here!¡± Jin Chang yelled.

    ¡°Fine¡­..¡± Jin Sho murmured as a black whip appeared in his hand. It had thorns all over it which looked like anyone hit by them would be shredded.

    ¡°Face my ¡°Black Thorn whip¡±. He yelled as he whipped into the water. The whip extended and grew on one end as it lashed out. He was able to reach shore and even hit some of the archers.

    This black whip called the ¡°Black Thorn¡± originating from a demonic plant called the ¡°Queen of the Night¡±  had the ability to extend and grow larger according to the user¡¯s power and control over it. Once it hit someone and drew blood then that blood would be absorbed by the whip and made it stronger. It could be called a living weapon of sorts.

    ¡°Fire!¡± Sun Ce yelled.

    Thousands of arrows shot into the air toward the father and son however they were whipped away by the Black Thorn. Jin Sho rampaged with the Black Thorn whipping at the archers from afar.

    ¡°Move back and reform the line!¡± Sun Ce yelled

    ¡°Pour the oil into the water!¡± A voice rang out from on top of the walls.

    Zhang had listened to Sima Yi and had his troops instead of searching the lord¡¯s mansion encircle the harbor and move on to the sea walls. Sima Yi had promised if they did not find Jin Sho at the harbor he would personally slit his throat and make up for his mistake.

    Seeing that Sima Yi was willing to bet his life Zhang gave him an opportunity. Once they arrived Jin Sho was indeed at the harbor. But they did not expect him to have such a powerful treasure. But that was when Sima Yi made another suggestion.

    He said for Zhang to have his soldiers go find as much lamp oil. Soon hundreds of barrels of lamp oil were brought to the top of the walls. Being trading port the harbor of Red Mist city had many things and lamp oil was one of them.

    Then Sima Yi ordered for all of the lamp oil to be dumped into the harbor. Hundreds of barrels full of lamp oil was then dumped into the closed off harbor coating the top layer of the water.

    ¡°My lord would you like to do the honors?¡± SIma Yi asked Zhang as he held up a bow and arrow.

    ¡°Hmph if we can¡¯t capture them alive then I guess this will have to do.¡± Zhang said as he took the bow and arrow from Sima Yi and light the arrow on fire and shot it into the air.

    Jin Sho was too focused on the archers to see what was happening behind him. And soon a large part of the harbor was lit on fire.

    ¡°Fa-father! The water it¡¯s on fire!¡± Jin Chang yelled frantically.

    Turning back a sea of flames could be seen.

    ¡°Quickly to the shore!¡± JIn Sho bellowed. However, before he could even move his boat the soldiers on the shore also began dumping lamp oil into the waters of the harbor.

    ¡°Goodbye!¡± Xi Ning yelled as he dropped a torch into the water.

    <hr />

    Lots of talking in this chapter. Also thoughts? lol Votes? ? Something people interact with me here T__T

 Chapter 37: Wedding!!!?

    Once the torch in Xi Ning¡¯s hand landed onto to the water the freshly poured oil instantly turned into flames. Like hellfire these flames burned on top of the surface of the water. The entire harbor along with everything on the water caught fire.

    Seeing this Jin Sho tossed the Black Thorn into the water and extended it until it lodged itself into the bottom of the harbor. Then he made the whip grow and enlarge itself. Soon like a giant vine it shot through the surface of the water causing violent waves in the water.

    ¡°Chang grab on!¡± As he grabbed onto one of the vines sticking out of the black thorn which carried him upward. Once it grew to a large size a flower bloomed at the very top. Jin Sho and Jin Chang used the giant thorns to climb their way up and stood on top of one of the giant flowers petals. (Imagine jack and the giant beanstalk but as a flower.)

    The Black Thorn whip had turned into a giant flower with its stem sticking out from the water and a massive and beautiful flower bloomed on top with hundreds of petals. The stem was black as the night and the flower looked very much like a white lotus. (there is a real queen of the night flower looks really nice.)

    That being said it did not take him very far up the surface of the water due to how deep the lake was and how much power he put into it.

    ¡°With your trivial fire don¡¯t even think about burning me ahahahah!¡± He laughed madly while looking down from above. The Black Thorn being originally a part of the ¡°Queen of the Night¡± demonic plant of course is fire resistant. As a queen among plants it had many mysterious powers.

    ¡°Bastard¡­.¡± Zhang and a few other people cursed.

    ¡°Archers fire!!¡± Xi Ning yelled

    Thousands of arrows shot through the air targeting the father and son however before the arrows could hit their targets small vines came from the black thorn and whipped them away.

    ¡°You think you can hide up there?¡± Zhang yelled as a chained dagger appeared in his hand.

    The chained dagger flew out from Zhang¡¯s hand a white light appeared in Zhang¡¯s hand where he gripped the chain and it began extending. Once the dagger lodged itself into one of the petals of the flower Zhang held on and made the chain shorten.

    As the chain shortened it pulled Zhang closer to the giant flower and his two targets.

    ¡°Fool! Now fall into the sea of fire you lit.¡± Jin Sho yelled out as he ran toward the petal where Zhang¡¯s dagger had stuck itself into the flower. A sharp looking sword appeared in his hand and with a chop he cut off that petal.

    With the petal cut Zhang began falling toward the sea of fire below. However, another dagger appeared in his other hand that was free and latched onto another petal. Zhang swung around the stem of the giant flower using his 2nd dagger. Just was he being about to get to the petal by shortening the chain Jin Sho once more hacked off the petal.

    However, this time Zhang was close enough to the stem grab onto one of the huge thorns. As he climbed up the stem of the giant flower many small vines extended and whipped at him. However due to how slick his armor they didn¡¯t do very much damage to him at all. But they did slow him down a for a while.

    Some vines even latched onto his feet to which he had to cut them with a sword that he had taken from the treasury of the Sai Empire. The sword was nothing special but it could cut through these small vines with ease.

    Had his armor not been made of scales overlapping each other than the vines more likely would have ripped through it.

    After a while Zhang reached a ledge that would get him to the tower of the flower when a voice rang out.

    ¡°Fool you think you can get up here just like that?¡± Jin Sho and Jin Chang were standing at the ledge where Zhang was trying to climb over with swords drawn.  The two of them chopped down toward Zhang looking to kill him.

    Although he wasn¡¯t sure if their swords could cut his armor or not he knew if he was hit he would most likely lose his grip on the flower and fall down into the sea of fire below.

    That was when a chained dagger appeared in his hand and with some usage of the Underworld Heart it snaked through the air and pierced into Jin Chang.

    Seeing the dagger pierce his son Jin Sho dropped his sword and ran to his son¡¯s side.

    ¡°Chang! Chang are you okay?!¡± Jin Sho yelled while holding his son up. The dagger he stuck itself straight into Jin Chang¡¯s chest.

    Jin Chang tried to say something but blood just kept coming out of his mouth as he tried to talk. But in his eyes one could see the plea for help.

    Then suddenly the dagger rose to the air lifting his body and shook him into the air. The dagger had launched Jin Chang into the air and sent him falling into the sea of fire below.

    ¡°NOOOO!¡± his father yelled as he tried to grab onto his son.

    ¡°You have other things to worry about.¡± Zhang¡¯s voice sounded out behind Jin Sho.

    Behind Jin Sho Zhang stood with the sky piercer in hand.

    ¡°I surrender. Kill me.¡± Jin Sho said looking disheartened and closed his eyes.

    His son had died and his domain taken away there was no point in continuing. Even if he staged a comeback and had another son that would all be too late. He was already a middle aged man and soon to be an old man everything would be pointless.

    ¡°So be it.¡± Zhang said as he lifted the sky piercer in his hand and swung down. The sky piercer with one swing disconnected Jin Sho¡¯s head from his body.

    Once Jin Sho was dead Zhang took his interspatial ring and bound it with blood. Then lifted the severed head into the air and screamed.

    ¡°VICTORY!!!!!!!!¡±

    Seeing the sever head in Zhang¡¯s head all of his soldiers cheered. Whereas the surrendered soldiers of Red Mist city had lots of mixed feelings. However, Sun Ce joined in the cheering and seeing him do that many of Red Mist city¡¯s soldiers also joined in.

    The cheered as they remembered the tyranny of the Jin clan and it was gone now. But a part of them was filled with fear, what if the new ruler of the city was even more ruthless than the previous rulers.

    Soon the giant flower began to wither the Black Thorn had lost its owner so it was reverting to its regular shape and size.

    Three days had passed since Zhang had taken over the city and slain its previous lord. The odd thing was the streets were bustling with people as if a war had never taken place. Merchants opened shop ready to do business. Customers lined up in front of stores with money in hand ready to purchase goods.

    Although slight hints of the battle were everywhere. Charred buildings were being knocked down and rebuilt. Some arrows still stuck to the side of buildings can still be seen. Stains of blood on the ground in some places have not been wiped clean yet.

    After taking over the city the new lord of the city Zhang had proclaimed that taxes would be cut in half and all of the people who had the assets frozen by the previous ruler would be investigated and if found innocent their assets would be returned. He also promised to get reparations to the owners of the burned down buildings and to the families of those who had died in battle.

    Some people were extremely happy about the new lord seeing that he was going to possibly give them back their assets. Others were glad that taxes were cut and all of the money they made wouldn¡¯t be taken away from them.

    Of course there were some dissatisfied people, whose family members were killed in the fighting. After the battle the casualty toll on both sides combined with roughly twenty thousand to twenty-five thousand soldiers. Oddly enough none of the soldiers from Xi Ning¡¯s village died. But in a city that had millions of inhabitants this number wasn¡¯t very large.

    Zhang had also ordered for the soldiers of Red Mist city be disarmed and disbanded. He was afraid that a rebellion might happen. Although Sun Ce surrendered a lot of the man could still be loyal to the previous lord and since Zhang¡¯s forces were only roughly thirteen thousand in number there was no way he could manage all of the soldiers of Red Mist city.

    So once he disbanded the old army Zhang tasked Xi Ning with recruiting new soldiers and maybe re enlisting some of the soldiers that had been disbanded. This of course would be done with lots of caution.

    He gave Sima Yi the position of lead strategist in his army for helping him find out where Jin Sho and Jin Chang were. Sun Ce would be placed under Xi Ning and observed for a while and if he doesn¡¯t have any bad intentions Zhang will promote him to be a general.

    Today Zhang was sitting in the lord¡¯s mansion specifically in the study room planning things out for the future.

    ¡°Commander all of the preparations are complete.¡± Lu Xun¡¯s voice rang out from behind Zhang¡¯s chair was facing the wall.

    ¡°Good did you make sure that he didn¡¯t find out?¡± Zhang replied.

    This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    ¡°Yes. Also we received a message from Aurora. The lord says he is very pleased with what happened although next time you should inform him before doing something like this and that he will be sending more soldiers to Red Mist city to bolster our forces.¡± Lu Xun said.

    ¡°Ah yes has our cavalry been supplemented?¡± Zhang asked.

    ¡®Yes we selected skilled horsemen from the new recruits and our cavalry now numbers roughly twenty thousand. With a portion of the wealth we obtained from the previous lord we were able to secure lots of good horses.¡± Lu Xun said.

    ¡°Also my lord the villages around the city have all be subjugated and we are now in control of the entrance to the Dragon¡¯s Maw.¡±

    ¡°Good! Thank you for your hard work you can take the next few days off and once everything settles here we will head out to Heilong.¡± Zhang said.

    Lu Xun saluted and walked out of the room leaving Zhang in the room alone.

    ¡°Soon I¡¯ll be home¡­ Three years, I wonder how everyone is.¡±  Zhang thought.

    He sat there remembering the faces of his loved ones who he hadn¡¯t seen for three years. His mother, father, and Ling were the ones he longed to meet the most.

    Soon a voice rang out from.

    ¡°My lord you wished to see me?¡±

    ¡°Yes mister Sima please come in.¡± Zhang said.

    ¡°What might you need me for today my lord?¡± Sima Ya asked.

    ¡°I wanted to go on a stroll through the city and I thought who better then to ask you.¡± Zhang replied.

    A while later the two had left the lord''s mansion and walked around the massive city. People were bustling about and a cheerful air was present as they roamed the streets.

    As the two walked Zhang and Sima Yi conversed and talked about plans, goals, and strategies. Sima Yi was extremely intelligent and likewise Zhang was too.  After a while of walking Zhang stopped in front of a gate of a mansion.

    They had walked in a large circle from the inner ring out to the outer ring and now were back in the inner ring of the city.

    On top of the gates to the mansion a plaque was hung with the word ¡°Xia¡± written on it. Seeing this word Sima Yi tried to walk away however Zhang grabbed his arm.

    ¡°Why not enter?¡±

    ¡°Enter? We can¡¯t possibly enter someone¡¯s private residence like this my lord.¡±

    ¡°We can¡¯t? I own this city I can go wherever I like and as long as you''re with me you can too.¡± Zhang said and he held onto Sima Yi¡¯s arm and led him inside.

    As the two walked inside Sima Yi noticed something odd. The mansion was somewhat void of life but red decorations could be seen all about. Red ribbons could be seen hanging from the roofs.

    ¡°Wedding decorations¡­.¡± Sima Yi murmured.

    As the two continued walking through the mansion they had yet to meet a single person. The entire which normally would be filled with people from maids, guards, and many other servants was void of life.

    Sima Yi having been inside these walls many times found it very strange how there was not a single person around. He kept walking and eventually ended up in a large courtyard. In this courtyard were hundreds of table with red table clothes. On top of them were many delicious looking dishes of food.

    On the other side of the courtyard there was an altar and in front of it a person stood. This person was wearing a bride¡¯s gown with a veil covering the person¡¯s head.

    Just from the figure Sima Yi knew who it was. It was the person he longed to meet every waking minute of his life but was too ashamed to. It was Xia Mei his ex-fianc¨¦e.

    ¡°Let¡¯s have a closer look.¡± Zhang said.

    Hearing Zhang¡¯s voice the Xia Mei turned around and lifted her veil once she saw Sima Yi tears filled her eyes and rolled down her rosy cheeks.

    Seeing her tears Sima Yi began running toward her. And seeing him running toward her she also began running toward him. The two of them ran faster than the wind and soon were in each other¡¯s embrace.

    They were embracing and happy to see each other after so long.

    ¡°Why.. Why didn¡¯t you come to see me after all this time..¡± Xia Mei said as she cried in his embrace.

    Sima Yi did not know what to say. As intelligent as he was in front of this women he was at a loss of words. Emotion filled his heart and no words could describe it so instead he embraced her tighter.

    ¡°Congratulations!!!¡± Many voices cried out.

    The two lovers looked around them and they could see friends and family surrounding them. Hundreds of gazes were on the two. Somewhat embarrassed they let go out each other. Confusion could be seen on their faces.

    ¡°Congratulations.¡±

    Behind Sima Yi was Zhang with a big silly grin on his face. He had learned about Sima Yi¡¯s past through some investigating because of course you can¡¯t have someone work under you without knowing where they¡¯ve been and who they were.

    ¡°My lord you did this?¡±

    ¡°Of course who else can grant a marriage besides the lord of the city.¡± Zhang said and he proceeded to explain what had happened.

    He had secretly met with the clan leader of the Xia clan and used his authority as the new ruler of the city or rather the red mist province to grant a marriage between Sima Yi and Xia Mei. With the new lord himself granting a marriage and Sima Yi¡¯s status in the new government the clan leader readily accepted.

    The clan leader had a much better impression of Sima Yi then Jin Chang and he somewhat regretted breaking up their engagement before so of course he would accept.

    Zhang had given the Xia family bridal gifts for Sima Yi and let the clan leader of the Xia family pick the wedding date. The best date strangely was three days after the end of the war and if they missed that day then there wouldn¡¯t be any more good days until next year. (In Asian culture they match the birthdays of the groom and bride and from that and the lunar calendar pick lucky dates to get married or something like that.)

    The next part was to keep it a secret from the two love birds. Zhang had ordered Lu Xun to make preparations for the wedding in secret and on the day of the wedding he had his men drug Xia Mei with the spider venom he got from the Titanic Golden spiders.

    Then maids dressed her in a wedding gown and everyone hid themselves in the mansion leaving her in the courtyard. Zhang had timed his arrival to when Xia Mei would have just woken up from the venom induced sleep.

    Upon hearing what Zhang did Sima Yi was at a loss of words.

    And thus the wedding went on. Sima Yi and Xia Mei got married after paying their respects to heaven. Although they were supposed to be the spotlight of the wedding Zhang, Yuying and Ai somewhat outshone them.

    The clan leader of the Xia clan called Xia Bao had invited many of the influential people in the city to his daughter¡¯s wedding and those people all tried to close up to Zhang. As the new lord of the city Zhang was someone they had to stay on the good side of.

    So these people all gave Zhang gifts more lavish than those that they gave to the groom or bride. Some even offered to marry their daughters to Zhang. While some of the older guests suggested introducing their granddaughters to him once they found out he hasn¡¯t wed yet.

    But once Yuying and Ai appeared wearing extremely elegant dressed with lavish jewelry on them everyone stopped. How could their daughters and granddaughter compare to these two? If Zhang had these two, he wouldn¡¯t bat an eye at other women.

    As the wedding went on everyone got super drunk especially Sima Yi. It was as if he in a dream. A few days ago he was dressed in rags and broke but now he was wealthy and the strategist of the new lord.

    Sima Yi staggered his way into the bridal room. Xia Mei helped him up and the two sat there embracing.

    Then suddenly bang! The door was kicked open. Zhang leading a large group of men came into the room.

    ¡°What are you doing. Come with us and drink some more!¡± Xi Ning yelled.

    Thus began he drinking once more!

    <hr />

    Welp O_O thoughts? lol :D Bet you guys thought it was Zhang''s wedding  from the title lol.

    <hr />

    Also vote for me T__T lol

 Chapter 38: Departure and Arrival

    Twenty thousand cavalry soldiers were lined up in front of Red Mist city dressed in full armor with spears in hand and swords sheathed at their waists. Some held black banners with a golden threaded dragon head on them.

    In the front of the army were four figures who we would recognize as Zhang, Yuying, Ai and Lu Xun. They were getting ready to head out to the Heilong kingdom. Zhang decided to leave Xi Ning in charge of Red Mist city and the rest of the province.

    This was due to Xi Ning being the most senior of the three people were left behind and could be put in charge. Sima Yi was too new and could not be immediately put as the overseer of the city. And Sun Ce had yet to gain Zhang''s complete trust yet. Although the man seemed trust worthy only time will tell.

    At the very front of the army Zhang was fully suited in armor and had the Sky Piercer halberd out in his hand. On his waists were two dangling chains and daggers. While sitting onto power of a flaming black horse he gave off a very intimidating yet noble aura.

    Beside him Yuying and Ai were both fully armed as well. On top of Yuying''s helmet sat the Titanic Golden spider queen as usual only this time it was slightly bigger. Zhang has been constantly giving it the highly concentrated essence water from the underground lake helping hasten its growth rate. Next to Yuying was Ai who just happens to have a pitch black whip hanging at her side. This would be recognized at the Black Thorn whip.

    Although she lacked experience with using a whip Zhang gave it to her simply so in a time of need she can use its special ability to grow. With that ability Ai could protect herself from people in times of need.

    On top of the walls of Red Mist city stood one hundred thousand soldiers that had been recruited. Zhang left Xi Ning with orders to double the size of the army while he was gone. Within Jin Sho¡¯s ring was a huge amount of gold that was enough to fund the entire city for the next fifty years even if taxes were not collected. This gave Zhang a lot of money to expand his army with.

    Along with the huge amount of money there were a few very useful items as well. Such as something called as bottles of phoenix blood, seven colored mushrooms, elemental pearls which helped Zhang increase one level of cultivation and a few other things.

    As the army was about to depart on their journey to the Heilong Kingdom a single lone rider appeared from the other side of the city gate and rode to Zhang.

    ¡°My lord your orders have been carried out a gag order has been placed on the entire city and no new of us taking over the city will be spread. Also as for your other orders once you depart we will carry them out according to your wishes.¡± The rider who turned out to be Sima Yi said.

    ¡°Good we will meet again very soon.¡± Zhang said.

    ¡°Now it is time to head out!¡± Zhang shouted to the rest of the army and his horse began galloping.

    ============================================================================

    In two weeks the tournament in the Heilong Kingdom will commence and for the past month many dignitaries of other forces have been arriving one after another. From princes, princess, ministers, lords to generals. Each of them would come in very lavish and awe inspire ways as a show of wealth for the kingdoms or forces they represented. Carriages of gold and diamonds would line the streets when these people came.

    Beasts from the far reaches of the continent would be used to pull their carriages. Beautiful women could be seen accompanying men of power.

    Seeing all of this the common citizens of the Heilong kingdom were awestruck. Rarely did their king or any of the people in high standing show up in such flashy ways so this was somewhat of a treat for their eyes. Thus many of the citizens would gather and tell tales or gossip of what they saw. The most popular place to listen to such things was the largest diner within the capital city called the ¡°Seven Spices Diner.¡±

    Today a middle aged man was in the middle of a crowd telling them about the dignitaries that came yesterday.

    ¡°Yesterday a prince from the kingdom of Shu into our city while riding a giant sedan chair made of gold that took fifty people to carry and riding with him were ten of the most beautiful women I¡¯ve ever seen in my life. To top that off behind him were a thousand maids and servants.¡± The man said.

    As the man top them about the important people that has come into the city the audience sat there listening in awe. Many of these people were just commoners who were too busy working to see this for themselves.

    ¡°Uncle! I heard everyone who our king invited has already arrived but the representatives from Aurora.¡± A young boy asked.

    ¡°Yes the representative from Aurora has not come yet but I heard that they are sending the successor of the lord of Aurora to attend.¡± The man replied.

    ¡°Successor of the lord of the city? What¡¯s that uncle?¡± The boy asked once more.

    ¡°You see Aurora is a province in the far south east located in the warring states region and for now it is our only ally from there. Unlike us who is a kingdom they aren¡¯t big enough to call themselves a kingdom. But although they can¡¯t call themselves a kingdom yet the lord of Aurora is not the least bit off influential than a king. So that means his successor is the equivalent of a prince.¡± The man told the boy.

    The man then continued to talk about the people that had already come into the city until suddenly a man wearing green outfit ran into the diner yelling.

    ¡°We¡¯re under attack!! We¡¯re under attack!!!¡± The man wearing a green outfit yelled.

    ¡°What?!¡± The man telling stories asked.

    ¡°Thousands of cavalry soldiers are heading for the city from the south east!! The city guards not knowing who¡¯s soldiers those are even closed the city gates.¡± The man wearing a green outfit yelled.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go see!¡± someone in the audience yelled.

    ¡°Go see? You fool we might be under attack.¡± Someone yelled.

    ¡°What¡¯s there to be afraid of he said cavalry soldiers we will be safe on top of the walls. Also think about it you fool we are in the capital city of the kingdom how could an enemy army come in this far without anyone knowing.¡± A sturdy looking man said.

    ¡°Then why did the guards close the gates!¡±  the man wearing a green outfit yelled.

    ¡°Who knows maybe they got here ahead of schedule and the guards did not receive any correspondences yet.¡± The sturdy looking man replied.

    Soon the curious and brave people got up from their seats and went to the walls of the city. Soon the city gates were bustling with people trying to see what was happening. Normally the guards wouldn¡¯t allow people up on top of the walls when possible enemies could be attacking but since the soldiers outside of the walls were cavalry soldiers they did not stop the people from going up. Had it been archers or infantry then that would have been another story. Also they were sure that no one was dumb enough to attack the city at this time due to how many people from various forces were present in the city.

    A distance away from the city gates were thousands of cavalry soldiers all dressed in black armor formed into hundreds of orderly rows. Some held black banners with a golden threaded dragon on them. In front the army were four people also dressed in armor. From afar some people with good vision could tell that two of them were male and two of them were female.

    One of the four people in front of the army rode upward to the front of the city gate.

    ¡°We are the soldiers of Aurora here to escort our future lord and his two madams to attend the tournament.¡± The man yelled toward the guards on the top of the city walls while pulling out an emblem from his behind his breast plate.

    Once the people on top of the walls heard the man say Aurora then they were put at awe. If these were really the escorts for the representative of Aurora, then their entrance would have topped everyone that came before them.

    Although the other representative also brought soldiers but no one brought this many and on top of that cavalry soldiers. One should know that a single cavalry soldier was the equivalent of ten regular soldiers due to the price of horses and training it would take to produce one cavalry soldier.

    Soon a soldier from the city was sent out from a side gate to confirm the identity of the people outside of the walls.

    After a while the soldiers opened the main gate and let the army of cavalry soldiers in. They had confirmed that these soldiers were in fact from Aurora.

    The cavalry soldiers had dismounted and formed two rows as they walked with the reins of their horses in hand into the city. They had formed two human walls to keep the street clear for their lord.

    The streets soon became filled with people trying to catch a glimpse of the successor of Aurora¡¯s lord. People were filled with curiosity when they heard that twenty thousand cavalry soldiers were escorting him. Once they save that all of the escort soldiers were wearing matching black armor along with their war horses these people stood watching with their mouths open.

    Shortly after the soldiers came in four people rode into the city. Three of them were sitting on top of fiery steeds while dressed in black armor that looked many times more expensive than what the soldiers were wearing. One of the three had a very strange looking thing on top of her head which looked like a large spider.

    Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.

    A man rode in front while three others rode behind. They could tell that this man was probably a general of sorts while the three behind him were the important guests.

    Many men when looking at the two women on the fiery horses lost their breathe.

    ============================================================================

    Zhang and his forces had sped day and night all the way from Red Mist city to the capital of the Heilong kingdom. They were on track to arrive roughly one month before the beginning of the tournament but after they entered the borders of the Heilong kingdom every time they tried to find a city to rest in they would have to wait for the soldiers inside the cities to check their identities.

    After a while they gave up on trying to enter cities and camped outside in the wilderness. But due to avoiding cities they ended up somewhat lost since neither did Zhang nor anyone else knew the exact geography of the Heilong kingdom.

    He had lived in Blue Tear city all his life and his soldiers were all from the warring states region so no one knew their way around. But eventually they reach the outskirts of the capital of the Heilong kingdom.

    After confirming their identity Zhang and his force were admitted to enter the city. Of course his soldiers after escorting him inside of the city would camp outside with only a few staying to provide Zhang with guards.

    As the trio rode down the streets of the capital thousands of commoners could be seen crowding the streets trying to get a glimpse at them. This made Zhang feel somewhat weird that he caused such a huge commotion.

    ¡°Brother maybe we should have entered secretly.¡± Yuying said.

    ¡°Yea brother!¡± Ai also added.

    Many gazes were on the two beauties staring in wonder. Yuying and Ai were not wearing their helmets but were using veils to cover their faces. They had their black armored dresses on which gave off a noble air.

    The men in the crowds let their imaginations run wild about how the two girls looked under their veils. From the parts that weren¡¯t covered they could tell that Yuying and Ai were world class beauties.

    Originally Zhang wanted to go directly to where his father was living. But then he thought otherwise.  He had found out from a while ago that his father had become the minister of finance of the kingdom.  So he did not want to cause trouble for his family due to his current status. If he as the successor to a foreign power had went directly to meet the minister of finance instead of the king of the kingdom that would cause unwanted troubles.

    Also the king might grow suspicious of his father because anyone would find it odd that the son of a minister of the kingdom was a successor to a foreign province. This may cause the king to lose trust in his father and that may lead to unwanted trouble.

    So Zhang decided to meet the king first and then find an opportunity to meet with his father and have his family come back with him and stay in Red Mist city. Of course he would ask Ling¡¯s family to go with them.

    As Zhang¡¯s soldiers lead their horses down the street a group of soldiers came from the opposite direction and blocked their path.

    ¡°Everyone kneel! Prince Huang Zu has arrive.¡± A voice rang out.

    Upon hearing this all of the people present kneeled on the spot. Well everyone but Zhang and his soldiers. They were soldiers from the warring states region so they did not care about some prince from another kingdom.

    ¡°Insolent! Bow to the prince!¡± A man dressed as a red robe yelled as he pointed toward Zhang.

    Without a single word all of Zhang¡¯s soldiers raised their spears and pointed them at the man.

    ¡°You kneel to our lord!¡± Lu Xun said as he rode up to where the man was.

    ¡°Wha-what''s the meaning of this! Do you know where you are?!!!¡± The man yelled.

    ¡°Of course we know where we are, is this how you treat honored guests?¡± Lu Xun replied.  How Lu Xun saw it unless it was a king no one could order his future lord to kneel. As the next lord of Aurora, Zhang represented the future of Aurora.

    ¡°Stand down.¡± Zhang said as he rode up along with Yuying and Ai.

    ¡°Let¡¯s not cause unwanted trouble.¡± Zhang said to Lu Xun.

    That was when a young man rode up from behind the man in the red robe and said ¡°no need to kneel let¡¯s not make a commotion over something so trivial.¡±

    Once the young man said that the man in the red rob said ¡°but prince Huang Zu everyone must bow when greeting you.¡±

    ¡°Enough! I am the prince what I say goes.¡± Huang Zu said.

    The man in the red robe stopped talking once Huang Zu yelled at him.

    ¡°Greeting and welcome to our kingdom.¡± Huang Zu said to Zhang.

    ¡°Thank you and nice to meet you.¡± Zhang replied.

    ¡°I was tasked by my father to guide you around the city for some sightseeing and to an estate that we have prepared for you.¡± Huang Zu said.

    ¡°Please lead the way.¡± Zhang replied.

    Huang Zu began escorting Zhang to the estate that they had prepared for him. Zhang had told Lu Xun to tell the soldiers that after they pitch camp outside of the city they were free to enjoy their free time in the city as long as they did not cause trouble. Lu Xun then led a majority of the soldiers outside of the city upon Zhang¡¯s orders leaving only around a hundred or so as guards

    As Huang Zu led the Zhang around the city sightseeing they passed by the Royal Academy. The Royal Academy was huge with many buildings within its walls. Some buildings towered into the sky while others were said to tunnel into the ground. From the outside the Royal Academy looked magnificent.

    ¡°I¡¯ve always heard about the Royal Academy of the Heilong Kingdom perhaps we can take a look inside?¡± Zhang asked.

    ¡°Of course and maybe you¡¯ll catch a glimpse of my future wife too.¡± Huang Zu replied with a smile.

    Over the course of sightseeing Zhang had been able to somewhat guess Huang Zu¡¯s character. Huang Zu was somewhat of an oddball but overall he did not seem like a bad person. But he did seem to talk a lot. He would go on and on about this and that for hours if Zhang did not ask to move on to the next destination. From this Zhang could tell that he was somewhat lonely and wanted someone to talk to.

    Huang Zu had left behind all of his guards and lead just the trio into the academy. Once inside the four of them walked through the large halls of the academy. Huang Zu was a student in the academy himself and had told them they due to the tournament approaching everyone in the academy was busy training.

    Huang Zu continued to tell the trio about this and that about the academy as they walked through its halls.

    But most of his words were somewhat toned out by Zhang. The entire time he was imagine what he would say when he met Ling again. Just imagining the surprised look on her face put a silly grin on his face.

    Yuying and Ai seeing the silly grin on Zhang¡¯s face also had a silly grin on their faces. They knew that Zhang was looking forward to meeting Ling and his family. They themselves were somewhat excited too, from Zhang¡¯s stories about his home they felt anticipation for the meeting also.

    As they walked through the halls and past what Huang Zu said to be the technique library of the academy through an opening through the two doors that lead into the library something caught Zhang¡¯s attention.

    Huang Zu was too busy talking about the library itself to notice but Zhang could see through the small opening there was a very familiar looking girl sitting inside and reading a book. She has long flowing black hair and was wearing a very pretty pink dress that emphasized her figure.

    Zhang¡¯s heart began to beat rapidly as he recognized who it was. He stopped in his tracks and continued to look in the opening. Seeing him stop Yuying and Ai also stopped leaving Huang Zu to walk along and continue talking to himself.

    Yuying and Ai too began peeking into the small opening. From the look in Zhang¡¯s eyes they could tell that this girl sitting inside will most likely be their rival and their sister in the future.

    The doors into the library slowly opened as Zhang pushed them part.

    ¡°Hello there I¡¯m a bit lost can you help me find my way.¡± He said.

    <hr />

    Sorry for late update got busy with thanksgiving stuff :d also happy thanksgiving

    <hr />

    Also thoughts? O___o lol

 Chapter 39: Red String

    Ling was in the technique hall of the Royal Academy reading up on a technique manual that she had found a while ago. This book was called the Water Slicer technique. It allows the user to form a blade of water that was sharp enough to cut through steel. The blade would be made from condense water in the air allowing the user to be armed as long as there was water around.

    She had found the book a few days ago and had been engrossed in studying it because it matched her high amplitude to the element of water. Ling wanted to master at least the first stage or two of the technique before the tournament started.

    The tournament¡¯s reward had been released and it was said that whoever ranks in the top ten could go into the treasury of the Heilong Kingdom and pick one item.  Ling knew that in the treasury there was one item called Yue Lao¡¯s red string. The story of the Yue Lao¡¯s red string goes like this hundreds of years ago there was a young girl who was waiting for her beloved to come back home from war.

    This girl after waiting for many months began thinking that her beloved would never come back to her since the war had ended and many of the soldiers had returned so she sat under the moon every night and wept. The sight of her weeping even made the heavens sad and eventually it began to weep with her. From the heavens rain began to pour and to the point the walls to the city she lived in collapsed.

    One day a man by the name of Yue Lao happened upon the sight of this girl weeping in the rain. He had heard tales about her from his travels and true to their words she would come every night and cry while waiting for the young man that left for war to return.

    Touched and feeling sympathy for her Yue Lao gave her a mystical treasure. It was a single strand of red string. The red string looked just like any other strand of string however it had a very unique power. The red string was also called by some as the String of Fate which helps guides lovers to one another.

    ¡°Young maiden waiting in the dark, tear no more, wait no longer, for this string will guide thy.¡± Yue Lao said to the young maiden as he handed her the string and flew up into the sky toward the moon.

    Once receiving the string from Yue Lao the young maiden set out to find her beloved. In her hands the red strand of string became invisible to everyone but her it also became incredible long and one of its ends could not be seen due to how far It was from the other end. She tied it to her pinky finger and followed it.

    After many months of following the string it led her into a deep forest in a remote valley and then to a small cottage. Once she opened the door she could see the young man that had left her laying on a bed wrapped in bandages.

    Later a middle aged man returned to the cottage and after sometime told her what had happened. The middle aged man was a hermit who lived off the forest and one day while scavenging he happened upon this young man.

    ¡°It was a miracle that this young man even survived the fall. There were many arrows sticking out of his back when I found him and it seemed like he had fallen off the cliff above. But amazingly he was alive and kept on mumbling someone¡¯s name before he went unconscious.¡± The hermit said. The hermit decided it was fate that they met so he took care of the unconscious man.

    The young maiden then began living in the small cottage to help take care of the unconscious young man and one day he woke up and they two of them lived on happily ever after. From then on Yue Lao was known as the god of love. (Part of the story is based on Chinese mythology about the god of love being the man sitting on the moon. Most of it is made up though.)

    Ling had found out from her father that the Red String of Fate was within the treasury of the Heilong Kingdom. Her father had tried to acquire it for her but the king rarely gave out such mystical items so all was in vain. But if she placed in the top ten then she would have a chance to enter the treasury and pick one item.

    As Ling sat in the library reading her book a voice rang out.

    ¡°Hello there I¡¯m a bit lost can you help me find my way?¡± The voice said.

    Once Ling heard the voice a wave of nostalgia hit her. The voice sounded so familiar yet she could not tell who it was. When she looked up she saw a tall man dressed in full black armor. From the small opening in his helmet Ling could see his eyes.

    The second she saw his eyes a face flashed through her mind.

    ¡°It it¡¯s you.¡± She said as tears began rolling down her rosy cheeks. Despite her words her mind was screaming, ¡°it can¡¯t be him.¡±

    She always believed the he did not die and waited for him to return to her however seeing him in front of her was an entirely different story. It had been so long and for him to suddenly appear her mind could no process everything.

    Ling had always imagined that they would meet in some far away land where Zhang ended up and was so injured he could not return just like in the story of the red string. One could say that she was in denial the entire time but then it turned out that she wasn¡¯t in denial at all. A mass of contradiction happened within her mind.

    =====================================================================================

    Zhang stood there staring at Ling not knowing what to say. Of course the question is what could he have said in such a situation? He had been gone for almost three years and everyone thought he was died. Well he actually did die to make things worse.

    As he stood there he could see the tears rolling down her eyes which made his heart clench.

    His reasoning and logic told him that he shouldn¡¯t have approached her yet however a part of him longed to be with Ling and his family and in the end that part got the better of him. Plans and strategies could only take one so far in the end it is the heart and soul of a person that is the deciding factor in life.

    Thus he began slowly walking toward her. It also seemed that Ling had recognized him and got up from her chair and slowly walked toward him. The slowness soon began to grow quicker and eventually turned into full on running. Well of course they weren¡¯t running more like speed walking because who runs in this sort of situation.

    The table where Ling sat was pretty far from the door but after a few moments the two were in each other¡¯s embrace. There were no words that needed to be said because the warmth that they gave off was more than enough.

    Zhang had taken off his helmet and tossed it into the air where it turned into white light and was stored into his interspatial ring.

    Once Ling saw his face she was one hundred percent certain that it was him. She used her delicate hand to trace his face and more tears could be seen rolling down her cheeks.

    Zhang pulled off one of his gauntlets and used his hand to wipe away the tears on her face then went back to hugging her by the waist.

    Yuying and Ai watched from afar with a hint of envy in their eyes however bright smiles could be seen on their faces. They were envious of the relationship that Ling had with Zhang while they were happy for Zhang. They knew that had they been in Ling¡¯s place he could certainly embrace them like he is doing to her.

    Ling and Zhang stood in the middle of the hall embracing in their own little world until a voice rang out from the door.

    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

    ¡°There you guys are! I¡¯ve been looking for¡­. you¡­..¡±

    When everyone turned and looked to the door they could see Huang Zu standing there with a stunned look on his face.

    ¡°Wha-what are you doing to my future wife!¡± Huang Zu yelled still confused by the sight that he saw. He had noticed that the trio was gone after walking and talking by himself and turned back to look for them. When he entered the room he only saw Zhang¡¯s back but when everyone turned around he saw that Zhang was embracing Ling.

    ¡°Your future wife? I¡¯m sorry but even though this is the first time I met her it seems she has taken a liking to me.¡± Zhang replied trying to make it seem like he did not know Ling.

    ¡°First time we¡¯ve met?¡± Ling asked in her mind. But as smart as she was she could guess that Zhang was up to something so she did not say a word.

    ¡°Bu-but you already have two wives.¡± Huang Zu said.

    Upon hearing his words Ling¡¯s gaze fell onto Yuying and Ai. Although half of their faces were covered she could tell that they were very beautiful maybe even more then she was.

    ¡°Who are they?¡± She murmured.

    ¡°So what if I have two wives already? I can have a third and even a fourth if I wanted to. I¡¯m the next lord of Aurora I could have a hundred wives and no one could stop me. I¡¯m sorry brother but it seemed like she really has taken a liking to me and I to her.¡± Zhang said to Huang Zu as he pulled her closer to him with his arm wrapped around her waist.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry even though I believe love at first sight is for lonely people I feel that we can spend some time to get to know each other and perhaps then we can marry.¡± Zhang said while turning back and looking at Ling with a wink.

    ¡°Ye-yes I don¡¯t mind that he has two wives.¡± Ling said in a whisper with a blushed face.

    ¡°See? I¡¯m sorry brother but she doesn¡¯t mind.¡± Zhang commented. As he saw it Huang Zu was his equal in terms of status. Although Aurora was not big enough to be labeled a kingdom it was still a force to be reckon with so the king of the Heilong kingdom would not get involved in something such as this. Also this was the Aurora of the past the current Aurora could most likely consider itself a small kingdom after Zhang had taken Red Mist city.

    ¡°You you! Gahhhhh!¡± Huang Zu yelled as he stormed out of the room.

    ¡°Welp glad he¡¯s gone.¡± Zhang said with a shrug.

    ¡°You mind telling me who they are?¡± Ling said while pointing at Yuying and Ai. Although she said what she said she was still utterly confused and had no idea who these two girls were.

    ¡°My second and third wives after you of course.¡± Zhang said as he hugged Ling once more.

    ¡°Waaahhh?¡± Ling said.

    ¡°Who who said we are going to marry you brother!¡± Yuying yelled along with Ai.

    Zhang stopped hugging Ling and held on to her hand and lead her to the door where Yuying and Ai were standing. Once in front of Yuying and Ai a big silly grin appears on Zhang¡¯s face.

    ¡°Who said? I did.¡± Zhang said while laughing as he used his free hand to pull Yuying and Ai toward him by the waist and then hugged them with Ling. Physically Zhang was stronger than the three beauties so they could not break out of his embrace and after a while just went along with it.

    After a while the group of four sat down and Zhang told Ling what he had gone through over ever since the day the Siwang Empire attacked. They gone to Ling¡¯s room to make sure no one was around to eavesdrop on them.

    Once everyone sat down Zhang began telling his tale. He started off from when he fought the general in golden armor back in Blue Tear city and how he had died. Then he went on to talk about the underworld and how he had tried to escape but failed. His encounter with Xin Tao was also spoken of.

    From there he met and Yuying escaped to through the Pool of Regrets and ended up back in the world of the living. And how Ai came out of nowhere. Zhang went on in detail about the Lightning Eater snake, Frost Emperor ape, and the Voracious Eater lion while pointing at his scale armor and showing Ling the two daggers.

    Then came Jian Wei and the pirate raid at sea which almost costed them their lives. From there Zhang went on to talk about Red Mist city, and the ruins of the Sai empire.

    Ling sat listening in silence and awe at some of the things he was talking about. In three years Zhang had been literally to the pits of hell and back. The things he did and encountered were not what regular people would go through in their entire lives.

    She found some parts hard to process, other parts to be very exciting, and listened quietly. From the story Ling could tell the Yuying and Ai had been through thick and thin with Zhang which made a part of her somewhat accept their being around him.

    As a woman of course she did not wish to share her man with anyone but realistically in this time and age most men had multiple wives and who was she to deny Yuying and Ai¡¯s love for Zhang. The three of them had been through countless hardships so it was not her place to tell them what they could and could not do.

    After completing his story Zhang asked Ling no to tell anyone of his identity. He did not want to cause unwanted trouble for his family. He still thought that it would be better to secretly meet his family then to do it publicly. Because as the next ruler of Aurora people will find it odd that his father is a minister in the Heilong kingdom. That would then make the king suspicious of his family and that wouldn¡¯t lead to anything good.

    ¡°Brother where will you be staying?¡± Ling asked.

    ¡°The king had made arrangements for us to stay in a private villa. Do you perhaps want to stay with me?¡± Zhang said with a grin on his face.

    ¡°Sta-stay with you?¡± Ling said with blushed cheeks.

    ¡°Yea then we can go sightseeing together, I¡¯d much rather you take me around then that other guy. And you get three can get to know each other better. Since I¡¯m going to marry all three of you.¡± Zhang said in a playful tone while getting up from his seat.

    Yuying, Ai and Ling all could be seen blushing once they heard his words.

    ¡°Who¡¯s going to marry you!?¡± All three of them yelled.

    ¡°You three of course!!¡± He replied as walked to each of them and planted a kiss on their cheeks.

    <hr />

    =================================================================================================

    Had lots of fun with the first part with the red string :D.

    Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter and wooooo 4th in weekly a bits away from 3rd hehe.

 Chapter 40: Proposes?

    With three beauties behind him Zhang walked toward the entrance of the Royal Academy. It was time for him to meet back up with his men waiting outside. Once they reached the entrance of the academy the group was greeted by the hundred soldiers that were left to be Zhang¡¯s guards.

    ¡°My lord and madams.¡± A soldier saluted by kneeling on one knee along with the rest of the soldiers.

    ¡°At ease men.¡± Zhang said as he patted one soldier on the soldier.

    ¡°My lord the prince had left earlier and by the looks of it he looked somewhat unhappy. However, one of his men had left us with directions to the villa. Also we were told that the king will hold an audience with us tomorrow.¡± The soldier that was talking to Zhang before said.

    ¡°Alright then before we head to the villa then we have one stop we must make. Also from today onward she will be one of the madams too.¡± Zhang said as he held Ling¡¯s hand.

    When Zhang held her hand in front of so many people she began to blush However she did not pull her hand back from his grasp but instead held on to it even more tightly. She had lost him one time already so she was not willing to lose him again.

    Since they only had so many horses Zhang decided to ride with Ling. So after he jumped onto his horse he extended his hand down toward her. Soon she was sitting in front of him and his arms were wrapped around her waist as they rode down the street.

    As they rode through the streets they received many strange looks. Zhang looked like a prince on top of his horse with three out of the world beauties by hide side. Along with his one hundred guards on top of their horses.

    Many gazes of envy were laid upon the group as they rode down the street. Zhang, Yuying and Ai were used to this by now but Ling was still somewhat shy. She had spent most of her time training and had never caught this much attention before.

    Pretty soon they arrived in front of a large mansion with a sign with the word Wu written on it. This was the home of the minister of war. But the strange thing was there were many carriages in front of the mansion.

    Zhang changed his mind about not interacting with his family or Ling¡¯s after he saw that Huang Zu had a liking for Ling. He felt that if he did not act then maybe her family would be pressured into marrying her away to the prince against her will.

    People often say serving a king was like serving a tiger. If you kept them happy you will live if they are displeased, then you might get eaten alive. So Zhang had to ensure that Ling would stay his hence the reason he paid his visit to her family home today.

    He was going to use his status as the next lord of Aurora to ask for her hand in marriage. Of course as just a formality because they were already engaged.

    Once everyone dismounted a servant from the mansion ran out to greet them.

    ¡°Young lady your back! The lord will be very happy to know you came home. You also brought back friends.¡± The servant said.

    ¡°Yes I¡¯m home to visit father and I have good news to tell him. Also who do these carriages belong to?¡± Ling asked although she what had an idea of who they belonged it.

    ¡°Ah yes princes Huang Zu had come earlier looking for your father.¡± The servant replied.

    ¡°Is that so, lead the way I would also like to meet father also.¡± Ling said.

    ¡°Right away young lady.¡± The servant said as he led the way.

    Leaving their horses outside Zhang, Yuying, Ai and the one hundred guards followed behind Ling. After a while Ling led the group to a large hall in the mansion. Outside of the hall a few dozen soldiers could be seen standing. These were most likely the guards of prince Huang Zu.

    In the hall they could see Ling¡¯s father sitting in a large chair at the very end of the hall while Huang Zu could be seen sitting in a chair to his side talking. In the middle of the hall were many boxes with extravagant gifts inside of them.

    ¡°Father I¡¯m home.¡± Ling said as she entered the hall.

    ¡°Ling you came home at just the right time! I¡¯ve come to ask your father for your hand in marriage.¡± Huang Zu said once he saw Ling walking into the room. However, when he saw Zhang walk in after her a slight frown could be seen on his face.

    ¡°Daddy¡¯s little girl finally came home?¡± Ling¡¯s dad said with a large grin on his face as he walked up and hugged her. As he hugged her he noticed the trio standing behind her along with the group of black armored soldiers outside.

    ¡°Are they perhaps your friends?¡± He asked Ling.

    ¡°Yes father.¡± Ling said politely.

    The two of them seemed to totally ignore what Huang Zu had said.

    ¡°Hello Minister Wu, I¡¯ve come from Aurora city and happened to meet your daughter and fell for her at first sight. So I came here today to ask for her hand in marriage.¡± Zhang said and with a wave of his hand many treasures appeared from out of thin air.

    Once Ling¡¯s father heard Zhang¡¯s voice a stunned look appeared on his face. But he did not say anything about it.

    ¡°That puts me in a bad position. As you may have heard Prince Huang Zu has also wanted my daughter¡¯s hand in marriage. But I only have one daughter. So how can I marry a daughter to both of you.¡± Ling¡¯s father said.

    ¡°Simple I propose that we both compete, with each person having one chance to show amaze her and then she will pick. Once she picks of course the loser must live with the outcome. What do you say brother Huang Zu?¡± Zhang said.

    ¡°Amaze her?¡± Huang Zu asked.

    ¡°Yea you can do anything as long as it does not cause harm to someone else and at the end she will decided who amazed her the most. Of course unless you are afraid that you are up for the challenge then maybe we can pick something else to do.¡± Zhang replied purposely provoking Huang Zu.

    Of course he knew no matter the outcome Ling would pick him. But he did not want to make an enemy out of Huang Zu. He could tell that Huang Zu was not a bad person like Jin Chang so if he didn¡¯t have to Zhang did not wish to make more enemies. So he devised a plan to make Huang Zu give up on Ling.

    ¡°Afraid? Hmph fine I agree to the challenge.¡± Huang Zu replied.

    ¡°Then Minister Wu please bear witness to the outcome.¡± Zhang said.

    ¡°Of course.¡± Ling¡¯s father said. Although he had some doubt in his mind he felt that he knew the man under the helmet that was standing in front of him. Besides the voice there was that odd sense of confidence and mannerism that reminded him of the young man who had died three years ago. And the fact that this young man came with his daughter who did not interact with anyone from the opposite sex at all after the death of that certain young man.

    Although he didn¡¯t wasn¡¯t sure who this young man standing in front of him was he felt that if his daughter picked him then he could trust her sense of judgement.

    To amaze Ling, Huang Zu who was a level 7 mage decided to use magic.  With his amplitude the highest in the element of lightning Huang Zu was one of the geniuses of the kingdom.

    ¡°You all watch I¡¯ll amaze her for sure!¡± He said as he walked out into the middle of the courtyard.

    Once in the middle of the courtyard Huang Zu assumed a stance with both of his feet spread out and his back straight. He then made a hand sign with his hand and concentrated his essence.

    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

    Ling was also a mage of the 7th rank and he knew he had to do something over the top that she probably has never seen before to amaze her. Thus he decided to use of the secret arts he had learned from the royal family¡¯s private collection.

    It was a technique called the wild dance of the lightning dragon. Once he had enough essence in concentrated Huang Zu unleashed it all from this finger tips that he pointed toward the sky. From his fingertips multiple giant white lightning builds shot out. After shooting into the air the ten odd lightning bolts transformed into the shape of dragons.

    The dragons spiraled into the air and danced about.  It was a sight to behold causing many people in the city to stop what they were doing and watch. After a while the lightning dragons turned into light and scattered. The white light fell down like snow.

    Yuying could be seen yawning as she watched Huang Zu¡¯s technique. Although she was only currently at the 6th rank of cultivation she was not impressed with this technique. To her it was somewhat boorish due to the vast number of techniques she already knew. When in the Underworld she had countless supreme techniques to pick and learn from. This was sort of like child¡¯s play to her.

    Whereas Ai simply did not even pay attention. She could not be bothered with such things because personally she did not care much about cultivation. That being said her cultivation was currently at the 7th level despite her lack of interest in raising it.

    As for Ling she was fairly impressed she could tell that it was a fairly high level technique that needed a lot of concentration to pull off. There aren¡¯t many techniques like that in the Royal Academy¡¯s technique hall for her to pick from sadly. What seemed odd to her was the lack of reaction from Yuying and Ai.

    ¡°Impress? Now seeing my awesome technique will you give up on trying to ask for Ling¡¯s hand in marriage?¡± Huang Zu said with a proud grin on his face.

    ¡°After my turn we will see who is the one that is to give up.¡± Zhang replied with a smile. Zhang did not have any flashy moves because up until now he had relied on strengthening his body physically thus making him more of a warrior than a mage.

    However, he had something that no one else had and that something was the Underworlds Heart. Which allowed him to manipulate essence in the air at will. And he had said to impress Ling which meant that anything could do the trick and not necessarily techniques.

    With a wave of Zhang¡¯s hand, a continuous stream of purple energy from the Underworld Heart shot out of his finger tips and into the sky.  Once the purple energy reached into the skies black clouds began to form out of thin air. Then after a few moments it began snowing. But the snow fell down in the shape of small flowers.

    Once these small flowers touched the ground they would almost instantly melt and turn into water. It was a sight to behold a vast portion of the city was affected by this.

    After a while Zhang stopped the stream of purple energy and the clouds dispersed and went away. He had to constantly control the purple energy or else it would have no rain the snow flowers at all.

    Then in his hand Zhang formed a beautiful large crystal flower with five petals using the Underworlds Heart.

    ¡°For you.¡± He said as he gave the crystal flower to Ling.

    If it were anyone else, it would be a simple beautiful flower however for Ling it had very significant meaning. This was not just any flower it was the flower that was called the king bloom which bloomed on apple trees.

    For Zhang and Ling apple trees had a special meaning that only they knew. When they were growing up they would spend almost all of their time chatting on a branch of an apple tree in Zhang¡¯s garden. For her this five petal king bloom meant that he did not forget about her or about their past.

    Ling held the delicate looking crystal flower and stood silently without saying a word.

    ¡°So did I win? Although the snow flowers were fairly impressive but you have to admit my dance of lightning dragons was very spectacular.¡± Huang Zu said.

    ¡°I think we should give her some time to decide. How about you come back in a few days and then we will decide the winner.¡± Ling¡¯s father said.

    ¡°I guess.¡± Huang Zu said and after a while departed.

    After Huang Zu departed Ling¡¯s father invited everyone to come in to the main hall and chat.

    ¡°You can take off the helmet now Zhang.¡± Ling¡¯s father said.

    ¡°Uncle how did you know?¡± Zhang asked as he took off his helmet and stored it away.

    ¡°How wouldn¡¯t I be able to recognize the young man that my daughter was going to marry. Boy I watched you grow up how could I not tell it was you under that helmet.¡± Ling¡¯s father said with a chuckle.

    ¡°Now tell me where have you been all this time, we¡¯ve thought you were dead for the last three years. Your parents have been very pain stricken you know.¡± He added.

    Thus Zhang began recalling what had happened to him just like he had done with Ling.

    Ling¡¯s father listened to Zhang with intrigue as the tale went on and eventually reach its conclusion.

    ¡°I¡¯m glad that you were able to come back to us.¡± Ling¡¯s father said as he got up and gave Zhang a hug. He had thought of Zhang as his son for many years and was truly happy to see that he was alive.

    ¡°As for your father I will make arrangements for you to meet. You were right to not openly meet him. In the royal court there are many people against your father and I that would use any opportunity they can to strip us of our power.¡± Ling¡¯s father said.

    ¡°Uncle there was something else I wanted to talk to you about.¡± Zhang said.

    He went on to tell Ling¡¯s father that he wished for their family to return with him to Red Mist city. He felt that it would be many times safer than staying here. For one Red Mist city did not border the Siwang empire.

    ¡°Let¡¯s talk to your father first and we can all decide after that. Let¡¯s have some dinner now and then you have to return to your villa that was arranged for you as to avoid suspicion.

    After dinner the trio and their guards returned to their villa while Ling stayed at her home.

    ¡°Brother that uncle seemed very friendly.¡± Yuying said.

    ¡°Of course he¡¯s like a second father to me. Well he will be my father in law one day. But the point is that while growing up he had always looked after me when he was present.¡± Zhang said.

    ¡°Must be nice to have such loving family.¡± Ai said somewhat dejected. Ai still had no memories of her past and was somewhat pained seeing how kindly Ling¡¯s father had treated them.

    Seeing this Zhang put his arm around her shoulder and said ¡°don¡¯t worry you have us, we will be your family.¡±

    ¡°Now it¡¯s time to get some sleep because we have a long day ahead of us tomorrow.¡±  He added.

    Tomorrow they would have to go meet the king of the Heilong Kingdom and then secretly meet Zhang¡¯s father so the trio had many things to do tomorrow.

    <hr />

    This chapter took me a while wasn''t feeling it today T__T hope you guys enjoy it.

 Chapter 41: Banquet

    The day after the Zhang arrived at the capital of the Heilong kingdom the king held an extravagant banquet and invited all of the dignitaries from the various forces.

    The king had waited for everyone who had replied to the invitation saying that they would participate in the tournament to arrive in the capital before holding the banquet.

    He did not wish for anyone to feel that someone else was getting treated better or worse than anyone else. The king even had the banquet tables be arranged in a large circle to symbolize every force attending stood as equals.

    Three years ago the kingdom had been on the brink of collapse due to the invasion. Most if not all of its western border cities were lost to the Siwang Empire.

    Hundreds of thousands of people had lost their lives in the mindless slaughter. From all of this Heilong kingdom¡¯s economy took a huge hit, the loss of resources and manpower had nearly drove them bankrupt.

    If a kingdom did not have resources or manpower to produce revenue, then it would not be able to maintain an army and without an army it would not be able to protect its domain nor maintain its rule over the people. Had it not been for the current minister of finance and minister of war then the kingdom would have most likely collapsed.

    It took them nearly three years to stabilize the kingdom and to prevent such a catastrophe from happening again the Heilong kingdom needed allies. The more they could get the better. Thus the king was extra courteous to his guests that were attending the banquet.  King Huang He was a king for the people so for the people he would treat every representative at the banquet with uttermost care.

    Today the banquet would be taking place in the main hall of grand arena that was built for the tournament. The first person to arrive was the minister of finance then after him many princes, princesses, and other people of high statues showed up.

    Everyone used the time before the king arrived to converse and make connections.

    Princes would walk up to princesses and try their luck at snagging a beautiful bride. Ministers would try to for diplomatic relations with other ministers. The entire hall was full of important people trying to get closer to other important people.

    However, this all changed when a group of guards walked into the hall and formed two lines starting at the door. From the other side of the door a man dressed in full black armor walked in and beside him were three out of this world beauties. One of the beauties was recognized by some as minister Wu¡¯s daughter Wu Ling. There was no doubt about this because minister Wu himself was walking behind the four young people.

    The three girls looked extremely beautiful to the point that many princes began fantasizing about going up to them and asking them out. Many princesses were ashamed at thinking they were pretty after seeing these three young women enter the room.

    ¡°Ah minister Wu, how are you.¡± A voice rang out as a chubby looking man in minister clothing walked toward the new arrivals.

    ¡°Minister Jia Su! It has been a long time since we last met. Last time you visit was around a year ago.¡± Ling¡¯s father Wu Tong said.

    ¡°Might I ask who these people are.¡± Jia Su asked.

    ¡°Ah this is my future son in law the next Zhang lord of Aurora and his two wives.¡± Wu Tong replied.

    ¡°Future son in law? I heard that the young lord of Aurora had just arrived in the city yesterday.¡± Jia Su said with a hint of confusion on his face.

    ¡°Ah yes you know how kids are they fall in love after just talking for a bit. As a father as long as my daughter is happy how could I object when this young man came and asked for her hand.¡± Wu Tong said with a grin on his face.

    As the other ministers saw it he had traded his daughter to form a connection with this young man. They thought it was also somewhat dumb of Wu Tong because there were many princes from powerful kingdoms to pick from rather than a future lord of a province. But all they could do was smile and congratulate Wu Tong because of course Ling was Wu Tong¡¯s daughter and he could betroth her to whoever he wants.

    ¡°Nice to meet you, my name is Jia Su and I¡¯m a minister from the kingdom of Yan.¡± He said to Zhang while trying to shake Zhang¡¯s hand.

    ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you also minister Jia.¡± Zhang replied as he extended his hand to shake Jia Su¡¯s hand.

    ¡°What a lucky man you are to have such beautiful wives.¡± Jia Su added.

    ¡°Thank you.¡± Zhang said as he pulled Yuying, Ai, and Ling toward him by the waist.

    Although Zhang was somewhat afraid that Ling¡¯s father would not be happy that his daughter is being embraced in public like this Zhang wanted to show everyone present she was his.

    ¡°Also don¡¯t forgot about her, I have a beautiful fianc¨¦e also.¡± Zhang said with a grin.

    Being embraced and hearing those words made Ling¡¯s face somewhat blush.

    While embracing the three beauties Zhang noticed many envious gazed placed on him. He figured most of the people here represented kingdoms while he represented a province thus they believed that he would be of lower social standing. And since he was of lower social standing he was not fit to have wives as pretty as Yuying and Ai nor a fianc¨¦e as pretty as Ling.

    In this world there were only a few things that mattered to people. These things being women, wealth, power, and fame. And those who have these things often want more of it.

    That¡¯s when Zhang noticed a small group of young men wearing golden robes walk toward him. These were all most likely princes of various kingdoms.

    ¡°How about you ladies leave this peasant and come with me. I¡¯m the prince of the Ming Kingdom Ming Jiang.¡± People of his status aren''t meant to be at such gatherings. The young man in golden said as he walked up right in front of the group.

    Ming Jiang had heard about how Zhang had entered the city with twenty thousand soldiers as escorts which made him somewhat envy Zhang. Even as the crown prince of his kingdom he did not have that many soldiers at his command. One could say that the more soldiers and power given to a prince meant the more capable the prince was.

    Then when he saw Zhang walk in with the three beauties he turned green from envy. As said before most people strives for power, wealth, women and fame. And from the looks of it Zhang already had two of these things being women and power.

    The fact that the lord of Aurora let Zhang command so many soldiers personally meant that he had lots of trust in him and his position as the next lord was secure. Whereas in Ming Jiang''s case even if he was the crown prince his father could easily replace him with one of his brothers.

    So as to mock Zhang he had to make fun of Aurora''s status as a province. Being a province meant that the rulers of it were socially beneath the other dignitaries at the gathering. Even a minister of a kingdom has more power than a province was what he thought.

    ¡°Peasant?¡± Zhang murmured while still embracing the three beauties. Then with a kick Zhang smashed Ming Jiang¡¯s knee making him fall to the ground and painfully scream. The majority of people only had the essence of a 5th rank so Zhang was easily able to overpower most since he was at the 6th rank of cultivation with his body being trained to the equivalent of the 4th level.

    Rarely did anyone train physically like Zhang did but with the combination of the two he would be able to hold his own against a level 7 cultivator.   This would put him amongst the ranks of geniuses.

    "If I''m the peasant then why are you the one kneeling." Zhang said with a grin.

    Although it could be seen as Zhang overacting over the words of prince Ming Jiang it was not. Zhang intentionally made it seem that he had an overbearing personality.

    He could tell that unlike Huang Zu who was sort of a hard headed simpleton these people here were schemers. They were the sort to give you smiles and gifts but stab you in the back when they had the chance.

    So as a warning Zhang had to make an example out of Ming Jiang. He had to show that if people crossed him they wouldn''t get away with a pat on the back.

    Everyone looked toward Zhang''s direction with shocked eyes. They did not think that the successor to a mere province had the nerve to attack a prince and a prince of the Ming kingdom at that. Amongst the alliance the Ming kingdom was one of the middle sized kingdoms that was at the borderline of being acknowledged as a large kingdom.

    This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    Ling''s father stood to the side and did not intervene. He had faith that Zhang knew what he was doing and was more worried about other things. Now that Zhang was back the plans that he and Zhang''s father had laid out would be somewhat pointless.

    Getting revenge for someone who wasn''t dead and involving millions of people seemed somewhat pointless since the person was not dead. Although they would have to call off the plan now Wu Tong was actually happy. Happy that his future son in law was alive.

    "You damn peasant how dare you do this to him." Another prince yelled as he walked up and helped Ming Jiang up.

    "Hmph peasant?  Perhaps you wish to kneel before me also." Zhang sneered.

    "Brother you shouldn''t lower yourself to converse with such people." Yuying said while still being embraced by Zhang. As a princess of the underworld in terms of status, power and influence Yuying vastly outstripped any prince or princess of some kingdom. Even the ruler of an empire in terms of status was beneath her.

    Although she did not give airs up being royalty when people acted arrogant in front of her due to their status she looked down on them.

    Because who was she? She was the 99th Princess of the underworld. Daughter of the ruler of the afterlife.

    Ai simply snorted and did not pay attention to anyone. The only people she cares for in the world was Zhang and Yuying and by association Ling. Even Ling''s did not register as someone important in her eyes.

    Unlike the Yuying and Ai, Ling actually was very distressed from Zhang''s actions. She clearly knew the influence the Ming Kingdom and the rest of the people present had in the continent. Compared to Yuying she was only the daughter of a minister and compared to Ai she did not filter out the world. So of course she was worried when Zhang offended people of such high social standing.

    She was more worried for Zhang ten anything else. She knew that he had power but it was best to have more friends than enemies.

    Then suddenly a voice rang out from the entrance.

    "His royal highness king Huang He has arrived." The voice rang out.

    Once everyone looked to the entrance a middle aged man could be seen walking in. Beside him Huang Zu was present and the minister of finances.

    Although Zhang still had his helmet on anyone could see the twinkle in his eyes when the king walked in. Zhang''s gaze was fixated on the group walking in. Mostly on the minister of finances, his father. It has been almost three years since they left met and every fiber of his soul screamed for him to run up and hug his father.

    "Father just you wait I''ll find an opportunity to have a long chat with you soon and introduce to you your two future daughter in laws." Zhang thought.

    Everyone did a courtesy bow with third hands clasped in front of them toward the king.

    The king proceeded to walk to a banquet table.

    "Welcome everyone to today''s event. I hope that everything is to everyone''s liking. If not, then please inform one of the servants and they will do their best to make it to your liking." King Huang He said as he proceeded to site down.

    He had arranged it so every rectangular table was the same symbolizing that everyone was equal. Normally as the king of the host kingdom he would have a more extravagant table set up for himself but he opted not to.

    Zhang had a fairly good impression of Huang He for doing this. It showed that he was not a man full of vanity and was not filled with pride. Realistically speaking everyone present was beneath him in status besides Yuying. But no one knew Yuying''s status. Hence Huang He was sitting amongst people who were socially beneath him which rarely happened.

    The king sat at one table with Huang Zu, to his right sat Zhang''s father and l his left. Then everyone was free to choose where they sat. Ling of course sat with her father. Zhang had chosen to sit at a table next to his father along with Yuying and Ai.

    This seemed odd to most people because they were expecting him to sit beside Ling and her father.

    Thus the banquet began. Many delicacies were brought out on trays by hundreds of beautiful maids. Food from many different places were selected to fit the appetite of every dignitary that attended. After the food was served dancers entered the hall and began dancing uniformly.

    Music was being played to lighten the mood and create a festive atmosphere.

    Throughout a part of the festivities Zhang noticed that Ming Jiang was glaring at him however with a sharp gaze from Zhang this stopped. Zhang''s kick had shattered his knee which caused him immense pain to the point where he had to use a bottle of phoenix blood to heal it.

    Most of the other people who saw what had happened did not even dare to look in Zhang''s direction.

    As the festivities continued king Huang He along with his son Huang Zu walked from table to table greeting the guests. He had started counter clock wise and Zhang''s table would be his last stop. The king had treated everyone in a friendly manner as he went from table to table.

    As he walked from table to table many of the dignitaries presented Huang He with gifts. These things ranged from extravagant swords, armor, jewels and some even offered him women. Huang He accepted all of the gifts besides the women with the excuse of being too old to be with such young women.

    "Good he is not one of those lecherous old men." Zhang thought. Although it wasn''t uncommon many old man of high standing often married women many many years younger than them. Which Zhang thought was not right. So this earned another point in Zhang''s eyes.

    Once king Huang He got to Zhang''s table he was amazed at the beauty Yuying and Ai possessed. Although Ling is no less beautiful than Yuying and Ai he had seen her many times. Which made him becomes affected by her. But this was the first time he saw Yuying and Ai.

    "Lord Jian Wei sends greetings to your majesty from Aurora. Sadly, he is currently occupied so he could not personally attend. So I have come instead." Zhang said as he got up and bowed to the Huang He along with Yuying and Ai.

    Sitting a bit away from the trio the minister of finances had a strange look on his face. The voice of this young man sounded much like the voice of his descended son.

    "It couldn''t be, must be a coincidence." He thought.

    "I would like to welcome you to my kingdom and might I add you''re one lucky young man to have two such beauties by your side." Huang He added.

    "Thank you, your majesty but I would like to correct you. I''ve been blessed with three beauties. The minister of war had agreed to give me his daughter''s hand in marriage also." Zhang said.

    A hint of surprise could be seen on Huang Zu''s eyes who was standing just behind Huang He. He looked toward where Wu Tong was and saw that Wu Tong did not deny this meaning that Zhang was not lying. Which meant that Ling had picked Zhang as the winner. He felt somewhat dejected but as a man of his word he would not go against the promise of the loser giving up of Ling.

    Someone more surprised however was the minister of Finance. Being as close to Ling''s father as he was this was the first time he heard of this. Although he did not object since his son was dead and there was no point in preventing Ling from marrying someone else he was caught by surprise.

    "Ah it was discourteous of me not to remove my helmet in the pretense of his majesty." Zhang said as he took of his helmet.

    Once Zhang''s helmet came off Zhou Cheng''s face was filled with utter astonishment.

    "It can''t be! But their voice is so similar and that face is definitely my son''s face." He thought but he quickly brushed away because how could his son survive an explosion that made a huge part of Blue Tear city disappear.

    "There is no way that he is my son how could he end up in Aurora? How could he become the successor of Aurora? I must have become delusion since they happen to look alike." Zhou Cheng thought.

    "That must be the reason why Ling agreed to marry this young man because they look so much alike."

 Chapter 42: Auroras Gift

    Chapter 42: Aurora''s Gift

    "Lord Jian Wei had asked me to present to your majesty these gifts in his place. I hope they are to your liking." Zhang said politely and with a wave of his hand various things appeared.

    Many people were stunned by these "gifts" Aurora was gifting to King Huang He.

    "I present to your majesty a golden throne from the lost Sai Empire and ten bricks of ice jade. And to the minister of War and the minister of finance five bricks of ice jade each." Zhang said.

    "I couldn''t possibly accept this, it''s too much." King Huang He said. The throne was extremely extravagant and beautiful while the ice jade bricks were extremely precious. To receive twenty bricks total was something unbelievable.

    "But Lord Jian Wei had ordered me to give your majesty and the ministers these gifts." Zhang said. In fact, Jian Wei had arranged for him to give something else but Zhang had a good impression of the king so he decided to give something better.

    And of course he was not going to cheap out on his father and Ling''s father. By giving them such things in front of a wide audience it symbolized that Aurora was trying to make friends with them. This might provide a deterrent to their political enemies.

    ¡°How about this I¡¯ll only take five pieces of ice jade and you can keep the throne and the other five pieces.¡± King Huang He said.

    ¡°If that it your wish then I¡¯ll have to comply with it your majesty.¡± Zhang replied and with a wave of his hand the throne and five bricks disappeared back into his ring.

    " I couldn''t give them more than five to father and uncle or else people would become suspicious." Zhang thought. He had hundreds of these bricks in his interspatial ring so twenty was not much. But it would be odd if he gave the ministers more than the king and he did not wish to give the king too many gifts so this many would do for now. He would secretly give more things to his father and Ling''s father later.

    Zhang personally took five bricks to Ling''s father and while doing so grasped Ling''s hand and lead her back to his table to sit with him.

    Then he preceded to hand five bricks to his father. But when he handed the ice jade to his father the man would not stop staring at him. And likewise Zhang did not go back to his table. After a while there was an awkward silence.

    "Is something wrong?" Huang He asked.

    Huang He''s words served to wake up the father and son from their daze.

    "Ah might I ask your name young man." Zhou Cheng asked Zhang.

    "Minister Zhou my name is Zhou Zhang." Zhang replied with a faint smile on his face as he walked back to his table.

    Zhou Cheng''s face was a mix of emotion after hearing those words. However, no one else was very surprised to be honest there were only so many surnames and names so people with similar surnames and names were very common. And it was not like Zhou Cheng went around describing his dead son to everyone.

    After everyone got back to their seats the festivities began once more. With many people envying the gifts that Zhang had given out. Ice jade was very precious and even large kingdoms did not casually give it out. But Zhang or in their eyes Aurora was and each piece was the size of a brick.

    Toward the end of the banquet king Huang He got up once more to make an announcement.

    "In a week''s¡¯ time the tournament will begin. The tournament will be divided into three categories. These three are survival, strategy, teamwork." Huang He said.

    "For the first part of the tournament all of the participants will have to survive five days and five nights in the Demonic Forest. During this time each participant will have try to acquire a golden flag, which is a part of a set of ten. Those who have flags at on the sixth day will be called commanders." Huang He Said as he picked up his cup of wine and drank from it.

    " The 2nd part will commence after the three days. Those who manages to become commanders will pick from those who did not manage to find flags. This will serve as the strategy part of the tournament. The 3rd part is when the commanders lead their soldiers into battle. They will be defending or conquering ten towers in the colosseum with a golden flag at the top of each tower. If the flag within the tower is taken, then that means the tower was conquered. Each tower''s flag will represent one item they can take from the treasury. If someone manages to conquer all ten, then they will be able to select ten items from our treasury. All the people who acted as soldiers of course will receive some gold." Huang He finished saying.

    "Interesting." Zhang thought. Realistically speaking there was a high chance of there being ten winners because if everyone stubbornly defended then it was highly possible that no towers would be conquered. Also if ale own solely focused on conquering then their tower would be conquered.

    And after the king''s explaining the tournament the banquet came to an end.

    Zhou Cheng was the first to leave saying that he was not feeling well.

    Soon everyone headed back to their lodgings. Well everyone but Zhang, Yuying, Ai, Ling and Ling''s father. Along with their guards they secretly headed for the Zhou mansion.

    "The look on your father''s face when you handed him the ice jade was priceless." Ling''s father said to Zhang. They were all currently in the same carriage.

    "Brother so that was your father?" Yuying and Ai asked at the same time. Strangely recently the two of them have been very in sync and said things at the same time.

    "Yes that''s my father and soon he will be your father too." Zhang said teasing them.

    "Who''s going to be your wife!?" They replied in unison.

    "You are!" Zhang replied although the he would have liked to embrace them Ling''s father was still in the carriage so he did not.

    Ling''s father could not help but smile at this scene.

    Soon they arrived at their destination. As they got off the carriage a middle aged servant from inside the mansion came out to greet them.

    "Ah Minister Wu you''ve come to meet the lord today?" The servant said. However, when he saw Zhang who was not wearing a helmet anymore he became speechless.

    After a while he was able to squeeze out some words.

    "You-young master? A-am I seeing things? You¡¯re not a ghost right?" He said while looking at Zhang with somewhat frightened eyes.

    "If I was a ghost how could I do this to your uncle Zhao." Zhang said as he hugged the servant.

    This servant had been living in the Zhou clan for many years and Zhang had grown up to view him as an uncle. He was always around and pretty much like family.

    "Please lead the way to where father is." Zhang said after making sure there were no outsiders around using the Underworld Heart to scan the area.

    It was fairly late in the night and most if not everyone had gone home. So there were only people Zhang trusted around.

    As uncle Zhao lead the group into the mansion the walked through some very familiar looks hallways for Zhang at least. Oddly everything in this mansion looked the same as the mansion that was in Blue Tear city.

    "Ah young master you probably are wondering why everything looks so familiar." Uncle Zhao said.

    "Yea everything looks exactly the same as our home in Blue Tear city." Zhang said.

    "That is because the lord ordered for everything to be reconstructed to look exactly the same as the old mansion. He had said that since the old mansion was now a crater if the young masters spirit returned it would not have a home to return to. So he had everything remade to be an exact replica of the old mansion. Even the squeaky door to the kitchen was remade." Uncle Zhao said.

    Zhang did not say a word but simply continued walking. Listening to uncle Zhao''s words made his heart ache. It has been so long, so very long and finally he could reunite with his family. Everything that happened so far seemed as if it was a dream and as he walked through these familiar halls he was waking up.

    "No place like home." Zhang thought as a smile appeared on his face.

    "So this is how the house brother grew in looks like?" Ai asked as she looked through every door down the hallways. She had little interest in everything besides things related to Zhang. And being in his family''s home peaked her interest.

    Soon uncle Zhao had led them in front of a room with a light lit inside. This was the lord of the mansion''s study.

    "Milord you have visitors." Uncle Zhao said.

    "Visitors? At this time of the day? Tell them to go home and come back tomorrow." The voice from inside said.

    "Brother Zhou you''re telling me to go home?" Ling''s father Wu Tong said with a laugh.

    Soon the doors to the study creaked open.

    Although Zhou Cheng was a bit surprised when he saw so many standing in front of his study he did not give such a reaction.

    The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

    "Ah young lord of Aurora welcome to my home. What brings you here are such a late hour." Zhou Cheng said.

    "I''m here to meet my father." Zhang replied with a smile on his face.

    "Your father? I don''t think any other guests are currently in the mansion. Perhaps your father is staying elsewhere?" Zhou Cheng replied somewhat confused. He had told himself many times that the young man he met at the banquet was not his son so by now he no longer believed Zhang was his son.

    "Oh I know my for a fact my father is here within this mansion.  In fact, I can see him right now." Zhang replied.

    "Where?" Zhou Cheng asked but before he could finish his sentence Zhang had gotten on his knees?

    "Why are you kneeling? Get up?" He proceeded to say but like before he could finish his sentence he was cut off.

    "Father your son Zhou Zhang has been unfilial." Zhang said as he began kowtowing to his father.

    Hearing these words all of the confusion in Zhou Cheng''s mind was washed away.

    "My son! You''re alive!" He yelled as he hugged Zhang who was kneeling on the ground.

    He no longer question if Zhang was his actual son or just a look alike any longer. Perhaps somewhere deep down although he did not acknowledge it he had always thought that young man from the banquet was his son.

    "Get up. Why are you kneeling. You have finally come home." Zhou Cheng said as he helped Zhang up.

    "Father it''s been so long." Zhang said as he hugged his father.

    "Where have you been all this time. We searched all around what''s left of Blue Tear city.  You don''t know how many people and how many times I personally went there to look for you." Zhou Cheng said.

    "Father where is mother? I''ll tell you both what happened." Zhang said.

    "Ah yes your mother. She will definitely be happy to see you. All this time she still believed that you were alive." Zhou Cheng said with a pained expression of his face.

    Soon they all walked to the room where his mother stayed. Once they entered the room they could see a beautiful lady sitting grooming her hair.

    Zhang was the first one to enter the room. He went directly to his mother and hugged her.

    "Mother I''m back!" Zhang said.

    Hearing these words, the beautiful women stopped what she was doing and turned back. One she saw Zhang''s face tears began rolling down her cheeks.

    "You back!" She said as she embraced Zhang. Having thought he was alive the entire time she was not surprised. Instead she was very happy that he came to visit.

    "How are things in the academy? I know you''ve been studying hard to you haven''t been able to come home to see me." She said to him.

    "Yes mother I''ve wanted to see you for so long but I wasn''t able to." Zhang said.

    After hugged her son Zhen Ji noticed the people standing at the door way.

    "Who are those two young ladies? Your friends from the academy?" She asked happy to see that her son was making friends and better yet two beauties.

    "Ah those are your future daughter in laws." Zhang replied as he stopped hugging his mother and led her toward the group at the door.

    "Daughters in law?" Zhen Ji said somewhat surprised.

    "Madam." Yuying and Ai said while they did a courtesy to Zhang''s mother.

    "Come here let me have a closer look at you two." Zhang''s mother said as she used her hands to trace the outlines of Yuying and Ai''s faces.

    "Zhang I never expected you to be such a ladies¡¯ man. It''s good that you weren''t like your father at your age." Zhen Ji said with a smile.

    "Unlike me?" Zhang''s father Zhou Cheng asked.

    "Yes unlike you brother Zhou." Ling''s father said with a chuckle.

    "You were lucky, sister Zhen even agreed to marry you. You know she was the prettiest women in our city." Ling''s father Wu Tong added.

    Leaving Yuying, Ai, and Ling to stay with his mother Zhang followed his father and Ling''s father back to the study.

    "I think it is best if we do not tell mother what I''m going to tell you father." Zhang said as he proceeded to recall the events after the Siwang empire attacked.

    Zhang''s father had the same reactions as Ling''s father when Zhang told him the story.

    "It doesn''t matter how you got back, as long as your back with us everything is alright." Zhou Cheng said to his son as he patted him on the back.

    "Also you brought back two very beautiful future daughter in laws for me." Zhou Cheng added. Regarding this he was very happy because it meant that his son would have many grandkids for him on day.

    "So my daughter alone was not good enough?" Ling''s father asked with a stern face.

    "Ah brother Wu know I didn''t mean that." Zhang''s father said.

    "Ha you should see the look on your face. I don''t mind as long as my daughter is happy. It''s not like it''s uncommon to have three wives." Ling''s father said with a chuckle.

    Shortly after some chatting Zhang''s father go up and closed the door to the study.

    "Son I have something to tell you. This matter is not to be told to anyone or our entire clan and the Wu clan will be executed." Zhou Cheng said with a stern face.

    "No one will hear a word of this father." Zhang replied.

    Zhang''s father then began to tell him about the plan they had concocted to get revenge for him. They had climbed to high positions in the kingdom to allow them to easily manipulate it.

    With Ling''s father as the minister of war they could easily move the force of the kingdom around. While as the minister of finance Zhang''s father could use the kingdom''s money to further their plan.

    The two of them had arranged for all of the ally kingdoms to be present at the tournament. Then they would send a secret correspondence to the Siwang empire to fake their surrender. This correspondence of course would include a fake account of the Heilong kingdoms current number soldiers and finances.

    They would have pretended to betray the kingdom by moving the soldiers along the border at the excuse of a military exercise during the tournament.

    This would create a gap in the border where the Siwang empire could move its soldiers through. Then the Siwang empires soldiers would attack the capital during the tournament which would cause the alliance to take action.

    Of course they would have provided a detailed path to the Siwang empires soldiers to allow involving civilians.  Then once the Siwang Empire¡¯s soldiers were close enough to alarm the alliance they would move the forces of Heilong kingdom to repel them.

    By doing so they might be able to change the stance that the alliance was currently taking. They would possibly be able to convince the alliance to take the initiative to attack the Siwang empire.

    Then using the power of the alliance they would invade the Siwang empire to get revenge for Zhang''s death. Of course this was a very selfish action of a grieving father.

    "Thankfully the heavens have its own plan and your back." Zhang''s father said.

    "Originally we were going to send the correspondence once the tournament happened. This would not allow the Siwang empire to mobilize that many soldiers." Ling''s father added.

    "Father I had asked uncle already but to asked you to also pack up all of our things and come back with me to Red Mist city. It is much safer there than here." Zhang said.

    After a short moment of silence.

    "Certainly if that''s what you want son." Zhou Cheng replied. Having gotten his son back he would accept any demand his son said.

    "If we are moving then I will mobilize the soldiers." Ling''s father said.

    "Mobilized the soldiers?" Zhang asked.

    "Yes although not all of the kingdom''s army is loyal to us a portion of it is. Those generals and men of course would leave with us. However, for such a thing to happen we will have to keep all of it unwraps. Neither king nor anyone else can know of it. Because what kind of kingdom would allow a part of its army to walk away to join another force." Ling''s father said.

 Chapter 43: Tournament

    Today was the day the tournament began. Tens of thousands if not hundreds of thousands of people signed up to participate. Simply by making it to the last round even if they did not win they would still receive a bit of gold.

    "My lord all the arrangements have been made." Lu Xun said to Zhang.

    "Good let''s head out to the colosseum now I think they will start the trip to the Demonic Forest soon." Zhang said to Lu Xun.

    The demonic forest was located roughly two days from the capital of the Heilong kingdom. It was a large forest where many low level demonic beasts lived making it a great place to train.

    Lu Xun after talking to Zhang had left to enact their plan.

    Once Lu Xun left, Zhang, Yuying and Ai met up with Ling and rode horses to the colosseum. On the way they could see many people preparing carriages or horses to make the trip to the Demonic forest.

    "Brother so we are taking part in the tournament?" Yuying asked.

    "Of course I want to see how far we can get. And it''s not like we have anything to do." Zhang replied.

    "Unless perhaps you want to go to a wedding?" He said.

    "Who''s wedding brother?" Ai asked.

    "Our wedding." Zhang replied as he grabbed her and gave her a big hug.

    "Your wedding?" Ling asked as she looked at the two of them.

    "Our wedding." He replied as he grabbed and pulled her into his embrace also.

    " what are you waiting for come here." Zhang joked to Yuying.

    "Why? It''s not like I''m getting married." Yuying joked.

    "C¡¯mon don''t be like that come here." Zhang said as he pulled Yuying into his embrace too.

    The four of them ended up with Zhang having one arm around Ai and this other arm around Ling. Then finally Yuying was sitting on his lap. Zhang was having lots of fun teasing the three beauties since no one else was around.

    A short while later they arrived at the colosseum. And departed their carriage.

    In front of the colosseum was a sea of people. From youths in their teens to elderly men many people signed up to be a part of it. This tournament was an opportunity for some to meet influential lords and possibly get employed. For others they had high hopes of winning the chance to select one item from the kingdom''s treasury.

    Of course Zhang himself was pretty interested too. Although the Sai empire had a huge treasure trove of gold it lacked actually magical items. Although he did find a few they were not very useful in combat. For instance, the flask that held a huge amount of water although it was a magical item if had little usage in a fight.

    Most likely all of the magical weapons in the Sai empire were stored where the map in the imperial seal led to.

    Zhang was hoping to find something useful in the treasury of the Heilong kingdom. It was bound to have some sort of powerful weapon since the kingdom was founded by a man who had slain a dragon.

    After the group had arrived at the coliseum they walked around for a bit. There were many people in the crowd some looked very normal while some looked very unique. Many people from different places came to the Heilong kingdom to join the tournament.

    If someone was able to make it into the final ten and showed good results in the last stage, then they might be picked by some minister or noble to be a general or something. Many of the participants held high hopes and wild dreams.

    As the group walked through the crowd they recorded many looks from the crowd. Some envious, some lecherous and some of reverence.

    A young man wearing silver armor came up to Zhang.

    "Hello there, my lord the prince of the Qin kingdom is looking for strong individuals to join his party. Would you like to join?" The young man asked Zhang''s group while staring at the three beauties.

    "I think we are okay by ourselves." Zhang replied as he continued to walk.

    "Are you sure? The prince will pay handsomely to those who join him." The man said.

    "Yes we will be fine by ourselves." Zhang said as he tried to walk away once more.

    Seeing that Zhang was not interest the man walked away and tried to recruit some other people. Various princes, princesses and ministers were recruiting people to join their parties.

    They had original thought the tournament would be where individual fighters fought each other. But the king surprised them with a different kind of tournament. So since they did not bring that many servants they had to recruit from the pool of participants.

    A few people had walked up to Zhang¡¯s group trying to recruit them to join. However, Zhang declined all of them. Unlike the other people who were invited by the king to attend the tournament he had actually brought a lot of servants. To be exact twenty thousand.

    However, he would not take all of them with him in the tournament. Zhang only brought the one hundred guards he originally had and roughly another four hundred to make a grand total of five hundred.  He had sent Lu Xun with the rest of the men to accomplish another task.

    Soon after roaming about Zhang met up with his five hundred soldiers who all wore matching armor. Seeing this many of the people who had asked Zhang to join them was astonished. They had asked someone who had five hundred personal soldiers to join and become an underling for their boss. How funny was that?

    Once Zhang met up with his soldiers they formed ranks behind him. Five rows of one hundred men each stood uniformly behind Zhang. While Zhang was in front of them sitting on the beautiful throne he had offered to give to king Huang He.

    Zhang looked like a king sitting on that throne with the three beauties by his side. He did this to help promote his image of being someone tyrannical amongst the dignitaries. He wanted to make it so that the other dignitaries would think twice about messing with him.

    A few hours later the king of Heilong appeared. He walked on top of a stage arranged in front of the coliseum and addressed the participants of the tournament.

    ¡°Welcome everyone to the first ever grand tournament in the Heilong kingdom. The first part of the tournament will take place in the Demonic Forest. I will announce that the tournament will be starting. I wish you all good luck on your journey and whoever arrives at the forest may start searching for the ten golden flags.¡± He said quickly.

    ¡°Wait does that mean that the tournament has started?¡± Ling asked.

    ¡°I guess so.¡± Zhang said.

    This had totally caught everyone off guard. One would think they the tournament would start at the demonic forest itself however instead it began in the capital city which was a day¡¯s ride from the forest. This meant that those who had horses or means of transportation would have an advantage over everyone else.

    Thus began the mad race to the Demonic forest. Everyone rushed for their horses or carriages and began setting off.

    Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

    ¡°Let¡¯s head out everyone.¡± Zhang said as he put the throne he was sitting on into his interspatial ring.

    Unlike most commoners Zhang along with the other dignitaries all possessed horses and carriages which gave them an advantage over everyone. But Zhang had Inferno Wind Walks to be exact and his men all rode war horses.

    Once the journey began Zhang had the three inferno wind walkers hooked up to a large carriage and rode inside with Yuying, Ai, and Ling. While five hundred horsemen rode alongside them.

    They group traveled until the sun went down and pitched camp. Although there were many thousands of participants after leaving the capital city everyone seemed to go their separate ways. Once in awhile Zhang would spot a small group of participants but he did not see a lot at one time.

    Zhang¡¯s group had sent up many tents along a river as to provide a natural barrier to one side of their camp. They then divided into ten teams that would take turns keeping watch over the camp at night. Being in the wilderness they had to be vigilant and who knows maybe they might get attacked by the other participants of the tournament.

    Since prizes were at stake many people will resort to underhanded ways to secure victory.

    In the middle of the camp was a large tent in which Zhang and the three beauties slept. Of course Zhang had to sleep in a separate bed.

    ¡°Make sure to not let anyone come near our camp. Even if they seem like good people.¡± Zhang ordered to his soldiers before entering his tent.

    ¡°Brother you think we will find a flag?¡± Yuying asked.

    ¡°Who knows, but we actually do not need to find a flag. We simply need to possess one at the end of the five days.¡± Zhang replied with a devious smile.

    ¡°Then we should take our time and just wait for others to find flags.¡± Yuying said with an equally devious smile.

    ¡°You guys keep talking I¡¯m going to sleep.¡± Ai said as she jumped onto a huge bed.

    ¡°You are going to sleep without me?¡± Zhang said as he hopped onto the bed also landing on top of Ai.

    ¡°Brother! Go back to your own bed!¡± Ling yelled as she tugged at Zhang¡¯s arm.

    Without saying a word Zhang rotated his arm and grabbed Ling¡¯s. With a smile on his face he pulled her onto the bed also. Then he slowly moved her face closer to hers and gave her a peck on the cheek before rolling off the bed.

    ¡°Ok I¡¯ll go sleep all alone on this bed.¡± Zhang teased.

    Ling laid in bed blushing due to the small kiss on her cheeks. Yuying couldn¡¯t help but shake her head and smile at this situation.

    The very next day the group decided to stop traveling and fish from the river. They were using thread from silky to make nets to catch fish. And since Silky¡¯s thread was super sticker they managed to snag a ton of wish. This fish of course was shared amongst the group of four and the five hundred soldiers.

    They had decided to wait and travel once the participants traveling on foot arrived. They were in no rush to reach the demonic forest after Zhang pointed out they did not need to be the ones to actually find the flag.

    Although it would be somewhat unethical to steal a flag the rules only stated that as long as they had a flag on the sixth day they would be a commander.  So even if they did not get to the demonic forest for the first couple days then it would still be fine.

    ¡°It seems that the king has made the tournament very interesting, everything is more than meets the eye.¡± Zhang said to Yuying, Ai and Ling while laying in their tent for the second night.

    ¡°Indeed he did brother.¡± Yuying replied.

    ¡°Tomorrow the people traveling by foot will most likely have reached the forest. A large number of them had passed us earlier today.¡± Ling said.

    ¡°Tomorrow we will head out toward the forest and I will have our five hundred men spread out and see if anyone has found a flag yet If someone found a flag then we will ambush them and take the flag.¡± Zhang said as he pulled a blanket over himself and tried to fall asleep.

    ¡°Good night brother.¡± Ai said from on top of her bed that she shared with Yuying and Ling.

    That was when Zhang suddenly yelled out.

    ¡°Their hatching! Yuying come quickly.¡±

    The next morning the group traveled to the border of the Demonic forest. Many participants had already began searching within the forest and tents could be seen set up all around the forest.

    ¡°Split up into squads of five and see if anyone has found a golden flag.¡± Zhang order his men.

    ¡°Yes my lord.¡± The men said in unison. These men had followed Zhang from Aurora and after seeing him in battle at Red Mist city had sworn their utter allegiance to Zhang.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go look also.¡± Zhang said while looking at the three beauties.

    Their group of four decided to go to a less occupied part of the forest. Once there Zhang opened his Ruler''s Domain and from within it countless fist sized spiders crawled out. Last night their eggs had finally hatched. Yuying spent the whole night mind washing them to become obedient to Zhang, Ai, Ling and herself.

    She saw that Ling was one of them now thus she decided to add Ling in when she was using her magic on the spiders.

    Once the spiders all crawled out of the Rulers Domain which had grown to the size of a small house. Yuying ordered them to spread out throughout the forest and search for a golden flag. These little spiders were very agile and many in number which would allow them to quickly comb the forest.

    And as demonic beasts of the 6th rank they most likely out classed any demonic beasts they might live in this forest. Despite their size these Titanic Golden spiderlings when working together could wipe out all of the living animals in this jungle.

    Yuying had also ordered them to eat their fill while roaming about in the jungle. While in the Ruler''s Domain these spiders would enter be supplied with a large amount of essence water like Silky but Zhang could not drop in enough food for all of them at one time. So it was best to have them feed in the forest for now.

    ¡°Alright let sit here and wait. Either the spiders will find the flags or our men will find someone who had found a flag.¡± Zhang said.

    The group laid out a small picnic in the forest and ate lunch as they waited. A short while after a group of five soldiers came back to make a report to Zhang.

    ¡°My lord it seems that nine of the ten flags had already been acquired. We learned this from another participant we encountered.¡± The soldier said.

    ¡°Good now go inform the others to search for the location and names of the nine people who have those flags.¡± Zhang commanded.

    ================================================================

    So yea three chapters :D thoughts? O_o

 Chapter 44: Dead Forest

    Zhang¡¯s group had set up camp within the forest. Tomorrow would be the fourth day of the tournament so Zhang was sitting in his tent looking at list that was compiled by his men. He had to pick out a target to take a flag from. On the list there were nine names and locations. These were the names of the people who had the nine flags that were found.

    The soldiers Zhang had brought with him had spent most of the day gathering information from the other participants. From this they were able to learn many things. Of the nine flags found two of them were found on the first day sticking out of the middle of a river that ran through the forest. Then next two were found sticking out the side of the mountain that was in the center of the forest. The other five flags were found at random locations within the forest.

    ¡°Perhaps I should wait until the last day before making my move.¡± Zhang thought. Making his move too early would do more harm than good. Once he took their flag the previous owner of the flag would definitely go after him. Once a flag was stolen then everyone who did not have a flag would also try to steal one for themselves which would cause lots of chaos.

    ¡°Although a little bit of chaos isn¡¯t too bad.¡± Zhang thought as an evil grin appeared on his face. However, he quickly erased the thought from his mind. He could probably get all nine flags if he confronted the other groups however ending the tournament early was not his goal. What¡¯s the fun in doing that?

    Although the Demonic forest was not very big it still encompassed a large area of land and was complete with a large river and mountain within it.

    These nine flags were currently in the possession of nine different people. Of the nine people eight of them were the dignitaries that were invited by the king and the final person being the leader of some clan that lived in the capital city.

    The dignitaries had hired many of the participants to join their group using gold.  With large amounts of manpower, they were able to locate flags.

    Now since there was only one flag left everyone was frantically searching for it. For the commoners this would be their last shot at a once in a lifetime opportunity. People combed the mountains and others swam the rivers. However, the last flag was not found.

    ¡°Odd the spiderlings combed the entire forest today but have yet to locate the final flag.¡± Yuying said while facing Zhang inside their tent.

    ¡°It¡¯s ok no need to keep thinking about that we will just snatch a flag from someone on the last day of the first part of the tournament.¡± Zhang said as he laid down on his bed.

    ¡°Guess so.¡± Ai said as she hopped onto her own bed.

    ¡°Silky you be careful tonight when looking for food okay? Also make sure not to attack people.¡± Yuying said as she took Silky off from the top of her head and put it onto the ground. She was going to let Silky go roam the forest with the rest of the spiderlings. It was best to let it gain some experience hunting other demonic beasts.

    Thanks to being fed essence water since hatching Silky¡¯s power was many times stronger than a regular spider queen hatchling. It also seemed that by being near the Underworld Heart affected it also. And since this is was the first time the Underworld Heart appeared in the mortal plane who knows what effect it would have the things around it.

    Yuying, Ai, and Zhang had been able to grow their cultivation at extremely fast speeds thanks to it. The heart did not have very high battle capabilities but it had a wide range of uses which have been very beneficial.

    The group¡¯s small horde of spiderling roamed the forest hunting prey at an astonishingly fast pace. Individually there were too weak however thanks to their numbers despite their small size the spiderlings were able to hunt pretty much any demonic beast or animal in this forest without suffer any casualties.

    Once a target was spotted the spiderlings would start deploying their threads of silk. The thread would be used to seal off all routes of escape and then they would move in on the prey. Yuying had used her magic to increase the intelligence on these spiderlings making them able of cooperating with each other unlike the spiders at the ruins.

    Thanks to the fact that they had just hatched it was easy for her to use her magic to manipulate them. It is easier to break and rebuild something undeveloped compared to something that was. Unlike Silky she did not cast magic on them individually. Yuying had casted her magic on the small horde of spiderlings all at the same time.

    This would save lots of time compared to casting the spell on them individually. Although it meant she would have to cast the same spell over and over a few times before it had the full effect it did like on Silky.

    Tonight the moon was out and throughout the forest countless animals were being hunted down. However, in the morning when the people wake up there wouldn¡¯t be a trace of these animals.

    This was because the Titanic Golden spiders unlike many spiders actually consumed every part of their prey. Leaving almost nothing behind after they were done. And when they ate their prey was sedated by venom so there was no struggle.

    In the morning when everyone woke up there was an eerie silence looming over the forest. At night all of the animals had been driven very deep into the forest by the spiderlings.

    When Zhang woke up he found that his tent was empty and not a single soul was around.

    ¡°Wonder where they are.¡± He murmured as he got up from bed and began getting dressed. Once he was fully clothed Zhang walked outside of his tent to find that it was almost empty. Besides for a few people the rest were gone.

    ¡°Where do everyone go?¡± Zhang asked one of his men.

    ¡°My lord a hot spring was discovered in the mountains and the madams wanted to go there to bathe. They did not wish to wake you my lord so they headed off by themselves. However, how could we let the three madams go into the mountains alone? So we large number of our men went to guard them.¡± The soldier replied.

    ¡°Could you show me which way they went. Also once the other men come back split this with them. Thank you for your hard work.¡± Zhang said as he made a bag leather bag appear and handed it to the soldier. Inside of it was a few hundred gold coins.

    ¡°My thanks my lord. The madams and the other men headed in that direction.¡± The soldier said as he pointed Zhang to where everyone went.

    ¡°My lord would you like for the rest of us to escort you?¡± The soldier asked.

    ¡°No need I will be fine by myself. You guys may rest for the remainder of the day.¡± Zhang replied as he began walking in the direction the soldier had pointed to.

    After walking for a while Zhang found himself on the small mountain in the forest along the way he had spots quite a few people combing the forest. About half way up the mountain Zhang spots his soldiers dressed in black armor. They were currently sitting in front of campfires and eating breakfast.

    ¡°My Lord!¡± One soldier said the moment he saw Zhang and got up to salute.

    ¡°No need you guys continue eating.¡± Zhang said to the soldiers.

    ¡°Where are they?¡± Zhang asked.

    ¡°My lord we did not want to intrude so we created a perimeter around the hot spring. The madams are currently a short distance behind the underbrush.¡± A soldier replied.

    ¡°Ok once you finish eating you can all return to the camp and rest for the remainder of the day.¡± Zhang said.

    ¡°Many thanks my lord.¡± The soldiers said in unison.

    After talking to the soldiers Zhang slowly began walking into underbrush. He stealthily maneuvered himself through until the hot springs was in sight. Puffs of steam can be seen rising from the water and into the air.

    As he got closer Zhang can hear the sounds of frolicking reverberate in the air. Splashing of water could be heard and cheerful laughter also. Once Zhang got close enough he saw a scene from heaven. Three fairy like beauties were stark naked and splashing each other with water in a hot spring.

    With his attention elsewhere Zhang kept walking and eventually stumbled on a rock and fell into the hot spring fully clothed.

    ¡°Kyaaaa! Someone was peeping!¡± A voice rang out.

    ¡°Wait wait! It¡¯s me!¡± Zhang yelled as his head popped out of the water.

    Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

    ¡°Oh it¡¯s you brother.¡± Yuying said. However, once she noticed Zhang¡¯s gazed she quickly used her hands to cover herself and once Ai and Ling saw her they too used their hands to cover themselves.

    ¡°Yo-you look away!¡± Yuying, Ai and Ling yelled in unison.

    Zhang not wanting to be attacked looked the other way and began walking out of the water.

    ¡°It¡¯s not like there¡¯s nothing I haven¡¯t seen before.¡± Zhang murmur.

    ¡°What did you say?¡± Ling yelled.

    ¡°No-nothing.¡± Zhang replied as he began taking off his wet clothes.

    ¡°Wha-what are you doing!?¡± Yuying yelled.

    ¡°Changing out of these wet clothes of course.¡± Zhang replied while in his hand a pair of dry clothes appeared.

    The three beauties seeing that he was stripping looked away. Moments later Zhang had already stored away his wet clothes into his interspatial ring and worn new dry clothes.

    After putting on his clothes Zhang found a nice looking tree and sat down under it facing the opposite direction of the hot spring.

    ¡°You guys continued I¡¯ll keep watch over here.¡± Zhang said.

    However, sounds of people getting out of water could be heard. A short while later Yuying, Ai, and Ling came to the tree Zhang was sitting under and sat beside him.

    ¡°Next time no peeking mister.¡± Ling said as she sat down and leaned on his right arm.

    ¡°Yea there better be no next time brother!¡± Ai said as she sat down in his lap.

    ¡°If there is a next time we won¡¯t pay attention to you anymore.¡± Yuying said as she sat down and leaned on his left arm.

    Anyone who happened to pass by and see this scene would most likely turn green from envy. Perhaps if an artist was able to capture this scene he might even be able to sell it for a lot of gold. Many men would want to buy the painting and imagine that the young man in the painting was them.

    The group of four soon fell into their own little world and sat together enjoying the atmosphere. Being in a peace forest with each other was more than they could ask for.

    Soon a hissing sound could be heard from the top of the tree and when they looked up they could see Silky dropping down from above. It was dropping down as it hung from a single strand of thread. Its target was the top of Yuying¡¯s head.

    Seeing this Zhang couldn¡¯t help but somewhat chuckle. Silky being a queen spider looked more adorable than creepy so as it tried to crawl onto Yuying¡¯s head it looked very silly.

    The group proceeded to hang out by the hot springs for the next few hours. Ling enjoyed this very much being the first time she was able to have quality time with Zhang after three years since his disappearance.

    Life was full of unpredictable things so she wanted to create as many good lasting memories as possible. Having lost him and missed out on being with him for three years Ling felt she had to make up for all the lost time.

    After a while the group headed back to camp to find something to eat. They were in no rush to get a golden flag so as everyone else frantically searched they would leisurely do nothing at camp. Tomorrow would be the last day of the tournament and the king will arrive to initiate the second part of the tournament.

    As the group rested at camp the received news that elsewhere someone had found the tenth flag. It was well hidden at the bottom of the river. Someone was fishing for food and luckily hooked and pulled it up from the water. Once news of this got out hordes of people came looking for this individual.

    Some asked to be picked by him to enter the seconds stage while others asked to buy the flag off of him. This particular person was only a simple farmer who had joined the tournament to get a shot at possibly being selected for the second stage and getting some gold.

    Who would have thought that he would find one of the ten flag? One should know that despite having close to a hundred participants there were only ten flags. It meant that whoever possessed a flag was incredibly powerful or extremely lucky.

    So far only people with a lot of influence and manpower have been able to obtain a flag which meant that this mean was very lucky.

    ¡°I will give you one hundred gold coins for that flag!¡± A man yelled.

    ¡°One hundred? I¡¯ll give you one thousand!¡± Another man yelled.

    ¡°All of you piss off Prince Ming Jiang wishes to obtain this flag.¡± Yet another man yelled. Behind him a youth in golden robes could be seen walking toward the man that found the flag. He was being escorted by many people and gave off an air of nobility.

    ¡°I will give you thirty thousand gold coins. I think that will be enough to live out the rest of your life and have enough for the next few generations of your family.¡± Ming Jiang said.

    Hearing the words thirty thousand gold coins made the man awestruck. This amount of money to him was a huge sum that would allow him to stop being a farmer and become a rich man with many beautiful wives.

    ¡°Deal!¡± The man who found the flag yelled.

    ¡°Alright I will have someone deliver the gold to you.¡± Ming Jiang said as he gestured to his men. Normally he would simply overpower this man and snatch the flag however if he did that hear then with so many other people around they would try to snatch the flag from him.

    ¡°This means that bastard won¡¯t make it to the second stage.¡± Ming Jiang sneered in his mind. He knew who had the previous flags and since he had the last one it meant that Zhang would be left without a flag.

    ¡°Watch how I shame you in front of everyone tomorrow.¡± He thought as one of his men handed the man a huge sack of gold and took the flag from the man¡¯s hands.

    Many people looked at the man¡¯s sack of gold with greed but before they could do anything a voice rang out from behind him.

    ¡°Escort that man out of the forest and back to the city.¡±

    Once they looked back they could see Zhang standing there and alongside him were three very beautiful women.

    When Zhang had saw the looks on the people¡¯s eyes he felt pity for the man who found the flag. From the looks of it the man was very poor having what was close to rags as clothes. One can tell from the callouses on his hands that he did lots of manual labor and this money would change his life.

    Although he was not the only poor person present Zhang felt that if he did nothing this man would be killed for no reason and he could not just ignore that. In war everything was fair game. But outside of it he could not just sit by and watch a huge mob gang up on one poor man for his wealth.

    After Zhang¡¯s words a few of his soldiers came and helped escort the man out of the forest. The man had noticed the gazes of those around him and was very thankful for this.

    ¡°Ah if it isn¡¯t the next lord of Aurora.¡± Prince Ming Jiang said with a sneer.

    ¡°Prince Ming Jiang it¡¯s been a few days since we last met. How¡¯s your leg feeling? My wives keep telling me to not attack weaklings but I can¡¯t help but do so when some weaklings think they are strong.¡± Zhang said with a smile on his face.

    ¡°Ha say what you will but I have the last flag now meaning that you won¡¯t have a chance to move forward. How does it feel be to lose?¡± Ming Jiang replied with a sneer.

    Without saying a word Zhang, the three beauties, and their men left.

    Seeing this a huge smile appeared on Ming Jiang¡¯s face. From the looks of it Zhang was shamed by his words and left.

    <hr />

    Eh was suppose to post this last night but i got sleepy and was like 500 words short from the length i wanted. Maybe 2 more chapters today? Let''s see how busy the shop is. Also thoughts O_o ? ??

 Chapter 45: Surprise!!

    While walking away from Ming Jiang a slight grin could be seen on Zhang¡¯s face.

    ¡°Just you wait for tomorrow.¡± Zhang thought as his grin grew wider.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go back to camp everyone.¡± Zhang said.

    ¡°How about we go on a stroll for a bit?¡± Ling asked.

    ¡°Yea there¡¯s nothing to do at the camp.¡± Ai added.

    ¡°A stroll might be nice, where do you guy want to head to?¡± Zhang asked.

    ¡°I heard from one of the soldiers that there is an open field of flowers not far from our camp how bout we go there.¡± Yuying said.

    Thus the group of four headed in the direction of their camp in search of the flower field. Simply spending time together was very enjoyable for the group.

    They continued walking and chatting with each other leisurely until they walked into an opening in the forest. The opening was filled with many kinds of different flowers.

    ¡°Ah it¡¯s beautiful.¡± Ai said as she run into the flower field.

    Soon Yuying and Ling both joined her. The three beauties played in the flower field and picked the beautiful flowers.

    ¡°Yet another scene from heaven.¡± Zhang thought as he looked for a spot to sit down. Once he found a place to sit Zhang began picking flowers. He then made them into three bracelets.

    ¡°This will do. If one had free time, then it is best spent wooing women.¡± Zhang chuckled in his mind.

    ¡°What do you have there brother?¡±

    When Zhang looked up to see three smiling faces looking down at him.

    ¡°For you three.¡± He said as he showed them the three flower bracelets.

    ¡°Oh that¡¯s very pretty.¡± Ai said as she reached her hand out in front of Zhang waiting for him to put it on for her.

    Moments later the bracelet was on her hand and ray of energy was shooting out of Zhang¡¯s fingertips.  He was using the power of the Underworld Heart to change the flower bracelet. Slowly the fresh looking flowers turned into crystal. The bracelet sparkled under the sunlight and looked extremely unique.

    After Ai get her bracelet Yuying and Ling got theirs.

    ¡°Brother what would other people think if they found out you are using a treasure like the Underworld Heart to make bracelets.¡± Yuying laughed.

    ¡°They¡¯d be jealous of me.¡± Zhang said.

    ¡°Why you they be jealous of you?¡± Ling chuckled.

    ¡°They¡¯d be jealous because I have three very beautiful women to give these bracelets to.¡± Zhang said as he pulled Yuying and Ling down onto himself. After Yuying and Ling fell Ai soon followed. By now the three beauties were used to this and laid down beside him.

    ¡°If only moments like this can last forever.¡± Ling sighed.

    ¡°Moments like this won¡¯t last forever but that doesn¡¯t mean we can make more of them.¡± Zhang said as he pulled her in closer to himself.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be sure try my best to make you three happy.¡± Zhang murmured.

    The four of them laid in the middle of the field of flowers looking at fluffy clouds floating in the sky.

    ¡°Sis that one looks like a heart.¡± Ai said to Ling as she pointed at a heart shaped cloud.

    ¡°Yea it does. That one over there looks like a fish.¡± Ling said.

    ¡°That one there looks like a flower.¡± Yuying pointed out.

    Zhang truly felt that even if someone offered him the world to trade places with him right now he would decline.

    ¡°The lucky man in the world does not have pretty wives. But wives that get along. I truly am the luckiest man alive. My future wives will be very beautiful and will get along.¡± Zhang thought as a silly grin appeared on his face. He felt that he was truly blessed to have these three women with him.

    Because even if a man had many beautiful wives, if they didn''t get along, then there would never be a happy home to come home to.

    ¡°For Yuying, Ai, and Ling to get along so well was a gift from heaven to me.¡± Zhang thought.

    ¡°Brother so we are only going to get one flag?¡± Ling asked while still in Zhang¡¯s embrace.

    ¡°Yes we are only going to get one flag, I already have made plans to make the last stage of the tournament be highly favorable for us.

    The lovebirds laid in the flower field and watched the sunset and be replaced by countless twinkling stars in the sky. The Demonic Forest had been made into a couple¡¯s getaway by this group of four. With the Titanic Golden spiders roaming and hunting down many of the demonic beasts in the forest this place made the perfect getaway.

    ¡°That there is the constellation of the north called the black tortoise. And that is the constellation of the east called the azure dragon. Over there is the vermillion bird of the south.¡± Zhang said as he pointed to some stars in the sky.

    ¡°Brother you forgot about the white tiger of the west.¡± Ling said as she pointed up into the starry night.

    ¡°Have you guys heard the story of the cow herder and the lunar goddess?¡± Yuying asked.

    ¡°What¡¯s that about sister?¡± Ai asked.

    ¡°Yea tell us.¡± Zhang.

    ¡°A long long time ago there was a cow herder by the name of Niulang who met a very beautiful girl named Zhinu. Zhinu was a fairy tasked with weaving heaven¡¯s silks who had come to the mortal plane out of boredom. After meeting each other the two quickly fell in love and even had two children together. However, this was a taboo that was not meant to be broken. Mortals and the heavenly beings were not supposed to be together. So Zhinu was forced to return to heaven leaving her husband and two children. However, fate would have it that they would meet again. Niulang came to possess a magical cloak that allowed him to travel to heaven. He traveled to heaven to meet his wife while bringing along his two children. But fate also played cruel tricks on people. He was found before he could meet his wife and was expelled back down to the mortal plane. But pitying the two lover¡¯s heaven allowed them to meet each other for one night on seventh night of the seventh moon.¡± Yuying said.

    ¡°But this is just a story I¡¯m not sure if it¡¯s true or not.¡± She added.

    ¡°This story just goes to show us that we must treasure every moment we have with each other.¡± Zhang said as he cuddles with the three beauties.

    From his interspatial ring Zhang made a large blanket appear.

    ¡°How about we sleep here for tonight?¡± He said.

    No one replied to his question nor did anyone get up. So thus the group slept outside in the flower field.

    In the morning Zhang woke to find the three beauties still sleeping in his arms. Today would be the last day of the first part of the tournament.

    Overnight all of the Titanic Golden spiders gathered in the flower field. They could be seen hiding under the bushes of flowers.

    Zhang opened the Ruler''s Domain and with a whistle the spiders all crawled into the portal that was created.

    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

    Later in the day king Huang He arrived along with his entourage. A large stage was put together outside of the forest. On the stage a large hourglass was placed and ten flag holders could be seen on top of that stage.

    Once the stage was set up many of the people who had golden flags began leaving the forest and heading for the stage. When they got to the stage they would walk onto the stage and stick their flag into the flag holder.

    One by one these people came and eventually ten people were sitting on top of the stage.

    ¡°Everyone is here your majesty should we move on to the second part of the tournament?¡± A middle aged minister asked king Huang He.

    ¡°No not yet not until the sand in the hourglass all drops to the bottom.¡± Huang He replied.

    There was roughly two more hours¡¯ worth of sand still left in the hourglass and once that was gone then the first part of the tournament would end and Huang He would initiate the second part.

    On stage the ten people with flags were waiting for the end of the first part of the tournament while chatting amongst themselves.

    ¡°What¡¯s the point of this waiting all of us are here already.¡± Ming Jiang complained to another young man sitting beside him.

    ¡°Ming Jiang as impatient as always. Waiting a bit longer won¡¯t kill you. I suggest you just bear with it and not make a scene.¡± The young man said.

    ¡°Hpmh we can¡¯t all be as a patient as like you Shu Shang. But then again I¡¯m not second in line for the throne like some people and have to bid their time and pray an accident happens to the first in line.¡± Ming Jiang sneered.

    ¡°What do you mean? Are you saying I want to take the throne from my brother?¡± Shu Shang replied with a glare.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t I right? You''re always telling people to wait patiently and shit. So I would think the same about yourself.¡± Ming Jiang said in a mocking tone.

    ¡°Hmph even if I don¡¯t become the next king I will still be a duke and my territory in the Shu kingdom will still be bigger than your entire kingdom. What¡¯s the point of fighting with my brother over something that¡¯s not mine?¡± Shu Shang sneered at Ming Jiang.

    ¡°So what if your territory will be bigger? You¡¯re going to live under someone your entire life.¡± Ming Jiang said mocking Shu Shang.

    ¡°And you¡¯re not going to? I heard that your father fancies your little brother very much maybe he will replace you and have him as the crowned prince.¡±

    ¡°Shu Shang quit acting like you are so righteous.¡± A third voice appeared.

    ¡°Hmph if it isn¡¯t prince Liu Pi. You still sucking up to Ming Jiang?¡± Shu Shang sneered

    With a third participant the three argued back and forth as the sand in the hourglass continued to pour down until almost all gone with roughly a few minutes¡¯ worth of sand left inside.

    Huang He seeing that said had roughly a few minutes left stood up and walked to the center of the stage to speak.

    However, before he could start talking from the audience a black vine shot out toward the stage straight at prince Liu Pi. In a blink of an eye the whip smashed into Liu Pi knocking him flying off the stage.

    And in an instance a figure jumped out from the crowd and grabbed that flag that Liu Pi had possessed.

    ¡°Your majesty I apologize for the commotion.¡± The figure said.

    This person would be recognized as Zhang and the person that used the whip in the crowd was Ai.

    ¡°I would like to announce that the first part of the tournament has come to an end.¡± King Huang He said as if no paying attention to what Zhang did.

    While many people were watching in confusion. Everything happened so fast they were not able to fully process it. Ming Jiang was the most stupefied because he was the closest person to Liu Pi at the time

    The entire time Zhang and the three beauties were waiting in the crowd for the perfect opportunity to act. Once the hourglass was nearly empty Ai pulled out the Black Thorn whip and attacked Liu Pi while Zhang jumped on stage to claim the flag. At first they had planned to attack Ming Jiang but decided against it once they saw that Liu Pi and Ming Jiang were ganging up on Shu Shang. Taking out Liu Pi first and saving Ming Jiang for later would be more fulfilling.

    After Liu pi was hit by the whip he was knocked off stage and smashed into the ground knocking him unconscious. The attack had taken him totally off guard since he was busy helping Ming Jiang argue with Shu Shang.

    As many people came to realize what had happened they felt a hint of pity for Liu Pi who came so close to advancing to the second stage of the tournament.

    ¡°Without further ado let''s being the picking of teams. Each team will be composed of one thousand people since the final part of the tournament will be somewhat like a mock war. All participants pick wisely when choosing who will join you for the final battle.¡±

    ¡°As you pick people I will explain the rules for the last part of the tournament. In the colosseum there are ten towers and each person with a golden flag will guard one tower. The golden flag they possess will be placed at the very top of the tower. Each team will be assigned a color and their tower will emit that color showing they have ownership of the tower. But once someone makes it to the very top of the tower and touches the flag it will change colors according to the team the person who touched it belongs to. How will we know which team the person is on you might ask? That will be simple everyone participating in the final battle will have to use weapons and armor supplied by the kingdom. These weapons were made by a saint level mystic that was invited from the Golden Lotus. These weapons will not physically harm anyone when used to attack however when people wear the armor provided the pain of the attack will still register.¡± King Huang He said.

    ¡°Each set of armor has a glass plate in front of them and once these glass plates are broken then the person wearing the armor will be taken out of the battle. At the end of the tournament whoever still has a tower under their team¡¯s control will be a victor and will have a chance to enter the treasury of our Heilong kingdom and pick out one item to take home.¡±

    After the king¡¯s explanation everyone hurriedly went to pick out members to serve under them. Zhang casually left and headed back to his camp. As Zhang left someone was watching him. Ming Jiang was currently glaring at Zhang and if he could eat Zhang¡¯s bones and drink his blood then Ming Jiang would.

    Ming Jiang and Liu Pi were very close friends since their kingdoms were neighbors and had always been on very good terms. And for Zhang to take out Liu Pi like that, Ming Jiang would definitely go look for revenge.

    ¡°Just you watch I¡¯ll get you for that. I¡¯ll make you suffer a fate worse than death and then I¡¯ll take those three beauties for myself.¡± Ming Jiang said while watching Zhang leave.

    Unlike everyone else Zhang did not need to look for people to serve under him. Unlike everyone else who just brought regular servants he brought soldiers. He had planned for the final part of the tournament ahead of time and brought along five hundred soldiers he only needed roughly another five hundred.

    Once Zhang returned to camp a familiar face greeted him.

    ¡°My lord all of the preparations have been done.¡±

    ¡°Good.¡±

    <hr />

    Busy yesterday got tired fell asleep before posting but here :D. also thoughts? lol Also give the story reviews lol it dropped to 3.91 T__T was a nice 4 for a while :(

 Chapter 46: Ten Towers

    Today the citizens of the Heilong kingdom were extremely rowdy. The king had announced that all of the citizens of the kingdom could come and watch the end of the tournament without having to pay any sort of admission fee. Thus many people stayed how and did not go to work.

    Today the citizens of the Heilong kingdom were extremely rowdy. The king had announced that all of the citizens of the kingdom could come and watch the end of the tournament without having to pay any sort of admission fee. Thus many people stayed home and did not go to work.

    To be able to watch the tournament is a once in a lifetime chance for many of the citizens of the kingdom so they all came to the coliseum in flocks. Store owners closed shop early for the day, workers left work, and children stayed home from school. People came from far and wide to the capital to watch the tournament.

    The hordes of people would all arrive at the coliseum and be led in and seated by soldiers under the direct command of the king. Hundreds of thousands of seats were filled up as people flooded the stands. Had it not been for the soldiers the king arranged then many people could have gotten hurt fighting over seats. But thanks to the soldier¡¯s orderly lines were made.

    In the center of the massive colosseum that took hundreds of thousands of people working day and night for six months were ten large towers.  Each tower looked identical to the next.  The playing field of the colosseum was built in the shape of a decagon with a tower at each corner. The rest of the landscape was either made or built around a forest.

    As people tried to get seated ten large groups of people walked onto the arena below. Each group had come in from a different gate and were headed to their respective towers. They all were wearing different colored armor provided by the Heilong kingdom.

    =====================================================================================

    Zhang led Yuying, Ai, and Ling along with their nine hundred and ninety-six soldiers into the massive arena. All of them were wearing blue colored armor that was given to them by the kingdom and when they were given the choice of selecting weapons all of them picked spears. Zhang¡¯s soldiers marched in unison to the front of their tower and formed ranks as he walked to the front of the tower.

    ¡°Today we will show them that the forces of Aurora at not something they can mess with!!¡± Zhang yelled toward his men.

    Zhang¡¯s men did not cheer or yell but began hitting the bottom end of their spears on the ground. When done in unison this sounded like the marching of an army.

    All of the other teams looked in their direction in fear. Only now did some of the other teams realize that Zhang¡¯s men were all highly disciplined soldiers. Unlike their rag tag teams of random people.

    After talking to his men Zhang, Yuying, Ai, and Ling began ascending their tower. Step by step they walked up the tower and shortly after the group of four reached the top. A golden flag appeared in Zhang¡¯s hand.

    ¡°So who wants to do the honors?¡± Zhang said as he held onto the golden flag. They were told that they had to put the golden blue into an open slot at the top of the tower.

    ¡°I want to do it!¡± Ai volunteered.

    ¡°I want to do it too.¡± Ling said.

    ¡°But I said I would do it first.¡± Ai said.

    ¡°Hmph fine you can do it.¡± Ling said in an unhappy tone.

    ¡°Enough you two can both do it.¡± Zhang said as he put the flag down onto the ground. He then took Ai and Ling¡¯s delicate looking hands and placed them together.

    Moments later Ai and Ling both held onto the golden flag and plugged it in the empty slot at the top of the tower. Once the flag entered the slot a blue light shot out from the tip if the flag. Soon all of the other towers had a light shooting out of them also.

    When all of the towers lit up a loud voice could be heard everywhere in the colosseum.

    ¡°With this the final stage of the tournament begins! Once all of the light on these towers turn the same color a victory will be decided or when six hours have passed and all of the lights have turned off.¡±

    After the voice a large transparent screen could be seen hovering in the air. The screen was in the shape of a decagon much like the arena and on it a live feed of what was happening below would be seen.

    This was done by the combination of light and water magic used by those from the royal academy to project images of light onto water. On each screen there was a color and head count of soldiers. Once the glass plate on their armor was shattered the head count would go down.

    Down below Zhang had broken up his army into three groups. One was under the command of himself, one was led by Yuying and the other was led by Ling and Ai.

    ¡°Brother I will move to the right while you move to the left.¡± Yuying said.

    ¡°We will hold down the tower here.¡± Ling said while looking at Ai.

    ¡°Agreed, due to the shade of the arena if we go for the towers at our sides first then we would only have to fight on three sides at any given time. And since our soldiers are superior to theirs we should be able to hold out.¡± Zhang said.

    Once the group began moving scenes of fighting were suddenly projected onto the screen above. Soldiers wearing the same colored armor could be seeing fighting each other and taking out their teammates.

    ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡± king Huang He asked as he was watch the scenes from a balcony.

    ¡°We don¡¯t know my lord they just started fighting each other the second the final stage began.¡± A men replied to him. This man could be recognized as Wu Tony, Ling¡¯s father. A short distance away was Zhang¡¯s father sitting on a bench watching the event.

    Zhou Cheng was intently watching the screen that showed the team wearing blue armor. He was secretly cheering for his son as he watched.

    Below down in the arena Zhang was leading roughly three hundred men to take over a tower. He had a slight grin on his face as he led his men through the forest.

    ¡°It should be happening now. By the time we get to the tower then it will be just right for the picking.¡±  Zhang said in his mind as a devilish grin appeared on his face.

    Soon the enemy tower shooting purple light into the sky was in sight and sounds of fighting could be heard as they got closer. Moments later Zhang¡¯s forces found themselves standing in front of a battle field. Soldiers wearing the same colored armor were fighting amongst themselves with many knocked out on the ground due to their shattered glass plates.

    ¡°All men wearing purple armor under my command reform ranks and retreat to the blue tower and defend it. Take out anyone you suspect that is not with us.¡± Zhang commanded.

    As Zhang commanded a few hundred purple armored men broke off from the fighting and began heading for the blue tower. Once these men broke off the purple team lost nearly half of its numbers on top of the men that it had lost before Zhang came.

    Everyone watching the screens from above were stupefied as they saw this happen.

    ¡°Why are those soldiers wearing purple armor listening to that man wearing blue armor?¡± Some people yelled out in confusion.

    However, the more intelligent people could figure out what happened. Clearly those purple armored soldiers were servants of the leader of the blue tower who had been planted in the enemy team.

    ¡°Attack!!!¡± Zhang yelled. He had order his men in purple armor to retreat as to not accidentally fight his own men.

    Zhang¡¯s three hundred men formed a wall of spears and moved in on the tower. The soldiers wearing purple armor that weren¡¯t under Zhang¡¯s command were still in utter confusion causing many of the to me picked off by Zhang¡¯s men.

    The quicker minded men all retreated back into the tower to defend it. On the top of the tower looking down was a young man who was most likely the prince of some kingdom. The young man had watched everything unfold from above and was put in a daze.

    He originally was going to just stubbornly defend until the time limit was up but who would have thought that his soldiers would suddenly begin fighting each other.

    Elsewhere on the battlefield Yuying was leading her forces to attack a tower.

    ¡°Everyone let¡¯s go quickly!¡± She yelled.

    ¡°We are at your command madam.¡± The soldiers replied.

    ¡°Fall into crescent moon formation!¡¯¡± Yuying yelled. As a princess in the underworld she not only was well versed in art, literature, cultivation techniques, but also basically military strategy also. There was a vast amount of knowledge in the underworld that was collected over countless years that she would study and learn from.

    By deploying soldiers in a crescent moon formation she would be able encircle her opponents from three directions while giving them one way to escape. They would make it so that weak willed soldiers would simply begin running away. Although this is only a mock battle physiology still played a part in commanding soldiers. (Just soldiers deployed in the shape of a crescent moon, usually used to out flank enemies.)

    Luckily she was given veteran soldiers who had trained and lived together while other people had rag tag teams of people.

    ¡°Brothers plan most likely has come into play now.¡± Yuying thought to herself. The night before the final stage of the tournament Zhang had told them that he had Lu Xun and their nineteen thousand and five hundred soldiers blend in with the participants and try to be picked to join the teams of the other people who had flags.

    With their physical and martial prowess many of their soldiers would be selected and most likely took up a large number of subordinates for the other people who possessed flags. This meant that they would have a numerical advantage over all of the other teams and their soldiers would be able to attack from both the outside and the inside.

    ¡°Just you watch brother I¡¯ll show you I can lead and fight also.¡± Yuying thought.

    As she led her soldiers closer to a tower with a yellow ray of light shooting out of it she could hear the sounds of a fight happening.

    ¡°Soldiers of Aurora fall back and reform ranks behind us!¡± She yelled.

    Hearing her words, a group of roughly two hundred soldiers wearing yellow armor broke off from the fighting and ran behind the group of soldiers wearing blue armor.

    ¡°Move in with the crescent moon formation. Then break into square formation units!¡± Yuying commanded. With square formation units her soldiers would be able to use their spears to their maximum capabilities This formation was best for close hand to hand combat. With spearmen forming a square no one would be able to overtake them, not even cavalry without suffering some damage.

    ¡°Move toward the tower!¡± Yuying yelled.

    While Yuying was battling for the yellowed tower the soldiers of Aurora that were wearing purple armor had returned to the blue tower awaiting Ling and Ai¡¯s orders.

    Although Ai had no knowledge for commanding soldiers, Ling was fairly capable of commanding. Despite not being as well versed as Zhang and Yuying, Ling was a genius in her own right.  And with the few hundred men from the purple tower along with hers she was fairly confident in being able to defend the blue tower. Or if the opportunity presented itself claim a tower or two.

    ¡°Form a defensive perimeter we will defend for now until some enemy towers are captured.¡± Ling commanded.

    Before Ling could finish her words the purple light in the sky faded and was replaced by a blue light. This meant that Zhang had taken the purple tower. Soon afterward the yellow light in the sky disappeared and was replaced with a blue light also.

    On the opposite side of the arena an orange light faded and was replaced by a green light.

    ¡°Someone other than us has managed to take a tower.¡± Ling thought to herself.

    ¡°We will be moving out. Pick out one hundred men to stay behind and the rest form into invert wedge formation!¡± Ling ordered.

    The audience watching everything happening was awestruck. Everything happened so quickly that it was hard to keep up with. Not only was the blue team the first to capture a tower they were able to capture two of them consecutively.

    What was more amazing was the green team that was able to use the chaos caused by the teams who were fighting amongst themselves to capture a tower.

    ¡°That prince Shu Shang was amazing he managed to capture that tower without losing a single person.¡± A man in the audience said.

    ¡°Yea but that blue team is something else they were able to take two towers right off the bat.¡± Another man said.

    Down in the arena fighting had broken out everywhere. Thanks to Zhang¡¯s ploy no one was able to only stick to defending. Some teams were lucky and only had a small number of Zhang¡¯s men mixed into them whereas other teams were unlike and made up almost entirely of his men.

    The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

    On by one the towers fell to the blue team and the green team. Only roughly three hours into the final stage the blue team possessed five towers, while the green team possessed three, then there was the red team and the black team who were barely hanging on.

    Since they started at opposite sides of the arena the blue and green team had yet to encounter each other. The two teams were vastly superior to the rest of the teams. The blue team thanks to Zhang¡¯s prior planning had roughly four thousand men. Whereas the green team after losing a hundred men were left with nine hundred. The red team and black team each had roughly five hundred men left.

    ¡°Your majesty this has taken a turn for the unexpected. We had originally planned for the event to end in a ten-way tie based on the fact that the teams could not attack another team fully without leaving their tower open. However, who would have thought that this would happen.¡± A minister said to king Huang He.

    ¡°Indeed a ten-way tie would have been best.  But there is only so much we could do to not displease anyone in the alliance.¡± Huang He replied. Although there were many dignitaries who came Huang He only arranged for ten winners because of the various secret alliances within the alliance of kingdoms. There were roughly ten of them and he wanted to please them by making it so they each got a prize. But who would have thought that Zhang had thrown a wrench into this plan.

    ¡°Wu Tong you sure found yourself a talented son in law.¡± Huang He said with a laugh.

    ¡°Look the blue team is attacking the red team now.¡± Another minister yelled.

    Down below Zhang was leading a large group of soldiers. These soldiers were composed of man wearing different colored armor. Some had yellow, other had purple and so on.

    The red tower was in sight and a familiar figure could be seen standing on top of it.

    ¡°Ming Jiang! I¡¯ve come to beat the crap out of you!!¡± Zhang yelled.

    ==================================================================================

    Read all of the comments on the other post. Thanks for the input I''ll think about it as i progress the story. Also to clarify I still see this as the beginning of the story. Not much has really happened yet so stay tuned  and the dragon soul will be mentioned soon i thought of something really nice for it lol.

    Also thoughts on the chapter? O_O Votes? Donations for the poor?

    To be able to watch the tournament is a once in a lifetime chance for many of the citizens of the kingdom so they all came to the coliseum in flocks. Store owners closed shop early for the day, workers left work, and children stayed home from school. People came from far and wide to the capital to watch the tournament.

    The hordes of people would all arrive at the coliseum and be led in and seated by soldiers under the direct command of the king. Hundreds of thousands of seats were filled up as people flooded the stands. Had it not been for the soldiers the king arranged then many people could have gotten hurt fighting over seats. But thanks to the soldier¡¯s orderly lines were made.

    In the center of the massive colosseum that took hundreds of thousands of people working day and night for six months were ten large towers.  Each tower looked identical to the next.  The playing field of the colosseum was built in the shape of a decagon with a tower at each corner. The rest of the landscape was either made or built around a forest.

    As people tried to get seated ten large groups of people walked onto the arena below. Each group had come in from a different gate and were headed to their respective towers. They all were wearing different colored armor provided by the Heilong kingdom.

    =====================================================================================

    Zhang led Yuying, Ai, and Ling along with their nine hundred and ninety-six soldiers into the massive arena. All of them were wearing blue colored armor that was given to them by the kingdom and when they were given the choice of selecting weapons all of them picked spears. Zhang¡¯s soldiers marched in unison to the front of their tower and formed ranks as he walked to the front of the tower.

    ¡°Today we will show them that the forces of Aurora at not something they can mess with!!¡± Zhang yelled toward his men.

    Zhang¡¯s men did not cheer or yell but began hitting the bottom end of their spears on the ground. When done in unison this sounded like the marching of an army.

    All of the other teams looked in their direction in fear. Only now did some of the other teams realize that Zhang¡¯s men were all highly disciplined soldiers. Unlike their rag tag teams of random people.

    After talking to his men Zhang, Yuying, Ai, and Ling began ascending their tower. Step by step they walked up the tower and shortly after the group of four reached the top. A golden flag appeared in Zhang¡¯s hand.

    ¡°So who wants to do the honors?¡± Zhang said as he held onto the golden flag. They were told that they had to put the golden blue into an open slot at the top of the tower.

    ¡°I want to do it!¡± Ai volunteered.

    ¡°I want to do it too.¡± Ling said.

    ¡°But I said I would do it first.¡± Ai said.

    ¡°Hmph fine you can do it.¡± Ling said in an unhappy tone.

    ¡°Enough you two can both do it.¡± Zhang said as he put the flag down onto the ground. He then took Ai and Ling¡¯s delicate looking hands and placed them together.

    Moments later Ai and Ling both held onto the golden flag and plugged it in the empty slot at the top of the tower. Once the flag entered the slot a blue light shot out from the tip if the flag. Soon all of the other towers had a light shooting out of them also.

    When all of the towers lit up a loud voice could be heard everywhere in the colosseum.

    ¡°With this the final stage of the tournament begins! Once all of the light on these towers turn the same color a victory will be decided or when six hours have passed and all of the lights have turned off.¡±

    After the voice a large transparent screen could be seen hovering in the air. The screen was in the shape of a decagon much like the arena and on it a live feed of what was happening below would be seen.

    This was done by the combination of light and water magic used by those from the royal academy to project images of light onto water. On each screen there was a color and head count of soldiers. Once the glass plate on their armor was shattered the head count would go down.

    Down below Zhang had broken up his army into three groups. One was under the command of himself, one was led by Yuying and the other was led by Ling and Ai.

    ¡°Brother I will move to the right while you move to the left.¡± Yuying said.

    ¡°We will hold down the tower here.¡± Ling said while looking at Ai.

    ¡°Agreed, due to the shade of the arena if we go for the towers at our sides first then we would only have to fight on three sides at any given time. And since our soldiers are superior to theirs we should be able to hold out.¡± Zhang said.

    Once the group began moving scenes of fighting were suddenly projected onto the screen above. Soldiers wearing the same colored armor could be seeing fighting each other and taking out their teammates.

    ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡± king Huang He asked as he was watch the scenes from a balcony.

    ¡°We don¡¯t know my lord they just started fighting each other the second the final stage began.¡± A men replied to him. This man could be recognized as Wu Tony, Ling¡¯s father. A short distance away was Zhang¡¯s father sitting on a bench watching the event.

    Zhou Cheng was intently watching the screen that showed the team wearing blue armor. He was secretly cheering for his son as he watched.

    Below down in the arena Zhang was leading roughly three hundred men to take over a tower. He had a slight grin on his face as he led his men through the forest.

    ¡°It should be happening now. By the time we get to the tower then it will be just right for the picking.¡±  Zhang said in his mind as a devilish grin appeared on his face.

    Soon the enemy tower shooting purple light into the sky was in sight and sounds of fighting could be heard as they got closer. Moments later Zhang¡¯s forces found themselves standing in front of a battle field. Soldiers wearing the same colored armor were fighting amongst themselves with many knocked out on the ground due to their shattered glass plates.

    ¡°All men wearing purple armor under my command reform ranks and retreat to the blue tower and defend it. Take out anyone you suspect that is not with us.¡± Zhang commanded.

    As Zhang commanded a few hundred purple armored men broke off from the fighting and began heading for the blue tower. Once these men broke off the purple team lost nearly half of its numbers on top of the men that it had lost before Zhang came.

    Everyone watching the screens from above were stupefied as they saw this happen.

    ¡°Why are those soldiers wearing purple armor listening to that man wearing blue armor?¡± Some people yelled out in confusion.

    However, the more intelligent people could figure out what happened. Clearly those purple armored soldiers were servants of the leader of the blue tower who had been planted in the enemy team.

    ¡°Attack!!!¡± Zhang yelled. He had order his men in purple armor to retreat as to not accidentally fight his own men.

    Zhang¡¯s three hundred men formed a wall of spears and moved in on the tower. The soldiers wearing purple armor that weren¡¯t under Zhang¡¯s command were still in utter confusion causing many of the to me picked off by Zhang¡¯s men.

    The quicker minded men all retreated back into the tower to defend it. On the top of the tower looking down was a young man who was most likely the prince of some kingdom. The young man had watched everything unfold from above and was put in a daze.

    He originally was going to just stubbornly defend until the time limit was up but who would have thought that his soldiers would suddenly begin fighting each other.

    Elsewhere on the battlefield Yuying was leading her forces to attack a tower.

    ¡°Everyone let¡¯s go quickly!¡± She yelled.

    ¡°We are at your command madam.¡± The soldiers replied.

    ¡°Fall into crescent moon formation!¡¯¡± Yuying yelled. As a princess in the underworld she not only was well versed in art, literature, cultivation techniques, but also basically military strategy also. There was a vast amount of knowledge in the underworld that was collected over countless years that she would study and learn from.

    By deploying soldiers in a crescent moon formation she would be able encircle her opponents from three directions while giving them one way to escape. They would make it so that weak willed soldiers would simply begin running away. Although this is only a mock battle physiology still played a part in commanding soldiers. (Just soldiers deployed in the shape of a crescent moon, usually used to out flank enemies.)

    Luckily she was given veteran soldiers who had trained and lived together while other people had rag tag teams of people.

    ¡°Brothers plan most likely has come into play now.¡± Yuying thought to herself. The night before the final stage of the tournament Zhang had told them that he had Lu Xun and their nineteen thousand and five hundred soldiers blend in with the participants and try to be picked to join the teams of the other people who had flags.

    With their physical and martial prowess many of their soldiers would be selected and most likely took up a large number of subordinates for the other people who possessed flags. This meant that they would have a numerical advantage over all of the other teams and their soldiers would be able to attack from both the outside and the inside.

    ¡°Just you watch brother I¡¯ll show you I can lead and fight also.¡± Yuying thought.

    As she led her soldiers closer to a tower with a yellow ray of light shooting out of it she could hear the sounds of a fight happening.

    ¡°Soldiers of Aurora fall back and reform ranks behind us!¡± She yelled.

    Hearing her words, a group of roughly two hundred soldiers wearing yellow armor broke off from the fighting and ran behind the group of soldiers wearing blue armor.

    ¡°Move in with the crescent moon formation. Then break into square formation units!¡± Yuying commanded. With square formation units her soldiers would be able to use their spears to their maximum capabilities This formation was best for close hand to hand combat. With spearmen forming a square no one would be able to overtake them, not even cavalry without suffering some damage.

    ¡°Move toward the tower!¡± Yuying yelled.

    While Yuying was battling for the yellowed tower the soldiers of Aurora that were wearing purple armor had returned to the blue tower awaiting Ling and Ai¡¯s orders.

    Although Ai had no knowledge for commanding soldiers, Ling was fairly capable of commanding. Despite not being as well versed as Zhang and Yuying, Ling was a genius in her own right.  And with the few hundred men from the purple tower along with hers she was fairly confident in being able to defend the blue tower. Or if the opportunity presented itself claim a tower or two.

    ¡°Form a defensive perimeter we will defend for now until some enemy towers are captured.¡± Ling commanded.

    Before Ling could finish her words the purple light in the sky faded and was replaced by a blue light. This meant that Zhang had taken the purple tower. Soon afterward the yellow light in the sky disappeared and was replaced with a blue light also.

    On the opposite side of the arena an orange light faded and was replaced by a green light.

    ¡°Someone other than us has managed to take a tower.¡± Ling thought to herself.

    ¡°We will be moving out. Pick out one hundred men to stay behind and the rest form into invert wedge formation!¡± Ling ordered.

    The audience watching everything happening was awestruck. Everything happened so quickly that it was hard to keep up with. Not only was the blue team the first to capture a tower they were able to capture two of them consecutively.

    What was move amazing was the green team that was able to use the chaos caused by the teams who were fighting amongst themselves to capture a tower.

    ¡°That prince Shu Shang was amazing he managed to capture that tower without losing a single person.¡± A man in the audience said.

    ¡°Yea but that blue team is something else they were able to take two towers right off the bat.¡± Another man said.

    Down in the arena fighting had broken out everywhere. Thanks to Zhang¡¯s ploy no one was able to only stick to defending. Some teams were lucky and only had a small number of Zhang¡¯s men mixed into them whereas other teams were unlike and made up almost entirely of his men.

    On by one the towers fell to the blue team and the green team. Only roughly three hours into the final stage the blue team possessed five towers, while the green team possessed three, then there was the red team and the black team who were barely hanging on.

    Since they started at opposite sides of the arena the blue and green team had yet to encounter each other. The two teams were vastly superior to the rest of the teams. The blue team thanks to Zhang¡¯s prior planning had roughly four thousand men. Whereas the green team after losing a hundred men were left with nine hundred. The red team and black team each had roughly five hundred men left.

    ¡°Your majesty this has taken a turn for the unexpected. We had originally planned for the event to end in a ten-way tie based on the fact that the teams could not attack another team fully without leaving their tower open. However, who would have thought that this would happen.¡± A minister said to king Huang He.

    ¡°Indeed a ten-way tie would have been best.  But there is only so much we could do to no displease anyone in the alliance.¡± Huang He replied. Although there were many dignitaries who came Huang He only arranged for ten winners because of the various secret alliances within the alliance of kingdoms. There were roughly ten of them and he wanted to please them by making it so they each got a prize. But who would have thought that Zhang had thrown a wrench into this plan.

    ¡°Wu Tong you sure found yourself a talented son in law.¡± Huang He said with a laugh.

    ¡°Look the blue team is attacking the red team now.¡± Another minister yelled.

    Down below Zhang was leading a large group of soldiers. These soldiers were composed of man wearing different colored armor. Some had yellow, other had purple and so on.

    The red tower was in sight and a familiar figure could be seen standing on top of it.

    ¡°Ming Jiang! I¡¯ve come to beat the crap out of you!!¡± Zhang yelled.

    ==================================================================================

    Read all of the comments on the other post. Thanks for the input I''ll think about it as i progress the story. Also to clarify I still see this as the beginning of the story. Not much as really happened yet so stay tuned  and the dragon soul will be mentioned soon i thought of something really nice for it lol.

    Also thoughts on the chapter? O_O Votes? Donations for the poor?

 Chapter 47: Young Phoenix

    The arena was being dominated by Zhang''s blue team. But not that far behind them was Shu Shang and his green team.

    Using the confusion caused by Zhang, Shu Shang was able to take over two towers. This meant that he had three towers under his command.

    But he did not stop there. Currently Shu Shang could be seen leading all of his men to the center of the arena. He knew that the blue team was moving in from two sides in a large circle so to avoid their detection he had to move to the center and waits e them to pass. One they passed then he could move in and take over the towers that they had just taken.

    Numerically Shu Shang was at a disadvantage but that was also his advantage. He could move all of his forces quickly without being detected.

    "They shouldn''t have left too many guards behind to guard these towers so it should be fairly easy to take them." Shu Shang thought.

    "Quickly men we have to take this tower and then move to the next one. We can''t stay in one place too long. They outnumber us so we have to take out small groups of them one at a time and hopefully last until the time limit is up." Shu Shang said to his soldiers.

    Shu Shang knew he could only take the towers that were just taken because the blue team had a group of soldiers that were left in the rear. These soldiers would move up and block out paths to the towers behind them.

    But before the rear line could catch up Shu Shang would be able to take one or two towers. This would cause the enemy to fall into confusion and turn back. It served to stall for time, if he was able to keep this up then the time limit will be reached.

    Once they turned back Shu Shang would move and take other towers they had just taken.

    Above the arena countless eyes were glued to the screens showing the scenes happening below

    "That prince Shu Shang sure lives up to his reputation." King Huang He said as he watched the scene of events from a balcony above the arena.

    "They don''t call him the young phoenix for nothing. If given a chance the Phoenix will come back from the tiniest of sparks. Likewise, if given the tiniest chance Shu Shang can turn a disadvantageous situation in his favor." The minister of war Wu Tong said.

    "Had he not been born second in line to the throne then the kingdom of Shu would most likely grow very powerful and maybe become an empire." Huang He said.

    ¡°But you have to admit minister Wu¡¯s daughter and the other young girl who is married to young master Zhang is very skilled also.¡± Another minister said.

    ¡°Indeed.¡± King Huang He said while watching the large screen in the sky.

    Down below Zhang was currently surround the red tower owned by Ming Jiang. But it proved difficult to take over the red tower then the other ones up until now.

    Ming Jiang although possessing only a few soldiers was able to repel Zhang''s soldiers. He had retreat into the tower and had his men barricade the gates of the tower.

    But it was only a matter of time before the gates would fall and the tower with it.

    "You can''t hide in there forever you bastard!!" Zhang yelled up at the tower.

    ¡°Hmph you cheating son of a bitch I¡¯ll get you for this!!¡± A voice from above could be heard yelling down.

    ¡°If you got the guts come down here and fight!!¡± Zhang yelled back up.

    ¡°Ha if you have the skills come up here!¡±

    ¡°So be it!¡±

    ¡°Break down the tower walls!!!¡± Zhang yelled as his men.

    ¡°Yes my lord!!¡± Zhang¡¯s men yelled as they took their spears and jabbed into the brickwork of the tower. Although the weapons they got from the kingdom could not injure other people physically like real weapons they were still fairly decent weapons. The spears Zhang¡¯s soldiers had were like regular spears but without edges.

    Groups of Zhang¡¯s soldiers began taking turns chipping at the tower wall. Piece by piece small parts of the walls were chipped off by the soldiers. Ming Jiang watched from above in horror. He knew that once that wall goes down he will lose but not only that Zhang would most likely do some horrible things to him.

    ¡°Once they get in move back to the staircase and deploy shields!! We must prevent them from coming up or else we will lose!¡± Ming Jiang yelled to his men.

    As Zhang was busy trying to break into Ming Jiang¡¯s tower something surprised him. The ray of light from the tower he had taken moments ago before coming to attack Ming Jiang changed colors from blue to green.

    ¡°What the¡­¡± Zhang murmured.

    ¡°Break down the walls quickly! Something is happening in the rear.¡± Zhang yelled out to his soldiers.

    From above the tower Ming Jiang saw this happen too. A hint of hope appeared on his face.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what is happening but if that green team keeps taking his towers then that bastard will have to go and defend.¡± Ming Jiang laughed.

    As Zhang was preoccupied with Ming Jiang the audience above was preoccupied watching the scenes unfolding elsewhere. On another screen Ling was moving up the back line of their army with her troops. While she did that one of their towers was captured.

    ¡°Something is happening everyone quickly let¡¯s move!¡± She commanded.

    However, before she could make it to that tower another tower across on the other side of the arena changed colors from blue to green. Currently the green team held onto five towers while the blue team has three and the red and black team each have one.

    ¡°Split up, half of you with me and the other half continue moving forward and reinforce our forces.¡± Ling said.

    The green team had successfully added more chaos to the already chaotic arena by consecutively taking towers from the blue team. And with roughly one hour left meant that there was not a high possibility of anyone obtaining all ten towers.

    ¡°To avoid the enemy sneak through our line and taking our towers we will now change the direction we are going in.¡± Ling said. If heading forward meant the enemy had a chance of sneaking pass her then Ling would move from left to right from bottom and up.

    This would allow for her to sweep through the forest in a crisscrossed way creating almost a net as her other soldiers continued moving forward.

    While Ling did this back at the tower where Zhang and Ming Jiang was some turn of events are taking place. Zhang¡¯s soldiers had successfully knocked loose a few bricks in the wall of the side of the tower. But Ming Jiang¡¯s soldiers would stick their spears out from the hole preventing Zhang from enlarging it.

    Then suddenly from the woods yelling could be hard.

    ¡°CHARGE!!!!¡±

    Once the voice rang through the air hundreds of green armored soldiers rushed out from the woods and began attacking Zhang¡¯s men from behind. As they were caught off guard Zhang¡¯s men suffered heavy losses.

    ¡°Fuck¡­. Retreat fall back and meet up with the rest of our forces.¡± Zhang yelled. If he stayed any long the soldiers from inside the tower might charge out and then he would have a fight to deal with on two sides.

    One by one Zhang¡¯s soldiers began retreating and soon only green armored soldiers were left standing below the red tower.

    ¡°Ming Jiang lets join forces. Alone we will be wiped out by their numbers.¡±

    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

    ¡°Me work with you? Do you take me for a fool? Fuck you Shu Shang I know quite well that the minute I hope these gate then you¡¯ll attack.¡± Ming Jiang replied. He knew that Shu Shang would definitely not cooperate with him due to their pass enmity with each other.

    ¡°So be it. Men let¡¯s move!¡± Shu Shang ordered and began leaving.

    ¡°You¡¯re lucky you still have some use if I left you in the tournament you fool.¡± Shu Shang murmured as he left. Ming Jiang could still be used to stall Zhang¡¯s team so Shu Shang left him alone instead of attacking the tower. And ironically he had Ming Jiang agreed to it he would have cooperated with him for a while at least.

    As Shu Shang looked up into the sky he could see that one of the two towers he had taken from the blue team was reclaimed.

    ¡°Whoever is on the other side of the arena sure works quick.¡± He praised.

    On the other side of the arena was Yuying with her soldiers. She had given up on taking the black team¡¯s tower and turned back to secure her rear line as any commander would do in a real battle. To compromise one¡¯s rear line to advance was giving the enemy a chance to surround you. Thus Yuying did not advance and turned back.

    ¡°We will be splitting the army into two. One group will stay here and secure the location and the other will follow me in echelon formation and sweep down to the other side of the arena. The other team must be down there somewhere.¡± Yuying said to her soldiers. (Echelon formation is when units are arranged diagonally from one another.)

    Using the echelon formation would be better for sweeping through the forest since it would allow for less openings for enemies to pass through.

    ¡°Let¡¯s move! Quickly!¡± Yuying yelled.

    However, before her forces could begin moving a voice rang out in the distance.

    ¡°Sis!¡±

    In the distance coming out from behind a bush was Ai and Ling along with their soldiers.

    ¡°Why are you guys here?¡± Yuying asked.

    ¡°We came up to sweep for enemies but we did not run into any.¡± Ling said.

    ¡°Then they most likely moved to the other end of the arena back to their towers.¡± Yuying said.

    ¡°That¡¯s what I was thinking. But to think someone bypassed us. We had a large crescent moon sweeping toward the other end of the arena but that person managed to squeeze through the gaps.¡± Ling said.

    ¡°Yea we should go meet up with brother but before that we must reinforce the towers we already have taken or else they will be taken away.¡± Yuying said to Ling.

    ¡°How many men do you have? We have around one thousand here and I sent one thousand forward to meet up with brother.¡± Ling said.

    ¡°I have about one thousand myself. But before we can meet up with brother we have to take the black tower.¡± Yuying said as she pointed to a tower emitting black light not too far from where they were. Head Ling and Ai not come upward she would have moved without bothering to take the black tower but now since they knew the enemy was no longer threatening their rear towers it was time to advance once more.

    As they moved their soldiers a voice could be heard throughout the arena.

    ¡°There is thirty minutes left before the final stage of the tournament concludes.¡±

    ¡°We have to take this tower quickly time is almost up. Brother can handle himself with the soldiers you sent to him.¡± Yuying said to Ling.

    ¡°Everyone let¡¯s move no need for formations now with our numbers we can take whoever we meet head on!¡± Yuying yelled as she led everyone toward the black tower.

    As Yuying, Ling and Ai went for the black tower, Zhang was now back in front of the red tower.

    ¡°Ming Jiang! I¡¯m back and this time I really will beat the crap out of you. Even if Shu Shang comes he won¡¯t be able to help you.¡± Zhang yelled up at the tower.

    He currently had about one thousand and two hundred soldiers after the soldiers Ling sent joined up with him which meant that his current forces were numerically at an advantage. Before he has sent most of the soldiers that were undercover to where Ling was to secure the rear.

    Thus Zhang¡¯s soldiers began chipping away at the wall once more. But not only did they do this they began attacking the hinges of the iron gate.

    Up at the top of the tower Ming Jiang was cursing at himself.

    ¡°If I had only brought more soldiers along with me on the trip then this wouldn¡¯t have fucken happened!¡± He yelled as he stomped his feet at the ground. Ming Jiang was the one that had hired the most soldiers from Zhang unknowingly. Had it not been for the few extremely skilled soldiers that came with him from the Ming kingdom then he would have been knocked out of the tournament along time ago.

    But after defeating the soldiers that was planted into his team he did not have enough of his own soldiers to go out and take any towers. So all Ming Jiang could do was hole up in the tower waiting for the time limit.

    ¡°You fucker the time limit is almost up you think you can get to me before then?¡± Ming Jiang yelled down at Zhang.

    However just when he finished his sentence a loud bang could be heard. When looking down he could see Zhang¡¯s soldiers rushing into the tower.

    ¡°The gate is down!! ATTACK!!!!!!!¡± A soldier yelled out as he rushed into the tower.

    A few of Ming Jiang¡¯s soldiers who were behind the gate were trapped under it after the gate fell into the tower.

    ¡°Pull them out and break their glass plates.¡± Zhang order his men. Had he left those men there they would have died from being trampled over by his men as they stepped on the iron gate to get inside.

    Although Zhang¡¯s forces were able to push into the tower they were stopped by Ming Jiang¡¯s soldiers at the staircase leading up to the top of the tower by forming a wall of shields.

    ¡°Form tortoise shell formation!¡± Zhang yelled.

    ¡°At once my lord!¡± The soldiers yelled in unison.

    The soldiers lined up and overlapped their shields until they were able to imitate the shape of a tortoise¡¯s shell with Zhang in the middle of it. Then they began moving closer and closer to the wall of shields made up by Ming Jiang¡¯s soldiers until their shields touched.

    ¡°OPEN!!¡± Zhang yelled while inside the formation.

    His soldiers that were not at the very front collapsed the formation as pairs of soldiers held up shields forming a mini staircase. Zhang and a few other soldiers stepped on these shields and jumped behind Ming Jiang¡¯s soldiers and began dispatching them.

    Once all of Ming Jiang¡¯s soldiers were taken care of Zhang moved up the stairs.

    ¡°I have you now.¡± Zhang said while looking at Ming Jiang who was at the top of the tower alone.

    ¡°What are you going to do to me?¡± Ming Jiang asked in a scared voice.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to teach you how to fly.¡± Zhang said.

    ===============================================================

    Thoughts? O_O Story was first in monthly ranks for a while :D now 2nd i think lol.

    Thanks for reading folks O_O

 Chapter 48: Winners

    Chapter 48: Winners

    The audience watching the tournament from the stands all broke out into laughter as they watched the scenes happening on the large screen floating in the air. Zhang had tied Ming Jiang up and dangled him off the side of the tower upside down.  It was pretty silly how Ming Jiang looked because only his foot was tied by the rope so he was hanging by a limb.

    Shortly after doing this to Ming Jiang, Zhang''s forces claimed the red tower and changed the ray of light it shot out to a blue color.

    "Got to admit Shu Shang is pretty good to be able to take advantage of my plan like this." Zhang thought to himself. Had it not been for Shu Shang then Zhang¡¯s team would have dominated the final stage of the tournament. However, Zhang did not dislike Shu Shang because of this. Rather he found it enjoyable.

    ¡°Perhaps I should give you a gift as a show of good faith.¡± Zhang mumbled.

    "We will split into two groups. One group will stay here and defend this location, one will follow me and advance forward." Zhang said. He had gone for the red tower to secure a front line inside of moving back. Because he knew that after claiming the red tower he could leisurely move back and take the lost tower back.

    There was roughly only twenty minute left until the end of the tournament and if nothing unexpected happened the blue team should end up with at least six towers.

    Moments later the black ray of light that shot into the sky changed to a clear blue color. Yuying, Ling, and Ai had successfully taken over the black tower.

    Zhang with his advance party moved forward to take another one of Shu Shang¡¯s towers. However, when they reached the tower Shu Shang had holed up inside of the tower. With so little time left Zhang could not take the tower so he opted to move toward the next one. Yuying had also tried to take another one of Shu Shang¡¯s towers however it too had soldiers holed up inside so she too moved on to another tower.

    Up in the stands the audience was counting down the last few minutes of the tournament. The events that happened in the final stage had been beyond everyone¡¯s imagination. Had they not been watching from the stands they might have thought they were actually on a battlefield.

    ¡°That blue team has six towers and the green team has four. I wonder why the blue team did not go back for that one tower that was stolen by the green team earlier.¡± A woman watching from the stands said to a man beside her.

    ¡°Who knows maybe they are giving the green team a tower as a show of good faith.¡± The man replied to the woman.

    Soon after a loud bell sound could be heard transmitting through the colosseum then a loud voice could be heard.

    ¡°The time limit has been reached and the tournament now concludes with the blue team with six towers and the green team with four.¡±

    Once the end of the tournament was announced the audience broke out cheering.  It had truly been a spectacle for those watching. It had showed how crafty and resourceful some of the future leaders of the forces in the alliance were. Since the tournament ended the screens floating in the sky no longer showed the scenes from the arena but the image of king Huang He was now visible.

    ¡°Thank you everyone for coming today to bear witness to the end of the tournament. I am pleased to announce that winners of tournament are Prince Shu Shang of the Shu Kingdom and Zhou Zhang the successor to the Aurora province.¡± King Huang He said.

    ¡°In a short while there will be a reward ceremony in front of the colosseum for the two winners of the tournament.¡± King Huang He added.

    After hearing this people began filing out of the stands and to the front of the arena where a large stage had been set up.

    Down below in the arena soldiers from various teams could be seen walking toward any one of the ten gates leading out of the arena. Those who were injured would be looked at by doctors while everyone else was to return the armor and weapons they were lent and head out to the front of the colosseum.

    Zhang was heading back to the gate that he had entered the arena from because he and the three beauties had agreed to meet up there. After some walking the gate was in sight however he did not see a sign of Yuying, Ai or Ling.

    ¡°Odd we agreed to meet over here.¡± Zhang thought as he walked through the forest heading toward the gate.

    ¡°SURPRISE!!!¡± Three loud voices rang out from both Zhang¡¯s right and left. From out of nowhere Yuying, Ai and Ling sprang at Zhang tackling him to the ground.

    ¡°There my three beauties are.¡± Zhang said with a chuckle.

    ¡°Your three beauties?¡± Yuying said teasingly.

    ¡°Who else?¡± Zhang replied.

    As he got up front the ground and helped the three of them up.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go return this armor and go to the reward stage.¡± Zhang said.

    ¡°Alright let¡¯s go these clothes aren¡¯t very comfy.¡± Ai complained.

    However, before they left a voice sounded out from a bush behind them.

    ¡°Young Lord of Aurora.¡± The voice said.

    As the group of four turned back they could see Shu Shang could out from behind a bush.

    ¡°Ah prince Shu Shang it is nice to meet you.¡± Zhang said with a smile on his face. He was not angry with Shu Shang ending up with four towers, rather he wished to befriend Shu Shang. It is better to how someone like this as a friend then an enemy.

    Had this been an actually battlefield and not an arena then perhaps Shu Shang would have come out victorious.

    ¡°You can just call me Zhang and forget about the formalities.¡± Zhang said to Shu Shang. (Our main characters will be referred to only by their first names without surname to save me the trouble since I retype their names a lot lol also the later names sound better with surname included.)

    ¡°Ah then you can call me Shu Shang. ¡°Shu Shang said.

    ¡°Alright Brother Shu Shang what gives me the honor of meeting you here?¡± Zhang asked.

    ¡°I wanted to thank you for leaving me that tower rather than taking it back. Although you shouldn¡¯t have I appreciate the gesture.¡± Shu Shang said.

    ¡°Consider it a gesture of friendship. Your performance was very marvelous, had I not sneaked in extra soldiers then you most likely would have dominated the arena.¡± Zhang said.

    ¡°We can stand here and talk about what¡¯s and ifs all day but that won¡¯t change the outcome of what has already been decided. You had the foresight to do what you did and I applaud you for that.¡± Shu Shang said to Zhang with a faint smile on his face.

    ¡°Perhaps prince Shu Shang would like to accompany us to the reward stage together?¡± Ling asked as she stood beside Zhang.

    ¡°Sure why not.¡± Shu Shang said.

    As Zhang, Ling, Yuying, Ai and Shu Shang headed for the reward stage after returning their armor and weapons they ran into a familiar face. A bit away from them was Huang Zu dressed in an expensive looking white and gold robe with dragons sewn on it.

    ¡°Brother Huang Zu how are you.¡± Zhang said as he saw Huang Zu.

    ¡°Ah it you guys, congratulations on dominating the tournament.¡± Huang Zu said in a somewhat awkward tone. Although he stopped trying to woo Ling after losing the bet Huang Zu still felt awkward when around Zhang and Ling so he tried his best to avoid them. Even though he would keep to his word and give up on marrying Ling a part of him still liked her very much which made it very uncomfortable to be around her and Zhang.

    Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.

    Zhang noticing the awkwardness in Huang Zu¡¯s voice decided to take the initiative in breaking the ice. He still felt that Huang Zu was someone worth being friends with. From the fact that Huang Zu kept to his word and stopped pestering Ling to marry him was a testament that he kept his word.

    These kind of people although numbering many in the world are often hard to meet.

    ¡°Brother Huang Zu how about you join us and head to the reward stage and along the way tell me about some of the treasures in the treasury that are worth picking out. Also feel free to tell me one item you want also I¡¯ll pick it for you.¡± Zhang said to Huang Zu. He knew full well that despite being a prince Huang Zu most likely was not permitted to just take whatever he wanted from the treasury of the kingdom. Thus Zhang hoped to use this to be on friendlier terms with Huang Zu.

    ¡°Hmmm treasures in the treasury. Well I¡¯m not exactly sure that are many different treasures in there and each has a different use. But if I have to point out something unique then it would have to be this one item.¡± Huang Zu said.

    "Also I''ll have to decline on your offer of picking out a treasure for me." Huang Zu added.

    ¡°What item?¡± Zhang asked since Huang Zu¡¯s words peaked his interest.

    ¡°In the treasury there is a scroll made of some material I¡¯ve never seen before. It is said this book was personally created by the first king of our Heilong Kingdom. This book has no name and no one know what¡¯s written inside.¡±

    ¡°No one knows what¡¯s written inside? Is it in some lost language?¡± Zhang asked.

    ¡°No it¡¯s not that, it¡¯s the fact that no one is able to open the book. My ancestors have passed the book down for generations but no one has been open it. It is said that when our founder created the book he said only if someone is fated to know the contents of the book will it open for them.¡± Huang Zu said while looking at Zhang.

    ¡°That¡¯s interesting, but I would take it that book would not be something we can pick as a prize.¡±

    ¡°Actually on the contrary if you picked that book some people would be very happy. As many people see it that book is somewhat useless and since no one can open it there is little use for keeping it. And if you took it they would see it as you wasted a prize and took a useless book instead of some other treasure.¡±

    ¡°Maybe it will open for me. I¡¯ll be sure to check it out when given the chance to enter the treasury and if it opens for me then I¡¯ll take it, if not then I¡¯ll pick something else. Also let¡¯s start heading to the reward arena.¡± Zhang said to Huang Zu as he placed a hand on Huang Zu¡¯s shoulder.

    Huang Zu sighed knowing that Zhang would not let him go so he resigned to his fate.

    "Ok I guess if it can''t be helped, I''ll accompany you guys to the reward stage." Huang Zu said with a sigh.

    As the group headed toward the reward stage they conversed and soon The awkwardness around Huang Zu was somewhat reduced. This of course was thanks to his personality. Huang Zu naturally was not a schemer and was very easy to get along with.

    Shu Shang on the other hand had a very reserved personality. This was mainly influenced by the fact that his brother being the crown prince. Due his brilliance many people in the Shu kingdom tried to push Shu Shang into the position of crown prince over his brother.

    However, Shu Shang did not wish to fight with his brother or cause civil war so he tended to avoid people and had only a few friends who he seemed were worth of becoming friends with.

    Thanks to Zhang''s outgoing personality he was able to bridge a friendship with Shu Shang and Huang Zu.

    "Your highnesses please follow me." A man walking toward the group while they were heading to the reward stage said.

    "His majesty King Huang He wished to speak with your highnesses in private." The man said.

    "Father wants to talk with us?" Huang Zu asked.

    "No your highness, his majesty wished to speak with the two winners of the tournament regarding some important matters." The man replied respectfully.

    "It''s alright brother Huang Zu you might as well come with us." Shu Shang said.

    Thus the group began following the servant as he led them through the halls of the coliseum. Soon they were led up a flight of stairs and into a room. King Huang He could be seen standing at a balcony looking outside.

    "Your majesty they are here." The servant said as he bent on one knee.

    "Alright you may leave." Huang He said.

    "Your majesty Zhou Zhang pays his respects." Zhang said while bending on one knee.

    "Shu Shang pays his respects to King Huang He." Shu Shang said.

    Soon Yuying, Ai and Ling also paid their respects. As for Huang Zu he did not do so since the King is his father.

    "As ease. You may all stand." Huang He said.

    "Ming Jiang come in here." Huang He said. Shortly after a door that led to another room opened and Ming Jiang walked in.

    Once he walked into the room he shot a glare at Zhang and Shu Shang.

    "Your majesty." Ming Jiang said.

    "I called you three here to help resolve your differences. As a part of the alliance I do not wish to see some of the future leaders of it at odds with each other. Now is the time when we have to band together to face a common foe not fight with one another." King Huang He said sternly.

    "If brother Ming Jiang is willing to forget about the past then I am willing also." Shu Shang said.

    "Likewise for me if he is willing to then I am also. And as a show of good faith I''ll even let him pick out one item he wishes from the treasury in my stead." Zhang said. Although he did not like Ming Jiang very much Huang He did have a point now was not the time to be at odds. The Siwang empire could attack at any given moment and the only thing standing in its way is the alliance.

    "The less enemies one has the better I guess." Zhang thought. His relationship with Ming Jiang was not the point where it was unfixable like with Jin Chang so why not give it a shot.

    "Ming Jiang do you wish for your kingdom to fall because due to some small insignificant disputes?" Huang He said while looking at Ming Jiang.

    "If you two are willing then so am I." Ming Jiang replied. Although he did not like Shu Shang and Zhang the king had a point. He definitely did not want his kingdom to fall due to some silly arguments. Also Zhang was enticing him with the chance to pick out a treasure from the treasury.

    "Then everything is settled. I hope that you three will at least try to get along. Now let''s head to the reward ceremony."

    ==============================================================

    Charity dinner took way longer than i expected and it was really awkward to be the only one typing on phone when the lights were off so I did not get as much writing done as i wanted to. With that said you guys enjoy this chapter as i finish up another one.

 Chapter 49: Treasures

    Chapter 49: Treasures

    King Huang He led the group through the halls and directly to the reward stage. By now a large crowd of thousands had formed waiting to see the two victors on stage.

    "I would like to present to you the future of the alliance!" King Huang He said as he gestured at Zhang and Shu Shang.

    A loud applause broke out and lots of cheering can be heard.

    "Prince Shu Shang please marry me!!!!" A few young women in the crowd yelled out.

    "Lord Zhou Zhang I''ll be waiting for you tonight!!!" Some other women yelled.

    "I''m ready for you any time you two!!!"

    However, u when Shu Shang and Zhang looked over from up on stage they felt a gagging sensation in their throats. The person who had listed yelled toward them was a very worth looking old lady.

    "Brother Shu Shang I think I''ll pass on that but you go ahead." Zhang said as he grinned at Shu Shang.

    "I have some matters to attend to after this so I''ll have to pass." Shu Shang said after he was caught off guard by Zhang.

    "Without further ado I will now personally lead the two victors to the royal palace so they can pick their prizes." King Huang He said.

    Afterwards rows of knights and carriages broke through the crowd and stopped in front of the stage.

    "I will meet you at the palace shortly." Huang He said to Zhang and Shu Shang as he stepped off the stage and on a carriage that looked much more extravagant than the rest of the carriages.

    Seeing this Zhang and Shu Shang both walked off stage and headed for their respectively assigned carriages.

    "I''ll see you at the palace brother Zhang." Shu Shang said as he boarded his carriage. When the door to the carriage opened Zhang could see that a two young women who seemed to be Shu Shang''s wives were waiting for him inside.

    "Same to you." Zhang said as he entered his carriage and behind him Yuying, Ling and Ai filed in one by one.

    Once everyone was aboard the carriages began heading for the royal palace. Inside of Zhang''s carriage there was a cheerful air present.

    "So once we get in the treasury everyone can pick one item for themselves. And we will pick out the last item together?" Zhang said.

    "I''ll let you pick something out for me brother." Yuying said.

    "Me too. You can pick something for me brother." Ai said in a cheerful tone.

    "I already know what I want." Ling said. Her goal had always been and still is to obtain the string of fate.

    ¡°I think it would be best for you guys to pick out your own items. Something I think is good may not suite you.¡± Zhang replied

    "Ah yes Yuying here is Silky back. Zhang had kept Silky in the Ruler''s Domain for the duration of the final stage of the tournament and now it was time to return Silky Yuying.

    After a short while the carriages stopped and the doors opened. As Zhang and the three beauties walked out they saw a marvelous palace. This would be the first time Zhang, Yuying and Ai had seen the palace that the King of the Heilong kingdom lived in.

    "It''s decent." Yuying murmured.

    "Well nothing can really compare to the palace you grew up in." Zhang said to Yuying with a silly smile on his face and a chuckle. You can''t really compare the kingdom of the dead that has been around for countless millennia to a small kingdom that only had roughly a thousand years¡¯ worth of history.

    Once they got out of their carriages they could see Shu Shang get out of his carriage and behind him two young women followed.

    "Brother Zhang I almost forgot to introduce you to my two wives Su Mai and Ao Lin." Shu Shang said to Zhang.

    "It is a pleasure to meet you." Both of Shu Shang''s wives said to Zhang.

    "Likewise." Zhang said courteously with a smile.

    Soon in another carriage Ming Jiang got off and in yet another carriage King Huang He and Huang Zu exited. Once Huang He got off groups of soldiers came and walked in rows behind him. These soldiers were his personal guard.

    "If you would follow me I will lead you all to the treasury so you can pick out your prizes." King Huang He said after getting out of his carriage.

    King Huang He led the group through the marble halls of the royal palace and eventually to the front of large solid iron gates.

    Upon seeing Huang, He arrived the guards who were standing guard bent on one knee and saluted him.

    "We pay our respects to his majesty lord Huang He." The guards said in unison.

    From his robe king Huang, He pulled out a medallion with a dragon carved into it and placed it into mechanism on the middle of one of the gates.

    As he slowly turned the medallion clicking sounds could be heard. Soon mechanical sounds rang about and after a while a large clang sounded out and the large iron gates slowly creaked open.

    Soldiers who were standing guard quickly came and pushed the two large gates open.

    As the gates creaked open and the sunlight shot inside a dazzling light can be seen. The inside the treasury of the Heilong kingdom like many other kingdoms was filled with gold and jewels.

    "I would think they none of you would be interest in these things so let''s move forward." King Huang He said.

    "Of course." Zhang said agreeing with Huang He.

    Everyone present besides the soldiers were extremely wealthy. Shu Shang and Ming Jiang are both princes. Zhang could be considered a prince himself so gold and jewels did not peak their interest.

    "Indeed your majesty please lead the way to the more unique items." Shu Shang said while standing beside his two wives.

    "Yes lead the way your majesty." Zhang said with Yuying, Ai and Ling beside him.

    Ming Jiang did not comment because he did not actually have permission to pick a prize.

    " Follow me." Huang He said as he began walking on a path through the piles of gold and jewels.

    After a short distance a smaller but more solid looking gate was in front of the group. From his robe Huang He pulled out a jade key and stick it into a keyhole in the gate. With a click sound the gate opened.

    Once the door opened Huang He led the group inside while his personal guard followed in front behind.

    The gates led the group into a long hallway.

    "What a long hallway." Ai said as she stood beside Zhang.

    As the group continued on the hallway got narrower and narrower until only roughly four people or so could stand side by side in it.

    At the end of the hallway was a flight of stairs that descended into the ground.

    "Watch your step everyone." Huang He said.  As they descended the staircase it spiraled around a large seemingly bottomless pit.

    "One fall off that and it would ruin anyone one''s day." Zhang said.

    Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

    "Yea would not survive that fall." Ai added.

    After some more walking down very long set of stairs the group finally reached the bottom.  At the bottom of the stairs there was yet another gate to which King Huang He opened.

    "We are here please pick out the treasures you wish to take as prizes. If you have any questions regarding these treasures, feel free to ask." King Huang He said.

    Once the group entered the room behind the last gate they could see many pedestals with items placed on top of them in glass cases. There were many eye catching items in the glass cases and some not so eye catching ones. However, all of these items were placed here because they were considered rare treasures.

    Zhang, Yuying, Ai and Ling decided to split up and look at the treasures then come back after having found something to their liking or to recommend something for someone else.

    ¡°This looks like a magical sword.¡± Zhang said as he looked at a gleaming blue sword in a glass case.

    ¡°Yes that sword is called the Aquatic Overlord. It has the ability to manipulate water that is close to it.¡± Huang Zu said he has walked to and stood beside Zhang.

    ¡°That is a very interesting ability Zhang said. How about that mirror right there?¡±

    ¡°That is the Mirror of Truths. It has the ability to look through illusions and show its user the truth. Brother Zhang you if you have any further questions feel free to ask.¡± Huang Zu said he as walked away.

    ¡°With so many things to pick from this won¡¯t be easy.¡± Zhang thought as he continued looking at the various treasures.

    As he continued walking through the rows of glass cases. That was when Zhang noticed a pedestal without a glass case. On this pedestal was a black book without a name. The book had a white ribbon tied onto it but beside that there was nothing else that stood out about this book.

    ¡°That must be the book that Huang Zu was talking about.¡± Zhang murmured as he walked closer to the pedestal where the book was.

    Zhang reached out his hand and picked up the back and tried to open it by untying the ribbon. However, oddly enough Zhang was not able to take off the ribbon. It was as if the ribbon was a part of the book itself and did not want to come off. After trying to open the book for a while without any success Zhang put it back down and walked away.

    But what he did not noticed was when he was walking away a tiny blame flame appeared on the ribbon and slowly burned it. A few moments later the white ribbon was gone.

    As Zhang continued walking he noticed something else that caught his eye. it was a set of throwing daggers that looked extremely delicate with many intricate carving on them. Although the daggers looked very delicate Zhang could tell that they were extremely sharp.

    Zhang counted around twenty of these throwing daggers in the glass case.

    ¡°These would go along great with my chained daggers.¡± Zhang thought. He decided to go do some more looking around and then ask for some more information about the daggers.

    While Zhang was browsing the various treasures, Ling was looking for the thread of fate.

    ¡°If I can get this thread then I won¡¯t ever lose brother again.¡± Ling thought to herself as she combed the rows of glass cases looking for the thread of fate. Besides the thread of fate, no other treasure currently entered Ling¡¯s radar.

    After a while of searching Ling came upon a glass case with a single piece of string.

    ¡°This has to be it.¡± She murmured as she lifted the glass case and took the string.

    Elsewhere Yuying and Ai were looking for treasures for themselves. Yuying had picked out a flute that she was told was called the Soul Charmer flute. This flute has the power to mesmerize its listeners and place them under a trance.

    It was said that hundreds of years ago the previous owner of this flute after completely mastering it had used the flute to charm thousands of people to follow under him. With these people under his influence the man used them to overthrow the lord of a city.

    Ai had picked magical bracelet called the Necklace of second chances. It was said that each user could use its power once. The bracelet was able to shield the user from certain death. After a single cast it would not be usable afterward.

    After a while the group met back up at the entrance. Once arriving at the entrance Zhang asked Huang Zu about the set of daggers.

    ¡°Ah you must be talking about the daggers called the Dragon¡¯s Talons. Those daggers were create from dragons.¡± Huang Zu said.

    ¡°Those daggers are very mysterious. And over the course of many years¡¯ no one has yet claimed and used them in battle. This is of course since they are throwing knives it was hard to retrieve them during battle.¡± He added.

    Shortly after some thought Zhang decided to pick the Dragon¡¯s Talons throwing knives as his reward.

    Prince Ming Jiang had picked out a sword that had the ability to shoot out lightning. This sword was called Heaven¡¯s Judgment. While Shu Shang selected a spear that can extend it¡¯s length and bend its shape. This spear was called the Ever Changing Spear. Beside the spear Shu Shang had picked out one more item and then let his two wives select one item each.

    ¡°Brother what should we pick out as our last item?¡± Ling asked Zhang as she touched her finger and smiled. Ling was touching a red string that was tied to her pinky on one end while the other seemed to be tied to Zhang. But of course only Ling was able to see this.

    ¡°Actually as I was looking around I found something that would be useful for us to use.¡± Zhang said.

    ¡°What is it brother?¡± Ai asked Zhang.

    ¡°A magical carriage that can change size and appearance. We can change its size to be easily stored away and able to change its appearance at will. Besides being able to change size carriage appears to be smaller on the outside bigger on the inside. The space inside the carriage is roughly the ten times bigger than the outside.¡± Zhang said.

    ¡°Hmmmm I think they will come in handy since we travel so much.¡± Yuying said.

    ¡°Yea travelling on horses for long trips is so tiring.¡± Ai added.

    ¡°Then it¡¯s settled let''s get that magical carriage.¡± Ling said.

    Thus the group picked the magical carriage as their last prize. After choosing their prizes the group had to wait for king Huang He¡¯s soldiers to inspect the treasury to make sure they only took the treasures they had chosen

    After the inspection the group was free to go. Shu Shang, Huang Zu and Ming Jiang all bid farewell to Zhang. Although Ming Jiang did not like Zhang very much he still had the decency to thank Zhang.

    Once the group consisting of Zhang, Ling, Ai and Yuying arrived at the mansion the king had arranged for them to sleep at.

    ¡°Time to hit the hay!¡± Zhang yelled out as he jumped onto his bed that was located in the same room as Yuying, Ai and Ling¡¯s. The three beauties were also on their huge bead gossiping or something.

    However, something odd happened that caught his eye before he could fall asleep.

    ¡°This is the book from the treasury.¡± Zhang thought as he reached out his hand and touched the book.

    When Zhang picked up the book he noticed the white ribbon was gone. So Zhang opened the book and a bright golden light enveloped him along with Yuying, Ai and Ling.

 Chapter 50: Devourer

    Chapter 50: The Devourer

    Once Zhang opened the black book and blinding golden light enveloped him, Yuying, along and Ai. As the light enveloped them their consciousness began to slowly fade away until it was gone.

    The consciousness of the group of four drifted through a sea of empty thoughts. Without a worry, without a care they continued to drift.

    Sometime later Zhang slowly began to regain his consciousness.

    "Where am I?" Zhang murmured as he looked around only to see a vast empty white room.

    "Where is everyone else." Zhang thought as he looked around.

    "I''m certain that they were enveloped in light as well." However, that''s when Zhang noticed a misty smoke began to form a short distance away from him.

    As time passed the smoke began to concentrate and form the figure of a person. Slowly but at a decent pace the smoke condensed and formed the body of a young girl.

    "Yuying!" Zhang yelled as he ran toward her.

    "Yuying! Wake up!" Zhang yelled as he held her up by the shoulders.

    Her eyes began to open and he could see her dazzling pupils look at him.

    "Brother what''s wrong?" Yuying said.

    After looking around she asked Zhang info a confused tone, ¡°brother where are we? Last I remember we were in our room."

    "I don''t know either." Zhang said but before he could say another word some more misty smoke appeared and another after that.

    Not much time passed until the forms of Ai and Ling could be seen. Zhang and Yuying ran up toward them and tried to wake them up.

    Shortly after Ai and Ling regained consciousness but before they could say anything a voice rang out from nowhere.

    "It seems you have all made it." The voice said. This voice sounded oddly familiar to Zhang but he was not able to remember who''s voice it belonged to.

    "Where are we?" Zhang asked.

    "Where? When? That is of no importance. What is important is that you are here and not elsewhere." The voice said.

    "If when and where are of no importance then who are you?" Yuying asked seeing that the voice did not want to tell them where they were.

    "I am spoken of by many but known by none. I am called the creator and the destroy. I am me and I am no one. Some call me a god, some call me a demon, some call me the devoured of souls. I am king my kingdom is endless, my kingdom is border less, my kingdom is timeless." The voice spouted.

    "King of the endless kingdom please tell us how to return from whence we came." Zhang said.

    "That is simple to return from whence you came you make listen. You must listen well and remember. You must remember the story that has been lost. The story of this King." The voice said as a giant golden eye appeared above the group of four.

    And with a flash of golden light a vast scenery appeared from nothingness. The group found themselves in an extremely dense jungle.

    The one odd thing was that as Zhang tries to lean on a tree trunk he fell through it. Soon the group found out that they could walk through everything.

    As they continued to go through the forest quite literally they stumbled on a large egg.

    "Had we not been able to walk through things then perhaps we would never be able to navigate through such a thick jungle." Ling said to the others.

    "That''s right I''ve never heard not seen a jungle so thick like this. And there are odd plants I''ve never see also." Zhang said.

    The egg in front of group slowly began to show cracks on it and soon a large lizard the size of a fully grown man emerged from it.

    As the lizard took in its first breaths of life a rumbling sound could be heard approaching. Trees could be heard falling down and crashing into one another. Soon a gigantic lizard could be seen emerging from the forest and with a single chomp consumed the newly born lizard.

    That was when a voice sounded out.

    "The world this King was born into was one where the strong thrived and the weak perished." The voice from before said.

    Then the world faded back into nothingness and was once more recreated into another scenery. This time the group was floating in the air.

    "In the beginning I stood above every living being and everything below submitted to my will. Those who did not were sent to oblivion." The voice said.

    Zhang could see countless beasts of all shapes and sizes looking as if they were bowing at the foot of a tall mountain.

    A violent roar sounded out and a huge shadow descended from the mountain and landed in front of the various beasts.

    The thing that came down from the mountain was covered in azure scales and had wings that could curtain the sun and change day into night. With its two large golden pupils that gave of a terrifying gaze the large creature stared down at those below.

    "A azure dragon." Zhang murmured as he stared blankly. Dragons were the beasts of legend and of course this was his first time seeing one.

    Likewise, the three beauties also watched without blinking an eye.

    But soon after the scene changed once more and a new scenery was created. This time the group found themselves in a gigantic cave.

    "However like many others once I reached the pinnacle of the food chain I grew bored and went into a deep slumber." The voice said.

    As I fell into a death like slumber the world outside changed. Time flew by and soon the races of old were replaced with new beings.

    The scenery seemed to fast forward and show the landscape and creatures slowly change and gradually become entirely different or replaced.

    "After countless years a new king had taken my place. This King came from the weakest of races. They were frail, and had short lives however they reigned supreme over the other creatures. They would eventually call themselves human." The voice said.

    Scenes of weird looking people could be seen fighting large creatures. At first they would be killed and eaten but as time passed they dominated the other creatures.

    "These humans were a curious race but thanks to this they quickly developed and progress as a species very fast. And their rate of expansion was frightening. Their birth rate gave them a vast advantage over the other creatures."

    Scenes of humans harnessing fire and making various tools could be seen. The group could see how humans began forming small groups that eventually grew and became large communities.

    "However sometimes having too much curiosity is not a good thing." The voice said as it showed the group how the curiously of the early humans provoked many predators and got them killed.

    "Due to their curiosity and stupidity they almost brought about the ruin of their race. They had almost brought the end upon themselves." The voice said.

    Zhang and the three beauties were now in gigantic cave following behind a larger group of early humans.

    This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

    "I wonder what the voice belonging to the dragon meant when it said their curiously almost brought their end." Ling said.

    "Perhaps they triggered something sort of event within this cave. It probably has something to do with the dragon." Zhang said.

    Although they were following the group of early humans this was all of course an illusion so whatever they did would not have an effect.

    As they walked behind the group of early humans they entered into a huge chamber within the cave. Within this chamber lying in a lake of steaming hot water was a huge blue scaled dragon.

    Seeing the dragon, fear could be seen on the faces of the early humans. However, curiosity got the better of them and they approached the sleeping dragon.

    "Idiots...." Zhang murmured.

    From there the group of four could guess what would happen. And just as they thought a group of the early humans climbed onto the giant dragon. Once the humans got onto the body of the giant dragon they climbed all the way to its head.

    "They are not doing what I''m thinking they are going to do." Yuying said.

    "I think they are." Ling replied.

    "Yup pretty sure they are going to do it." Ai added.

    Moments later a loud roar sounded out. The early humans had stabbed the giant dragon in a small gap between its eyelids. Had they attacked elsewhere with their wooden spears then it would have done no damage. But they had stabbed into the beast''s eye.

    "I''m glad that we are able to walk through things." Zhang said as he stared at the giant azure dragon getting up from the steaming lake angrily.

    Once the dragon goes up and out of the steaming lake it furiously began killing the humans.

    "They sort of deserve this for attacking the sleeping dragon and waking it up." Yuying said without any hint of pity.

    The dragon roared as it bit down on some of the humans rolling them to shreds. With a whip of an its tail some unlucky people were bisected. The dragon''s weight alone was enough to turn bones into dust.

    After this the group was once more in a white room and in front of them was a large screen showing a sequence of events.

    Once the dragon made short work out of the group of early humans it gave out an extremely loud roar and began making its way out of the cave. Having been asleep for so long it was hungry. The massive azure dragon crawled its way out of the massive cave and for the first time in hundreds if not thousands of years spread its wings and took to the sky.

    After taking to the sky for the first time in a long time the azure dragon began hunting down every moving thing it could find. Eventually it stumbled upon a large human community which it proceeded to attack.

    As it rampaged through the human community some of the humans dropped to their knees and began pleading for mercy. Seeing this and as intelligent as the dragon was it decided that these beings perhaps would be more useful alive than dead. Thus they were spared.

    From then on the humans would hunt and give offerings to the dragon such as food and various treasure they happen upon or create. As time went on the dragon and the people developed an intricate relationship. Although they were giving offerings to the dragon the population of the human community constantly grew.

    Thanks to the dragon awakening all of the territorial creatures began moving away thus reducing the amount of predators around to hunt the humans. Soon the humans began to thrive and grow and develop as they continued to serve the azure dragon.

    After seeing this the large screen disappeared and a blinding golden light once more enveloped the group. A short while later as they opened their eyes they found out themselves in their room once more.

    In front of Zhang the black book laid wide open with rows of text inside of it.  Although it seemed like they had spent many hours within the empty white room in reality Zhang had only touched the book for a second.

    Seeing the book in Zhang¡¯s hand everyone looked at it intently.

    ¡°Brother read it.¡± Ai said.

    ¡°Alright.¡± Zhang said.

    Thus he began to read the lines of words within the pages of the nameless black book.

    ¡°Hello there fated owner of the book of beginning.¡± Were the first words written in the book.

    ¡°To be able to open and read this text could only be destiny. As I¡¯m sure you were shown the events that took place many years ago I would like to tell you a bit about this book itself.¡±

    ¡°This book is called the book of beginning, and is the first of two books. The other book being called the book of the end. Each book as a remnant of the soul of the dragon within it. However, each book only knows a part of the entire story. I created these book due to the final wishes of my greatest adversary with the hope that one day perhaps someone will happen upon the two book and be able to fulfill his true last wish. Only when the two books are together will one know their secrets. As for if you will be able to find the other book then let¡¯s leave that to fate. But as a hint I will tell you look in the place where the sun does not reach, where beasts roam, and treasures lay abundant.¡±

    As Zhang turned the page there were no more words but instead there were a few pictures. The first was an azure dragon, then on the next page there was a white tiger. The page afterwards had a vermillion bird and lastly a black tortoise.

    ¡°Brother have you ever heard of a legend about an azure dragon that fit the events we saw?¡± Ling asked.

    ¡°No growing up we mostly heard about various legends of the black dragon that ravaged the lands a thousand years ago but besides that there aren¡¯t really that many legends regarding azure dragons that would fit the events we saw.¡± Zhang said.

    ¡°Perhaps if we happen upon the book of the end we will have an answer.¡± Yuying said.

    ¡°That dragon was truly fearsome.¡± Ai added.

    ¡°Indeed.¡± Zhang agreed.

    ¡°Well it¡¯s late we should rest for the night and if anything talk tomorrow.¡± Zhang said.

    ¡°Yea I think we should get some rest today was a very long day.¡± Ling said.

    Soon Zhang and the three beauties fell asleep soundly. Perhaps it was because of the exhausting final stage of the tournament or maybe the taxing versions from the book but the group of four slept until noon. But it was not like that had anything else to do.

    When they woke up one after another the \ everything they saw last night seemed like it was a dream. However, the black book was still on the table which helped prove that they truly did experience those events last night. This meant that the golden light, various scenes of unknown places and the epic azure dragon were in fact not dreams.

    ¡°Maybe one day we will find the other book.¡± Zhang said as he looked at the pitch black book on the table.

    ¡°Truly a marvelous book. Who would have thought the a ¡°Dragon¡¯s soul¡± resides in this book like one might have did in my lost pendant?¡± Zhang said.

    ================================================================

    Enjoy? Rate me with a nice review? Thoughts? O_o tired lol T__T

 Chapter 51: Necklace

    With the black book in hand Zhang fell into deep thought. ¡°Perhaps if I find the other book then I might be able to combine the soul in the books together then using the Underworld Heart I can revive the dragon in an adolescent form and then raise it as my pet.¡± Zhang thought to himself.

    While thinking of the soul within the book Zhang looked at Ai. Although he kept it to himself for a time Zhang had thought that Ai might be the soul within his lost pendant. However, the thought quickly faded away. This is of course because he knew one thing and it was that the Underworld Heart only created a body that was based on the person¡¯s soul as a blueprint.

    If the soul belonged to a dog the body the Heart would create of course would be a dog¡¯s body. Had Ai been the dragon¡¯s soul that resided within his necklace then she would have a body of a dragon. So for now her past was still a mystery. But Zhang knew one thing and that was that she meant no harm to him nor the ones around them.

    ¡°The past doesn¡¯t matter what does matter is the future. Perhaps she is a dragon, who knows not like I¡¯ve ever meet a real live dragon before.¡± Zhang laughed inside as he stored the black book away into his interspatial ring.

    Today Zhang and the three beauties had to get ready for their trip to Red Mist city. It had been decided that Zhang would lead Ling, Ai and Yuying back to Red Mist city first. Then afterward when the opportunity presented itself his family, Ling¡¯s family, a few other families with close relation to theirs and of course their soldiers would leave the Heilong kingdom and join them.

    Although they wanted to join Zhang and Ling, Zhou Cheng and Wu Tong wanted to join their children they could not at least for the moment. As two ministers of the Heilong kingdom if they just upped and left there was no way the king would allow it. That is to say they left without any of their subordinates following them.

    If the two of them left with their subordinates, then that might be seen as an act of rebellion toward the kingdom. But there was no way they would leave without bringing their subordinates. Even if king Huang He was the kindest king on the face of the planet there was no way he would let them just up and leave besides the subordinates the two of them knew too much. Wu Tong and Zhou Cheng knew too many of the kingdom¡¯s secrets which if known by the enemy might spell the end of the kingdom.

    So for them to leave safely the borders of the kingdom with their subordinates they needed an excuse or some kind of scenario to play out. Thus it was decided for Zhang and the three beauties to return to Red Mist city and then send out wedding invitations. Invitations to Zhang¡¯s wedding with Ling of course.

    Then using the excuse of hosting his daughter¡¯s wedding Wu Tong would be able to leave. And of course Zhang¡¯s father using the excuse of attending his best friend¡¯s daughter¡¯s wedding would also leave. Once they left the borders of the Heilong Kingdom they would be home free. With the looming threat of the Siwang empire there was no way the armies of the Heilong kingdom would be moved out of its borders. Also although Aurora was not considered a kingdom it was only slightly weaker than the Heilong kingdom in terms of military might.

    So today Zhang, Ling, Yuying and Ai decided to go check out the golden lotus auction house located in the capital of the Heilong kingdom.

    ¡°Brother where do you want to go after the auction house?¡± Yuying asked as she walked down the street with Zhang alone.  Today Ling gone home to pack some of her things and get ready for the trip and Ai had decided to tag along with her.

    Zhang and Yuying were currently walking down the street arm in arm with each other looking like a lovely couple.

    ¡°This white dress suits you.¡± Zhang complimented as he and Yuying walked down the street.

    ¡°If you like I¡¯ll wear dresses like this more often.¡± Yuying replied slightly blushed cheeks.

    ¡°Actually I¡¯d prefer you wear a red dress for me.¡± Zhang said will a silly grin on his face.

    ¡°A red dress?¡± Yuying murmured. After a few moments she realized what he meant and her face turned deep red.

    ¡°If if you really mean it perhaps¡­.¡± Yuying murmured shyly. However, her voice was to soft so it wasn¡¯t audible by the person she was talking to.

    ¡°Ah we are here.¡± Zhang said as he pointed to a large building in front of them. This was an office of the Golden Lotus, although it was not a branch headquarters like in Red Mist city.

    ¡°Did you say something?¡± Zhang asked Yuying.

    ¡°No-nothing.¡±

    ¡°Alright let¡¯s go inside I¡¯ll pick out something nice for you.¡± Zhang said with a grin.

    As the two of them walked hand in hand into the building they were greeted by a young lady.

    ¡°Hello young master and young madam. How may I be of service to you two today.¡± The woman said as she curtsied.

    ¡°Ah yes we would like to partake an auction.¡± Yuying said to the young woman.

    ¡°Right this way.¡± The young woman said as she led them to the front desk of the auction house.

    ¡°Would the young master and young madam like for me to explain the rules of the auction house?¡± The young woman said.

    ¡°No need this isn¡¯t our first time.¡± Zhang said.

    ¡°If that is the case how much gold would the young master like to deposit for the auction?¡± The young woman said.

    ¡°There will be no need for that.¡± Zhang said with a smile and with a flip of his hand a black card with an emblem of a golden lotus on it appeared. Those with the black card did not have to place a deposit and received some special treatment as all of the establishments of the golden lotus.

    Once the young women saw this she bowed and said.

    ¡°I apologize for not knowing your status young master. Please forgive me.¡± She said hastily. Those with the black vip card are all special guests for the auction house and had to be treated with the utmost respect.

    ¡°It''s not a problem. Please lead the way.¡± Zhang said.

    ¡°Right this way young master and young madam.¡± The woman said as she gestured them to follow her.

    Zhang and Yuying were lead through the hallways of the auction house to the front of an exquisite looking set of doors half a lotus carved into each door. The inside of the room was comparable to the room they had been in for the auction in Red Mist city.

    ¡°If there is anything you need please tell the maid who will be assigned to this room. I wish the young master and young madam good luck in finding an item that you like.¡± The woman said as she left the room and closed the double doors.

    Zhang and Yuying sat down on a comfy sofa located on the balcony that overlooked the auction floor.

    ¡°This is nice, just the two of us today.¡± Yuying said as she sat beside Zhang on the sofa.

    ¡°Yes it is.¡± Zhang said as he leaned closer toward her and put his arm around her.

    A short while later the auction began. Like in Red Mist city the auctioneer was a very pretty young woman.

    ¡°Welcome ladies and gentlemen to our auction today. I will be your host and I hope everything is to your liking.¡± The women said.

    ¡°For our first item we have here seven bottles of Phoenix blood.¡±

    Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!

    The instant Zhang saw those bottles of Phoenix blood go on auction he decided he wanted them. So far the bottles of Phoenix blood had proved to be very useful and the more he had the better.

    ¡°I''ll take all of them for one thousand gold coins a bottle.¡± Zhang said standing up from his seat.

    ¡°The young master up there has raised the bid to one thousand gold coins a bottle making a total of seven thousand gold coins for all of the bottles. Any other bids?¡± The young women said.

    ¡°Ten thousand for all of them.¡± A middle aged man dressed in red robes who was standing at another balcony said.

    ¡°Ah master Yu Zhao of the Yu sect it is nice to see you here today. The current bid is ten thousand for all of the bottles.¡±

    ¡°Fifteen thousand.¡± Zhang yelled as Yuying got up don''t the sofa and stood beside him locking arms and looking down below.

    ¡°Hmph young man I suggest you give up this middle aged man really wants those bottles and I don¡¯t believe that you''ll be able to our bid me. I bid eighteen thousand gold coins.¡± Yu Zhao said with an air of arrogance.

    ¡°Even if the king showed up he would not be able to outbid me! Twenty thousand!¡± Zhang said while knowing full well that he was overpaying for these bottles.

    ¡°Arrogant! You think you have more wealth than a king? Twenty-two thousand.¡± Yu Zhao said. As a sect leader he had to show that his sect would not back down to others so he kept bidding.

    Beside him Yuying had a small grin on her face. She knew that Zhang meant that even if the king of the Heilong kingdom appeared he would not be able to outbid Zhang. Zhang currently had half the wealth of an empire in his interspatial ring. If he wanted to he could buy a small kingdom.

    ¡°Stop raising the bid by such little amounts already. Thirty thousand gold coins.¡± Zhang said while sneering at the man.

    The rest of the audience was dumbfounded by what Zhang said. How is few thousand gold coins a tiny sum?

    Beside Yu Zhao was another man. This man was the sect¡¯s second in command who helped managed the funds of the sect

    ¡°Sect master we need to save our funds for that item that is going on auction later.¡± The man said.

    ¡°Hmph so be it.¡± Yu Zhao said.

    Down on the auction floor there was utter silence.

    ¡°Any more bids for the seven bottles of Phoenix blood?¡± The young woman asked.

    A few moments later the bottles were brought up to Zhang¡¯s private room.

    After the Phoenix blood a few other items were put up for auction however they did not catch Zhang¡¯s interest. Items such as suits of armor, weapons, and other things were of no use to him due to the high quality of his current equipment. These items that were auctioned although were rare and had good quality was not up to par.

    ¡°Today our last item will be this pendant made of a dragon''s heart.¡± The young women said and some men carried in a pedestal with a pillow on top.

    The moment Zhang saw the necklace on the pedestal that was brought in he recognized it right away. It looked exactly the same as necklace that had been lost.

    ¡°I''ll tell everyone a bit of history on this item. This necklace is part of a series of dozens of identical necklaces that date back to the latest of roughly a thousand years ago.¡±

    ¡°Little is known about the origin of these necklaces however one thing that is known from the stories of those who possess these necklaces is there is always a beggar who gave them the necklace and left them with a prophecy.¡±

    ¡°Two particular things about these necklaces are the owner of these necklaces never possess an essence level high then two and no matter how hard the owner tries to get rid of them, they always reappear. From that a legend saying that these necklaces are cursed was born.¡± The young woman said while holding the necklace.

    The crowd had mixed emotions about this item going up for auction some wondered why the auction house was auctioning such an ominous item. Whereas others felt a bit of intrigue and wondered if they could buy this necklace and plant it on their enemies.

    ¡°If the necklace doesn''t leave its owner then how come the auction house is selling it.¡± A man in the audience asked.

    ¡°Through careful research we have found out that the necklaces sometimes unattaches itself from its owners as if it deemed them unworthy and this is one of those particular necklaces. These necklaces are truly mysterious so we do not know the exact reason why they act the way they do. But I would like to add that we have found through careful examination that in this particular necklace there is an extremely large concentration of energy that if successfully tapped into would be able to bring armies to their knees.¡± The auctioneer said.

    ¡°We will begin the bedding at fifty thousand gold coins.¡±

    ¡°Two hundred thousand gold coins.¡± Yu Zhao yelled out. His sect had a certain technique that allowed them transfer the essence from one thing into another. So once he heard about this necklace Yu Zhao had decided to buy it and then use the sect¡¯s technique to transfer the energy inside into the sect¡¯s treasure called the Slaughterer Sword. With the massive amount of energy from the necklace inside the treasure sword he sect¡¯s power would increase one hundredfold and they''d be able to stand at the peak of influence and power.

    However, had Zhang not been here today Yu Zhao might have gotten his way.

    ¡°Three hundred thousand gold coins.¡± Zhang yelled. ¡°I must have it.¡± Zhang thought. He knew of the necklaces true power and after having lost his previous one somehow he would not let this one slip of his hands.

    ¡°Three hundred and twenty thousand.¡± Yu Zhou said.

    Beside Yu Zhou the man who was second in charge of the sect had a frown on his face.

    ¡°Master that is all of the gold the sect has on hand.¡±

    ¡°That doesn''t matter once we get this necklace we will be able to dominate the other sects, perhaps the kingdom also.¡± Yu Zhao said.

    ¡°Hmph four hundred thousand.¡± Zhang said.

    Once those words left Zhang''s mouth Yu Zhao¡¯s face sank. He could not bid any higher than the three hundred and twenty thousand gold coins. Had Zhang not been present he would have certainly gotten the necklace because not very many people were willing to shell out so much gold for a single item.

    ¡°Going once! Going twice! Sold to the young master up there for four hundred thousand gold coins.¡± The auctioneer said with a smile on her face.

    ¡°The commission that I will be getting will be huge.¡± She thought.

    Everyone else was dumbfounded and stared at the balcony where Zhang and Yuying were standing. They all were wondering how can such a young man just casually spend four hundred thousand gold coins just like that on a single item.

    =================================================

    Will try to get another chapter done for tonight. Thoughts?  Give me ratings!!!!!!!!!! Also wrote this on phone if any errors please help me by pointing them out.

    <hr />

    Also I''ll run this through spellcheck and everything once I get home tonight.

 Chapter 52: Stalker

    Zhang waited in the room with Yuying patiently for the pendant to be brought to him by one of the attendants. Moments later a knock can be heard on the door leading into the room.

    ¡°Come in.¡± He said.

    However, the person who walked into the room was not a servant with the pendant but a middle aged man that went by the name of Yu Zhao.

    ¡°You¡­ What do you want.¡± Zhang said in an unhappy tone. He was anticipating the moment the pendant would arrive. Not only did it have mysterious powers, he felt that it was a part of himself. Although this necklace might not be the same one that he had before they looked identical and most likely possessed the same abilities.

    ¡°Ah young lad I wanted to talk to you regarding that cursed necklace you bought.¡± Yu Zhou said with a grin on his face.

    ¡°There is nothing to talk about. Now leave¡­¡± Zhang said glaring at the man.

    ¡°How about this I will pay you double what you paid for it if you give me some time to gather the funds.¡± Yu Zhao said.

    ¡°I''m sorry but I''m not going to be selling it and there is no amount of money you can offer me that would make me want to sell it.¡± Zhang replied.

    ¡°Mister I think it is best you leave.¡± Yuying said as she walked up beside Zhang held his hand.

    ¡°Hmph what place does a woman have to speak to me like this.¡± Yu Zhao complained.

    ¡°If you''re not willing to sell it then so be it.¡± He said as he stormed out of the room.

    As Zhang watched Yu Zhao walk away killing intent began emitting from his body. If he had not wanted to avoid making a commotion, then he most likely would have fought Yu Zhao.

    In terms of strength Zhang can pretty much hold his own against anyone as long as they were not level eight or higher or possess some kind of godly weapon.

    Moments after Yu Zhao left a maid walked in with the necklace Zhang had bought placed on a pillow.

    ¡°Young master here is the necklace.¡± The maid said respectfully.

    With a sweep of his hand Zhang deposited the necklace into his interspatial ring.

    ¡°Thank you take this as a token of my appreciation.¡± Zhang said as he made a small stack of gold coins appear.

    ¡°Many thanks your master many thanks.¡± The maid said cheerfully. She had gotten so many gold coins for simply bringing him the necklace.

    ¡°Yuying let''s go for a stroll around the city.¡± Zhang said once more locked arms with her. He felt bad that he did not get her anything from the auction like he said he would so Zhang suggested they go on a stroll together.

    ¡°I''ll check out the necklace tonight.¡± He thought as he and Yuying began walking out of the auction house.

    As the two of them walked out people were watching the couple from afar.

    Zhang led Yuying from shop and shop trying to find something he could get for her. But there wasn''t much that she did not already have which made looking for something to buy as a gift for her very hard.

    ¡°How about this!?¡± Zhang said as he held up a hairpin showing it to Yuying.

    ¡°No thanks brother.¡± Yuying replied with a slight smile on her face.

    ¡°How about this?!¡± Zhang asked while holding up a pretty dress.

    ¡°No thanks brother.¡± Yuying replied with a smile on her face.

    ¡°Then this?¡± Zhang said as he picked out a pretty bracelet for her.

    ¡°No thanks brother.¡± Yuying replied with a big smile on her face.

    ¡°I already have what I want.¡± She said as she held his hand.

    ¡°Spending alone time together is the best gift you can give hehe.¡± She said with a broad smile.

    Thus the two decided to stop looking for things to buy but instead went to look for food to eat. They went from stall to stall trying many kinds of different foods.

    As they walked through the streets Zhang felt that someone was watching them. So he began walking faster while holding onto Yuying¡¯s hand more tightly. The two of them eventually began running through the streets.

    ¡°Into here.¡± Zhang said as he turned into an alleyway. Once inside the alley way he pulled out the dragon talons flying knives. With a twist of his hip Zhang spun back and was about to launch the throwing knives when he realized who had been following them. It was Ling and Ai who had been trailing Zhang and Yuying.

    ¡°Brother!¡± Ai and Light yelled.

    ¡°Sigh... You two should have said something.¡± Zhang said as he stared pass behind Ling and Ai at a diner.

    ¡°But you guys started running.¡± Ai pouted.

    ¡°Alright alright let''s go stroll around the city together.¡± Yuying said.

    This the group of four began strolling through the city. A bit away from them from the top of a two story diner a man was standing.

    ¡°Hmph he noticed us¡­ Go back to the sect headquarters and get more men and follow them. We will strike when they leave the city.¡±  This person would be recognized as Yu Zhao.

    ¡°Master how do you know they will leave the city?¡± Yu Zhao¡¯s second in command asked.

    ¡°If someone as young as him and with as much wealth lived in this city do you think we wouldn''t know? And I think I''ve seen him during the tournament but I''m not sure.¡± Yu Zhao said. In fact, he did meet Zhang during the tournament but had his tower taken over by Shu Shang in the final round despite not having any of Zhang¡¯s men in his team. But he did not see Zhang¡¯s facial features since Zhang wore a helmet during the tournament.

    ¡°Ok master I''ll go alert the sect headquarters.¡± The man said as he left.

    ¡°Let''s see if you can evade me¡­¡± Yu Zhao said as he began railing Zhang¡¯s group while trying his best to stay concealed.

    Down below on the streets Zhang¡¯s group was enjoying themselves with food.

    If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    ¡°Say ahh.¡± Zhang said to Ling as he tried to hand feed her.

    ¡°Me too! Me too!¡± Ai said.

    ¡°Ahh.¡± Yuying said as her delicate lips parted and opened her petite mouth.

    Looks of envy obviously filled the streets at this sight of Zhang hand feeding sweets to the three girls.

    After this the group continued walking around the city some more. The capital of the Heilong kingdom was fairly big so it offered a lot of places to see.

    Flower gardens filled with thousands of flowers were abundant. Performers also filled the streets showing off their acrobatic skills.

    ¡°Look at that man brother he''s laying on a bed of nails with a block of stone on his chest. Wait is that man about to hit him with a hammer?¡± Ai said as she watched a street performance.

    ¡°Look! Look! That girl is balancing spinning plates on a stick!!¡± Yuying said.

    The group had walked to a part of the street where a circus of street performers were performing.

    ¡°Oh wow that man just shot an apple off that boy¡¯s head with an arrow while blindfolded!¡± Ai yelled.

    As they stood watching the performances on of the street performers, one of them walked around while holding a basket asking for donations from the onlookers. Many people have a few copper coins here and there but the man was not able to collect very much.

    Although not many people donated the performer was treated fairly kindly by the audience in the form of praise and cheerful smiles. However, this changed when the performer walked up to a large and well-built man.

    ¡°Sir would you like to make a small donation?¡± The performer asked.

    ¡°Hmph you call this entertainment? You¡¯re even asking for money? You should be paying me for watching ha ha ha.¡± The man said as grabbed the performer¡¯s basket of money and kicking the performer to the ground.

    Seeing this the other performers stopped what they were doing and gathered where the man was standing.

    ¡°What you got a problem? What you all staring at! Scram!!¡± The man yelled at the performers.

    ¡°Sir please we are only a small circus if you can please give us back the money.¡± A man who seemed to be the circus leader said.

    ¡°Hmph!¡± After hearing those words, the man proceeded to kick the circus leader.

    However, before he connected something wrapped around his leg. A pitch black wine that coiled around and wrapped his entire leg.

    ¡°Perhaps you¡¯ll like our performance.¡± Zhang said as he walked out from behind the crowd beside him was Ai holding on to the Black Thorn whip.

    ¡°Yea I hope you enjoy my performance.¡± Ai said with a naughty smile on her face. Using a bit of her essence and sending it into the Black Thorn whip she flicked her wrist and made the whip send the man into the air. Once the man was in the air the whip slammed into him and sent him crashing down on a street stall nearby.

    ¡°Many thanks young miss many thanks.¡± The circus leader said to Ai.

    ¡°We enjoyed your performance quite a bit.¡± Zhang said as he picked up the basket that the performer was trying to get donations in and gave it back.

    Once the circus leader received the basket Zhang held out his hand on top of it and made a few hundred gold coins appear and fall into the basket. Today Zhang was in an extremely good mood thanks to the three beauties and from obtaining the necklace from the auction house. So this made him feel generous.

    The circus troupe was left speechless as they stared at the basket of gold that had landed in their laps.

    ¡°I think it¡¯s time to go back to the mansion and get some dinner and rest.¡± Zhang said as he led the group back toward the mansion they were staying in.

    A while later the group was back at the mansion and in their large room. Yuying and Ai were laying in the bed they shared, Ling had her own bed and now Zhang had his own bed to sleep on. After the three girls had fallen asleep Zhang pulled out the necklace that he had gotten earlier in the day.

    He injected his essence into the necklace trying to get a reaction from it but nothing happened.  If it was the same necklace that he had, then the presence inside would have a reaction right away. However, it seems as if this necklace was simply absorbing his essence.

    ¡°Perhaps if I try this.¡± Zhang thought as he withdrew the Underworld Heart from his interspatial ring.

    A purplish energy began to emit from the Underworld Heart and was channeled into the necklace by Zhang. He figured if he channeled more essence into the necklace adding to its already massive store then after a certain point like in the underworld the being inside of the necklace would awaken.

    ¡°I guess I should name this necklace.¡± He thought as he held it in his hands.

    ¡°Hmmm Dragon Heart Necklace?¡±

    Zhang decided to put on the dragon heart necklace and has the underworld heart slowly channel more and more energy into it was time went on.

    As Zhang continued channeling energy into the Underworld Heart outside the mansion were many preying eyes keeping watch.

    ===========================================================================

    Was thinking I should go rewrite and post the story again .__. Seems the story is lacking for a lot of readers .__. Also chapter was a tad short but there ya go.

    Also looking for a proofreader/editor O_O

    Also reviews? they sorta fell ehhh T__T

    Someone gave me a bad review cause they dont like wuxia? welp....

    Also First in Monthly and Weekly muahahahahaha

 Chapter 53: Departure

    Only read the things in the spoiler tag if you wanna see the wacky comments between me and the editor :D

    ============================================================================

    The moon was high in the sky, gazing down upon the earth from up above.

    Two men were standing on the third floor of a local diner that was right next to a certain mansion.

    ¡°Sect master our men are ready and positioned outside of the four city gates and inside all throughout the city. No matter what gate they leave from we will be ready for them.¡± A masked man dressed in black robes said.

    ¡°Good, how many men do we have?¡± A man dressed in red robes said. As the moonlight shone on this man¡¯s face anyone within the capital would recognize him as the leader of the Yu sect, Yu Zhao.

    ¡°We currently have thirty thousand disciples ready, master.¡± The masked man replied.

    ¡° Alright, that brat will wish he had given me that necklace at the auction house instead of acting haughty. Had we not been in the golden lotus then I would have killed him.¡± The only reason Yu Zhao had not acted in the Golden Lotus was because he wanted to avoid offending the auction house.

    The golden lotus was not a good place to cause trouble due to their huge influence in the Wulin continent. Even small kingdoms did not want to offend the golden lotus.

    ¡°Keep a close eye on their movements.¡± Yu Zhao ordered the masked man.

    ¡°Yes, master.¡± The masked me said as he left the room.

    ==================================

    The sun peeked out from the horizon and shedding its warm rays upon the land and illuminating the sky.

    Today the ministers of war and finances were both present at the eastern gate of the capital city.  Their reason for being here today was to send off their children who were about to embark on their journey to Red Mist city.

    Zhang¡¯s mother also was present, but she now knew the truth. His father had slowly told her what had actually happen to her son. He did it in a way that had not startled her and eased her into the events that had happened. Today Zhang¡¯s mother Zhen Ji had, for the first time in a long time, left her home and entered the outside world.

    ¡°Goodbye madam.¡± Zhang said to her as he held her hand.

    ¡°Goodbye.¡± Zhen Ji replied as she tightly gripped her sons hand.

    The mother and son had to pretend to be strangers as to not stir up suspicion from outsiders. However they knew that soon enough they would be united when Zhang returned to Red Mist city.

    Once Zhang arrived he would start to send out invitations inviting people to his wedding that would be held in Aurora which would give his loved ones a excuse to leave the Heilong Kingdom.

    ¡°It is time to go, my lord.¡± Lu Xun said as he walked up behind Zhang.

    Although he did not want to leave, it was not safe for him or his family to stay in the Heilong Kingdom. The risk of the Siwang empire attacking was just to high. The alliance as a whole might be able to hold back the Siwang empire, but the chances of one of their allies betraying them and joining the Siwang empire was also rather high.

    Thus moving his family to the warring states region was safer. If they moved to Aurora then it was very unlikely that the Siwang empire would be able to reach them. This was of course thanks to the Dragon¡¯s Maw. No one besides Zhang and his soldiers knew about the secret pass, so traveling through the Dragon''s Maw would take a very long time.

    Not only that, but if armies were to engage each other inside the of the Dragon''s Maw, there would be no such thing as numerical advantages. Only so many soldiers could fight at one time in there thus making it a very strategic location.

    Zhang''s mother gripped his hand even tighter than before not wanting to let him go. He had left this world once and now he was finally back so she did not want him to leave her side again so quickly.

    ¡°Let him go.¡± Zhou Cheng said softly to his wife as he placed his hand on her shoulder. He too did not want to see his son leave, however there were things to be done and stalling would not a wise decision.

    Slowly Zhen Ji let Zhang¡¯s hand slip out of hers.

    ¡°You take care now and don''t bully the girls.¡± She said with a slight smile on her face.

    ¡°I will try my best to be careful, but I think they''ll be the ones bullying me.¡± Zhang said with a smile as he looked at Ling, Ai and Yuying.

    ¡°Goodbye father and mother.¡± Ling said as she hugged her parents.

    ¡°Every hatchling must leave the nest one day.¡± Wu Tong said as he hugged her with his wife.

    Ling¡¯s mother did not say a word but instead hugged Ling even tighter.

    A while later the group departed from the gates of the Heilong kingdom¡¯s capital on their steeds. Zhang, Lu Xun, Yuying, Ai and Ling along with their one hundred mounted guards rode away from the gates of the capital.

    Zhang did not look back as he rode away, neither did Ling. They knew if they looked back then there was a chance they would hesitate and turn back. This was in fact the first time both of them said goodbye to their family. Although Zhang had been away from his family for years, it had been a forced separation without a chance for farewells.

    The only one looking back was a now slightly bigger Silky sitting on top of Yuying¡¯s head basking in the sunlight.

    After traveling a short distance from the capital city Zhang and the group stopped advancing.

    ¡°Lu Xun where are our forces?¡± Zhang asked since Lu Xun had relocated their soldiers after the tournament.

    ¡°My lord, the men are stationed a roughly twenty miles miles away from the city, but I''ve arranged for them to come meet up with us after we start moving out.¡± Lu Xun said.

    ¡°Alright, you lead the way.¡± Zhang said as the group rode on.

    ¡°Hey brother, why aren''t we using the magical carriage we got from the treasury?¡± Ai asked.

    ¡°Ah yes, I almost forgot about that.¡± Zhang said as he made a small miniature sized carriage appear in his hand. Shortly after, he got off his horse, placed the miniature carriage on the ground and activated its ability by sending a bit of his essence into it.

    Moments later the miniature carriage emitted a golden brilliance and began slowly changing in size. From being small enough to fit in Zhang¡¯s hand it turned into a full sized carriage. The carriage looked extremely extravagant with beautiful metal work and precious gems.

    ¡°Alright, let''s go inside.¡± Zhang said to the three beauties as he walked up to the carriage and opened the set of twin doors that led to the inside of the carriage.

    Ai was the the first one in as she quickly jumped off her horse and stepped into the carriage.

    One by one Ling and Yuying got off their horses and followed her in. The inside of the carriage was roughly ten times larger than one would expect from a carriage of this size.

    ¡°It¡¯s much bigger on the inside.¡± Ai said once Zhang entered the carriage.

    <b>Spoiler</b> : <input type=''button'' value=''Show'' class=''spoilerButton''>(

    ¡°I know.¡± said The Doctor with a gleaming smile on his face.

    Ai ran out and in again and again.

    ¡°But how?¡± Ling asked with a perplexed expression on her face.

    ¡°Welcome to the Tardis¡± Was the only explanation The Doctor gave. My Editor added this and I decided to keep it :D if you don¡¯t watch doctor who then well lol.)

    Ai ran out and in again and again.

    ¡°But how?¡± Ling asked with a perplexed expression on her face. Although she knew the magical carriage had this ability beforehand, it still perplexed her.

    ¡°Magic or Dimensional transcendentalism.¡± Zhang said with a light chuckle as he recalled watching this show called ¡°Doctor Who¡± in his past life.

    Zhang recalled the wacky adventures of The Doctor and his companions. The Doctor would use his high intellect to solve complex puzzles and mysteries which result in the universe being saved.

    After sometime everyone was in the carriage speeding toward the rendezvous point where the rest of Zhang¡¯s army was positioned. Once they meet up, Zhang would take command and lead everyone through the ¡°Dragon¡¯s Maw¡±, all the way back to Red Mist City.

    As the carriage along with one hundred horsemen speed onwards, something unexpected happened as they rode past a thick grove of trees. Hundreds, if not thousands of arrows came out of nowhere. Due to being caught off guard many of Zhang¡¯s soldiers died immediately.

    ¡°Protect the carriage!¡± Lu Xun yelled as he plucked an arrow out from his shoulder. He was situated near the carriage where not a lot of arrows were aimed. Thus he was able to avoid death.

    Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

    ¡°ATTACK!!!¡± A loud voice rang out from within the woods. Following the signal, countless number of masked men charged out from the grove with weapons high in the air and engaged the few surviving guards in battle.

    Zhang¡¯s guards were instantly overwhelmed by the large group of attackers. One by one they began to perish.

    That was when the carriage doors bursted open and Zhang walked out dressed in his Lightning Eater scale armor while brandishing the Sky Pierce halberd.

    ¡°Kill him!¡± One of the attackers yelled.

    ¡°Die..¡± Zhang murmured as he swung his halberd. With a single swing a number of the attackers were bisected.

    Seeing this quite a few of the attackers backed off in fear of death. However Zhang used their hesitation to his advantage and charged forward. From his interspatial ring he withdrew his ten Dragon¡¯s Talons throwing knives and his two chained daggers made from the teeth of the Voracious Eater.

    Using the power of the Underworld¡¯s Heart the throwing knives and chained daggers danced through the air and swept down to take the lives of the attackers.

    None of the attackers wore any armor that could protect them from his high tier weapons, which made it extremely easy for Zhang to cut them down. His blades cut through flesh and bones as if they were made of butter. And to further add to his newly created chaos, he opened the Ruler¡¯s Domain and unleashed a horde of Titanic Golden spiders.

    The attackers, who originally were the hunters, had now turned into the pray. Although they possessed an absolute numerical advantage, they could not overwhelm Zhang. They were simply too weak to face him in single combat and when fighting as a group only so many of them can attack at once.

    Unlike them, Zhang could easily fight many enemies at the same time. He could manipulate the throwing knives and daggers to keep the attackers at bay while using his halberd to mow down everything in front of him. The horde of spiders also proved to be a deadly force.

    The spiderlings would jump onto the attackers and inject them with neurotoxic venom causing them to fall to the ground and be dragged off by the spiders.

    As if this wasn''t enough, from within the carriage, Yuying, Ai and Ling now also came charging out. Ai used the black thorn whip to lash out at the attackers, while Yuying used her reanimation magic to manipulate the corpses of the dead enemies and Ling erected a small water barrier around herself and the other two girls to protect them from any surprise attacks.

    ¡°Everyone fall back to the barrier and fall into formations!¡± Lu Xun yelled to the remaining soldiers. Although Zhang was able to hold his own against the many attackers, the soldiers were still being overwhelmed, if they did not fall back then soon every last one of them would die.

    ¡°Reinforcements will arrive soon!¡± Lu Xun yelled toward his men who were struggling against the enemy.

    Only ten or so of Zhang¡¯s soldiers managed to make their way into the barrier that Ling had set. The majority of them have already died and the rest are stuck hopelessly fighting for their lives.

    ¡°Who sent you? Was it that bastard Ming Jiang?!¡± Zhang yelled at the attackers. Although he and Ming Jiang had somewhat settled their differences, Zhang did not trust Ming Jiang at all.

    Instead of saying anything, the attackers redoubled their assault.

    ¡°Keep attacking men! There are only a few of them left!¡± One masked man yelled.

    ¡°Hmph.¡± Zhang snorted as he swung his halberd, separating limbs from bodies. Wherever the halberd went a trail of blood and gore followed.

    Zhang plunged the sky piercer into the chest of one of the attackers then lifted the man into the air. Blood gushed out from where the halberd had entered the man¡¯s body and poured down onto Zhang.

    This horrendous sight further increased the fear that the attackers had for Zhang. From afar Zhang looked like the reincarnation of death, as if blood rained down onto him from the heavens themselves.

    ¡°You fools! What are you doing?! Continue attacking! He will tire and be overwhelmed by our numbers soon enough! We must obtain the necklace for the sect master!¡± One masked man yelled out.

    ¡°For the sect!!!¡± The rest of the attackers yelled out in response.

    ¡°Whoever kills him and gets me that necklace will become the next sect leader!¡± Yelled a masked man in red robes who was standing in the rear of the group of attackers.

    ¡°It¡¯s you! Yu Zhao, you old bastard!¡± Zhang yelled with blood dripping from his face. He had figured out who the attackers were once they had mentioned a sect master. The face of the middle aged man who had wanted his necklace at the auction house had immediately popped up in Zhang¡¯s mind.

    A bit away from where Zhang was, Ai was demolishing another group of attackers with the black thorn whip. The magical whip¡¯s ability to change size proved to be extremely useful when fighting large groups. Ai would change the size of the whip upon its impact with an enemy thus increasing its weight and attack power exponentially.

    <b>Spoiler</b> : <input type=''button'' value=''Show'' class=''spoilerButton''>(Chizinha: That¡¯s what he said ( ?¡ã ?? ?¡ã))

    As the fighting progressed, Zhang and his people slowly but surely started to tire. Although they were able to hold their own for quite a while, there were simply too many enemies. There was no way a hand full of people could face an enemy force that numbered in the thousands.

    For each enemy cut down there would be two more to fill in the gap. With each swing of the sword, each thrust of the spear, their energy was slowly being sapped away. Zhang¡¯s group no longer possessed the explosive force they had at the beginning of the battle.

    Zhang could be seen surrounded by more and more enemies as he tried to hold them back. The halberd felt heavier and heavier after each time he slew an enemy. The chained daggers and throwing knives were no longer dancing about in the air. Zhang was struggling to keep himself on his feet as the wind brushed against his blood coated face.

    <b>Spoiler</b> : <input type=''button'' value=''Show'' class=''spoilerButton''>

    (Chizinha: He is now made of blood, long live Mirai.

    iEndWorlds: Yes like Yuno O_o when she cut off that one dude¡¯s head.

    Chizinha: Spoilers much¡­ no it¡¯s Mirai Kuriyama</a>

    iEndWorlds: I needs to watch that¡­.)

    Ling¡¯s barrier could be seen fluctuating and looked like it was about to collapse.

    ¡°Brother we can¡¯t hold out for much longer over here.¡± Ling yelled to Zhang, panic starting to fill her voice.

    ¡°Just a bit longer and our reinforcements should be here.¡± Zhang yelled back trying to comfort her the best he could. When his army arrived, the flow of the battle would be completely reversed.

    ¡°Perhaps I should use that.¡± Zhang thought to himself.

    Although it had not been long since the fight had begun, it seemed like a lifetime as the group fought to keep the attackers at bay.

    ¡°Hand over the necklace now and I¡¯ll let you leave alive.¡±  Yu Zhao yelled from behind the backs of some of his underlings. He had taken off his mask after Zhang had yelled out his name and was now showing a confident smile.

    ¡°You want this necklace?¡± Zhang said he pulled the dragon heart necklace out from under his armor.

    ¡°Yes, hand it over. And I¡¯ll let you leave.¡± Yu Zhao said eyeing the necklace with a greedy expression on his now wicked face.

    ¡°With the mass of energy within that necklace, my sect will become one of the strongest sects on the continent!¡± Yu Zhao said with a disgusting laugh.

    ¡°Hmph, if you want it so badly, let me first give you a demonstration of the power of the necklace!¡± Zhang yelled as the necklace emitted a pitch black brilliance.

    ¡°Wha-what is this?!¡± Yu Zhao yelled as he stared with round eyes at the creepy light being emitted from the necklace.

    /////////////////////////////////////

    (Chizinha: on the next episode of Dragon¡¯s Soul: and i don¡¯t know what to type...

    iEndWorlds: Next time on dragon ball z¡­.

    Chizinha: It was too predictable...)

 Chapter 54: Absolute Power

    As Zhang held the dragon heart necklace up, a pitch black brilliance emitted from it and enveloped everything around him.

    ¡°What¡¯s happening!¡± Some of the attackers yelled as glowing blue translucent spheres began slowly coming out of the corpse on the ground and flew into the air. Even the corpses that Yuying were manipulating had blue spheres come out of them and would then fall lifelessly to the ground.

    When one of the masked men tried to reach out and grab one of these spheres, to find out what they were, his hand phased right through.

    Hundreds of blue spheres floated in the air and began flying toward Zhang, spiraling around him. An instant later the blue spheres were all sucked into the dragon heart necklace in Zhang¡¯s hand.

    ¡°What was that!¡± Yu Zhao screamed at Zhang with a hint of horror present on his face. He had originally thought that the necklace was simply a massive store of energy that he could tap into and transfer to the sect¡¯s heirloom sword.

    Although he did not know what Zhang just did, Yu Zhao was somewhat afraid of the outcome. ¡°Maybe that brat knows the secret to that necklace.¡± Yu Zhao thought to himself as he stared at Zhang.

    ¡°You wanted to see the power of the necklace, so I¡¯m showing you!¡± Zhang yelled back at Yu Zhao with a glare. Zhang had used the dragon heart necklace¡¯s ability to store away energy to absorb the blue spheres, which were the souls of Yu Zhao¡¯s henchmen. He of course made sure not to absorb the souls of his fallen men.

    Oddly enough although Zhang fed the necklace a few hundred souls it did not have the reaction he wanted it to have. The voice that would emit from the necklace and into his mind did not sound out like it did in the underworld. Despite this, the necklace worked like it had when he was collecting the thousands of souls in the underworld.

    Soon a few dozen black fire began to ignite in the air and float around Zhang. Since he was now in the mortal plane and not the underworld Zhang could only generate a few dozen black flames. Had he been in the underworld or possessed thousands of souls like he did before then perhaps he could have generated thousands of black flames once more.

    ¡°This will have to do.¡± Zhang thought as he made the black flames spiral around himself and then shot out into the skies above.

    ¡°Quickly kill him!!¡± Yu Zhao with bloodshot eyes yelled as he brandished a long sword with a blood red blade and charged toward Zhang.

    However, it was too late, after only a few steps a black flame shot down from the sky and into him. After which Yu Zhao lost all color in his eyes, slumped over and fell down onto the ground. Soon the other dozens of black flames also descended. A few of the attackers tried to shield themselves with their weapons but it was useless.

    Seeing this Yu Zhao¡¯s subordinates fell into mass panic. It was one thing to be attacked by a sword or spear but the black flames were something totally different. One could knock away a sword or block a spear but these black flames could not be stopped. These men knew that if they continued attacking then it would simply become a slaughter and it would not be them who would be doing the slaughtering.

    ¡°Run!¡± One of the masked men yelled out as he tossed his sword to the ground and began fleeing. Soon, one by one, the attackers began abandoning their weapons and fleeing.

    As the attackers fled towards the thick grove of trees, a green flare could be seen in the sky.

    ¡°They are here!¡± Lu Xun yelled after seeing the green flare. He quickly pulled out a flare of his own and shot it into the sky. Unlike the previous flare the one that Lu Xun shot out was red. This symbolized that a battle was occurring and that they were in trouble.

    Moments later the rumbling of thousands of hooves hitting on the earth could be heard approaching.

    ¡°Quickly men run!¡± One of the masked men yelled. With their leader dead the large group of attackers broke off into smaller groups each being led by a different person.

    ¡°Charge!!!¡± A voice rang out in the distance.

    Soon a cloud of dust could be seen in the distance. As it came closer and closer one could can see thousands of soldiers donning black armor while riding on black stallions. Some of these soldiers were carrying a black banner with a golden dragon on it.

    Zhang¡¯s cavalry soldiers had seen the red flare that Lu Xun had fired and came as quickly as they could. Once they saw the enemy in sight the cavalry soldiers of Aurora assumed formations to initiate a cavalry charge. With spears in hand the soldiers formed into an arrowhead shaped formation.

    ¡°Make sure not to hurt our lord and the madams! Charge!!!¡± A soldier yelled out to the men behind him.

    ¡°CHARGE!!!¡± All the of the soldiers of Aurora yelled as they tightened their grip on their spears.

    Seeing the cavalry soldiers approaching the masked men, who belonged to the Yu sect, fell into further panic and began dispersing in all directions. However, how can something with only two legs outrun something with four?

    With their backs toward the cavalry, the masked men were taken out one after another by the charging soldiers.

    ¡°Quickly run into the woods! They can¡¯t get us if we run into there!¡± One masked man yelled.

    Soon a mass of masked men all ran toward the woods fleeing from the cavalry soldiers.

    Seeing this the cavalry soldiers gave up chase and instead moved to where their lord was.

    ¡°My lord, are you okay? I apologize on behalf of everyone for coming late and endangering you, my lord. A captain in Zhang¡¯s army said after dismounting and kneeling on one knee.

    ¡°At ease. It is not your fault that we were ambushed.¡± Zhang said.

    ¡°What''s the status on the enemy?¡± Zhang asked the soldier.

    ¡°My lord, they fled into the woods.¡± The soldier said. Cavalry soldiers generally only have an advantage in open plains but when fighting in close spaces they are at a total disadvantage.

    Although cavalry soldiers could dismount it would not be very wise to chase the enemy into a thick grove of trees.

    ¡°Have all of our men regroup.¡± Zhang said as he stared at the woods where the attackers fled into.

    ¡°Brother are you ok?¡± Ling with a concerned face asked as she walked up to Zhang and wiped some blood off his face. This was the first time she''s ever seen Zhang kill people and when they were surrounded a sense of dread filled her heart. Although she very much wanted to run to his side and fight with him, the opportunity did not present itself.

    A short distance away Yuying and Ai would be seen sitting on the ground panting due to exhaustion. Although they themselves were extremely fatigued they still looked to where Zhang was trying to see if he was okay.

    Zhang seeing the worry in Ling¡¯s eyes showed a smile on his face to reassure her. Then in an instant he swooped her off her feet and carried her towards where the magical carriage was.

    ¡°What-what are you doing.¡± Ling asked shyly as he carried her. A storm of thoughts rushed to her head and hundreds of different scenarios played out in her mind. Soon Ling¡¯s cheeks turned pinkish red.

    Following that he picked up Yuying and Ai one after another like princesses and placed them inside the carriage.

    As Zhang was carrying her, Ai jokingly said, ¡°Perhaps we should do this more often then I won''t have to walk so much.¡± With a corky smile appearing on her face.

    ¡°Perhaps we should. But next time it''ll be me carrying you to a bridal room.¡±  Zhang with an equally corky face.

    Hearing this Yuying couldn''t help but laugh despite her exhaustion.

    ¡°Hey what are you laughing about. I''ll be carrying you on that day too.¡± Zhang said as he picked her up and carried her to the carriage where the other two are.

    Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!

    Lu Xun who was standing a bit away from them couldn''t help but shake his head. ¡°How can you guys joke around like that after almost dying?¡± He thought as he looked at Zhang and the three beauties joke and talk as if nothing had happened.

    After a short while, the three girls walked out of the carriage in fresh clothes, because the clothes they were wearing before were stained in blood.

    Zhang could be seen sitting on the ground wiping the blood off his armor. He had changed into fresh clothes and would don his armor once more after cleaning it.

    As he wiped his armor Zhang drank some essence water to relieve himself of his weariness and fatigue.

    ¡°My lord all of our men have been assembled and all of those who fell in battle have been burned and their ashes has been gathered to bring back home. As for the men we sent to the city to find the location of the Yu Sect¡¯s headquarters, they have just returned.¡± Lu Xun said to Zhang.

    ¡°Good, no one should be left behind, dead or alive. Now ready all the men, I think we should pay the Yu sect a visit so I can return this sword to them.¡± Zhang said as picked up a long blood red blade from the ground.

    ¡°Yes, my lord.¡±

    ================

    A few miles north from the capital of the Heilong kingdom there is a mountain range with a certain mountain which the locals call the Tiger¡¯s peak. This mountain was home to the midsized sect called the Yu Sect.

    In the beginning the Yu sect had been established on righteous principles such as ¡°the strong should help the weak¡±. But time passed, and after many generations their principles became warped.

    The current Yu sect, instead of helping the weak, used their power to oppress the common folk living on the mountain and established a mini kingdom in which they were placed at the top.  Everyone who did not submit to them would be mercilessly killed.

    The Yu sect had established an almost absolute control over the mountain range thanks to their many thousands of disciples and ruthless tactics.

    Today, the usually quiet mountain had fallen into chaos. The thousands of members of the Yu sect that had left early in the morning returned. Some of these men were heavily injuries and had to be carried back by their comrades.

    Today, the tyrannical members of the Yu sect did not bully any of the common folk like they normally did after returning from a mission.

    Today, they walked up the familiar mountain paths with their heads down and a sense of dread filled the air.

    Seeing this the common folk were struck with confusion. They, who have lived on these mountains for many generations and were always oppressed by the Yu sect, had eventually began to think that the Yu sect was invincible.

    One could say that these people are the fish in the pond, the frog in the well, the bird in the cage, none have yet to see the sea. Because out in the vast world the Yu sect is nothing more than a speck of dust.

    The members of the Yu sect made their way up the mountain to a large mansion at the very top. This mansion has been the headquarters of the sect for hundreds of years and was a symbol of fear and power in the mountain range.

    As the members of the Yu sect walked through the large twin gates of their headquarters a sense of fear fell over them. The Yu sect was in fact not under the control of the sect master, but instead the grand elder who happen to be the sect masters father.

    With that being said none of these men wanted to be the one to report the news of the sect master''s death to the grand elder. The grand elder was a man named Yu Jia who had reigned over the sect for hundreds of years. His long reign was thanks to the fact that Yu Jia had reached 8th rank of cultivation which increased his lifespan by roughly eight hundred years. So despite his age Yu Jia looked very much like a regular middle aged man.

    Yu Jia had over the course of hundreds of years had many children, but the one he dotted on the most was Yu Zhao, to whom he finally gave the position of sect master to. But of course just because he dotted on Yu Zhao did not mean that Yu Zhao was a good leader.

    Yu Zhao lacked one essential thing when it came to being in control of a sect, that thing being foresight. He never bothered to plan anything carefully and simply did as he pleased. Knowing this, Yu Jia manipulated the sect behind the scenes to ensure a stable reign for his favorite son.

    ¡°Maybe we should just run away.¡± Some of the men murmured amongst themselves as they walked into the sect headquarters. The thought of fleeing and not returning to the sect ran across their minds many times however for many if not all of these men they knew they could not make leave.

    ¡°Fools do you not remember? When we joined we had to eat the heavens rebirth pill. How many days can you last without taking a regular dose of it?¡± One man yelled out.

    All of the members of the Yu sect, besides its masters, had taken the heavens rebirth pill. This pill had been created by the masters of the Yu sect and anyone who took it would forever be bound to the sect. Without a regular dosage, anyone who had taken one of these pills would be sent to heaven and be reborn as another person. In other words, they would die, but only after suffering extreme pain and agony for days.

    Only the grand elder possessed the cure and there was no way he would give it away.

    As these men contemplated their fate, a loud bang sounded out from inside the main hall.

    ¡°Who did this! Who killed my son!!!¡±

    A few brave men had carried the lifeless body of Yu Zhao into the main hall and broke the news to the grand elder. One of these men happened to be laying lifeless in the doorway to the main hall.

    ¡°Who was the bastard that did this! You useless good for nothing dogs! You couldn''t even protect your own sect master you all deserve to die!¡± Yu Zhao could be seen yelling from the inside of the main hall with one hand choking the life out of one of the sect members.

    ¡°Gra-grand elder please spare me.¡± The man begged as his life was slowly being choked out of him. However, it was a futile attempt. Yu Jia continued until he at last tossed the man¡¯s lifeless corpse onto the ground.

    ¡°You! Tell me what happen or you''ll end up just like him.¡±

    The timid looking man Yu Jia pointed to began recalling the events that happened earlier. As Yu Jia listened, the wrinkles on his face increased.

    ¡°That is everything that happened grand elder, please spare me.¡± The timid man pleaded.

    ¡°Good, you will be spared the same fate at him.¡± Yu Jia said as he pointed to the lifeless corpse on the ground.

    ¡°Many thanks grand elder!¡± The man said overjoyed. However, before he could take another breath, a sword came flying from Yu Jia¡¯s sleeve and pierced his neck.

    ¡°I said you are spared from the same fate, I never said that I would spare your life.¡± Yu Jia sneered.

    ¡°You go gather all the men and get them ready for battle, I want the head of the bastard who killed my son.¡±

    Just as Yu Jia finished his sentence a panicked looking man ran in from the outside.

    ¡°Grand elder! Grand elder! The mountain has been surrounded!¡± The man yelled with panic filling his voice.

    /////////////////////////////////////

    Chizinha: Next time on Dragon¡¯s Soul: One way, or another, I¡¯m gonna get ya~~

    iEndWorlds: Give me your thoughts! Yes you the reader!!!!! Also thanks Chizinha for proofing lol

 Chapter 55: Wrath

    ¡°This way my lord. Everyone move faster!!!¡± A black armored soldier yelled as he galloped through an open plain on top of his trusty steed.

    ¡°Men, lets go!¡± Zhang yelled to the men behind him.

    His scouts had found the location of the Yu sect¡¯s headquarters and they were currently leading him there.

    ¡°Debt of blood must be paid with blood.¡± Zhang murmured as he held the reins to his inferno wind walker. Of the one hundred guards who accompanied Zhang only twenty survived.

    ¡°I''ll send their entire sect to accompany you guys to the afterlife.¡± Zhang thought about his dead soldiers as he gripped the reins in his hand tighter.

    These men had died serving under him so their deaths must be avenged. The armies of Aurora left no blood debt uncollected.

    ¡°STOP!!!¡± Zhang bellowed as he pulled back the reins of his mount.

    The thousands of horsemen behind him came to a sudden stop and awaited his command.

    ¡°We will be splitting into four units composed of roughly five thousand men each. These units will be led by Yuying, Ling and Lu Xun. Each unit will move into the mountain from a different direction. We will encircle the mountain and make our way up, a special unit of about five hundred men will be left to outside of the mountain to make sure no enemies get away. Make sure to not harm any civilians, our goal is the Yu sect and only the Yu sect.¡± Zhang yelled toward his soldiers.

    ¡°Yes my lord!¡± The soldiers of Aurora yelled back in response.

    Moments later Zhang¡¯s army split into four and went in separate directions heading toward the Tiger¡¯s peak.

    ========================

    A few commonfolk who lived in the Tiger¡¯s peak, that happened to be returning home from a trip to the city, could hear the rumbling of thousands of hooves hitting the earth. Soon they could see many horsemen speeding toward the mountain.

    ¡°Who are they?¡± One man asked as the horsemen began to dismount.

    After dismounting the soldiers brandished shields and spears and formed into neat rows and began marching. A young man in shiny black armor with a halberd resting on his shoulder could be seen walking at the very front of this army.

    ¡°Father we must get home quickly to warn the other villagers to run! Something bad is going to happen!¡± A youth yelled.

    However they had been spotted by the young man, and before they could make it very far he was running toward them at full speed.

    Moments later he appeared right in front of them and with a swing of his fist knocked them out.

    ¡°Tie them up, we don''t want anyone giving away our arrival.¡±

    ¡°Yes my lord.¡±

    =====================

    Lu Xun, Yuying and Ling each led their forces to a different side of the mountain and began the encirclement. Ai had been placed under Yuying¡¯s command since she was not fit to command soldiers.

    According to the plan, once they reach the designated area each commander will shoot a green flare into the sky. After the four green flares are shot, then a single red flare will be fired signaling the beginning of the battle.

    And just like planned one green flare after another shot into the sky.

    Zhang pointed the flare in his hand toward the sky and lit it, once the contents inside caught fire a dazzling red colored flare shot into the heavens.

    ¡°Attack!!! Leave no one from the Yu sect alive!¡± Zhang yelled. He had noticed that all the members of the Yu sect had one thing in common and that was their sects uniform so he ordered his men to kill everyone wearing the Yu sects uniform.

    The villagers living on the mountains fell into panic as they saw the approaching soldiers with weapons ready. However the soldiers seemed to ignore them and just continued marching by.

    ¡°Everyone run!! Run for your lives!!¡± Some villagers yelled out as they made their way down the mountain.

    Slowly Zhang¡¯s army made their way up the mountain, every single member of the Yu sect they ran into was mercilessly slaughtered.

    There were small pockets of resistance but most of the Yu sect¡¯s forces were nowhere in sight.

    ¡°Everyone be careful there might be enemy ambushes!¡± One of Zhang¡¯s soldiers yelled out.

    However strangely there weren''t any ambushes at all. The soldiers of Aurora were able to make it almost to the summit of the mountain without any resistance.

    As Zhang led his soldiers up the mountain he eventually ran into Lu Xun¡¯s men and Yuying¡¯s men. They had formed a perfect encirclement of the Yu sect¡¯s headquarters.

    A sentry that guarded the outer grounds of the Yu sect could be seen frantically running inside once Zhang¡¯s forces made their way toward the mansion.

    ¡°Everyone stand back!¡± Ai yelled as she whipped the Black Thorn whip using her essence  to extend and increase its size drastically.

    BOOOM!!!

    Once the whip made contact with the walls of the Yu sect¡¯s headquarters they crumbled into tiny pieces.

    ¡°Charge!!¡± Zhang yelled leading his men in through the broken walls.

    Thousands of men swarmed through the broken walls and inside, ready to cut down anyone they happen to run into.

    As Zhang entered through the wall it seemed like the sentry from before was just breaking the news of the mountain being surrounded to the rest of the sect.

    A middle aged man could be seen standing in front of two corpses. One of these corpses had a sword piercing through it¡¯s neck.

    ¡°Grand Elder! It was him! He was the one who killed the sect master! The one with the halberd.¡± A man yelled out.

    ¡°So it was you!¡± The middle aged man yelled out as he leaped toward Zhang.

    ¡°I don''t know who you are but be it man, demon or god, anything or anyone that stands in my way will perish!¡± Zhang yelled as he jumped and smashed the sky piercer downward on the grand elder who had just landed in front of him.

    ¡°Hmph arrogant brat who does not know how high the heavens are.¡± The grand elder, Yu Jia sneered as he rotated his body to dodge Zhang¡¯s halberd. Then with the palm of his hand he smashed into the side of the halberd changing its trajectory.

    Zhang''s halberd slammed into the ground creating hundreds of little cracks on the stone tiles that were laid on the ground. It had landed inches away from where Yu Jia was standing.

    Before Zhang could pull up the halberd, a fist came flying toward him.

    ¡°Shit¡­¡± Zhang cursed in his mind as one of his hands grasping the halberd let go he rotated to the side with one hand still grasping the halberd to avoid the blow.

    Once the fist missed it¡¯s target Zhang used his free hand to grab Yu Jia¡¯s fist. Then Zhang let go of the halberd completely and used his other hand to also grab onto Yu Jia¡¯s fist with the intention of flipping Yu Jia onto the ground. However Yu Jia performed a sideward flip and broke loose of Zhang¡¯s grip.

    ¡°Hmph!¡± Zhang snorted as he grabbed hold of his halberd with one hand and swung.

    ¡°Brat you think you can hit me with these simple swings?¡± Yu Jia sneered as he dodged Zhang¡¯s attack. However suddenly a large shadow descended from the sky.

    From up above a giant black whip came crashing down.

    If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.

    A grin appeared on Zhang¡¯s face.

    ¡°My simple swings serve as great distractions.¡± He laughed.

    ¡°Hahahah still not enough!¡± Yu Jia laughed as a blood red sword appeared in his hand.

    Seeing this sword a hint of confusion appeared. This is of course because Zhang happens to have a sword that looked exactly the same in his interspatial ring. The sword he got from Yu Zhao.

    The odd thing was the sword in Yu Jia¡¯s hand emitted a terrifying blood lust as if thousands of vengeful souls were attached to it.

    With one swing of the blood red sword Yu Jia knocked back the black whip that Ai had sent crashing down on him. The impact between the whip and the sword caused the whip to fly out of Ai¡¯s hands.

    ¡°What are you idiots doing fight!¡± Yu Jia yelled to his men who had been preoccupied with watching his fight between Zhang.

    ¡°Lu Xun make sure none of them get out of here alive!!!¡± Zhang also yelled.

    ¡°Yes my lord! Everyone attack!!! Shields to the front spears from behind! Leave none of them  alive!!!¡± Lu Xun yelled as he commanded the soldiers.

    Whereas the Yu sect simply rushed into battle, Zhang¡¯s soldiers formed into a soldier wall of shields and spears. It became a one sided slaughter for the Yu sect. Zhang¡¯s men had formed a meat grinder and slaughtered everything and everyone that came in their path.

    There was no way to compare the Yu sect''s fighters to the soldiers of Aurora. The soldiers of Aurora simply outclassed them in all aspects. Be it equipment, training, or coordination there was nothing that the Yu sect could do better then the soldiers under Zhang¡¯s command.

    As the battle between the two forces intensified so did Zhang¡¯s battle with Yu Jia. Trails of blood could be seen wherever Zhang went.

    Yu Jia¡¯s blood red sword had been able to easily slice through Zhang¡¯s Lightning Eater scale armor. Despite being armor made from the scales of a level eight demonic beast the blade was able to slice through.

    If it had not been for the design of the armor itself then Zhang¡¯s wounds would be many times more severe. Thanks to the overlapping scales a few of Yu Jia¡¯s sword strikes had simply slid off the armor instead of dealing damage.

    ¡°Just you watch I''ll skin you alive, cut you into a thousand pieces and feed you to dogs!¡± Yu Jia threatened as he madly slashed at Zhang. As blood dripped out of the small cuts all over his body.

    From time to time the three beauties would try to intervene and help, however their skill sets did not enable them to do very much against Yu Jia. All of the reanimated corpses Yuying sent at him were cut to ribbons. Everyone of Ai¡¯s attacks were sent flying away. As for Ling her water element magic was more useful for large scale attacks or healing thus she was of no use either.

    That being, Zhang was able to hold his own against Yu Jia but just barely. Although he was able to inflict wound on Yu Jia, they were all only light cuts.

    Zhang had decided against using the black flames too early in the battle. There was always the possibility that he would not be able to hit Yu Jia with the fire. So the only sure way to utilize the black fire was to surprise the enemy with it.

    ¡°You''ll have to be able to beat me before you can do any of that!¡± Zhang sneered as the ten dragon talon throwing knives shot out from his hands.

    Clang!Clang!Clang!

    However Yu Jia used the Slaughterer sword to send the dragon talons flying away.

    ¡°That¡¯s all you got?¡± Yu Jia laughed.

    ¡°Hmph!¡± With a thought the ten dragon talons that were knocked away changed trajectory and flew back toward Yu Jia.

    Since this time they had come from the back there was no way for Yu Jia to block them.

    However Yu Jia was able to sense them coming and jumped to the side. But Zhang was easily able to change their trajectory once more.

    ¡°Gahhh!¡± Yu Jia yelled as three of the dragon talon throwing knives pierced through his skin and stuck themselves into him.

    ¡°Dammit only three hit.¡± Zhang cursed. The other seven knives embedded themselves into the ground.

    A surge of energy shot out from Yu Jia which caused Zhang to lose control of the dragon talon throwing knives.

    ¡°I''ll make you pay for that you brat.¡± Yu Jia said with a deathly glare.

    ¡°Fuck off old man! Enough with the idle threats! Fight me like a man and stop dodging!¡± Zhang said trying to goad Yu Jia into making a mistake.

    ¡°How about I separate your head from your body!¡± Yu Jia replied as he rushed toward Zhang.

    ¡°Eat this!¡± Zhang yelled as he shot out his two chained daggers and made them weave through the air.

    ¡°Hahaha old tricks boy, old tricks don''t work twice kid.¡± Yu Jia sneered.

    ¡°Then I''ll show you something new!¡± Zhang yelled as dozens of black flames sparked out of nowhere and ignited.

    ¡°What''s this!?¡± Yu Jia murmured. Although he didn''t know what the black flames did he knew it would be best to avoid them.

    But there were simply too many and each flame flew on irregular paths making it next to impossible to dodge them all.

    As the black flames struck Yu Jia he could feel his essence being sapped away. The black fire slowly ate away at his strength. Had he been in the underworld then Yu Jia would have turned to nothingness by now. However since they were currently in the mortal plane the black fire was not as effective since it would have to travel through a person''s body before it could eat away the source of their essence.

    ¡°What kind of technique is this¡­¡± Yu Jia said with a look of panic on his pale looking face. All his life he had encountered one strange technique after another yet he had never come across one like this.

    Yu Jia fell into panic and retreated back from Zhang.

    ¡°Coward! Don¡¯t run from me!!!¡± Zhang yelled.

    ¡°Who is running.¡± Yu Jia yelled as he extended his hand and grabbed one of his subordinates by the skull.

    ¡°Redeem yourself for your failure.¡± Yu Jia said as his essence began to envelope his subordinate. Soon the man¡¯s body began to grow frail and saggy. In an instant the man who seemed to be in his early thirties turned into an old man who looked like he could die of old age at any moment.

    Vice versa Yu Jia¡¯s once pale face turned rosy and full of life.

    ¡°What kind of wicked technique is that.¡± Zhang murmured.

    ¡°That technique is called the soul leecher technique. This allows the user to take the essence in a object or person and transfer it to another object or person or perhaps themselves.¡± Yuying stated.

    ¡°Correct.¡± Yu Jia confirmed with a evil grin on his face as he reached out and grabbed yet another unsuspecting victim.

    After that he reached out for another.

    ¡°Gra-grand elder¡­ Spare me..¡± The man squeezed out as the life was being sucked out of him.

    ==============================================================================

    Thank you Alec for proofing this :D. Thank you readers for reading O_O. Thoughts? I should have next chapter done in a few hours just gotta see if anyone is around to proof for me. If not perhaps if people are ok with it i''ll post anyway. Then ask someone to proof it later.

 Chapter 56: Message

    Seeing Yu Jia draining the essence of many of his subordinates, Zhang jumped into action.

    ¡°You think you can defeat me by taking in the essence of two or three people? Have you gone senile in your old age?¡± Zhang goaded.

    ¡°What did you say? You brat I''ll show you!¡± Yu Jia shouted as he grabbed yet another man and drained the man dry.

    By now the ally of the essence Yu Jia had absorbed caused his muscles had bulged to the point of ripping open his robes. At this point Yu Jia was twice his regular size and was a hulking giant of a man. (Think the hulk but not green.)

    After tossing the lifeless husk down onto the ground Yu Jia charged at Zhang.

    ¡°Eat this!¡± Zhang shouted as he created dozens of black flames and launched them at Yu Jia.

    ¡°Hahahahaha your puny flames have no affect on me any more!¡±

    ¡°Then have some more!!¡± Zhang yelled as he kept a constant barrage of black flames shooting at Yu Jia.

    The battlefield had been littered with thousands souls for Zhang to store inside the Dragon Heart necklace so there would be no shortage of essence.

    After getting hit by the black fire a few times Yu Jia began catching more victims and draining them of their essence.

    As he was draining yet another victim dry, Zhang decided it was time to act.

    Swish!Swish!

    Zhang had regained control of the Dragon Talon throwing knives and launched them along with his twin chained daggers made from the voracious eater teeth.

    Since Yu Jia was too busy absorbing the essence out of anyone he could get his hands on he no longer dodged the throwing weapons. Not that they did much damage to him in his powered up state.

    The daggers and knives embedded themselves into him but did not seem to do very much damage.

    Yu Jia totally ignored the weapons stuck to his back and lunged for one of Zhang¡¯s soldiers.

    He gripped the man by the neck and lifted him up into the air.

    Eyes filled with fear could be seen on the face of their soldier. The soldier had seen what had become of the people who were caught by Yu Jia and he did not wish for the same fate.

    ¡°Let go of me! Let go of me!¡± The man yelled as he flung his arms and kicked his legs struggling to break free.

    ¡°Hahahaha.¡± Yu Jia laughed menacingly as his essence began coating the soldier like it did every victim before.

    ¡°Not so fast!¡± Zhang yelled as he appeared right next to Yu Jia and swung the sky piercer halberd downward aiming to cut off Yu Jia¡¯s arm.

    Seeing this Yu Jia quickly let go of the soldier, setting him free.

    Following up on his downward swing Zhang performed a sweep with the halberd trying to slash at Yu Jia¡¯s ankles. However Yu Jia jumped up and then stumped down and pinned down the blade of the halberd.

    ¡°Ahahahah futile attempts brat! All your attacks are useless against me! Just you watch I''ll kill you then I''ll kill all your soldiers and then I''ll make a new son with those three over there.¡± Yu Jia said as he licked his lips and looked at the three beauties.

    It was obvious that as the leader of the Yu sect for countless years Yu Jia has had enjoyed countless women. But these three beauties were in a class of their own compared to the women had been with before. Perhaps all the women he''s had relations with combined could not be considered equal to these three.

    Hearing this a shiver ran down Yuying¡¯s spine and she quickly used her arms to cover herself. Ling and Ai had the exact reaction upon hear those words also.

    ¡°You old leecher like I''d let you do that.¡± Zhang said as he let go of the halberd and the blood red sword he got off of Yu Zhao appeared.

    Zhang pushed the sword into Yu Jia¡¯s abdomen and twisted the blade then pulled it out. While pulling it out Zhang used the chance to slash upward and cause a huge amount of damage.

    ¡°Although it¡¯s been awhile since I¡¯ve used one but swords after all are my specialty. Sadly I¡¯ve yet to find any good ones..¡± Zhang thought as he felt every movement of the blade in his hand as if it was apart of him.

    ¡°Gahhhh!¡± Yu Jia screamed as he swung down with his Slaughterer blade.

    Clang! Clang!

    Zhang was only barely able to block Yu Jia¡¯s downward swing. Zhang was currently stuck in a really bad position, he was on one knee and could not move because a barrage of downward strikes followed the first one. The barrage continued until cracks appeared on the blade in Zhang¡¯s grasp.

    ¡°Ahahahaha you think that imitation can stand up to the real thing!?!¡± Yu Jia sneered. Although he dotted on Yu Zhao very much he did not entrust him with the sects heirloom sword but instead gave him a imitation just so Yu Zhao can show off his status as sect master.

    Soon the cracks on the imitation slaughterer sword began to grow until the sword was covered in them. Finally the sword gave away and shattered into countless shards.

    ¡°Now die!!¡± Yu Jia yelled as he swung downward once more. However before it could connect Yu Jia stopped and looked up. Three arrows with shiny black tips were headed straight for him.

    With his hand Yu Jia tried to bat away the arrows thinking that with his powered up body these arrows would do no harm. However these arrows were not just regular arrows, they happen to be arrows made of Lightning Eater snake scales.

    Yu Jia frowned as an acute pain could be felt from his hand. The three arrows had embedded themselves into his hand and the spots where they entered were oddly oozing out green fluid.

    ¡°Have a taste of spider venom!!¡± Yuying yelled. On top of was a very familiar looking pinkish bronze spider. Most likely if it could this spider would have a very broad grin on it¡¯s face.

    The arrows had been coated in a thick layer of Silky¡¯s venom. As a queen Titanic Golden spider her poison was ten times as effective as a regular titanic spider.

    As the venom entered Yu Jia¡¯s blood stream it caused his head to spin and his body''s movements to become irregular. Had he not been a 8th rank cultivator the poison most likely would have incapacitated him.

    Following up on the arrows, while Yu Jia was still in a daze, Zhang stabbed the hilt of the broken sword in his hand into Yu Jia¡¯s abdomen. Exactly in the same spot he had done so before.

    However something different happened this time. This time in Zhang¡¯s other hand was the Underworld Heart.

    ¡°What is that thing?¡± Yu Jia asked as looked at the Underworld Heart perplexedly as he lifted his sword into the air and got ready to swing down.

    ¡°Rather than tell you I''ll show you.¡± Zhang said and in an instant he sent a purplish ray of energy shooting out from the Underworld Heart toward the hilt of the sword, the chained daggers and throwing knives.

    Yu Jia¡¯s muscles began to bulge and his body grew even bigger.

    The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

    ¡°This feeling, this power!¡± Yu Jia sensed a constant flow of energy enter his body. This flow of energy was many times more pure than the energy he had gotten from his victims.

    However a thought suddenly crossed his mind and his eyes began to become bloodshot as they bulged out.

    A sinister smile appeared on Zhang¡¯s face as a horrified expression appeared on Yu Jia¡¯s. When Yu Jia realized what Zhang was doing it was too late.

    His sword fell out of his hand and landed on the stone tiled floor with a loud clang as his fingers became like sausages. Yu Jia¡¯s body continued to balloon with essence until it reached it¡¯s breaking point.

    And with a pop and splash Yu Jia¡¯s body blow up and flew everywhere.

    Zhang had waited for Yu Jia absorb a large amount of essence and then channeled even more essence into him through the broken sword, the throwing knives and the chained daggers.

    Each human body was a vessel for essence but like any vessel there was a limit it can hold. Once it passed the limit then of course the vessel would break.

    Although overtime the vessel can grow to accommodate more essence of one were to suddenly try to contain too much in it then the outcome would be obvious.

    Yu Jia had already been at his limit draining two to three people of their essence but Zhang kept blasting him with black fire and eventually made him forget he had reached the limit

    Then Zhang suddenly spiked the amount of essence Yu Jia had even further by using the Underworld Heart to channel even more essence into him.

    All of the fighting had stopped once Yu Jia had exploded. Everyone stared blankly at where Yu Jia had been standing. But only a large pool of blood was left behind, along with Zhang who was drenched in blood and bits of things that are better left unsaid.

    Strangely enough some of the disciples of the Yu sect broke into a loud cheer.

    ¡°We are free!!!!!!!¡± Some of them yelled.

    However they were celebrating for no reason.

    ¡°Kill them all.¡± Zhang said coldly.

    ¡°St-stop! Spare us! We surrender!¡± Many of the disciples of the Yu sect yelled as they watched Zhang''s soldiers march forward.

    ¡°Why should I spare you?¡± Zhang said as he got up from the pool of blood.

    ¡°My lord we can be of use to you! Please spare us!¡±  A man who seemed to represent the remaining members of the Yu sect said.

    However Zhang ignored him and swung downward with the sky piercer. With a single swing the pleading disciple of the Yu sect was cut into two. While the rest broke into panic and began pleading. They knew there was no way for them to overpower Zhang or the soldiers clad in black armor so all they could do was beg.

    ¡°Do what you will all we ask of you is to grant us a quick and clean death.¡± One of the man said as he kneeled on the ground and stuck out his chest proudly. Following his example many other men got down on their knees and closed their eyes to await death.

    ¡°Cut down everyone all who stand before us.¡± Zhang commanded as he raised his halberd and began a massacre.

    The men kneeling on the ground with their eyes closed could hear blood curdling screaming and cries all around them. They could feel their clothes become soaked by what most likely was blood. Some even felt fresh warm blood trickle onto their faces and slowly drop downward.

    The man who had stuck his chest out proudly a short while ago felt a cold object being pressed against his neck. ¡°This must be it.¡± He thought . However a voice rang out behind him.

    ¡°Everyone who kneeled will be spared, you may all leave.¡±

    The man could not believe his ears as he opened his eyes. In front of him was a mountain of corpses and a sea of crimson blood. Bodies without heads, heads without bodies were everywhere.

    ¡°What are you waiting for? Did I not say those who kneeled may leave?¡± Zhang said as he was standing with his the Slaughterer sword in hand.

    ¡°What a fine sword this is.¡± Zhang said as he swung it slashing empty space.

    ¡°Do you really mean it?¡± The man who kneeled asked with a confused look on his face. He could not figure out why Zhang would let them just leave.

    ¡°Of course I mean it. I admired how you did not beg and plead to be spared, so you may leave.¡± Zhang said as he kept admiring the blood red sword in his hand.

    ¡°Sadly I can¡¯t. Not without the cure.¡± The man said dejectedly. Without the cure for the heaven¡¯s rebirth he would a very painful and excruciating death.

    ¡°Would you know the cure if you saw it?¡± Zhang asked.

    ¡°Of course I¡¯ve seen the grand elder holding bottles of the cure a few times. However all of the dosages of the cure are left in the sect¡¯s vault and there''s not way to get in unless a key is used.¡± The man replied.

    ¡°This key?¡± Zhang said as he held up a shiny looking key made of silver.

    ¡°Maybe I¡¯ll help you get the cure if you promise me something.¡± Zhang said with a devilish grin.

    As the man saw Zhang¡¯s grin he imagined that he would be making a deal with the devil soon.

    The three beauties could be seen standing far away where the collapsed wall was. There was not a single drop of blood on them, most likely they did not take part in the killing. In front of them was a man who was dressed in the uniform of the Yu sect.

    Yuying had casted her magic on the man and now she was performing a ritual. Magical runes appeared on her hand and flew onto the man and began to multiply. Soon his entire body was covered in runes from head to toe.

    ¡°Listen to my command. Heed my words and do my bidding.¡± Yuying chanted over and over again.

    ¡°Yes my lady.¡±

    ¡°I have but one command. I need you to send a message for me when you reach the underworld. I need you go tell my father I¡¯m getting married.¡± Yuying said.

    She proceeded to place plant instructions into the man¡¯s mind. Once he entered the underworld then he could meet a guard and present a royal insignia that Yuying had inscripted onto him with runes. With this insignia he would be granted an audience with the king of the underworld, the Yama, Yuying¡¯s father.

    After which he would tell the Yama that Yuying was getting married.

    One the other side of the courtyard Zhang could be seen following a group of the Yu sects disciples. They were going to lead him into the sects treasury and open it using a key he had acquired from Yu Jia.

    ¡°If you all follow me from now on I¡¯ll help you get the cure.¡± Zhang said as he walked with the group of men.

    ===========================================================================

    Lol imagine the Yama''s reaction when this all happens O_O. Thoughts? lol. Also this is unedited I''ll see to reposting a editing one later.

 Chapter 56.5: The Messenger

    This chapter will be a bit different. Apart of it will be told from first person point of view. So I''ve told the story like how it would be told if you were watching a movie with a mixture of 1st person and 3rd person.  This will be a mini chapter lol.

    ==================================

    Hi there my name is Yu Yao. Let me tell you a bit about myself. This year I¡¯m thirty five years old. I''ve yet to find a women to settle down with and that goes to tell you that I have no children.

    I¡¯m a member of a sect that ruled over the Tiger¡¯s Peak located in the Heilong Kingdom. Our sect is the strongest force on the mountain and everyone who lives on it must submit to us or else.

    Every since I joined the sect I¡¯ve had the time of my life. Everything I wanted I took and no one could do a thing to me. The only thing those weakling villagers could do is plead for mercy.

    There were plenty of people forced to join the sect but I was one of those who chose to. Why live a regular life as a farmer when I can stand on top of people and look down from above.

    Could you imagine someone as awesome as me sowing the fields as a farmer? Ha fat chance right?

    Earlier the sect master Yu Zhao had assembled the sects forces and we were sent on a mission. I was told that we were going to rob some rich brat that is loaded with gold and treasure. The sect master mentioned some necklace but who cares about that, not like I¡¯d even get to touch it.

    Well he led thirty thousand of us down the mountain and to a thick grove of trees that ran along the road. It was a marvelous sight with thirty thousand of us all dressed in the sects uniform and armed with bows and arrows.  Anyone who saw us would probably run with their tails between their legs.

    As we laid in wait a ground of men came riding down the road dressed in black armor escorting a very extravagant looking carriage. I did not recognized who the banner they carried belonged to though.

    That was when the sect master Yu Zhao yelled. ¡°Fire!!!¡±

    After which we shot thousands of arrows toward the road. I kept firing arrow after arrow with a silly grin on my face as the arrows connected to their targets.

    Those guys didn''t even  know what hit them as our arrows turned them into porcupines. That''s what happens to those who go through the sect I thought when this happened.

    After shooting thousands of arrows the sect master ordered us to move on because it seems that our arrows did not finish the job. There were still many armored men alive despite being shot full of arrows.

    Sigh why wouldn''t they have just died I thought as I pulled out my sword and charged in.

    That was when the doors to the carriage popped open and this guy wearing some super fancy looking armor jumped out wildly swinging a halberd around. At that instant I said to myself if I kill this rich fuck, I''m taking that armor for myself. I thought I''d look entirely badass in that armor and all the chicks would fall for me.

    At that time I decided to play it smart and not get killed by staying at the back and letting the idiots in front of me charge in and get killed. Maybe after that monster we are facing get worn down I would jump in and finish him and then claim all the credit for myself I thought at the time.

    As the battle raged on some crazy ass giant spiders appeared out of nowhere and began attacking. I was not going to have any part in that so I moved even further back.

    From back here I could see the whole battle play out since I managed to climb up on this conveniently placed boulder.

    From here I saw three gorgeous goddesses climb out of that carriage. Man what I would give to have a night with those three I thought after laying eyes on them.

    Man that guy in the fancy armor is lucky, fuck him¡­ I cursed. Yes fuck him getting to spend time with three goddesses I thought.

    All of a sudden some weird shit happened and blue orbs began floating into the sky. Following that black fire appeared. At that point I wish I had stayed behind at the headquarters of the sect.

    Moments after the black fire appeared the sect master got blasted by it and fell to the ground. And to make things worst an army of god knows how many horsemen the appeared and began slaughtering us. That was when I decided it was time to get the fuck out of here.

    ¡°Retreat!!!¡± I yelled out. There was no way I would have made it out alive if I ran away alone. So I had to get more people to run away with me. As we ran away the horsemen chased after us. One of the horsemen even almost got me but I jumped out of the way and let him stab some other guy in the back.

    Well somehow we managed to run back into the thick grove of trees and then made it back to the headquarters.

    I made sure to be part of the last group to get back. Because god knows what the grand elder will do to us once he finds out his son is dead.

    And my decision was right. Some idiots went and broke the news to the old man and well one of them is laying dead on the ground and the other has a sword sticking out of his throat. Phew better then than me I thought.

    Then suddenly a shadow fell for the sky and smashed one of the walls of the headquarters down. Nearly shit myself that time.

    From a huge hole in the wall countless black armored soldiers charged in with the guy wearing fancy armor from before leading them. Soon fighting broke out everywhere. However this only lasted a moment because the grand elder sprang into action and engaged the the leader of the black armored soldiers.

    As they fought we all stopped what we were doing and watched. Some unbelievable shot was going down. The guy smashed the stone tiles on the floor to bits with that halberd of his. But the grand elder was no knock off either and attacked back. From the corner of my eye I can see the tree goddesses again wooo I shouted to myself.

    However as I was caught up in staring at the three goddesses a sword came swinging at me. Luckily I managed to dodge and roll to safety. ¡°Not today!!!¡± I yelled.

    A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    The fighting raged on as I tried to keep myself alive. But suddenly something caught my ear. The grand elder yelled out he wanted to have kids with the three goddesses.

    I cursed inside my mind at the old perv. Who does he think he is? I thought he should go die.

    And true to my thoughts, soon the battle that the grand elder had been winning changed favors l. The guy in fancy armor started using his creepy looking black fire and turned the situation in his favor.

    The grand elder went nuts and started turning people into dried mummies. That''s when I decided to go hide. But out of nowhere someone tapped me on the shoulder.

    When I turned back I saw one of the three goddesses look at me with a broad smile. But afterwards I sort of blanked out.

    After I woke up I found myself in a strange place. My head was ringing and my vision was blurry and somehow I was wearing a white robe. In front of me was a huge line that led through a pair of huge gates off in the distance.

    I thought hmph why should someone like me wait in line? So I walked myself to the very front of the line.

    As I walked a voice kept ringing in my mind over and over again. The voice was very pleasant to listen to but it kept giving me orders to do something.

    I made it to the front of the line and some guys wearing armor walked in front of me. They stared as me and then told me to go to the back of the line. I was about to tell them to fuck off and ask them do they know who I am?

    But my body began to move by itself and I tore off my robes. Somehow on my chest was some weird symbol that I knew saw before.

    Once seeing this symbol the guys wearing armor bowed. ¡°Yes that''s right bow before me hahah.¡± He thought.

    Soon they escorted me through the huge gates. Then they put me in a carriage where I sat for hours.

    After a few hours the doors to the carriage opened and I found myself inside a massive courtyard.

    Again my body began to move by itself and began walking.

    =================================

    Today was like any other day in the underworld, souls were being lead into the City of the Dead and everything happened like usual.

    Today the Yama was sitting in his study looking at a portrait of his favorite daughter, Yuying. It had been roughly thirty years since she had ran away going by the years in the underworld of course. In the mortal realm it would be around three years.

    ¡°One day you¡¯ll know that I only wanted the best for you.¡± The Yama said sadly as he looked at the portrait.

    As the Yama sat looking at the portrait a guard came in and kneeled on one knee.

    ¡°Your majesty someone showed up with the Princess Yuying¡¯s insignia.¡± The guard said.

    ¡°What?! Bring the person to me.¡± The Yama said hastily.

    After almost thirty years in the underworld not a hint of Yuyung¡¯s whereabouts or news of her had popped up.

    ¡°Finally some news about her. Even when i looked in the Book of Fate her page was blank.¡± The Yama sighed.

    Soon a man who looked like he was in his mid thirties was presented to the Yama.

    ¡°My lord this is the man.¡± A guard said respectfully.

    The man walked straight up to the Yama without a hint of fear or hesitation as if he was a puppet.

    ¡°Father! I''m sending you a message through this man. I wanted to tell you that I¡¯m getting married. The rice has been cooked (if you get what I mean). There nothing you can do to stop this wedding.¡± The man said but oddly the voice that came out of his mouth was the voice of a young lady.

    After uttering those words the man fell to the ground and and fainted much like a puppet with cut strings.

    ¡°WHAT!!!!???¡± The Yama yelled as he slammed his hand into his desk. He knew it was definitely his daughter Yuying. If the insignia was not enough proof then this technique that was used on the man proved it.

    His daughter always had been a master in techniques that manipulated souls.

    ¡°She''s getting married? And the rice has been cooked? Who''s the brave bastard!! I¡¯ll skin him. I¡¯ll send him down the 18th levels of hell!!¡± The Yama yelled.

    ¡°My lord please calm down. This is good news.¡± A man said as he walked up beside the Yama. This man was the Diyu of the East.

    ¡°Good news? My daughter is getting married and I just found out about it. And she even told me they''ve slept together before getting married!¡± The Yama bellowed.

    ¡°No I mean now we have news from the princess and if we interrogate that man then perhaps we will find out where she is.¡± The Diyu of the East said.

    ¡°Guards! Detain this man and interrogate him on the whereabouts of the princess!¡± The Yama yelled.

    However when Yu Yao woke up and was interrogated he did not remember a thing. It was as if his mind was completely wiped clean.

    When he was brought forth in front of the Yama a second time the same voice of the young women came out of his mouth her again.

    ¡°Father if you try to interrogate this man you still won''t find out where I am. I made sure to wipe out his memories about me once he passed on the message. Also I wanted to let you know I love you father, perhaps one day I''ll visit and you¡¯ll get to see your cute grandkids.¡±

    After hearing this the Yama became extremely angry. From that day on the flames of hell were many times hotter.  And the punishments in the 18 levels of hell were many times more harsh.

    ================================

    Today in the mortal plane Yuying could be seen with a broad smile on her face as she accompanied Zhang into the treasure vault of the Yu sect.

    ¡°Brother maybe one day I''ll take our kids to go see father.¡± She murmured with a broad smile on her face.

    ---------------------

    Thoughts? More of a gag chapter this one lol. Also NovelsNao will be hosting Dragon''s Soul  please support me and check out the site lol.

 Chapter 57: Pact with a Demon

    In front of Zhang laid an open wooden chest, contained within the chest were hundreds of jade bottles filled with small pellets. Standing in front of him were rows of men wearing white robes with the word Yu sewn onto them. These men were the same men who did not plea for mercy when Zhang was out for blood. Unlike everyone else, these men accepted their fate and decided to die with the least a shred of dignity. Thanks to this, they were spared.

    ¡°I have enough bottle of pills here to cure you all of the heaven¡¯s rebirth poison.¡± Zhang said magnanimously as he pointed the chest in his front.

    ¡°However, I¡¯ve already spared your lives once today and I¡¯m not feeling very charitable at the moment. But, since I have no use for these anyway, I would like to propose a trade.¡±, Zhang paused for a while as he looked for any reaction conveyed on their faces.

    ¡°Pledge your allegiance to me and you will get the antidote.¡± Zhang shouted.

    However, none of them dared to look at each other nor conveyed their thoughts. To these men, Zhang was akin to a demon donned with the skin of a human. He mercilessly slaughtered everything and everyone who was in his way and now he¡¯s asking them to swear allegiance to him?

    ¡°If you wish to live then make a pact with me and pledge your allegiance.¡± Zhang spieled.

    ¡°A pact with a demon.¡± The surviving members of the Yu Sect thought. However, no one voiced any objections because, of course, they all wanted the antidote to the heaven¡¯s rebirth poison.

    ¡°All who want the antidote and swear their loyalty step forward. Anyone who doesn¡¯t may leave and I wish you the best of luck.¡± Zhang said sternly.

    Almost in unison, all of the members of the Yu Sect stepped forward and bent their knees.

    ¡°We swear loyalty to you my lord.¡±, they said simultaneously, declaring their allegiance.

    ¡°Good, as long as you are loyal you will be saved.¡± Zhang said as he nodded to Yuying hinting her to start.

    Zhang moved closer to Yuying who quietly stood behind him. He channeled the energy stored in the Dragon Heart necklace into Yuying.

    Once the energy entered her body, Yuying began chanting. Soon, a greenish energy swirled around her body making her hair sway as if it was being blown by a gentle wind. Runes began to appear all over, covering her snow white skin.

    As Yuying continued to chant, and the runes on her skin moved andthen flowed onto the stone tiles where she stood. Thousands of mysterious runes crawled from the stone tiles and onto the former disciples of the Yu Sect.

    The disciples of the Yu Sect were taken aback of what was happening. However, no one dared to say anything or even moved a step back. Fearing that Zhang might kill them the spot.

    As the runes reached them it began to swirl about on their bodies, many of the disciples yelled and screamed in terror and began rolling on the ground. It was as if they were being consumed by fire that cannot be extinguished. Then in an instant, all of the runes condensed into their chests and flash of black light blinded everyone.

    Zhang silently stood, with both arms crossed over his chest, watching as his new army was being formed.

    All of the magical runes had condensed into an image of black flame etched on the chests of these disciples.

    ¡°Now that the spell has been completed. Welcome to the Aurora army.¡± Zhang said with an evil grin flashed across his face

    ¡°Wha-what did you do to us?¡± One of the newly acquired soldier asked as he looked at the flame mark on his chest.

    ¡°This is just some reassurance. If any of you even think of betraying me, then something terrible will happen to you. If you are good perhaps I¡¯ll have her remove the mark one day.¡± Zhang said with a smile on his face.

    ¡°Re-rest assured my lord we won¡¯t betray you.¡± The representative disciple of the former Yu Sect said.

    ¡°Alright distribute these among yourselves then rest, we will move out tomorrow.¡± Zhang said as he waved his hand and a large pile of black armors appeared.

    ¡°Lu Xun, make arrangements to integrate them into our current forces.¡±, Zhang said to Lu Xun who had been standing a short distance away.

    ¡°Right away my lord, I¡¯ll arrange for someone to go and acquire horses for these six thousand former Yu Sect disciples.¡± Lu Xun said. Of the thirty thousand men Yu Zhao mobilized to attack Zhang, roughly fifteen thousand had been killed as they fled back to the Yu Sect¡¯s headquarters. And of those fifteen thousand, nine thousand was executed by Zhang and his men. Lleaving only roughly six thousand, who pledged their allegiance and were spared.

    ¡°Also my lord, we have just received a correspondence from Lord Jian Wei. The message was sent by courier pigeon and only arrived not too long ago.¡± Lu Xun said as he pulled out a letter from his robe and handed it to Zhang.

    Zhang then took the letter and stuck it into his robe without reading it.

    Although the Yu Sect suffered heavy losses, the army of Aurora only lost roughly a thousand or so soldiers. Together with the Yu Sect disciples, Zhang had now a total of nineteen thousand cavalry soldiers and six thousand archers. Since the Yu sect¡¯s disciples were all skilled in using the bow, they were assigned to be archers of the army. That being said, they of course would be given their own horses so they could travel alongside with the rest of the army.

    ¡°Okay take this gold and get whatever is needed.¡± Zhang said, waving his hand, as a small pile of gold appear on the ground and gestured to Lu Xun.

    ¡°Yuying let¡¯s go, it¡¯s getting late, time to get some rest.¡± Zhang said as he faced Yuying then walked towards the carriage.

    ¡°Alright let¡¯s go.¡± Yuying said as she followed suit Zhang.

    Once Yuying arrived beside Zhang, the two began to make their way to where the magical carriage was waiting. Ai, together with Ling were currently resting inside and patiently waiting for them to return.

    As the two walked a short distance away from where Lu Xun and the new soldiers were Yuying asked, ¡°brother Zhang do we really have to pretend to cast a curse on them?¡±

    ¡°Of course we do, they can not be completely trusted. There is a high chance of them betraying us later if we did not have that little show. A little fear is needed to keep people in line. Now, although the mark you left can¡¯t harm them, they won¡¯t even think about betraying us believing that it is a curse. Also, it will help our men not to be vigilant of the new arrivals.¡± Zhang explained.

    ¡°Also, the way you casted it made it seem so much more realistic.¡± Zhang said with a chuckle, putting his arms on Yuying¡¯s waist as they walked and arrived where the magical carriage was.

    Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    ===================================================================

    Before the sun had completely risen to the east,, the entire army was mobilized and in a well coordinated manner they were set, ready to march.

    Nineteen thousand soldiers dressed in black armor were mounted on their horses in an orderly manner awaiting orders from their superiors. In front of them were six thousand of their new comrades also clad in black armor standing in neat rows with bows in hand and quivers of arrows on their backs. All of them waiting in a huge courtyard that used to belong to the Yu Sect.

    There had not been enough time to gather acquire adequate amount of horses for the six thousand new arrivals, so Zhang had decided to simply slow the pace of their march as they tried to get more horses along their way as they marched.

    Zhang¡¯s soldiers that had travelled with him before  and came from Aurora did not show the slightest aversion to the new arrivals. This was, of course, because of the ¡°curse¡± Yuying placed on them. Thanks to this ¡°curse¡±, they were able to be at ease with each other.

    In front of them, Zhang stood solemnly clad in black armor and behind him were Yuying, Ling, Ai and Lu Xun who were all also fully dressed in armor.

    ¡°Today, we will begin our march back to the Red Mist province and into the Red Mist city. But for many of you, we will not be returning using the same route we used to make it here. Yesterday, we received a correspondence from Lord Jian Wei ordering us to proceed to the Black Wind province. According to the correspondence, all the communication we have with our allies in the Black Wind province has been cut.¡± Zhang said to his men as he pulled out a letter.

    As Zhang was talking to his soldiers one of his sentries ran into the courtyard screaming.

    ¡°My lord! My lord! The mountain has been surrounded!¡± The sentry yelled.

    ¡°How many of them are there?¡±, Zhang asked calmly. If the other side had around the same number of soldiers as he did, then he was certain he could break out of the encirclement or perhaps wipe them out regardless of who they were.

    ¡°My lord I''m not sure on the exact number, but they most likely they tripled our numbers, no quadruple.¡± The sentry replied.

    ¡°All of you fortify our position and prepare for battle! I will personally go and see if they are friend or foe.¡± Zhang bellowed.

    Although Zhang had an idea of who the forces below the mountain belonged to, he still had to make sure. The population of the continent was immense and a lot of forces had thousands of soldiers under their command.

    ¡°Bother let us come with you.¡± Three voices broke out behind Zhang.

    ¡°No stay here, we do not know if they are friend or foe. and I can''t guarantee your safety if we face too many enemies at once. What would I do if you three were captured by the enemies?¡± Zhang said as he looked at the three beauties that had stood behind him.

    =============================

    At the foot of the mountain were many thousands of soldiers clad in blue armor.

    ¡°Your majesty, shall we ascend the mountain? All preparations have been completed and we are ready to begin the attack the mountain my King.¡± A man clad in blue said while kneeling to a soldier in golden robes who happened to be standing on a platform.

    ¡°General, please tell the men, we will begin the attack shortly on my order. I''ve turned a blind eye on the Yu Sect for too long. For them to act so brazenly and attack the guests of the kingdom.¡± The man dressed in golden robes said. This man would be recognized by Zhang as King Huang He of the Heilong Kingdom.

    ¡°Yes we are awaiting your orders my King, to think they had the gall to attack a member of the alliance.¡± The general said.

    ¡°Sigh* have we found the whereabouts of the soldiers of Aurora yet? If he''s alive we must find him and if he''s dead we must have a corpse. Or else I will not don''t know what to say to the lord of Aurora.¡±  King Huang He asked.

    ¡°Just majesty rest assured, as soon once as we find their whereabouts, you will be immediately informed. As for the lord of Aurora, I believe he will not cause a war over this matter if we explain the situation to him.¡± The general said.

    As King Huang He and the general where conversing, two men rode up to the platform on a pair of stallions.

    ¡°Your majesty has my daughter been found!?!!¡± One of the men said frantically.

    ¡°What about Zhou Zhang!!¡± The other man asked equally as frantic.

    These two men were Wu Tong who happened to be Ling¡¯s father and Zhou Cheng who happened to be Zhang¡¯s father.

    ¡°Rest assured we are doing all we can to find your daughter minister Wu. His majesty already mobilized all of the soldiers that were stationed to guard the capital to search for them. And shortly we will wipe out the Yu Sect.¡± The general said.

    Once King Huang He was told the news of the attack on Zhang, he mobilized the army that was meant to guard the capital. It had taken quite a while for the news to get to the capital and to the ears of the king, then it took some time for the army to be mobilized. Which explained why it took so long for King Huang He to respond to this issue.

    ¡°I will personally lead the search.¡± Zhou Cheng said.

    ¡°It''s alright minister Zhou we are doing all we can. No need to worry, nothing bad will happen to the kingdom regardless of the outcome, we will explain and take care of the issue properly.¡± The general clad in blue armor said.

    ¡°Fuck the kingdom! My only son is missing!¡± Zhou Cheng cursed in his mind. However, he did not voice his thoughts, he had to keep up the act that he had no relation to Zhang as to avoid any suspicion from the King.

    Suddenly, a voice rang out.

    ¡°Your majesty!! A lone rider carrying a black flag with a golden dragon sewed on it, is descending the mountain!¡± Someone yelled out in the distance.

    ¡°Open a path!!!¡± King Huang He bellowed.

    Soon the sight of a young man clad in black armor, wielding a halberd with a black flag strapped on his back could be seen riding down the mountain on top of a fiery steed.

    ¡°He''s alright!¡± Zhou Cheng thought as he watched the young man mounted on a steed, galloping toward the platform. In an instant he recognized the armor the man was wearing, belonged to his son.

    =================================

    Thanks for reading people. Special thanks to Nyx for editing/proofing the chapter. Story now hosted on Novels Nao show me some support over there lol also another chapter be posted later.

 Chapter 58: The Trip

    As Zhang descended the mountain alone on top of his inferno wind walker horse, he saw countless men clad in blue armor stood in neat rows.

    However, as he came closer, the rows parted and a path was opened up leading to a platform in the distance.

    ¡°His highness is waiting for you at the platform young lord.¡± A soldier yelled out as he rode towards Zhang from the platform.

    Once Zhang reached the platform, he jumped off his horse and bent on one knee.

    ¡°Zhou Zhang greets his majesty.¡± He said politely.

    ¡°Be at ease, please rise.¡± King Huang He said as he began asking Zhang about what happened.

    Thus began Zhang¡¯s recollections of events that had occurred.

    As Zhang told the story, he eyed his father and a reassuring smile appeared on his face. Neither his father nor Ling¡¯s father spoke due to being in the presence of the King.

    After the account of the events was told, the soldiers of the Heilong kingdom dispersed and returned to their respective posts.

    Leaving a sizable force to protect the King and ministers.

    ¡°If everything has been settled, then I will be returning to the capital now. I wish you a safe journey back to Aurora and would also like to apologize for what happened.¡± King Huang He said.

    ¡°Don''t think too much about it your majesty. Nothing grave happened.¡± Zhang said with a smile. He purposely did not ask the kingdom for assistance when attacking the headquarters of the Yu Sect. Had he asked for help, then all of the riches and treasures of the Sect would have been taken by the kingdom.

    And he would have not gained the additional six thousand archers for his army. One could say that Zhang was being greedy and risked the lives of his men for no reason, but he had always been a person who weighed the pros and cons before acting.

    Had he asked the kingdom for help then he would have missed out on the riches that the Yu Sect had amassed and without even mentioning the new soldiers , the Yu Sect would of had enough time to go into hiding.

    After some more chatting King Huang He returned to the capital leaving Zhang, his father and Ling¡¯s father to talk among themselves.Half of the royal guard was left behind to keep watch from a distance to ensure their safety.

    Once the King was gone the three of them began conversing.

    ¡°Zhang is Ling okay?¡± Wu Tong asked with a hint of worry.

    ¡°She¡¯s perfectly fine uncle. She is safe and unharmed.¡± Zhang said with a reassuring smile.

    ¡°You still calling me uncle?¡± Wu Tong said jokingly after knowing his daughter is safe.

    Zhang didn''t reply but a broad smile appeared on his face.

    ¡°Maybe soon someone will call you grandpa too.¡± Zhang said teasingly.

    ¡°You rascal!¡± Wu Tong said slapping Zhang¡¯s back.

    ¡°Father I¡¯m sorry for worrying you.¡± Zhang said apologetically to his father.

    ¡°It''s alright son as long as you are okay.¡± Zhou Cheng said to his son.

    Now that they were the only ones around in hearing distance the father and son had nothing to hide.

    After some chatting Zhou Cheng saw Zhang off and soon departed and returned to the capital with Wu Tong.

    ==================================

    As his father departed Zhang jumped on his horse and looked in the direction of the capital of the Heilong kingdom and murmured ¡°father, mother one day we''ll be together again. In a safer and better place.¡±

    After which Zhang withdrew a flare from his interspatial ring and shot it into the sky. As the green flare flew through the air, Zhang his mount galloped through the misty paths and up the mountain.

    A while later as he approached the mountain top his armies could be seen waiting in neat rows.

    In the front of the army thousands of horsemen stood ready to move. While in the back hundreds of carts were hooked up to large stallions.

    Since they could not acquire such a large number of horses in such little time, Lu Xun opted to make makeshift carts to move the soldiers.

    They needed to make it to the Black Wind province as soon as possible, so the sooner they headed out the better.

    ¡°My lord we saw your signal flare and are ready to move.¡± Lu Xun said saluting to Zhang.

    ¡°Also the misses are waiting in the carriage for you my lord.¡± Lu Xun added as he gestured to the magical carriage behind him.

    ¡°Alright let''s move out. Hook up my horse to the carriage¡±. Zhang said as he hopped off his horse and walked toward the carriage.

    Soon the army began descending the mountain. As they made their way down the villagers that lived on the mountain cheered. These people had been oppressed by the Yu sect for many years and now that their oppressors were gone, these people were jubilant.

    Lu Xun looked at these people and thought ¡°Now that the Yu Sect is gone they are celebrating but when another force appears they will be oppressed again. If one does not stand up for themselves they will forever live under the feet of others.¡±

    Although he felt this way there was nothing he could do so Lu Xun kept his thoughts to himself.

    Once the horsemen descended the rumbling of hundreds carts filled with soldiers followed behind.

    While the army made their way to the road Zhang and the three beauties were comfortably inside of the magical carriage. Inside the carriage the group had put a huge bed, table and chairs, and a bunch of other things that would make a long journey comfortable.

    ¡°Brother where is the Black Wind province?¡± Ai asked curiously.

    ¡°The black wind province is in the north of the Warring States Region, it''s more towards the middle of the continent whereas the  Red Mist province is toward the bottom western tip.¡± Zhang said knowledgably.

    ¡°Brother with only our current forces is it safe to go there in such a rush?¡± Ling asked Zhang with a hint of worry in her voice. She had never been outside of the Heilong Kingdom and traveling to an unknown place that possibly had hostile forces made her worry about their safety.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry I''ve sent a correspondent to Red Mist City and ordered for reinforcements to meet us before reaching the Black Wind Province. Also the Black Wind Province and our Aurora Province are allies.¡±

    ¡°But what you should be more worried about is our wedding.¡± Zhang said jokingly as he took his hand and brushed her hair.

    ¡°My-my wedding?!? Bu-but you can take care of that.¡± Ling said as a hint of red appeared on her face.

    Yuying seeing Ling in such a state chuckled.  Despite the fact that she herself would react the same way Ling would. They were all still young and although marriage although was inevitable it was something new to all of them. They knew they liked each other and we''re happy being together, but marriage would be stepping into another playing field.

    One could say that it would be a turning point in their lives. A new chapter that would have been added to the Book of Fate had they not tampered with it.

    As the group of love birds joked and chatted in the magical carriage the soldiers outside were steeply advancing toward the Black Wind province.

    Each time they were close to a city or town Lu Xun would send some men to buy up as many horses and supplies as they could.

    The army had avoided directly entering the towns and city as much as possible. This is of course because entering a city with twenty five thousand soldiers would cause a commotion and Zhang did not wish to attract unwanted attention.

    That being said although the army could not enter cities and towns, Zhang and the three beauties could. They often sneaked into town and roamed about to go sightseeing.

    If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    The three beauties like many women loved going from store to store looking for things that they felt looked pretty. But of course even if they wore the ugliest dress they could find the three girls would still look beautiful.

    ¡°Brother does this look nice?¡± Yuying would often ask Zhang while picking out clothes.

    And of course Zhang would say ¡°everything looks nice on you.¡± At such times a broad smile would be present on his face.

    When the group spent time together all of the worries and problems of the world would fade away. At such times the world was much simpler.

    ¡°Perhaps if someone offered me to trade away all of the power I have in exchange for making these moments last forever I would.¡± Zhang thought to himself at times.

    But deep down he knew that power was needed because without power to protect yourself and your loved ones everything you hold dearly could be snatched away.

    Zhang often saw the dream about the man who had killed him in his past life. The same man would always chase him with a knife and no matter how hard he struggled in the end he would be killed. Each time Zhang saw this he was reminded of the fact that he needed power. With power he could prevent such events from repeating themselves.

    But of course he did not let this trouble the girls. Their time together was too precious to be ruined by such awful thoughts.

    Once Zhang¡¯s army reached the midpoint of their journey they stopped in a small village to wait for their reinforcements from Red Mist city. They had left the borders of the Heilong Kingdom long ago and were currently back in the Warring States Region.

    To be exact they were in the outskirts of Falling Star Province which was located just pass the upper part of the Dragon¡¯s Maw.

    Although it took longer to get to the Falling Star Province from the Heilong Kingdom versus from Red Mist city, Zhang arrived before his reinforcements did. Due to the time it took the correspondence to arrive at Red Mist city and the fact that the soldiers being sent from Red Mist city would be infantry.

    This meant that Zhang would arrive first but the soldiers from Red Mist city were not that far behind.

    Zhang¡¯s army was currently camped in a forest near a small village called South Star village. The army had erected a fort out of felled logs in a clearing writhing the forest to secure their position.

    The village elder of South Star had been bribed by my Zhang to keep the current location of his army hidden from the rulers of Falling Star Province. He did not want to attract unwanted attention if he could help it.

    ¡°My lord we have received news from our reinforcements from Red Mist city. General Sun Ce will be arriving in two days with twenty five thousand infantry.¡± Lu Xun said.

    ¡°Good when he arrives I will have him put under your command.¡± Zhang said standing on top of one of the wooden walls of the fort.

    ¡°And have the blueprints I drew arrived in Red Mist city yet?¡± Zhang asked.

    ¡°Yes my lord the blueprints arrived along with the funds you arranged, the construction of the weapons has commenced as well. They should be nearing the trial stage soon.¡± Lu Xun said.

    Zhang had sent blueprints for war chariots to be constructed. Along with blueprints for a weapon that would allow his armies to demolish city walls. A weapon powered by black powder that fired balls of iron, a weapon called cannons.

    The designs Zhang had sent for the cannons were very crude and needed a lot of fine tuning. But once these weapons were perfected then no walls would be able to stop the advance of his armies.

    But there was one downside to this, that was the cost of the construction of these cannons. They required large amounts of metal and other components which all cost money to acquire. One single cannon was estimated to cost five hundred gold coins and each cannon ball roughly fifty gold.

    One could say that Zhang will be shooting money out of these cannons.

    After two days Sun Ce arrived with twenty five thousand infantry to reinforce Zhang¡¯s army. Once the two armies were integrated together they resumed their journey toward the Black Wind Province.

    The army of fifty thousand soldiers were loaded onto carts since there were not enough horses to go around.

    As the army got closer to the Black Wind province the elevation of the land rose higher and higher causing their travel speed to become very slow.

    ¡°Brother are we there yet?¡± Ai asked in a bored tone.

    ¡°We are currently descending the mountain range and will arrive in the Black Wind Province soon. Then it will be a few days travel before we arrive at Black Wind city.¡± Zhang said.

    Suddenly loud knocking could be heard on the carriage door.

    As Zhang opened a small window on the door of the carriage Sun Ce¡¯s face could be seen.

    ¡°My lord our scouts have reported that there is a village at the foot of the mountain. However despite finding many signs of life there were no people were found. When searching some of the homes, stale food was found left on the tables inside.and traces of blood could also be seen in some of the homes.¡± Sun Ce said.

    ¡°Have our forces move into the village and secure the surrounding area. We don''t know what happened but moving into the village will be safer than camping out in the open. After resting a day we will continue to Black Wind city.¡± Zhang said.

    ¡°Right away my lord.¡± Sun Ce said as he rode to the front of the army to talk to Lu Xun.

    Shortly after the army reached the village below the mountain and began moving in. A large perimeter was set up using arts to encircle the village.

    Some soldiers moved into the vacant homes while others set up tents since there was no way such a small village would be able to accommodate all fifty thousand of them. Soon smoke from campfires and chimneys rose to the sky.

    Just as the scouts reported signs of people were left everywhere but there was not a single soul in sight.

    ¡°This place gives me the creeps.¡± Ling said as she linked arms with Zhang.

    ¡°We won''t be staying here for long and with fifty thousand soldiers what''s there to worry about.¡± Zhang said to reassure her as the two walked through the village.

    ¡°My lord! My lord!!¡± A soldier came toward screaming.

    ¡°My lord we found a villager!! A women was found under the floor of one of the homes.¡±The soldier said hurriedly.

    ¡°Where? Lead the way.¡± Zhang said.

    ¡°Right this way my lord.¡±

    Zhang and the three beauties followed the soldier to a house in the center of the village. The house was surrounded by soldiers curiously peeking inside.

    Inside there was a haggard looking women in her late twenties laying on the ground wearing red clothes. She looked like a fire that was about to dissipate.

    Zhang hurriedly walked up to the women once he entered the house. When he got closer he could see that her clothes were not red but was covered in blood.

    Seeing Zhang the women faintly said ¡°be-beware of the children who walk the night.¡±

    Zhang quickly withdrew a bottle of Phoenix blood from his interspatial ring but before he could give the women some, her pulse stopped and blood stopped pumping through her veins.

    ¡°Brother she''s gone.¡± Yuying said while looking at the woman.

    ===============================================================

    Proofreaders/Editors: Nyx, faraonj,Alec

    Next chapter almost done. And I''ve been waiting to write about the children in the night O_O

 Chapter 59: Long Night

    ¡°Beware of the children who walk the night.¡± Zhang repeated as he watched his soldiers dig a shallow hole under a tree on the edge of the village.

    This would be used as the grave of the woman that was found in the village. Once the woman¡¯s corpse was placed inside, the soldiers would make a small mound of rocks above and stick a grave marker made of wood above.

    ¡°Lu Xun, Sun Ce order our men to be on alert tonight. Double the number of sentries tonight and have the men erect a makeshift fence.¡± Zhang ordered. The woman¡¯s last words and the empty village left Zhang with an eerie feeling.

    ¡°Right away my lord.¡± Lu Xun and Sun Ce said at the same time as they hastily left to command their men.

    That night hundreds of campfires illuminated the village and its surroundings. Thousands of men were split into shifts to keep constant watch of the camp. From all this alone a sense of security was established throughout the camp.

    Soldiers could be seen gathering around campfires, eating meals, and participating in merry making.

    Seeing this Zhang couldn''t help be feel that his previous worries were for nothing. As he continued walking around camp his gaze shifted to the shimmering stars above. Hung high above, the stars seemed to blanket the sky.

    After a trip around the camp Zhang returned to the center of the village where the magical carriage was placed. Tonight the three beauties would sleep inside the carriage like any other night while Zhang slept outside.

    He wanted to be able to quickly respond if any incidents occurred. Despite walking around camp to make sure everything was okay Zhang could not feel at ease. The woman¡¯s final words kept repeating themselves in his mind.

    Of course this did not mean he was afraid or anything. Being someone who had been to the depths of hell and back there wasn''t much that would make Zhang afraid. His sense of unease was due to his worry for his soldiers.

    Zhang did not exactly want any of his soldiers to die while under his command.

    As he laid on top of a mat on the ground gazing at the stars above something silently approached. Suddenly, Zhang was smothered from all sides by something very soft.

    When he came to his sense he could see three beauties surrounding him.

    Without saying a word they laid down beside him and looked up toward the sky.

    ¡°What are you guys doing out here.¡± Zhang said with a broad smile present on his face.

    ¡°Nothing much just watching the stars.¡± Ai said with a silly grin on her face.

    Ling and Yuying could be heard giggling as they laid side to side.

    However before long a yell could be heard off in the distance. Hearing this Zhang sprang up and began running to the source of the yell.

    As he ran he saw that many of his soldiers were also hurrying to see if something was happening. Off in the distance Zhang could see the tree where they had buried the woman in the morning.

    That was when he saw a group of men all congregated around the tree.

    ¡°What''s the matter!¡± Zhang yelled as he approached.

    ¡°My-my lord th-the grave is empty..¡± One man said with a shakened voice.

    ¡°What?¡± Zhang asked in a confused voice as he made his way through the cluster of men.

    Once he made his way through Zhang could see an empty hole in the ground where they placed a grave marker for the woman. Stones that the soldiers had stacked up could be seen everywhere but not where they were suppose to be.

    ¡°I want more campfires set up! And all go tell the rest of the men to move their tents into the village!¡± Zhang yelled.

    ¡°I want every soldier accounted for and every tent and house double checked!¡± He added.

    Yuying who could be considered a master in the subject of souls had said the woman''s soul had passed on. So there was no way that she was alive. Meaning someone or something dug her up or somehow her soulless corpse dug itself out.

    Soon the thousands of soldiers who had pitched camp outside of the village moved in and filled the streets. Horses were moved into a enclosure made out of carts that was placed as close as possible to the village.

    Other carts were used to make a blockade sealing off the streets, spears were stuck into the ground creating a small wall.

    Archers split into groups and placed on the roof tops of the houses. These groups of archers would take turns switching off so they could get some sleep.

    ¡°My lord all of our men are accounted for and every house has been checked.¡± Lu Xun said to Zhang who was watching as his soldiers ran about.

    ¡°Okay have everyone on watch stay on guard. And have the men pack up tomorrow morning, we won''t be staying here tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°Of course my lord.¡±

    After talking to Lu Xun, Zhang returned to where the carriage and his mat was. Ling, Yuying and Ai had gone back ahead of him and could be seen laying on the mat.

    ¡°Time to get some sleep.¡± Zhang said as he walked up to the three beauties and laid down.

    ¡°Brother you should get some sleep.¡± Ling said worriedly as she curled up beside him.

    The four of them laid on top of the mat gazing at the stars for a bit until they could stay awake no long and fell asleep.

    After a long night the group fell into a deep uninterrupted slumber.

    In the morning Zhang was the first to wake up and to his joy nothing had happened while he was asleep. Throughout the night Zhang¡¯s soldiers kept constant watch and nothing abnormal happened.

    As Zhang walked around camp his men were hurriedly packing away their tents and getting ready to move out.

    A while later everything was packed into carts and soldiers could be seen standing neatly waiting for orders.

    ¡°Alright let''s move out!¡± Zhang bellowed to his men. As he rode on his steed. He had decided to not stay in the carriage anymore and supervise the marching instead.

    Soon Zhang¡¯s army began its journey once more. It would take roughly two day before they reached the capital city of the Black Wind province if their march was not interrupted.

    Although they had left the village Zhang still stayed alert during the march. Since they never found out what happen to the woman¡¯s corpse.

    ¡°My lord our scouts report that there is nothing unusual up ahead.¡± Sun Ce said while riding back toward the army.

    ¡°Did they see any trace of animals or anything?¡± Zhang asked. Every since leaving the village at the foot of the mountain the army had yet run into any animals. The forest they were marching through seemed oddly dead.

    ¡°No my lord we have yet to spot anything.¡± Sun Ce replied.

    ¡°Okay tell them to fire a flare if something happens.¡±

    After hearing this Sun Ce rode off and inform the scouts what Zhang has said. Zhang had entrusted him with management of the scouts that were sent ahead.

    After a eerily quiet march the army reached an opening in the forest with a small hill in the middle.

    ¡°Cut down the trees and create a perimeter.¡± Li Xun ordered. Once a perimeter was created the soldiers began digging a large and deep trench that encompassed a large area including their campsite.

    On the hill in the clearing Zhang, Ling, Ai, Yuying along with Lu Xun and Sun Ce could be seen talking.

    ¡°My lord tomorrow night we should reach the outskirts of Black Wind city.¡± Sun Ce said.

    ¡°If we quicken our pace we could reach the city late in the night tomorrow. I don''t think it will be safe camping out in the open.¡± Lu Xun said.

    ¡°I agree we should avoid camping out in the open if we could help it. It''s been too quiet out here. But we can''t rush into the city without knowing the situation.¡± Zhang said.

    Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

    ¡°How about I take a few hundred men and move ahead of the army tomorrow. If anything happens I will fire a red flare.¡± Sun Ce said.

    ¡°If something happens retreat do not act recklessly.¡± Zhang said.

    ¡°Of course my lord.¡± Sun Ce said.

    In the meantime the trenches were near completion and spears were placed inside of them pointing up.

    Soon the sun descended and the moon rose. But tonight thick clouds rolled into to mask the moon''s brilliance.

    Torches and campfires were lit everywhere to illuminate the darkness. The logs that were cut down had been used to make small walls to surround the camp.

    With walls erect, archers were positioned above them to keep constant watch over the camp and its surroundings. If anything happened then they would alert the rest of the army.

    =====================================================================

    As the night went on Zhang¡¯s men kept a watchful eye out for anything that was out of the ordinary. However after hours of watching the same scenery nothing happened. Soon came time for another batch of soldiers to come relieve these men of their duty.

    ¡°Ah finally it¡¯s time for me to get some sleep.¡± One soldier said as another came to relieve him of his post.

    Suddenly a soldier on top of the wall yelled out.

    ¡°There¡¯s someone in the forest!!¡±

    Hearing this many of the soldiers ran back up the wall and to their amazement in the distance there was a lone silhouette slowly walking toward the camp. From the size the soldiers could guess that the silhouette belonged to a child. But since the moon was being blocked by clouds and the silhouette was still a bit away from them none of the soldiers were really able to make out what it was.

    ¡°HALT! WHO GOES THERE!!¡± A muscular looking soldier with a bow and arrow in hand bellowed. However there was no reply and the silhouette continued walking closer and closer.

    ¡°Stop or we''ll fire!!¡± The same soldier yelled.

    ¡°What are you thinking! It¡¯s a child!¡± Another soldier yelled.

    ¡°We are under orders from the lord to shoot anything that approaches camp.¡± The muscular soldier yelled back.

    ¡°In know but it¡¯s only a kid.¡±

    ¡°Do you want to break military law? Did you not see how the lord killed all of the men who crossed him in the sect?¡± The muscular soldier said. This man happened to be a former member of the Yu Sect.

    Hearing this the other soldier no longer said a thing.

    The muscular soldier nocked an arrow on his bowstring and drew back. Once he let go of the arrow it shot through the air and landed just in front of the silhouette.

    However the silhouette did not stop for even a second and continued moving toward the camp. And to add to their fears many more silhouettes began appearing from the forests.

    ¡°Shoot the flare and alert the generals! Wake the rest of the army!!¡± A soldier yelled out hurriedly.

    The silhouettes continued moving toward the camp until they reached the trench and without stopping fell inside.

    Seeing this the eyes on the soldiers above the walls almost popped out of their sockets.

    ¡°Someone quickly get the generals and our lord here!¡±

    The silhouettes appeared by the hundreds from within the forest and came from all directions. They did not stop and kept walking even when the silhouettes before them fell into the trench.

    =================================================================

    As Zhang laid asleep on his mat with the three beauties when a soldier ran up and woke him.

    ¡°My lord! My lord! We¡¯ve been surrounded!¡± The soldier yelled.

    ¡°Surrounded? By who?¡± Zhang asked as he rubbed his eyes.

    ¡°We don¡¯t know my lord.¡± The soldier replied in a urgent tone.

    ¡°Okay go wake up the rest of the army.¡± Zhang said as he got up and began running toward the walls.

    Yuying, Ling, and Ai who were laying beside him were also woken up but were left in a daze as Zhang ran off.

    Once Zhang arrive on top of the walls and looked outside to his astonishment there were thousands of silhouettes in the distance.

    ¡°My lord what should we do?¡± A voice rang out from behind Zhang. When he looked back Sun Ce could be seen fully dressed in armor.

    ¡°Have the men barricade the fort and keep the horses from running amok! I want all of our archers on the walls and ready to fire!¡± Zhang commanded.

    ¡°Yes my lord!¡± Sun Ce responded.

    The soldiers who had just been awaken hurriedly ran about getting dressed for battle. Some didn¡¯t even know the situation outside of the fort but hastily donned their armor anyway.

    Soon Ling, Ai and Yuying were atop of the walls. As Ling was about to ask Zhang what was happening from the corner of her eye she saw the silhouettes and stopped in her tracks. Ling blankly stared into the distance trying to make out the silhouettes, but due to the lack of light she could not. Ling was at a lost of words from the sight in front of her.

    ¡°Brother what are they?¡± Ai asked.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know..¡± Zhang said back as he watched the approaching silhouettes.

    Lu Xun could be seen running up the walls and behind Zhang.

    ¡°My lord all of our men are ready for battle.¡± He said in a respectful tone.

    ¡°Are the walls and gates reinforced?¡± Zhang asked.

    ¡°Yes, we¡¯ve moved the carts and stacked them up behind the gates and support beams have been placed behind the walls.¡± Lu Xun said.

    A bit away from Zhang a soldier was talking to another soldier beside him. ¡°That first silhouette looked like a small child and it just walked into the trench.¡±

    Hearing the word small child a thought suddenly popped into Zhang¡¯s head.

    ¡°Beware of the children who walk the night.¡± The phrase repeated itself again and again in Zhang¡¯s head as he watched the silhouettes continue to walk into the trenches.

    ¡°Perhaps these are the children who walk the night that the woman was talking about.¡± Yuying said confirming Zhang¡¯s thoughts.

    ¡°Brother should we release the spiderlings?¡± Yuyung asked.

    All of the spiderlings including Silky were currently residing within the Ruler¡¯s Domain and could be called forth in an instant.

    ¡°No we don¡¯t know that those things are yet and acting without knowing what we are facing might prove to be disastrous.¡± Zhang said. If the spiderlings were released too early and suffered heavy casualties then Zhang and the group would suffer huge losses.

    Since the spiderlings were still in an adolescent stage and were not fully mature yet.

    Just as Zhang finished his sentence a few silhouettes could be seen crossing the large trench. So many of them had fallen in that the trench had been filled and they could cross over.

    ¡°Everyone get ready to engage the enemy!!!¡± Zhang yelled as he withdraw the Sky Piercer from his interspatial ring and raised it into the air.

    The silhouettes reached the walls and the screeching sound of clawing could be heard.

    ¡°Fire at will!!!!!!!!¡± Zhang yelled.

    ==========================================================================

    "Beware the children who walk the night." O_O cause they creepy as fck lol. Thoughts?

    Also story now hosted on Novels Nao O_O Support me dang it lol

    Proofreaders/Editors: faraonj, Alec.

    Maybe a 3rd update later? Eh in your dreams :D

 Chapter 60: Broken Walls

    ¡°Fire at will!!!¡± Zhang yelled as he made a small barrel in front of him appear and dip his arrow into the black substance inside. Once the arrow was dipped inside Zhang placed into a fire emitting from a torch. The instant the arrow lit on fire. The barrel was filled with oil.

    Zhang released his hold on the bowstring the flaming arrow shot through the air and stuck itself into one of the silhouettes below. He did not give his soldiers barrels of oil because there was as chance they could set the wooden fort on fire.

    The moment the arrow pierced into the dark silhouette it was set ablaze. However, it did not stop nor falter and continued walking toward the fortress.

    Soon a hint of burning flesh entered the nostrils of the soldiers above the walls.

    When the soldiers looked downward the silhouette that was hit by Zhang¡¯s arrow was a walking fireball with the outline of a person. As the fire on the burning person flickered it illuminated the surroundings revealing dozens of disfigured people with missing limbs slowly made their way toward the fortress. Rather than people one could call them corpses.

    ¡°Zombies? No couldn¡¯t be¡­.¡± Zhang thought to himself as he continued firing arrows to create more light sources below.

    ¡°Yuying what are they!?¡± Zhang asked hurriedly.

    ¡°I can¡¯t tell unless I can examine one of them close up. It could be a number of things.¡± Yuying replied.

    ¡°Guess we''ll find out if we make it to morning.¡± Zhang replied.

    Zhang¡¯s soldiers continued firing a constant barrage of arrows from above the walls but from the looks of it their efforts were futile. Despite being shot full of arrows or being lit on fire by Zhang the corpses below continued moving. Sure the fire would eventually would burn the corpse but that would take too long and could set the entire fortress ablaze.

    As the thousands of undead descended on the fort the log walls began to creak and sway.

    ¡°Everyone off the walls! They are about to fall!!¡± Zhang bellowed as he and the three beauties jumped off.

    Moments later a portion of the walls toppled over and came crashing downward.

    ¡°Fall into formation!! Form a phalanx!! Shield men in front with swords ready! Spearman behind them and archers in the rear!!!¡± Lu Xun commanded.

    The soldiers following his orders condensed into a semicircular wall of swords and spears. Moments later the horde of undead gushed in from the opening in the walls. Luckily for them once the horde outside began gushing into the opening they stopped attacking the other sections of the walls.

    Had they continued they Zhang¡¯s army would of had been completely surrounded and most likely would not even have a chance at survival.

    ¡°Brace for impact!!¡± Lu Xun yelled as he raised his sword into the air.

    Bang! Bang! Bang!

    Sounds of banging against shields echoed through the fort. The soldiers cringed at screeching of nail scraping against metal as the corpses clawed away at their shields.

    ¡°KILL!!!¡± Zhang screamed as he jumped over the row of soldiers and wildly swung his halberd around. Everything in his path was cut to pieces but despite having many of their limbs severed the corpses continued to move. With each slash and cut the corpse''s black color blood sprayed about.

    ¡°Hmph I¡¯ll cut off all your limbs and then we¡¯ll see if you can still attack.¡± Zhang said as he began dismantling the moving corpses.

    As he hacked away at the corpses that was when he remembered something. If these were indeed zombies, then if he chopped off their heads then they would stop moving.

    However, when he hacked off the head of one of the corpses it still continued moving.

    ¡°You¡¯re kidding me¡­.¡± Zhang cursed to himself. But he realized even if they could move without a head then as long as he chopped off of their limbs on top of sever the head then they would not pose a threat to his soldiers.

    ¡°Charge!! Hack off the arms, legs and head!!!!!¡± Zhang commanded.

    ¡°Yes my lord!!¡± The soldiers responded as the shield men bashed the corpses back with their shields and began rushing forward.

    The soldiers of Aurora were trained to be able to cooperate with each other to their best ability. So as the shield men moved forward with swords in hand the spearmen helped them keep the corpses at bay using the length of the spears.

    Shield men would hack away while using their shields to fend off attacks while spearmen stabbed their spears into the corpses and pushed them back.

    Lu Xun and Sun Ce joined the battle and quickly made their way toward Zhang. Lu Xun showed that he was extremely skilled in combat when he incapacitated the corpses with a few simple swings of his sword. Whereas Sun Ce overwhelmed the corpses with his powerful strikes. These two mowed down all in their path just like Zhang.

    ¡°My lord fall back let us handle this.¡± Lu Xun beaconed for Zhang.

    But Zhang completely ignores him and continues hacking away at the corpses.

    Although they were able to change the flow of the battle into their favor there was no end to the sea of corpses that kept coming in through the fallen section of the walls.

    That was when Ai yelled, ¡°Everyone get back!¡±

    Ai could be seen ascending into the sky using the Black Thorn whip to propel herself up. Then with a somersault she whipped downward while increasing the size of the whip.

    BOOOM!!!

    She had increased the whip to its maximum size and used its weight to crush a large portion of the corpses inside the fort.

    ¡°Move the lines forward!!¡± Zhang ordered.

    ¡°If possible we just leave the fort and break out of the encirclement.¡± Zhang thought. Although they could hold back the army of corpses now soon his soldiers will start feeling the fatigue of fighting an extended battle.

    The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

    ¡°Those in the back row begin readying the horses we will break out of the encirclement when a chance appears!¡± Zhang yelled.

    Zhang¡¯s soldiers pressed on and hacked away at the corpses they managed to push all the way back to the opening in the wall. During the course of the battle the clouds had parted and the rays from the moon once more shone down. Thanks to this visibility was greatly increased.

    ¡°Lu Xun have our men in the front lines swap with those in the middle.¡± Zhang ordered. He could see some of his men growing tired from the battle.

    As Zhang looked around he could see one soldier had gone too far out and was surrounded. If he did not do anything, then most likely the man would be mauled to death so Zhang sprang into action. Skillfully weaving his way through the sea of corpses Zhang made his way to the isolated soldier.

    The isolated soldier despite trying very hard to fall back was not able to. The corpses clawed away at his shiny black armor leaving numerous scratch marks on the armor.

    ¡°Stay back! Stay back!¡± The soldier screamed as he swung his sword wildly trying to break free. While swinging wildly the soldier could feel his sword strike into a hard object. When he tried to pull his sword back it did not budge and was stuck. The sword had hit bone and was caught.

    ¡°Fuck! Come loose!¡± The soldier cursed as he tried to free his blade before the corpses swarmed him.

    That was when something pulled his leg and caused him to lose his balance and fall onto the hard ground. The soldier watched with panic stricken eyes the dead began clawing at him and tried to rip him apart.

    On particular corpse had a large odd looking worm sticking out of its eye socket. This particular corpse moved closer and closer toward the fallen soldier.

    But before it could do anything a shining blade could be seen swinging upward cleaving the thing¡¯s head and sending it flying into the distance. As the blade struck the soldier could see the odd looking worm retract inside.

    ¡°Are you alright!!?¡± A voice rang out as a hand appeared pulling the soldier to his feet.

    ¡°Ye-yes my lord. Thank you for saving me.¡± The soldier said gratefully.

    ¡°Fallback to the rear line and get some rest!¡± Zhang yelled as he opened a path.

    That was when a voice could be heard in the distance. ¡°My lord!!! The horses are ready!!¡±

    Zhang¡¯s plan was to get all of the corpses to concentrate in one location and then he could light the fort on fire and have his soldiers retreat by knocking down the wall on the opposite end of the fort.

    But this was easier said than done. if they left up the offensive for even a moment then they would be overrun. And Zhang definitely did not was to sacrifice any of his men to secure an escape route for himself.

    ¡°It¡¯s time for me to show you I can be of use.¡± Ling murmured as she climbed up the walls and began conjuring her essence.

    Soon small blobs of water began appearing around her and the clouds above began spiraling downward. Ling was channeling water from the clouds and the air for her use. Soon a huge pool of water could be seen levitating above her head.

    ¡°Water Dragon¡¯s Fury!¡± Ling yelled as the huge pool of water began turning into the shape of a long serpentine dragon. Under Ling¡¯s control this dragon made of water.

    Whoosh!

    The water dragon came crashing down from above. The force from the impact of the water and earth alone was able to knock back many of the corpses. And to follow up on that the waves of water washed them away further.

    Seeing an opportunity Zhang yelled, ¡°Everyone finish them and quickly head to the horses!! Grab as much food as you can!¡±

    While the soldiers were preparing to fall back Zhang ran toward the wall where Ling was.

    ¡°Jump down! I¡¯ll catch you!¡± He yelled as held his hands out.

    Moments later Ling jumped and her clothes fluttered as she descended into Zhang¡¯s embrace.

    After which he carried her like a princess to join the retreating soldiers.

    On the other side of the fort the wall was being knocked down to create a way out of the fort. Once the walls were knocked down by the soldiers with a bit of help from Ai and her whip thousands of horses charged out.

    Due to the congregation of corpses on the other side of fort this side was relatively clear.

    ¡°My lord where are we headed now!¡± Sun Ce yelled as he saw Zhang riding with Ling on top of his inferno wind walker as Yuying and Ai closing in from behind.

    ¡°We are going to Black Wind city! If we can get there we can hold out behind its walls.¡± Zhang said. They did not have the option of leaving the Black Wind Province due to most if not all of their supplies being left behind as they hurriedly tried to escape.

    The trip over the mountains would take too long and without enough supplies they would be marching to their deaths. So their best course of action was to head toward the capital city and hope they don¡¯t run into anymore undead.

    Once there they could replenish their supplies and perhaps find help.

    ¡°Everyone move out toward the north!!!¡± Sun Ce yelled.

    Since there were not enough horses Zhang¡¯s soldiers had to travel with two or three men on a horse. Their added weight had made the horse¡¯s speed drop.

    As they rode away from the fort, Zhang turned back as Ling held onto the reigns. In his hand he had a bow and arrow. On the tip of the arrow there was a flickering flame and once Zhang released it, the arrow plunged into the wooden log wall of the fort.

    =============================================================================

    Sorry a bit short today :( Had to help do book keeping for the shop T__T.

    Also help support me on Novels Nao Thanks :D

    And NOT ZOMBIES O_O

 Chapter 61: Savior

    Although wary from battle, Zhang¡¯s men were vigilant as they galloped through a road that cut through the forest.

    ¡°Quicker! We can''t fall behind from the rest of the army or else we might run into those things!¡± A soldier yelled. They had been riding on the path for hours without rest.

    The soldiers were constantly looking around hoping to not spot any of their pursuers. But every rustle behind a bush or every snap of a branch would add to their fear.

    If they were caught in the forest, they would be surrounded and killed but that was not the end of it. Perhaps, like the women in the village at the foot of the mountain, they would join the ranks of the undead.

    In front of the army while on top of his mount, Zhang was discussing with his generals on what their next course of action would be.

    ¡°My lord it isn''t possible for us to continue riding directly to Black Wind City. Our horses will give out before then.¡± Sun Ce said.

    ¡°But if they manage to surround us out here, we would not stand a chance.¡±, Lu Xun commented.

    ¡°Once we find a large enough clearing, have the men and horses take a short rest. We can''t stay in one place for too long, so every often, we will have a short break. Also we will slow down our pace a bit.¡± Zhang said.

    Yuying, Ai and Ling were currently inside the magical carriage since it was the safest place they possible could be.

    ¡°Sis you don¡¯t know what those thing are?¡±, Ai asked while looking at Yuying.

    ¡°They could be a number of things. There are numerous types of undead. But I know they aren''t Jiangshi or else we would have been wiped out by now.¡±, Yuying said. (Jiangshi are Chinese soul eating undead vampires, the ones that hop around and choke the life out of people and those it bites or scratches become Jiangshi also but a lesser version.)

    ¡°If I can examine one up close, then perhaps, I can figure out what they are.¡±, Yuying added.

    Ling could be seen peaking her head out of the window of the carriage.

    A while later, the army found a large opening on the side of the road to rest. A few of the horse had foam coming out their mouths. Had the army continued any longer, then these horses would have died from exhaustion.

    However, before anyone could catch their breath a soldier heard rustling sounds coming from behind a bush.

    ¡°Who goes there!¡±, he yelled as he drew his sword out of its scabbard.

    Hearing the soldier yell, all of the soldiers around him quickly drew their swords. Soon, a small mob of soldiers gathered with weapons ready. Being an army of fifty thousand meant it did not take too long for lots of soldiers to gather in one place.

    ¡°Don¡¯t attack!!¡±, a timid voice sounded from behind the bush.

    ¡°Walk out here slowly!¡±, the soldiers yelled.

    Moments later, a young lady walked out from behind the bush with her hands up in the air. Following behind her were a pair of children roughly around the ages of six to eight. One being a boy and the other being a girl. From their appearance they seemed to be common villagers.

    Seeing the two children, the soldiers were a bit taken aback. They were constantly reminded of the words that the dying woman had said. The soldiers who were present when the woman had mentioned her final words had told their comrades and her words had spread through the out army.

    ¡°Stay back! Don''t come any closer!¡± A soldier yelled out while pointing his sword in the direction of the young lady and two children.

    ¡°State your business!¡±

    ¡°Ple-please help us. Our village is being overran by the undead. The other villagers are currently trying to fend off the undead. Please help us.¡±, the young lady said in a frightened tone.

    Before the soldier could reply, the bush behind the young lady and children began to rustle again and a corpse appeared. Seeing this, the two children cried and quickly ran toward the young lady.

    That instant, the soldiers charged and hacked the corpse to pieces. But of course many more corpses began appearing from behind the bush.

    ¡°Protect these three and take them to our lord! And get more men over here!!¡±, a soldier yelled.

    Moments later Zhang could be seen rushing toward where his soldiers were engaging the undead. The three beauties along with the young lady and two children could be seen a bit away.

    ¡°Kill!!¡± He yelled as arrived at the scene.

    Zhang¡¯s halberd plunged into one of the corpses as he lifted it up into the air.  With the corpse still stuck to it Zhang stuck the shaft of the halberd into the ground.

    The Slaughterer blade appeared in his hand along with a large Lightning Eater scale shield. With a swing of his arm he bashed his shield into a corpse knocking it to the ground.

    ¡°Stay together! There aren''t that many of them this time! Zhang yelled as he continued swinging his blood red sword.

    Thankfully this time they only ran into a small group of undead and were able to quickly dismember them.

    ¡°Where is your village.¡± Zhang said while looking at the young lady.

    ¡°Your lordship our village is in that direction.¡± The young lady replied while pointing toward the direction that she came from.

    ¡°You go tell generals Lu Xun and Sun Ce to prepare to continue the march toward Black Wind city. Tell them I''ll be taking a small group of soldiers with me and we will keep in contact through flares.¡± Zhang said to a soldier by him.

    ¡°Yes my lord.¡± The soldier shouted as he ran off to look for Sun Ce and Lu Xun.

    ¡°You men come with me.¡± Zhang ordered his soldiers.

    ¡°Yes my lord!¡± The soldiers yelled as the gathered up.

    ¡°Can you two stay here with Yuying? Then move out with the rest of the army?¡± Zhang said to Ai and Ling while looking at Yuying who was looking at the corpse he had stuck to his halberd.

    ¡°Stay safe.¡± Ling said while Ai nodded.

    ¡°Lead the way.¡± Zhang said to the young lady. Although he wanted to tell the young lady to leave the two children with his soldiers but from the looks of it they wouldn''t be willing to be separated.

    ¡°Ye-yes this way.¡± The young woman said while holding hands with the two small children.

    Zhang walked beside the young lady to make sure that nothing jumps out on her while they make their way to her village.

    Since the village was located a bit into the forest neither Zhang nor the soldiers he took with him could ride horses. Meaning they have to set out on foot.

    ¡°All of you stick close together and be on alert.¡± Zhang said to his soldiers.

    While traveling through the forest the worst thing that could possibly happen was to be separated from the group. Especially when undead could pop out at any moment.

    As they continued through the forest Zhang asked, ¡°what¡¯s your name and the two kids.¡±

    However, before the young lady could respond one of the kids spoke. The little boy said, ¡°big sisters name is Ha Rin, and our names are Ha Yin and Ha Mei.¡± First pointing to himself and then the little girl beside him.

    ¡°So you three are siblings I take it.¡± Zhang said.

    ¡°Yes my lord we are siblings.¡± Ha Rin replied.

    After chatting a bit Zhang asked, ¡°How much further until we reach the village?¡±

    ¡°It should just be over that small hill over there.¡± Ha Rin replied as she pointed into the distance.

    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    Moments later they walked up the hill. On the other side of the hill there was a small village that was being surrounded by the dead. From the hill Zhang could see some lit torches inside the village which could mean that there were still survivors inside.

    ¡°Stick close to me.¡± Zhang said to the three siblings as he began descending the hill.

    Once they descended the hill they in front of them were hundreds of undead who were slowly walking toward the village.

    Zhang signaled for his men to move out with a wave of his hand.

    Without uttering a sound his soldiers moved in and quickly dismembered the corpses. First they went for the head, then the arms and legs.

    While watching his men Zhang thought, ¡°why couldn¡¯t they just be regular zombies¡­.¡± Because had they been zombies then a swing to the neck would be able to stop them. Instead of tediously having to sever all of their limbs.

    ¡°Onward to the village!¡± Zhang yelled out as he led the three siblings into the village while swinging his sword at the undead who came his way.

    When they entered the village Zhang saw a trail of destruction telling him that a large battle happened. Broken farm tools could be seen laying on the ground and of course there were many undead also.

    ¡°They must have moved back to center of the village.¡± Ha Rin said with a worried look on her face.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Zhang said to her as they began moving once more.

    While Zhang and the three siblings headed for the center of the village, his soldiers were making short work of the undead surrounding the village. Luckily for them this group of undead was not as numerous as the one they had faced before.

    One could imagine how large the other group was just from the fact that they almost overran an army of fifty thousand soldiers.

    ¡°You men follow me and let''s go help our lord.¡± One soldier said as he slashed the head off a corpse.

    Soon a group of soldiers gathered up and moved into the village following Zhang.

    As Zhang made his way to the center of the village he sees faint trails of red blood on the ground. This confirmed that Ha Rin was right when she said that the villagers most likely moved toward the center of the village.

    The trail of blood led Zhang and the three siblings to a mass of undead who seemed to be trying to pry down a makeshift barricade in front of them. The barricade was most likely made up of whatever the villagers could get their hands on in such short notice. This was because Zhang could see things such as doors, carts and shelves being a part of the barricade. Behind the barricade were many villagers desperately trying to keep the undead back.

    Zhang withdrew the chained daggers from his interspatial ring and make them fly about in the air. The chained daggers weaved around in circles until finally the plunged down into the mass of undead. With a single thought Zhang made the daggers pierce into one undead after another. Then using the chains attached to the daggers Zhang chained the undead together.

    While this was happening Ha Rin screamed out, ¡°Mother! Father!! Are you there!? It¡¯s my Ha Rin!!¡±

    Moments later a middle aged woman could be seen peeking out from a small hole in the makeshift barricade. ¡°Ha Rin!! Why are you back! Didn¡¯t I tell you to take your siblings to the city and ask for help??¡± The middle aged lady yelled back.

    ¡°Mother I did bring back help.¡± Ha Rin said.

    The middle aged lady was about to say something until she noticed Zhang dismembering the corpses with his blood red sword.

    ¡°We¡¯re saved!!! Our saviors have arrived¡± A mix of voices yelled out from behind the barricade. But suddenly screams of horror could be heard.

    ¡°Run!!! One of the barricades have been knocked down.¡± A scream sounded out.

    ¡°Shit¡­¡± Zhang cursed as he continued dismembering the undead who had been chained up.

    ¡°My lord we have come to help.¡± Some voices could be heard from behind Zhang.

    Without looking back Zhang said, ¡°You guys take care of these and protect those three I have something I have to do.¡±

    After finishing his words, he ran toward the barricade and while using the various things sticking out of it as stepping stones jumped over to the other side.

    Once on the other side Zhang weaved through the mass of villagers toward where the screaming with the loudest. And the moment he arrived Zhang plunged his sword into an undead. Then using the sharp edge of the shield in his other arm, he slashed of the head of another undead.

    ¡°Everyone break down the barricade in that direction and run!¡± Zhang yelled as he pointed toward the direction that he came from.

    More of his soldiers should be arriving soon making the direction that he came from the safest and most secure.

    As his words entered their ears the villages scrambled to knock down the barricade that they had previously erected. Once the barricade was knocked down they were greeted by dozens of Zhang¡¯s armored soldiers.

    Ha Rin¡¯s parents ran to their children and embraced them, happy to be able to reunite with each other.

    ¡°Everyone follow us in an orderly fashion! Do not push or shove!¡± Zhang¡¯s soldiers yelled. They did not want any of the villagers to die from being trampled over by others.

    ¡°Lead them toward the hill!¡± Zhang yelled to his soldiers,

    While his soldiers were leading the villagers away Zhang swung downward with his sword trying to cleave the last undead in the area into two halves. But he overestimated the length of his sword and slashed into where the corpse¡¯s chest cavity was instead.

    Oddly however the corpse stopped moving and fell toward the ground. That was when Zhang noticed something squirming about in the chest of the corpse. Using his sword Zhang tried to inspect the corpse.

    Upon closer inspection he found a creepy looking dozens small green worm squirming about in the corpse¡¯s heart. Zhang leaned in to get a closer look, but suddenly something jumped out from the corpse''s chest cavity.

    Although he was startled Zhang was able to quickly move to the side to evade.

    ¡°What was that¡­¡± Zhang murmured as he tried to find the thing that jumped at him.

    A bit away from Zhang there was a huge red worm squirming about on the ground. As if trying to get away the worm began pushing itself forward.

    ¡°Oh no you don¡¯t.¡± Zhang murmured he walked up toward the worm.

    ¡°A Goliath Heart Burrower.¡± Zhang said once he got a better look at the grotesque worm crawling on the ground as he walked toward it.

    As he continued looking at this worm a grim thought appeared in Zhang¡¯s mind.

    ¡°Yuying please be safe¡­¡± He murmured as he ran toward his soldiers and the villagers. The image of the huge red worm jumping out of the corpse at him crossed Zhang¡¯s mind however instead of seeing himself he saw Yuying.

    ================================================================================================

    Worms O_O Parasitic mind controlling worms .___. Thoughts? Thanks for reading :D  Also a reminder to the readers, I''m currently working with a group of editors/proof readers on fixing the all of the chapters starting from the beginning as a heads up once we are done I''ll be reposting the series  so check that out later lol.

    And support me on Novels Nao Thanks <3

 Chapter 62: Heart Burrowers

    ¡°Damn worms¡­..¡±, Zhang cursed as he slowly stepped on the squirming red worm. As Zhang¡¯s foot went down the worm continued squirming about as  it oozes out greenish liquid. After squishing the worm to death Zhang made his way toward his soldiers and the villagers.

    =================================================================

    While Zhang was off saving the villagers, Yuying could be seen standing by where Zhang had planted his halberd on the ground. On top of her head was a familiar looking arachnid. The corpse that was stuck to the halberd had been taken down by the soldiers and tied it up.

    A blue aura was emitting from Yuying and covering the corpse. However moments later the aura retracted back into her body.

    ¡°Odd¡­.¡± Yuying murmured as creases appear on her forehead and a frown appeared on her face.

    ¡°Let¡¯s see what makes you tick.¡± Yuying murmured as she withdrew a short dagger

    from her interspatial ring and placed it on the chest of the corpse. She then began to make an incision into the chest of the corpse. However as the dagger slit open the skin something caught her attention.

    The skin around the area that she cut began bulging and moving. As Yuying was looking at the moving intriguingly something popped out from the cut that she had made.

    A reddish worm could be seen popping out of the freshly made cut and before Yuying could react it shot out from the corpse and headed straight for her. As the reddish worm shot through the air and inched closer and closer toward Yuying something else launched itself into the air.

    Moments later squishing sounds could be heard. And Silky could be seen biting into a large red worm.

    ¡°Phew¡­. Good Silky.¡± Yuying said with as she patted Silky. As if it was responding to her Silky rubbed itself against Yuying¡¯s hand and then began devouring the worm by injecting it with Necrotic venom and liquifying the insides of the worm. Normally Titanic Golden Spiders only used neurotoxic venom that paralyzed their prey but when they prepare their prey to be eaten they use necrotic venom.

    ¡°Sis are you okay!!?¡± Ai yelled as she put her hand on Yuying¡¯s should.

    ¡°Yuying are you alright? Ling said as she also put her hand on Yuying¡¯s shoulder.

    ¡°What is that thing?¡± Ai asked with a disgusted face as she watched Silky devour it¡¯s dinner.

    ¡°It¡¯s a Goliath Heart Burrower Worm.¡± Yuying said confidently.

    ¡°In the Underworld I read about them in a book once. They were classed as level one demonic beasts but the term parasite would describe them better. Like their names suggest, they burrowed into the bodies of their hosts and incubate their eggs in the host¡¯s heart which of course instantly killed the host. Although the Goliath Heart Burrowers were considered low ranking demonic beasts, they possessed the uncanny ability to control the corpses of their hosts.¡± Yuying stated as Silky finished consuming the red worm and moved on to the corpse.

    Each corpse would be manipulated by an adult heart burrower along with hundreds of adolescent ones they link up and control the body by using each other as a replacement nervous system. But that''s not the end of it, each adult heart burrower is mentally linked to their queen creating a hive mind.¡± She said as she watched Silking munching on the little green worms inside the corpse.

    ¡°Then how do we stop them?¡± Ling asked.

    ¡°Three ways of stopping them were mentioned in the book it read. First is to kill the worm directly while it is in the host¡¯s body, second is to sever thier link to the queen by killing it and lastly do what we have been doing and incapacitate them. Besides these three methods I''m not sure there are any other ones.¡± Yuying said.

    ¡°But something is odd about the current situation. Usually Hear Burrowers can only be found in demonic beasts, only rarely are they ever found on humans. But so far we have faced thousands of them.¡± Yuying added.

    ¡°Madames it''s time to move.¡± Lu Xun said politely toward the three beauties.

    =================================

    ¡°Are all of the villagers gathered here yet?!!¡± Zhang yelled toward his soldiers and the villagers as he looked into the sky. A green flare could be seen lighting the sky quite a distance away.

    Once he saw this Zhang shot a flare of his own into the sky.

    Although he and the three beauties could tell each other''s location  and communicate through their magical transmission bracelets, he decided flares would be better to communicate with the army as a whole.

    ¡°My lord all of the people in our village were gathered up behind the barricade so everyone should be here.¡± A elderly man said.

    ¡°Okay let''s begin moving out, we must regroup with the rest of our forces.¡± Zhang said as he began walking the the direction the first green flare was shot.

    Soon Zhang''s soldiers and the villagers began moving through the forest. The soldiers had placed themselves loosely on the edges of the group as to protect the villagers.

    As he tries to lead everyone toward the rest of the army, a question kept popping into Zhang¡¯s head. ¡°How? Did so many people get infected by the Heart Burrowers.¡± Zhang thought.

    A single colony of Heart Burrowers couldn''t possible infect so many people. And for it to get to this point without any requests for help. It either meant that the ruler of the Black Wind Province was an idiot who wouldn''t handle the situation before it got out of hand or the situation got out of hand too quickly for him to act.

    ¡°Senior do you know how this situation came about?¡± Zhang asked the village elder who happened to be the elderly man who spoke to him earlier.

    ¡°Young lord sadly I don''t know what caused this situation to come about. To be honestly only recently have sightings of the undead been spotted around the village and only today did we get attacked.¡± The village elder replied.

    ¡°Hmmm has there been news of any big events happening in the province?¡± Zhang asked trying to to see if anything that happened could have caused the outbreak.

    ¡°The only thing that comes to mind the grand construction of the aqueduct.¡± The village elder said.

    ¡°Aqueduct?¡±

    ¡°Yes our lord the ruler of Black Wind city had started a huge construction project to divert underground springs of water from the mountains into cities about a year ago. Last I heard they had began to channel water from the springs into the aqueduct they managed to complete ahead of schedule. The water was channeled to a few cities and they were working on bringing the water to Black Wind City.¡± The village elder said.

    ¡°They must have awaken a dormant colony of Heart Burrowers during the construction in the mountains. The worm larvae must have gotten mixed into the water and was transported into the city. Then people drank the water with the worm larvae and became infected. And since everyone in the cities were infected no one was able to request help and anyone who did was cut off by hordes of undead. But if the village elder is correct then Black Wind City should be safe, at least for now.¡± Zhang thought but before he could say anything tens of red flares could be seen in the sky.

    Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

    ¡°Everyone move quickly somethings is wrong!!! Zhang yelled as he began taking long strides.

    =============================

    ¡°General have our men abandon the carts  and cross that shallow looking river with our horses. Once we cross to the other side we can easily deal with this horde of undead. Since the water will slow them down.¡± Yuying said to Lu Xun as she pointed to a river a short distance away.

    Moments ago they had just fired a green flare and were on the road moving through the forest however they rode straight into a horde of undead. And to make things worst a horde of undead also appeared from their rear. But luckily there was a shallownlooking river to their right behind some trees.

    ¡°Right away madam.¡± Lu Xun replied.

    ¡°Once we reach a large body of water your water magic will also be strong wouldn''t it sister?¡± Yuying said to Ling as they lead their horses toward the river.

    ¡°Of course.¡± Ling replied while tugging on the reigns of house to guide it through the trees.

    Soon the army made their first steps into the stream. However to their terror on the other bank of the stream hundreds of undead appeared.

    ¡° Form phalanx!!! Protect the madames!!¡± Lu Xun yelled.

    ¡°Water cutter!¡± Ling yelled as a blue aura envoy wiped her body and water from the stream floated into the the air and formed crescent blades.

    Dozens of crescent water blades sliced through the air and diced a few corpses to pieces.

    With a wave of her hand a pillar of water rose from out of the stream and lifted Ling into the air. From the air she sent down countless razor sharp blades of water.

    ¡°Quickly cross the river with thehorses!!!¡± Sun Ce yelled as he pulled the on reigns on his horse and tried to cross the water.

    Despite being looking very shallow if they recklessly galloped into the water there was a chance they could ride straight into a deep pool below and sink. Which is why they had to be careful while crossing despite being in such a urgent situation.

    Thanks to Ling¡¯s constant barrage of crescent shaped water blades the number of undead on the opposite bank dwindled drastically. However Ling¡¯s face turned from a rosy pink color to a very pale almost white color.

    Constantly using the technique was draining her of essence very quickly.

    ¡°Ling drink the water that brother gave you!!¡± Yuying yelled seeing Ling¡¯s face turn pale.

    Moments later the pillar of water collapsed by before Ling crashed into the water below, some of it rose up and cushioned her fall.

    As the water swirled around her Ling made a small bottle appear in her hands. After popping off the cap on the bottle and drank it the color on face her returned to normal. Luckily Zhang had given her the spare interspatial ring that he had and filled it with various useful thing.

    ¡°Madames!! This way!¡± A soldier beacons to the three beauties. They had managed to secure the opposite bank of the stream and were moving into the forest.

    ¡°Everyone quickly!¡± Lu Xun yelled as he watched as numerous undead were approaching their rear.

    ¡°Sis what are you doing let''s go!¡± Ai yelled toward Yuying.

    ¡°One moment! I''m sending brother a message telling him to release the Titanic Golden spiders he has in the domain.¡± Yuying said as she fiddled with the transmission bracelet on her arm.

    ¡°Cmon! Quickly!¡± Ai yelled as she pulled Yuying¡¯s hand before the message could be sent.

    Shortly after the horde of undead that were toward their rear entered the water.

    ¡°Take them out as they try to make it up the banks of the stream!!¡± Lu Xun yelled.

    Following his commands the soldiers waited on the banks of the shallow river and began dismembering the undead as they tried to walk up.

    Due to the denseness of the forest the three beauties and thousands of soldiers had to walk while leading their horses. Although they had the option of abandoning their horses it would mean that they would lose their mobility.

    As they made their way through the forest the moon was slowly replaced by the sun that was peaking over the horizon. By now the soldiers were all exhausted from all of the running. But they continued moving forward because the thought of taken over by a swarm of Heart Burrower worms could make anyone shiver and cringe in fear.

    While the soldiers in the rear of the army followed those in front of them a loud tell could be heard from the front of the army.

    ¡°FUCK!!! It¡¯s a dead end!!¡± The voice rang out in rage.

    Once these soldiers from the rear caught up they found a tall and steep cliff wall of rocks in their path. Neither the beginning nor end of this wall could be seen.

    ¡°Fire the red flares! Warn our lord not to come this way!!¡± Lu Xun yelled as he shot a red flare into the sky. Soon to follow the first one dozens more were soon shot into the sky.

    ¡°we need to do something before they catch up or else we will be surrounded.¡± Sun Ce said as he stood next to Lu Xun.

    ¡°If we are corned then the only thing we could do is fight!!¡± Lu Xun bellowed as he lifted his sword into the sky.

    ¡°To the death!!!¡± He screamed.

    ¡°To the death!!!¡± The soldiers responded as they also lifted their swords and shields into the air.

    As the soldiers screamed their hearts out Yuying pointed up the wall and spoke to Silky.

    ¡°Go Silky.¡± Yuying said as Silky jumped onto the steep cliff  wall and climbed up.

    As Silky made it¡¯s way up the face of the cliff down below the undead made their way through the forest toward the soldier of Aurora.

    ¡°Protect the madams and prepare for battle!¡± Lu Xun ordered to his men. Currently ensuring their safety was his highest priority, if anything happened to them he wouldn''t know how to face Zhang.

    The soldiers stood shoulder to shoulder with weapons ready. They were no cornered and their only shot at survival was to cut down the enemies in front of them. These men were no more Like caged beasts ready to fight with every fiber of their body. If they had to bite the enemy to death they most likely would if it meant they could live another day.

    ¡°If we can hold out then Silky will be able to lower down strands of silk which we can use to climb up the face of the cliff.¡± Yuying said as she kept looking up the face of the cliff.

    Hearing these words a glimmer of hope popped into the hearts of the soldiers which soon spread to the entire army.

    ¡°If we fight! We live!!¡± A few soldiers yelled.

    ¡°Attack!!!¡± Lu Xun yelled as he spotted undead closing in on their position.

    ¡°If not a lot of undead show up we can easily take care of all of them thanks to our numbers but if we attract a large horde then we are screwed.¡± Lu Xun thought to himself as he rushed toward the undead and began swinging his sword.

    =======================================================

    Thanks Nyx and Kevin for editing and proofing the first half :).

    So yeaaaaa new chapter lol will have edited version and stuff up when we repost.

    Support me on Novels Nao or Patreon thanks.

 Chapter 63: Unleashed

    Sorry for the late post. I got home really late last night with only 1700 words down so decided to finish in the morning and post by then site has been down lol. So enjoy? Also fell to 3rd in weekly sadly :(

    ======================

    Although every fiber of his body was screaming as he was running toward danger Zhang could not help but continue moving forward.

    ¡°Please be okay.¡± Zhang murmured as he ran through the forest with a few of his soldiers following behind him. Besides a handful of soldiers Zhang ordered the rest of the soldiers that came with him to stay with the villagers.

    He had told them all to climb up and hide in the tall trees in the forest and to wait for him to return.

    ¡°My lord undead to our front!¡± A soldier yelled.

    ¡°Follow me! We must get back to the rest of the army!¡± Zhang yelled while brandishing his sword and shield.

    Soon Zhang and his guard engaged the undead in battle.

    ¡°Aim for the heart!!!¡± Zhang yelled as he plunged his sword into a corpse. If they aimed for the heart there was a chance of injuring or killed the Heart Burrower inside the corpse.

    As Zhang drew his sword out from the corpses he could see that it was coated in a gooey greenish liquid.

    Once the sword was pulled out of the corpse, with a push it fell backwards onto the ground.

    Seeing this many soldiers began aiming where the heart should be within the corpses.

    ¡°It''s working!¡± One soldier yelled out joyfully as he pulled his sword out of a corpse. However as he sword slide out of the corpse instead of falling to the ground it¡¯s arms lunged for him.

    ¡°Gahhhh!!¡± The soldier yelled as he was knocked to the ground.

    But before the corpse could claim his life a shiny black object spun through the air and embedded itself into the corpse. Green liquid could be need oozing out from where the object cut into the corpse.

    Zhang could be seen running up toward the corpse and pulling the shiny object out of the corpse. Turns out the object was his shield.

    ¡°Get up quickly we must keep moving.¡± Zhang said as he extended his hand to help the fallen soldier back up.

    ¡°Many thanks my lord.¡± The soldier said filled with gratitude as he grabbed onto Zhang¡¯s arm and go up onto his feet.

    ¡°Make sure you stab the heart! We need to move quickly! Zhang yelled as he continued stabbing the undead.

    As Zhang and his soldiers inches their way through the horde of undead a river came into view.

    ¡°My lord from the looks of it battle broke out here.¡± A soldier said while pointing off into the distance where dozens of diced up corpses could be seen.

    ¡°Good, we are going the right way.¡± Zhang said while quickening his pace.

    As they splashed through the river, Zhang and the soldiers had to be both wary of the water and the undead who were also present  in the river.

    Luckily while in the water the movement speed of the undead had greatly decreased. This allowed the soldiers to be able to handle any undead that appeared near them.

    Suddenly a yelled could be heard.

    ¡°Gahhh!!!!¡±

    When Zhang and the soldiers looked toward the direction it came from they could see one of their  comrades being dragged down into the water.

    Seeing this Zhang and the other soldiers ran to help. They slashed wildly trying to free the soldier being pulled down into the water. Thankfully the river was shallow or else the soldier would have most likely died.

    The soldiers dragged their comrade out of the river and into the banks. The man could be seen panting as he gasped for air.

    That was when Zhang noticed his sound transmission bracelet was flashing.

    After reading the message on the bracelet, Zhang lifted his hand into the air. A black hole appeared just above the ground and from within it dozens of creatures poured out.

    From dozens they turned into hundreds as the Titanic Golden Spiders crawled out from the Ruler¡¯s Domain and assembled in front of Zhang who was standing by the river bank.

    The hundreds of spiders obediently stood still awaiting Zhang¡¯s commands. As the early morning rays shone onto them a clear metallic gloss could be seen on them

    ¡°Kill!!¡± Zhang commanded them as he pointed his finger toward the undead.

    The spiders screeched as they began their assault on the undead. They sped their way through the forest and began latching themselves to the undead.

    Despite not having reached maturity these spiders were more than enough to deal with the Heart Burrowers. The Titanic Spiders possessed great intelligence thanks to Yuying¡¯s tampering with their minds, this allowed them to cooperate with each other and take down their enemies.

    As if they could sense where the worms were the spiders would use their legs to rip open the chests of the undead and then feed on the worms inside.

    ¡°Fuck¡­. I should have done this sooner¡­.¡± Zhang said while staring dumbfounded as his army of spiders ripped through the horde of undead.

    ¡°Totally should have fucking done this sooner¡­¡± Zhang cursed as the spiders continued their onslaught. That being said if Zhang had unleashed the spiders earlier without knowing what he was facing then there was a chance they could have died pointlessly.

    Also despite the spiders being able to overpower the undead their numbers were too low to take all of the undead head on.

    ¡°Let''s go!¡± He yelled to his soldiers as they watched the scenes in front of them unfold.

    ¡°Ye-yes my lord.¡± The soldiers replied as they began following Zhang.

    Zhang led his forces swiftly through the forest, while praying that the three beauties and the rest of the army was ok.

    ===============================

    As Zhang was making his way through the horde of undead, the battle had broken out at the face of the steep cliff.

    Earlier Silky had lowered down dozens of silk thread ropes for the soldiers to climb up but due to the huge number of soldiers there were not enough ropes to go around. So Lu Xun had ordered his men to pack closely together as to not let the undead overwhelm them. The battle was intensifying by each passing minute as more and more undead appeared. Despite knowing how to kill the undead Zhang¡¯s army still had trouble holding back so many undead.

    ¡°Sun Ce lead some men and begin retreating up the ropes and secure the top of the cliff.¡± Lu Xun commanded.

    ¡°Right away.¡± Sun Ce replied as he began directing the soldiers who were not engaging undead in battle to move up the ropes.

    However there were only so many ropes and many soldiers which meant that it would take a very long time for the army to all move up the ropes.

    Seeing this, Ai lifted the Black Thorn whip into the sky and with a flick of her wrist and some essence it snaked up the face of the cliff all the way to the top. Once the tip of the whip reached the top of the cliff the whip began to grow in size. Soon a large winding pathway was created. Of course Ai made it so the pathway and the ropes did not get in each other''s way.

    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

    ¡°You men quickly move!!¡± Lu Xun yelled toward some soldiers men as he gestured to the bridge that Ai had created. It would not be safe if he simply just ordered every soldier to stop fighting and move up the pathway so Lu Xun decided to move groups of them at a time.

    Also going up the pathway made by the Black Thorn whip or climbing up the ropes made by Silky meant that they would have to abandon their horses but if it meant surviving then in the end it was worth it.

    Losing the horses would deal a heavy blow to their army but in the end horses could be bought again but if their army was wiped out then there would have been horrible repercussions.

    ¡°Most if not all of the people in the Black Wind province most likely have turned into undead.¡± Lu Xun said as he judged the number of undead that they were facing.

    ¡°There are probably hundreds of thousands of them here alone general, perhaps you are right and we are stuck in a province of undead. If this keeps up any longer we will suffer heavy casualties.¡± One of Lu Xun¡¯s lieutenants said to him.

    ¡°General look!!¡± The lieutenant yelled as he pointed into the sky.

    In the sky a signal of hope could be seen. A dazzling green flare sparkled in the sky despite the rising sun''s rays.

    ¡°Shoot red flares! Warn our lord that there''s danger here!¡± Lu Xun yelled as he shot a red flare into the sky trying to warn Zhang not to approach their location. Soon dozens of red flares could be seen shooting up into the air.

    ========================================================================

    ¡°This way!! We are closing in on them!¡± Zhang yelled as he led his guards and the hundreds of Titanic spiders through the horde of undead.

    The Titanic spiders could be seen taking down all of the undead around Zhang as he and the guards advanced through the horde. Despite having the spiders to help them break through the horde of undead if they slowed for even a bit they could still possibly be overwhelmed.

    Zhang had seen the dozens of red flares in the sky earlier so he knew that he was very close to where the rest of the army was.

    While moving through the horde Zhang could hear a very familiar sound coming from a distance away. It was the sound of people marching uniformly.

    However Zhang ignored it and continued heading toward his army and where Yuying, Ling and Ai are.

    Moments later Zhang could spot huge pitch black vines snaking up the side of a cliff. And soon after that he could see a battlefield in front of himself. Zhang¡¯s soldiers under the command of Lu Xun were furiously fighting the undead.

    Men covered in green goo and black blood could be seen fighting wildly with the undead. If their swords failed then they used their shields and if their shields break then they relied on their fists. I came down to a battle of will between the soldiers and the unless horde of undead.

    Although they were tired, although they were afraid and although they wished they could be somewhere else, all of the soldiers pressed on and fought with everything they had. If it meant they could survive then they would fight until they dropped.

    ¡°Move!!¡± Zhang yelled as he began running through the horde of undead.

    With each thrust of his sword Zhang was able to swiftly take down everything in front of him. Along his side were hundreds of titanic spiders pinning down the undead.

    ¡°My lord!!¡±

    ¡°Brother!!¡±

    Many voices rang out as they saw Zhang approaching. They were a mixture of worried voices along with relieved voices. Some were afraid that Zhang was in danger while others were relieved that he was coming.

    ¡°Silk Webs!!¡±  Zhang commanded to the spiders.

    Moments later all of the Titanic spiders began weaving a massive maze of webs. The massive webs netted the a huge portion of the undead, making them unable to move.

    ¡°Attack!!¡± Lu Xun yelled. Now that most of the undead were unable to advance if they could deal with the few undead that were on their side of the net then they would be safe.

    The soldiers madly charged forward to slay the undead.

    As they were fighting the undead the spiders continued creating a giant web and almost created a wall made of undead in front of the soldiers.

    ¡°Brother I¡¯m so glad to see you!¡± Ai yelled as she jumped at Zhang and embraced him.

    They hugged and spun around for a few times until he let her down.

    Moments later two more beautiful figures descended and tackled Zhang to the ground.

    ¡°These four¡­¡± Lu Xun thought as he shook his head.

    ¡°My lord! I suggest that we move up the cliff because it''s not very safe down here.¡± Lu Xun suggested as he looked at the wall of entangled undead.

    ¡°Everyone move!¡± Lu Xun yelled.

    Moments later Zhang ordered the spiders to create a large net up the side of the cliff for the soldiers to climb up. Of course he only ordered a few spiders to do this because it takes time for the spiders to produce silk and if all of the silk was wasted then that wouldn''t be wise.

    ¡°My lord where are the rest of the men? And those villagers the girl spoke of.¡± Lu Xun asked.

    ¡°They are waiting for us to come get them.¡± Zhang said.

    ¡°That''s if we can make it to them. With so many undead we can''t possibly move very easily with such a large force.¡± Lu Xun said with a sigh as he thought about the soldiers waiting for them.

    ¡°Once we are up the cliff I have a way of getting to them.¡± Zhang said.

    ¡°The spiders can construct a bridge from the cliffs down into the treetops and through the forest. Then they can use that and get back here.¡±  Zhang said.

    ¡°I didn''t do this sooner because I didn''t know the exact situation you and the rest of the men were in nor did I have an exact location. But now I do.¡± Zhang stated as he walked with the three beauties beside him.

    ¡°Next time I¡¯m going with you brother.¡± Ling said sternly.

    ¡°I won''t leave you again.¡± Zhang said as he patted held her hand tighter.

    ¡°Me too. Me too! Don''t leave me behind next time.¡±  Ai said as she hopped onto his hand and popped her head over his shoulder.

    ¡°Yuying do you know how to stop the Heart Burrowers on a larger scale? There is no way we could beat them if kill them one at a time.¡± Zhang said.

    ¡°Well besides physically attacking them, we could use fire or ice to kill them. Either of the extremes would do the trick. Also aside from that perhaps if we find and kill the queen Heart Burrower. But that''s easier said than done, the queen is always mixed into the hordes of undead.¡± Yuying side.

 Chapter 64: Survivors

    Hello folks :) haven''t seen you guys in a few days :D hope you all had a great Christmas. I was planning to do a six chapter release on Christmas but then life kicked my butt and I got sick and busy. But i managed to finish 4 nice long chapters :) Check back later because there might be an update. That being said Editors/Proofers were busy so if there are any mistakes please point them out for me to fix.

    Also finally! Stupid safari broke on me >_> but it works now o__o also will post on Novels Nao and then to here for the next chapter because Safari is going on off on my when I paste text into it. But strangely its working on te other site.

    =============================

    After traveling up the giant vine that led to the top of the cliff, Zhang, and his army were welcomed by an empty atmosphere without a tree nor plant in sight,  it was barren and lifeless to behold. The entire cliff was made of solid rock; with no way up or down once Ai retrieved the Black Thorn whip, which made it an ideal place to stay away from the undead.

    Once they were up on the top of the cliff; the hundreds of Titanic Spiders, which were being controlled by Yuying, shot out their white silk threads and wove a bridge-like-web. Zhang used the Underworld Heart to control the essence on one end of the bridge-like-web and directed it to fly down and latch itself to the trees below

    The distance they were in, from the top of the trees is roughly 1 kilometer. Only two people could walk shoulder to shoulder in the bridge-like-web - seeing that it¡¯s not wide - though it¡¯s sturdy enough to carry a thousand person at the same time. It also retained some of its adhesive property which resolved the doubt of crossing it. The spiders hunt their prey through their webs. How can they ingest their meal if it''s web was not strong enough to restrict its prey. So with this, you can imagine how sturdy the bridge-like-web was; add to the fact that it was woven by hundreds of Titanic Spiders.

    Once the bridge-like-web was connected to the trees, a company of soldiers was sent to retrieve their comrades and the villagers.

    While watching his soldiers lying on the ground due to exhaustion, Zhang was very glad that they had brought along their own water from the trip or else his army could have been wiped out without even a fight, because they would have been infected by the worms and become like the poor civilians of the Black Wind Province.

    As Zhang ensured to order his men to be wary of the villagers because they could be infected. So when they arrived, he would keep them under watch for a few days and see if any of them would turn into an undead.

    ¡°Brother, if we can make it into a city and restock our supplies, we can leave this province.¡± Yuying said.

    ¡°Perhaps we could but sooner or later this probably will reappear again. If we don''t take care of it now then next time there will be countless more undead.¡± Zhang said to Yuying who was sitting in his lap; while his hands were wrapped around her waist, and his head resting on her shoulder.

    Ai and Ling were tired of all the escaping, so they went to rest in the magical carriage straight away; while Zhang and Yuying were left with some time alone.

    ¡°To be honest, if they were just regular undead, I would take it as a sign that my future father-in-law was objecting to our wedding.¡± Zhang said jokingly.

    ¡°Knowing father, he''s probably against it, but there isn''t really a way for him to intervene.¡± Yuying said with a smirk on her face.

    ¡°We''ll of course he''s against it, you told him the rice was cooked. But maybe he''s not against it because, his future son-in-law is such a nice guy and he''s looking forward to having grandkids.¡±  Zhang said jokingly.

    ¡°Perhaps he would until he found out that you were the one that broke out from the 18 Levels of Hell.¡± Yuying said with a chuckle as she gazed into the distance.

    Soldiers could be seen pitching tents and preparing camp a bit away from the two lovebirds.

    ¡°He should be thanking me, because if not for me then his daughter would be stuck in an unhappy marriage.¡±, Zhang said and he pulled Yuying in closer to him.

    ¡°If we weren¡¯t in a place infested by countless undead then this wouldn''t be so bad. Sitting here and just enjoying the scenery.¡± But it''s not like there¡¯s much to worry about with you here.¡± Yuying said as he leaned back onto Zhang.

    ¡°If only moments like this could last forever.¡± she thought to herself.

    ¡°There''s always time for just the two of us when this is all over. After the wedding, we have all of the time in the world.¡± Zhang said as he felt Yuying entrusted all of her weight onto him and just enjoyed the scenery.

    ¡°By then you would be calling me husband instead of brother.¡± Zhang chuckled as a broad smile appeared on his face.

    ¡°Of course, what else would I call you?¡± Yuying said as she turned back and stuck her tongue out at Zhang and then smiled beautifully.

    As the two of them watched the tall green trees in the distant forest swaying, something caught Zhang¡¯s attention. In the distance, he could see something that was reflecting light from the morning sun.

    ¡°Perhaps it''s an undead who happened to be wearing armor when they were alive.¡± Zhang thought.

    However, something else caught his eye. A red flare was shot into the sky from where the reflection of light came from. Soon dozens of red flares could be seen in the sky.

    As Zhang focused his vision, where the reflected light came from, he noticed not one but dozens of light reflections.

    ¡°My lord! Do you see that?!¡±, Lu Xun yelled as he ran toward where Yuying and Zhang were sitting, and pointed to the sky.

    ¡°Respond to the signal.¡± Zhang said calmly.

    ¡°Right away my lord.¡± Lu Xun said as he quickly pointed a flare into the sky and shot it. Moments later a green flare flew into the air. Even though the sun had partially risen the flare was still able to emit a dazzling green light.

    Shortly after the green flare was shot into the air, off in the distance, a red flare could once more be seen in the sky.

    ¡°Lu Xun stay here and command the soldiers I''ll be right back.¡± Zhang said as he stood up.

    ¡°But my lord you can''t¡­¡± Before Lu Xun could finish his sentence, Zhang could be seen leaping off the edge of the cliff with Yuying in his arms.

    Lu Xun ran to the cliff, he watched as dozens of Titanic Golden spiders created a net below out of silk threads catching Zhang and keeping him from falling to his death. Moments later Zhang could be seen hopping from tree to tree with Yuying clinging tightly to him.

    ¡°She''s enjoying this a lot isn¡¯t she.¡± Lu Xun thought as he saw the broad smile on Yuying¡¯s face as Zhang carried her.

    ¡°Brother if I were to grow old and wrinkly would you still carry me like this?¡± Yuying asked.

    ¡°If you grow old and wrinkly who would carry you like this, because by then I would be old and ugly too. Where would I get the strength to carry someone else?¡± Zhang said teasingly.

    ¡°Hmph.¡± Yuying snorted jokingly.

    ¡°Of course, I would carry you just like this.¡± Zhang said as pulled her body closer toward him.

    Zhang stood on a thick branch of a large tree, as he observe what was below him. He could see dozens of soldiers, clad in blue armor, arranged in formation heading somewhere.

    The last two soldiers in the center of the spiral were different from the rest. The first one wasn¡¯t carrying a sword nor a flare, he carried a white flag/banner with a black tortoise in the middle. Zhang recognized that this was the official flag of Black Wind City.

    The second soldier wasn¡¯t holding anything. He stood there giving off an oppressive aura as he gazed his surroundings with his fierce black eyes; he seemed to be the commander of the squad.Moments later Zhang was able to see dozens of people dressed in blue armor down below the trees with swords drawn and white banners with black marks on them.

    ¡°You down there! Are you the ones that shot the flares?¡± Zhang yelled down from above while still carrying Yuying.

    ¡°Wha-what the... Where did you come from?¡± The bulky looking soldier in the center  who looked around the age of forty asked with a startled voice. How could he not noticed that there was someone above them; with all the years of his experience he wasn¡¯t able to trace his presence, it only showed that he is not ordinary.

    Stolen story; please report.

    ¡°I¡¯ve come here on orders from the lord of Aurora.¡± Zhang said as he placed Yuying on the large tree branch beside him and pulled out the emblem that Jian Wei had given him.

    ¡°My lord, were you sent to rescue us? Our messenger reached Aurora? I¡¯ll lead you to meet our commander.¡± The middle-aged man said, with a trace of relief in his voice, as he saluted Zhang.

    ¡°No messengers ever reached Aurora nor were we sent to rescue you; we were in fact sent to investigate why our communication with the Black Wind province was severed. Currently, we aren¡¯t exactly doing well ourselves, but for now, we have found a safe place to camp.¡± Zhang said as he carried Yuying again in his arms before jumping off the tree.

    ¡°Is that so¡­¡± The soldier replied dejectedly.

    ¡°Nonetheless, I believe our general will be glad that you are here. May I request for you to visit our camp and meet with the general? I assure you of no harm. If you would follow us, my lord.¡± The middle-aged man said to Zhang.

    ¡°Lead the way.¡± Zhang said as he let Yuying back onto her feet.

    As the soldiers lead Zhang to go meet their general, he found out that Black Wind City had long ago been overrun by undead; that these soldiers only escaped the infected because the fortress they were stationed in had it¡¯s own reservoir of water. They also said that numerous messengers were sent out to ask for aid; however, none returned before Black Wind City was completely overrun by the undead.

    According to these soldiers, most likely all of the cities in the province had already fallen to the undead, and besides the twenty thousand remaining soldiers in the fortress, the rest of the armies of the Black Wind province were probably no longer alive.

    A certain thought kept popping into Zhang¡¯s head after hearing the current status of the Black Wind Province.

    ¡°Black Wind City is overrun with undead and since undead have no use for the riches and treasures of the city, but obviously I have uses for it.¡± Zhang thought as he imagined sacking the city¡¯s treasury.

    The mere thought of mountains of gold just there for the taking made Zhang¡¯s heart pound. But of course, he knew better not to charge recklessly into a large city filled with undead. That being said, it did not mean he wasn''t tempted to recklessly charge into a large city filled with undead if it meant he can hoard the entire treasury of a whole province.

    ¡°Brother you''re not thinking what I think you¡¯re thinking are you?¡± Yuying said with a grin as if she could read his mind while brushing aside a tree branch.

    ¡°Perhaps I am, perhaps not.¡± Zhang said teasingly, looking at the soldiers with a large smile on his face.

    Around them, the soldiers of the Black Wind army couldn''t help but give the two of them funny looks.

    ¡°How could these two look so happy at a time like this.¡± Some of them thought.

    While others cursed to themselves, ¡°Why can''t I get a girl as beautiful as her¡­¡±

    After the soldiers led Zhang and Yuying through a dense part of the forest for hours they arrived at a vast lake. The entire area around the lakes edge was blanketed with thick trees which helped create a serene atmosphere. In the center of the lake, there was a massive fortress. The fortress had four large towers towering into the sky.

    Anyone who laid eyes on this fortress would be called magnificent but of course having seen the greatness of the structures in the Underworld Yuying and Zhang weren''t particularly amazed.

    ¡°I¡¯ve seen better.¡± Yuying thought as she looked at the fortress.

    ¡°Thanks to the dense forest and the lake, no undead have appeared around here.¡± A soldier who was in his early twenties said.

    ¡°My lord would you please get on.¡± He added as he pointed to a small boat in the banks of the lake.

    Moments later Zhang and Yuying boarded the small boat and departed from the banks of the lake.

    ¡°Although I admit the area isn''t easy to navigate but that wouldn''t mean the hordes of undead would avoid coming here.¡± Zhang thought to himself as the small boat rocked back and forth.

    After a short voyage, the two lovebirds disembarked and set foot into the fortress in the middle of the lake. The fortress walls towered above the waters of the lake and  thousands of men could be seen dressed in blue armor above.

    ¡°Welcome to the Black Wind Prison.¡± The young soldier in his twenties said as he stretched out his hands with his back toward a pair of large black iron gates.

    ¡°Home to the last of the Black Wind army and Black Wind province¡¯s most heinous criminals.¡± He added.

    ¡°Open the gates! We have something to report to the general and the young lord.¡± He shouted while looking up the walls.

    Moments later the two large iron gates parted and opened a path to the inside of the prison.

    ¡°This way please, I''ll take you to meet our general  and the young lord.¡±

    ¡°Please lead the way.¡± Zhang replied as he held Yuying¡¯s hand.

    Once they passed the gates and entered the prison, Zhang could feel hundreds of sets of eyes staring at him and Yuying.

    As the young soldier led Zhang and Yuying through the prison numerous prisoners could be seen dressed in white and chained up in cells.

    As Yuying passed through the halls with her arms linked with Zhang, the prisoners would shout rude remarks and whistle at her. However, once Zhang turned around and glared at them the jeering stopped.

    ¡°This way.¡± The young soldier said as he led the pair to the front of two extravagant looking doors and two loud knocks sounded out.

    ¡°You may enter.¡± A voice rang out from behind the doors.

    After the doors opened up into a simple looking room that was almost bare, Zhang and Yuying walked in. In front of them was an elderly looking man dressed in blue armor could be seen sitting behind a desk. One can tell that this elderly man was someone of high social standing due to how extravagant his armor was. Every thread seemed to be made of gold and every piece of leather used to make his armor was most likely taken from high-level demonic beasts.

    ¡°General! I present to you the young lord of Aurora.¡± The young soldier said as he knelt on one knee.

    ¡°You are excused.¡± A voice said.

    ¡°Pleased to meet you. My name is Zhou Zhang and this is my wife.¡± Zhang said as he clasped his hands and performed a half bow. Yuying who was beside him performed a curtsy.

    ¡°No need for such formalities young lord of Aurora. Please have a seat.¡± The elderly general said as he gestured to a pair of seats at a table a bit away from his desk.

    After some chatting, Zhang found out that the elderly general''s name was Chanming Hai, who was assigned to be the warden of the prison. He was also told that the prison currently houses twenty thousand soldiers who general Chanming managed to gather. Besides the soldiers, the prison also held roughly twenty thousand prisoners whose crimes ranged from petty crimes such as thievery to murder and even treason. From the amount of prisoners alone one could guess the size of the prison.

    ¡°Young lord of Aurora please follow me, I¡¯ll introduce you to our young lord.¡± General Chanming said.

    ¡°Please lead the way.¡± Zhang said.

    Shortly after General Chanming lead Zhang and Yuying to an extravagant looking room. In front of this room stood four hulking soldiers standing guard. The inside of the room had silk curtains, gold inlaid chairs and many other expensive looking things.

    In the middle of this room sat a little boy dressed in light blue robes who looked around the age of seven to nine. Upon seeing this young boy, Zhang felt a faintly but sinister aura emitting from his body.

    ¡°This is the new lord of the Black Wind Province lord Shen Shi.¡± General Chanming as he bowed to Shen Shi.

    ¡°My lord! This is the next lord of Aurora.¡± Chanming introduced.

    ¡°Nice to meet you.¡± Shen Shi said politely toward Zhang.

    ¡°Likewise.¡± Zhang said back to Shen Shi. The longer Zhang looked at Shen Shi the stranger he felt.

    ¡°Our lord was lucky to make it out of the city alive with only a few of his guards.¡± Chanming said.

 Chapter 65: Brewing Storms

    Welp here you go o__o. Talk to me folks :l also one lucky reader was selected and I named a character after him ( Leng Zai). You guys can be jealous of him now :) lol. Check out my patreon also I''ll add getting to name a character as a milestone later. Lastly please support me on NovelsNao lol

    ==========================

    ¡°The heavens pitied us and spared the young lord. Had he died then the Black Wind province would have truly ended.¡± General Chanming said as he led Zhang out of the room where Shen Shi was.

    As they walked out general Chanming could be seen looking back at Shen Shi with gentle eyes. For a man who served the lord of the Black Wind Province for most of his life, the last thing he wanted to see was for his master''s bloodline to end.

    ¡°May I ask how the young lord made it out of the city? His father must have assigned him a lot of guards, for him to make it out of the city while everyone else perished.¡± Zhang asked questioningly.

    For the son of the previous lord to survive but the lord himself to die was very strange. On top of that, Shen Shi was at most nine years old. There is no way for such a young child to be able to hold his own against the undead, so something must have occurred to allow him to successfully escape while his father and everyone else died in Black Wind City.

    ¡°Although I was not there at the time, I was told that as the guards led the young lord out of the city they strangely did not encounter any undead. Thankfully they didn''t because with only four guards there would be no way that the young lord would have survived.¡± General Chanming said to Zhang as they walked through the halls of the Black Wind Prison.

    ¡°General do you perhaps know if lord Shen Shi has ever visited the grand aqueducts?¡± Zhang asked trying to confirm his fears.

    ¡°I believe the young lord was present on the day that the aqueducts were connected to the cities. He even disappeared and caused a huge commotion. But luckily he was found safe and sound.¡± General Chanming replied.

    ¡°But there''s nothing to worry about the young lord has not been infected by worms. No symptoms have appeared and he perfectly fine.¡± General Chanming added to reassure Zhang.

    ¡°If that is how it is then I feel much more assured.¡± Zhang replied.

    ¡°Ah yes, I''ve had my men arrange accommodations for the young lord of Aurora. If you would follow me I''ll show you the way.¡± The general said.

    ¡°Ah yes general if would like to ask if you would be interested in leaving the province with me and my army. If we combine forces I¡¯m sure we can break through the hordes of undead. After we make it out we can request for reinforcements from the other provinces.¡± Zhang said to General Chanming.

    ¡°That would be wonderful, although I would like to stay in the safety of the prison, to be honest, we are running low on supplies. After the capital fell our supply lines were cut. If you can give me some time to talk to the young lord and make arrangements with my men we can begin preparations to leave this cursed land.¡±

    Zhang and Chanming Hai chatted for a bit before arriving at the room that was arranged for Zhang and Yuying to stay in.

    ¡°Please rest and we will talk some more tomorrow. I''ll have some men bring food to your room for you and your wife¡± General Chanming said with a smile on his face. He was truly glad that Zhang showed up because with his men alone there would be no way to make it out of the Black Wind Province. Even if he freed all of the prisoners the number of men under his command wouldn''t stand a chance if they ran into the hordes of undead.

    After bidding Zhang and Yuying a good rest of the day Chanming Hai left.

    ¡°Brother there is something wrong with that child.¡± Yuying said after closing the door to their room and making sure no one was outside.

    ¡°I feel the same way.¡± Zhang said as he took out his transmission bracelet and began sending Ling and Ai a message to tell them what has happened.

    A short while later a knocking sound could be heard coming from the other side of the door to their room. After Yuying opened the door a young man dressed in a chef¡¯s outfit walked in while holding a tray of food.

    ¡°Your lordship I¡¯ve brought food for you and the madame.¡± The chef said.

    ¡°You may leave it there and please have a seat I would like to ask you a few questions.¡± Zhang said to the chef.

    ¡°If there''s anything you wish to know please feel free to ask my lord.¡± The chef replied as he set down a tray consisting of rice, soup, and some simple side dishes.

    ¡°Out of curiosity, I wanted to know if anything out of the norm has been happening inside the prison.¡± Zhang asked.

    After hearing Zhang''s words, the chef nodded and leaned in closer.

    ¡°Yes my lord I''ve heard from some of the guards and the prisoners that late at night they see a small child walking around the prison. Each time the child is spotted a few people will disappear. Since the only child in the entire prison is the young lord, at first, many people suspected him but the young lord is with his guards all day and all night how could it possibly be him.¡± The chef said in a whisper.

    ¡°Hmmmm if that''s true then we may have stumbled on a quick solution to our situation.¡± Zhang mumbled to himself.

    ¡°Okay, you may leave.¡± Yuying said as she handed the chef a few gold coins.

    ¡°Many thanks, madam. Many thanks!¡± The chef said as he stuffed the gold coins in his pockets and left the room.

    Once the chef left Zhang and Yuying began eating the dishes that were brought to them.

    Yuying would put food in Zhang¡¯s bowl while he would put food in her bowl as the two went on with their meal.

    To outsiders, these two lovebirds would look like a married couple from the way they act with each other. Men would be jealous of Zhang for having such a lovely wife while women would be jealous of Yuying for having such a caring husband.

    ¡°Say ahh.¡± Zhang said as he held up some a tender looking piece of meat with his chopsticks.

    Yuying couldn¡¯t help but giggle as she opened her petite mouth and indulged in his silliness.

    ========================================================================

    Murky dark clouds loomed in the sky and blocked out the luminous rays of the moon as the night progressed. A storm could be seen brewing above as the last soldiers of the Black Wind army stood guard in the lone prison in the center of the lake.

    Tonight no stars shone down from above, no moon lite the night sky, only the flicker light emitting from countless torches provided light for the brave men guarding the prison. The cold night¡¯s breeze howled as it brushed against the soldiers dressed in dark blue armor as they stood above the tall prison walls.

    As the night grew colder an ominous thick fog drifted in from the forest over clear lake. Soon the thick fog blanketed the entire lake and  drifted against the prison walls. The rolling fog created an eerie atmosphere for the men standing guard. As they gazed into the thick fog these men had let their imaginations run wild. All sorts of monsters and horrors could be shrouded behind the fog.

    ¡°Brother Zhang Liao you think that demon child will appear again tonight? This fog is spooking me out.¡± A young man that looked to be in his early twenties who was wearing dark blue armor said to another young man who also looked to be in his early twenties.

    Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

    ¡°Why are you scared? Is the great Leng Zai afraid?¡± The young man named Zhang Liao teased.

    ¡°Ha are you saying you''re not afraid? Just because you got promoted to be a captain you''re going to act cocky with me? Every time that demon child appears someone goes missing. I definitely don¡¯t want to be the one to go missing, the whole province is already overrun with undead, and to think I thought we would be safe if we stay in the prison.¡± Leng Zai said as he sighed.

    ¡°Yea to think we actually thought if we hid in this prison we would be safe. But then that damn demon had to appear. Zhang Liao said as he leaned on a part of the prison walls.

    As the two young men chatted away a light trickle of rain began to fall from the black clouds looming over the prison. Soon enough this light trickle turned into a heavy storm, extinguishing many of the torches on top of the prison walls.

    ¡°Oh great¡­ Just what we needed.¡± Zhang Liao said sarcastically with a sigh as he felt the rain hitting against his armor and running down his face.

    ¡°Leng Zai lets run in and get ourselves some raincoats before we get sick.¡± Zhang Liao said while heading for the guard post a short distance away.

    ¡°Yea let¡¯s go.¡± Leng Zai replied.

    After reaching the guard post and taking  a raincoat that was hung on the wall Zhang Liao walked back outside.

    ¡°Hey Leng Zai are you going to stand in the rain without a raincoat? We don¡¯t switch shifts for another two hours.¡± Zhang Liao yelled out to Leng Zai who oddly was standing at the same spot he had been before.

    Despite Zhang Liao¡¯s words Leng Zai did not budge and continued staring into the distance.

    ¡°Hey idiot say something¡­¡± Zhang Liao yelled as he went back inside to grab a second rain coat and then walk towards where Leng Zai was.

    Once Zhang Liao walked to where Leng Zai was he noticed that Leng Zai¡¯s entire body was shaking.

    ¡°Hey! Tell me what''s wrong!¡± Zhang Liao yelled as he grabbed his friend¡¯s shoulders and shook him.

    Slowly Leng Zai¡¯s hand rose up from his side and pointed into the distance. When Leng Zai looked to where Zhang Liao was pointing his finger. The rain had made the heavy fog dissipate and off in the distance on the edge of the lake thousands of silhouettes could be seen crowding the lake¡¯s shores. Leng Zai had been so stricken with fear that he froze on the spot and did not know what to do.

    ¡°Idiot! Sound the alarm! Don¡¯t just stand there!!¡± Zhang Liao yelled as he ran toward the guard post and struck a large gong. Moments later the sound of dozens of gongs being struck could be heard all around the prison. Soldiers, prisoners, and servants alike woke up and rain about trying to figure out what was happening.

    ¡°Everyone quickly!! To your stations!!! The entire lake has been surrounded!!!¡± Zhang Liao screamed.

    As the soldiers ran up the wall, the silhouettes slowly entered the water. One by one they disappeared beneath the water¡¯s surface. After each silhouette disappeared into the water another one would fill its spot.

    ¡°Alert the general!! Reinforce the gates!! Everyone quickly!!¡± Zhang Liao screamed while taking charge of the soldiers running about.

    Moments later soldiers came running out of the prison carrying large wooden beams. These wooden beams were then placed behind the two large iron gates to help reinforce them.

    ¡°Archers!!! Where are the archers!!?? Get up here now!! Spearmen and shieldmen to the gates!¡± Zhang Liao yelled.

    ¡°Leng Zai get your act together!¡± Zhang Liao yelled as he slapped Leng Zai trying to bring him back to his senses.

    ¡°Ye-yes..¡± Leng Zai said as he finally woke up from his daze.

    While the soldiers inside the prison were readying their defenses, beneath the water¡¯s surface thousands of undead slowly inched closer and closer.

    The storm continued pouring down countless droplets of water from above making it impossible to light any torches which allowed a veil of darkness to cover the entire prison.

    On the outside the undead continued slowly creeping closer while in the inside anxiety and fear had spread like wildfire.

    ¡°Tell us what''s happening outside!!

    ¡°Let me out of here!!!¡±

    Countless cries from the prisoners echoed from cell to cell as they tried to guess what was happening outside.

    ¡°All of you shrimps shut up!!!¡± A young man dressed in prisoner¡¯s clothing with a bell dangling by his side yelled.

    ¡°Ye-yes brother Gan Ning we are sorry.¡± Some of the other prisoners apologized.

    ¡°If we were out at sea I¡¯d kick you all overboard! Now quiet down!¡± Gan Ning yelled as he slammed his hands into the iron cell bars.

    ¡°You heard the boss the next one to even make a squeak will get what''s coming to them.¡± A menacing looking prisoner said.

    A few soldiers left to guard the prisoners who were standing a bit away began conversing amongst themselves.

    ¡°That pirate sure knows how to take charge of things.¡± A chubby looking soldier said as he glanced over at Gan Ning.

    ¡°Well a lot of the other prisoners who were brought in here with him were originally part of his crew. So none of the other prisoners dare to stand up to them. Plus haven¡¯t you heard? He before he was sent here he robbed hundreds of ships and was only caught because he went inland to get away from Royal Navy of the Wu kingdom. Who would want to mess with someone like that.¡± Another soldier said.

    While all of this was going on Zhang and Yuying could be seen sitting in their room.

    ¡°Judging from what''s happening outside you were right brother.¡±Yuying said as she sat beside Zhang while resting her head against his shoulder.

    ¡°Of course if the queen Goliath Heart Burrower is here then it wouldn¡¯t want the soldiers to leave. So far it¡¯s been allowing the soldiers to gather in one place so it can feed on them but now that they are trying to leave of course it would stop them.¡± Zhang said as his hand went around Yuying¡¯s waist.

    ¡°Then shouldn¡¯t we go and kill it? If we do there''s a chance the rest of the worms would die too.¡± Yuying said as she stroked her silky crimson hair with her delicate looking hand fingers.

    ¡°Although we have a hunch who is the queen heart burrower is currently residing in we can¡¯t act yet. What if we kill him and the hordes of undead outside don¡¯t stop? Or what if we end up killing a innocent little boy? Then we would have to face Chanming Hai and the thousands of soldiers under his command for killing their lord.¡± Zhang said while enjoying the warmth of Yuying¡¯s embrace.

    ¡°Guess all we could do it wait.¡± Yuying said with a sigh.

    ¡°Lu Xun, Sun Ce, Ling and Ai should have gotten my message and are preparing to a route here with the help of the spiders.¡±

    Despite the situation outside the two lovebirds soon fell into a world of their own and continued enjoying each other¡¯s company instead of going outside to watch as the undead slowly marched toward the prison.

 Chapter 66: Demon Child

    I''m back!!!!!!!!! O__o Talk to me!!!!! :(

    =====================

    As the rain continued pounding on the stone bricks that were used to build the prison, thousands of undead began emerging from beneath the water¡¯s surface. Soon they swarmed around the walls of the fortress.

    ¡°Captain! What are we going to do!¡± A soldier yelled out to Zhang Liao who was looking down from atop the walls.

    ¡°I don''t know. We have to wait for the general¡¯s commands. But for now have the men reinforce the gates. That''s the only thing we have to worry about right now.¡± Zhang Liao said.

    The prison walls were built especially high and extremely sturdy which meant there was no way the undead could break through them. This meant the only way they could possibly get in was if the fortress gates unhinged and toppled over.

    ¡°Toss the illuminating crystals over the walls!!¡± Zhang Liao commanded. Soon after dozens of soldiers came running out of the prison while hugging arm fulls of faintly glowing crystals.

    Once these soldiers carrying the illuminating crystals reached the top of the walls the other soldiers began gathering around them and taking the crystals. Faint trails of essence then could be seen traveling from the tips of their fingers into the crystals. Moments later the faintly glowing crystals became extremely bright.

    ¡°Sadly after we use these can only be used once.¡± Leng Zai said as he tossed the crystal over the wall.

    Once the crystals landed below they shine brightly and illuminated the ground below.

    As the light shone down below the sight of thousands of rotting corpses with missing limbs could be seen making their way toward the Black Wind Prison.

    Soon loud banging could be heard coming from the two iron gates.

    Bang! bang! bang! The deafening sound continued on almost endlessly without a moment''s rest. Each time the undead struck the gates the hearts of each and every soldier present clenched. The constant barrage against the iron gates echoed throughout the prison served to remind everyone of the monsters on the other side of the walls.

    Suddenly a erratic laughter echoed atop of the walls. One of the soldiers began laughing uncontrollably as he watched the undead swarm below.

    ¡°Ahahaha we are all going to die. We¡¯re all going back to rot in here ahahaha.¡± The soldier with long unkempt hair laughed as he drew his sword and put it against his neck.

    ¡°If we are all going to die I might as well die on my own terms.¡± He said as raindrops fell splashed on his blade as they fell from the sky.  The raindrops pitter-pattered against the cold hard surface of the man¡¯s sword as he continued laughing.

    Slowly the blade moved and left a trail of fresh blood. However before he could take his own life a large fist came smashing into his head knocking him out cold.

    ¡°Leng Zai carry him inside and lock him inside a cell before he hurts himself and others!!¡± Zhang Liao yelled after knocking out the man.

    ¡°Ye-yes brother Liao.¡± Leng Zai said as he and another soldier picked the man up and brought him inside the prison.

    After Leng Zai disappeared into the prison, all eyes were once more focused onto the undead below. By now tens of thousands of not hundreds of thousands of undead had gathered.

    The rain continued pouring and thunder began ringing while lightning streaked across the sky.

    As if the heavens were helping the soldiers the Lightning snaked down and coiled around the undead turning some of them into char.

    Suddenly a scream sounded out from atop of the walls.

    ¡°What now¡­¡± Zhang Liao cursed as he looked toward where the screaming was coming from.

    Off in the distance a soldier could be seen being lifted into the air with his feet dangling just inches from the ground.

    ¡°The demon child! The demon child is here!!!¡± A few others yelled out.

    A silhouette of a small child with bright Crimson eyes with abnormally long arms could be seen lifting up the screaming soldier. But due to the lack of light no one was able to make out any features on the small silhouette. This was because they had tossed all of the illuminating crystals over the walls and only kept a few to illuminate the tops of the walls.

    ¡°Unhand him!!¡± A few brave souls yelled as they charged with swords drawn.

    As the soldiers rushed to save their comrade the demon flicked its hand and tossed it¡¯s victim down onto the horde of undead below. A defying scream soon followed as the poor man was ripped apart by the undead. Soon after only a pile of mangled flesh and a pool of blood was left.

    The soldiers who watched as their comrade was ripped apart winced as they imaged the pain the poor man had to go through.

    ¡°Archers! Shoot him full of arrows!!¡± Zhang Liao screamed as he picked up a spear and began moving to where the demon child was.

    Moments later many barrages of arrows cut through the rain and headed toward the demon child. However with a flick of its long arms the demon child brushed away many of the incoming arrows and then dodged the rest.

    But as it was dodging the arrows two daggers attached to chains could be seen shooting out inside the prison and dancing through the air. After the two daggers many flashes of light also flew out from the inside of the prison. If one looked closely they''d see that these flashes of light were actual lying rowing knives cutting through the air.

    Each time the lightning flashed the daggers and knives could be seen flying toward the demon child.

    ¡°Die!!!¡± A loud shout sounded out as Zhang could be seen running out from the inside of the prison with Yuying by his side.

    The daggers and knives finally arrived at their destination and were about to embed themselves into the demon child when it extended its arm and grabbed a soldier near it and used his body to shield itself.

    But the ten throwing knives pierced through the soldier''s armor and body like paper and made their embedded themselves into the demon child¡¯s arm which it used to lift up soldier.

    With a thought from Zhang the Dragon Talon throwing knives began to drill into the demon child¡¯s arm. As knives continued drilling deeper and deeper the demon child severed its arm. Once the arm was severed dozens of tentacles sprang out from its body.

    But before Zhang could launch another attack the demon child jumped over the walls into the horde of undead outside of the prison walls while pulling a few soldiers down along with it and disappeared.

    ¡°Damn it¡­¡± Zhang cursed as his target slipped away.

    ¡°Brother let''s go quickly!¡± Yuying yelled as she grabbed Zhang¡¯s arm and began running back into the prison.

    They were now headed to the room where Shen Shi was residing in.

    Yuying and Zhang sped their way through the prison as they made their way to the room. Moments later the lavish looking door that led into Shen Shi¡¯s room could be seen with a few hulking guards standing in front of it.

    Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

    ¡°Halt!¡± The hulking guards yelled as they crossed their spears in front of the door.

    ¡°We are here to see if the young lord is okay. The demon child showed up just now.¡± Zhang said trying to come up with an excuse to get inside the room.

    However before the guards said a word the door slowly creaked open and  General Chanming Hai walked out from the room and closed the door behind him.

    ¡°Ah it''s you two I was wondering who it was.¡± He said with a smile on his face.

    ¡°General Chanming we wanted to see if the young lord was safe.¡± Zhang repeated.

    ¡°The young lord is perfectly safe I''ve been with him all night. He''s currently sleeping right now so it''s best not to disturb him. I will be heading outside to take command of the soldiers in a bit.¡± General Chanming said as he smiled to Zhang and Yuying.

    ¡°If that''s the case then we will head back outside and see if we could help the soldiers.¡± Zhang said while holding Yuying¡¯s hand and began walking back the way they came from.

    After walking a while and making sure no one was around Zhang and Yuying began conversing.

    ¡°Brother does that mean that we were wrong and Shen Shi wasn''t the one infected by the queen heart burrower?¡± Yuying asked while looking at Zhang as the two headed back outside.

    ¡°Perhaps we were wrong or perhaps we were right and  General Chanming is trying to cover for Shen Shi.¡± Zhang replied.

    ¡°But why would he if Shen Shi is being controlled by the queen heart burrower.¡± Yuying questioned with a perplexed look on her face.

    ¡°Who knows? But we will find out soon.¡± Zhang said as they exited the prison and walked into the rain.

    Surprisingly although the two of them walked out into the rain which had gone from a down pour to a light drizzle neither of them became wet. If someone observed closely they would notice that wherever Zhang walked there seemed to be a invisible force pushing the rain water back.

    ¡°Brother I¡¯m glad that you figured out how to do this with the Underworld Heart or else we would have gotten wet from the rain.¡± Yuying said as she linked her arms with Zhang. Not too wise to get wet while wearing white cloths she thought.

    If someone learned that Zhang was using a legendary treasure to keep himself dry in the rain they most likely would puke blood.

    As the two lovebirds walked outside of the prison the banging against the iron gates were even louder than before.

    Suddenly loud rumble sounded out on the other side of the gate. Many of the soldiers who were above the wall had faces filled with fear.

    ¡°Wha-what is that thing.¡± One of them murmured as his feet buckled.

    A hulking undead roughly three times the size of a regular person could be seen pounding away at the iron gates. After each of its powerful strikes the a small dent could be seen where it had struck.

    Seeing this the soldiers fell into true despair. Before although the undead were constantly attacking the iron gates they wouldn''t even make a scratch on it but now the small dents continued to increase and soon the gates may fall.

    ¡°It''s only a matter of time before they get in¡­.¡± A soldier said as he fell toward his knees and kneeled in the rain while looking up in despair.

    ¡°Kill it!!¡± Zhang Liao yelled as he held up his spear into the air and threw it toward the huge undead pounding at the prison gates.

    His spear shot through the air and landed between it¡¯s neck and right shoulder. The spear dug deep into the undead but did not seem to hinder it very much as all.

    But this did not make Zhang Liao falter because soon enough he picked up another spear and threw it. Thanks to his deadly accuracy and the size of his target the second spear landed right beside the first spear.

    Once the second spear lodged itself inside the huge undead it could no longer move its right arm but continued pounding at the gate with its left arm.

    ¡°Follow the captain¡¯s lead!!!¡± Leng Zai yelled as he made his way up the walls. He had just returned from carrying the unconscious soldier who was trying to commit suicide to a cell.

    Soon dozens if not hundreds of spears made their way through the air and into the huge undead. But unlike Zhang Liao¡¯s spears many of these spears did not hit their mark and landed on the ground or struck the smaller undead.

    ¡°Bring out all of the lamp oil in the prison! Now!!¡± Zhang yelled as he noticed the light drizzle of rain had stopped and no more water was falling from the skies anymore.

    But of course since none of these men were his soldiers they did not respond to his command.

    ¡°What are you doing! Do as he says!¡± Zhang Liao yelled.

    ¡°Where''s the general at a time like this..¡± He cursed to himself.

    Hundreds of barrels of oil were soon tossed over the walls as a bow and arrow appeared in Zhang¡¯s hands. Yuying who was standing right beside Zhang also had a bow and arrow in her hands.

    The two dipped their arrows into a barrel of oil and then used their essence to ignite a fire. Once the arrows were lit they were shot through the air in into the horde of undead. Shortly after a sea of flames ignited and smoke plumes rose into the air.

    Despite the fact that it was raining just moments ago the lamp oil almost instantly ignited and set many of the undead on fire. But of course since the undead had been soaked with water they did not instantly turn into puffs of fire. Instead their feet slowly melted say and their bodies would topple over and fall into the sea of flames.

    ¡°Since the walls here are made of stone and the gates of iron we can safely light them on fire.¡± Zhang thought as he remembered how the undead overran the fort his men had constructed out of logs.

    ¡°Ahahahahaha burn! Burn!!!¡± One soldier laughed manically in joy as he watched the undead burn.

    Until a long whip like tentacle shot out from below and latched onto him and pulled him into the sea of fire.

    ¡°The demon child!!! It¡¯s the demon child!!¡± Some soldiers yelled.

    After the soldier was pulled down into the fire and figure jumped up over the walls. Now that a huge fire was raging below everyone was able to clearly see the features of the demon child.

    ¡°Yo-young lord?¡± Once they saw the facial features of the demon child they instantly recognized him. It was Shen Shi but unlike his regular appearance he had many tentacles growing out from his small body and his arms were horrifically elongated.

    But before the soldiers could say anything general Chanming could be seen walking up to the top of the walls. But unlike the regularly kind looking general that everyone knew and loved he looked terrifying. Countless tentacles could be seen poking out from underneath his armor and long cape.

 Chapter 67: Prison Break

    Once Chanming Hai made it up to the top of the walls all of the soldiers present could clearly see that their general had also been infected by the heart burrowers.

    ¡°Ge-general¡­.¡± Zhang Liao murmured as he saw the disfigured monstrosity that was once his general.

    But something much more horrifying suddenly happened. Many soldiers suddenly began falling to the ground morphed into monsters themselves. Hundreds if not thousands of the soldiers in the fortress suddenly joined the ranks of the undead.

    However unlike the undead outside they seemed to be many times stronger. Of course Shen Shi and Changming Hai seemed to be the strongest of the bunch since one of them housed the queen heart burrower worm..

    ¡°This is the result of the queen heart burrower personally infecting them.¡± Zhang murmured as many soldiers around him suddenly turned into enemies.

    ¡°Yuying quickly lets go.¡± Zhang said as he grabbed her hand and retreated back into the prison.

    A few quick witted soldiers realized the situation and began running in behind Zhang.

    As Zhang and some soldiers made their way into the prison the infected began assaulting those standing beside them.

    ¡°Brother Liao let''s go!¡± Leng Zai yelled as he pulled his friend and began running along with many other soldiers.

    Once the Zhang and the soldiers made their way into the prison they shut the gates behind themselves.

    Many of the stragglers were thus locked outside and met their demise.

    ¡°Brother where are we headed!¡± Yuying yelled.

    ¡°What we need right now is people to fight along with us and the only force left in the prison are the prisoners.¡± Zhang said as he grabbed a soldier who was running beside him.

    ¡°You! Lead us to where you keep the prisoners!¡± He yelled

    ¡°You couldn''t be thinking of releasing the prisoners!¡± The soldier said frantically.¡±

    ¡°Shut up and lead the way unless you want to die here!¡± Zhang yelled.

    Without saying another word the soldier began leading Zhang and Yuying to the holding cells.

    As they made their way to the holding cells they often ran into infected soldiers who Zhang had to quickly kill.

    Of the twenty thousand soldiers in the fortress nearly half had been infected and roughly a half of those who were had perished outside.

    ==============================

    While Zhang was making his way toward the holding cells the prisoners there were facing a dilemma of their own. A few of the soldiers left to guard them had suddenly morphed into grotesque monsters and began attacking.

    Tentacles could be seen slithering through the bars of the cells and latching onto the prisoners.

    However the prisoners weren''t completely helpless when attacked. One particular prisoner could be seen pulling the tentacle of one of the infected soldiers into his cell. Once the infect soldier''s head was pulled up against the iron bars he proceeded to grab it and began twisting.

    Loud cracking sounds were audible as he kept twisting until the soldiers did a 360 degree turn. This man could be recognized as the infamous pirate Gan Ning.

    But the infect soldier could not be killed and conditioned flailing its arms around.

    ¡°Boss! I heard you have to stab their hearts!¡± A prisoner said.

    ¡°Hmph! You grab the keys hanging from his waist and open our cell.¡± Gan Ning ordered.

    Moments later his cell door popped open and he let go of the infected soldier while grabbing hold and pulling out a sword that was by the infect soldier¡¯s waist.

    ¡°Come at me!¡± Gan Nigg screamed once he got out of his cell while holding his newly acquired sword.

    Moments later the infected soldier laid on the ground lifeless. By now Gan Ning has drawn the attention of many of the infected soldiers in the area.

    ¡°Quickly go release our brothers! We are breaking out of here!¡± He yelled.

    But before anything happened, Zhang could be seen with many soldiers behind him.

    ==============

    ¡°Kill them!!¡± Zhang yelled as he swung the Slaughterer blade at the undead.

    As the soldiers charged in and the prisoners were released from their cells the undead were quickly taken care of.

    But after their common foe was gone the soldiers and the prisoners had a standoff between each other.

    Although the prisoners outnumbered the soldiers greatly but the soldiers were dressed in armor and we''re all equipped with swords and spears. On top of that the soldiers had Zhang and Yuying on their side.

    After a moment of silence Zhang finally broke the silence.

    ¡°Join me and let''s escape together.¡± He said.

    ¡°Ha why should we join you? Why don''t we kill you and the rest of the soldiers and have some fun with that little lady over there.¡± One of the prisoners said while licking his lips.

    ¡°Shut up!¡± A voice rang out from behind the crowd of prisoners. Gan Ning could be seen emerging  from the crowd.

    ¡°Tell me why we should join you.¡± Gen Ning said calmly as he leaned on his sword.

    ¡°If you join me you can survive.¡± Zhang replied calmly.

    ¡°Survive? You''re saying we need your lot to survive?¡± Gan Ning laughed.

    ¡°Yes, let''s say somehow we make it out of here then where would you go? Your an infamous pirate the moment you step foot into another province or kingdom they would lock you up. But if you join me I''ll grant you and your men amnesty.¡± Zhang said with a smile.

    After a bit Gan Ning finally spoke. ¡°I''ll tell you now I don''t work for free.¡±

    ¡°I''m not telling you to. If we make it out of here we will head toward Black Wind city and fill out pockets.¡± Zhang replied with a sparkling eyes.

    ¡°Ahahaha you''re my kind of person.¡± Gan Ning said as he put his hand out in front of him.

    With smiles on their faces the two looters shook hands and joined forces.

    ¡°Captain Zhan Liao lead the way to the armory.¡± Zhang said to Zhang Liao who had pretty much pledged his allegiance to Zhang.

    ¡°Right away my lord.¡± Zhang Liao said.

    The armory was located a not very far from the prisoner holding area as to allow the soldiers to quickly arm themselves if a prison break broke out.

    Once they reached the armory Zhang Liao pulled out a bronze key from his robe and with a click the armory doors swung open.

    But once a few of the prisoners got their hands on weapons they began whispering amongst themselves.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t we kill those soldiers and those pirates then take command of the rest of the men and break out of here. With the thousands of men locked up here we could take over a small city and become kings.¡± One chubby looking prisoner said.

    But before their plan could pass the planning stage a blade plunged through one of their backs.

    ¡°What was that about getting rid of pirates?¡± Gan Ning said as he pulled his sword out of the freshly created corpse. Moments later a few more prisoners joined the dead and laid on the ground lifeless.

    ¡°Anyone else who starts talking shit like that again I''ll shove a spear down your throats.¡± Gan Ning yelled as he picked up a spear from a rack of spears.

    As the prisoners quickly armed themselves loud banging could be heard coming from the outside.

    ¡°Everyone lock yourselves inside the cells and use the iron bars to our advantage!¡± Zhang yelled.

    Moments later the inmates and soldiers all ran into a cell and quickly locked themselves inside.

    Once the last cell was closed a loud boom could be heard followed by the sound of heavy objects crashing down onto the ground.

    The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

    The gates that the soldiers had locked were knocked down and the undead began swarming inside. The outside of the prison had already been overrun by undead because Shen Shi and Chanming Hai had opened the gates outside and allowed the undead to move past the prison walls.

    As the undead reached the prisoner holding area they were greeted with walls of spears and swords coming out from the prison cells.

    ¡°Aim for their chests!!¡± Zhang yelled as he held the Sky Piercer and poked at the undead.

    ¡°Kill!!!¡± Gan Ning and Zhang Liao yelled.

    Although there were countless undead they could not kill a single soldier or inmate thanks to the sturdiness of the iron bars of the cells. But sadly unlike the iron bars the a few of the walls they were attached to gave out and caved in.

    ¡°Ahahahaha you lot are trapped like rats.¡± A hoarse voice sounded out from behind the hoard of undead.

    Strangely the undead stopped their onslaught against the living and ceased moving. A few of them even parted from each other and created a path.

    From the path created by the undead Chanming Hai could be seen walking toward a prison cell with a few men inside. Once he arrived at the cell he stuck his tentacle like hand through the gaps between the iron bars.

    Seeing this the men trapped inside screamed out in fear.

    But before Chanming Hai could do anything Zhang¡¯s ten dragon talon throwing knives could be seen flying through the air and plunged into his back and piercing through. From the holes that the dragon talons left green goo oozed out.

    ¡°Thats for acting cocky! Damn worm!¡± Zhang cursed as he made the dragon talon throwing no knives fly back into his hand.

    ¡°Foolish human you think you can stop me with those?¡± Chanming Hai chuckled as he turned back and stared at Zhang. Despite being classed as a rank one demonic beast when the queen heart burrow infects a victim it could strengthen the victim¡¯s body. But of course only to a certain extent depending on the victim¡¯s cultivation and physical properties. Also the queen worm can mentally take over anyone who is infected by the worms.

    With that all being said, General Changming Hai was a level six practitioner before the queen infected him.

    Chanming Hai slowly made his way toward the cell that Zhang locked himself in. Step by step he inched closer as a creepy crooked smile appeared on his face. As he walked green goo continued oozing out of his deformed body.

    ¡°None of your tricks can kill me human, not in this body. I¡¯ll kill you and take your body since that child¡¯s body is of no use to me anymore.¡± Chanming Hai Said while continuingly getting close to where Zhang was.

    ¡°Are you sure my tricks won''t be able to kill you?¡± Zhang chuckled as essence began gathering at his fingertips.

    Soon the essence began to crackle and snake about his arm. From afar it would seem like dragons of lightning were coiling around Zhang¡¯s arm.

    ¡°This is something a kind old man taught me in hell.¡± Zhang said with a smile as he lightning snake shot out from his fingertips.

    As the Lightning traveled it crackled and screeched. Moments after it left Zhang¡¯s fingertips it struck an undead and then snaked to another undead.

    ¡°Thank you senior.¡± Zhang thought as he remembered the kind elderly man that he met in the underworld, who died to give him another chance at living.

    Zhang had learned many things from Xin Tao during their time together but only recently had he felt comfortable using these skills since he had managed to reach the 7th level of cultivation. Those techniques required too much essence and if he was not careful when using them he could find himself in trouble.

    After shooting the lightning dragon, Zhang stumbled onto the ground. Seeing Zhang on the ground Yuying quickly came to him and placed a small bottle of essence water in front of his lips.

    The lightning dragon snaked from undead to undead until it finally reached Chanming Hai and engulfed him in a blinding white light.

    Each and every undead that was touched by the lightning before it reached Chanming Hai was turned to char.

    Moments later anticlimactically Chanming Hai¡¯s corpse fell to the ground and a puddle of green goo formed beneath it.

    After Chanming Hai was killed the undead who had ceased their onslaught against the living began moving once more.

    ¡°Kill them! Kill them all!¡± Gan Ning yelled as he stabbed an undead in the chest with his spear. Every time Gan Ning moved the jingling of bells could be heard ringing about.

    ==================================

    A short distance away from the prison Zhang¡¯s army of fifty thousand was making their way through the forest using the bridged created by the spiders.

    ¡°It''s as if all of the undead have gathered here.¡± Lu Xun said as he looked down from atop the silk bridge in the canopy of the forest.

    Moments later they were at the edge of the forest and saw that the entire lake and the area around it was filled with undead.

    Seeing the lake, Ling¡¯s eyes began to sparkle. Behind here dozens of people could be seen carrying bottles of essence water.

    As Ling conjured her essence the water of the lake began to swirl about. Shortly after many columns of water shot up into the sky and created a wall of water. The massive wall of water then tumbled over and smashed down.

    The tsunami created from the wall of water swept away many undead and sent them smashing into the walls of the prison. The force of the water alone ripped the undead and the worms inside of them to pieces.

    Soon even the outer walls of the prison gave out to the water and collapsed inward. Ling made sure that the water did not smash into the prison itself because she did not want to kill her future husband.

    As the water continued smashing everything in it¡¯s path, Ling could be seen gulping down dozens of small bottles of essence water. The toil of creating such a disaster was huge.

    Despite the destructiveness of the attack not all of the undead were taken out. There was still a sizable sum of them still around. This just goes to show how many undead there were to begin with.

    ¡°Descend the trees and go aid our lord!¡± Lu Xun yelled as he slide down one of the many thread ropes that the spiders had spun.

    Yuying had made it so the spiders under her control would listen to Zhang and Ai so Ai was currently commanding them.

    As the soldiers descended the trees and got to the edge of the water they stood in orderly ranks.

    With a wave of her hand Ling made the water in the lake part and create a path for her and the soldiers of Aurora.

    ¡°I should have worked harder and become a mage.¡± Lu Xun thought as he saw Ling¡¯s power.

    ¡°Ice God¡¯s eternal frost!¡± Ling yelled out as two tiny needle like pieces of ice shot from her sleeves and hit the walls of water.

    The instance the two needles hit the walls of water they dispersed and created a thick membrane of ice. The membrane began spreading along the wall of water until it completely turned into ice. The two walls of newly created ice kept the water back and made it so Ling did not have to constantly use her essence to control the water.

    After creating the walls of ice, Ling fainted due to exhaustion. To be honest if it had not been for the fact that they had lots of bottles of essence water she would not have been able to everything she did.

    While crossing the soldiers were busy staring in awe at the walls of ice as they crossed the lake something was happening inside the prison.

 Chapter 68: The Giant

    Was suppose to finish this up yesterday but sadly life truly hates me right now. Two of my parents employees quit and the same time and opened shop down the street and have been trying to poach our remaining employees. This meant I had to come help at the shop everyday >_>. And then yesterday I almost got in a fight with a customer because he was being an ass¡­. That being said here''s the chapter o__o I''ll shoot to finish up another one tonight. Also schedule was suppose to be Tues/Thurs/Sat but ehhh editors have been busy with holidays.

    Thanks Nick H. For the donation.

    =============================

    As the water began receding back, something sinister was brewing behind the broken outer prison walls. Thousands of undead who were not crushed by the raging waves began congregating together. In the center of the horde was what used to be a small boy.

    P

    The dozens of tentacles poking out of the small boy began plunging themselves into the corpses around him. Whenever a tentacle touched a corpse it would begin to absorb the corpse into it. Soon a large mass of flesh was formed and continued growing with the small boy¡¯s body as the core.

    With each corpse the tentacles absorbed the blob of flesh began growing bigger and bigger. Soon the blob took a humanoid shape and towered over the prison.

    Every bit of flesh and every severed limb that was on the ground was now apart of the giant abomination.

    The tentacles even extended into the prison and absorbed the many undead inside. A few unlucky living people were also absorbed. Screams echoed through the empty halls of the prison as this all went on.

    Luckily most of the people inside the prison were armed and locked themselves behind thick iron bars, which helped them defend themselves from the tentacles or else all of them would have become apart of giant.

    The sight of the giant undead looming over the prison struck fear into the hearts of the soldiers of Aurora. But of course anyone would be afraid of something so big. Most likely just a simple kick from this giant would smash city walls or crush hundreds if not thousands of men.

    Despite having a humanoid shape the giant undead looked deformed and had countless tentacles poking out of it¡¯s body with two elongated arms hung from it¡¯s massive torso. In place of fingers were ten large tentacles that slithered about.

    ¡°What have I dragged myself into¡­¡± Sun Ce murmured as he and the rest of the soldiers of Aurora made their way closer and closer to the giant through the lake.

    Suddenly the giant lifted one of its huge leg up and stepped down on the prison below. The ground rumbled and shook as it¡¯s foot crashed down onto the ground. With a single step it was able to flatten a large portion of the prison. Like a broken mound of ants, thousands of people ran out from the gaping hole that was left once the giant moved its foot.

    ¡°Everyone move quickly!!¡± Ai yelled as she increased her pace. The fact that Zhang was probably in the prison and could be crushed by the giant made a sense of dread creep into her heart.

    ==================================

    Inside the prison something unnatural was happening. A green mist had spewed out from inside the prisoner holding area.

    The thick mist had an eerie feel to it which would send shivers running down the spine of anyone who was near it or touched by it.

    Wherever the green mist went the ground began shifting as if something was trying to dig its way up from below. Moments later countless bony limbs began emerging from the ground.  Soon countless skeletons of people and various animals crawled out from the ground. Skeletons of all shapes and sizes began swarming the prison grounds.

    From inside the prison Yuying could be seen with green mist swirling around her as countless black runes were moving about on the ground and right beside her was Zhang. Her eyes had an eerie green glow emitting from them.

    A purplish energy was emitting from Zhang¡¯s hand and was channeled into Yuying. From simply looking at his face one could tell how much he was currently concentrating. Clearly he was sending a constant stream of essence into her so she could maintain her spell. Without the constant stream of essence being channeled into her, Yuying wouldn''t have been able to conjure the green mist on such a large scale.

    Outside legions of skeletons began swarming the giant abomination and wherever the green mist touched the giant, skeletons would begin popping out also.

    The soldiers of the Black Wind Army and prisoners all stood which one with their mouths wide open. With Yuying¡¯s technique a massive army could be conjured up in an instant if there were enough skeletons or corpses around.

    Had the millions of worms not taken complete  control of the flesh of the dead then most likely the instead of skeletons then legions of zombies would have spawned under her control instead. But of course everything has its price. Such a terrifying technique consumed a massive amount of essence.

    Even with the constant stream of essence she was receiving the technique took a huge strain on Yuying. Much like Ling, the color on her face was slowly fading and became pale as paper.

    While the skeletons swarmed the giant, dozens of thorny pitch black vines came out from the ground then crawled updated  wrapping the giant¡¯s leg and rooted it to the ground. Moments later the vines continued creeping their way up toward the giant¡¯s abdomen.

    Then hundreds of pure white petals bloomed from the vines, creating dozens of beautiful flowers that ran along the leg of the giant. These flowers were referred to as the ¡°Queen of the Night.¡±

    The giant¡¯s leg had been caught by the flower¡¯s and could not any longer move.

    Ai could be seen standing on the ground just next to where the stem of the flower came out of the ground with a large smile on her face.

    ¡°I made it!¡± She yelled with a grin as she looked into the broken prison wall and say Zhang and Yuying.

    With the legions of skeletons and the Queen of the Night assaulting it the giant ceased its attack on the prison. This allowed the soldiers and prisoners inside to safely make their way out. The only ones still inside were Zhang, Yuying, Zhang Liao, Gan Ning and last but not least Leng Zai.

    ¡°Archers fire!!!!¡± Lu Xun yelled as he raised his sword into the air.

    Soon thousands of arrows flew toward the giant but did next to no damage.

    ¡°God dammit¡­.¡±,Lu Xun cursed as he saw their attack did nothing.

    ¡°Everyone fall back to the other shore! There''s nothing we can do here!¡± Lu Xun ordered. He did not wish for the soldiers to die needlessly so retreating was the best action to take.

    After hearing Lu Xun¡¯s orders the soldiers of Aurora slowly made their way back through the lake. But of course Lu Xun and Sun Ce choose to stay.

    The remaining soldiers of the Black Wind Army and the prisoners seeing this also quickly made their way off the prison island.

    ¡°This is a battle for monsters¡­¡± One prisoner murmured as he quickly ran for his life.

    While everyone was busy retreating massive vines grew out of the Queen of the Night flower and wildly whipped at the giant undead. Each vine was equipped with thousands of razor sharp thorns that torn whatever they touched into shreds.

    The legions of skeletons had stopped their attack against the giant and instead began conjugating down below. Green mist had begun swirling about around each and every skeleton and piece by piece they broke apart. After being broken to pieces all of the skeletons combined into a whole.

    A massive dragon made of bones had been constructed right in front of the giant.

    Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

    An ear popping roar was soon emitted from the non existent lungs of the bone dragon. As it road the bone dragon¡¯s maw widened and bit down on the giant.

    By now Ling has awaken and had jumped into the waters of the lake. Soon a pillar of water rose into the sky as dozens of late crescent water blades shot toward the giant. Upon cutting into the giant the water blades would almost instantly freeze. Soon chunks of ice covered numerous areas on the giant¡¯s body.

    The thousands of people who had made it off the island watched in awe as the battle unfolded.

    ¡°It truly is a battle of monsters.¡± A few of them murmured. This battle could be comparable to a battle between high level demonic beasts but the thing is two of the three monsters were actually human.

    Realistically speaking regular practitioners at the 7th level could never do what Yuying, Ling, or Ai did. But since Ling had tons of essence water to replenish herself, Yuying received a constant stream of essence from the Underworld Heart and Ai had the Black Thorn whip these circumstances and things allowed the three girls to surpass the limitations that everyone else faced.

    As the battle raged on the entire prison was turned into rubble. Buildings were knocked down, walls were smashed in and nothing was left standing. Large chunks of flesh could be seen all over the ground as the bone dragon continued its assault against the giant. While large parts of the giant was covered in frost.

    But despite how many attacks the giant took it showed no signs of stopping. Each time a piece of it was ripped off the giant would simply absorb the same piece again back into it¡¯s body. A endless cycle had been created where the bone dragon and Ling¡¯s water blades would hack off pieces of the giant and then the pieces would be absorbed back into it. Ling did not have enough essence to completely freeze the giant or else things would have already ended.

    Thankfully the Queen of the Night¡¯s vines had expanded their reach and coiled around both of the giant¡¯s legs and slowly made their way up it¡¯s body.

    ¡°Soon you¡¯ll turn into plant food.¡± Ai said with a snicker as she controlled the massive flower and its vines.

    However right after Ai¡¯s words something unexpected happened. The giant¡¯s entire body broke apart and scattered everywhere. Then in almost an instant it¡¯s body was reformed but this time it was no longer rooted by the huge flower.

    ¡°Hmph you think you can escape just like that?¡± Ai snorted as the huge thorns appeared on the petals of the dozens of flowers and then the petals folded and fused with each other until something that looked similar to the mouth of a ravenous beast was formed.

    Moments later the flower¡¯s thousands of thorns latched onto the giant and once more pinned it to one place. The queen of the night began ripping off chunk after chunk off of the giant.

    As this happened the green mist had dispersed and the bone dragon fell apart and turned into a huge pile of bones. The green mist swirled about and then almost in an instant was absorbed into Yuying¡¯s body. Once this happened she stumbled onto the ground but thankful Zhang''s as there to hold her or else she would have fallen over.

    ¡°Let''s get out of here, this isn''t working.¡± Zhang said and he gestured to Gan Ning, Zhang Liao and Leng Zai.

    Zhang carried Yuying in his arms as he bolted out of the prison to where Ai was.

    ¡°Ai! Retrieve the Black Thorn Whip!¡± Zhang yelled as he sped toward her.

    Without questioning Zhang¡¯s words, Ai plunged her hand into the stem of the Queen of the a Night and when her hand came out the whip was in her grasp.

    Once Ai retrieved the whip, the massive vines and flowers began withering away and fell apart.

    By then Zhang had reached Ai, without saying a word he slung her over his shoulder and continued running. With his three new followers quickly following from behind.

    Since the vines that were keeping the giant rooted were gone it was not free to continue its rampage and of course it''s target was Zhang.

    The giant lifted its leg and was about to crush Zhang but before it could a large spear of ice pierced through the air and knocked it onto the ground.

    ¡°Ai take care of Yuying!¡± Zhang yelled as he lowered Ai and Yuying to the ground and ran off.

    Soon a purplish stream of energy shot out from his hand and toward Ling.

    ¡°Ling kill it!!!¡± Zhang bellowed as he began concentrating on streaming essence to her. The amount had to be just right or else it might overwhelm her and do some harm.

    As the essence gushed into her body Ling began controlling the water in the lake. Soon dozens to pillars of water shot out into the sky. All of the water in the lake had rose up and created massive walls that towered above the giant. These massive walls surrounded what used to be the Black Wind prison.

    ¡°Ice Demon¡¯s Prison!¡± Ling yelled as the walls of water toppled over toward the giant. It was as if someone was pouring water into a invisible cylindrical bowl.

    Moments later the water began freezing and soon enough the giant was encased in ice. The entire island where the Black Wind prison was built on had turned into a solid piece of ice.

    After using the Ice Demon¡¯s Prison, the column of water that Ling was standing on had began shrinking and eventually lowered her to the ground. Once on the ground Ling staggered and almost fell over but was caught by Zhang.

    ¡°Brother..we did it.¡± Ling murmured as she hung her arms around Zhang¡¯s neck. Suddenly a big kiss was planted on her forehead.

    Being taken off guard Ling¡¯s cheeks turned a crimson red as her bright twinkling eyes stared up at Zhang.

    ¡°You to get a room!¡± A voice rang out behind Zhang. Looking back there was a familiar looking pirate with bells dangling by his side staring at the two of them.

    In the distance thousands of cheers could be heard.

    ¡°We made it!!!¡±

    ¡°We survived!!!¡±

    ¡°Woohoo!! I won''t die a virgin!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!¡±

    But before anyone could celebrate loud cracking sounds could be heard coming from the ice prison. Small cracks ran along the ice and began combining together to create larger cracks.

    All of the cheers died down and was replaced was an eerie silence that filled the air. All of the men felt as if someone had walked up toward them and punched the air out of their lungs.

    Everyone''s eyes were not glued on the ice prison as the cracks continued to grow larger and larger.

    But after a while the cracks stopped in their tracks.

    ¡°Phew. It''s finally over.¡± A soldier said with a voice full of relief.

    Suddenly the ice began cracking once more.

    ¡°Fuck me¡­..¡± The soldier yelled as he face palmed himself.

    The ice continued cracking for a bit longer and then stopped once more.

    ¡°It should be dead by now.¡± Zhang murmured as he stood beside the three beauties with his generals and soldiers behind him.

    All of the soldiers in the Black Wind army who survived had agreed to join Zhang¡¯s army along with Zhang Liao. While all of the prisoners also joined under Gan Ning.

    Of course now that they were apart of Zhang¡¯s army they would be pardoned but if they reverted back to committing crimes they would be dealt with using military law.

    Now Zhang¡¯s army had swelled in numbers and consisted of roughly eighty thousand men. With fifty thousand being split between Lu Xun and Sun Ce, ten thousand under Zhang Liao and twenty thousand under Gan Ning.

    ¡°Onward to Black Wins City!!!¡± Zhang yelled his eyes twinkled thinking about the mountains of treasures that he will obtain.

 Chapter 69: Forsaken Land

    Happy Late New Year!!! To start off the Year here''s a new Chapter :D. Thank You Nick H. For proofing/Editing :D I wish you all a great year full of joy and good health. Because without joy life is dull and without good health you wouldn''t be able to enjoy life.

    ===============================================================

    As the thousands of soldiers under Zhang¡¯s banner marched through the empty roads of the Black Wind province, they passed by what could only be called desolate. There were no signs of life left after the entire province was mostly wiped out by the countless heart borrower worms.

    No people nor animal stirred as they continued their march toward Black Wind city. Only the eerie howling of the wind, the rhythmic marching of the soldiers and the rocking of carts loaded with villagers could be heard.

    Over the last couple of days, Zhang sent his men to comb the surrounding area of the Black Wind Prison, looking for more survivors. Amazingly, there were actually a few pockets of villages who had been able to fend off the undead. After gathering them up, the army moved to the next area and then began the search for survivors once more.

    By now, Zhang had gathered thousands of civilians who were going to follow him back to Red Mist City. The Black Wind Province could not be rebuilt or sustain a large population due to the devastation the worms caused. Fields were littered with dead bodies and the water was not safe to drink due to contamination.

    Without a ruling government, many of these people would suffer. Knowing this, Zhang tried his best to convince all of them to follow him and move to Red Mist City. At least there they wouldn''t have to fear bandits or lack food.

    ¡°Brother, is that Black Wind City?¡± Ai asked as she pointed into the distance at a large expanse of walls. Behind these walls were high towers that reached into the clouds.

    ¡°It used to be Black Wind city.¡± Zhang replied as he looked off into the distance.

    ¡°Lu Xun, order the men to clear out the city. We will be staying inside for a few days to recuperate.¡± Zhang ordered.

    ¡°Yes my lord!¡± Lu Xun replied.

    Moments later, Zhang¡¯s army and the civilians entered the empty city through a pair of massive gates that were wide open.

    The inside of the city was left in shambles. Blood was splattered everywhere, buildings broken down, some even burnt down to the ground.

    Once inside everyone broke into groups to find places to sleep in. Since they were staying inside an abandoned city, there would be plenty of places to sleep in.

    Zhang, the three beauties, and a group of people were currently headed toward the city lord¡¯s mansion. Their goal was the provincial vault where most of the riches of Black Wind City was kept.

    ¡°My lord, this is the city lord¡¯s mansion.¡± Zhang Liao said respectfully as he stood in front of a pair of exquisite looking gates.

    ¡°Alright quit with the jibber jabber let''s go inside!¡± Gan Ning said with a laugh as he kicked one of the gates in.

    ¡°Okay let''s go. Zhang Liao lead the way.¡± Zhang said as he gestured to Zhang Liao.

    Once inside the former lord¡¯s mansion, they walked passed hundreds of empty rooms. Although the city was only abandoned recently, it seemed like it had been ages since anyone had set foot inside.

    Unlike other abandoned cities or mansions, where all of the valuables had been looted, every room they walked pass was filled with valuables.

    The infection had happened on an unprecedented scale and at an unbelievable speed, which did not allow people the time needed to pack their valuables. That is to say if anyone even survived the outbreak.

    Almost the entire population of Black Wind City had been wiped out due to the infection. Be it man, woman, or child everyone turned into undead.

    ¡°We are here my lord.¡± Zhang Liao said as he pointed to a very plain looking wooden door. This door looked extremely ordinary and almost exactly the same as the rest of the doors in the hallway.

    ¡°You shitting me? How does that look like a door that leads to the treasury of a province?¡± Gan Ning said with furrowed brows.

    ¡°You rogue! Are you saying I¡¯m lying to our lord? Had I not gone with the previous lord to the treasury once before, I wouldn¡¯t have even known it was here.¡± Zhang Liao yelled back at Gan Ning as he put his hand on the hilt of his sword.

    ¡°Both of you shut up! No bickering. We will know if it¡¯s the treasury or not once we open the door.¡± Sun Ce yelled toward the two.

    ¡°Open it¡­¡± Zhang said in a displeased tone. The last thing he needed was conflict between his two new generals. Honestly Zhang did not want to promote these two so quickly but if he didn''t then the men under them might start complaining and he did not wish for there to be strife within the ranks of his army.

    The plain looking wooden door was opened and behind it was another door. The second door was made entirely out of metal and looked extremely solid.

    ¡°Move out of the way.¡± Zhang said as the Slaughterer blade appeared in his hand. The crimson blade glinted beneath the light that shone in through the window as Zhang plunged it into the door. With a single stab, the blade sliced cleanly through the lock and the door creaked open.

    Behind the second door was a flight of stairs that spiralled downward. Glowing crystals illuminated the walls as the group began descending. Much like the treasury of the Heilong Kingdom, the stairs spiralled downward as if they went on endlessly.

    ¡°I¡¯ll see you guys at the bottom.¡± Zhang said with a smile as he jumped off the spiralling staircase with his chained daggers in hand.

    ¡°Wai-wait my lord!!¡± Zhang Liao yelled out as Zhang jumped off the ledge.

    As he shot downward, Zhang anchored his daggers to the walls around him and used the chains attached to them as a tethers to stop his fall. The chains rattled as Zhang continued plummeting downward until the bottom of the staircase could be seen.

    Once Zhang landed, he noticed there was a huge set of silver gates with delicate looking carvings engraved into them.

    ¡°Hmmm I wonder what these carvings are depicting.¡± Zhang said while scratching his head as he tried to decipher the carvings on the two gates.

    One of the engravings showed an image of a small boy wearing a long black cape that flowed behind him. Another engraving showed the same boy defending his village from many monsters. The last engraving Zhang could make out was of the boy commanding an army of monsters to follow him in battle.

    ¡°Interesting.¡± Zhang murmured as his hand traced the delicate engravings. Oddly, after being touched by Zhang¡¯s hand, a few of the engravings began lighting up and sounds of clicking gears was emitted from within the two silver gates.

    Moments later, the twin gates parted and a river of gold coins flowed out onto Zhang¡¯s boots.  the room behind the gates was filled to the brim with gold and sparkling jewels, but, of course, Zhang paid no mind to these things because he had plenty of them within his interspatial ring.

    After walking over a mound of gold coins, Zhang¡¯s attention was caught by a large altar off in the distance.

    As he ascended the white marble steps and reached the top of the altar, Zhang saw an exquisite looking chest made of silver and lined with gold. that appeared to be within arms reach.

    ¡°What do we have here?¡± Zhang murmured as he reached his hand out to open the chest. As Zhang pushed the lid of the chest open, he could feel something wasn¡¯t right and jumped back, landing at the bottom of the altar. As soon as he landed, dozens of needles shot out from inside of the chest and lodged themselves into the room¡¯s ceiling.

    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    ¡°Phew¡­. that was a close one. I almost had to go see father in law¡­..¡± Zhang thought as he made his way back up the altar.

    Once Zhang was back at the top of the altar, he looked into the chest and saw what could only be described as a black torn up rag.

    ¡°What the¡­?¡± Zhang murmured as he picked up the rag and looked at it.The rag had a raggedy texture and many loose threads showing that it had seen a lot of use. Oddly, he could not recognize what material the rag was made out of, but Zhang knew that this rag had to have some sort of significant importance to be placed on top of the altar in aboody trapped chest.

    While holding the rag in his hands, Zhang noticed  faint trails of purple energy traveling from the Underworld Heart in his robes, to the rag. The trails of purple energy continued streaming into the rag until a strange phenomena happened.

    ¡°Strange¡­¡± Zhang thought as a purplish glow enveloped the entire rag, and it began mending itself. The tattered threads began growing and intricately crisscrossed each other.

    Soon, the tattered rag weaved back into a seamless piece of cloth. However, it did not stop there. The cloth continued growing until a long black cape laid in Zhang¡¯s hands. That was when Zhang remembered the engravings on the gates of the boy wearing a cape.

    Without a thought, Zhang tossed the cape into the air and then draped it over his shoulders onto the floor.

    ¡°This cape should be a magical item, but I wonder what it does?¡± Zhang thought to himself as he felt silky smoothness of the cape with his fingers.

    After a short while, due to his lack of interest, Zhang decided to try to figure out the ability that the cape possessed later and thought it was wiser to spend his time looking for other useful things in the treasury.

    ¡°Ling will like this.¡± Zhang said as he picked up a choker from a pile of jewelry on the ground. Despite looking around the treasury for a while, he could not find any magical items. So Zhang decided he might as well pick out gifts for the three beauties.

    ¡°A gift is never wasted on a beauty!¡± Zhang snickered as he continued picking out things for the three girls.

    ¡°Hey brother, what do you have there?¡± A voice rang out in the distance as Zhang was picking up a beautiful looking anklet with intricate looking flowers carved onto them.

    Looking back Zhang saw Ai waving at him from afar with a broad smile on her face.

    ¡°Took you guys long enough.¡± Zhang said with a chuckle as he saw Gan Ning off in the distance tossing gold coins into the air while laughing.

    ¡°My lord I¡¯m amazed you got the silver gates to open.¡± Zhang Liao said as he walked out from behind a mound of gold.

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°There was only one way to open the gates without destroying them and that was to activate the the inscription patterns on the gate.¡± Zhang Liao added.

    ¡°They sort of just opened by themselves.¡± Zhang stated as he began searching for magical treasures once more.

    ¡°He¡¯s one lucky man¡­ Luckily he didn¡¯t trigger the explosive mechanism in the gate. That would have set thousands of kegs of black powder off.¡± Zhang Liao thought to himself.

    After searching the treasury for a while longer and not being able to find anything useful, Zhang stored away all of the treasure into his interspatial ring with the promise of sharing it with his soldiers.

    ¡°Despite being allies with the Aurora province, the Black Wind province was not very power from the look of things. However, they may have an interspatial ring or two filled with magical items.¡± Zhang murmured after storying away the gold and jewels. There was a chance that all of the magical items that was owned by the province was within the provincial lord¡¯s interspatial ring, but that ring could have ended up anywhere within the province.

    Once the treasury was emptied it was time to find places to sleep for the night, within the city lord¡¯s mansion, of course. After making their way up the spiral staircase, Zhang and the three beauties broke off from the rest of the group and decided to roam about in the lord¡¯s mansion.

    While walking through the mansion, Zhang and the three beauties stumbled on a huge room with an extremely large bed within it.

    ¡°This most likely was where the lord of Black Wind City slept.¡± Zhang stated.

    ¡°Well this will be where we will be sleeping.¡± Ai pointed out as she hopped on the large bed and rolled around while stretching her limbs.

    ¡°Waaaa look at all of these clothes!¡± Ling yelled as she opened a closet door that was located in the corner of the room.

    Due to it¡¯s size, it would be more accurate to call this closet a room filled with clothes. Within the room there were hundreds of expensive looking outfits for women. Dresses made out of all kinds of materials were neatly hung within the room and ready to be worn at anytime.

    ¡°Brother I¡¯m guessing this wasn¡¯t where the lord of Black Wind City slept since there are so many women¡¯s clothes here.¡± Yuying said with a chuckle as she picked up a beautifully sewn dress.

    ¡°Maybe you''re right.¡± Zhang chuckled as he walked into the closet.

    While standing at the entrance to the room, something caught Zhang¡¯s attention. On the wall at the far end of the room, a few extremely revealing dresses were hung. One could even go as far as to say that the material that these were made out of was transparent. Without a moment¡¯s hesitation, Zhang made his way toward the wall at the far end of the room and picked out three outfits that were hung on the wall.

    ¡°You guys should wear these dresses.¡± He blurted out as he held up three transparent dresses for the three beauties to see.

    ¡°Can you even call that a dress?¡± Yuying asked as she looked in disbelief at the dresses that Zhang held up.

    ¡°More like pieces of invisible cloth. Who would wear those outside?¡± Ling said with a laugh.

    ¡°Might as well wear nothing if you''re going to wear those.¡± Ai added.

    ¡°I¡¯m not asking you to wear it when going outside. I wouldn¡¯t want anyone else to be able to admire such a beautiful sight.  Wearing these in a bedroom at night might be a good idea.¡± Zhang chuckled; trying to send hints to the three beauties.

    Ling, being the first of the three beauties to realize what Zhang¡¯s words meant, soon found herself blushing. Not a moment later, Yuying and Ai followed her and also began blushing .

    ¡°If you really want to... then maybe just once.¡± Ling said shyly as she walked up to Zhang and took the one of the nearly transparent dresses from his hands.

    ¡°Big sis, you couldn¡¯t possibly be thinking of wearing that¡­ Are you?¡± Yuying asked Ling with a startled expression as she looked at the dress in Ling¡¯s hands.

    ¡°I-if brother would like it, then why not.¡± Ling said shyly with crimson cheeks as she gripped the transparent dress.

    ¡°Me too! Me too!¡± Ai yelled as she rushed forward, grabbing a dress from Zhang¡¯s hand.

    ¡°Hehe. You guys realize I was kidding, right?¡± Zhang chuckled as he scratched his head while a wide grin could be seen on his face.

    ¡°Yo-you... you are sleeping on the floor tonight!¡± Ling yelled as she left dressing room then jumped into the large bed and covered herself with a blanket.

    ¡°But I wouldn¡¯t be against it if you wore the dress.¡± Zhang murmured.

 Chapter 70: Clandestine

    Hello and how goes? First off I would like to ask how was new years? :D Hope you all had fun and things didnt get too crazy. Thank you Nyx and kevin for proofing and editing this chapter. Also check out my patreon account I finally get it set up. https://www.patreon.com/iEndWorlds?ty=h</a>

    Hope you all enjoy this chapter :) a familar face is back :D

    =====================================================================

    After having slept on the floor for the remainder of their stay in Black Wind City, Zhang was currently leading his army and thousands of civilians over the mountains and out of the Black Wind Province.

    ¡°My lord! Our scouts reported that over this ridge, there is a small encampment with the flag of Aurora visible.¡± A soldier reported to Zhang who was riding his Inferno Wind Walker.

    ¡°Go inform them of our arrival. They most likely were sent by Lord Jian Wei to inform us of some news.¡± Zhang said. Due to the travel time from Aurora to the Black Wind Province it meant that correspondences were sent weeks ago.

    ¡°Right away my lord.¡± The soldier replied as he sped off on his horse.

    ¡°Brother! Look!¡± Ai yelled as she stuck her head out on one of the windows of the magical carriage.

    ¡°What is it Ai?¡± Zhang asked as he looked back toward the carriage while slowing down his horse and pulling up alongside the carriage trying to see if something was wrong.

    ¡°Do you need something?¡± Zhang asked as he peered into the window to see the three beauties laying seductively on the bed; they were dressed in nearly transparent gowns that he had picked out when they were in the lord¡¯s mansion in Black Wind City.

    ¡°Hey there.¡± Yuying said, waving to Zhang as she caught him glimpsing on her snow white skin beneath the nearly transparent dress.

    ¡°What am I doing out here¡­.¡± Zhang thought as he reached out and tried to open the carriage door. But sadly, the door would not budge no matter how much Zhang pulled on it.

    Ai could be seen inside the carriage sticking her tongue out at Zhang as he tried to open the door.

    ¡°One day brother. One day.¡± Yuying teased as her hand traced the outline of her curves.

    Luckily, the carriage was elevated and none of the soldiers marching beside it could see what was going on inside.

    Zhang couldn¡¯t help but shake his head as he looked at the mischievous smile on Yuying¡¯s face.

    ¡°One day indeed.¡± Zhang murmured as he rode back to the front of the army with a smile on his face.

    After leading his army and the thousands of civilians over the mountain Zhang and Lu Xun rode ahead and reached the encampment. Upon reaching the encampment, they were greeted by hundreds of soldiers holding banners with symbol of Aurora on them.

    Once Zhang jumped off his horse, an elderly soldier ran up towards him and kneeled on one knee.

    ¡°My lord we were sent by Lord Jian Wei to inform you, my lord, to head for Green Clover City instead of returning to Red Mist City.¡± The elderly soldier said respectfully.

    ¡°Green Clover City?¡± Zhang asked with a startled voice.

    ¡°Yes my lord; roughly two months ago, the banners of the Heavenly Sword Province can be seen on top of the walls of Green Clover City; since then, many soldiers from the Heavenly Sword Province had arrived in the Green Clover Province. After their arrival, our route from Aurora to the Red Mist Province was severed.¡± The elderly soldier stated with a sense of urgency in his tone.

    ¡°Any news on the lord of Green Clover City or his family?¡± Zhang asked as he remembered the lonely girl who sang on the edge of the pond, Lu Lingqi.

    ¡°We¡¯ve yet to receive any new from Green Clover City after the soldiers from the Heavenly Sword Province arrived.¡±

    ¡°So we are going to invade the Green Clover Province?¡± Zhang asked.

    ¡°Yes my lord. We are to attack from the north; while soldiers from Aurora and Red Mist Province will invade from the east and west respectively. Lord Jian Wei said that after we take the Green Clover Province then we will be able to move southwards and secure a large portion of the Warring States Region.¡±

    The Red Mist Province, Green Clover Province, Aurora Province, Silver Wing Province, and Clear Sky Province were geologically located in a way where if someone was able to control all five of them, that person would be able to cut off the southern tip of the Warring States Region. But of course there was a downside to this, if the provinces from north and south both attacked at the same time, those who ruled in between would be attacked from two fronts.

    ¡°Lu Xun go inform the rest of the army to speed up the march. We will camp here and then make our way to Green Clover City. Tell Sun Ce and Zhang Liao that tomorrow they will break off from the army and escort the civilians to our Red Mist Province while their soldiers are to fall under my direct command.¡± Zhang commanded.

    After hearing Zhang¡¯s command Lu Xun rode off to issue his orders.

    =====================================================================

    The moon hung high over Green Clover City while the stars glimmered above. Tonight, unlike any other night, everyone within the city was still wide awake. News of incoming enemy forces had been spread throughout the city and everyone was on their wits end.

    If it had been a simple enemy attack then the residents within the city would not have been so worried; however, to their horror, reports arrived that the entire province was going to be attacked from three directions.

    ¡°Fear not people of Green Clover City! Our new provincial lord, Lord Chang Chao, had requested reinforcements from the Heavenly Sword Province.¡± A soldier dressed in purple armor announced as he rode through the city. Squads of soldiers roamed throughout the city constantly announcing of the reinforcements.

    Had it been a few months ago, then the citizens of Green Clover City would have been alarmed seeing a soldier wearing purple armor roaming about within the city. But after the city lord was replaced and soldiers from the Heavenly Sword Province arrived, it became a common sight to see soldiers wearing purple armor.

    While the soldiers of the Heavenly Sword Army patrolled the city, a lone figure of a young woman wearing a long black cloak could be seen weaving through the back alley streets.

    ¡°Halt! Who goes there!¡± A fat soldier wearing purple armor yelled as he drew his sword.

    However once the woman heard his words, she began running at full speed with her cloak floating in the wind as she ran.

    ¡°Stop running!!¡± The fat soldier yelled as he chased after the woman.

    After running through the back alleys for a long time, the young woman¡¯s cloak was caught on something which caused her to slip and tumble onto the ground.

    ¡°You think you can get away from me!?¡± The fat soldier roared as he tugged at the cloak that the young woman wore.

    Once the cloak was pulled off, a startled face of a beautiful young woman could be seen. As if blessed by the heavens, this girl possessed enough beauty to bring the downfall of a nation. She had small delicate lips, large round eyes and long flowing black hair up to her waist. The instant the fat soldier caught a glimpse of her beautiful face, his heart began to beat rapidly. Had Zhang been around, he would have instantly recognized this beautiful young woman as Lu Lingqi.

    Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

    While the soldier was enchanted by her, Lu Lingqi used this opportunity to escape. But sadly, she could no get away because her cloak was still within the fat soldier''s grasp.

    ¡°Little lady are you trying to get away? I¡¯m not going to hurt you. We¡¯ll just have a bit of fun together and then we can go our separate ways.¡± The fat soldier said with a lustful grin on his face as he began disrobing himself.

    But as he was busy trying to work loose of his fat folders out of his clothes, Lu Lingqi leaned toward him and blew a purple mist out from her mouth. When the purple mist came in contact with the fat soldier¡¯s skin it turned purplish and began to rot.

    ¡°Wha-what is this!¡± The soldier yelled as his skin continued to rot until pure white bone was visible under the moonlight. Moments later, the screams died out, only a pool of black blood and a pile of bones were left on the ground; while Lu Lingqi could be seen donning her cloak and disappeared into the back alley streets once more.

    After Lu Lingqi disappeared, a group of soldiers arrived to investigate the screaming they  heard while on patrol.

    ¡°What the fuck is that!¡­ Who did this?¡± One soldier said as he looked at the pool of blood and the white skeleton on the ground with horror in his eyes as his legs shaked and buckled due to fear.

    ¡°It must have been the daughter of that old fart who used to be the lord of the city.¡± A middle aged soldier with a long beard said mockingly.

    ¡°I heard that she was a skilled doctor who was skilled at using poison. When our general Chang Chao beheaded the old fart, I heard, his only daughter escaped.¡± He added.

    ¡°Only daughter? Didn¡¯t he had three?¡± A young soldier who was between the ages of nineteen through twenty five asked curiously.

    ¡°You didn''t hear the news? It turns out that General Chang Chao had secretly arranged for one of his concubines to infiltrate the city. That concubine was able to poison the first wife of the old fart who was the lord of the city and became his new wife. Of course, after marrying him, she kept having relations with the general secretly, when he sneaked into the city. From their secret affairs, the general¡¯s two daughters were born.

    The old fart thought that they were his and had been raising them all this time. Until the moment he was beheaded, he kept asking about the safety of his wife and daughters. How would he have known that his new wife was the one who killed his old wife; and was the one who plotted against him and opened the gates for us.¡± The middle aged soldier with a long beard said mockingly.

    ¡°No wonder the soldiers in the city surrendered readily and everything has been going so smoothly. To think, I thought that the heaven is favoring us and allowed us to take the entire province without spilling a single drop of blood.¡± The young soldier said.

    ¡°You two quit loligagging and lets report this to the higher ups.¡± A third soldier who had a stern look on his face opined.

    Soon the group of soldiers left the back alley streets to report the death of one of their comrades. Once they left, Lu Lingqi could be seen emerging from the shadows.

    ¡°Father just you wait I¡¯ll send that whore and her two daughters down there to apologize to you. That bastard Chang Chao too....¡± Lu Lingqi murmured as her eyes burned in rage. Despite not receiving the best treatment from her father after her mother¡¯s death; she still felt that, as his only daughter, she had a duty to get vengeance for him. Of course, getting back at that vile woman and her two daughters wasn¡¯t something that Lu Lingqi was against either.

    ¡°After I had my revenge I¡¯ll go find you brother.¡± She murmured as she disappeared into the shadows once more.

    Ever since the soldiers from the Heavenly Sword Province arrived, they placed strict regulations on those who entered and left the city which prevented Lu Lingqi from escaping; but after hearing the news of incoming enemy forces, she had a notion of perfect opportunity to get her revenge and then escape amidst the chaos that would ensue once the invasion began.

    Little did she know that a familiar face was currently riding at full speed towards Green Clover City.

    =================================================================

    ¡°How much longer until we reach the Green Clover Province?¡± Zhang asked as his Inferno Wind Walker galloped under the moonlight.

    ¡°My lord at our current speed we should reach the borders of the Green Clover Province after another two days ride.¡± Lu Xun replied.

    ¡°Good. Once we reached the borders I want you and Gan Ning to splinter off and begin securing the villages and towns in the northern region of the province. Keep a close eye on him, if he doesn¡¯t change his ways and reverts to how he was when he was still a pirate kill him.¡± Zhang ordered.

    ¡°Yes my lord.¡±

    Ever since they received orders from Jian Wei to attack the Green Clover Province, Zhang and his men had rode day and night to make it in time for the start of the war. Along the way, they had been able to acquire large amounts of horses for their army which allowed most of their soldiers to have mounts. Which allowed them to increase their matching speed exponentially.

    Zhang had also received news from Red Mist City telling him that the cannons that he had commissioned blew up when they were being tested; there wouldn¡¯t be an operational prototype for a long time because the artisans could not find out what caused the cannons to explode.

    ¡°Brother are we there yet?¡± Ai asked while poking her head out of the carriage''s window.

    ¡°Only two more days and we will be entering the borders of the Green Clover Province..¡± Zhang replied while looking back toward her.

    ¡°That means two more days to cultivate in here.¡± Ling said while poking out her head beside Ai.

    ¡°You guys go do that I¡¯ll join you later.¡± Zhang chuckled.

    Zhang and the three beauties had all reached very high levels of cultivation. If one were to consider that an average person stops at around level four. If Ling was left out then their cultivation speed could be considered monstrous compared to regular cultivators. They did what took cultivators, who were considered geniuses, decades for them to do within months. This was thanks to the brand new bodies that the Underworld Heart had granted them. Which allowed them to cultivate many times faster than those at their age and with much less effort. This meant that Zhang, Ai and Yuying did not have to focus on cultivation as much as everyone else to progress.

    But for most of the duration of the trip from the Black Wind Province toward the Green Clover Province Zhang and the three beauties have been using every moment they could to cultivate; because after facing the heart burrowers and giant undead, they felt they were lacking in strength. Had it not been for the Underworld Heart, then, they would have most likely died.

 Chapter 71: False Enemies

    Guess what today is? The day iEndWorlds was born, sadly spending it alone without birthday presents ehh T__T lol  O_O lol and the first day of winter quarter for school T__T Welp enjoy the chapter O_o

    ============================================================================================

    The warm rays of the of sun embraced the soldiers of Aurora as they rode into the Green Clover Province. Adorning their bodies were tempered suits of black armor, beneath them were fine stallions bred for war; by their side were sturdy shields and sharp spears and in their hearts a burning passion for battle.

    Under Zhang¡¯s command, Lu Xun and Gan Ning had broken off from the main army and headed towards the east and west. Their mission was to take control of as many towns and villages as possible while causing the least amount of casualties to the common people. This was crucial in case the invasion ended up in failure and Zhang needed an escape route or if enemies appeared from the rear they could stall for time allowing Zhang and the rest of the army to escape.

    Of course that was not the only reason Zhang had sent Lu Xun and Gan Ning on a mission. He wanted to monitor Gan Ning and see if this man was truly trustworthy or not. If Gan Ning reverted back to his old ways then, under the orders from Zhang, Lu Xun would cut him down instantly as to avoid trouble later.

    While Lu Xun and Gan Ning were sent to the east and west. Zhang advanced south and conquered every town and village that was in his path.

    ¡°My lord we have surrounded the village ahead!¡± A soldier reported to Zhang as the soldier rode up on his horse.

    ¡°Good, now send someone to urge them to surrender. If they surrender, then have them relocate to where Lu Xun and Gan Ning are camped. If they do not surrender, then tie them up and then send them to where Lu Xun and Gan Ning are.¡± Zhang said with a smile. Having done this to quite a few villages already he had gotten used to it.

    There were some villages who surrendered willingly and some who put up minor resistance but they were all dealt with accordingly. Zhang did not wish to harm innocent people needlessly, so he had ordered his soldiers to use the least amount of force they could when dealing with the common folks. Often times when a village or town surrendered, Zhang even rewarded them with some gold as a show of good faith.

    ¡°Enemy Attack! Enemy Attack!!¡± A voice rang out from ahead as a soldier riding toward the army yelled.

    ¡°You men, with me! Yuying, Ai, Ling you three stay here I¡¯ll be back soon.¡± Zhang yelled as he charged forward with some soldiers.

    As Zhang rushed forward on the dirt road, he arrived at a scene of chaos. Soldiers wearing green armor, who were on patrol in the northern border, could be seen running out from inside the surrounded village and engaging in battle with his soldiers.

    ¡°Kill them all!¡± Zhang roared as he charged toward an unsuspecting enemy soldier and plunged his halberd into the man.

    ¡°Kill those dogs from Aurora!!¡± A hulking middle aged man wearing green armor while wielding a guandao with a green dragon etched on both of its sides.

    Soldiers from both sides rushed at each other while swinging their weapons wildly. As the battle raged on, without either side showing a clear advantage, a yelled bellowed in the distance.

    ¡°Charge!!!¡±

    From the woods to the south east of the village, another hulking man wearing green armor could be seen charging towards Zhang while wielding a double sided voulge.

    ¡°Reform formations! Tortoise formation¡± Zhang commanded while pulling the reigns of his inferno wind walker.

    Moments later, his soldiers retreated and then lined up next to each other with shields raised and spears at their side.

    ¡°If you¡¯re a man fight me, Guan Yu, the god of war!!¡± The hulking man wielding the guandao roared.

    Hearing this, a smile appeared on Zhang¡¯s face.

    ¡°Hmph! Only an idiot would charge out and fight you. If wars could be won by a single person, then there wouldn¡¯t be a point of an army.¡± Zhang thought as a he withdrew a red flare from his interspatial ring and shot it into the sky.

    Only a small portion of his army had been sent to secure this village, which is the reason why they did not gain an advantage over the enemy. But once the rest of the army saw the red flare, then reinforcements would arrive and that would be when the tides of battle would change.

    ¡°God of war? Ha someone must think awfully highly of themselves.¡± Zhang sneered at Guan Yu.

    ¡°You dare to mock the general!? I Wei Yan will cut you to a thousand pieces!¡± The man holding the dual sided voulge yelled.

    ¡°Hmph! Only if you can get through my army!¡± Zhang yelled back.

    Soon the armies continued their battle once more. But once the soldiers of Aurora fell into formation, the enemy soldiers were clearly at a disadvantage. One enemy soldier would be facing the might of the entire group of Aurora soldiers when attacking and vice versa the entire group of Aurora soldiers were working together to take out the enemy soldiers one by one.

    But sadly their formation did not hold up for long; because with a sweep of Guan Yu¡¯s guandao, dozens of shields being held up by Zhang¡¯s soldiers were split into two. Once the shields were broken, enemy soldiers would rush in and following behind them would be a rampaging Guan Yu. Wherever this man went Zhang¡¯s soldiers fell to the ground bloodied and dying.

    ¡°Soldiers of the Green Clover Army attack! Show no mercy! Kill the invaders!!¡± Wei Yan bellowed while attacking Zhang¡¯s soldiers.

    ¡°Hmph these two are good¡­. Guess I¡¯m the idiot here for doing this.¡± Zhang thought back to when he said only a idiot would charge at the enemy alone when he had an army as he leaped forward to stop Guan Yu¡¯s rampage.

    Guan Yu could be seen smashing his guandao on one of Zhang¡¯s soldiers, who was barely holding on to his life by using his sword to block the blows.

    Clang! Clang! Clang!

    The guandao went against the sword leaving countless cracks; until after the third strike, the sword finally gave out and shattered to a thousand pieces.

    ¡°Die!¡± Guan Yu roar as he gazed downward with blood thirsty eyes.

    From behind him, Zhang appeared and jumped to the air while plunging his halberd downward at Guan Yu¡¯s back. But before the halberd could reach him, Guan Yu turned around and smacked it to the side.

    ¡°Unhonorable coward! To attack me from behind!¡±

    ¡°Hmph the winner is king and the loser is put into the history books as the bad guy. So when I win you will be recorded in the history books as the coward!¡± Zhang laughed, landing in front of Guan Yu after performing a backflip to create some distance between the two of them.

    But right after when Zhang landed, a blade came slashing towards him. Luckily, Zhang was able to slightly move his head to the side and he was wearing his helmet as he tried to dodge the blade. An ear splitting sound could be heard as the blade collided with Zhang¡¯s helmet and scraped against it.

    ¡°Damn¡­¡± Zhang cursed as he fell while his helmet was knocked off and landed close to him on the ground.

    When looking up, he could see Wei Yan going in for the kill. Wei Yan lifted his voulge in the air and used both of his hands to plunge downward, towards Zhang¡¯s abdomen. As the voulge pierced downward, a chained dagger shot out from Zhang¡¯s hand and lodged itself into a tree. Using the tree as an anchor, Zhang pulled on the chain thus allowing him to avoid Wei Yan¡¯s attack.

    Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

    ¡°I¡¯ll kill you and offer your head as a sacrifice for Lord Lu Gong!¡± Guan Yu bellowed as he swung his guandao down at Zhang, who had just avoided Wei Yan¡¯s attack. But just before Guan Yu¡¯s blade was about to sever, Zhang had another chained dagger shot out from his hand and pulled him away.

    Using the two chains in his hands, Zhang was able to avoid certain death. After escaping his one way trip to meet again his future father-in-law, Zhang jumped up from the ground and landed on his feet.

    ¡°Your petty tricks won¡¯t save you for long.¡± Wei Yan yelled as he stood beside Guan Yu.

    ¡°Damn hypocrites! You''re going to avenge Lu Gong by killing me? Ha what kind of joke is that!¡± Zhang mocked as he stored away his halberd into his interspatial ring and withdrew the Slaughterer blade and a Lightning Eater Scale shield.

    With his shield and sword in hand Zhang jumped into the air where his ten Dragon Talon throwing knives appeared and shot downward. The knives cut through the air so fast that a bloodcurdling screech could be heard.

    Boom! Boom! Boom!

    One small crater after another was formed when the knives impacted the ground, causing a curtain of dust surrounded the area around them. As the dust picked up, Guan Yu and Wei Yan lost all vision on Zhang as he faded in behind the curtain of dust.

    While using the dust to hide himself, Zhang landed on the ground and performed a roll then lunged for Wei Yan with his sword.

    Clang! The sound of metal hitting metal could be heard as Zhang¡¯s sword collided with Wei Yan¡¯s double sided voulge.

    ¡°Ha you think a bit of dust can hide you from me?¡± Wei Yan snickered as he began an onslaught of attacks on Zhang. As if the voulge was a part of himself, Wei Yan wielded it extremely agilely.

    Without allowing Zhang even a moment''s breathe, the sound of a blade slashing through the air could be heard coming from behind him. Behind the curtain of dust, Guan Yu appeared and swept his guandao at Zhang¡¯s back mercilessly.

    But with a spinning motion Zhang was able to avoid both Wei Yan and Guan Yu¡¯s attacks. After Zhang was gone Wei Yan voulge collided with Guan Yu¡¯s guandao, causing sparks to fly about. Using this opportunity, Zhang dashed toward where his mount was.

    ¡°Retreat!!¡± Zhang yelled to his men. He knew that he was no match for Guan Yu and Wei Yan when they were both fighting him at the same time; and the longer he continued fighting them, the bigger the advantage they would have on him.

    ¡°Aurora swine you think we will just let you run after you assassinated our lord!?¡± Guan Yu bellowed as he began pursuing Zhang on foot. Hundreds if not, thousands of soldiers followed behind Guan Yu as he rushed forward slewing Zhang¡¯s men.

    ¡°Kill your lord?¡± Zhang murmured with a confused tone.

    While Zhang retreated with his soldiers, Guan Yu and Wei Yan continued pursuing them. Until, suddenly, the rumbling of thousands of hooves pounding against the dirt road could be heard.

    Soon hundreds of black flags blew against the wind as thousands of mounted soldiers donned in black armor, with weapons drawn, came into view. At the front of these thousands of men, were three women dressed in black scale armor dresses atop of fiery steeds just like Zhang¡¯s.

    ¡°Charge!!!¡± Yuying could be seen yelling to the soldiers behind her.

    ¡°Now the pursuers will be the pursued.¡± Zhang murmur as an evil grin appeared on his face while he pulled the reigns on his fiery steed.

    ¡°Reinforcements have arrived! Reform formations behind the cavalry! All the cavalry surround the enemy!!¡± Zhang commanded as pulled the reins of his mount to turn back facing the enemy.

    While Zhang¡¯s soldiers were now filled with morale thanks to their reinforcements. Guan Yu¡¯s soldiers felt their spines shivered as they faced a wall of horses and spears. If they fell on the ground, they would be trampled by thousands of horses; if they ran, they would be impaled by spears. That¡¯s to say, if they could outrun Zhang¡¯s cavalry army to begin with.

    Moments later, Guan Yu¡¯s army was surrounded by the thousands of galloping horses.

    ¡°Lay down your arms and surrender or die!¡± Zhang bellowed.

    A few of green armored soldiers, after hearing Zhang¡¯s words, began wavering and looked down at the weapons in their hands.

    ¡°What are you men doing!? Don¡¯t you remember? We swore we would avenge our lord by killing the Aurora scum who assassinated him! If we surrender now what will happen to our families? What will happen to our brothers in arms!? Why do you think they are here!? They want our riches, our land, and our women! Once you surrender, will you turn your swords against the Green Clover Province?¡± Guan Yu yelled furiously.

    ¡°For Lord Lu Gong! Vengeance or death!¡±  Guan Yu¡¯s soldiers roared as they raised their swords into the air.

    Hearing Guan Yu¡¯s yells Zhang was awfully confused. From the reports they received it was the soldiers of the Heavenly Sword Province who killed the Lord of Green Clover City. But he couldn¡¯t deny everything Guan Yu had said, because he definitely wanted the riches and land of the Green Clover Province.

    ¡°What are you fools talking about!? We were not the ones who killed Lord Lu Gong it was the soldiers of the Heavenly Sword Province who did! In fact, we are here to avenge him ourselves. We did not come for your riches, land or women!¡± Zhang refuted. Although he wanted two of the three things there was no way he would admit this at a time like this.

    ¡°Lies! We received word from Lord Lu Gong¡¯s wife herself!¡± Guan Yu howled as he pulled out a letter from beneath his armor.

    ¡°Hmph! A mere letter? You¡¯re telling me you did not witness lord Lu Gong¡¯s death personally? You have not seen the flags of the Heavenly Sword Province being hung above the walls of Green Clover city!?¡± Zhang snickered with disdain in his eyes.

    ¡°No I did not personally witness my Lord Lu Gong¡¯s death. Our Green Dragon Legion had always been positioned at the borders of the Green Clover Province.¡± Guan Yu replied.

    ¡°Men retreat! We¡¯ll leave these fools here to realize their idiocracy.¡± Zhang said as he pulled the reigns of his steed and galloped toward where Yuying, Ai and Ling were.

    ¡°You heard the general! Fall back!¡± One of Zhang¡¯s lieutenants ordered. If Zhang Liao was here he would recognize this lieutenant as his friend Leng Zai.

    As the soldiers of Aurora fell back, Guan Yu and his men were left in a daze. They could not believe what was happening, moments ago they were ready to fight to death; but now the enemy was falling back and there was a chance that the enemy they had been fighting was not even an enemy to begin with. If Zhang¡¯s words were true, then they were being used.

    ¡°Fall back to the camp!¡± Guan Yu commanded to his dazed soldiers.

    While moving back to their camp, Yuying and Zhang could be seen talking amongst themselves.

    ¡°Brother was it wise to let them go just like that?¡± Yuying asked with a perplexed look on her face.

    ¡°More harm will be done to the enemy if we let them return alive.¡±

 Chapter 72: Obstacles

    After the run in with Guan Yu and Wei Yan, Zhang¡¯s army did not encounter any other forms of resistance. Whenever they came upon a village or town it would be void of life and show signs of people leaving in a hurry. Thanks to this, Zhang¡¯s army was able to advance at an astonishing pace through the Green Clover Province. What would have taken them weeks to transverse while facing resistance, only took a few days.

    But of course, things could never go so smoothly, it did not take long for Zhang to encounter another obstacle in his path. This time the obstacle blocking Zhang came in the form of tall walls and sturdy gates.

    ¡°My lord according to the map, this city which is called New Leaf City is the last obstacle that stands between us and the rendezvous point.¡± Leng Zai reported to Zhang.

    ¡°Send a messenger and ask them to surrender.¡± Zhang commanded. Once they take control of New Leaf City then the march toward the rendezvous point and Green Clover City would only take a few days. But if Zhang ignored New Leaf City and marched passed it there was a chance they he could be attacked by enemy soldiers from behind when he engages in battle with the soldiers in Green Clover City.

    As Zhang¡¯s messenger rode toward New Leaf City, hundreds of banners depicting a snake coiled around a sword suddenly appear on top of the city walls. Then a barrage of hundreds of arrows pierced through the sky. Moments later Zhang¡¯s messenger was shot full of arrows as his horse plunged to the ground.

    ¡°Damn¡­.It¡¯s the Heavenly Sword Army...¡± Zhang cursed to himself as he watched this scene unfold.

    ¡°Leng Zai, order the rest of the army to cut down the forest and take these construct siege weapons. I want our flags planted on the top of the city walls by nightfall.¡± Zhang said as he withdrew a few pieces of paper from his interspatial ring. On these blueprints, he had drawn a few simple designs for mobile siege rams and mobile siege towers. It was not like these things hadn¡¯t been invented yet, but Zhang¡¯s versions were much more refined compared to the crude designs everyone else was been using.

    ¡°Right away my lord!¡± Leng Zai replied as he took the blueprints from Zhang¡¯s and hurriedly began ordering his subordinates to begin construction of the siege weapons. Soon the sound of thousands of blades slashing against the thick trunks of hundreds of trees became audible.

    Zhang¡¯s men had started cutting down trees before noon and by sundown they had constructed dozens of towering siege towers and four sturdy siege rams all propped on wooden wheels for easy transportation.

    After completion of the siege towers and siege rams, all of the soldiers were given a few hours to rest and eat. Hundreds of campfires were lit and many columns of smoke spiraled into the air as the soldiers cooked their meals and readied themselves for the oncoming battle ahead.

    With their stomachs full and their hearts steeled, Zhang¡¯s men donned their black armor and sharpened their blades. Today would be the first time many of them participated in a siege. The soldiers under Zhang¡¯s command could be considered veterans of a hundred battles, but most if not all of these battles took place in open areas where there were no walls to climb up, no gates to knock down, nor the chance of being doused with boiling hot oil.

    But of course there was a first time for everything and it was better to experience their first siege against a small city like New Leaf City rather than a large city like Green Clover City. At Least here they held a huge numerical advantage and could retreat if needed.

    The moon¡¯s rays radiated down below, the glimmering of thousands of suits of armor was visible from miles away. Rumbling sound wheels spread as they moved along the rocky dirt road, with the massive siege towers and battering rams inching closer and closer to New Life City. After the sound of wheels, a thunder of hooves sounded out as Zhang¡¯s cavalry soldiers followed behind.

    For this battle Zhang had split up his army into three groups. One group consisted of archers who were atop the siege towers, another group consisted of infantry who would storm the walls and man the siege rams, and lastly were the cavalry soldiers who would charge into the city once the gates were broken.

    As Zhang¡¯s soldiers steadily approached countless torches were lit above the city walls and the clamor of thousands of men could be heard.

    ¡°Ready the oil!¡±

    ¡°Bring up more arrows!¡±

    Shouts of from the soldiers of the Heavenly Sword Army echoed through the night as they prepared to defend the city. Once the siege towers were close enough the soldiers of the Heavenly Sword army began dipping their arrows into pots of oil and lighting them on fire. Soon thousands of fiery arrows shot through the air toward the siege towers.

    However, before they could reach the towers, Zhang sprang into action. Using the power of the underworld heart he created a thin membrane of essence that encompassed a huge area. Once the arrows pierced this membrane they got coated with Zhang¡¯s essence. After being fully covered by Zhang¡¯s essence the thousands of arrows fell under his control and with a thought these arrows changed trajectory and headed back towards the soldiers in the Heavenly Sword Army, who were on top of the city walls.

    Seeing their arrows shooting back toward them many of the soldiers who were quick witted ran for cover, while a few of the other soldiers were caught in a daze as they watch their own arrows pierce into them. Some of the fire arrows even landed in a few of the pots of oil that the soldiers had been using which sparked fires on the walls.

    Once the pits of oil caught on fire, the top of the wall was a pure mass of hysteria. Unlucky soldiers were splashed by the oil, and became human torches as they ran about flailing their arms while screaming in agony. A few of them tried to roll around on the ground to put out the flames, however even then by the time the fire was put out their bodies had been badly burned.

    While the soldiers of the Heavenly Sword army fell into disarray, Zhang¡¯s siege weapons and soldiers had arrived and surrounded the walls of New Life City.

    ¡°Knock down the gates! Begin attack! Kill every soldier of the Heavenly Sword Army! A reward of one hundred gold coins for whoever brings me the head of the enemy general!¡± Zhang roared as lifted the Sky Piercer Halberd into the air.

    ¡°Brother, couldn''t we just knock down the walls using my whip?¡± Ai asked from atop of her Inferno Wind Walker, as she gripped the Black Thorn whip that was tied to her waist.

    ¡°It''s best to not show off our triumph cards too early.¡± Zhang replied with a smile on his face as he put his hand on her shoulder.

    Moments later loud banging sounds echoed through the city as Zhang¡¯s soldiers began using the siege ram against the four gates. A rhythmic thunder could be heard each time the siege rams impacted the thick wooden city gates.

    Normally the defending soldiers would shoot arrows downward or pour hot burning oil on down on the soldiers manning the siege rams, but this time they were too preoccupied with the archers standing on top of the siege towers.

    The former members of the Yu Sect excelled when it came to using the bow and arrow, which made the situation even more disastrous for Heavenly Sword Army. Zhang¡¯s soldiers shot their arrows with deadly precision, making it so that almost every arrow they released claimed a life.

    While the battle was raging on, a skinny weasel like man walked up the city walls dressed in the standard purple armor of the Heavenly Sword Army, but unlike the rest of the soldiers his helmet was finely decorated with gold. This clearly meant that unlike the rest of the men on the walls he was a highly ranked officer within the army.

    ¡°Shield men move up to the walls! The rest out of you put out these fires!¡± The sly looking general commanded.

    The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    ¡°Ri-right away General Zhuge Dan!¡± A soldier of the Heavenly Sword Army yelled in reply as teams of men rushed up to the walls with buckets of water in hand. After countless buckets of water were splashed atop the city walls, all of the fires were doused and only a few charred bodies remained. After the fires were extinguished teams of shield men ran up the stone steps that led to the top of the city walls.

    ¡°Brace yourselves! The enemy siege towers are almost here!¡± General Zhuge Dan yelled as he pulled out a thin looking rapier from its scabbard and raised it into the air.

    Soon the dozens of siege towers finally arrived directly in front of the city walls. Moments later the fronts of the siege towers swung open and created a bridge from the tower onto the top of the city walls. Once the bridge latched itself onto the city walls, countless soldiers wearing black armor poured out from the siege tower and onto the city walls.

    ¡°Repel the enemy! Don¡¯t let them gain a foothold!¡± Zhuge Dan yelled as his rapier plunged into one of Zhang¡¯s soldiers right in one of the gaps in the poor man¡¯s armor.

    The soldiers around Zhuge Dan followed his example and charged into battle with their weapons in hand and their shields held high. As they saw it, Zhuge Dan was a general worth dying for, because he was willing to fight on the front lines and risk death along with them. The morale of the soldiers in the Heavenly Sword Army always shot through the roof when Zhuge Dan was present.

    But in the end there was only one Zhuge Dan while there were dozens of siege towers attacking the city from all sides. Although they could not create a foothold where Zhuge Dan was, Zhang¡¯s soldiers were able to do so in many other parts of the city walls.

    Down below, within the city, hundreds of soldiers could be seen crowding behind the four city gates. These men could be seen piling anything they could find behind the city gates to create a barricade in case the siege rams knocked down the gates.

    ¡°Quickly! Bring whatever you can find and block off the area around the city gates! We can¡¯t let them into the city!¡± A soldier wearing purple armor yelled as he helped a ground of his comrades lift a heavy wooden column to the gate. These men had just knocked down a house that was built by the city gate and were using pieces of it to help create a blockade.

    But their efforts were fruitless, because before they could reach the city gate with the wooden column, a loud bang made them stop in their tracks and the sound of splintering wood started ringing in their ears.

    Bang! Bang! Bang!

    Soon the tip of the siege ram could be seen sticking out from the wooden gate. Not long after a large section of the gate was smashed in as the siege rams continued its assault on the gates.

    The sound of cheering could be heard from the soldiers outside of the gate as the hole in the city gate grew wider and wider with every passing second.

    ¡°The gate fell! Man the barricade! Don¡¯t let them pass!¡± Many of soldiers in the Heavenly Sword Army yelled as if their voices would help them stop the incoming attack.

    However, once the city gate fell none of the attacking soldiers rushed in, instead, dozens of clay jars filled with lamp oil, was thrown at the barricade. Moments later a fiery arrow was shot in and ignited the barricade that the soldiers inside had desperately built. A few of them who were splashed by the lamp oil even caught on fire, just like their comrades on the city walls had done.

    While the city gate fell, the walls above them were not much better off. Zhang¡¯s soldiers had gained footholds and taken control of multiple sections of the walls and were steadily pressing the soldiers of the Heavenly Sword Army back.

    Seeing this, Zhuge Dan could only order his men to retreat back to the inner city walls. Like most cities, New Leaf City was split into two sections. One which was for the general public created from the lower and middle class while the other for the wealthier and higher social class and to separate them was were walls.

    ¡°Everyone retreat! Retreat to the inner walls! Move back to the city lord¡¯s mansion!¡± Zhuge Dan yelled.

    Of course while Zhuge Dan and his men fled, their backs were wide open and Zhang¡¯s soldiers moved in for the kill. With their backs facing the enemy, Zhuge Dan¡¯s men fell one after the other as they desperately ran for the inner gates.

    Down below huge flames danced about in front of the city gates, but from out of nowhere large waves of water gushed in and extinguished them. Once the fire was extinguished hundreds of foot soldiers rushed in to clear the debris on the inside of the gate.

    After clearing the debris, the men pulled out green flares from their pockets and shoot them into the air. Shortly after, the thundering of thousands of hooves pounding against the ground could be heard heading inside.

    ¡°Kill them all!!¡± A mounted soldier roared he charged in through the city gate.

    Once Zhang¡¯s cavalry made it inside the city walls, all hell broke loose. Soldiers clad in black armor could be seen impaling the fleeing enemy soldiers, while not showing a hint of emotion.

    By now all of the soldiers of the Heavenly Sword Army had either retreated behind the inner city walls or died trying, in the meantime Zhang¡¯s soldiers had completely occupied the city''s outer walls and entered the city.

    Zhang could be seen riding into the city along with the three beauties following behind him.

    ¡°Anyone who is caught pillaging or harming the citizens of the city will be punished according to military law!¡± Zhang yelled to his men.

    ¡°My lord! The enemy has holed themselves up behind the inner city gates.¡± A soldier ran up to and reported to Zhang.

    ¡°Hmph how long do they think they can hide out in there?¡± Zhang sneered as he looked toward the direction of the inner city walls. Despite not being as tall as the outer city walls, the inner city walls would still require siege ladders to be used.

    ¡°Brother, can I use the whip now?¡± Ai said with a grin as she looked at Zhang with stars glittering in her eyes. Now that they had the Heavenly Sword Army completely surrounded, there was no longer a need to be afraid of revealing their hidden trump cards.

    ====================================================================

    Welp here''s a chapter for you guys and gals. Here is the link to my Patreon O_o https://www.patreon.com/iEndWorlds?ty=h</a>

    I''d love to get the patreon thing going to I can give a little something to the editors/proofers who help with the story. Every donation means alot to me/us but no pressure. Paypal link is located on the bottom of the post  >:D lol Have a great day.

    iEndWorlds: THANK YOU FOR BEING ALIVE CHIZINHA AND PROOFING.

    Chizinha: xD

    Readers: Thanks iEndworlds for being super awesome and Chizinha for being kinda awesome. Just kinda, no not really. <3

    Chizinha: </3

    iEndWorlds: (>^__^)><(^__^<)

    Also thanks Kevin

 Chapter 73: Conqueror

    As Zhang¡¯s soldiers made their way, deeper and deeper into the city, the rumbling sound of the siege ram wheels made the hearts of the Heavenly Sword Army, beat uncontrollably. For they knew that their lives were ticking away with every passing second as their executioners came closer and closer.

    Originally, they were filled with glee after having taken control of almost all the cities within the Green Clover Province without spilling a single drop of blood. Through the ploy of general Chang Chao and his concubine, who had been planted beside the Lord of the Green Clover Province from the start, their long term plan of invasion occurred perfectly.

    Countless men from the Heavenly Sword Province were able to infiltrate and secure position within the military and government of Green Clover Province which made the take over extremely easy.

    But all their plans reverted to nothing when they faced the massive army of Aurora. Without the reinforcements from Heavenly Sword Province, these soldiers did not stand a chance.

    Soon a reverberating bang was heard from every corner of the city as the siege rams began assaulting the inner city gates. But the inner city gates were made completely out of iron and did not budge when the siege rams impacted them.

    ¡°Fortify the gates! Use the wooden pillars of the mansion!¡± Zhuge Dan commanded to soldiers from atop countless stone steps that led to the lord¡¯s mansion.

    Suddenly, dozens of black vines crept through the streets and made their way toward the inner city walls. These black vines made their way into the stonework of the inner city walls and began expanding. Soon, wherever the vines went they would cause the walls to bulge.

    Some of the stone blocks that made up the inner city walls began sticking out and fell over. It did not take too long for a section of the inner city walls to collapse.

    ¡°If the gates won''t budge that doesn''t mean the walls won''t.¡± Zhang said with a smirk as he watched Ai used her whip to raze the inner city walls.

    ¡°Brother is that a big enough opening?¡± Ai asked as she pointed over a large section of the collapsed wall. As the words left her mouth, she leaned forward as if waiting for Zhang to praise her.

    ¡°Yea, you did a great job.¡± Zhang said as he gently patted her on the head.

    Not long after the walls collapsed, Zhang¡¯s black armored soldiers dismounted and stormed inside the city. Once more chaos ensued as the soldiers of the two armies engaged in battle.

    A gust of wind suddenly picked up and pushed many of Zhang¡¯s men to the ground. But oddly none of the soldiers of the Heavenly Sword Army seemed affected by it.

    ¡°Kill the dogs of Aurora!¡± The soldiers of the Heavenly Sword Army roared.

    Zhuge Dan could be seen standing atop the roof of the city lord¡¯s mansion, watching all the happenings occur below, as the wind swirled about around him. Illuminated by the moonlight as wind danced around him, Zhuge Dan looked like a mystic who was about to head to battle.

    A few moments after Zhuge Dan raised one of his arms and opened up his fist, a mini tornado could be seen swirling about on his palm.

    ¡°Demonic Windcutter!¡± Zhuge Dan roared as the tornado spiraled off from his palm and onto the city lord¡¯s mansion where he stood. The palm-sized tornado soon grew larger in size and became as big as a person as it sucked in the clay roof tiles beneath it. After making its way to the ground, the tornado became tremendous and because eating away at the buildings near it.

    Seeing this, creases appeared on Zhang¡¯s forehead.

    ¡°A wind mage and probably one with a high level of cultivation at that¡­¡± Zhang murmured as he frowned.

    ¡°All forces retreat! Move out of the inner city and regroup behind the walls!¡± Zhang ordered to his men. If any of them was swept up by the raging tornado then they would be done for. The debris in the tornado would turn whoever was unlucky enough to be catch by it to mush.

    Usually, every general of an army was a level seven or above cultivator but the majority of them were warrior types. It was quite rare to meet a high-level Mage on the battlefield because these people were usually kept as a last line of defense.

    Often times even if one encountered a high-level Mage on the battlefield it wasn''t completely obvious either because these mages wouldn''t use their high level magic until they desperately needed to. This was of course due to the high essence consumption of these techniques. If they empty their reserves slaughtering regular soldiers and then encountered a high-level warrior then their fates would be sealed.

    ¡°Soldiers of the Heavenly Sword Army! Reform formations! We are abandoning the city!¡± Zhuge Dan yelled as he unleashed two more terrifying tornadoes from his palm.

    ¡°You think you''re the only Mage here!?¡± Ling laughed as she rose to the air while standing atop of red column of water. In fact, it would be more accurate to call this a column of blood.

    The rivers of blood spilled by the two armies were currently being used by Ling to create dozens of large crescent shaped blades that cut through the air. Once the crescent blades of blood collided with the tornadoes the two techniques canceled each other out and an eerie silence filled the battlefield.

    ¡°Hmph insolent girl, you''re still too young and naive to be facing me! If I wish to leave no one here can stop me!¡± Zhuge Dan yelled as he flicked his wrist and jumped up into the air. Suddenly dozens of fountains of blood sprouted from the necks of Zhang¡¯s soldiers as their heads rolled to the ground.

    When Zhuge Dan had flicked his wrist he had sent an invisible blade of wind swirling at Zhang¡¯s men.

    ¡°Don''t think too highly of yourself, you¡¯re only water mage.¡± Zhuge Dan snickered at Ling. Of all the types of mages, water mages could be considered the most versatile but also the weakest mages. This was because of the lack of availability of water.

    Of the four main elements wind was considered the deadliest due to the fact that wind did not possess a tangible form and that wind magic could be used practically anywhere.

    While earth was considered equally as versatile as water but also extremely abundant like wind, it could be easily found anywhere. This made wind and earth the strongest branches of magic.

    Then there was fire that could be considered the most mysterious and also the fact that fire magic could branch into lightning magic

    That left the water essence most reliant on its environment, it depends where the mage was currently in. But of course, all of this only accounted for the fact that most battles took place on land. If an earth, wind and fire mage met a water mage in a lake or out at sea, the water Mage would reign supreme.

    ¡°Ha, you wind mages sure are full of yourselves. As long as I have water I can easily crush you!¡± Ling snickered as more waves of blood flowed towards her and formed countless blades which shot at Zhuge Dan.

    ¡°We will see¡­¡± Zhuge Dan murmured as he waved his hand and he glared down at Ling. Moments later, all of the blades of blood erupted and trickled down like rain on the ground.

    ¡°Continue retreating!¡± Zhuge Dan roared at his soldiers who were set in a daze at the magnificent battle between the two mages.

    ¡°You heard the general! Retreat!¡± One of Zhuge Dan¡¯s subordinates yelled.

    ¡°None of you will make it out of here alive!¡± Zhang roared as he charged at the reaching soldiers with his halberd in hand. Behind him, thousands of soldiers clad in black armor followed suit.

    A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    ¡°None shall pass!!¡± Zhuge Dan roared as a strong gust of wind screeched through the air and smashed into Zhang and his soldiers.

    The impact against the wind alone sent hundreds of Zhang¡¯s men flying back and caused them to collide with their comrades behind them.

    A loud clang sounded as Zhang stabbed his halberd in the ground to keep himself from being pushed back by the wind. But as he felt the strong gust of wind brushed against his cheeks, black vines erupted from the ground and shielded him along with the soldiers behind him.

    With burning rage on his eyes, Zhang began condensing essence in the tips of his fingers and soon, crackling of lightning filled the ears of everyone present.

    ¡°Die!!¡± Zhang roared as he pointed his fingers at Zhuge Dan who was in a deadlock with Ling in the air above the battlefield.

    A dragon made of condensed lightning snaked through the sky as it inched closer and closer to Zhuge Dan.

    ¡°Damn!¡­ Lightning magic.¡± Zhuge Dan cursed once he caught sight, from the corner of his eye, of the Lightning Dragon approaching him. Cold sweat dripped from his forehead as the lightning continued coming closer at high speed.

    The instant the lightning was about to engulf him, Zhuge Dan reached out with his hand. As if it was being absorbed, the lightning disappeared into Zhuge Dan¡¯s fingertips and moments later it shot out from the fingertips of his other hand.

    Now the lightning was redirected to Ling who was standing defenseless above the column of blood.

    ¡°Ahahaha!¡± Zhuge Dan laughed manically as smoke rose from his charred fingers and a mouth full of blood was coughed up. While the lightning shot through the sky towards Ling.

    ¡°What''s so funny?¡± Ling said with mocking eyes as a blood rose to the air and created a bloody shield in front of her. The instant the lightning touched the bloody shield, steam filled the sky. Once the steam cleared, dozens of crescent shaped blades of blood shot forth; while Ling could be seen in the same position without sustaining a single injury.

    As the blade of blood headed for Zhuge Dan, another lightning dragon screeched through the sky.

    Seeing the barrage of attacks headed to him, Zhuge Dan couldn''t help but feel a hint of fear in his heart. The first time Zhang sent out his Lightning Dragon, he underestimated the power behind it. Which resulted in him, coughing up a mouthful of blood. So now he knew that if the Lightning Dragon reached him once more then it would be the end of him.

    ¡°You guys are on your own¡­¡± Zhuge Dan murmured as he busted upward higher in the air and flew away, abandoning his soldiers below.

    Once the soldiers of the Heavenly Sword Army saw their general abandoned them, many fell to their knees in disbelief.

    ¡°We surrender¡­¡± A few of the now abandoned soldiers yelled after losing the will to fight.

    ¡°Execute them all!¡± Zhang roared while he stabbed his halberd into one of the abandoned soldiers.

    Not long after pleas and screams filled the night as countless lives were extinguished.  Soon, New Leaf City was filled by a sea of blood and gore.

    Although some may call Zhang a butcher for killing soldiers who had already surrendered; but as he saw it, they had mercilessly killed his messenger without giving him even a chance of survival. So in return, he did not feel that he should give them a chance of survival.

    ¡°Blockade the outer gates and post sentries on the walls. We are going to stay in this city tonight.¡± Zhang said to his soldiers.

    Soon makeshift blockades were made at the outer city gates while hundreds of men were posted atop the city walls.

    After the battle, a veil of silence and fear shrouded New Leaf City. The citizens feared for their lives due to the countless screamed that filled the city earlier. Families were huddled up in their homes, too afraid to even peek outside.

    But before the night had ended, Zhang¡¯s soldiers paid a visit to every single home within the city. Under the orders from their lord, soldiers clad in black armor took a head count of how many residents were still present inside the city. Of course, this visit were also to tell the citizens that no harm would befall them.

    This coupled along with the fact that there was no looting, rape or killing happened, which helped to put the citizens of New Leaf City at ease.

    Once security was established throughout the city, Zhang and the three beauties retired to the city lord¡¯s mansion. When they entered the city lord¡¯s mansion, the three beauties like usual would add to their wardrobe while Zhang added the city¡¯s treasure to the growing stash in his interspatial ring.

    The exhausting battle made Zhang and the three beauties fell into a deep sleep. Even when the sun had already rose high in the sky, they were still nowhere in sight. If anyone saw them, that person would be green with envy at the sight of Zhang sound asleep with three world class beauties by his side.

    ==================================

    After a day of rest, Zhang¡¯s army began mobilizing and preparing to continue their march. The siege weapons were dismantled and used to completely seal three of New Leaf City¡¯s four outer city gates. While a new gate was constructed for the city gate that was not sealed.

    Then two thousand soldiers were then left to defend the city after Zhang¡¯s main force headed for the rendezvous point.

    ¡°With the New Leaf City under our control, our rear should be secure once Lu Xun and Gan Ning arrive.¡± Zhang said as he and the three beauties galloped atop their Inferno Wind Walkers.

    ¡°Now we can focus on assaulting Green Clover City. But that wind Mage may pose a problem for us.¡± Yuying added.

    ¡°Next time I''ll show him who''s boss!¡± Ling yelled as fiery flames could be seen in her eyes while raising her fist up in rage.

    ¡°Ahaha.¡± Zhang couldn''t help but break out in laughter at Ling¡¯s silly looking angry pose.

    ¡°Hey! What''s so funny!¡± Ling yelled at Zhang.

    Following Ling¡¯s question, Yuying and Ai soon also fell into laughter.

    Anyone sane person watching these four would shake their heads in disbelief, because how could there possibly be people who could joke around and be so cheerful while marching to war.

    ¡°My lord, thousands of white flags with the blue symbol of Aurora can be seen over the hill!¡± A soldier who rode up toward Zhang reported.

    ¡°Good. Everyone make haste! We are almost at the rendezvous point!¡± Zhang yelled as his Inferno Wind Walker began to quicken its pace.

    ¡°Cha! Cha!¡± Yuying yelled as she made her Inferno Wind Walker catch up to Zhang¡¯s. Following a short distance behind them were Ling and Ai.

    Zhang¡¯s mounted soldiers also speedup as they headed toward the encampment over the hill.

    As they made their way over the hill, Zhang withdrew a green flare from his interspatial ring and shot it into the sky to announce their arrive.

 Chapter 74: Quid Pro Quo

    Written by: IEndWorlds

    Edited by: Nyx while being bugged by iEndWorlds

    Perhaps there will be another chapter tonight.

    https://www.patreon.com/iEndWorlds?ty=h

    <3

    ============================================================================

    Currently, hundreds of thousands of soldiers were camped a few miles away from Green Clover City. Hundreds of campfires illuminated the entire camp, sharing their brilliance in the dark night. Had it not been for the many hills that surrounded their campsite, they could be easily seen by anyone that happened to be standing atop the walls of Green Clover City.

    At the center of the camp, there was a large tent with dozens of hulking guards stationed outside. Just from looking at these men, one could tell that they were veterans of a hundred battles.

    Inside the tent, dozens of figures could be seen hunching over a large, round table. On top of the table: was a candle and a large map of Green Clover City, that had it¡¯s surrounding terrain laid out; over the map were dozens of miniature iron statues, which looked like a chess piece.

    ¡°If we place troops here and here, we will be able to significantly delay any reinforcements from the Heavenly Sword Province that will aid the enemy.¡± An elderly man with an unkempt beard conveyed as he moved few of the miniature iron statues on a certain location in the map.

    ¡°But that would leave us an opening if the enemy chose to charge out from the city here. It will sandwich our troops positioned there.¡± Commented a middle-aged man with a neatly trimmed mustache as he rearranged the iron statues in a different manner. ¡°But if we position our troops like this it will be better.¡± he added.

    ¡°Fool!! That would make things even worse! Our troops wouldn¡¯t be able to stop the enemy reinforcements nor defend against the attacks sent from within the city!!¡± The elderly man yelled as he slammed his fists onto the table causing a few iron statues to fall over.

    ¡°Both of you shut up!¡± Jian Wei could be seen creased his brow as he yelled angrily.

    ¡°Apologies my lord!¡± Both men said.

    ¡°Zhang what are your thoughts? How should we deploy the soldiers for the upcoming battle?¡± Jian Wei asked while looking at Zhang, who was across the table with the three beauties beside him.

    ¡°I believe we should have some of our troops set here, in the checkpoint along these roads and then deploy the rest of our forces to attack the city.¡± Zhang said while pointing at dozens roads that lead to Green Clover City.

    ¡°Young lord, I know that you are very intelligent but perhaps you should leave the strategizing to those of who are more experienced. If we are to place troops along these roads, we will not have enough troops to invade the city.¡± The elderly man with the unkempt beard conjectured, looking at Zhang with eyes of someone who look down on others.

    ¡°Qian Long! Did I give you permission to speak!?¡± Jian Wei reprimanded angrily.

    ¡°Fo-forgive me my lord.¡± Qian Long pleaded while bowing and clasping his hands.

    ¡°Yea, what makes you think that you could come up with a better plan than brother!?¡± Yuying, who was standing right next to Zhang, protested with disdain in her eyes. Ai, who was also beside Zhang, stared at Qian Long with nearly emotionless eyes as if she was looking at an insect.

    ¡°Yuying, don¡¯t be rude to strategist Qian. He, after all, has been through hundreds of battles.¡± Zhang said trying to prevent hostility between the group.

    ¡°I believe what the young lord wishes to do is, place only a few dozen soldiers at each checkpoint; to make the enemy believe that every checkpoint is manned by thousands of men.¡± A young man who had been standing a bit away from the table commented.

    As he walked out from the shadows and was embraced by the candle light, Sima Yi made his way to the table. He arrived a few days earlier before Zhang, after leading one hundred thousand soldiers from the Red Mist Province to join the invasion.

    Naturally, having a battalion of soldiers marched out from a city would alert its nearby cities; so they were prepared for any unusual attacks. However, it¡¯s so odd that they didn¡¯t encounter any resistance from the nearby cities.

    ¡°Exactly!¡± Zhang exclaimed, as someone had finally understood what me meant. ¡°If we have a few soldiers stationed at these checkpoints to lit hundreds of campfires every night and use scarecrows in place of actual soldiers, then the enemy reinforcements would be too wary to attack. To make them even more wary, we could actually deploy thousand real soldiers on a few of the checkpoints so the enemy would not know which have the real soldiers from the ones that are guarded by the scarecrows.¡±

    ¡°We will do what Zhang suggested.¡± Jian Wei said cheerfully.

    ¡°But my lord we can''t! What if the enemy figures out that the checkpoints don''t have any soldiers!¡± Qian Long protested.

    Upon hearing Qian Long¡¯s words, creases appeared on Jian Wei¡¯s forehead but before he could reprimand Qian Long, an uproar was heard from the outside.

    Jian Wei and Zhang hurriedly ensconced the map together with the iron statues; while the others moved toward near the entrance and gripped their weapons, as the hulking guards outside were restraining a young looking man, donned in Aurora''s standard white armor laced with blue thread with a whip and sword both tied on his waist.

    ¡°Halt! You are not to pass. State your business!¡± shouted one of the guards whose spear was drawn, blocking the entrance.

    ¡°Let me in! I must meet lord Jian Wei! I have urgent news from Aurora!!¡± cried the young man frantically, which could be heard inside the tent.

    ¡°Let him in.¡± Jian Wei commanded once he heard that there was urgent news from Aurora.

    Moments later, the flaps of the tent parted as two of the hulking guards assisted the young man inside.

    ¡°You can leave.¡± Jian Wei ordered as he walked forward in front of the young man.

    ¡°Yes mi lord.¡± said the two guards as they kneeled and saluted before they went back outside.

    ¡°Pray tell, what is your news?¡± Jian Wei said without giving the airs of a ruler.

    ¡°My lord!¡± the young soldier said as he kneeled on one knee, trying to show his uttermost respect for the people standing before him.

    ¡°You may rise and speak, what news did you bring from Aurora?¡± Jian Wei said.

    ¡°My lord, the Heavenly Sword Province has begun amassing soldiers at the southern border of Aurora.¡± the young soldier uttered while bowing with his hands clasped.

    ¡°What!?¡± raged Jian Wei as his palm slammed onto the table beside him.

    ¡°How many have they amassed!?¡± He yelled in an angry tone.

    ¡°We are not sure my lord but our scouts say their forces should number three hundred thousand at the least, judging by the amount of tents and campfires that were discovered.¡± The young soldier replied.

    ¡°Hmph! Yan Li, make preparations. We must return to Aurora and repel the enemy. The remaining soldiers in Aurora will not be able to fight back such a large force. Zhang, I leave the duty of  conquering the Green Clover Province to you. I''ll provide you with one hundred thousand soldiers for you to command as you see fit.¡± Jian Wei said.

    Jian Wei had mobilized and brought three hundred thousand with him while leaving only one hundred thousand soldiers to defend Aurora.

    Originally, he planned to vastly overwhelm the enemies in the Green Clover Province because when accounting Zhang¡¯s soldiers, who returned from the Black Wind Province, and the soldiers Sima Yi had brought from the Red Mist Province their forces totaled four hundred eighty thousand men, which were more than enough to take over Green Clover City.

    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

    ¡°Of course, you can leave it to me.¡± Zhang said in a reassuring tone.

    ¡°Yea just leave it to us!¡± Ai said while puffing her chest out.

    ¡°Ahaha you''re as silly as ever..¡± Jian Wei laugh.

    Hearing this, a grin appeared on Ai¡¯s face as she stuck her tongue out playfully. However, it did not take long before a hand came chopping down on her head.

    ¡°Bad! Don''t do that to elders.¡± Yuying reprimanded Ai.

    ¡°But sis! He started it.¡± Ai whined childishly.

    Watching this, a broad smile appeared on Jian Wei¡¯s face. ¡°Perhaps it is because I''ve become old and have grown too fearful of the world. If only I can be like you three and look fear in the face and laugh.¡± he thought.

    But to be honest, it isn''t because Jian Wei had become fearful or not; it was just the simple fact that Zhang, Ai and Yuying did not register the fear of dying any moment in their minds, even if it was right before their eyes. As for Ling, her perspective on it was slowly and gradually changing to be like Zhang, Yuying and Ai.

    ==========================

    The next morning, as the sun peaked out from the horizon and blessed the earth with its warm rays, thousands of men dressed in white armor could be seen standing in neat rows.

    While Zhang and Jian Wei could be seen standing atop a hill overlooking the enormous camp below. Countless tent were visible from atop the hill and then there were the spiraling columns of smoke from the hundred of campfires used to cook meals. Lastly, were the sight of countless flags, fluttering against the wind.

    ¡°Zhang, take this and keep it safe.¡± Jian Wei said as he pulled out a familiar looking cube of jade and handed it to Zhang.

    ¡°The imperial seal of the Sai Empire. That is said to contain a map that leads to an artifact, which is rumored that can create or destroy an empire.¡± Zhang muttered as he held the delicate looking seal on his hand.

    ¡°Why are you handing this to me my lord?¡± Zhang asked as he looked up at Jian Wei.

    ¡°Damn it!! You¡¯re still calling me my lord?¡± Jian Wei said angrily while glaring at Zhang.

    ¡°Umm¡­ Foster father!¡± Zhang said cheerfully, remembering how often Jian Wei would yell at him about this issue.

    ¡°Good! I do not have a son nor will I probably have one. Zhang, I want you to know that I''ve come to consider you, my successor, as my one and only son. You can count it as the plea from a lonely old man who¡¯s trying to find someone to treat him as a family. But no matter what, it truly makes me happy for you to call me foster father. With that being said, I wished to hand the seal to you, the person I trust the most, because the trip back to Aurora will be a dangerous one.¡± Jian Wei said as he appeared to have aged ten years older right in front of Zhang¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°Foster father don¡¯t worry, what can those weaklings from the Heavenly Sword Army do when you''re back in Aurora. They couldn''t even fend us off here while having the advantage of being the ones defending.¡± Zhang said with a laugh trying to reassure Jian Wei.

    After chatting for a bit more, Jian Wei and Zhang headed back to the camp. It was time for Jian Wei to depart and rush back to Aurora.

    Once Jian Wei left with two hundred thousand soldiers in tow, Zhang returned to the commander''s tent and wrote a letter.

    ¡°Take thirty thousand soldiers and bring this letter to New Leaf City, deliver it to General Lu Xun.¡± Zhang said as he handed the letter to a soldier standing guard in front of the commander¡¯s tent.

    ¡°Thirty thousand soldiers to deliver a letter?¡± The soldier questioned thinking he misheard Zhang.

    ¡°Yes, thirty thousand and leave as soon as possible.¡± Zhang said then he went back inside the commander''s tent.

    ¡°Yes my lord!¡± The soldier said as he kneeled on one knee, grasping the letter in his hands. Soon, thirty thousand white armored soldiers departed from the camp, headed for New Leaf City.

    Inside the tent, Zhang was sitting beside the table with the map of Green Clover City on it; as he immersed himself, trying to come up with strategies to take over the city while suffering the least amount of casualties.

    While Zhang was busy studying the map, the flap of the tent raised.

    ¡°Sima Yi, come over here and see this strategy we will be using when attacking the city.¡± Zhang said without looking back.

    A perplexed look appeared on Sima Yi¡¯s face once Zhang called out his name.

    ¡°My lord if you don''t mind me asking, how did you know it was me who entered?¡± Sima Yi asked as he walked beside Zhang.

    ¡°Simple, there are only four people in this entire camp who can walk in here without being announced and that is you, Ling, Yuying and Ai.¡± Zhang said while looking down at the map.

    ¡°Then perhaps it could have been one of the three madams.¡± Sima Yi said, unsatisfied with Zhang¡¯s answer.

    ¡°How long do you think I''ve been with them? Not days, not months but years. I could recognize their scent the instant they entered the room.¡± Zhang said.

    ¡°Their scent?¡± Sima Yi asked with an even more confused face.

    ¡°Ling smells like freshly picked apples, Ai smells almost exactly like roses, despite the fact she carries around a whip made from the Queen of the Night. And lastly, Yuying smells just like chrysanthemums, the flower often representing death.¡± Zhang said as he remember the time he spent embracing the three girls.

    After hearing Zhang''s explanation and description of the three beauties, Sima Yi was dumbfounded. Lastly, the part about chrysanthemums representing death did not make sense to him.

    ¡°As expected of you my lord.¡± Sima Yi said deciding to stop the matter and focus on the more important things at hand.

    ¡°I suggest we trick the enemy into believing we have left to Aurora and when they are caught off guard, we strike.¡± Sima Yi suggested.

    ¡°Trick them into thinking we left?¡± Zhang asked.

    ¡°Yes my lord, if we can make them believe that we too have left, to defend Aurora, they wouldn''t know what was coming to them. If we moved to the east toward Aurora then move north and strike from the west of Green Clover City in the dead of night.¡± Sima Yi said as his fingers traced a path on the map on the table.

    ¡°That would take too long, we must finish here as quickly as possible and then aid Aurora.¡± Zhang interrupted while shaking his head.

    ¡°Then perhaps we can lure the enemy into opening the city gates.¡±

    ¡°How will we do that?¡± Zhang asked.

    ¡°We have plenty of suits of armor and banners from the Heavenly Sword Army, haven¡¯t we?¡± Sima Yi said with an evil smile as he picked up one of the iron statues off the map and placed them in front, where Green Clover City was.

    ¡°You''re saying we will pretend to be their reinforcements?¡±

    ¡°Exactly my lord! Exactly. If we can enter the city and secure a single gate, then the city is as good as ours.¡± Sima Yi confirmed as he placed an iron statue symbolizing the soldiers of Aurora inside the Green Clover City.

    ¡°Order the men to pack up and dismantle the camp! We are moving. I want armors and banners from the Heavenly Sword Army as many as possible! I don''t care if we have to strip off the corpses.¡± Zhang ordered to a soldier standing guard outside the tent as he walked out.

 Chapter 75: Deception

    Hello Readers been a few days since last post :D editors were busy cause you know they have lives too ._. How is everyone? I added more rewards and stuff to patreon check that O_O.

    https://www.patreon.com/iEndWorlds?ty=h

    Many thanks to Myles for his pledge. His character Ran Kaitou will probably show up after this arc :D

    Thanks: Nyx and faraonj for editing

    =====================================================================

    ¡°General Chao Chang! General Chao Chang!!!¡± A middle aged soldier with saggy eyes yelled as he knocked on a sturdy looking door.

    ¡°Buzz off!! I¡¯m trying to have some fun in here!¡± A deep, rough voice pantingly sounded from the other side of the door.

    ¡°But it is urgent general!¡± The middle aged man yelled.

    ¡°Speak and leave!¡± The deep voice inside sounded out once more.

    ¡°The soldiers of Aurora retreated after reinforcements from our Heavenly Sword Province arrived from the south!!¡± The man yelled cheerfully.

    ¡°What!!? Why didn¡¯t you tell me sooner!¡± The deep voice yelled with glee.

    ¡°Wait you said reinforcements? Didn¡¯t the correspondence from our lord say that the reinforcements would take about another month to arrive?¡± The deep voice said as the sturdy looking door crept open and an obese man dressed in a nightgown walked out. With each step this man took, his fat folds jiggled up and down.

    ¡°My lord we haven¡¯t finished our business yet.¡± A middle aged woman dressed in revealing clothes, stood partially hidden by the door panel, said in a teasing tone. This was the same women who had wrecked Lu Lingqi¡¯s life, the former madam of the city lord, Guo Meiyan.

    ¡°Get back in there. I¡¯ll accompany you later.¡± General Chao Chang said without looking back into the room.

    ¡°Hmph! If it was not for me then your plans wouldn¡¯t have gone so smoothly, and now you''re ignoring me?¡± Lady Guo Meiyan screamed.

    ¡°Tell me where these reinforcements are now.¡± General Chao Chang said to the middle aged soldier, totally ignoring Lady Guo Meiyan.

    ¡°My lord they are currently camped outside of the city, awaiting permission to enter.¡±

    ¡°Accompany me to the city walls.¡± General Chao Chang said as he reentered the bedroom to get dressed. Soon, he walked out fully dressed in purple armor with a saber hanging from his waist.

    ¡°Lets go.¡± General Chao Chang said as he made his way out of the provincial lord¡¯s mansion with the middle aged soldier.

    After they made their way through the city and arrived at the top of the city walls, creases appeared on General Chao Chang¡¯s brow.

    ¡°Zhuge Dan what are you doing here? Didn¡¯t I tell you to return home?¡± General Chao Chang said with a sneer.

    ¡°Hmph who are you to order me around? Our lord had specifically ordered me to stay here and make sure that everything goes smoothly.¡± General Zhuge Dan replied while glaring at General Chao Chang.

    ¡°Go smoothly? Didn¡¯t you fail to defend that measly city and ended up running with your tail between your legs?¡± General Chao Chang said mockingly.

    ¡°Generals I believe we have some more important business to attend to.¡± The middle aged soldier with saggy eyes said.

    ¡°Send a messenger out there and ask them to show us their Heavenly Sword emblem that every generals in the Heavenly Sword Army possess.¡± General Chao Chang ordered as his hand traced a sword shaped piece of jade dangling by his side of his waist.

    Moments later, the city gates parted and a lone rider charged out heading for an encampment built a short distance away from the city where he was led through a rows of tents. Wherever he went, he felt many watchful eyes spying on him from a distance.

    As he made his way toward a large tent, located in the center of the encampment, something caught his attention. Beside it was a mid-sized tent and from a sliver between the tent¡¯s flaps, he spotted three extremely beautiful women. But before he could admire their beauty, he was led into the large tent. Waiting there was a young man dressed in standard purple armor of the Heavenly Sword Army with a helmet covering his face seated on a chair behind the table.

    This young man was clearly someone of high social and military standing, so the lone rider took off his helmet to reveal a middle aged man with a long scar running across his face and then quickly saluted.

    ¡°Gong Jiang pay his respects to the general.¡± He said while bowing and clasping his hands.

    ¡°At ease.¡± A kind voice emitted into the messenger¡¯s ears.

    ¡°Have you come here to tell me that we have permission to enter the city?¡± The young man¡¯s kind voice sounded once more.

    ¡°I¡¯ve come with orders from General Chao Chang to verify that the general, you my lord, is in possession of the Heavenly Sword emblem.¡± The messenger replied respectfully.

    ¡°Ah yes! The Heavenly Sword emblem, I lost it on the trip here.¡± The young man said as he rose from the chair where he was seated and stood by the desk that was in front of him.

    ¡°Lost the Heavenly Sword emblem?¡± The messenger who had had a long history in the Heavenly Sword Amy muttered as he questioned the young man in front of him. The emblem was something that was given to every general of the Heavenly Sword Army, to lose it was punishable by death.

    ¡°Is there something wrong?¡± The young man asked, but the kind voice from before was no longer present and was replaced with an intimidating tone.

    Soon, a suffocating presence filled the air as the messenger knew that something was wrong and his answer would decide his fate.

    ¡°My lord there isn¡¯t anything wrong. I¡¯ll go back and inform General Chao Chang to let you enter  the city right away.¡± The messenger said hurriedly as beads of sweat formed on his forehead.

    ¡°Then would you like for some of me men to escort you back into the city? If you can wait a bit you¡¯ll arrange for an escort.¡± The young man replied with a smile on his face.

    ¡°It¡¯s not a problem at all my lord, General Chao Chang would reprimand me if I made him waiting.¡±

    ¡°But I insist. Once my men enter the city they can help explain the situation to General Chao Chang also.¡± The young man said.

    ¡°If you insist then I will wait a bit for the escort to be arranged..¡± The messenger said as he slowly backed out of the tent. He bolted for his trusty steed as to inform General Chao Chang not to allow the soldiers of this camp enter the city because there was a high chance that they were enemy soldiers.

    However, before he could make it to his horse, the sound of something cutting through the air could be heard. A dagger embedded itself into the messenger¡¯s back and pierced through his heart.

    ¡°He asked for you to wait a while...¡± A familiar voice sounded as Zhang walked out from the mid-sized tent.

    ¡°Brother, how we will have our way in now?¡± A young girl who smelled like chrysanthemum asked as she followed suit Zhang.

    ¡°That¡¯s simple, I¡¯ll open the gates while you, Ai and Ling command the soldiers to charge into the city once you see my signal.¡± Zhang said as he walked up towards the messenger¡¯s corpse, took off its armor and donned it.

    ¡°My lord that is too risky.¡± The young man who conversed with the messenger said as he walked out from the big tent and removed his helmet.

    ¡°Sima Yi ready the troops and alert our men positioned over the hill, I¡¯ll be needing you to help Yuying and Ling in commanding the army.¡± Zhang said as he hopped onto the messengers stallion and rode towards the Green Clover City dressed in the messenger¡¯s armor.

    As Zhang sped towards Green Clover City, the city gates slowly parted allowing him to enter.

    ¡°Gong Jiang you¡¯re back! Did everything go well?¡± One of the soldiers who had pushed open the gates greeted.

    ¡°Wai-wait you''re not Gong Jiang! Who are you!¡± The soldier shouted after taking a closer look at Zhang. From afar, it would be impossible to tell apart Zhang from Gong Jiang but up close, the two clearly had different built and height.

    A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    Without saying a word, Zhang¡¯s halberd appeared in his hand. After the Sky Piercer was withdrawn from his interspatial ring, Zhang jumped off from his horse and began slaughtering the soldiers by the city gates.

    ¡°Enemy attack! Enemy attack!¡± A loud shriek sounded as Zhang¡¯s halberd sunk itself into the soldier¡¯s back.

    ¡°Without further ado.¡± Zhang murmured as a flare appeared on his hands. A green light embellished the sky and the sound of thousand horses charging forth shook the ground.

    ¡°Who dares to attack when I¡¯m here!?¡± A deep voice rang out from atop the city walls. Moments later a small crater was formed as General Chao Chang could be seen jumping down from the city gates and landed a short distance from Zhang.

    ¡°I dare!¡± Zhang roared as two chained daggers appeared on his hands. With a thought, the two daggers floated and shot through the air. However, their target was not Chao Chang but rather the hinges of the city gates.

    A loud bang could be heard as the daggers struck the hinges sideways and smashed into the stone walls.

    Seeing what Zhang was trying to do, Chang Chao rushed forward, withdrawing his saber from it¡¯s scabbard. ¡°As if I¡¯ll let you do that!¡± He roared as he lifted his saber and slashed downward.

    ¡°Hmph!¡± Zhang snorted as the chains attached to the two daggers shortened, pulling him back. With a yank, Zhang pulled the two daggers out from the stone walls and shot them at the two remaining hinges on the city gates.

    However, only one of the daggers was able to hit it¡¯s target, the other  was stopped when Chao Chang¡¯s saber flew out of his hand and knocked the dagger to the ground.

    ¡°One out of two is all I need.¡± Zhang said with a smile as one of the gates fell over and smashed onto its counterpart causing both of them to slam onto the ground.

    ¡°Damn...¡± General Chang Chao cursed.If he had been able to stop Zhang, then there was a chance of closing the city gates and defending the city from the top of the walls. But now, with the gates laying on the ground, there was no need for Zhang¡¯s soldiers to siege the city, they would just simply rode their way in and began rampaging.

    ¡°Once your soldiers enter the city, they won¡¯t be coming out alive.¡± A voice sounded out. General Zhuge Dan could be seen slowly descending from the top of the city walls, floating downwards to be exact.

    ¡°You!!¡± Zhang yelled once he saw Zhuge Dan. But then a thought ran across his mind and a smile once more appeared on his face. ¡°Was running away from my fiance once not enough?¡± Zhang sneered as the rumbling sound of thousand hooves came closer and closer.

    Hearing Zhang¡¯s words a frown appeared on Zhuge Dan¡¯s face.

    ¡°On a second thought they won¡¯t be entering the city! I¡¯ll make sure every last one of them dies before they set foot inside.¡± Zhuge Dan roared as gusts of wind blew.

    Blasts of wind sent the two huge iron city gates spiraling at Zhang¡¯s soldiers who were about to enter the city. Screams sounded as dozens of soldiers and  horses were being crushed by the heavy iron gates.

    Suddenly a loud bang resounded and the screaming ceased.

    The soldiers of the Heavenly Sword Army who were watching from above were completely dumbfounded. They saw the two iron gates spiraled through the air and smashed into dozens of soldiers dressed in the standard armor of the Heavenly Sword Army.

    When suddenly, a young woman with long silky black hair appeared atop of fiery steed with a black whip on hand. Amazingly, with two strikes from her whip, the two iron gates were  smashing back into the city walls.

    ¡°Charge!!! Secure the city gate!!¡±  yelled Sima Yi as he could be seen in the center of the cavalry with a sword in his hands, still dressed in the same purple armor without the helm..

    Hearing his words, many of the Zhang¡¯s soldiers once more began charging toward Green Clover City.

    Seeing this, Zhuge Dan sneered as he looked up toward the walls and yelled, ¡°Skew them with arrows! Soon, thousands of arrows were shot into the sky by the soldiers atop the walls.

    To Zhang¡¯s soldiers below, it was as if night had descended due to the countless arrows blocking out the sun¡¯s warm rays. In part, this was also due to the large number of clouds floating in the sky.

    ¡°Yu Squad fall to the rear and ready your aim the rest of you, raise your shields!¡± Sima Yi ordered calmly to the former disciples of Yu Sect. Instantly, a portion of the soldiers under Zhang¡¯s command split off and move behind while the rest equipped the shields hanging from the side of their horses and raised them into the air.

    A rhythmic melody sounded out as the arrows hit the iron shields. It sounded as if a heavy rain was tapping against the shields of Aurora¡¯s soldiers as they made their way toward Green Clover City.

    ¡°Make sure to shield your horses!¡± Sima Yi reminded as he rode forth. This was because if the horses under them were pelted by arrows the soldiers mounted would most likely end up being trampled to death by their comrades. Falling onto the ground. fully dressed in armor with horses all around you, definitely would not end well.

    ¡°If arrows can¡¯t stop you then how about this!¡± Zhuge Dan yelled as he could be seen flying in the air. Moments later, dozens of horses and soldiers were split into bloody pieces and splattered onto the ground.

    From the entrance to the city, rage filled Zhang¡¯s eyes as he watched Zhuge Dan slaughtered his men and soon, essence gathered on his fingers and lightning began to crackle; but before Zhang could launch his attack a blade came by swinging to his head.

    ¡°Your opponent is me!¡± Chao Chang bellowed as his saber left a faint trail of blood on Zhang¡¯s neck.

    Zhang clicked his tongue as he gave up stopping Zhuge Dan and focused his attention on Chao Chang. ¡°I¡¯ll just have to hope Yuying, Ai and Ling can work together and kill that bastard.¡± He thought as blood lust emitted from his body which suffocated the area around him.

    ¡°Your surprisingly fast for someone who¡¯s so fat.¡± Zhang snickered trying to provoke Chao Chang into action.

    ¡°Your pretty strong for someone with such a puny build.¡± Chao Chang said without reacting violently upon hearing Zhang¡¯s provocations.

    ¡°You forgot fast!¡± Zhang yelled as he jumped into the air and withdrew the ten dragon talon throwing knives from his interspatial ring and launched them at Chao Chang.

    ¡°You think these playthings can harm me?¡± Chao Chang laughed as he swung his sword at the throwing knives, however upon their clash, his saber snapped and a large portion of it spun through the air before embedding itself into the ground.

    Using this opportunity, Zhang  lunged his halberd at Chao Chang¡¯s heart. Seeing Zhang¡¯s intention Chao Chang shot the broken saber at Zhang as he hopped back to avoid being ran through by the Sky Piercer halberd in Zhang¡¯s hand.

    ¡°Guess I¡¯ll have to use this sword.¡± Chao Chang said as a long black blade appeared on his hands.

    While Zhang and Chao Chang fought without either person gaining an advantage; outside the city walls, a tall pillar of blood was erected with Ling standing on top.

    ¡°With so little water you think you can defeat me?¡± Zhuge Dan snickered as he gazed at Ling.

    ¡°Not with this amount of water but with that amount.¡± Ling said as she pointed up at a large cluster of clouds. Soon these clouds condensed into large blobs of water that flew to where Ling was and turned into hundreds of icy needles.

    ¡°Die!¡± Ling yelled as the hundreds of icy needles short forth at Zhuge Dan.

    But with a wave of his hand, Zhuge Dan changed the direction of the ice needles and made them shot elsewhere.

    Suddenly loud yells outside of the city could be heard in the distance. ¡°For Lord Lu Gong!!¡± The voices yelled.

    =====================================================================

    ¡°Your pretty strong for someone with such a puny build. [Do you even lift?¡±] Chao Chang said. Lmao I wanted to add that part but decided not to lol. So I should have a few more chapters to post today :D

 Chapter 76: Unexpected Outcome

    I''m back! Here''s another chapter O_o perhaps there is more?

    https://www.patreon.com/iEndWorlds?ty=h

    Thanks Alec/Hyou for proofing

    ==================================================================

    Chapter 76: Unexpected Outcome

    Written by: IEndWorlds

    As the soldiers of the Heavenly Sword Army continued firing barrage after barrage of arrows at the soldiers of Aurora approaching the walls, they spotted hundreds of green flags with white clovers sewn onto them off in the distance. These were the standard flags of the Green Clover Army.

    Thousands of men donning green armor  were steadily marching toward Green Clover City on foot. At the forefront was a man sitting atop a red horse with a guandao in hand. Any citizen of Green Clover City would instantly recognize this man as Guan Yu, the general in charge of protecting the northern region of the Green Clover Province.

    ¡°For Lord Lu Gong!¡± Guan Yu roared as he lead his men toward Green Clover City.

    Seeing the green flags and thousands of soldiers in green armor, creases appeared on Zhuge Dan¡¯s forehead.

    ¡°What are they doing here¡­That woman should have already suppressed any general against us in the province.¡± He muttered.

    ¡°Hmph whatever the more that come, the more I will kill.¡± He thought as wind began spiraling around his body.

    Moments later a miniature tornado formed in Zhuge Dan¡¯s palm and swirled down onto the ground where it exponentially grew in size. This tornado spun toward the Green Clover Army at high speeds threatening to shred everything in its path.

    A short distance from Zhuge Dan, a glint appeared in Ling¡¯s eyes as she saw the opportunity to strike. Zhuge Dan had held the advantage throughout her entire fight with him due to the volume of water that was available for her use. But now that his attention was focused elsewhere, Ling could possibly overwhelm him with a surprise attack.

    ¡°Dark Nimbus.¡± Ling mumbled and moments later all of the water on the battlefield rose to the sky and formed ominous black clouds. Soon a heavy rain began to descend upon a small section of the battlefield.

    ¡°You''ve ran out of tricks?¡± Zhuge Dan mocked as countless water droplets trickled down from the sky.

    ¡°Eternal Frost!¡± Ling yelled as the entire area where Zhuge Dan was became covered in a thin layer of ice.

    The rain beside Zhuge Dan turned into hundreds of small ice needles as a layer of ice covered his body. After being completely covered  by ice, Zhuge Dan¡¯s body began to fall from the sky.

    ¡°Die!¡± Ling yelled as the hundreds of ice needles shot toward Zhuge Dan¡¯s icy body.

    But before the ice needles could  strike their target, cracks began forming on the layer of ice that coated Zhuge Dan¡¯s body and a burst of wind sent shards of ice flying everywhere.

    ¡°Had I not clad myself in wind perhaps that would have been my end.¡± Zhuge Dan murmured as he shot a glare at Ling.

    While Ling and Zhuge Dan faced off in the air the soldiers of Aurora had made their way into the city after riding passed Zhang who was engaged in battle with Chao Chang. Once inside they engaged in battle with  the soldiers of the Heavenly Sword Army.

    ¡°Brat you''re pretty good as dodging.¡± Chao Chang snickered at Zhang as blood dripped from the saber in his hand.

    The two had been in deadlock without either of them gaining the upper hand but Chao Chang¡¯s strikes clearly contained much more power than Zhang¡¯s. Meaning as the battle raged on it was more likely Chao Chang would gain the upper hand.

    To make things worse, the black blade in Chao Chang¡¯s hands was able to barely slice through the scales of the Lightning Eater armor Zhang was wearing. After every exchange of blows faint trails of blood appeared on both men.

    ¡°Luckily, wars are not won by a single men but by armies.¡± Zhang chuckled as he dodged one of Chap Chang''s slashes.

    ¡°Perhaps, but a dragon without a head is a dragon without a purpose!¡± Chao Chang roared as he continued wildly swinging his sword.

    While Zhang and Chao Chang battled on, yelling could be heard coming from the tops of the city walls.

    ¡°Quickly bring out the ballistas!¡± Some soldiers of the Heavenly Sword Army yelled.

    The reason why Chao Chang had to go through all of the trouble of sending his concubine Guo Meiyan to infiltrate Green Clover city was due to these ballista. The Green Clover province did not have a strong army nor natural defense but they had hundreds of ballista stored away to defend their capital city. Of course, this information was not widely known. Even the majority of the citizens who lived in the province themselves didn¡¯t know.

    Had the Heavenly Sword Province not sent hundreds of spies into the Green Clover Province, they most likely would have not known either.

    Each and every ballista used large bolts the size of spears tipped with mythril which could punch through just about any kind of armor.

    Soon, rumbling sounded out as hundreds of ballista were rolled out onto the top of the city walls. Luckily Zhang had launched a surprise attack or else his army could have been wiped out before reaching the walls of the city.

    Moments later hundreds of bolts were shot downward from the city walls striking indiscriminately  impaling  friend and foe. A few unlucky commoners were even caught in the crossfire as the bolts shot through the walls of their homes.

    ¡°Ride into the alleyways!¡± Sima Yi ordered as a spear sized bolt nearly pierced into the side of his horse.

    ¡°Shit... I need to get out of here.¡± Zhang thought as dozens of bolts flew past him.

    ¡°Where do you think your going?¡± Chao Chang laughed as he pursued Zhang.

    ¡°Chase after someone who isn''t the same gender!¡± A voice belonging to a woman rang out as a black whip lashed out at Chao Chang.

    Using his saber Chao Chang hacked away at the onslaught of whip lashes directed toward him. Soon bits and pieces of the black whip littered the ground underneath where Chao Chang stood.

    ¡°Bind!¡± Ai yelled as the pieces of whip on the ground extended and shot out at Chao Chang.

    ¡°What is this!?¡± Chao Chang yelled as black vines coiled around his body.

    ¡°Get him brother!¡± Ai yelled cheerfully as her whip bound Chao Chang to the ground.

    Zhang turned toward Ai to shoot her a smile but soon a face full of fear appeared. It was as if time slowed down as he ran toward her. Seconds became minutes, minutes became hours as he inched toward her.

    Ai watched as Zhang franticly made his way toward her. Turning her head toward the side she could see a large green tipped ballista bolt speeding toward her. But sadly the bolt was moving too fast and was already too close for her to dodge.

    Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.

    In an instant her world turned upside down as she felt gentle hands shove her out of the bolt¡¯s path.

    Boom!

    Ai sat on the ground in a daze as a cloud of dust blocked her vision. Moments later she could see the shaft of bolt sticking out of Zhang¡¯s back where his heart should be through his pitch black cape as he pinned to the ground.

    ¡°Nooo!¡± Ai wailed as two streams of tears formed on her delicate face.

    ¡°Guess I¡¯ll be seeing father in law a bit sooner..¡± Zhang said with his face facing the ground as he coughed up mouthfuls of blood. After his last words Zhang¡¯s head dropped to the ground lifelessly.

    Yuying who was commanding soldiers with Sima Yi stood lifeless as she saw the events that had transpired unfold. Soon her legs gave out from under her as if she did not possess an ounce of power left in her entire body causing her to fall to the ground onto her knees.

    Outside of the city Ling and Zhuge Dan were still at each other¡¯s necks using technique after technique trying to obliterate their opponent. But as long as Ling had water she could cancel out Zhuge Dan¡¯s attacks and the same went for Zhuge Dan who could repel Ling¡¯s attacks as long as he had wind at his disposal.

    As Ling was channeling essence in her hand preparing to unleash another technique against her enemy she a felt a slight tug on her pinky finger. The red thread that was only visible to her and connected her to Zhang, blew loosely in the wind as if it¡¯s other end was no longer connected to anything and turned black and colorless.

    ¡°It can¡¯t be¡­.¡± Ling murmured, she felt as if a hard lump was blocking her throat while tears began gathering at the corner of her eyes. Ling abandoned her battle with Zhuge Dan and the column of water she was standing on sped toward Green Clover City.

    ¡°Where do you think your going!?¡± Zhuge Dan roared as blades of wind formed around him, ready to be fired at Ling. However that instant when he gathered his essence Zhuge Dan coughed up a mouth full of blood.

    ¡°Damn¡­ That damage from the lightning still hasn¡¯t completely healed and this fight has been taking it¡¯s toll on me.¡± He muttered as he lowered himself to the ground.

    Moments later the column of water Ling rode out splashed over the tops of Green Clover City¡¯s walls. Looking down Ling saw a terrifying scene below.

    ¡°Brother!!¡± She screamed as she descended to the ground to where Zhang was laying lifeless. Ai was still sitting on the ground as if she was a puppet with cut strings as two trails of tears stained her face. Yuying was also at the same spot she had been while kneeling on the ground lifelessly.

    ¡°Wake up! Wake up! You promised you¡¯d never leave me again!¡± Ling yelled as she pushed and tugged at Zhang¡¯s lifeless body that was nailed to the ground by the large ballista bolt.

    ¡°Young lord!¡± Many soldiers yelled as they realized that their master was lying on the ground lifeless.

    ¡°Protect the madams! Kill those bastard and avenge the young lord!¡± Sima Yi roared in rage. As he looked at where Zhang laid, Sima Yi could not help but remember back to when he and Zhang had met in Red Mist City and how if it was not for Zhang he would most likely still be a beggar or dead on the streets in Red Mist City.

    ¡°Kill them! Kill them all!!¡± He continued yelling as he withdrew his sword from it¡¯s scabbard and madly charged that the soldiers of the Heavenly Sword Army.

    Many of Zhang¡¯s soldiers also fell into a frenzy and began slash wildly at their foes. If their swords broke they used their fists, if their fists failed they would use their teeth. This caused the soldiers of the Heavenly Sword Army to be stricken with fear.

    ¡°Retreat! Retreat! They¡¯ve gone mad!¡± A few of the soldiers of the Heavenly Sword Army screamed as they dropped their weapons and ran away.

    But as madness filled the battlefield a painful laugh sounded out. Ai could be seen laughing madly as she got to her feet. ¡°If brother is dead then you¡¯ll all accompany him.¡± Ai said in a shrill and pained voice as a long thin sword appeared in her delicate hand.

    The moments later the area was filled with screams as Ai as if possessed by death itself charged at soldiers of the Heavenly Sword Army and hacked them limb from limb. Despite pleading and begging none were spared as Ai rampaged.

    Chao Chang could be seen fighting his way up to the top of the city walls after he witnessed Zhang being impaled by the ballista bolt. This was because he had deemed that since Zhang was gone his biggest priority was to secure the top of the walls and use the ballista to annihilate as many of Zhang¡¯s soldiers as possible before the remnants of the Green Clover Army reached the city.

    Suddenly a mixture of screeching and howling filled the air for an instant. As everyone''s gazes focused on where the sounds were coming from they could see a terrifying dark aura enveloping Zhang¡¯s lifeless body. Following this a purple colored crystal shaped like a heart flew out from beneath Zhang¡¯s armor and into the air. Once in the air the one item that Zhang took from the Underworld emitted a dazzling light as a purple aura overlapped with the black aura and enveloped his body.

    Then something miraculous occurred when the purple crystal shaped heart began spinning in the air and then shot down at Zhang¡¯s lifeless body and drilled into his body. Afterward the purple aura faded away leaving only the terrifying black aura.

    Ling was dumbfounded while she sat on the ground beside Zhang¡¯s corpse once they events had begun. But then to her amazement the black and colorless loose strand of thread tied to her finger regained it¡¯s beautiful red color and then as if it had a mind of it¡¯s own coiled around Zhang¡¯s finger.

    After this Zhang¡¯s body began pushing himself up from the ground and onto it¡¯s feet. Then his hands gripped the bolt that had pinned him to the ground and inch by inch pulled it out of his body. A pond of blood formed beneath Zhang¡¯s feet once the spear sized bolt was pulled loose from his body leaving a gaping hole in Zhang and his armor. Once the spear was taken out Zhang tossed it onto the ground as he fell to his knees and began coughing up mouthfuls of blood. Moments later a purple light appeared and in an instant the gaping hole in Zhang¡¯s chest was no more.

    While looking a Zhang with a tear stained face, Ling felt a gentle hand hands wipe away her tears.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t lie, did I?¡± She heard as she felt the warm hands caress her petite face.

    By now silence had filled the entire battlefield as all eyes were focused on the miracle that had occurred. Well of course besides a few screams and pleas for mercy from those unfortunate people who were being hacked to death by Ai.

    After wiping off the tears from Ling¡¯s face Zhang stood up as his pitch black cape was draped over his shoulders its ends fluttered in the air. Each and every gaze was soon drawn to Zhang¡¯s cape as everyone felt something was looking back at them from within his cape. Moments later dozens of eyes that did not belong to humans appeared on the black cape staring back at the onlookers from the darkness.

    The black aura enveloping Zhang¡¯s body then shot forth encompassing a large area around him creating a black mist which blocked everything from sight. It was as if an endless abyss had been formed right in front of everyone¡¯s eyes. Once more the howling and screeching was audible as pitch black colored beasts of all shapes and sized walked out from the black mist.

    Lightning Eater snakes crawled out from the darkness and towered over the city walls, Voracious Eater Lions jumped out from the black mist and pounced on soldiers of the Heavenly Sword Army, while packs of One Eyed Hell Hounds tore their victims limb from limb as they charged out from the mist.

 Chapter 77: Sweet Revenge

    With minor edits/proofing. People were busy so I will repost later with edits.

    ============================================================================

    From the dark mist emitted from Zhang¡¯s cape hundreds of shadowy black colored demonic beasts appeared. Lightning Eaters, Voracious Eaters, Titanic Spiders, Frost Apes, Jade Leopards, Hell Hounds, and even undead corpses. Every monster that Zhang had encountered thus far began crawling out from the depths of darkness, filling the streets with terrifying roars and howls.

    ¡°Th-this has to be a nightmare¡± The soldiers of the Heavenly Sword Army thought as threw down their weapons and ran for their lives as the abyssal beasts charged at them.

    ¡°Soldiers of the Heavenly Sword Army aim and prepare to fire!¡± Chao Chang ordered to his men manning the ballistae atop the walls.

    But before Chao Chang could give the order dozens of abyssal titanic spiders crawled up the walls and pounced on him pinning him to the ground. However, they could not keep him down for long because moments later Chao Chang roared and hacked away at the abyssal titanic spiders. After a single slash from Chao Chang the abyssal titanic spiders turned to particles of black dust and blew away with the wind.

    ¡°Attack! They are not as strong as they seem!¡± Chao Chang desperately yelled as his army was being one sidedly slaughtered as they abandoned their weapons and ran away.

    As Chao Chang was trying to get his soldiers to stop fleeing an arrow fly passed his face. Once he turned toward the direction where the arrow came from he saw a beautiful young woman with long black hair.

    ¡°Chao Chang prepare to die!¡± The woman¡¯s song like voice yelled.

    A distance away atop the tiled roof of a dinner stood a beautiful young woman that Zhang befriended on a lonely night, Lu Lingqi. She had been hiding in the shadows trying to find an opportunity to get revenge for her father but when ballista bolt pierced through Zhang¡¯s armor she like Ai, Ling, and Yuying feel into a state of disbelief. But after Zhang got back to her feet she steeled herself was decided it was time to appear and try to claim Chao Chang¡¯s life.

    ¡°Ahaha if it isn¡¯t the daughter of the late provincial lord, Lu Lingqi, so I take it you¡¯ve come to get revenge for that old buffoon?¡± Chao Chang mocked as he looked at Lu Lingqi who had an arrow knocked in her bow.

    ¡°Shoot. I dare you! Ahahaha who do you think I am? I¡¯m Chao Chang general of fifty thousand men of the Heavenly Sword Army. You think your arrows can kill me? A cultivator at the seventh level?¡± Chao Chang sneered as he tapped the flat side of his sword against his armor.

    It did not take long before Lu Lingqi released the arrow in her hand and sent it spiraling toward Chao Chang. The arrow pierced through the air and came closer and closer toward its target. It was as if time had slowed to a standstill as Lu Lingqi stood praying for her arrow to hit its mark and grant her release from the ill fate of an avenger.

    But of course fate has its own ways of playing out. Lu Lingqi¡¯s arrow made its way inches in front of the center of Chao Chang¡¯s brow before he extended his hand and plucked it from the air.

    ¡°Like father like daughter¡­ Both shall meet their end in my hands. Or shall I say like mother like daughter. Ahahaha.¡± Chao Chan laughed wildly as he snapped the arrow in his hand into two.

    ¡°Fool!¡± Lu Lingqu yelled as she also began laughing hysterically.

    Hearing Lu Lingqi¡¯s laugh made a sense of unease creep into Chao Chang¡¯s heart. ¡°Why is she laughing? Why?¡± He questioned as he continued listening to Lu Lingqu laugh. Suddenly he felt a burning sensation in his hands. When looking down Chao Chang saw that the skin on his hands had turned completely purple and his veins had visibly turned black.

    ¡°What did you do!? What did you do!?¡± Chao Chang yelled our horrified as he continued looking at his hands.

    It did not take long for the skin on his entire arm to turn purple. It was clear that whatever was happening to him was spreading to the rest of his body.

    ¡°Have you heard of a plant called Midnight¡¯s Glory? This certain plant flower only blooms every five years and only for five days before it withers away. But if one is able to collect its nectar and mix it with the nectar another flower called the Wolfsbane the two creates an extremely toxic poison called the Devil¡¯s Brew. Perhaps I coated a little on a certain arrow that a certain someone caught. Also perhaps this is the only cure for that poison right here.¡± Lu Lingqi said as she produced a small jade bottle in her hand.

    ¡°Give it to me! Give me the cure!¡± Chao Chang plead as he jumped off the city walls onto the roof of a building trying to make his way toward the building that Lu Lingqi was standing on top of.

    ¡°You want this?¡± Lu Lingqi said as she held out the jade bottle loosely.

    ¡°Don¡¯t drop it!¡± Chao Chang screamed as he landed on the roof where Lu Lingqi stood.

    ¡°Opps¡­¡±

    The small jade bottle fell out of Lu Lingqi¡¯s hand and landed on a clay tile and rolled off the roof of the building and smashed onto the stone paved road below. Splattering a clear liquid everywhere.

    ¡°Perhaps if you can lick up enough of it you¡¯ll be cured.¡± She laughed as she sat down atop the tiled roof to enjoy the look on Chao Chang¡¯s face.

    When faced with life or death Chao Chang did not hesitate and jumped off the roof of the building on the ground where he began licking the spilling contents of the jade bottle off the dirty ground.

    ¡°Ahaha how the mighty has fallen. The great general of fifty thousand Heavenly Sword Army soldiers reduced to licking the ground beneath me like a pig.¡± Lu Lingqi laughed hysterically.

    ¡°I wonder what this pig will do when he finds out the bottle was filled with water I used to wash my feet.¡± She added as a devilish grin appeared on her face.

    ¡°You! I¡¯ll rip you to pieces!!¡± Chao Chang roared in rage as the poison ate away at his body. Angrily he jumped into the air trying to get back to the roof of the building but before he could he felt an otherworldly pain strike the core of his being.

    ¡°Ah yes I forgot to mention the Devil¡¯s Brew has a very particular side effect. After a roughly five minutes whoever is affected by this poison loses all ability to control the essence in their body. Although I must say it was quite hard to acquire the small batch that I did... but it was very worth it. Perhaps that whore and her children will enjoy it like you have too general.¡± Lu Lingqu said as she watched Chao Chang roll about on the in pain.

    While Lu Lingqi was relishing in her success at partially gaining revenge the battle to claim the city raged on.

    By now, the remnants of the Green Clover City had reached the city and joined the soldiers of Aurora in battle. After Chao Chang demise and Zhuge Dan¡¯s having disappeared after Ling abandoned their battle entered the city, the soldiers of the Heavenly Sword Army were left without a leader and fell into complete disarray. To make things worse, hundreds of abyssal beasts rampaged through the city aiding the soldiers of Aurora and the soldiers of the Green Clover Army. One could say despite many casualties on both sides the war had become one sided.

    If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.¡°Kill the dogs of the Heavenly Sword Army! Avenge Lord Lu Gong!!¡± Guan Yu could be seen yelling while cutting down soldier after soldier of the Heavenly Sword Army.

    ¡°Charge the walls! Take control of the ballistae!¡± Sima Yi ordered as he pulled his sword loose from a freshly made corpse. Despite being a strategist Sima Yi was actually very skilled with swordplay and possessed a cultivation of the fifth level.

    Green Clover city became a bloodbath as a sea of blood stained the stone paved streets. Blood stained swords dripping with blood laid abandoned on the ground as their owners either fled or were slain in battle.

    Ai could still be seen crazily hacking away at fleeing soldiers. Her hair was disheveled as she charged forth. This was of course until a gentle hand pulled her into a warm embrace.

    ¡°It¡¯s okay now. Everything will be fine.¡± A tender voice rang out her in ears restoring her sanity. It did not take long for Ai to begin sobbing happily in Zhang¡¯s embrace. Yuying and Ling were standing side by side a short distance away with faint remnants of tears still visible on their tender faces.

    While Zhang and Ai stood motionless in the middle of the battlefield a respectful yelled sounded out. ¡°My lord! Lord Strategist told me to inform you that we¡¯ve taken control of the ballistae atop the city walls!¡± A soldier yelled out to Zhang.

    ¡°Good, I want as many men stationed atop the walls as possible manning those ballistae. We don¡¯t know what those men from the Green Clover Army will do once our common enemy is gone.¡± Zhang said as he stroked Ai¡¯s head trying to reassure her everything was okay.

    ¡°Yes my lord!¡± The soldier said as he ran off.

    Once Zhang¡¯s men occupied the city walls the soldiers of the Heavenly Sword Army became cornered and retreated to the inner city. Just like New Leaf City the inner city of Green Clover City had its own set of walls where the soldiers of the Heavenly Sword Army were making their final stand.

    Rows of men stood atop the inner city walls with fear tearing away at their sanity. They knew survival was but a hopeless dream but of course it was a dream that every single one of them prayed came true. Sadly, these dreams were crushed almost in an instant with dozens of jade bottles were thrown up the inner city walls and splashed black colored liquid everywhere.

    Soon this black liquid began to bubble and turn into smoke. Smoke continued to be released from the small jade bottles until every inch atop the inner city walls was covered. A whiff of this black smoke caused hundreds of the Heavenly Sword Army soldiers above the walls to wall to the floor as white foam spewed out of their mouths.

    Without even a chance at resisting everything single man atop the inner city walls had met their demise.

    ¡°At least I granted you all a quick and painless death. But those three will not be so lucky.¡± Lu Lingqi mumbled as she waited for Zhang¡¯s soldiers or the soldiers of the Green Clover army to approach and break down the inner city gates so she could kill the mother and daughters that ruined her life.

    She did not have to wait long before thousands of soldiers clad in green armor reached the inner city gates. Seeing a familiar face Lu Lingqu decided to exit the shadows.

    ¡°General Guan Yu!¡± She yelled out remember how frequent Guan Yu had visited her home before Guo Meiyan talked her father into relocating him to the northern region of the province.

    Hearing Lu Lingqi¡¯s voice Guan Yu turned around. ¡°Someone escort this young lady to a safe place! This is no place to be lounging about!¡± He yelled. To him who did not recognize Li Lingqi, thought that she was the daughter of some noble family and of course this was no place for a young woman to be without any guards.

    But without saying a word Lu Lingqi pulled out a jade medallion from her pocket.

    ¡°General Guan Yu could it be that you''ve forgotten about me? After all of the times you came to visit.¡± Lu Lingqi said with a pout.

    The instant Guan Yu saw this medallion and heard Lu Lingqi¡¯s words he kneeled on the ground on one knee.

    ¡°My lady.¡± He said as he clasped his hands. Soon all of the soldiers behind Guan Yu followed his example and paid their respects to Lu Lingqu.

    Despite being manipulated by Guo Meiyan after marrying her, Lu Lingqu¡¯s father Lu Gong had always been a kind ruler who many choose to pledge their loyalty to. But of course many of these loyalist had been disposed of by the spies of the Heavenly Sword Province leaving but a handful of men who they could not get to.

    Guan Yu being one of these men. He had too much military influence and his cultivation was fairly high so the spies of the Heavenly Sword Province could not get rid of him. The only thing they could accomplish was moving him away from the capital. But once Guan Yu made it to the northern regions his influence expanded exponentially.

    ¡°My lady after I left I heard that you had an accident and you were disfigured and that you died along Lord Lu Gong.¡± Guan Yu asked perplexedly.

    ¡°I managed to escape from the mansion on the night that that woman led the soldiers of the Heavenly Sword Army into the city and hid myself. As for my face perhaps I''ll tell you another time. Now our priority is to capture that woman and get revenge for my father and mother.¡± Lu Lingqi said.

    ¡°Yes mi lady. Knock down the gates and surround the inner city!¡± Guan Yu commanded.

    Due to not having siege weapons Guan Yu¡¯s men knocked down an empty house and took brought out a large wooden pillar from the rubble.

    Using the wooden pillar as a siege ram Guan Yu¡¯s men began pounding away at the inner city gate. As they smashed the wooden pillar into the inner city gates hundreds of soldiers clad in black armor marched forth behind them.

    Leading these hundreds of black armored soldiers was Zhang and the three beauties along with Sima Yi. It was evident that after almost losing Zhang the three beauties were very much afraid of losing him for good thus clung to him as he walked.

    ¡°Brother Zhang!¡± Lu Lingqi¡¯s angelic voice rang out. Hearing Lu Lingqi¡¯s voice the three beauties by Zhang¡¯s side instantly looked.

    ¡°Who is she?¡± Yuying questioned as she hugged Zhang''s arm tightly.

    ¡°Yea you got some explaining to do brother.¡± Ai said poking her head out between Yuying and Zhang.

    Clinging to Zhang''s right arm was Ling who was muttering to herself inaudibly.

    ¡°Damn more competition. Don''t tell me it''s another princess from hell¡­¡± Ling muttered as she looked at Lu Lingqi stopping as her gaze reached Lu Lingqi¡¯s well-endowed chest then looking at her own well-endowed chest.

    After a sigh Ling inaudibly mumbled to herself ¡°it''s okay Ling. It''s okay you were here first. Still number one. Always number one.¡±

 Chapter 78: Venomous

    Chapter 78: Venomous

    Written by: IEndWorlds

    Edit/Proof: Nyx/Kevin

    It''s Tuesday!! Atleast for me it is lol so here goes O_O

    https://www.patreon.com/iEndWorlds?ty=h

    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    ¡°Brother!!!¡± Lu Lingqi yelled as she ran towards Zhang with open arms.

    ¡°My lady, what are you doing? They are the enemy!¡± Guan Yu was confused as he grabbed Lu Lingqi¡¯s wrist, keeping her from running to Zhang.

    ¡°Lingqi long time no see. I''ve come back to listen to your singing.¡± Zhang said with a smile. Suddenly, a burning pain was felt on his arm, looking down he could see Yuying pinching his arm with her long nails.

    ¡°Didn''t I ask you who she is?¡± Yuying said as she glared at Zhang.

    ¡°She is a friend.¡± He casually replied to her, trying to ignore the pain from her pinch.

    ¡°Brother you remember me?¡± Lu Lingqi said cheerfully.

    ¡°Of course I do.¡±

    ¡°I guess... how could you even forget when we both fell into the water and went back to my room to dry ourselves.¡± Lu Lingqi said with blushing cheeks.

    ¡°To her room?¡± Yuying said as two raging flames ignited in her eyes.

    ¡°My lord is that perhaps another one of your madams?¡± Sima Yi asked purposely trying to stir trouble for Zhang.

    ¡°Ah ha ha¡­.. how could I forget, but we didn''t really do anything.¡± Zhang said while laughing awkwardly as he cursed Sima Yi in his mind.

    ¡°Didn''t do anything? Didn''t we do that for hours?¡± Lu Lingqi said as she remembered how she and Zhang talked and sang under the moonlight for hours.

    Three ominous glares locked onto Zhang after these words left Lu Lingqi¡¯s mouth.

    Not knowing what he could say to get out of this situation, Zhang decided to go with the best strategy for situations such as this.

    ¡°Oh look! Soldiers of the Heavenly Sword Army!¡± Zhang yelled as he pointed to the top of the inner city walls.

    After shouting, Zhang sprinted towards the inner city gates as a thick black mist shot out from his cape. A huge abyssal Lightning Eater appeared under his feet which towered over the inner city walls. Zhang could be seen jumping off from the abyssal Lightning Eater onto the top of the city walls and disappeared.

    Zhang realized after escaping death that the cape he got from the Black Wind Province¡¯s treasury possessed the power to grant life on creatures that lurk in the dark depths of a person¡¯s mind. It had been the Underworld¡¯s Heart that activated the Endless Abyss cape when it entered Zhang¡¯s bodyl

    ¡°You''re not going to get away brother!¡± Ai shouted as dozens of black vines appeared under her feet and lifted her over the walls.

    ¡°Let''s go! Number two come with me.¡± Ling grabbed Yuying¡¯s arm as a column of blood condensed and lifted her and Yuying into the air.

    ¡°Number two?¡± Yuying questioned as the column of blood took her and Ling over the inner city walls.

    ¡°General Guan Yu hurry up! Knock down the gates!¡± Lu Lingqi commanded as she yelled in her mind ¡°I''m coming too!¡±

    Moments later, the inner city gates fell to the ground and Lu Lingqi rushed in following behind her was Guan Yu.

    ¡°Wait my lady! Wait!¡± He yelled trying to get Lu Lingqi to stop from running.

    ¡°Do not attack the soldiers of Green Clover Army unless they provoked us. That young lady seems to have lots of influence on their general and she also seems to have a relationship to our lord. She might become our fourth madam.¡± Sima Yi said with a smile as thousands of soldiers donned in green armor stormed into the inner city followed by thousands of soldiers in black armor.

    ¡°You men go inform the rest of the army, make sure no one leaves this city.¡± Sima Yi ordered before entering the inner city.

    ¡°Yes sir!¡± A few soldiers replied as they ran off.

    Zhang was currently headed to a place where he always checks first whenever he entered a city in turmoil: the city treasury, located in the provincial lord¡¯s mansion.

    But when he arrived in front of the provincial lord¡¯s mansion he saw hundreds of carts filled to the brim with gold and jewels and soldiers were busy stacking more riches on empty carts.

    As Zhang stood, partially hidden behind the entrance of the provincial lord¡¯s mansion, a middle aged woman could be seen standing beside two of the world''s ugliest women that Zhang had ever seen.

    ¡°Quickly! Pack everything into the carts! The outer city might have fallen already but if we reach the entrance of the underground catacombs we can escape!¡± Guo Meiyan yelled to the remaining soldiers of Heavenly Sword Army.

    ¡°Odd¡­¡± Zhang thought as he wondered why these soldiers were still obediently listening to Guo Meiyan. By now, the news of General Chao Chang¡¯s death was certainly known by every soldier of the Heavenly Sword Army within the city. But why was it that these men were still obediently listening to Guo Meiyan instead of trying to find ways to flee out of the city.

    That was when Zhang noticed a few corpses with pitch black skin and green boils on their bodies laying face down, a short distance from the gate where he stood behind. The corpses were clothed in the standard purple armor of the Heavenly Sword Army, it was evident that they tried to ran away and was poisoned to death.

    ¡°Brother! I¡¯ve caught you!¡± Ai yelled as she jumped onto Zhang knocking him to the ground.

    ¡°Who¡¯s there!¡± Voices from within the provincial lord¡¯s mansion rang out.

    ¡°I-its the demon girl!¡± A soldier dressed in purple armor shouted as he looked at Ai whose long silky hair was disheveled, covering her face and bits of Zhang¡¯s face while her body was pressed against Zhang¡¯s.

    ¡°Demon girl?¡± Guo Meiyan said in a confused tone.

    ¡°Ye-yes my lady this girl went on a rampage in the outer city and hacked many soldiers to pieces.¡± The soldier said in a shaken voice as he tried to ran away.

    ¡°Stop! Get back here!¡± Guo Meiyan yelled in a commanding tone. But her words were ignored as the soldier continued running while his comrades watched with worry in their eyes. Not long ago, a few of them tried to run away but met their demise.

    The soldier didn¡¯t make it far before he stopped in his tracks as two huge deep holes appeared on the soldier¡¯s torso. Then, an invisible force lifted the soldier into the air as he coughed up large amounts of blood. With a splat, the soldier¡¯s body flung onto the ground. Soon, every visible inch of skin on his bloody body turned pitch black and green boils grew.

    ¡°What the¡­.¡± Zhang murmured,looking at the man¡¯s corpse as he and Ai got back on their feet.

    That was when Zhang noticed the sound of something slithering across the stone paved courtyard. Suddenly, a spectrum of countless colors appeared and with it thousands of nearly transparent white scales appeared.

    Two towering serpentine shadows appeared out of nothingness as they poked their heads out behind provincial lord¡¯s mansion, while wall of scales coiled about across the courtyard.  Upon further inspection, one would notice that the two heads were actually apart of the same body.

    Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

    ¡°A Mirage Viper with two heads?¡± Zhang murmured with a smile present on his face as he looked at the scaly beast in front of him. Mirage Vipers were extremely rare and fairly powerful beasts that ranged from the fifth and seventh levels of cultivation. They possessed the ability to bend the light that touches their scales allowing them to become invisible.

    But seeing a Twin Headed Mirage Viper, that are considered freaks of nature, alive was a once in a lifetime opportunity. Twin Headed Mirage Vipers generally could not make it past a few days of life after they were hatched due to being abandoned by the rest of their kind. However, if they manage to make it past the adolescent stage, they have the chance of reaching the eighth tier of cultivation.

    It was clear that if Zhang was able to collect the scales of this beast, he could make an armor that was just as good, if not, better than his Lightning Scale Armor. Zhang''s current one had become very tattered after all of the battles and it even had a gaping hole on its breastplate.

    ¡°Kill them or join those idiots who disobeyed me.¡± Guo Meiyan ordered to the remaining soldiers of Heavenly Sword Province.

    When faced with the terrifying sight of  Twin Headed Mirage Viper, they could not help but gather their courage  and looked at Zhang and Ai, ready to kill. But this instantly changed when a thin blade appeared in Ai¡¯s hands. The instant they saw the blade, they remembered their comrades being hacked to death.

    ¡°Fuck me¡­¡± One of the soldiers growled as his gaze shifted between the massive coiling snake and the sword wielding demon girl.

    ¡°You guys listen to me! Either way, all of us will die so we must pick a way that will give us a higher chance of survival.¡± Another soldier spoketo his comrades.

    Soon, all of the remaining soldiers ran away from the direction where Ai was standing and headed toward the Twin Headed Mirage Viper.

    ¡°Kill them! Kill them all!¡± Guo Meiyan yelled, pointing at the fleeing soldiers. Amazingly enough, most, if not all, of the remaining soldiers managed to dodge the when the viper whipped its tail and tried to bite its deadly fangs into them.

    ¡°You picked right.¡± Ai murmured as an evil grin appeared on her face.

    ¡°Protect our lord!¡± Sima Yi¡¯s voice rang out outside the provincial lord¡¯s mansion as soldiers clad in green and black armor filled the courtyard with their swords drawn and bows knocked with arrows ready to fire. Yuying and Ling could be seen looking at the Twin Headed Mirage Viper from atop the column of blood.

    While the rows of soldiers entered the mansion, Lu Lingqi could be seen walking in along with General Guan Yu and Wei Yan.

    ¡°You damn whore! Die!¡± Lu Lingqi shouted out she threw three thin long needles toward Guo Meiyan and her two daughters.

    To protect its master, a part of the giant snake coiled around the three villainesses and deflected the needles causing them to hit the ground.

    ¡°Kill them all!!¡± Guo Meiyan yelled once more to the Twin Headed Mirage Viper.

    With a hiss, the Twin Headed Mirage Viper¡¯s two heads opened their jaws revealing large razor sharp fangs. One after another the two heads of the Mirage Viper shot down at the soldiers in the courtyard. Walls were smashed and buildings were turned into rubble as the serpent''s massive body thrashed about.

    ¡°Archers fire! Spearman attack!¡± Sima Yi commanded.

    The hundreds of archers who managed to file into the courtyard, opened fire upon the Twin Headed Mirage Viper. Along with the archers, hundreds of spearmen threw their spears into the air. But when their arrows and spears hit the nearly transparent scales, it fell to the ground without doing any damage at all.

    ¡°Fall back! None of you can damage it! Go bring the ballistae here¡± Zhang yelled.

    Upon hearing Zhang¡¯s words the soldiers that just only entered the courtyard ran back outside heading toward the outer city walls.

    ¡°My lady come with me it''s not safe here!¡± Guan Yu whispered as he grabbed Lu Lingqi and charged out of the courtyard. Since his lord was dead, by birthright, Lu Lingqi was his new master so Guan Yu¡¯s current priority was to ensure her safety.

    ¡°My three future wives fall back!¡± Zhang yelled, worried about their safety.

    ¡°Hmph! Better be only three.¡± Yuying snorted, looking down from the pillar of water.

    Despite Zhang¡¯s request, the three beauties refused to leave and ignored his words. Crescent blades of blood formed in the air and shot toward the Mirage Snake while black vines sprouted out of the ground and lashed out at it. Lastly, the corpses lying on the ground rose up and began limping their way across the courtyard.

    A long sigh came out from Zhang before a blood red blade appeared in his hand.

    Once the crescent blades of blood slashed the snake¡¯s body, it broke apart splashing a large area with blood.

    ¡°Eternal Frost!¡± Ling yelled out. Within a flash, a thin layer of ice covered a part of the snake''s nearly transparent white body..

    The thin layer of ice was quickly shattered when Zhang¡¯s blood red sword swung down on the snake''s scaly body. Where the blade struck, streaks of deep red blood oozed out.

    While Zhang continued slashing at the ever moving snake, Ai¡¯s vines extended trying to wrap around the Snake¡¯s scaly body but failed to grab hold as it slid through the the twisting vines.

    ¡°If we can¡¯t slay the snake then kill its master.¡± Yuying murmured as she manipulated the undead to head for Guo Meiyan and her two daughters, instead of trying to attack the giant Mirage Viper.

    But before the undead could even get close to the three villainess, the Mirage Viper would lash out and send them flying away or turn them into a bloody pulp.

    Thankfully, the rumbling sound of wheels  approaching the provincial lord¡¯s mansion was heard.

    ¡°My lord! The men have arrived with the ballistae!¡± Sima Yi yelled from outside of the gates.

    ¡°Fire at will! Fire at will!¡± Zhang ordered.

    Swoosh! Swoosh!

    The sound of endless barrage of bolts were fired from the ballistae at the huge Mirage Viper. A few bolts managed to hit their target and pierce into the snake causing trails of blood to ooze onto it¡¯s scales. Only after hundreds of bolts were fired did the Twin Headed Mirage Viper fall to the ground.

    ¡°A good snake is a dead snake.¡± Zhang murmured as he approached the snake¡¯s carcass, ready to skin it. Stars twinkled in Zhang¡¯s eyes as he imagined the hundred sets of armor he and his three future wives would be able to get from the giant carcass.

    ¡°I¡¯ll have enough to make, so many  that my kids won¡¯t ever have to worry about clothing.¡± Zhang thought as his gaze was focused on nearly transparent scales.

    Suddenly, he heard dozens of screams rang around him. Before he could find out what was happening, everything dimmed.

    =================================================================

    ¡° Brother! Watch out!¡± Ai yelled as one of the heads of the Twin Headed Mirage Viper rose up and bared its fangs at Zhang. Before he could react, the snake¡¯s head came down and scooped Zhang up into it¡¯s mouth and swallowed him whole.

    ¡°Kill it!¡± Ling yelled.

    ¡°Don¡¯t aim for the head that swallowed him or else he might get hurt!¡± Yuying yelled.

    Soon the barrage of bolts began once more.

 Chapter 79: One Condition

    Welp hello folks O_O I''m back. Not feeling too great the last couple days so havent been able to get much writing done sadly. But heres a chapter ._. help you guys like it/ My heads been hurting very bad for some reason...

    =============================================================================

    Chapter 79: One Condition

    Written by: IEndWorlds

    Editor/Proofer: Nyx

    After a few dozen more bolts were fired into the Twin Headed Mirage Viper it finally slumped to ground and did not get up.

    The instant it fell to the ground, a blood red blade could be seen poking out from it¡¯s side. A long cut appeared from its belly and from the inside of the snake, Zhang crawled out covered in goo.

    ¡°Shitty snake¡­ I was almost digested¡­¡± Zhang murmured as he proceeded to kick the carcass of the giant snake.

    ¡°Mother! What are you doing? Let''s go quickly!¡± Two voices could be heard frantically yelling. Guo Meiyan could be seen standing by the carts of gold grabbing handful of gold and jewels then stuffing them into a large sack.

    ¡°Give it up and prepare to die!¡± Lu Lingqi screamed as she returned, seeing that the viper was slain.

    ¡°Ahaha, these riches are mine! Mine! You can¡¯t have them!¡± Guo Meiyan yelled manically as she watched many soldiers surround every possible exit from the mansion..

    ¡°She¡¯s clearly gone crazy.¡± Yuying stated as she and Ling descended to the ground and the column of blood where they stood dispersed, forming a puddle on the ground.

    ¡°If I can¡¯t have it then no one can! No one! These are all mine!¡± Guo Meiyan continued yelling as she madly tossed the sack of gold onto the ground and ran about madly.

    ¡°Lingqi I¡¯ll leave it up to you on how you would deal with her.¡± Zhang said as he watched Guo Meiyan ran about like a lunatic.

    However, Zhang noticed something strange when Guo Meiyan reached where Lu Lingqi was standing. Not far from Lu Lingqi was Yuying and Ling, who were watching the madness unfold. From Guo Meiyan¡¯s sleeves, she pulled out a strange looking bottle.

    That was when the unfocused and maddened eyes of Guo Meiyan became sharp and focused. ¡°You little twerp, if I¡¯m going to die then you''re going to die with me! Ahaha how I¡¯ve waited for this day. I could remember that day, I pushed you into that boiling pot of oil like it was just yesterday.¡± Guo Meiyan laughed at she threw the strange looking bottle onto the ground.

    Following a cracking sound, a thick green cloud of smoke gushed out in every direction.

    ¡°Poison¡­¡± Lu Lingqi thought as a frown appeared on her face. While holding in her breath, she took out a small brown pellet from her sleeve and swallowed it. Then she used her left hand to perform a palm strike while using her right hand to shove a similar looking pellet into Guo Meiyan¡¯s mouth.

    ¡°You think I¡¯m just going to let you die like this? Ha, this shows how much you know about me after living in the same home for so long. ¡± Lu Lingqi murmured as the green smoke cleared.

    When the smoke cleared dozens of soldiers laid rolling about on the ground, wallowing in pain. Zhang rushed to Yuying and Ling who had taken in a whiff of the green smoke and fell to the ground.

    ¡°Get a hold of yourselves!¡± Zhang said as he tried to use the power of the Underworlder Heart in his chest to heal them. However, no matter how much purple energy entered their bodies nothing happened.  Behind him stood Ai as she watched with a worried expression on her face.

    ¡°Please let this work¡­¡± He murmured as small bottles of phoenix blood appeared in his hands. Moments later warm pheonix blood dripped into the mouths of the two beauties laying on the ground.

    ¡°Fuck¡­¡± Zhang cursed in his mind as the phoenix blood did not seem to help either.

    ¡°Brother Zhang! I can help them.¡± Lu Lingqi said as she stood behind Zhang. All of the soldiers who were on the ground wallowing in pain were now perfectly fine.

    ¡°Save them!¡± Zhang shouted as he held Yuying and Ling in his embrace.

    ¡°One condition.¡± Lu Lingqi said.

    ¡°I¡¯ll accept any condition. Help them.¡± Zhang said hurriedly.

    ¡°Marry me!¡± Lu Lingqi said happily as she bent down and slipped two small brown pellets into the mouths of the two beauties.

    ¡°Ehhhhh?¡± Guan Yu said once he heard Lu Lingqi¡¯s words. He stood dumbfounded with his mouth wide open in shock.

    Sima Yi could be seen standing by the entrance to the mansion with a grin on his face once he was sure that Yuying and Ling were fine.

    Moments after taking the small brown pellets, Yuying and Ling were back on their feet staring at Lu Lingqi. ¡°A strong adversary she will be.¡± Ling murmured while Yuying stood by her side with the exact same thought.

    ¡°Brother when is our wedding? You promised right?¡± Lu Lingqi said as she pressed herself onto Zhang¡¯s arm.

    At a lost for words in the current situation, Zhang couldn¡¯t do anything but give in and say, ¡°After everything is settled and after my parents agreed.¡±

    While Lu Lingqi continued pressing against Zhang, Guan Yu and his men walked up towards her with Guo Meiyan and her two daughters in tow.

    ¡°My lady, what shall we do with these three?¡± Guan Yu asked.

    ¡°Ah yes. For their crimes I¡¯ll grant them a fate worse than death. I shall grant them an unending life filled with torment. Follow me and drag those three along.¡± Lu Lingqi said as she let go of Zhang¡¯s arm and walked off.

    ¡°Sima Yi have the men comb through the city one last time and make sure not even a single soldier from the Heavenly Sword Army is left alive. After searching have everyone set up camp atop the city walls after bringing the ballistae back up.¡± Zhang ordered.

    Out of curiousity Zhang and the three beauties decided to follow Lu Lingqi and the soldiers of the Green Clover Army to see what they were up to. Zhang had of course stationed a few of his men to watch over the giant Twin Headed Mirage Viper. The corpse was a treasure and could be very useful to him.

    After following Lu Lingqi into a cemetery, in the back of the provincial lord¡¯s mansion, Zhang watched as Guo Meiyan and her two daughters were brought in front of a large tombstone.

    ¡°For the sins you¡¯ve committed I¡¯ll have you pay.¡± Lu Lingqi said as three long needles appeared in her hands.

    It seemed as if Guo Meiyan¡¯s two daughters had something to say but only unrecognizable grunts could be heard because they had been gagged before entering the cemetery. Moment¡¯s later Lu Lingqi drove the a needle into each of them.

    Afterwards, the, mother and daughters, trio¡¯s skin turned brown and their hair turned green. An odd texture was seen as their brown skin soon resembled the bark of a tree. Soon enough, their feet became roots and crawled to the ground as their arms became long branches that stretched outwards. When Lu Lingqi mentioned immortality, she meant she would turn them into trees that would watch over her mother''s grave for all eternity.

    Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

    ¡°Despite being turned into trees you¡¯ll still be conscious. Forever watching, but never allowed to meddle.¡± Lu Lingqi said as she got on her knees and kowtowed to the tombstone in front of her.

    ¡°Mother I have avenge you.¡± She cried as tears streamed down her face.

    ====================================================================

    After the battle, per Lu Lingqi¡¯s orders, the forty thousand remnants of the Green Clover Army under Guan Yu¡¯s command  turned in their green banners for black ones. An estimated total of roughly sixty thousand other soldiers apart of the Green Clover Army were currently scattered across the province under the banner of different generals and if Zhang agreed to Lu Lingqi¡¯s condition of marrying her, then all of those generals would become a part of his army too.

    Instantly, after they were integrated into Zhang¡¯s army the former soldiers of the Green Clover Army, still clad in green armor, went to each and every home inside Green Clover City to reassure the civilians that everything was safe now. Once the civilians saw the familiar green armors and the kind demeanor of the soldiers, they were quickly instilled with a sense of ease.

    Currently, under Zhang''s command were two hundred forty thousand soldiers. Originally, without accounting the fifty thousand men under Lu Xun and Gan Ning¡¯s command, Zhang¡¯s army totaled two hundred fifty thousand.

    But during the siege of Green Clover City fifty thousand of Zhang¡¯s men were killed. The ballistae atop the walls had decimated a huge portion of the fifty thousand that were lost. Thankfully, the forty thousand men under Guan Yu¡¯s command were able to fill in a portion of his losses. Once the rest of the soldiers of the Green Clover Army were gathered, then Zhang¡¯s army would number three hundred thousand in the Green Clover Province.

    After Zhang had taken account of his army, Zhang began to skin the carcass of the Twin Headed Mirage Viper. Zhang completely skinned the huge carcass and collect every single scale into this interspatial ring. He then tore off two large fangs from each of the Mirage Viper¡¯s head to be made into swords. Lu Lingqi had claimed the snake¡¯s venom sacks for herself the instant Zhang cut open the skin, so after the fangs and skin was gone only a huge amount of bone and meat was left which Zhang distributed among his men.

    The flesh of a tier eight demonic beast would be very beneficial to regular cultivators, let alone his soldiers, and having the large amount of meat meant that rations would not have to be bought for a while. This then meant that more money could be spent in weapons, armor, and horses for the entire army.

    Another thing was... after witnessing and feeling first hand the effectiveness of the ballistae, Zhang ordered smaller versions to be created and be placed atop the chariots that he designed.

    Sadly, he opted to use regular iron for the bolt tips instead of the mithril that had been used up until now. A large portion of the ballistae¡¯s deadly force was due to the mithril bolts but using it on the scale that Zhang was hoping to be made was illogical due to its availability  and its price.

    =========================================

    Today Zhang and the now group of four beauties were currently meeting the city¡¯s best weapon and armor maker.

    ¡°My lord it will take roughly a month for me to make the set of armor and four battle dresses your ordered.¡± An elderly man in an apron said as he bowed to Zhang.

    ¡°Thank you, please take this as a down payment.¡± Zhang said to the elderly man as he place a bag of gold coins into the store counter in front of him.  Zhang ordered a set of armor for himself and a battle dress set for Ling, Ai, Yuying and even Lu Lingqi.

    True to his promise, Zhang decided that he would marry her too. Earlier he had said that he wished for his parents approval but that of course was to make things not so awkward. But of course, who would turn down a beauty such as her? If a world class beauty walked up to someone and offered them a kingdom along with one hundred thousand soldiers who wouldn''t agree to her offer?

    Zhang found that if he sent a bit of essence into the scales of the Mirage Viper he could make them change to different colors depending on the amount he sent in.

    Theoretically, if he could figure out how much essence he needed to send, it would be possible to make the scales turn invisible. Meaning, the new armor  would be extremely useful in the future.

    ¡°My lord! My lord!¡± A voice rang out from the outside of the weapon and armor store.

    Not long after a soldier ran in with panic on his face.

    ¡°What''s wrong? Talk?¡± Zhang asked as he grabbed the panicking soldier.

    ¡°My lord an injured soldier wearing our standard white armor just rode into the city! Before he faint he said he that Lord Jian Wei is in trouble and is requesting reinforcements.¡± The soldier said hurriedly.

    ¡°What!? Take me to him!¡± Zhang commanded.

    ¡°Follow me my lord.¡± The soldier replied hurriedly.

    Upon returning to the provincial lord¡¯s mansion, Zhang was led to a small room where a young man was lying face down on a bed as an elderly doctor was removing an arrow embedded in his shoulder.

    ¡°What''s his condition?¡± Zhang asked the doctor.

    ¡°My lord it doesn''t look like he will make it, this man lost too much blood.¡± The elderly doctor said.

    ¡°I got this.¡± Zhang said as a small jade bottle appeared in his hand.

    ¡°My last bottle of phoenix blood.¡± Zhang thought as he poured the red liquid into the soldier''s mouth.

    The instant the red liquid dripped into the throat of the young soldier, his eyes opened wide and became full of life.

    ¡°M-my lord!¡± The soldier said.

    ¡°Tell me! What happen to foster father!¡± Zhang commanded as he held the soldier''s shoulders.

    ¡°W-we were ambush, and elder Qian Long along with his soldiers defected to the enemy forcing us to retreat into the Beast''s Gorge.¡± The soldier recalled.

    ¡°What about Lu Xun and Gan Ning! I sent them to secretly follow the army and assist with fifty thousand men if anything happened.¡± Zhang said.

    ¡°Yes, if not for General Lu Xun and General Gan Ning attacking the enemy from the rear then perhaps we would have been wiped out.¡± The soldier said.

    ¡°Then what is the situation now?¡±...

    ¡°After General Lu Xun and General Gan Ning aided us, Lord Jian Wei was able to keep the enemy from entering the gorge. But right now our army is trapped inside.¡± ¡­.

    ¡°Send orders! I want every available soldier to prepare to march! We are heading to Aurora to aid Lord Jian Wei and annihilate those dogs from the Heavenly Sword Army!¡± Zhang yelled.

 Chapter 80: Beasts Gorge

    Hello folks O_O how goes? Everyone well? So yea Zhang is back to plotting O_O >:D.

    ===============================================================================

    Chapter 80: Beast''s Gorge

    Written by: iEndWorlds

    Proofe/Edited by : Nyx

    Tonight, the moon was shrouded by thick curtains of clouds as thousands of soldiers in purple armor stood guard at the entrance to the Beast¡¯s Gorge. Hundreds of torches had been lit to ensure that not even a mouse could leave the gorge unnoticed.

    ¡°Strategist Qian Long in place of our lord, I welcome you to the Heavenly Sword Army.¡± An elderly man dressed in purple armor said with a smile.

    ¡°No need to be so formal with me General Tong Zhao. I will be the one in your care.¡± Qian Long replied respectfully.

    ¡°Hahaha actually, I think that after you help our lord take the Aurora Province and kill Jian Wei, your merits will place you above me. Then I''ll be the one to be under your care.¡± General Tong Zhao laughed.

    ¡°But might I ask, why aren''t we moving in to take Jian Wei¡¯s head nor are we attacking Aurora City? We have been camped here for weeks already and the men are getting restless.¡± General Tong Zhao asked, puzzled.

    ¡°That''s simple general, if we move into the gorge, then there is a chance that we might be ambushed. Despite being cornered inside the gorge, you can''t look down on the soldiers of Aurora. They will fight until the last man standing if we charge in now. So we must simply wait until they are out of food and water. That is the best time to move in. Since there is only one way in and out of the gorge they can¡¯t leave as long as we stay here.  As for why we aren''t attacking Aurora City, that is simple: if we attack now, even if we conquer the city, as long as Jian Wei is alive we will never have complete control of the province.¡± Qian Long stated.

    ¡°Then I''ll leave everything in your hands strategist Qian Long.¡± General Tong Zhao said.

    As the two men talked, yells could be heard from outside of their tent.

    ¡°Fire! There''s a fire!¡± Someone yelled.

    ¡°Bring water quickly! Extinguish the fire.¡± Another voice rang out.

    Exiting the commander''s tent, Qian Long and Tong Zhao saw that a part of the wooden fence that was erected to block off the entrance into the gorge had been lit ablaze.

    In the distance, the jingling of bells rang about as a group of men made their way back into the gorge.

    ¡°Boss you sure we shouldn¡¯t grab a few of those bastards and skin them alive?¡± A man with dozens of scars on his shirtless chest said.

    ¡°Ahaha tomorrow we will be paying those bastards another visit. Next time we will skin a few of them and hang them up for their friends to see.¡± Gan Ning laughed as he ran through the night.

    After making their way through the foliage and deep into the gorge, Gan Ning stopped in front of large trees marked with large Xs on their trunk.

    ¡°You guys remember where we set those traps right? If not, follow behind me and watch where you step.¡± Gan Ning said cautiously as he took out a small cylindrical wooden tube and opened it. Inside the tube were tiny red embers that soon turned into a small fire. Gan Ning took an ember to kindle a flame, then he broke a branch of a dead tree and made a torch out of it after wrapping some cloth on the branch.

    If one now looked closely, they''d be able to see dozens of vines arranged on the ground. Those were trip wires that Gan Ning and his men had attached to large logs that were hoisted up into the forest canopy.

    As they carefully crossed the forest: Gan Ning recalled where the pitfalls were dug, where the trip wires were tied and the other traps that they had set.

    Soon enough, they made it into a clearing where the gorge opened up. There were thousands of tents erected but not a single campfire was lit.

    Suddenly hundreds of soldiers in white or black armor appeared from the underbrush of the forest with spears ready to kill.

    ¡°Boss you¡¯re back.¡± A few men greeted.

    They were Gan Ning¡¯s men integrated with the soldiers who were under Lu Xun and Jian Wei¡¯s command.

    ¡°Boss, Lord Jian Wei and General Lu Xun are waiting for you in the commander''s tent.¡± One of Gan Ning¡¯s men said.

    ¡°I''ll head over there right now, go back to your positions and show everyone else how we do things.¡± Gan Ning said as he headed to the commander¡¯s tent.

    Every since Gan Ning and Lu Xun met up with Jian Wei¡¯s forces they delegate Gan Ning in-charge of the camp''s security. As a former fugitive, he had many ways to make sure that the enemy could not enter the gorge nor capture himself or Jian Wei.

    ¡°Lord Jian Wei I''ve returned.¡± Gan Ning said in a respectful tone. After having been given a second chance and a high pay he didn''t want to screw things up.

    ¡°How did things go?¡± Jian Wei asked. After the ambush, nearly half of his army had been killed and another quarter of it was left injured. Had it not been for Lu Xun and Gan Ning who secretly followed and protected him then perhaps Jian Wei would already be dead. They had left the civilians and prisoners under their care in New Leaf City and secretly followed Jian Wei.

    ¡°Everything went well my lord. Over the next few nights I will continously instill a sense of fear into those bastards. Either they will be too afraid to attack or will be lured in and be wiped out by the traps we set.

    ¡°Good, the sooner we can leave this place the better. Elder Qian Long had caused us to lost half of our rations so we can''t stay here for too long.¡± Jian Wei said as creases appeared on his brow when he mentioned Qian Long¡¯s name.

    ¡°I beg to differ my lord. I''ve been in a situation like this before. Before our rations ran out, if our men can hunt animals or find edible vegetation in the forest, then surviving is still possible.¡± Gan Ning said.

    The next day, squads of soldiers were sent out to hunt animals and to look for any source of food. Water was abundant in the gorge due to natural rivers that streamed out from underneath the earth making it so there we no need to search for water.

    But of course, hunting and living off the resources within the gorge could only support an army that numbered over one hundred thousand for not so long. Sooner or later, the gorge wouldn¡¯t be able to support the consumption of the army anymore and they would have to try to break out since there was only one way out of the gorge.

    ==================================

    A few weeks had passed since Zhang gained complete control of the Green Clover Province and was currently leading a force of two hundred thousand soldiers towards the Aurora Province.

    Stolen story; please report.

    He had left Guan Yu and ninety thousand of the original Green Clover Army behind to safeguard the province and the four beauties. Zhang had deemed the trip to Aurora would be too dangerous so he had left four future wives in the Green Clover Province under the care of Guan Yu.

    ¡°My lord the best course of action is to head directly to the Beast¡¯s Gorge and attack the Heavenly Sword Army from the rear. If we are able to contact our forces inside the gorge then we can launch a two directional assault and caught them in the middle.¡± Sima Yi said while riding his horse next to Zhang who was riding atop his fiery black steed.

    ¡°Too bad the mobile ballistae are not operational yet. If we had those and the chariots I had commissioned, then victory would be more certain.¡± Zhang replied.

    ¡°My lord if you want certainty then perhaps we should see if we can send a word to Aurora City and have the one hundred thousand men garrisoned in the city join us.¡± Sima Yi suggested.

    ¡°Then I will head directly to the gorge while you take ten thousand men and head to Aurora City. Once you are there, present them this pendant and they''ll listen to your commands. However, if you run into any problems that prevent you from entering the city, then retreat and meet with me at the Beast¡¯s Gorge.¡± Zhang said while looking at Sima Yi.

    ¡°My lord! Our scouts have spotted people traveling in a carriage not too far behind us.¡± A soldier said as he rode up toward Zhang and Sima Yi.

    ¡°Keep an eye on them if they approach us then detain them for questioning.¡± Zhang commanded. He did not wish to harm innocent people, if these people did not turn out to be hostile a then he wouldn''t cause them trouble.

    ¡°Yes my lord!¡± The soldier said as he rode off toward the back of the army.

    After a few more days of travel, Sima Yi broke off from the main army and headed directly to Aurora City while Zhang headed to the Beast¡¯s Gorge.

    Many scouts had been sent out to ensure that the army wouldn¡¯t  run into any ambushes, thus making the march very uneventful. Beside for the carriage escorted by a few men that was traveling behind them, Zhang''s army did not run into any other signs of life.

    This was because most of the villages they passed had been abandoned when the villagers fled into the cities for protection. Also by the fact that, Zhang¡¯s army had been avoiding the main road and used smaller, less known roads instead to avoid being spotted by enemy forces.

    To kill boredom, from time to time, Zhang would secretly sneak out of the army''s camp at night and gaze at the stars. He would often enter abandoned villages, and in the dead of night dig small holes and fill them with gold coins from the Sai Empire. He would then carve out the words, ¡°the one chosen by the black flame, wedded to the four flowers, destined to rule all under heaven.¡± For the finishing touches he carved the seal of the Sai Empire onto the stones.

    He figured, if he planted enough of these in the ground when people found them, they might think it''s a sort of prophecy. One of the strongest influence in this world was faith and belief. If he could make the common folk believe this mumbo jumbo that he was cooking up then he would have the support of the masses which would make ruling many times easier.

    ¡°People were more likely to rebel against a kind king than a tyrant who they believe was chosen by heaven.¡± Zhang muttered as he filled in the hole he dug with gold and dirt.

    ¡°If a lie was told many times enough, over the passage of time, it would be considered fact.¡± Zhang thought after dusting off his hands.

    Once the war in the Aurora Province was over, many villagers would return to their village and perhaps dig up one of the stones that Zhang buried along with the sack full of gold. Then, by word of mouth, the words carved on the stones would spread throughout the land. People would then certainly think that what was carved into the stones were true, because nobody in their right mind would bury so much gold and leave it for others to take.

    Thus, Zhang would show off his black fire at his wedding with the ¡°four flowers¡± and everyone would think that he was chosen by heaven. Finally, he would be dubbed a god king or something and have legions of crazy followers. Or so he thought, when he came up with this crazy plan.

    ==================================

    After marching for many nights, Zhang¡¯s army was only a day away before they reach the Beast¡¯s Gorge. So everyone was on high alert of the enemy attack.

    ¡°My lord that carriage is still traveling near the rear of our army.¡± The same soldier who had informed Zhang about the carriage said.

    ¡°Surround them and capture who are inside.¡± Zhang commanded.

    ¡°Yes my lord!¡± The soldier replied and set off with a company of a thousand horsemen.

    The one thousand horsemen clad in black armor rode forth and surrounded the carriage and escorts who had been following Zhang¡¯s army for sometime.

    ¡°Lay down your arms and let the one in-charge talk to us! If you do as you''re told you won''t be harmed!¡± The soldier yelled from atop his horse.

    Slowly the carriage door creaked open and a beautiful jade like legs slowly descended from the carriage on to the ground.

    ¡°Madam!¡± The soldiers wearing black armor yelled as they dismounted and saluted respectfully.

    Soon, three more world class beauties got off the carriage. It seemed that Zhang¡¯s four flowers had been not so secretly following him.

    ¡°Go back and tell brother that you checked the carriage and found an elderly businessman who just happened to be traveling in the same direction!¡± Yuying commanded as she stood in front of the other three beauties representing them.

    ¡°Also do not utter a word about us to him or terrible things will befall on you.¡± Lingqi added.

    ¡°Ye-yes we saw nothing but an elderly business man.¡± The soldier replied hurriedly.

    The most fearful existences in Zhang¡¯s army was not his generals nor his soldiers but these four flowers who could kill hundreds of people if they wished.

    A master of poison that could kill thousands; a master of the dark arts who could call forth legions of undead; a master in water magic that could flood cities and freeze lakes, and someone who could summon a giant flower that could smash city walls. Yuying, Ai and Ling were monstrous existences writhing Zhang¡¯s army and now they had the addition of Lingqi which propelled them onto an entirely different level of fear in the soldiers hearts.

    Later that day, when Zhang''s soldiers who had set out to detain the carriage returned to the camp, they reported the exact words that Yuying had told them and nothing more.

 Chapter 81: Devious

    its late but it''s here lol :D also answer the poll.

    ================

    For many moons, the soldiers of Heavenly Sword Army had gone without sleep. Every night their camp would be terrorized by enemy attackers, making the rotating guards useless. No matter how many soldiers stationed to keep watch over the camp nor the amount of torches lit, the enemy was still not deterred .

    Many times, the camp would be lit ablaze. While on other nights, the soldiers of Aurora would blow horns and ring gongs from within the forest to prevent the Heavenly Sword Army from sleeping soundly. Sometimes, missing soldiers of the Heavenly Sword Army would be found hanged on trees without a hint of skin on their bodies. Of course this was not the end of it, many horrific scenes had unfolded within the forest and were just waiting to be found.

    The soldiers of the Heavenly Sword Army were all stricken with fear and were terrified but their superiors would not give the command to attack. All they could do was wait, and as the days went on the more frightened they became. Every night became a living hell: the fear of an enemy attack, the fear of being the next victim of the gruesome acts. All of these had been embedded into every soldier''s mind. The lack of sleep had made many of them become deranged while others tried to sleep during the day. Gan Ning would appear waving the flag of Aurora and pretend to launch an attack on the fort.

    A true master of psychological warfare this man was. Gan Ning had spent a good portion of his life running and hiding either at sea or in deep forests. Thus, he had witnessed first hand what happens to those who were put under extreme loads of stress. Thanks to this, he just simply had to embed a seed of fear within their hearts and slowly sow it. When these seeds blossomed, they would signal the end of Heavenly Sword Army.

    With the lack of sleep and constant fear, a human mind could only take so much before it cracks. And when it does, even the slightest of stimulus can cause an army to crumble.

    Currently, the soldiers of Aurora were all well fed and safe within the gorge, while the soldiers of Heavenly Sword Army were completely miserable.This meant that, it was only a matter of time before Gan Ning truly began his assault on the camp.

    Unknown to Gan Ning or any within the gorge, help was on its way and would arrive at any moment. Zhang with one hundred ninety thousand cavalries were steadily making their way towards the Beast¡¯s Gorge while being followed by a carriage transporting some elderly businessmen.

    Had Zhang and his army taken the main roads that ran across the entire Aurora Province, perhaps they had arrived at the gorge ages ago. But because they did not wish the enemy to know of their presence, Zhang¡¯s entire army had to travel through thick woods or old abandoned roads which took most of their time.

    ¡°My lord, our scouts reported that roughly ten miles ahead towards the north there is an encampment with flags of Heavenly Sword Army raised.¡± A soldier reported while atop of his horse.

    ¡°Tell the men to halt and search for a suitable location to set up camp. Tomorrow we will face the enemy in battle.¡± Zhang said as surveyed  the land around them. Currently, Zhang¡¯s army was marching on an old abandoned road through a dense forest with trees as far as one could see.

    After some time, the soldiers found a large cave not far from where they were. The cave¡¯s entrance was at a strangely flat area within the forest, and it¡¯s interior was humongous despite its small opening. Once inside the cave, one could travel for hours and still would not be able to find its end. While Zhang¡¯s men began setting up camp inside the massive cave, he stood atop a small boulder sticking out of the ground peering into the endless depth of the cave.

    ¡°This might be a good spot to try out the map.¡± Zhang thought as he withdrew a map made from golden silk cloth from his interspatial ring. It had been a while since Zhang last tried to use this map to locate a dragon¡¯s vein but he had a feeling that this cave might be one a ideal place to tap into the vein. Ever since he had found this map within the ruins of the Sai Empire¡¯s capital Zhang had not been able to locate any other dragon¡¯s vein, But once he did, he would be able to tap into an enormous supply of extremely pure essence.

    Studying the map, Zhang found out that the things depicted on it often change. To be accurate, the map¡¯s locations often change from one location to another, it would depict an entirely different location of the dragon¡¯s vein. By pouring essence on the golden silk cloth, it will show you a map of the place you were currently in and it will show you the location of the dragon''s vein if it is within that area.

    Thus, Zhang laid the golden silk map on the floor and began sending a blueish ray of essence into it. Moments later, the lines and depictions on the map began to move and scramble together. Slowly, after a pulse of blue essence was emitted the scrambled symbols and markings formed an entirely new map.

    ¡°No luck this time either¡­¡± Zhang mumbled while he looked at the new map that now depicted the layout of the entire cave. From the layout, if someone kept walking straight, they could most likely keep on going for days without end. However, the map showed a massive hidden chamber with a entrance that most likely wouldn¡¯t even be big enough for a child to entere, few dozen paces to the right of where Zhang was standing.

    ¡°Perhaps I¡¯ll find a treasure trove in there.¡± Zhang thought with stars twinkling in his eyes. Step by step he made his way towards that small hole shown on the map. Once in front of the small entrance, to the massive chamber Zhang balled his hand into a fist and gathered essence into it then with a loud bang the wall that had the small hole in it was turned into rubble.

    A cloud of dust covered all visibility as Zhang stepped into the room. With a stomp of his foot covered with essence,  the cloud of dust was blown away revealing the interior of the massive room. To his disappointment, the room was utterly empty and void of any signs that anyone or anything had been inside it.

    ¡°My lord is everything alright?¡± A soldier asked while poking his head through the hole in the wall.

    ¡°No I was simply investigating something.¡± Zhang replied and walked out of the empty chamber. After leaving the the empty chamber, Zhang returned to a large tent that his men had erected for him and with a wave of his hand, a black portal appeared. From within the portal a pinkish metallic spider with the size of a large dog crawled out.

    ¡°Silky come here.¡± Zhang called as he withdrew a piece of Mirage Viper meat from his interspatial ring, placed it on a plate and presented it to the queen spider.

    Thanks to the Ruler¡¯s Domain¡¯s constant expansion, Zhang had been able to keep Silky and her brethren from roaming about in the open. The Titanic Spiders had created a nest within the ruler''s Domain and Zhang would occasionally send food and water inside for them to feed on. Due to their current sizes, if all of them were released outside at once, they would draw unwanted attention.

    Without a hesitation, Silky crawled straight to the plate that Zhang placed on the floor and devoured the piece of Mirage Viper¡¯s meat in an instant. After devouring the Mirage Viper¡¯s meat, Zhang reopened the portal to return Silky back into the Ruler¡¯s Domain when suddenly it bolted out of the tent and disappeared instead of entering the portal.

    Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

    ¡°What the¡­¡± Zhang murmured as he walked out of the tent to have a look of where Silky had gone. After following Silky¡¯s trail of essence for a while, Zhang reached the cave¡¯s entrance.

    Recently, after the Underworld Heart merged itself into his body, Zhang had been able to sense and see faint trails of essence that was emitted by the people and things around him. Each one gave off a different trail of essence and Zhang was able to see it; the higher the person¡¯s cultivation the thicker the trail that was left behind.

    ¡°Well I guess that proves it, I should probably send some men out in the morning to keep those four out of trouble.¡± Zhang muttered. Ever since the soldiers he ordered to question the mysterious carriage returned, he had a feeling that the four beauties were the one riding in that carriage following behind the army. He couldn''t blame his men for lying because they were his future wives after all and those men were just regular soldiers.

    But of course there was no way to be sure without bursting their bubble, so Zhang decided to play along and pretend he didn¡¯t know they were tailing him. But considering that tomorrow they might engage in a battle, he used Silky as a bait. Seeing how it suddenly ran off sending a few hundred men to keep the girls out of trouble.

    He had hoped that they would be good and stayed in the Green Clover Province instead, where it was safe, but a part of him knew that there was no way the Yuying, Ai and Ling would do so. As for Lingqi, since he hadn¡¯t been with her for long he couldn''t know for sure if she would tag along or not, but judging by her personality she was probably traveling with the other three.

    After facing death in Green Clover City and then watching as Yuying and Ling were poisoned, a part of Zhang was somewhat afraid. For him fear was not something that he had to face very often, but there was a certain saying that went: ¡°Love is a strange thing. It can make the weakest person strong, and the strongest person weak.¡± He was afraid of losing his loved ones, so he tried to keep those he held dear far away from danger.

    However, love was not something that only felt by Zhang, because love was a two way street. The fear of loss he felt was not his to feel alone. The four girls also felt it  that¡¯s why they followed him. The only thing he could do now was to trust that they were strong enough to keep themselves safe from any danger and that he was strong enough to keep the danger away from them.

    ¡°Next time I¡¯ll just keep you all close to me as possible¡­¡± Zhang thought while on his way back to his tent. As he walked through the rows of tents pitched in the cave, he noticed some of his men cooking dinner and decided it would be nice to have a meal with them.

    ¡°May I join you?¡± Zhang asked politely. Despite being their lord he never truly acted like one, well besides in a battle but outside of the battlefield Zhang acted with utmost respect for the men who fought and would die for him.

    ¡°Ye-yes my lord.¡± One of Zhang''s soldiers who was sitting by a campfire replied in a somewhat startled tone.  It was not everyday that your commanding officer or someone of equivalent to a king or prince would sat down and ate with you.

    With a smile on his face and an empty stomach Zhang had his fill. After eating and some merrymaking, Zhang bid his men a good night and made his way back to his tent and laid down.

    ¡°Hopefully tomorrow will not be a bloodbath.¡± Zhang muttered before shutting his eyes.

    ================================

    Once the moon retreated and the sun was slowly raised to the skies from below the horizon, Zhang''s army was currently assembled in the massive chamber that he had opened the previous day. Despite being assembled, no one was dressed in armor or had their weapon by their sides.

    Their scouts had reported the forces of the Heavenly Sword Army were roughly ten miles away from their current position and showed no signs of movement. Thus, Zhang decided the best course of action to take was: to move his army as close to the enemy camp as possible and attack after the sun had set. In the dead of night, the enemy would not be able to tell how many soldiers they were facing nor would they be able to successfully pursue them if the attack failed. So instead of marching early in the morning, an assembly was called for.

    ¡°Tonight, we will face the scoundrels, the Heavenly Sword Army, and tonight we will have their heads! If we are able to finish them off then the entire Heavenly Sword Province would be ours for the taking! Thus, I ask all of you to fight not only for the sake of rescuing Lord Jian Wei but also for the sake of the riches of tomorrow!¡± Zhang shouted to his men. Soon after, a series of roars and cheers echoed throughout the chamber and into the cave. If the Heavenly Sword Army in the Aurora Province was wiped out then after losing three hundred thousand soldiers atop of the losses from the Green Clover Province the Heavenly Sword Province wouldn¡¯t have enough men to stop Zhang.

    ¡°Whoever gets the most merits will be greatly rewarded! I will personally bestow those who slay enemy generals and officers a title and lordship once we gain control of the Heavenly Sword Province. As for our brothers who do not manage to gain lots of merits I will still reward them with a thousand gold coins each.¡± Zhang added to further build up the morale of his army.

    Usually when a soldier obtained merits within the army, at most, they would gain a single rank or a reward of a hundred or so gold coins. But what Zhang currently offering was something of an entirely different league. To obtain a title and lordship would mean not only they would jump ranks in the army. It also had the possibility that they could join the circle of nobility.

    To common soldiers, these sort of things were only pipe dreams that could never come true. At most, what these men wished for was a full stomach and perhaps enough money to buy a plot of land and marry a beautiful wife. But being granted a title and becoming a lord meant they would not lack in power and wealth nor would their descendants. Or at the very least, they would be given one thousand gold coins, which would ensure that they could return to their villages or hometowns and buy a decent piece of land and live off of it.

    One could say that Zhang¡¯s soldiers were filled to the brim with morale after hearing his words. The thought of riches, power, prestige and beautiful women filled their thoughts.

    After Zhang''s speech, everyone was dismissed and allowed to rest until noon and when the sun was at it¡¯s highest, one hundred eighty nine thousand and five hundred men saddled on their horses and headed for the Beast¡¯s Gorge but not before a company of five hundred soldiers were sent to guard the carriage carrying the ¡°elderly businessmen¡± following behind their army. Also before leaving the cave, every soldier was ordered to have a cloth wrapped around their boots and weapon so later when they move in on the enemy camp on foot they would make less noise.

    So with the sun above their heads, Zhang¡¯s soldiers slowly rode through the forest. They were careful during their advance to ensure that they did not run into any enemy scouts. If they did, then these scouts would be swiftly taken care of.

 Chapter 82: Shifting Tides

    Chapter 82:Shifting Tides

    Written by: IEndWorlds

    Editor/Proofer= Nyx

    Sorry really really late release lol. I''ve been busy with life, editors have been busy with life. Basically life sucks ._. and has not been giving me much time to write or when I get time to write I get side tracked >_> But well here it is ._.

    =================================================================

    Zhang¡¯s men crept through the woods and positioned themselves only a short distance away from the Heavenly Sword Army¡¯s camp. Three quarters of the army were dismounted and armed with either bows and arrows, swords and shields or spears and pikes. To raid the fort and rout the enemy an army of only horsemen would not be efficient.

    Zhang had decided that once the moon had risen he would initiate the raid.

    They did not have long to wait because the sun was setting and soon it would be night.

    ¡°Advance carefully, kill every single soldier in purple armor that you will encounter.¡± Zhang said softly to the men around him. Soon to follow was a murmur from one man to the next.

    As silent as possible Zhang''s men trekked through the woods, luckily their feet and weapons had been wrapped by cloth or perhaps lots of unnecessary noises would have been made.

    After a few hours, the sun was completely gone and the moon slowly made its ascent. Shrouded in darkness, Zhang¡¯s army split into two and positioned themselves in the woods near the enemy fort. The Heavenly Sword Army fort¡¯s defensive wall was completely made out of wood and built in a manner that it completely sealed off the entrance or exit to the Beast¡¯s Gorge. Dozens of tall guard towers loomed over the walls peering out into the woods.

    After splitting into two groups, the one hundred fifty thousand archers, swordsmen and spearmen were standing towards the east of the fort. To the west, nearly  fifty thousand horsemen were awaiting the signal to charge into the enemy camp.

    Few of the soldiers stationed to the east were currently making torches by wrapping the cloth wrapped around their boots and weapons to dry tree branches. While the archers ripped their cloth and wrapped it on the arrowheads. After making hundreds of torches, Zhang¡¯s men made their way to the fortress.

    When the walls of the fortress were in view, Zhang could spot hundreds of soldiers stationed in the guard towers with brightly lit torches illuminating the dark night.

    ¡°Archers ready.¡± Zhang commanded to the row of archers behind him, whom had all been broken up into squads.

    Each squad was given a small pot of thick oil. To which upon hearing Zhang''s order, every single archer dipped their arrows in the pots. While thousands of swordsman could be seen starting one fire after another preparing for the assault on the fort.

    ¡°Fire at will!¡± Zhang yelled once he saw that all of the arrows were now lit. The archers ignited their oil soaked arrows with the flickering flames.

    While the archers were preparing to fire their arrows; within the fortress, the striking of gongs echoed throughout the camp. The torches and arrows that the swordsmen and archers lit caught the attention of the soldiers in the guard tower.

    But that did not matter because volley after volley of flaming arrows shot to the sky and began spreading the flames of war as they descended into the fortress.

    ¡°Enemy attack! Enemy attack!¡± The soldiers of the Heavenly Sword Army had been on high alert inside the guard towers these past few nights. So the instant they spotted the flames within the forest, they alerted the rest of the army. Due to the constant attacks from the soldiers of Aurora who were trapped within the gorge, no one was allowed to patrol outside of the fort and thus they had not been able to spot Zhang''s soldiers coming.

    Also the act of a fire attack within a forest was something that anyone would normally think of thus they were totally caught off guard.

    Thousands of flaming arrows embedded themselves into the wooden walls of the fortress. Soon, small fires ignited everywhere on the eastern side of the fortress.

    ¡°Swordsmen and spearmen! Form phalanx in front of the archers!¡± Zhang ordered.

    Zhang¡¯s intention was to avert attention of everyone within the fortress towards the east, where he and his one hundred fifty thousand soldiers were. Which was a success because there was no way the soldiers of the Heavenly Sword Army would not notice when so many arrows we''re currently being fired at them.

    ¡°They were prepared in case of a fire attack¡­¡± Zhang muttered with a sigh.

    After dozens of fire attacks from Gan Ning, the soldiers in the fort would soak the wooden walls with water every night. Since the wood was saturated with water the flames could not spread.

    ¡°Guess we will have to do this the hard way men! Tortoise formation and move out of the woods!¡± Zhang roared while raising his twin swords made out of Mirage Viper fangs into the air. Of the four swords made from Mirage Viper fangs, Zhang took two while the other two were given to Yuying and Ling.

    Having twin swords filled Zhang with glee as they were his main weapon of choice. Up until now, he hadn''t been able to find very good quality set of twin swords. But now that Zhang possessed a pair of them, he felt a little cheerful even if they about to engage the enemy in a battle.

    While Zhang and his soldiers marched under the moonlight toward the Heavenly Sword Army¡¯s fort, thousands of arrows were being exchanged overhead.

    The soldiers of the Heavenly Sword Army who were stationed in the guard towers began sending down arrows of their own while the others formed a defensive formation behind the walls after they heard the sound of alarm and fired their arrows at will. On Zhang¡¯s side, the archers also kept a constant barrage of arrows heading towards the fort.

    But of course, thanks to their shields and close knit tortoise formation none of the men received heavy injuries: an arrow to the shoulder, an arrow to the knee, but not life threatening.

    ¡°Hold your formation!¡± Zhang said while standing in the center on one of the many tortoises made by shields and spears that had been making their way toward the fort.

    The instant everyone came to a halt in front of the gate, Zhang stuck his hand out into the air and shot two green flares into the sky.

    This was the signal for the fifty thousand cavalry to begin their assault on the western side of the fort. By now, majority of the soldiers within the fort had been moved to eastern wall leaving the other side undermanned.

    As soon as the flares were shot in the sky, thousands of hooves pounding against the ground could be heard. The neighing of countless steeds rang in everyone''s ears as the less than fifty thousand cavalry moved in toward the western walls.

    Hundreds of horsemen moved to western walls and hurled hundreds of clay jars splashing oil everywhere.

    The horsemen leading the charge carried small clay jars tied on the side of their steeds.  Before they break off from the main army, Zhang had ordered them to carry the pots of oil. They were given orders to attack if a single green flare was shot into the sky, but if two flares were shot it meant that they had to use the clay jars.

    ¡°Light em up boys!¡± One of the leading soldier yelled as he and his comrades pulled out dozens of bamboo tubes containing tiny embers inside them. From the embers a raging fire was born. Once the water soaked wooden walls were ignited, large plumes of smoke cloaked the western wall of the fort.

    After the walls were lit ablaze, Zhang¡¯s cavalry  also shot two green flares into the sky signaling their fire attack was a success before riding off to await further instructions.

    With a section of the walls ablaze the soldiers of the Heavenly Sword Army who were still on the eastern side of the fort fell into panic as thick black smoke filled their lungs as they tried to put out the fire.

    Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.

    Seeing the green flares shoot out into the sky, Zhang initiated the part two of his plan.

    ¡°Retreat! Everyone fall back!!¡± He roared and almost in an instant, the hundreds of tortoises began heading back towards the forest. As his soldiers retreated, Zhang charged forth towards the fort with swords in hand.

    ¡°Soldiers of the Heavenly Sword Army fire at will!¡± A voice rang out from one of the guard towers. Hundreds of arrows came spiraling down at the retreating soldiers while totally ignoring Zhang.

    Zhang swung his swords downwards at the gap between the two gates. Moments later, the log that was used to lock the gates was cut into two and with a kick, the two gates swung open.

    Once the gates were opened, Zhang shot a red flare signaling for all of his soldiers to stop retreating and rush for the enemy camp. The retreating soldiers caused  rumble rang into everyone¡¯s ears again. Zhang¡¯s foot soldiers who were still maintaining their tortoise formation split up from each other and created a path straight to the fortress gate.

    ¡°KILL!!! Kill all of those dogs of the Heavenly Sword Army!¡± Zhang¡¯s soldiers roared as they charged straight into the fort.

    The first to enter were the horseman who trampled through the rows of neatly erected tents. Without an ounce of hesitation everyone in their paths were cut down without mercy. Soon to follow were the infantry soldiers who quickly surrounded the guard towers and began hacking away at the beams that held the towers up.

    ¡°Timber!!¡± One soldier with a large build yelled as a guard tower tumbled over, sending those who were inside to their deaths.

    ¡°Whoever can bring me the head of Qian Long will be granted the title of baron and fifty thousand gold coins.¡± Zhang roared furiously. He could have gone and find Qian Long himself but Zhang thought that if he offer such a fabulous reward, his men would fight many times harder thus propelling their combat ability to a higher level. Soon, Zhang¡¯s soldiers broke into a frenzy of destruction and slaughter.

    Despite this, the battle was not completely one sided. The soldiers of the Heavenly Sword Army when facing imminent death found their second wind. Like caged beasts they wielded their weapons and fought against the soldiers of Aurora. The two sides fought to a standstill as a sea of blood began to form.

    ¡°Quickly fall into formation! Shieldmen and spearmen to the front! Archers to the rear!¡± Tong Zhao could be seen yelling. Upon hearing his words, rows of soldiers from the Heavenly Sword Army with spears in hand were formed to engage the cavalry soldiers of Aurora, while archers continued shooting countless arrows from behind a wall of shield men. This caused many of the soldiers under Zhang¡¯s command to meet their end.

    Unknown to Zhang, another force was making its way towards the fort. Thousands of soldiers wearing purple armor were steadily appearing from the forest.

    ¡°General Xiahou Yan! It appears the fort is under attack!¡± A scout in purple armor reported to his superior.

    ¡°Everyone prepare for battle! Aid our comrades within the fort!¡± A middle aged man with long hair tied in a ponytail and hawk like eyes roared.

    Originally, the three hundred thousand soldiers of the Heavenly Sword Army who attacked the Aurora Province had split into two. Two hundred thousand were left to keep Jian Wei and his soldiers trapped in the gorge while the other hundred thousand had set up a blockade around Aurora City.

    But after the repeated attack from Gan Ning, Qian Long and Tong Zhao had requested their reinforcements. Thus ,a few thousand men were left at the blockade to make it seem as if no troops had been moved. They lit hundreds of campfires and made thousands of scarecrows to fool the people in Aurora City. While the rest of the army headed for the Beast¡¯s Gorge.

    As Zhang slashed and slaughtered dozens of soldiers dressed in purple armor, a frantic soldier ran up toward him and screamed, ¡°My lord! The... the enemy is attacking from our rear!¡±

    ¡° What!?!¡± Zhang yelled.

    ¡°An unknown number of enemies are attacking from behind my lord!¡± The soldier said once more.

    ¡°Damn¡­.¡± Zhang cursed as two flares appeared in his hand and soon after, a green and red flare were shot into the sky. With this, Zhang¡¯s army would truly prepare to retreat because fighting from two fronts was not an ideal battle and would only cause heavy casualties or perhaps complete devastation to Zhang¡¯s forces.

    To initiate their retreat, Zhang¡¯s infantry once more fell into tortoise formation while his cavalrymen would charge in front and open up a path.

    ¡°Don¡¯t let them leave! Kill them all! If we can stop them here then Aurora is as good as ours!¡± A voice rang out. Once Zhang¡¯s gaze fell on the direction where the shout came from, he saw Qian Long stood beside an elderly looking man that was emitting a fairly high amount of essence from his body. Both were standing near a large tent atop of an elevated stage.

    ¡°You heard him! Kill them! Anyone who does not engage in battle with the enemy will be deemed a traitor and executed!¡± The elderly man beside Qian Long roared.

    The soldiers of the Heavenly Sword Army within the fortress began pursuing Zhang¡¯s soldiers who were retreating.

    However, before they could do anything, loud bangs sounded at the direction of the northern wall that sealed off the Beast¡¯s Gorge. The banging continued and not long afterwards, the wooden gates of the northern fort fell.

    Once the gates fell an endless stream of men clad in black and white armor stormed into the fort with their weapons drawn. The sound of jingling bells was faintly present beneath the rhythmic sound of the thousand marching soldiers.

    ¡°Who started the party without me?!¡± Gan Ning laughed loudly once he entered the fort and raised a green flare in his hand into the sky and shot it.

    ¡°Enemy attack from the northern gate! Enemy attack from the Northern gate!¡± Soldiers of the Heavenly Sword Army screamed.

    ¡°Change of plans! Everyone Charge! Head for the northern gate!¡± Zhang yelled once he saw the green flare in the sky and heard the yells of the Heavenly Sword Army¡¯s soldiers. Moments later, Zhang shot a green flare of his own to get the attention of his men who were at the front of the army so they would turn back and head towards the northern gate.

    ¡°Sigh, too many things did not go as planned today.¡± Zhang thought with a sigh as he headed towards the northern gate.

    While Zhang and his men changed their direction and headed for the northern gate, it was now the soldiers of the Heavenly Sword Army who were under General Tong Zhao command who were now caught in the middle. Although Zhang¡¯s forces were also being attacked from behind, his cavalry soldiers were positioned at the rear of the army which allowed them to hold the enemies outside of the fort at bay. This was because earlier they had been at the front of the army before it changed directions.

    Tong Zhao frantically gathered the soldiers and tried to gain a foothold in the sea of madness but their numbers quickly dwindled and soon only despair filled their eyes.

    ¡°Elder Qian Long the man who had witnessed countless battles. The strategist who could change the tide of battle with a simple flick of his wrist.¡± Zhang mocked as he looked at Qian Long who was mixed into the sea of soldiers clad in purple armor ahead.

    ¡°You think you¡¯ve won? Ha! If we hold out just a bit longer our reinforcements will arrive and you will be the ones in trouble.¡± Qian Long laughed. As a matter of fact his words had a hint of truth in them. Qian Long and Tong Zhao still had roughly a quarter of their original forces, while Xiahou Yan still had most of his one hundred thousand soldiers. This meant that if they focused their attacks on Zhang¡¯s soldiers and totally ignored and let Gan Ning rampaged, then perhaps they¡¯d be able to wipe out Zhang¡¯s forces and then regroup with their reinforcements and face off with Gan Ning.

 Chapter 83: Abandoned

    Hello guys, Sorry for lack of updates :( Nyx''s laptop got damaged due to water damage so I''ll be posting without much editing o_o.

    =============================================================================

    Pressed between Zhang and Gan Ning the soldiers under Tong Zhao and Qian Long withered away until only but a handful was left. Like two raging beast Zhang and Gan Ning¡¯s forces ravaged the soldiers of the Heavenly Sword Army.

    As Qian Long was forced to watch the slaughtering unfold his eyes were full with regret and a hint of anger. He regretted that his betray had led to this but was not regretful of the betray itself. While his rage was at targeted at Zhang, Gan Ning and lastly Jian Wei.

    Had Jian Wei simply died he wouldn''t have been in such a situation. Had Gan Ning not launch a war of fear after being cornered in the gorge then the soldiers of the Heavenly Sword Army wouldn''t be so fatigued and low or morale. Had Zhang not come with his hundred and ninety thousand soldiers then Gan Ning¡¯s attempts at escaping would have been futile once the entire Heavenly Sword Army arrived at the entrance of the Beast¡¯s Gorge.

    ¡°If not for those two bastards my plan would have succeeded and I would have become the new lord of Aurora¡­¡± Qian Long thought as creases appeared on his brow.

    ¡°Strategist Qian Long stick with me, as long as there''s an opportunity I can get us both out of here.¡± General Tong Zhao whispered into Qian Tong¡¯s ear.

    ¡°Listen up men move together! Break through the enemy force!¡± General Tong Zhao yelled while raising his sword into the air.

    Moments later Tong Zhao became the tips of the spear and lead a wave of slaughter toward the south west. With their comrades currently pushing forward from the south, Tong Zhao only needed to avoid directly facing Zhang and then break past and he would be able to make it out alive.

    This battle had been like a chess game where one wrong move or one right move would change the outcome of the entire match.

    ¡°Don''t let them escape! I want Qian Long¡¯s head!¡± Zhang yelled while slashing away at the enemies in front of him.

    As if they were extension his arms, Zhang''s swords danced and whoever or wherever they went a trial of blood followed. Zhang skillfully motioned his swords in a way that kept them in constant motion.

    From this constant motion no, one would be able to close in and directly engage him in battle. A kill zone had been established and everyone who walked into it would face their end. In front of Zhang armor was useless because every attack that he preferred was aimed at the gaps in between the armor.

    With twin swords Zhang did not cut his enemies to pieces like he did with his halberd but instead opted to sever arteries or tendons. This would be equally deadly but requires less strength and would be more effective against large crowds of enemies.

    As Zhang passed through the mass of soldiers as if he were some sort of intangible phantom, everyone on his path fell to the ground and awaited their death. With tendons and arteries cut, these people had no hope of survival.

    While Qian Long and Tong Zhao tried to escape they could see from the corner of their eyes the terror that Zhang was unleashing with his twin swords.

    It was only a matter of time for Zhang caught up to them and they would be done for.

    ¡°Quickly! We have to make it to General Xiahou Yan or else it will be the end of us!¡± Qian Long yelled to Tong Zhao. He had forgone formalities and simply yelled due to the urgency of their current situation.

    ¡°Shut up and just follow me!¡± General Tong Zhao barked back as he as sword slid out of a soldier clad in black armor.

    In his mind he had cursed listening to Qian Long because originally he had wanted to have the majority of their forces assault and occupy Aurora City but Qian Long had talked him out of it.

    Had they managed to occupy Aurora City then they would have the advantage of the tall city walls in the battle and then this battle surely would have played out differently. So a small part of Tong Zhao resented Qian Long. Had it not been for Qian Long¡¯s initial merit of nearly wiping out all of the soldiers under Jian Wei¡¯s command then perhaps Tong Zhao would have killed him.

    ¡°Lay down your arms and surrender and you''ll be spared!¡± Zhang roared. Although his forces were currently being sandwiched just like Tong Zhao¡¯s, Zhang¡¯s soldier were not as pressured. This was thanks to the fact that their rear was being held by fifty thousand horsemen. The fifty thousand horsemen made it difficult off Xiahou Yan¡¯s forces to push forward which allowed the rest of Zhang''s army to focus one front of the battlefield.

    Some soldiers of the Heavenly Sword Army upon hearing Zhang¡¯s words dropped their swords and held their hands up into the air. It was clear that they no longer possess the will to fight from the looks in their eyes.

    ¡°Damn! Quickly let¡¯s go!¡± Tong Zhao yelled as he grabbed Qian Long¡¯s wrist and began running.

    ¡°Follow the general!¡± Many who were still loyal to Tong Zhao yelled.

    ¡°You think you can get away?¡± Zhang laughed as he weaved through the soldiers in front of him and resumed his pursuit.

    Seeing Zhang closing in Tong Zhao came to a conclusion in his mind. With a flick of his wrist he made Qian Long tumble into the ground.

    ¡°Leave him and let''s go.¡± Tong Zhao roared to his men. He figured since it seemed like Zhang¡¯s main target was Qian Long so if he left Qian Long behind he could buy himself some time.

    The center of the battlefield had become consumed by chaos, soldiers of the Heavenly Sword Army were surrendering left and right while others fought to the bitter end.

    ¡°You bastard!¡± Qian Long cursed as he watched the fleeing soldiers and Tong Zhao abandon him. While on the ground Qian Long noticed something that no one else had before. All of the blood on the ground was moving in streams toward the southern gate.

    With a confused look he observed the tiny streams of blood converge and flow into rivers. Then from out of nowhere a thick green fog rolled in and all visibility was lost.

    That was when Qian Long noticed a few of the corpses around him began twitching. With a now horrified look on his face Qian Long tried to get up but he could not feel any strength in his legs.

    As he dragged himself on the ground trying to escape this madness but as he was pulling his stiff body across the battlefield a sudden feeling of pain struck Qian Long. In the mix of battle someone had stepped on and dislocated his ankle. Wincing from pain Qian long continued to drag his mud caked body trying to seek safety.

    ¡°Where do you think you¡¯re going?¡± Zhang¡¯s voice rang out from behind Qian Long. That was when Qian Long felt his body being constructed by cold metal chains. The chains constricted his body and pushed the air out of Qian Long¡¯s chest. As he gasped for her Zhang tugged on the chains and dragged Qian Long off.

    ¡°I¡¯ll take you somewhere safe.¡± Zhang chuckled as he dragged Qian Long through the mud and disappeared into the battlefield.

    The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    While Zhang was busy detaining Qian Long, Tong Zhao and the little men he had left managed to fight their way to their comrades under Xiahou Yan¡¯s command. Likewise, Zhang¡¯s men also regrouped with their comrades who were under Gan Ning¡¯s command. The two forces were now clearly divided with the soldiers of Aurora to the north and the soldiers of the Heavenly Sword Army to the south.

    ¡°General Tong! Where is Qian Long?¡± General Xiahou Yan asked once he and Tong Zhao regrouped.

    ¡°He died in battle.¡± General Tong Zhao said with a straight face.

    ¡°Is that so¡­ What shall we do now General Tong?¡± General Xiahou Yan asked, show that General Tong Zhao was clearly his superior in this expedition.

    ¡°We are retreating... The longer we stay here the more losses we will suffer.¡± General Tong sighed.

    The majority of the soldiers under his and Qian Long¡¯s command had surrendered or met their grisly ends. Most likely only about a hundred and fifty thousand of the original three hundred thousand soldiers are alive. Of course Zhang and Gan Ning¡¯s forces did not get off scot free either, they most likely only had about two hundred thousand soldiers altogether at the moment.

    ¡°Sound the horns! We are retreating! Grab whatever supplies you can!¡± Xiahou Yan yelled to his men. If they retreated her and wished to return to the Heavenly Sword Province, then supplies would be needed for the trip or else they might have to raid whatever villages are on the way back. However, that would take up precious time because obviously Zhang and the rest of the forces of Aurora would be pursuing them while they try to leave.

    Soon the sound of horns rang throughout the battlefield and upon hearing this the soldiers of the Heavenly Sword Army slowly began retreating while grabbing whatever food they could from the storage tent on their way.

    Whereas the majority of the Heavenly Sword Army was making their retreat into the woods, the few men who were currently locked in battle at the front lines were somewhat abandoned.

    ¡°My lord should we pursue?¡± Gan Ning asked Zhang after having met up with him.

    ¡°No sound the horns we must reorganize our forces first, let them leave for now, a cornered beast with bare its fangs at its pursuer. But if we let them think they have a chance of getting away we can take our time chipping away at them.¡± Zhang replied while still gripping onto the chains that bound Qian Long.

    But suddenly the sound of gushing water could be heard from where Zhang was standing. A massive wave of blood flowed through the woods and smashed into some of the retreating soldiers of the Heavenly Sword Army. While they were still on their backs a dark purplish fog blanketed a small section of the woods. Whomever this purple fog touched would foam from their mouths and then lose consciousness.

    ¡°Leave them! Retreat!¡± General Xiahou Yan commanded.

    Abandoning their comrades, the remains of the Heavenly Sword Army continued fleeing into the woods with fear ever present in their eyes. By now the Heavenly Sword Army had been thoroughly routed and were fleeing without regard for their comrades, it had become every man for himself.

    Once the Heavenly Sword Army disappeared into the north west a single carriage with hundreds of black armored soldiers escorting it appeared out from the south west.

    ¡°Gan Ning where is Lord Jian Wei I have a present for him?¡± Zhang asked while looking at Qian Long from the corner of his eye.

    ¡°Lord Jian Wei is safely inside the gorge, I will have my men inform him of our victory and he and the rest of our men should move here.¡± Gan Ning replied.

    ¡°Good, I will go fetch the madams so inform me when Lord Jian Wei arrives and hand him this gift for me.¡± Zhang said while handing Gan Ning the metal chain in his hand.

    ¡°Hahaha I think he will enjoy this gift.¡± Gan Ning chuckled while looking down at the silent Qian Long. Before as Zhang dragged him through the battlefield he had yelled and screamed for help but after a few strikes to the face he was now as docile as a rabbit.

    After handing Qian Long to Gan Ning, Zhang whistled and a fiery horse appeared. Once atop of his Inferno Wind Walker Zhang road of the fort and toward the carriage that was heading toward the fort.

    Upon seeing Zhang''s approach, the carriage and its escorts halted their advance and waited for his arrival.

    Moments upon arriving and jumping off his steed Zhang opened the door to the carriage and peered inside to see four lovely faces. The four beauties could be seen sitting at table inside of the carriage with silky visibly by Yuying¡¯s side. The instant Lingqi saw Zhang a broad smile appeared on her face whereas the other three were trying to pretend they are angry he tried to leave them behind.

    ¡°What do we have here? Where are the four elderly businessmen? All I see are four beauties.¡± Zhang chuckled with a cheerful smile on his face.

    ¡°What businessman? I don''t see any here.¡± Ai said while turning away and not looking at Zhang.

    ¡°Guess I''ll have to find to go find them because I wish to purchase these four beauties.¡± Zhang said with a hint of mischief in his tone.

    ¡°You''d need a lot of money to buy these four.¡± Yuying said with a smile on her face.

    ¡°Really now? Well the one thing I have the most is money.¡± Zhang said while pulling up a chair and joining the four at the table then putting his arms around the Ai and Ling.

    ¡°Hey! What about me.¡± Lingqi shouted with a bit of envy as she watched Zhang put his arms around the other two.

    But before Lingqi could do anything a voice was heard from the entrance of the carriage.

    ¡°My lord shall we proceed into the fort?¡± A soldier said standing with hands clasped.

    ¡°Begin moving into the fort.¡±

    This the carriage and its escorts began moving toward the fort once more. While the carriage for on the move Zhang and the fort beauties engaged in conversation amongst themselves.

    ========================

    Later that day Jian Wei and Lu Xun arrived at the fort from out of the gorge. Upon his arrival a celebration was held and all of the soldiers of an Aurora engaged in a large feast of course after a moment of silence to mourn for their fallen comrades.

    It was decided that after resting for the remainder of the day a portion of them would return to Aurora while Lu Xun would lead a sizable force to pursue the Heavenly Sword Army.

    Unknown to them the flames of war had already ignited and battle had already broken out elsewhere.

 Chapter 84: Sima Yi

    To make up for the lack of updates last week here''s another post O_O

    ==============================================================================

    Today there were no clouds in sight and the warm rays of the sun embraced the soldiers of Aurora as they returned to the capital. Lu Xun and Gan Ning along with one hundred thousand men had set off to pursue the fleeing Heavenly Sword Army.

    Upon arriving atop a hill where the gates and walls of Aurora City were visible, Zhang noticed something odd despite having hundreds of banners atop the city walls it seemed as if the city lacked manpower because thanks to his good eyesight he was able to see that standing atop the city walls were not soldiers but thousands of scarecrows. There should be roughly one hundred and ten thousand soldiers within the city but from the looks of things Zhang could guess that something must have happened.

    ¡°Foster father you stay here and I¡¯ll go see that status of the city.¡± Zhang said to Jian Wei

    ¡°Take this with you.¡± Jian Wei said as he tossed a jade emblem at Zhang.

    The emblem was nearly identical to the emblem that Zhang had been given earlier and would allow him to command the soldiers of Aurora at will. This these emblems would allow him to order the city guards to open the gates without having to go through all the hassles and formalities that it would take without the emblem.

    Originally Zhang had an emblem of his own but he had loaned it to Sima Yi before their forces split up and headed different directions. Once Zhang was a fairly close distance from the city gates he shouted up at the men atop the walls.

    ¡°Open the city gates!¡± Zhang said once he arrived at the front of the gate while holding up the Aurora Emblem that Jian Wei had tossed to him earlier. The emblem once struck by sunlight emitted ray of opalescent of colors.

    Upon seeing this emblem in Zhang¡¯s hands and the ray of colors it emitted the soldiers atop the walls hurriedly began signaling for the city gates to be opened without a moment''s hesitation.  The crystal that made these emblems could only be found in Aurora and the method of refining them so they could emit the ray of light was only known by a few people within Aurora City. This process was passed from generation to generation within some very important clans within the province which meant that it was next to impossible to obtain an emblem without being granted one. Of course there was still the possibility of the emblem being stolen, but this was prevented by a seal placed upon the emblem by its makers.

    If the emblem were to leave its bounded owner without permission, then it would crumble to dust. Meaning the Lord of Aurora, Jian Wei could grant the emblems and also destroy them at will.

    After a short wait the city gates slowly crept open revealing dozens of soldiers clad in white armor. The moment they saw Zhang these men instantly saluted him respectfully. Be it they knew that Zhang was the next lord of Aurora or not everyone who possessed an emblem was someone with lots of influence in the province.

    ¡°What''s the situation in the city? How come the walls look is filled with scarecrows?¡± He asked quickly trying to figure out what was the situation.

    ¡°My lord most of the able soldiers in the city which numbered roughly one hundred thousand had departed many days ago with lord Sima Yi.¡± A soldier replied while clasping his hands together.

    ¡°Depart? Where did they go?¡± Zhang asked as a storm of questions had brewed in his mind. Of this was only natural because where could Sima Yi possibly have gone with one hundred thousand soldiers? He headed for the Beast¡¯s Gorge then Zhang would have run into him but that obviously was not the case.

    ¡°Lord Sima Yi said that the battle at the Beast¡¯s Gorge would definitely end in our victory so there was no point in heading there. As for where Lord Sima Yi went he did not say. But he did mention that once he completes his task he will send word back to Aurora City.¡± The same soldier replied to Zhang.

    ¡°Okay I will look into this later myself but for now make preparations for lord Jian Wei¡¯s arrival.¡± Zhang said before riding away from the city and back to the army.

    Jian Wei was currently atop a fine war steed and slowly making his way back to Aurora City while Zhang had ridden ahead.

    ¡°How great it feels to be back here alive.¡± Jian Wei thought with a cheerful smile present on his face.

    Despite Gan Ning¡¯s successful raids against the enemy when they were trapped in the gorge, Jian Wei had always thought that perhaps the gorge would become his burial place.

    Although the gorge¡¯s abundant resources were able to support their entire army it was only a matter of time before overconsumption played its part. His army would have dwindled until the enemy was able to easily overtake them and then his life would have ended or so he thought.

    But thankfully Zhang came with reinforcements and the tides of war changed, bringing about salvation.

    ¡°Once we get back I¡¯m going to hold a massive feast to celebrate, and then we can get to working on that wedding for those brats. I¡¯ll hold the largest wedding the world¡¯s ever seen for them hehehe¡± Jian Wei thought with a very broad smile on his face.

    He was going to plan a wedding fit for an emperor for his dear foster son, with guests from everywhere being invited to share in the festivities.

    ¡°A celebration so large that people will make a holiday out of it.¡± Jian Wei chuckled as he spotted Zhang riding toward him from the city.

    ========================================================================

    At another place and another time something unbelievable had happened.

    ¡°Lord Sima Yi we have captured the lord of this city and are awaiting your orders on how to deal with him...¡± A soldier clad in black armor said with his arms clasped.

    ¡°If he is willing to cooperate with us then tell him he may keep his position as city lord, if not then expose of him and his family.¡± Sima Yi said coldly as moonlight shone on his face.

    Before him were large masses of people surrounded by soldiers, these people were not soldiers but regular everyday common folk. Sima Yi had taken one hundred thousand soldiers and plunged straight into the Heavenly Sword Province. Simply heading north from Aurora one would arrive at one of the villages on the border of the Heavenly Sword Province.

    With their forces that were sent to the Green Clover Province and the Aurora Province gone the entire Heavenly Sword Province was severely lacking soldiers. This meant that with enough soldiers in hand Sima Yi could single handedly conquer the entire province in one fell swoop. He figured at most there would be only a few thousand soldiers left to protect the cities in the Heavenly Sword Province so with his one hundred thousand strong army even if he had to siege the cities his army would vastly outstrip the defenders.

    Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

    After arriving in the Heavenly Sword Province village after village fell under his control and as of tonight Sima Yi has obtained control total control of Twilight City, the third largest city in the province. With this city under his command Sima Yi had taken one third of the Heavenly Sword Province. Like a tidal wave his forces swept through the defenseless villages and cities.

    Of course the entire campaign had not been smooth sailing, roughly two thousand of his men had been lost during the process of occupying the villages and cities and another three thousand or so were injured. Thankfully they had not run into any high level mage or warrior or else their casualties may have been much higher.

    As Sima Yi stood watching his men securing the buildings in the city to ensure that no enemy soldiers were hiding in them a thought suddenly appeared in his head.

    ¡°To think not too long ago I was practically a beggar with an empty stomach and rags for clothes and now I¡¯m commanding armies and taking cities. Thank you for the opportunity I won¡¯t let you down my lord to return your kindness I¡¯ll start by presenting to you this province on a platter and then the rest of the region.¡± Sima Yi thought was a slight smile on his face as he remembered when Zhang offered him a way out of the dark abyss he was in. To repay this kindness the flames of war will soon spread across the entire Warring States Region.

    ¡°My lord all of the buildings in the city have been searched and every commoner within the city has been rounded up.¡± A soldier walked up beside Sima Yi and said.

    ¡°Good gather them all here I have a few words to say to the people of Twilight City. As for the merchants and more influential people within the city have them detained in their mansions I¡¯ll personally pay them a visit later.¡± Sima Yi said to the soldier.

    Not long after a sea of commoners were brought forth and crowded the streets. Every single soul within the city was currently out and amidst the crowd on the streets.  Hundreds of thousands of commoners consisting of men, women, children and the elderly were not standing under the moonlight while being warmed by the flickering torches illuminating the streets. All of these people were gathered in the main street of the city and were gazing up at a two story building that was known as the Four Seasons Inn where a young man dressed in dark blue robes was standing out on the second floor balcony.

    Once the commoners were gathered in one area the soldiers of Aurora appeared clad in armor with weapons in hand and marched forth in neat rows. Their duty tonight was to stand guard and make sure no thoughts of rebellion could possibly appear in the minds of the civilians of Twilight City.

    ¡°People of Twilight City! My name is Sima Yi and under orders from the lord of Aurora I¡¯ve come to lay siege to the entire Heavenly Sword Province for daring to attack out Aurora Province. But instead of putting you all to the sword I would like to give you an offer. As our lord¡¯s heir often says a kingdom is its people. So I am going you the opportunity of renouncing all of your connections to the Heavenly Sword Province and pledge your undying allegiance to Aurora.¡± Sima Yi said from the balcony while peering down at the sea of people below before clapping his hands to signal his men.

    Chatter soon occurred amongst the civilians of Twilight city. Some looked forward to change and thought it was an opportunity to attain something better while others were afraid that their decision today may come back and haunt them tomorrow. These people were afraid if they didn¡¯t take Sima Yi¡¯s offer they would be killed while also being afraid of what might happen if somehow the Heavenly Sword Province was able to regain control of the city. They could possibly be branded as traitors and executed for choosing to side with the forces of Aurora.

    Moments later the rumbling of wheels was audible. A dozen wagons that were escorted by tens of Aurora¡¯s soldiers appeared with tarps covering their cargo. Once these carts arrived at the front of the two story building the tarps were removed revealing mounds of glistening gold coins. The doors of the Four Seasons Inn swung open and soldiers walked out carrying tables and piles of white sheets of paper along with brushes and ink.

    ¡°This is the first of many benefits to those who wish to join us. Our lord and his heir are kind people and will ensure prosperity for all under their domain. Everyone who signs one of these forms stating their allegiance to Aurora will be given a gold coin.¡± Sima Yi said holding up a white piece of paper while everyone was staring at the wagons fill with gold or were trying to catch a glimpse of it from afar.

    Once someone signs the piece of paper they would officially be pledging their allegiance to Aurora and if they go back on their word then he would simply need to spread these forms to whoever¡¯s rule they end up under and there was a chance they would be executed for treason against the Heavenly Sword Province.

    The common folk of Twilight City were torn at the moment because they wished to receive the gold coin for signing the form but did not know if they should sign or not.

    But that was when a young man was seen squeezing his way through the crowd and up to a table set in front of the Four Seasons Inn with the white paper on them. Once he reached the front of the table he picked up a form and brush then dipped the brush in ink and proceeded to sign it. After signing he dipped his thumb into the ink and pressed it onto the piece of paper leaving behind his thumb print.

    Soon as he was gone a soldier handed him a shiny gold coin and the man disappeared back into the crowd. After this young man a few others made their way up toward the desks and signed the forms. Seeing this the people of Twilight City began following suit and filled out the forms too.

    Seeing this a smile appeared on Sima Yi¡¯s face as he walked into the Inn and into a large room.

    ¡°Tell those men they did a great job and has made a large contribution to establishing our rule in this city and they will be awarded accordingly.¡± Sima Yi said to a soldier standing inside the room.

    ¡°Yes my lord I will make sure to tell them.¡± The soldier replied.

    Sima Yi had arranged for a few of his men to mix into the crowd of commoners and be the first to walk up and sign the form which would help manipulate the rest of the people in the city.

    ¡°Also prepare the army we must strike when the iron is hot and continue our conquest of the Heavenly Sword Province. Having someone send word back to Aurora stating our progress, the battle at the Beast¡¯s Gorge should be over by now and our lord should have returned to Aurora City by now.

    ¡°Right away my lord I will have someone send a correspondence to Aurora. Also may I ask if you would like an escort readied for you?¡± The soldier said.

    ¡°Yes ready me a small group of guards I¡¯ll be paying the various clans and powers in the city visits tonight.¡± Sima Yi said with a sign, tonight would be a long night because he had to visit every clan and every influential family in the city and obtain their support or to suppress them.

 Chapter 85: White Crane

    After leaving the Four Seasons Inn Sima Yi headed toward the home of one of Twilight City¡¯s wealthiest men, Mi Zhu. In fact, he could be considered one of the Heavenly Sword Province¡¯s wealthiest men also.

    This man controlled nearly fifty percent of the city¡¯s rice and salt trade in his hands and was the owner of a very large trading company called the White Crane Trading Company that did business all over the province. If Aurora was able to obtain his support, then running Twilight City would be a breeze because as one of the richest men in the province Mi Zhu certainly would have many connections throughout the province and by obtaining his support they would in turn again those connections. Then to top things off the Aurora Army needed military provisions to continue their invasion and this man could supply them with what they needed.

    Certainly Sima Yi was not short sighted and forget to have his men bring lots of provisions but if he were able to secure a steady supply line then even if the campaign dragged on would be able to feed his armies. If he requested supplies from Aurora, there was a possibility that the supplies could be intercepted or would take too long to arrive but if he obtained the support of the merchants of the Heavenly Sword Province then there was no need to worry about food and supplies.

    Upon arriving at the front of a large pair of sturdy wooden gates decorated with gold in the form of a beautiful looking crane. Seeing his arrival Sima Yi¡¯s soldiers who had surrounded the mansion saluted and proceeded to open the mansion gates.

    ¡°My lord, mister Mi Zhu has been instructed to wait for your arrival in the main hall.¡± A soldier said while saluting Sima Yi.

    ¡°Lead the way.¡± Sima Yi said excitedly.

    ¡°Hopefully this man isn¡¯t an imbecile, I¡¯m tired of having to negotiate to imbeciles¡­¡± Sima Yi thought with a sigh. He truly loathed having to negotiate or strike deals because of how often fools reject his proposals due to their idiocrasy. In one particular village that he and his men took over there were many fools spouting nonsense about how the soldiers of Aurora were going to slaughter them all if they surrendered thus a large portion of its populace, consisting of farmers and the like took up arms. Thankfully all they had were simply farming equipment and no real weapons or else the repercussions would have been disastrous.

    Only after quelling the rebellion, detaining everyone involved, and then executing the one who had spread the nonsense was Sima Yi and the Aurora Army able to continue their invasion.

    After being lead through the large halls of the mansion Sima Yi soon found himself in a large hall where a middle aged man dressed in exquisite looking light blue robes could be seen sitting at a round table with various foods on it. Sitting beside the middle aged man was a woman whose face could not be seen.

    The moment Sima Yi entered the room the middle aged man and women turned around and then quickly got up and to greet him.

    ¡°My lord welcome to our humble abode.¡± The middle aged man said respectfully while the woman curtsied. Once she turned around Sima Yi was able to see that this woman was extremely beautiful and looked at be in her early twenties with skin white and clear as jade, and delicate looking features that looked as pure as snow.

    ¡°No need to be too modest Mister Mi Zhu.¡± Sima Yi said with a kind smile on his face.

    ¡°Please have a seat my lord.¡± The young woman said politely.

    ¡°You men stand guard outside I wish to speak to Mister Mi Zhu.¡± Sima Yi said to his men as he walked toward the table and sat down.

    Soon after Mi Zhu and the beautiful young woman joined him at the table. The woman was then introduced Mi Zhu¡¯s younger sister Mi Yang.

    ¡°I prefer to be referred to as Yang Mi though.¡± She said with a smile as she poured some tea into a cup for Sima Yi and her brother.

    ¡°So my lord how may I be of assistance to you tonight.¡± Mi Zhu said after sipping some tea.

    ¡°I would like Mister Mi Zhu to join me on a business venture that could possibly end up with you having control of the rice trade in the entire Heavenly Sword Province or well at least what was the Heavenly Sword Province.¡± Sima Yi said with a grin.

    ¡°I¡¯m listening.¡± Mi Zhu said without trying to be around about like he had been up until now. If cooperating with Sima Yi gave him a monopoly of rice trade over the Heavenly Sword Province, then his clan¡¯s wealth now would be but a grain of sand in a vast desert compared to what it will be in the future.

    After discussing for a few hours Sima Yi left the Mi residences with a smile across his face.

    With a contract signed Mi Zhu

    ¡°It appears not everyone is an imbecile.¡± He chuckled as he headed back to Four Seasons Inn to rest for the night before heading out tomorrow to meet the other wealthy and elite of Twilight City.

    =================================================================

    After concluding his business in Twilight City and establishing a supply line Sima Yi¡¯s invasion of the Heavenly Sword Province proceeded as swift as a raging river, every obstacle in his path was crushed and every village and city was taken over. With a more direct supply line in the Heavenly Sword Province Sima Yi no longer feared that his men would go hungry if their supplies from Aurora were cut off thus his attacks against the Heavenly Sword Province became many times more aggressive.

    Currently the forces of Aurora had Heavenly Sword City surrounded from all sides and were making preparations to take over the city. Once Heavenly Sword City was taken the remaining thirty percent of the province would automatically fall under Aurora¡¯s rule and with only a roughly twenty thousand soldiers there was little hope of repelling Sima Yi¡¯s forces. Most of these twenty thousand men were conscripted and forced to join their lords final stand, this meant that most of them had no actual combat experiences or were even properly trained.

    While the last of the Heavenly Sword Army stood atop the walls they witnessed thousands of soldiers clad in black or white armor below. Despite having arrived for many days these soldiers did not begin attacking the city but rather all they did was march to the front of the city every day. Of course they stood out of the range that any archer could shoot so they were perfectly safe but they did not show a signs of attacking the city.

    Sima Yi¡¯s forces had simply surround Heavenly Sword City and cut off all access to it. Sima Yi even had his men set up a makeshift dam to block all of the water that traveled into the city by river. His goal was to make the city exhaust its supply of water and after a few days it would be ready for the taking.

    Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.

    Unlike the Beast¡¯s Gorge where water and food was abundant, a city had a set amount of provisions and once that was gone there was no way of obtaining more with the blockade outside.

    A few miles away from the city a large camp had been erected and in a large tent in the city of the camp Sima Yi could be seen reading a book with the words ¡°Art of War¡± written on its cover.

    ¡°My lord a correspondence has arrived from Aurora.¡± A soldier said peeking his head in through the tent¡¯s curtain.

    ¡°Bring it here.¡± Sima Yi said while placing his book down on his desk. A few short moments later a letter was in Sima Yi¡¯s hands.

    The letter basically thanked Sima Yi for his service to Aurora and that he would be awarded for heavily upon his return to Aurora. It stated for him not to worry about the soldiers that had fled from Aurora because after receiving word of what Sima Yi was doing Zhang personally set off to keep those fleeing soldiers to pursue those fleeing soldiers. These men will most likely never make it back alive with Zhang, Gan Ning and Lu Xun on their tails.

    It also asked him to return to Aurora as soon as possible because in six months Zhang and the four beauties will be getting married and they wished for him to attend their wedding. It would be a huge event with many dignitaries attending and they a very important announcement will be made so all officers of Aurora should be present.

    After reading the letter Sima Yi placed the letter onto the desk beside his book.

    ¡°Go have a messenger tell those in Heavenly Sword City that if they surrender those who wish to leave will be given a chance to but if they do not we will raze the city and none shall be spared. The lord of the province may leave with his wealth and his life and his families lives will be spare if they surrender.¡±

    ¡°Right away my lord!¡± The soldier responded and left the tent.

    ¡°For your wedding gift I¡¯ll give you the entire Heavenly Sword Province my lord.¡± Sima Yi thought with a grin on his face.

    Although he would prefer to show mercy to those in the Heavenly Sword Province so that it would show the world that if people are willing to surrender to Aurora they will be rewarded. If everyone thought that if surrendering to Aurora meant death, then no one would seek to surrender but rather they would fight to the death like in the small village that took up arms.

    But of course he could make an example out of Heavenly Sword City either way, if they surrender he can show them mercy but if they don¡¯t he will show everyone what happens to stubborn fools who do not take the chances given to them. He would have every living soul in the city put to death as a warning to the world. ¡°Surrender and live or resist and die.¡±

    ¡°Those in the city will either be able to live in happiness or be sent to the depth of hell depending on their decision.¡± Sima Yi murmured.

    Upon Sima Yi¡¯s orders a messenger rode through and passed the rows of troops that surrounded the city and made his way to the front of the city gate. Once he was in front of the gate the messenger pulled out a magical voice amplifier and brought it to his mouth, ¡°Our commander Lord Sima Yi has decided to give those in the city two options! The first option is to lay down your arms and surrender, those who do not wish to live under our rule are free to leave and go elsewhere. The second option is resist and we will bury every single man, woman, and child in the city alive.¡±

    The messenger¡¯s voice reverberated into the city and was audible to a large number of people inside. It did not take long for chatter to break out between the residents inside the walls of Heavenly Sword City.

    In the provincial lord¡¯s mansion an elderly man was sitting in a large hall filled with people. Dressed in golden robes with a small crown atop his head of grey hair from his clothing and the crown alone one could tell that this elderly man was definitely the lord of the Heavenly Sword Province.

    ¡°Lord Yuan Shao what should we do the entire city has been surrounded and the men we sent to Aurora are nowhere to be seen and those that went to the Green Clover Province never returned either. We still haven¡¯t received word from General Zhuge Dan nor General Chao Chang either.¡± A middle aged man dressed in red robes said, one can tell that this man was most likely a minister of sorts.

    ¡°On top of that our provisions are running low, we have at most enough food to feed the entire city for another four months and after that we will all die from starvation and that is to say we can make it without water because the Xunsu River has been dammed and no water is flowing into the city.¡± Another middle aged man said.

    ¡°If we stopped giving food to those peasants then we can last for a year or two!¡± A third man with a balding head dressed in brown robes said.

    ¡°I believe we should rather the riches of the city and then surrender. They said that if we surrender we may leave if we please. With all of the wealth of the capital we can go to another province and acquire large armies then come back and reclaim our land or we bid our time and take control of a few other provinces and when we are strong enough wipe out Aurora.¡± A young man in golden robes said with a sly look on his face.

    ¡°Yuan Shang you''re telling me to give up the land that our ancestors fought and died for?¡± Yuan Shao said while looking at his son.

    ¡°Only for the time being father, man takes revenge, ten years is not too late; one should bide one¡¯s time and wait for the right opportunity to seek vengeance.¡± Yuan Shang said proudly.

    After some thought Yuan Shao began giving orders for as much wealth as possible to be gathered in the provincial lord¡¯s mansion. He would then store all of it into his interspatial ring, once this was done then they would open the city gates and surrender. As an act of kindness he did not take the possessions of the common folk of the city but had the province¡¯s treasury emptied along with the wealth of many of his ministers.

    A day after Sima Yi¡¯s messenger was sent white flags could be seen hung atop Heavenly Sword City while the city gates were wide open. The Heavenly Sword Province had officially declared their surrender to the Aurora Province and this marked the end of the bloodshed and war between the two, well at least for now.

    ====================================================================================================================

    Well hello there >_> <_< I''m back >:D hehehehe also Mi Yang one of my favorite chinese actresses <3

 Chapter 86: Tall Tales

    Still no Editor so just me here :D hope there aren''t too many errors O_O ENJOY!!!! O_O

    ===============================================================================

    On a sunny day without a cloud in sight many carriages and people could be seen waiting in an orderly line front of them gates of Aurora City. The lord of Aurora, Jian Wei, had ordered for an extravagant festival to be held for days on end to help celebrate his foster son¡¯s wedding which was going to be held tomorrow. Thus people from many places gathered in Aurora to join in the festivities.

    Tomorrow could be considered the most auspicious day of the year on the Wulan Continent¡¯s calendar. To add to the auspiciousness tomorrow was the day when the planet was perfectly aligned with the moon and the sun which happens only once every fifty years. Meaning tomorrow was the best day for anyone to get married.

    Dignitaries from many provinces and kingdom had arrived in Aurora after having received wedding invitations sent by Jian Wei. This meant that the streets of Aurora crowded with people and carriages causing the businesses of the residents of Aurora City were all booming

    Of course with more people there would certainly more gossip, people gathered in taverns, inns and restaurants by the troves to gossip about the various dignitaries that arrived, the events that happened during the festival and finally about the luckiest man on the face of the planet and his four wives.

    In one particular inn called the Raven¡¯s Nest an extremely large crowd was gathered, people of all ages were currently engaged in a heated discussion amongst themselves.

    ¡°Have you seen the young lord yet? I heard he is as large as a bear and as strong as a tiger.¡±  Someone said excitedly.

    ¡°What are you talking about? I heard that he looks as beautiful as a woman and if he wore women''s clothes he could be considered a world class beauty.¡± A bald headed man said after he gulped down a cup of wine.

    ¡°Get out of here and stop spouting nonsense.¡± One of the people standing by the bald man said after slapping the back of his head.

    ¡°I hear he¡¯s a bloodthirsty killer and lord Jian Wei only choose him because of how good he is at slaughtering people on the battlefield.¡± Someone blurted out.

    ¡°Enough about the young lord I want to know if anyone has seen how his future wives look!¡± A with a crooked nose and the eyes of a hawk said while rubbing his hands.

    ¡°A friend of mine knows of a baker whose sister¡¯s cousin twice removed works as a maid at the lord¡¯s mansion and has seen them.¡± A chubby looking man said while gnawing on a grilled chicken thigh.

    ¡°What are you waiting for tell us how they look? Are they are beautiful as some people claim? Or are their tales of beauty simply made up rumors?¡± A few of the listeners said.

    ¡°Well from what I¡¯ve heard and the little bit of research I did I know that one of them is the daughter of the previous lord of the Green Clover Province and is support to be very ugly. Something about an accident that disfigured her to the point where no one wanted to marry her, but she had offered the entire Green Clover Province to our young lord if he would take her hand in marriage. Our poor young lord is taking one for the team it seems.¡± The chubby man stated in a know it all tone.

    ¡°Then what about the other three?  Xu Zhu hurry up and tell us!¡± A few of the listeners said.

    ¡°I was told that another one of the future madams is the daughter of some minister from the Heilong Kingdom whom seems to hates men. From what I gathered she once tried to light some poor fella on fire for looking in her direction. Probably is one of those political marriages.¡± Xu Zhu said while munching on another chicken thigh.

    ¡°I kind of pity our young lord now it seems like he''s getting the short end of the stick in this marriage.¡± Someone muttered.

    ¡°No need to pity someone who is going to inherit an entire province. Hell if he wanted he can take a bunch of other wives later.¡± Another person said.

    ¡°You lot shut up and let me finish, there''s one girl who seems to be known by the former soldiers of the Heavenly Sword Army as ¡°The Demon¡± I heard that anyone that gets on her bad side is hacked to pieces. They say that she appeared out of nowhere and no one knows her origins but the one thing that is known is to never get on her bad side. Have you heard of the children¡¯s song about the monster with the long flowing hair and the blood stained sword? That song is about her.¡± Xu Zhu said as he continued eating.

    ¡°What the¡­ Why would the young lord marry her?¡± The bald man from before asked.

    ¡°Who knows maybe he was threatened that if he doesn¡¯t marry her, she¡¯ll haunt him or something.¡± Xu Zhu said.

    ¡°Lastly the last bride who is said to be a total weirdo. I hear that she claims she¡¯s a princess from the underworld and some creepy looking spiders live in her blood red hair. Something must be wrong with her head. But besides that I don¡¯t know much about this last one.¡±

    After listening to Xu Zhu many people began to pity Zhang and had shivers run down their spines. In their heads tales of demonesses with multiple heads and nasty spiders were brewing. Many people let their imaginations run wild and of course many horrendous scenes popped up in their minds.

    Little did they know the man whom they had been talking about was actually mixed into the crowd and was currently sitting in the corner of the inn trying to keep himself from breaking into laughter. Small tears formed in the corners of Zhang¡¯s eyes as his hand pressed against his mouth trying to hold back the laughter. Luckily he was able to contain himself or he would have gotten too much attention.

    For the last couple days Zhang and the four beauties had sneaked out of the Provincial Lord¡¯s mansion to join in on the festivities. While outside they had heard all of the out of the world tales that were being spread throughout the city.  Heroic tales where Zhang rescued each and every one of the girls from some horde demonic beast, tales of love and romance, and some plain out weird stories that somehow people bought into.

    ¡°I have to admit this man was by far the one who is closest to the truth. For some reason people have thought that my four lovely flowers are monsters like that one crazy woman who claimed that Ai is able to turn into a dragon.¡± Zhang thought with a chuckle while shaking his head as he left the inn.

    Tomorrow would be his big day thus and Zhang¡¯s nerves were on end. Tomorrow would be a step into a new world, one where if he died he would not have any regrets because after tomorrow he won¡¯t be a virgin anymore. As silly as it might sound for someone who had died nearly three times and not experience their first time was heart breaking. So to settle his nerves Zhang snuck out alone and roamed the city.

    Leaving the inn Zhang walked along the main street of Aurora City and since no one besides his soldiers has ever gotten close to him to see his face, Zhang was able to perfectly blend into the crowd.

    ¡°After the wedding I should take the girls and to see the world or at least the entire warring states region because one must know their domain that will be ruling over.¡± Zhang thought as a smile crept onto his face. Just imagining the silliness that will ensure warmed his heart.

    You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

    While passing through the crowded streets Zhang noticed that the sea of people was suddenly parting to make way for something or someone. As he got closer he saw familiar looking black flags with dragons sewn onto them. Marching through the streets were soldiers clad in black and at the forefront of this cluster of men was a handsome looking man in his early twenties.

    ¡°Sima Yi¡­¡± Zhang muttered as he saw the man who had departed for the Heavenly Sword Province months ago. News had arrived that Sima Yi and his men had successfully taken over the Heavenly Sword Province and were hurriedly making their way back to attend Zhang wedding. Of course this was after Sima Yi established Aurora¡¯s rule in the Heavenly Sword Province, he had stationed roughly eighty thousand man in Heavenly Sword City and had requested for more soldiers to be allotted there until a new Heavenly Sword Army under Aurora¡¯s control could be established.

    Upon Sima Yi¡¯s return Zhang was going to grant him the title of duke and give him dominion over the Red Mist Province because he was the spark that had extinguished the Heavenly Sword Province. In turn Zhang¡¯s family and Ling¡¯s family will be given dominion over the Green Clover Province because it could be now considered the safest province in the warring states region. This was of course because it was situated between the Red Mist and Aurora Provinces while the Heavenly Sword Province shared nearly half of its northern border. This meant that the Green Clover Province could only be attacked from the south.

    One may ask how could Sima Yi be granted the title of Duke when his masters only controlled mere provinces and could be at most have the rank of a duke themselves be able to grant be able to grant him such a title, well the answer is simple. With four provinces under their control Zhang and Jian Wei had decided to officially establish a kingdom, the Kingdom of Aurora. They had planned to make this announcement right before Zhang¡¯s wedding as to add to the joyous occasion.

    As Zhang watched the procession move along he noticed that Sima Yi was looking in his direction.

    ¡°Please don¡¯t start a commotion.¡± Zhang plead in his mind. The last thing he needed was for this crowd of people to recognize and swarm him.

    But of course once Sima Yi¡¯s steed reached where Zhang was he dismounted and kneeled on one knee. ¡°My lord I¡¯ve returned and I¡¯ve brought you a gift.¡± Sima Yi said excitedly.

    Seeing Sima Yi kneel all of the soldiers who were following behind him also followed suit and go on one knee also. Once this happened all of the civilians had their gazes set on Zhang and then quickly followed Sima Yi¡¯s example. However, when everyone looked up Zhang was nowhere in sight, like a cloud he had drifted off to somewhere else.

    In an alley a block or so away Zhang was standing behind some bamboo poles with his back against a wall trying to avoid unwanted eyes.

    ¡°Thank the heavens I got away from there before a crowd swarmed me.¡± Zhang said with a sigh. Before he could even say another word he felt someone''s hand press against his shoulder. When he turned his head Zhang say a delicate jade white hand that was as white as snow. With a whiff Zhang was able to smell the familiar fragrance of various flow into his nostrils. Contrary to what one may believe from the phrase herbs, this smell was a sweet and relaxing smell that could calm one¡¯s very soul.

    ¡°Lingqi what are you doing here?¡± Zhang asked without even having to look up at her face or hear her voice to know who it was. From the fragrance alone he was able to tell that it was her.

    ¡°Did you think you can sneak out alone?¡± Lingqi¡¯s gentle angelic voice drifted into Zhang¡¯s ears as her gentle hand departed from his shoulder and held onto his hand. With his hand in her grasp Lingqi tugged lightly trying to signal Zhang to follow her. The two of them walked hand in hand until there was not a single soul in sight.

    Leading Zhang into a narrow alleyway cluttered with bamboo rafters and various things Lu Lingqi suddenly turned back and while standing on the tips of her toes planted a light kiss on Zhang¡¯s lips.

    Caught by surprise Zhang could only stand where he was somewhat dumbfounded. Usually he was the one to take the initiative and this could be considered one of the rare occasions where he was on the one on the receiving end.

    ¡°I may have come last but I definitely won¡¯t give up the chance of taking your first.¡± She murmured as she planted another kiss on Zhang¡¯s lips while he was still in a slight daze.

    Of course by the second kiss Zhang had been able to regain his composure so before her lips could depart his arms swiftly wrapped around her waist and pulled her in closer. Without the worry of being seen the two of them stood out of sight in the empty alley way passionately kissing with arms wrapped around each other. Surely had Jian Wei been around he would have made some silly remark about it being too early in the day for such activities.

    However, while Zhang and Lingqi were in a world of their own a sudden reverting sound of something falling onto the ground brought them back to reality. A few bamboo poles that had been leaning on a wall had been sent crashing down onto the ground. Behind where the bamboo pole had been were three dazzling beauties with flushed cheeks. Ling¡¯s eyes could be seen from the gaps in her fingers, while Ai¡¯s head was poking out from behind Yuying who was leaning against a wall.

    Trying to ignore the three onlookers Lingqu placed her hands around Zhang¡¯s neck and tried to rekindle the flame that had been extinguished by the intruders. However, before the flames of passion could be reignited a karate chop came flying downward and struck Lingqi¡¯s head.

    ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing?¡± Yuying said once her karate chop connected with Lingqi¡¯s head.

    ¡°Ouch¡­ Why¡¯d you do that? I¡¯m only doing what a wife is expected to do with her husband.¡± Lingqi said without any hint of embarrassment as she complained while rubbing the top of her head.

    Before the four flowers broke out into argument Zhang walked up to each and every one of them and planted a kiss on their lips. By doing so the other three beauties would not feel as if they had been excluded so they wouldn¡¯t be able to complain.

    Although there was some slight resistance at first because they were caught off guard the other three soon fell quiet and accepted the passionate kiss.

    ¡°Man I¡¯m starving let¡¯s go find something to eat.¡± Zhang said trying to defuse the situation. Perhaps had they been caught inside a hotel or a room of sorts then he would have had them join in but since they were in an alleyway it did not seem like the right place to do so. That being said tomorrow was going to be their wedding day so it did not seem like the right time to do such things anyway.  To be honest Zhang was going to stop Lingqi before they got to that point anyway.

    Thus Zhang and the four beauties left the alley way and went to the city¡¯s most popular restaurant, ¡°The Spring¡¯s Bounty Diner.¡±

    ==========================================================================

    Lol Lingqi trying to get ahead of the pack <3

 Chapter 87: War Preparations

    If any errors please tell me so I can fix, thank you. Also lol Zhang must ready himself for war >:D

    ==============================================================================

    After leaving the alley way and reaching the Spring¡¯s Bounty Diner the group of five was greeted by a young waiter who was able to tell from their clothes that they were people of high social status.

    ¡°Young master and young misses please follow me I''ll show you to your table.¡± The young waiter said respectfully trying to not offend anyone.

    ¡°We would like a private room.¡± Zhang requested. All high class restaurants and diners had private rooms usually on the second or third floors reserved for the wealthier customers that come in. Of course getting a private room meant having to pay an extra fee but a few silver coins mean little to our group of five.

    ¡°Right this way young master please follow me.¡± The young waiter said as he led Zhang and the four beauties to a pair of beautifully made arching staircases. Made completely out of wood these staircases arched to the second and then onto the third floor.

    While leading the group up to the third floor the waiter couldn''t help but notice the beauty of the four women who were with Zhang. Being able to have even a single woman that could compare to any of the four beauties meant that one was wealthy and powerful, but to have four such women the waiter could only imagine how wealthy and power Zhang or his family is.

    ¡°Best to avoid eye contact because offending these people could ruin me.¡± He thought as the waiter arrived a pair of exquisitely carved doors. Once these doors opened they revealed a lavishly decorated room.

    ¡°This will be your room young master.¡± The waiter said as he gestured for Zhang and the four beauties to enter.

    After seating Zhang and the four beauties at a large round table and taking their order the waiter excused himself.

    Once the waiter left the group of five began conversing. Not much time passed before a feast was brought before them, dishes that common folk only dreamt of and delicacies from many different places were all laid out atop the large table the group was seated at.

    Zhang carefully picked out dishes that each of the girls would like and put a bit into each of their bowls like any loving husband would do.

    While eating Zhang heard a familiar voice from the other side of the screen door. This voice belonged to a certain prince that Zhang had met in the Heilong Kingdom. After getting up from his seat and opening the pair of exquisite doors Zhang saw Shu Shang with his two wives being lead into a room adjacent to his.

    ¡°Brother Shu Shang!¡± Zhang yelled excitedly since it had been ages since the two had last met.

    ¡°Brother Zhang!¡± Shu Shang said happily as he turned back and saw Zhang.

    ¡°How about you and your wives join us for a meal.¡± Zhang said as he pointed to the room he and the four beauties were currently having their meal in.

    ¡°Of course.¡± Shu Shang answered with a smile.

    Thus began the night of merrymaking. Although Shu Shang was somewhat surprised when he first saw Lingqi it did not take him long to get used to her. Truthfully he had only thought that Zhang would be marrying Ling, Ai and Yuying because the wedding invitation did not specify any names.

    So after some introductions, Zhang, Shu Shang and their wives began drinking and eating.

    in the middle of their meal Shu Shang asked if he could talk to Zhang a bit outside so the two young man left the ladies in the room and walked outside to the balcony.

    ¡°Brother Zhang is your sword ready for tomorrow?¡± Shu Shang asked with a whisper.

    ¡°My sword? Ready for what?¡± Zhang replied in a confused tone.

    ¡°Just take this and drink some before you have to use it. You''re going to be fighting four wars tomorrow I wish the best of luck to you.¡± Shu Shang said as a jade bottle appeared in his hand.

    ¡°These are some dans that my master gave me when I got married. I asked him to make some more so I could give you some.¡± Shu Shang said as he handed the jade bottle to Zhang.

    After receiving the bottle and examining its contents Zhang was able to guess what Shu Shang was implying when he meant sword and with a smile he stored the bottle into his interspatial ring.

    ¡°Many thanks brother, I''ll make sure to take them before I use my sword.¡± Zhang said to Shu Shang with a grin.

    After having a small chat, the two young men returned to their lovely wives and continued their meal. A few hours and a few dozen wine bottles later the two groups departed from the diner and headed back to their lodgings.

    Upon making their way back to the provincial lord¡¯s mansion, Zhang and the four beauties were greeted by the guards stationed at the front of the main gate and led inside.

    Zhang was told that Jian Wei had requested his presence so he split off from the for beauties. Walking through the vast halls of the mansion that were intricately decorated in preparation for his wedding tomorrow Zhang soon arrived in front of a pair of doors that led into Jian Wei¡¯s study.

    With two loud knocks a voice sounded out from the other side of the pair of doors.

    ¡°Come in.¡± Jian Wei said as his voice penetrated the paper screen doors.

    Moments later Zhang was standing in front of a large desk littered with books and scrolls. Once Zhang entered Jian Wei got up from his seat behind the large desk and walked up to a locked cabinet.

    From his interspatial ring he withdrew a silver key to which he used to open the cabinet. After taking something out of the cabinet Jian Wei closed it and walked back to his desk.

    ¡°Zhang my boy tomorrow you''ll be facing one of the most difficult battles a man will ever face. But unlike other men you''ll be engaging in four battles and the enemy¡¯s generals are strong and powerful, so don''t say that your foster father didn''t lend you a helping hand. The outcome of the battles tomorrow will most likely dictate the rest of your life so I pray that you have good fortunes in battle.¡± Jian Wei said as he placed a jade bottle onto the desk. After putting the bottle onto the desk a broad smile appeared on Jian Wei¡¯s face.

    ¡°You dirty old man¡­¡± Zhang thought as a smile crept on his face.

    ¡°I''ll take as much help as I can get, although the battles will be difficult I''ll face the enemy head on be it one by one or one on four.¡± Zhang said as he took the jade bottle and stored it away into his interspatial ring.

    ¡°Alright you should rest early and prepare for the long battle tomorrow.¡± Jian Wei said while still smiling.

    After wishing Jian Wei a good night Zhang left and headed back to his room. But on his way back to his room while crossing the mansions flower garden Zhang saw a slim silhouette leaning against a tree and gazing up at the stars.

    While trying to be as quiet as possible Zhang steadily made his way closer and closer to the silhouette. Moments later Zhang''s arms swiftly slid around the silhouette¡¯s waist.

    ¡°What''s my future wife doing out here all alone.¡± Zhang said as he leaned in to kiss Ling¡¯s neck.

    Afterward the two lovebirds sat in silence gazing up at the stars like they used to do as kids.

    Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

    ¡°To think tomorrow we will be getting married, it seems like days ago I had thought that I wouldn''t ever see you again.¡± Ling said as water gathered at the corner of her eyes.

    ¡°Tomorrow we¡¯ll be married and we¡¯ll never be apart again.¡± Zhang said while tightening his grasp on her waist trying to convey to her that he won''t let go of her ever again.

    Ling sat in Zhang¡¯s embrace until her eyes could keep open no long and her consciousness faded. While entrusting herself to the warmth that was enveloping her, Ling fell into a deep sleep.

    Zhang not wanting to wake Ling sat in silence while hugging her until he couldn''t stay awake any longer either.

    ============================

    The next morning before sun rose to the sky the last of the guests that were attending the grand wedding arrived.  Luxurious carriages pulled by demonic beasts and escorted by teams of men made their way into Aurora City.

    One particular carriage heading toward Aurora City just so happened to be carrying two middle aged men and their two lovely wives. The two men in question were the ministers of war and finance for the Heilong Kingdom, Wu Tong and Zhou Cheng. They along with their two wives were locked in a heated conversation regarding their two children¡¯s marriage.

    ¡°Xue when do you think we¡¯ll be getting grandkids?¡± Wu Tong asked in a merry tone to his wife Xue Qingren who is Ling¡¯s birth mother.

    ¡°You silly goat you want us to be grandparents that bad?¡± Xue Qingren said happily while teasing her husband.

    ¡°Of course I want to be a grandpa and as soon as possible too.¡± Wu Tong retorted with a smile on his face.

    ¡°Brother Wu Tong you¡¯re not the only one, I wish to be a grandpa too.¡± Zhou Cheng who is Zhang¡¯s father chuckled.

    ¡°Well considering that my future son in law is going to be having four wives at the same time I think you won¡¯t have to wait too long.¡± Wu Tong said somewhat enviously but still in a fairly happy tone.

    ¡°You can¡¯t possibly be jealous of my little Zhang?¡± Zhang¡¯s mother Zhen Ji teased.

    ¡°Jealous? Of course not why would I be jealous of a junior and my son in law at that.¡± Wu Tong denied.

    The future grandparents continued their chat all the way until their carriage reached a line of people and carriages waiting for permission to enter the city.

    ¡°My lord¡¯s the city guard has said that we do not need to wait in line to enter the city and that they will escort us to the provincial lord¡¯s mansion.¡± The coachman said from the outside of the carriage. Thus Zhang and Ling¡¯s parents entered the city.

    After entering the city and moving through Aurora¡¯s main city street the carriage that the two ministers were in finally reached its destination.

    ¡°I¡¯ll take it from here.¡± Zhang said to the soldiers whom he had ordered escort the carriage.

    Once the soldiers were dismissed Zhang walked up to the carriage and opened its side door.

    ¡°Mother, father I¡¯m glad you can make it.¡± Zhang said happily once he saw his parents.

    ¡°Of course silly child I wouldn¡¯t miss this for the world.¡± Zhang¡¯s mother Zhen Ji said as she climbed out of the carriage and hugged her son who she hadn¡¯t seen for a very long time.

    While Zhang¡¯s mother was hugging her son the rest of the people in the carriage climbed out.

    ¡°Welcome mother and father in law.¡± A chorus of voices sounded out. Behind Zhang were four world class beauties whom were wearing exquisitely made dresses with extravagant looking hair pins, necklaces, and bracelets. Each and every one of these beautiful young women were currently curtsying to their future husband¡¯s parents.

    After doing so Ling walked up to her own parents and hugged them. It had been a fairly long time since Ling had the chance to see her parents so she felt that she should try to make up for lost time.

    Once Zhang introduced Lingqi to his parents, he led everyone into the mansion to the flower garden where a light meal had been set up. It was still early in the morning and the other guests for the wedding won¡¯t show up for another few hours so they could take their time and enjoy a light breakfast together before the festivities take place.

    The two of the four beauties were currently trying to win the favoritism of their future mother and father in laws and Lingqi was currently winning.

    ¡°Mother I made this medicine just for you, it can help you get of all your wrinkles although you look ravishing already once the wrinkles are gone you¡¯ll be able to make cities fall from your beauty alone.¡± Lingqi said as she presented Zhang¡¯s mother with a jar filled with a bluish cream.

    ¡°As for you father, after I trekked through mountains for five days looking for herbs I stumbled on this thousand-year-old ginseng and I want you to have it. Simply boiling it and adding a little bit of it to your cup of tea before each meal can help extend your life by years.¡± Lingqi said as she produced a large ginseng and placed it before Zhang¡¯s father.

    One could call her actions flat out bribery but in love and war all''s fair.

    ¡°Mother how about I give you a shoulder rub?¡± Yuying said as she got up and began rubbing Zhen Ji¡¯s shoulders. ¡°Two can play at this game.¡± She thought was she glanced at the gifted that Lingqi had presented.

    ¡°How about I play a song for everyone.¡± Lingqi said while walking up to a zither that was placed on a stone table a bit away from where everyone was seated. It did not take long for a relaxing melody to drift into everyone¡¯s ears and began to soothe their soul. As if the music from the zither was not enough, Lingqi began singing and with her angelic voice soon filled the flower garden.

    Ling had totally counted herself out of this struggle because she deemed it as pointless. She had grown up with Zhang and often met Zhang¡¯s parents and knew that there was no way they would pick a favorite daughter in law so Yuying and Lingqi¡¯s efforts were futile. As for Ai she simply did not care for such things so she did not participate.

    Once their light breakfast ended, Zhang took his parents and Ling¡¯s parents to rooms arranged for them, so they could rest. The wedding was going to begin so and they needed to be at tip top shape.

    However, before Zhang¡¯s father Zhou Cheng went to get some rest he pulled his son aside and the two of them had a little chat.

    ¡°Son as your father I love you dearly, so for your own good I must tell you that tonight you¡¯ll be fighting a kind of war that you¡¯ve never encountered before and it is imperative that you achieve total victory. You must win every battle tonight or else you will lose the war it will haunt you for the rest of your life, so I¡¯m going to give you our Zhou Clan¡¯s special rejuvenation dans. Since you have to fight four skirmishes, your sword must be sharp and your strength mustn¡¯t waiver. Make your father proud son.¡± Zhou Cheng said as he handed Zhang a jade bottle and patted him on the back.

    ¡°You¡¯re kidding me¡­¡± Zhang thought as he received the bottle from his father.

    ==============================================================================

    As I¡¯ve forgotten if I¡¯ve ever named Ling¡¯s mother or not her name will now be Xue Qingren. Also: D gotta sharpen those swords lol.

    <hr />

    SamuraiJack was the first to see this post O_O

    <hr />

    Also I''ma try to post a chapter or two a day again O_O :D

 Chapter 88: Sima Yis Gift

    After taking the jade bottle from his father and storing it into his interspatial ring, Zhang and his father parted ways because they needed to get ready for the wedding. Zhang didn¡¯t know whether to laugh or cry, his father, his foster father and even his friend all had given him some extra ¡°help¡± for the war tonight.

    ¡°I¡¯ll take all the help I can get I guess.¡± Zhang thought as he headed to his room to get ready. However, when he arrived to his room Sima Yi could be seen standing in front of the door.

    ¡°Some more help?¡± Zhang thought as he remembered that Sima Yi said something about a gift when they had met on the city streets.

    ¡°My lord! I¡¯m glad I was able to see you before the festivities begin. I have a gift for you.¡± Sima Yi said with a smile.

    ¡°You going to give me something to sharpen my sword?¡± Zhang said jokingly.

    ¡°Sharpen your sword? If you wish you can give it to me and I¡¯ll have one of the men sharpen and polish it for you. But I wanted to give you this before the guests arrive. However, I think it would be best if we talked inside.¡± Sima Yi said as he opened the doors to Zhang¡¯s room.

    After Zhang entered the room, Sima Yi had shut the doors and from his robes produced a red interspatial ring with a sword carved onto it.

    ¡°My lord this is the interspatial ring that we¡¯ve acquired from the previous lord of the Heavenly Sword Province.¡± Sima Yi said as he presented the ring to Zhang.

    ¡°How¡¯d you get this interspatial ring? Didn¡¯t you allow the previous lord and his men to leave the Heavenly Sword Province?¡± Zhang questioned as he examined the interspatial ring.

    ¡°The previous lord of the Heavenly Sword Province had met an unforeseen accident and had encountered a pack of thousands of demonic Silver Wind Wolves. By the time we arrived the pack was nowhere in sight except for a few of their corpses. As for the previous lord of the Heavenly Sword Province and his soldiers not a single survivor was found. As a show of our respect we gave them a mass burial.¡± Sima Yi said with a straight face.

    ¡°Good, in the future they won¡¯t be able to cause us any problems. But tell me what actually happened. Also stop with the my lord stuff we can be considered brothers.¡± Zhang said in a happy tone as he patted Sima Yi¡¯s back.

    ¡°Ha-ha if you wish I will refer to you as brother Zhang. If you wish to know what happened to the previous lord of the Heavenly Sword Province, then please have a seat it will be a long story.¡± Sima Yi said with a laugh. He was fairly happy that Zhang was able to see through his lie, as a person whom Sima Yi deemed to be of equal intellect, it would have been sad if Zhang was not able to see through his lie.

    Once the two men were seated Sima Yi¡¯s recollection began.

    ¡°After the last of the Heavenly Sword Army and their lord opened the city gates to surrender, I allowed them to leave the encirclement. Of course preparations had been made early on in the off chance that they did surrender so everything was ready the moment they had surrendered. There were only 3 possible routes they could have taken to leave the province so I had our men set up ambushes at key locations along these routes. The moment they entered a valley called ¡°Heaven¡¯s Descent¡± their fates were sealed. Hundreds of boulders came rolling down from the cliffs above and crushed thousands of enemy soldiers. Those who survived the boulders were quickly slain by our archers. There was no way I was going to release a tiger back to the mountain.¡± Sima Yi said.

    ¡°As long as there wasn¡¯t a single survivor and then the news of their unfortunate encounter with the Silver Wind Wolves spreads to the common folk then there shouldn¡¯t be too much of an issue.

    ¡°No need to worry everything has been taking care of accordingly.¡± Sima Yi replied.

    ¡°As a thank you for that gift of yours I would like to give you a gift in return.¡± Zhang said as he took Sima Yi¡¯s hand and placed an interspatial ring into it. To be exact it was the same interspatial ring that Sima Yi had given to him a few moments ago.

    ¡°What¡¯s the meaning of this my lord?¡± Sima Yi asked as he held the interspatial ring with a confused look on his face.

    ¡°By your gift I meant the entire Heavenly Sword Province, so keep the ring and its contents. A duke of the Aurora Kingdom can¡¯t be penniless you know.¡± Zhang said with a grin as he tried to hint Sima Yi about becoming a duke and the creation of the Aurora Kingdom.

    ¡°Duke? Aurora kingdom?¡± Sima Yi murmured but after an instant he quickly got onto one knee and said, ¡°Sima Yi thanks Prince Zhang.¡±

    ¡°No need to be so formal Duke Sima Yi.¡± Zhang said.

    Once Sima Yi got up Zhang told him that from now on he will be given control of the Red Mist Province and after some more chatting Sima Yi departed so Zhang could change into his wedding outfit but of course not before he left a small jade bottle on Zhang¡¯s desk.

    ¡°Of course I¡¯ll have to have someone send funds to the Heavenly Sword Province as this but for now everything should be fine.¡± Zhang thought as he picked up the jade bottle and smiled while looking at it. After storing the jade bottle away, he hurriedly began changing because the guests would arrive soon.

    Elsewhere in the mansion the four beauties were busily getting into their bridal gowns, teams of maids were helping the already world class beauties apply makeup and getting dressed. Before wearing any make up any of these four was already considered extremely beautiful but once make up was applied their beauty was elevated to the next stage.

    ¡°Do I have to wear this? It¡¯s so heavy.¡± Ai complained as a maid placed a headdress atop her head.

    ¡°Miss you have to it¡¯s part of the outfit.¡± A maid said as she combed Ai¡¯s long silky hair and adorning it with hairpins.

    ¡°Ai stop complaining.¡± Yuying said to Ai as a maid was helping her into a red bridal gown.

    While the girls and maids were hurriedly trying to get ready a knock could be heard from the other side of the door that led into the room. Moments later the door opened and two middle aged women entered. These two were the former flowers of Blue Tear city, Zhen Ji and Xue Qingren.

    ¡°Are you girls ready yet?¡± Zhen Ji said in a motherly tone.

    ¡°Madam the misses are just about done.¡± A middle aged maid who seemed to be the one in charge of the other maids said respectfully.

    ¡°Once you''re all done you may leave; we would like to have a word with the brides.¡± Xue Qingren said with a smile as she gazed as her only daughter. Although a part of her did not like the fact that Zhang was marrying someone else besides her daughter, after engaging in conversation with the other three beauties and seeing the harmony amongst the four she was not as much against it as she was before.

    As for Zhen Ji one could say that she was the happiest mother alive on the planet. Her son being able to marry four such beauties meant that he was a man above the rest. This of course made her very proud of her son and to add her joy the more brides Zhang had the more cute grandkids she¡¯ll be getting.

    It did not take long for the maids to finish up and leave the room leaving the four brides and the two mothers.

    ¡°Mother you wanted to talk to us?¡± Ling asked her mother.

    ¡°If there¡¯s something you wish I¡¯ll happily oblige mother.¡± Lingqi popped in. She figured if she got Ling¡¯s mother to like her too then there would only be a positive and not a negative.

    Upon hearing Lingqi calling her mother, Xue Qingren couldn¡¯t help smile and think, ¡°Ling you¡¯re going to have some stiff competition.¡±

    ¡°Girls gather around I have something I want to share with you.¡± Zhen Ji said to the four beauties.

    After they had gathered around a table Zhen Ji pulled out an ancient looking book from her robes. Across the front of the book faded words that read ¡°Notes of the Bedchamber.¡±

    ¡°This manual will aid you four in your battle tonight. I know that old man has given Zhang some help and thought it would be unfair so I decided to even out the playing field.¡± Zhen Ji said with a smile.

    ¡°Wait I think I¡¯ve heard of this manual¡­¡± Lingqi who just so happened to be a highly skilled doctor pointed out while examining the manual on the table.

    ¡°Is this perhaps the manual that contains the nine lost forms?¡± Lingqi asked as she picked up the manual.

    This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    ¡°There¡¯s the Flying Dragon, the Tiger¡¯s Walk, the Jumping Monkey, the Malting Cicadas, the Mounting Turtle¡­ Wait the last part of the manual is missing.¡± Lingqi said after having flipped through the manual.  Beside her Yuying, Ai and Ling had flushed cheeks simply from imagining themselves using those forms illustrated in the manual.

    ¡°It¡¯s said that she who has mastered all nine forms will become the victor a hundred battles. The last part of the manual is missing because the first five forms are enough for you four I¡¯m still Zhang¡¯s mother and he after all is still my son.¡± Zhen Ji said with a chuckle.

    ¡°Note to self, get mother share the other four forms with me.¡± Yuying said in her mind as she eyed the manual in Lingqi¡¯s hands. She vaguely remembered having ran into this book or at least a copy of it in the Underworld. The book was stashed away in a forgotten corner of the royal library and Yuying happened upon it while rummaging about but she never took the chance to read it.

    After giving the girls the ¡°Notes of the Bedchamber,¡± Zhen Ji and Xue Qingren left the room and once they left the four beauties began flipping through the pages of the manual once more.

    ¡°Lingqi stop flipping the pages so fast!¡± Yuying yelled.

    ¡°Yes we can¡¯t see a thing if you keep flipping through like that.¡± Ai protested.

    Despite looking like steam was about to shoot out of their ears due to how red their cheeks were Yuying, Ai and Ling continued reading the manual with Lingqi.

    ==============================================================================

    While the four beauties were busy trying to master the arts of the bedchamber, the guests arrived and Zhang was standing at the mansion¡¯s front gate to greet them. A large red bow could be seen tied to his body as he stood at the gate greeting the guests. Despite not knowing any of the people arriving it was his duty as the groom to welcome the guests. This is because in a traditional wedding the groom would set out with a procession of drums and trumpets to pick up the bride and then the procession would escort the bride back to the groom¡¯s house where the wedding would take place.

    But since Yuying, Ai and Lingqi didn¡¯t really have a home, well in Yuying¡¯s case a home that¡¯s accessible by normal people and Ling¡¯s home was in the Heilong Kingdom which was very far away, Jian Wei suggested throwing a huge party that was open to the public in the lord¡¯s mansion was a better idea.

    ¡°Zhang meet Hao Shi, he is the man who is in charge of our Aurora Province¡¯s treasury.¡± Jian Wei said as he introduced Zhang to a middle aged man with slanted eyebrows and a sturdy looking physique. One can tell just from looking at Hao Shi that he was probably a military man before being put in charge of Aurora¡¯s treasury.

    ¡°Nice to meet you mister Hao Shi, thank you for putting the time aside to attend my wedding.¡± Zhang respectfully and in a friendly tone. Although he hadn¡¯t been in Aurora for long he knew that one day he would have to work with men such as Hao Shi so it was best to make himself likeable. There was nothing worst then working with people who hate you because there was always that slight chance that they could betray you, for example when Qian Long tried to have Jian Wei killed.

    ¡°Nice to finally meet you my lord.¡± Hao Shi replied while extending his hand.

    After shaking hands with Hao Shi, Zhang stood at the front gate and greeted an endless stream of guests. But of course since it was his wedding everyone was attending Zhang couldn¡¯t complain.

    Thankfully after a while someone came to take Zhang¡¯s spot at the door because the ceremony was about to begin. Walking through row after row of tables covered with red tablecloth and listening to hundreds of people congratulating him, Zhang finally made it into the main hall.

    At the very end of the hall were Zhang¡¯s parents, Ling¡¯s parents, and Jian Wei all sitting adjacent to each other. Now Zhang would have to stand and wait for his brides to arrive before they perform the ceremonial bows.

    It did not take long for Zhang¡¯s four flowers to arrive and walk through the same path he had taken. The four beauties were being escorted by dozens of maids dressed in identical uniforms because a red veil was cover each of their heads. As they walked through the rows of tables, anticipation and silence filled the air.

    The tales of heroism, the tales of romance, and the tales of horror had seeped deep into the minds of many of those who were attending the wedding. Only an extremely small number of people were ever able to interact with Zhang and the four beauties so a veil of exaggerations and a myth shrouded them.

    ¡°Which one of them is the one they call The Demon?¡± Someone whispered.

    ¡°Don¡¯t know but I think that one that keeps spiders in her hair.¡± Someone else whispered.

    A few people mixed into the sea of people were currently trying to see if the tales that had spread through the city were true or not. So far the gossip about Zhang being as big as a bear or being as beautiful was a woman was dispelled. Although he is very handsome there was no possible way for Zhang to pass off as a woman nor was he as large as a bear. But if someone said he was as strong as a bear there was still an ounce of truth in that statement.

    As the four beauties made their way toward the main hall a gust of wind blow in and lifted their veils for a fleeting second causing those people who were lucky enough to catch a glimpse to be left speechless. These few people were left with a heart full of envy for Zhang but likewise their hearts were filled with worship for these four goddesses.

    ¡°Uncle Ping what¡¯s wrong?¡± A young man asked his middle aged uncle who was set in a daze after catching a glimpse of the four beauties.

    ¡°Ping Hong the rumors were wrong¡­¡± The man that was called Uncle Ping murmured.

    ¡°What rumors? Uncle Ping snap out of it¡­¡± The young man named Ping Hong said.

    ¡°Our young lord isn¡¯t taking one for the team, in fact he¡¯s taking from the team¡­To be exact hes hogging the best goods.¡± Uncle Ping said while still in a world of his own.

    A few tables away the four beauties had finally reached the main hall and had entered. After escorting the four beauties to where Zhang was standing the maids filed out of the hall.

    ¡°The groom and brides please face the family elders.¡± A middle aged woman said in a loud voice. This woman was a matchmaker that was employed to help host the wedding.

    ¡°We will now begin the ceremonial bows.¡±

    Once the ceremony began Zhang and the beauties got on their knees since their foreheads were required to touch the ground when they bow.

    ¡°First bow to the heaven and earth.¡± The ceremony began with the group facing the opposite direction that the parents were sitting and bowing.

    ¡°Second bow to the ancestors.¡±

    ¡°Third bow to the parents.¡± To which Zhang and the four beauties turned and bowed to the five people sitting in behind of them.

    ¡°Fourth bow to the spouse.¡± Zhang turned to face the girls as they in turn turned to face him and bowed to each other.

    ¡°With this I pronounce that the ceremony is over and to the groom and brides one hundred years of good companionship.¡± The match maker said and an explosion of fireworks began.

    ====================================================================================

    Pretty long chapter this one O_O Also for you guys who don¡¯t know or haven¡¯t seen bridal gowns and head pieces I¡¯ll be leaving some links :D Very pretty looking stuff for those brides I tell you lol. Also The notes of the bedchamber is a real thing believe it or not lmao.

    Bridal clothes for Groom and Bride :D</a>

    Headdress and Bridal Clothes</a>

    Notes of the Bedchamber</a>

 Chapter 89: Samsara Gate

    Still only me o,,,o so if you see any typos please point them out thank you.  Also I would like to say that me asking others to help point out the errors is not me being lazy but idk if any of you have been through this but after writing and looking at a screen for so long you become sorta blind to the errors O_O like i can read the chapter over and over and still miss something lol.

    =============================================================================

    Hundreds of rolls of lit fireworks deafened the ears of everyone attending Zhang¡¯s wedding. As the fireworks crackled about they served to heightened the cheerfulness of everyone present.

    Thus began the feast that usually follows after a wedding.

    Rows of maids appeared some carrying trays full of food while others were here to escort the brides to the bridal chambers. However, before the maids even made it to the brides the cheerful atmosphere ceased in but an instant.

    A tall man dressed entirely in black with paper white skin entered through the main gates and slowly made his way through the rows of tables. Strangely wherever this man passed a chilling breeze followed suit. One could also say that wherever this man went the cheerfulness in the air was sucked away.

    People who were happily joking and laughing stopped in their tracks the moment he passed them. It was as if they a part of them was subconsciously warning them that if they did not stop what they were doing and paid attention to this man¡¯s actions they may die. It was as if they were brushed against by someone whom embodied death itself.

    Once this man arrived at the main hall and stepped inside all eyes were officially laid on him.

    ¡°Good Evening everyone my name is Si Ren and I¡¯ve come with orders from his highness to deliver something.¡± The man dressed in black said.

    Hearing Si Ren¡¯s voice and name, Yuying felt like she had heard this voice somewhere before but couldn¡¯t put her finger it. ¡°Perhaps it''s just a coincidence. there¡¯s no way that person would be here.¡± She thought to herself.

    ¡°Mister Si Ren may I ask who your master is and if the delivery of the message can wait till after the wedding?¡± Zhang asked respectfully because thanks to the Underworld heart he was able to see an extremely dense cloud of essence just emanating from Si Ren.

    But ignoring Zhang and without saying another word Si Ren briskly walked to where Yuying was standing and knelt on one knee. ¡°Princess Yuying, his majesty has sent me to relay a message to you.¡±

    ¡°What did father want you to tell me so badly that he had you open the Samsara Gates?¡± Yuying asked in a displeased tone with a red veil still shrouding her face.

    The Samsara Gates were one of the few methods that could be used to enter and exit the Underworld however unlike the other methods which are extremely costly essence wise, the Samsara Gates could be opened anytime at no cost.

    But of course nothing was free in their world, so the catch was every time the Samsara Gates are opened they stay opened and do not close for three days and three nights. Having these gates open meant that anyone could travel to and from the Underworld, which is extremely dangerous for both planes. A powerful being from the Underworld may find the chance to sneak through the gates or swarms of regular souls might force their way through and end up in the mortal plane.

    ¡°If you would lend me an ear princess.¡± Si Ren said as he appeared next to Yuying in a blur and whispered something into her ear.

    After conveying whatever he was ordered to convey Si Ren handed Yuying a red and black colored jade pendant shaped like a butterfly. Once he had accomplished his task Si Ren¡¯s body began turning into black smoke and faded away.

    But then suddenly he appeared right next to Zhang.

    ¡°Oh yes his highness told me to give you this and for you to visit sometime with his grandkids.¡± Si Ren said while handing Zhang a jade bottle and then started fading away once more.

    ¡°Tell father that I''ll come visit sometime.¡± Yuying said just as Si Ren disappeared. Beneath the red veil a bright smile was present along with two streams of joyful tears.

    ¡°You''re kidding me¡­Where does everyone get these things?¡± Zhang thought as he held onto the jade bottle.

    He didn''t know whether to laugh or cry because the Yama was the last person he would expect to give him such a thing. To be honest Zhang would have counted himself lucky if no one from the Underworld showed up and tried to ruin the wedding. But as the heavens favored him this didn''t happen but instead contrary to that it seems as if the Yama has accepted the fact that he and Yuying were getting married and there wasn''t anything that could prevent it from happening.

    Once Si Ren disappeared the dreadful aura dissipated and from the looks on everyone''s face it was as if they were set in a daze.

    ¡°A toast to everyone here.¡± Zhang said trying to start the festivities once more. However, after his words snapped the guests out of their daze they began questioning what had happened just now.

    ¡°I don''t know why but my memory just not went fuzzy and I don''t remember what I was doing.¡± One man said.

    ¡°What are you talking about that man dressed in black just showed up and disappeared.¡± Another man whom from the amount of essence that was being released from his body was most likely a level six cultivator said.

    ¡°Everyone a toast to the groom and the brides!¡± Jian Wei said trying to help Zhang reignite the festivities.

    Of course once the lord of the province opened his mouth everyone present had to listen so this the festivities began once more.

    ¡°Everyone please give me your attention.¡± Jian Wei said after walking out into the center of the rows of tables.

    ¡°To add to this joyous occasion I would like to announce the creation of the Aurora Kingdom, our kingdom will encompass the Red Mist Province and all of the land between it and Aurora. On top of that the Heavenly Sword Province will also be a part of our kingdom. As king of this new Kingdom I proclaim my foster son to be the crown prince of Aurora!¡± Jian Wei said in a loud dignified voice.

    After his words finished a roar of cheers reverberated from the mansion all the way throughout the city. Of course not everyone was cheering, dozens of dignitaries from other provinces had creases across their brow.

    The creation of a kingdom in the warring states region had never happened before besides when the Sai Empire ruled over the entire region. So the creation of the Aurora Kingdom could be viewed as a challenge to the rest of the provinces in the land.

    ¡°As the minister of war of the Heilong Kingdom and the father in law of the crown prince of Aurora I offer my full support.¡± Wu Tong said to imply that if one wished to go against Aurora would have to face the Heilong Kingdom also.

    ¡°I prince of the Shu Kingdom also offer crown prince Zhang my full support.¡± Shu Shang said while standing up from his seat in the crowd and seated beside him were his two beautiful wives.

    With the powerful Shu kingdom behind their backs no one would dare to start trouble against the Aurora Kingdom now.

    ¡°To the Aurora Kingdom and to my boss Prince Zhang!!¡± Gan Ning yelled as he lifted up a large jug of wine and began chugging it.

    ¡°Boss! Don''t drink too much you know what happens when you get drunk!¡± A few of Gan Ning¡¯s men said. But he ignored them and continued anyway.

    Once the drinking began the brides were escorted to the bridal chambers and Zhang began offering a toast at every table of guests.

    At each table Zhang stopped at he would be forced to drink but this was especially true when he arrived at the tables where his generals were seated.

    ¡°Boss come here and drink with me!¡± Gan Ning yelled as he shoved a large jug of wine at Zhang. Strangely after the battle at the Beast¡¯s Gorge, Gan Ning started referring to Zhang as his boss. So after then Zhang became a boss¡¯s boss.

    If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    ¡°As your boss I''ll show you how it''s done.¡± Zhang said merrily while ripping off the red paper covering the wine jug and began chugging it.

    After finishing the jug of wine Zhang moved onto the next table where Guan Yu was seated. Upon arriving Zhang notices that Guan Yu had flushed cheeks and sad mumbling something to Wei Yan who was seated next to him, a somewhat clear indicator that he was drunk.

    ¡°General Guan Yu! I''m glad that you can make it.¡± Zhang said to Guan Yu.

    ¡°You there! You better not bully the young lady or treat her badly, else I''ll come and get you.¡± Guan Yu said drunkenly and afterward gulped down a cup of wine.

    ¡°General Guan Yu you must be kidding; I think Lingqi will be the one to do the bullying. Now let''s drink!¡± Jian Wei said appear out of nowhere and lifting up a cup of wine.

    Seeing that Jian Wei was there to take the bullet for him Zhang quickly sneaked off to another table where Sima Yi was sitting with his wife and sipping wine.

    Unlike Gan Ning and Guan Yu, Sima Yi took his time to savor the drink instead of simply gulping it down.

    ¡°Duke Sima Yi and the lovely miss Xia Mei.¡± Zhang said jokingly once he arrived at the table and offering a toast.

    ¡°To the crown prince!¡± Sima Yi replied happily as he and his wife lifted their cups of wine and toasted Zhang.

    By now the cheerful atmosphere was thriving and everyone was happily drinking or eating. It was a sight to behold as the nobles and social elite mingled with the common folk that like them were invited to attend the wedding.

    Men and women whom would never have the chance to ever cross paths or socialize were merrily conversing and drinking with each other. But of course these people were only drinking and talking with each other and nothing more since marrying or trying to court someone above your social class was still frowned upon. Also with the number of generals and dignitaries present no one dared to do anything out of line.

    As the festivities continued on beautiful dancers filed in and began dancing. With graceful movements and precision cooperation these dancers were able to mesmerize many of the guests.

    Accompanying the dancers were musicians playing on flutes, zithers, drums and bells. Together these performers were able to elevate each other to a higher level.

    However, as their performance ended a beautiful voice drifted into the ears of the guests. An angelic voice accompanied with a soul stealing melody of a zither was being emitted from somewhere else in the mansion to where the guests were.

    While the singing and melody continued the dancers began dancing once more. To be able to dance to such a voice and melody was certainly a once in a lifetime opportunity.

    Waving their fans and twirling long silk ribbons the dancers tried their best to keep up with the song¡¯s verses. One could say that such a performance will help skyrocket the popularity of these dancers to an unheard of level.

    However as mysteriously as the singing and melody began it just as mysteriously ended.

    ¡°Lingqi¡­¡± Zhang muttered in a whisper after the singing and music ended. From the verses of the song and the tone of the voice Zhang could tell that she was clearly in a very good mood.

    After Lingqi¡¯s song ended the dancers ceased their movements and bowed as an applause and loud cheering soon followed after.

    ¡°Guess I should get back to it or else I''ll never make it to the bed chambers.¡± Zhang mumbled as he continued going from table to table to offer a toast since it was customary to do so.

    ==================================

    As the merry making continued at Zhang¡¯s wedding a man dressed in pure black clothing was making his way through a dense forest. After sometime he arrived at the base of a large waterfall, however seeing the raging river and the gushing waterfall the man did not stop. Rather he continued to walk until he stepped onto the water¡¯s surface and walked all through the waterfall.

    Behind the waterfall was a large cavern and as the man proceeded a few steps forward he lifted his hand up revealing a red and black jade pendant shaped like a butterfly. From the jade butterfly a red ray of energy shot out into the ground. Moments later the earth began rumbling as pure white bones began rising out of it.

    Soon a massive set of gates made entirely out of white bones was formed. In the center of the gates were a pair of large skeletons with only the upper half of their body visible. These two skeletons were sticking out from both sides of the gate and were facing each other with their skeletal arms interlocked. While giving off an eerie aura the skeletons began moving and their arms parted from each other and the gates slowly opened.

    Once the gates were open a thick greenish fog drifted out into the cavern. Ignoring the fog, the man dress in black stepped straight into the opened gates.

    In an instant the man arrived at the other side of the gate and appearing before him was a sky where the sun doesn''t shine. Not too far from the gates were thousands of soldiers and a man with fiery red hair.

    ¡°Si Ren you''re back, did you accomplish your task?¡± The man with fiery red hair asked.

    ¡°Your highness I''ve delivered the message and a Samsara Seal Pendant to the princess and the jade bottle has been delivered also.¡± The man dressed entirely in black said respectfully.

    ¡°The princess also wanted me to tell you your highness that she will come back and visit sometime.¡± Su Ren added.

    ¡°That''s good, although I don''t approve of their marriage there''s nothing I can do. The rice has been cooked and if I forced her to return she''ll only drift further.¡± The man who is Yuying¡¯s father, also known as the Yama said with a sigh.

    ¡°Finding her was extremely difficult also, the Book of Fate proved to be useless and had I not heard of a wedding place between a man and vague descriptions of the brides I wouldn''t have been able to locate the princess.¡± Si Ren complained.

    ¡°Brides?¡± The Yama asked.

    ¡°Yes the Princess''s husband was marrying her and three other young women from the looks of it.¡± Si Ren replied truthfully.

    ¡°WHAT!!!!? That bastard wasn''t satisfied with my daughter alone?¡± The Yama yelled as he stomped his foot into the ground causing cracks to appear. As if reflecting his rage, the fiery pits of hell began spewing fire.

    ¡°That bastard to think I even gave him a Spiritual Cleansing Dan to strengthen his cultivation so he could protect Yuying.¡± The Yama cursed.

    ¡°Just you wait when you arrive in the Underworld I''ll send you so deep down in the eighteen floors you''ll never see the light of day again¡­¡±

    ¡°I guess the sinners are in for it again.¡± Si Ren thought since the last time the Yama fell into rage because of Princess Yuying the sinners in the Underworld suffered more than usual.

    From then on the pits of hell remained a tiny bit hotter than before and the punishments in hell became a tad harsher.

    ==================================

    Hope you guys enjoyed this one, I wanted to hold off on the you know what for chapter 90 because it was you know chapter 90 o,,,,o Lol

    Gunna work on next chapter now perhaps will have it out later tonight.

 Chapter 90: Intoxication

    Hello my dear readers, I stayed up to 2:45 am to finish this chapter for you so I do hope you enjoy it. The chapter that many of you have been waiting for :D Also please keep in mind that a new review system will be in place sometime so once that happens please give me some good reviews :D Don¡¯t know when it¡¯s coming but Kana has mentioned it a few times in the chatango lol.

    Also I provided a few links below if any of you don¡¯t know what a Hehuanjin is.

    ======================================================================

    With the moon hung high and the sun out of sight, Zhang could only be described as dead drunk. After visiting every single table of guests and drinking enough wine to fill a small pond Zhang could no longer even walk in a straight line.

    Sadly, the Underworld Heart could regrow limbs and even was able to bring Zhang back from the brink of death but it wouldn''t cure the dizziness he was experiencing.

    ¡°It''s time for the groom to go to the bridal chambers!!¡± Wu Tong yelled as he stood beside Zhang. Soon a small mob of men gathered around and lifted Zhang into the air, then headed toward the bridal chambers.

    ¡°This way! Follow me everyone!¡± Wu Tong said as he took the lead.

    ¡°Ling consider this your father giving you a head start one the others.¡± Wu Tong thought with a chuckle as he directed everyone to take Zhang toward the bridal chamber his daughter was waiting in.

    ¡°Where are you taking him! We are going the wrong way. The young ladies bridal chamber is this way!¡± Guan Yu yelled as he tried to stand upright while pointing toward Lingqi¡¯s bridal chambers. Guan Yu was clearly as drunk as Zhang if not more from the way his body was swaying from side to side as if it could fall over at any moment.

    ¡°Hmph I know where we are taking him.¡± Wu Tong said to Guan Yu.

    ¡°You''re both wrong the boss should be headed in this direction!¡± Gan Ning yelled as he pointed toward Yuying''s bridal chambers. In an instant he had grabbed Zhang with one arm while holding a jug of wine in the other.

    Beside Gan Ning¡¯s signature pair of dangling bells hung a large sack of gold that he did not have when he arrived at the wedding. If one could put one thing together with another, then it was clear that he had taken a bribe or was paid to join Yuying¡¯s cause.

    Mixed into the crowd that was lifting Zhang into the air was Jian Wei who was shaking his head.

    ¡°Lu Xun, Sun Ce and Leng Zai grab him and take him to Ai¡¯s chamber.¡± He said as he saw that no one was helping Ai out.

    ¡°As you wish your highness.¡± The three men replied in unison as they rushed at Gan Ning.

    ¡°Not so fast if you want to get to our boss then you must get passed us.¡± Gan Ning¡¯s men said as they formed a wall in front of him.

    ¡°Out of my way!¡± Guan Yu roared as he and Wei Yan jumped passed Gan Ning¡¯s wall of men.

    ¡°Huh!? You old farts looking for a fight?¡± Gan Ning roared as he let go of Zhang and engaged Guan Yu and Wei Yan in battle.

    Soon after a large brawl broke out without any clear indication of who was on whose side. Fists swung left and right as everyone fought for supremacy.

    As everyone fought wildly Zhang could be seen stumbling about as he walked off while leaning against a wall.

    Watching from afar Sima Yi could only mutter the word, ¡°imbeciles¡­¡±

    ¡°My lord it seems these men were too caught up in fighting and lost track of their goals. Should we give the young lord a helping hand? Little sister Lingqi did give me this very pretty bracelet after all.¡± Sima Yi¡¯s wife Xia Mei said to her husband.

    ¡°Ha she got to you too it seems our young lord is going to be in over his head. I say we leave it to fate, it''s not right to meddle in such things.¡± Sima Yi laughed while shaking his head as he watched Zhang walk off.

    While pushing against the wall to keep from falling Zhang made his way through the mansion without a goal in mind. In his robes were the three jade bottles that he received from Sima Yi, Jian Wei and his father. He had realized that the contents of the bottle that he received from Si Ren was not used for the same purpose as the other three bottles so it wasn''t withdrawn from his interspatial ring.

    After a while Zhang detected they smell of sweet apples drifting into his nose. Following this sent he made his way into a brightly lit room where a young woman dressed in a red bridal gown with a red veil draping over her hand sat waiting.

    With the world around him spinning about Zhang tumbled over as his foot was caught by the door frame when he tried to make his way inside the room.

    ¡°Brother are you okay?¡± A worried voice sounded out and an instant later as a pair of delicate arms wrapped around Zhang¡¯s arm to help him up while a red veil slowly fell to the ground.

    But as Zhang was being helped up he stumbled once more and fell over onto his helper. That was when he felt his hand press against a soft object wasn¡¯t too small nor too large since it was able to be perfectly cupped by his hand. With his vision blurred Zhang tried to figure out what this object was through touch but the only thing that resulted from this was a soft moan.

    ¡°Brother you can¡¯t not yet, not with the door wide open.¡± A soft voice whispered into Zhang¡¯s ear. Not long after two gentle hands pushed Zhang over onto his hand and the sound of wooden doors closing shut followed.

    Then once more two gentle hands helped Zhang who was still intoxicated up. After a few steps the two reached a large bed at the end of the room. Once Zhang was laid out on the bed the gentle hands swiftly helped him out of his robes and as he robes were thrown onto the floor three jade bottles rolls out. Now Zhang was laying atop the bed with only his undergarments on.

    After disrobing Zhang, Ling quickly did the same to herself but after doing so a hint of red appeared on her face as she shyly tried to cover herself despite having a Hehuanjin on. Standing in front of Zhang while being nearly naked was somewhat embarrassing despite him being the man whom she wanted to spend the rest of her life.

    Taking a deep breath to calm herself, Ling gathered up all of the courage she had and climbed onto the bed.

    While Ling was doing this a hole was poked through the white paper screen door and a golden pupil peered in from the outside. Soon after yet another hole appeared on the thin paper screen and yet another pupil peered inside.

    ¡°I can¡¯t see anything.¡± A voice sounded outside of the bridal chamber on the other side of the screen door.

    ¡°Stop pushing.¡± Yet another voice sounded out.

    Hearing this Ling jumped out of the bed and grabbed her robes and with a twirl wrapped them around herself as she made her way to the door.

    ¡°What are you three doing here?!¡± She yelled as she opened the door to see Yuying and Lingqi trying to look into inside. These two beauties were still dressed in their exquisite looking bridal gowns but their red veils were nowhere in sight.

    ¡°I¡¯m get to consolidate my marriage of course¡­¡± Lingqi replied as she took a step forward and tried to get inside Ling¡¯s bridal chamber.

    ¡°Me too.¡± Yuying added while also taking a step forward.

    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± Ai¡¯s voice sounded out from behind Ling. When looking back Ai could be seen holding a jade bottle in her hand.

    ¡°Ai how¡¯d you get in there?¡± Yuying asked, somewhat confused by Ai¡¯s sudden appearance.

    Without replying Ai simply pointed her finger toward an open window and smiled as she examined the jade bottled that she had picked up from the ground.

    ¡°Ai put that down.¡± Lingqi said, knowing the contents of the jade bottles. Such medicines could help sharpen the ¡°sword¡± of a man who possesses something that is called Yang. But if a woman who possess something called Yin their bodies would have a different reaction and since Lingqi was not exactly sure what type of dans were in the jade bottles she didn¡¯t know what sort of reactions might occur so it was best not to touch such things.

    This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

    However, ignoring Lingqi, Ai opened one of the jade bottles and a red colored dan the size of a pea rolled into her palm.

    ¡°Ai absolutely don¡¯t eat that.¡± Lingqi commanded.

    ¡°Why should I listen to you?¡± Ai pouted as she casually tossed the dan into her mouth. Of course she was only pretending to eat that dan to see Lingqi¡¯s reaction. She wasn¡¯t an idiot who would just eat whatever she picked up. But she could be considered a klutz so once the dan flew into her mouth it hit her uvula and caused a gagging reaction which in turn caused the dan to be swallowed.

    ¡°Fool! Split it out.¡± Lingqi yelled as she brushed Ling aside and ran to where Ai was. But she was too late because the pill had already made its way down Ai¡¯s throat.

    In but an instant Ai¡¯s face which was normally snow white turned bright red and an unbelievable burning sensation had spread to every single fiber of her body. Once the burning sensation had spread Ai¡¯s sense of reason slowly faded and as it did Ai began disrobing herself trying to cool herself.

    That was when Zhang sat up atop the bed that he had been laying on and rubbed the back of his head. The ringing in his head had lessened and he did not feel dizzy anymore but once he sat up a pair of soft lips belonging to an entirely naked beauty pressed against his own lips. Since he was caught off guard Zhang fell onto his back as Ai¡¯s body was pressed atop of his. Two soft mounds could be felt rubbing against Zhang¡¯s skin as he laid under Ai while their lips continued to touch.

    Going with the flow Zhang¡¯s arms wrapped around Ai as he drew her in closer. Their lips which were simply touching before now were passionately kissing. Their skin rubbing against each other transmitting warmth from one body to the next.

    Seeing this Ling tried to stop Ai but was stopped when Lingqi held onto her arm without any indication of letting go.

    ¡°What are you doing! Let go!¡± Ling tried to yell but before she could have finished her sentence Lingqi¡¯s hand pressed against Ling¡¯s mouth and a pea sized dan was dropped into her mouth.

    ¡°Now that I know that it doesn¡¯t seem to cause any bad reactions we can join in on the fun.¡± Lingqi said with a devious smile as she forced Ling to swallowed the pea sized dan.

    ¡°Yuying I take it you won¡¯t want to missed out on the fun also.¡± Lingqi said as she tossed a jade bottle to Yuying while swallowing a red dan herself. One could say that out of the group of four beauties Lingqi was the boldest but even for her there were times of shyness. But thanks to these dans things such as modesty and shyness were no more. From the looks of Ai these things were nonexistent.

    Soon the dan¡¯s affects kicked in and Lingqi and Ling¡¯s faces became equally as red as Ai¡¯s. Not long after they began disrobing also and joining the battle taking place atop the large bed.

    Yuying who was the last sober person in the room didn¡¯t know what to do as she held the jade bottle in her hand. Well actually she knew that there was one thing she needed to do and that was to shut the door because the things happening in this room were best kept between herself, her three comrades currently waging war and her husband. Actually they couldn¡¯t really be called her comrades but there wasn¡¯t an exact word to call their relationship.

    After closing the door and covering the two holes in the screen door that she and Lingqi made Yuying steeled herself and took one of the red dans herself but not before blowing out the candles that lit the room and tossing a blanket over the four who were atop the bed. Soon she experienced the same reaction as the other three beauties and joined the fray.

    Once Yuying joined the war Zhang found himself vastly outnumbered by the enemy and had it not been for the Underworld Heart constantly releasing streams of essence into his body then perhaps this would have been a hopeless battle. A war on four fronts was not something any man could possibly win especially when the forms from the ¡°Notes of the Bedchamber¡± were put in use. However, our lone general faced the enemy bravely, with his sword he attacked each and every one of his foes. Following a series of sword lunges, Zhang would shoot volleys of arrows at his four foes.

    This sight could only be described as the battle of the century as the five clashed with each other. Beneath the warm cotton blanket this battle raged on without any clear indication of victory from either side. However, the simple fact that Zhang was fighting toe to toe with four enemies at once was a victory in its own. One could imagine the outcome of this war had Zhang been the one to receive the blessings of the red dans.

    Had his initial plans of consuming one entire bottle¡¯s worth of dans come to fruition then the victor of this war would have been guaranteed. But of course had such a battle occurred it would have been somewhat bland and ended one sided.

    For many hours the war continued as both sides pushed forward. Hills and mounds of ample size were pressed against Zhang from all direction at times during the battle, trying to corner him but he was able to fight them back with his sword and arrows. Not even the enemy''s caves were safe from Zhang¡¯s onslaught as he shows volleys of arrows into them without hesitation or remorse. But no matter how many times Zhang plunged his sword into the enemy they who were blessed with endless stamina from the dans did not waiver.

    With all things being said and done had someone else been in the room they most likely would have been too embarrassed to watch. The stamina of the two sides in this war seemed endless compared to normal standards and could put any regular person to shame.

    So without any side being able to gain an upper hand the battle continued until the moon was no long in the sky and the sun appeared to share its warmth with the earth.

    When the battle finally reached its conclusion due to the effects of the dans wearing off and cramping kicked in the parties involved all fell into a deep slumber.

    Despite many maids and butlers being sent to wake the five generals no a sign of them was seen for an entire day.

    =====================================================================

    ¡°Your highness although we tried means possible we could not seem to get the prince and princesses to wake up and leave the bridal chamber.¡± A butler said to Jian Wei who was currently eating breakfast with Zhang¡¯s and Ling¡¯s parents.

    ¡°Brother Jian Wei I think it¡¯s best to let them rest some more, I bet the girls are tired from being kept up all night.¡± Zhou Cheng said with a smile while sipping some tea.

    ¡°Son I pray you won the war.¡± Zhou Cheng thought as his eyes drifted to his wife who was sitting beside him.

    ¡°Yea I believe we should let them rest a bit, Zhang probably had his hands full.¡± Zhen Ji said with a smile while sipping some tea as her vision drifted to Zhou Cheng.

    It was clear that these two were each currently rooting for different side to come out victorious from last night¡¯s epic battle simply from the look on their faces and their gestures.

    ====================================================================

    So there ya have it. I hope you guys liked it O_O. Think I managed to pull that off alright :D

    Hehuanjin 1</a>

    Hehuanjin 2</a>

    Hehuanjin 3</a>

    <hr />

    Also forgot to mention if any errors please point them out it''s 3 am i''m dead tired so yea :D

 Chapter 91: Unending War

    Well I''m back and with a new chapter O_O. Also maybe will have another one tonight :D.

    =============================================================================================

    It was not until a few hours after noon did Zhang finally come wake up to find his arms and legs entangled while being pressed against by soft objects. A clear recollection of most of the battle that had occurred last night had put a smile on Zhang¡¯s face as his gaze fell on each and every one of the beautiful faces of his foes.

    The four beauties were currently laying asleep defenselessly without a care in the world. Brilliant smiles were visible on their delicate faces as they laid completely naked with the only thing providing cover being a large cotton blanket.

    ¡°If I remember right the war last night ended in a tie so I guess we have to continue until we victor is declared. Also it seems all of the help I was supposed to get was used against.¡± Zhang thought with a grin while looking at his wives.

    The battles fought last night could only be considered the beginning of a long and possibly unending series of wars that might shatter common sense.

    While Zhang was examining every delicate detail that made up the faces of his lovely wives a set of eyes slowly opened and returned Zhang¡¯s gaze.

    ¡°Darling you¡¯re up early.¡± Lingqi said while rubbing her eyes. Had anyone else heard her words they wouldn''t know what to say because noon had passed hours ago.

    ¡°Of course I¡¯m up early, not often does one get to gaze at four beautiful sleeping faces.¡± Zhang said in a whisper trying not to wake the other three sleeping beauties.

    ¡°Is that so? Would you like a closer look?¡± Lingqi said in a soft voice as she who was laying atop of Zhang¡¯s left arm leaned in for a kiss.

    ¡°If you insist then I will oblige.¡± Zhang whispered as he too leaned in for a kiss.

    Despite not having strong feelings for her at first, things quickly changed thanks to Lingqi¡¯s outgoing personality and the fact that she was the one who took the initiate in such things helped speed up their relationship.

    Like the old saying he who waits too long to strike loses the opportunity and Lingqi definitely did not wait nor did she lose any opportunities. Someone who has lost everyone learns to hold onto what they have in their grasp.

    Soon the flames of passion ignited between Zhang and Lingqi causing something to awaken from its slumber. To be exact as Lingqi¡¯s hand slid beneath the blanket it caused a dragon to awaken.

    To did not take long for the forms from the ¡°Notes of the Bedchamber¡± to be put into play and with that the unending war was resumed.

    However unlike last night Zhang clearly held the upper hand. Without the aid of the red dans or her allies, Lingqi was at a loss against Zhang¡¯s sword.

    But it was not before one of Lingqi¡¯s allies awoke and joined the fray. Now two of the four beauties we locked in an epic battle against Zhang. Be it the Flying Dragon, the Tiger¡¯s Walk, the Jumping Monkey, the Malting Cicadas, or even Mounting Turtle all of their knowledge of the ¡°Notes of the Bedchamber¡± were put into play.

    Thankfully the Underworld Heart inside Zhang¡¯s chest was still granting him it¡¯s power, allowing him to fight toe to toe with Lingqi and Yuying.

    Unlike Zhang the same could not be said by Lingqi who had already fought a dozen round alone before being joined by Yuying. By now it was evident that her strength was wavering because she could be seen laying atop the bed panting and. For now, she could not be considered a part of the battle any longer.

    That was when the heavens blessed Yuying with an ally to fill in Lingqi¡¯s position. Ai who was woken up by the unceasing war cries jumped into battle also. Yuying tried to tame Zhang¡¯s sword with her hand but in return all she received was a volley of arrows and soon she too joined the ranks of the fallen with Lingqi as she laid atop the bed panting. It did not take long for Ai before too joined them in defeat leaving only Ling left.

    ¡°No mercy and no surrender.¡± Zhang though as he looked at the last of his foes and her fallen comrades.

    Ling who was awoken from her deep slumber had ambushed and taken by surprise without a moment¡¯s warning, without a chance at victory. But as he was about to end the war of a lifetime a thought suddenly sprang into Zhang and the more he thought about it the more the thought stuck.

    In truth he did not actually wish for the war to end, what fun was that? A war in the bedchamber that has resulted in a clear victor is not something that Zhang wanted because when a victor was decided the losing side would have submitted and where was the fun in that?

    So Zhang decided that today¡¯s battle will end in a draw by finishing off his final foe and the pretending he was sapped of strength and laid in bed panting also with two beauties on each of his sides.

    ¡°Brother you seem tired?¡± Yuying teased while she tried to catch her breath but at the same time looking at Zhang who was taking heavy breaths.

    ¡°The four of you got me.¡± Zhang said with a grin as he arms snaked out and encompassed two beauties in each hand.

    =====================================================================

    The sun was but a few hours away from setting as the second bedchamber wars came to an end. Maids and butlers were hurriedly putting together a lavish feast that was put out on display in the main hall of the mansion. Jian Wei had invited many of those who had attended the wedding to join him once more to celebrate the creation of the Aurora Kingdom. Although he had announced its creation yesterday, the Aurora Kingdom would officially be formed the day after Zhang¡¯s wedding.

    As the guests filed into the mansion once more, Zhang and the four beauties also left their warzone and arrived dressed in clothes fitting the occasion. Zhang was dressed in nearly transparent armor made from the scales of the Mirage Viper that had been slain in Green Clover City. Yuying was wearing a long white gown that draped the ground that she walked pass with an exquisite looking chrysanthemum brooch adorning her hair. Ling had worn a light pink dress that also draped the ground where she went with a silver five leafed king bloom hairpin hanging from her hair. Ai appeared with long red gown while a golden necklace in the shape of a rose hung from her neck. Lingqi came dressed in a light violet dress with a pair of earrings with flowers dangling from them.

    Many of the guests who had never seen the four beauties before were knocked into a daze, if one met these four when they did not have make up or weren¡¯t dressed well they were still capable of making the person in question speechless. But today these four were glowing with beauty, one could call this the charm of a married woman because now that they were married no one could ever hope for a sliver of a chance of obtaining them. This of course added to their allure, as an old saying goes ¡°what one cannot have the more one wishes to possess it.¡±

    ¡°One could only compare the beauty of these four with that of flowers or the beauty of nature that the heavens themselves has granted us with.¡± One man said as he watched Zhang and the four beauties enter the hall.

    Once the tables inside the main hall and the tables outside were filled the feast began. Dancers, singers, and musicians once more appeared to add to the festive mood. Food was brought to every table without end.

    This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.

    Many people wished to use this opportunity to befriend Zhang or get a closer look at the four flowers around him however the deterrent around him and the four flowers was too great. A group of war hardened generals and warriors had surrounded their young lord and unintentionally created a wall around him.

    Gan Ning could be seen with a jug of wine once more as he tried to get Zhang to drink with him. These two men had practically become partners in crime thanks to their common goal of obtaining treasure.  While Gan Ning was doing this, Guan Yu could be seen walking up to Zhang and saying something but quickly left after being reprimanded by Lingqi as she hugged one of Zhang¡¯s arms.

    This of course was a clear indication that she wasn¡¯t going to let anyone bully her husband even if it was Guan Yu who was doing what he thought was in her best interest. Not long after the feast began, maids who served Zhang¡¯s mother and Ling¡¯s mother, Zhen Ji and Xue Qingren arrived at Zhang¡¯s table. These maids had come under orders from their masters to ask the four flowers to come to the table where Zhen Ji and Xue Qingren were sitting to have a mother and daughter chat.

    Once arriving at the table where Zhen Ji and Xue Qingren were seated the four beauties sat down also.

    ¡°Was what was in the manual helpful to you four?¡± Zhen Ji asked her four daughters in law.

    ¡°Of course it did mother.¡± Lingqi said with a smile. It had been ages since she¡¯s ever called anyone mother and Lingqi seemed to really enjoy doing so.

    ¡°Good then I¡¯m glad I was able to help.¡± Zhen Ji replied as her hand stroked Lingqi¡¯s hair. To be honest deep in her heart like the hearts of many mothers, she wished for a daughter so now that she had four of them she was very happy.

    ¡°They were helpful but didn¡¯t seem to have much of an effect on Zhang.¡± Yuying said in a soft tone.

    ¡°No effect?¡± Zhen Ji asked with a perplexed look on her face. The forms taught in the manual would be considered a woman¡¯s secret weapon that could lead to domination, how could they possibly not have an effect.

    While leaning in Ai and Ling whispered into Zhen Ji¡¯s ear about what had occurred last night and in the morning. While trying to provide only the detail needed they appeared to be blushing.

    ¡°It appears I¡¯ve given birth not to a man but something closer to a god.¡± Zhen Ji chuckled and laughed after hearing Ai and Ling¡¯s recollection of what transpired. It had been unexpected that the girls did not come out victorious but from what she was told it, Zhen Ji could tell that her son had forced a draw.

    ¡°I guess a draw is a good outcome too.¡± Zhen Ji thought while still smiling.

    Afterward the mothers and daughters began chatting and ignored the rest of the festivities taking place. There were still many things to be learned and many things to be taught.

    As the festivities went on the sun had finally disappeared from the sky and a veil of darkness shrouded the provincial lord¡¯s mansion. That was when Zhang decided to put his plan into motion, standing up from his seat and arriving at the center of the main hall, Zhang raised his hand upward and began speaking.

    ¡°Since the rays of the sun are no longer present to give us light on this joyous day, the dragon will now share with us it¡¯s light.¡± Zhang said as black fire ignited in his hand and shot upward toward the ceiling of the main hall.

    Once the black fire shot out from his hand and flew in the air it¡¯s shape morphed to that of a dragon. The guests all sat watching in awe as this dragon made of black fire flew about and ignited every single candle in the main hall and the torches outside. Despite being black the fire quickly lifted the shroud of darkness and filled the room with light.

    Then with a flick of his hand Zhang cause every single black fire to extinguish and reignite as regular fire. It would have been very dangerous to just keep hundreds of black flames ignited because of the possibility of someone getting injured by them.

    Soon after Zhang¡¯s show chatter broke out throughout the mansion. There were many tales of people digging up stashes of gold coins from the Sai Empire and finding large stone tablets or boulders with the phrase, ¡°the one chosen by the black flame, wedded to the four flowers, destined to rule all under heaven¡± carved onto them.

    With this apart of Zhang¡¯s plot had succeeded because once these people leave the walls of the lord¡¯s mansion news of Zhang¡¯s show will surely spread causing the hoax he concocted to receive a breath of life.

    ¡°It won¡¯t be long now before the common people really believe what was written on those stones to be true.¡± Zhang thought with a laugh as he sat back down at his seat.

    =====================================================================

    Once the guests all left it was finally time for the traditional tea ceremony that was supposed to have taken place in the morning.

    With Jian Wei, Zhou Cheng and Zhen Ji all sitting in a row while Wu Tong, Xue Qingren sat to the side the tea ceremony began. Although it usually was only the groom¡¯s parents who took part in the ceremony, those present thought it was alright to include Jian Wei who was Zhang¡¯s foster father in the ceremony. For the ceremony each of the brides were supposed to offer a cup of tea to each of their new family members as a sort of initiation into the family.

    The four beauties decided that they would do the ceremony based on the order that they met Zhang in. This meant that Ling would go first then Yuying, Ai and Lingqi in succession.

    When the ceremony began a team of maids brought in five cups of tea for each bride to present to their elders, of course these cups were small because each person would have to drink four cups of tea and if they were large cups things probably wouldn¡¯t go as smoothly.

    After the each of the beauties offered the cups of tea they would be given a gift of money or jewelry of some sort. Ling received a pair of large red pearls so large they could barely fit in her hand from Jian Wei. Zhang¡¯s parents gave her a very beautiful set of bangles that looked very too heavy to be worn at the same time.

    Next was Yuying, Ai and Lingqi whom also received a large pair of red pearls, a set of bangles, and a necklace just like Ling. It seemed that no one wished to play favorites so they gave all four of our beauties the same gift.

    ¡°Those are known are Blood Pearls and are said to be extremely helpful to your cultivation if grounded into paste and consumed. It¡¯s also said they have the magical effect of clearing all blemishes from one¡¯s skin.¡± Jian Wei said with a smile while pointing at the pearls that each of the girls were holding.

    ¡°Those bangles are made of a special type of metal that changes color based on its owner''s mood. We picked these out because it¡¯s always best if Zhang knows it he¡¯s made any of you sad.¡± Zhen Ji said while looking at her four new daughters.

    ============================================================================================

    Hope you guys liked it O_O

    ALSO I SEE YOUR NAMES AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE SO TALK TO ME >_>

 Chapter 92: New Capital

    How is everyone? Good I hope :D. Well heres your chapter O__o. Also might have another one tonight.

    Also chat : http://iendworlds.chatango.com/</a>

    =================================================================================================

    After the Aurora Kingdom was officially established, Jian Wei and Zhang decided that it was best to relocated Aurora city closer to a more strategic location. Currently the former Green Clover Province was situated in the center of the Aurora Kingdom so it would be the safest location to move the capital city to, however they decided it was best to move the relocated Aurora city to the southernmost border of the on the western region of the former Aurora Province.

    By doing this they would establish a forward capital, in preparation of assimilating the southern provinces into their kingdom. The relocated capital would be built many times larger the current Aurora city since one day in the future it might become the capital city of an empire.

    To aid the Aurora Kingdom Zhang¡¯s parents and Ling¡¯s parents returned to the Heilong Kingdom. With Zhang¡¯s father Zhou Cheng and Ling¡¯s Father Wu Tong in the Heilong Kingdom offering the Aurora Kingdom their support, those against Aurora wouldn¡¯t dare act as wildly.

    Shu Shang had promised to ask his father to loan Aurora a legion of soldiers but Zhang politely declined him. Although he trusted Shu Shang, Zhang did not feel comfortable cooperating with Shu Shang¡¯s father, since he had yet to meet or interact with the man in question.

    Guan Yu and Wei Yan were sent back to the Green Clover Province to aid in the reconstruction of its army and rule over the people until Zhang¡¯s family find the right opportunity to leave the Heilong Kingdom.  While Sima Yi and his wife returned to the Red Mist Province to join Xi Ning in expanding the Red Mist Army in preparations of the invasion of the Southern Provinces.

    So once all of the dignitaries left Aurora City, the relocation began. Hundreds of thousands of commoners were mobilized to begin the construction while one hundred thousand soldiers clad in white armor accompanied them to ensure their safety. Leading this massive movement of people was Lu Xun, Zhang Liao and Sun Ce because Zhang had an even greater task he needed to accomplish.

    A task so important and perilous that only he could accomplish, Zhang¡¯s mission was to take the four beauties on their honeymoon. Although Zhang wished to partake in the construction of the new capital, Jian Wei forbade it and explicitly said, ¡°Zhang my boy you need to enjoy these things with your wives before the opportunity to do such things are taken away.¡±

    If Zhang held off on his honeymoon and war started once more then only the heavens would know what the next opportunity to do such a thing would arise again. So in the dead of night while the moon was illuminating the dark sky a lone carriage escorted by a small group of horsemen and pulled by a team of regular horses departed from Aurora city.

    Inside this carriage was a young man who had just recently become the crown prince of a new kingdom and four elderly businessmen.

    ===================================================================

    ¡°My lord we¡¯ve left the borders of Aurora and have entered the New Moon Province.¡± A man in his early thirties that gave off a strong sense of integrity with a peculiar looking scar that ran vertically across his eye reported, as he sat at the driver''s seat of a carriage that was being pulled by a team of six horses and talking into a small window that opened up on the back of his seat with the moon shining over his head in the sky.

    ¡°Okay, let¡¯s have everyone make camp in this area for the night. It¡¯s pretty late and everyone should be tired. Also you''re free to refer to me as your lord when no one else is around however once we are in the presence of others please refer to me as your young master.¡± Zhang¡¯s voice sounded out from the window in the carriage.

    ¡°Of course my lord if that is how you wish to be address. But I think it is not safe to camp here for the night, It¡¯s said that people often go missing in these parts and sometimes mangled corpses are found.¡± The man said in a worried tone.

    ¡°It¡¯s alright I¡¯ll make sure everyone is safe, we¡¯ve had a long trip and it¡¯s unwise to continue on while everyone is exhausted.¡± Zhang replied.

    ¡°Alright everyone we are stopping here for the night! Set up camp!¡± The carriage driver yelled out.

    Soon the carriage stopped and the team of twenty horsemen escorting it also stopped in their track.

    Not long after a campfire was started and food began roasting. A rich aroma drifted into the air as Zhang could be seen roasting a deer that the party had run into earlier.

    ¡°Everyone the foods ready.¡± Zhang said to the rest of the group. He figured this trip would take a while so it would be best to try to get along with everyone in the group and since putting up airs and not helping out was counterproductive, Zhang took an active part in the group by helping out wherever he could. Although some may say that it is unbecoming of him who is a prince to do such things, Zhang did not care about things such as rank having come from a family of commoners.

    ¡°My lord thank you for the meal.¡± A few of Zhang¡¯s men said respectfully. For them this trip with Zhang had been something they had never experienced before. Where could a common soldier go to be able to eat a meal cooked by a prince, where would someone from the lower class go to be able to dine along with royalty?

    Soon after everyone gathered around the campfire mouthwatering deer meat grilled to perfection was skillfully cut and shared. Once the meal started the carriage door swung open and four beautiful married women walked out and joined the rest of the group.

    By now the men in the escort party had grown somewhat used to interacting with their lord¡¯s madams thus there weren¡¯t that many problems arising. At first these men were too afraid of even looking any of the four beauties in the eye but after sometime they were now acquainted.

    As the group ate their meal something or someone was lurking in the woods around them. Although the moon was out, clouds had slowly rolled into mask it¡¯s light causing the earth blow to be hidden in a veil of darkness.

    Underneath this veil of darkness, a different group composed of a large number of men and women were making their way through the woods while escorting a trail of carriages that looked very much like the one Zhang and the four beauties have been riding.

    ¡°Master Jin Zhuan, one of our men have reported that they¡¯ve seen a campfire up ahead, should we ask if they can spare us some of their supplies? Although I doubt they¡¯ll have enough to make a large difference due to our numbers it¡¯s better than nothing...¡± A balding middle aged man said as he rode up to the carriage.

    ¡°How many more days of rations do we have left and how long until we reach the next city?¡± A voice sounded out from within the carriage.

    ¡°If we keep up our current speed then it¡¯ll take us roughly a week before reaching a small city called Red Star City and we only have enough water and supplies to last us another four days. We can try hunting but since none of us really have much experience in that field I doubt any of us will be able to catch anything.¡± The balding man said.

    Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.

    ¡°Alright head in the direction of the campfire. Anything we can get our hands on will help, I don¡¯t want to be left without food or water in this wretched place.¡± The voice from inside the carriage sounded out once more. Soon after this group of people headed toward where the campfire was spotted.

    Once in walking distance of their destination the doors to one of the many carriages opened up and an elderly man walked outside. The elderly man along with a group of five men then walked ahead of the rest of the group and arrived where the campfire was lit. When they were close enough a group of roughly twenty men were spotted sitting around the campfire.

    ¡°Hello there my master would like to ask if it is possible for us to buy some supplies off of you.¡± The balding man asked politely as he and his master walked out from the woods into the light of the campfire with their hands up to show that they mean no harm.

    That was when a man in his thirties with a scar running down vertically across his eye got up from where he was sitting and looked at the new arrivals with a hint of suspicion in his eyes as his hand laid atop his sword¡¯s hilt.

    ¡°Who is your master and where did you lot come from?¡± The man with the scar asked.

    ¡°My name is Jin Zhuan and my family and I are headed toward the Star Mist Province but with the nearest city which is Red Star City a week''s travel away we are not sure we can even make it across the New Moon Province. So if it is possible we would like to buy whatever extra food your group has.¡± Said the elderly man who came with the balding middle aged man.

    ¡°There is nothing for you here, please leave.¡± The man with the scar said without a moment¡¯s thought.

    ¡°Why you.... my master lowered himself to talking to you and that¡¯s how you treat him?¡± The balding man roared angrily. He had served Jin Zhuan for many years and was very displeased when someone did not pay the old man any respect.

    ¡°Now Wang Ping no need to act rudely.¡± Jin Zhuan said as he tried to calm Wang Ping down.

    ¡°Cheng Yu you too don¡¯t act rude to someone who is our senior.¡± A voice rang out from the direction of the campfire.

    Following the direction of the voice Jin Zhuan¡¯s gaze soon fell on a youth that looked no older than twenty-five but of course it was very hard to tell how old someone was based on their looks because of how long a regular person¡¯s life span is and how a person¡¯s cultivation allows them to look very young despite being hundreds of years old.

    ¡°Yes my lo¡­ I mean young master.¡± Cheng Yu said stuttering in response to Zhang¡¯s words.

    ¡°Hello there senior, my name is Zhou Zhang and it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance.¡± Zhang said to Jin Zhuan.

    ¡°You said that you and your family are headed toward the Star Mist Province? Might I ask where are they now?¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the use of telling you if you are not even willing to share a bit of your excess food with us?¡± Wang Ping said to Zhang in a mocking tone.

    ¡°If food is the only thing you want then we have plenty to go around.¡± Zhang said while smiling and with a wave of his hand a dozen large sacks of rice appeared on the ground along with a few sealed large clay pots filled with water.

    ¡°But of course good fortune only comes to those who are truthful.¡± Zhang added trying to reminded Wang Ping and Jin Zhuan that he wished to see the family that they said they were traveling with.

    Of all the things Zhang hated, lying and betrayal was the one that he disliked the most. The thought of being killed by the man with the cross necklace in his previous life still haunts him from time to time and paired with Qian Long¡¯s betrayal that caused the battle at the Beast¡¯s Gorge, those who lied and betrayed Zhang did not have very good endings.

    ¡°Yes of course, it is rude of me not to introduce my family to the one whose food they will be eating for the next few days.¡± Jin Zhuan said with a smile as he could figure out that Zhang wished to see if he had lied moments ago.

    Not long after dozens of carriages arrived along with roughly three hundred men and women walking on foot. It turns out Jin Zhuan¡¯s entire clan consisting of men, women, children and the elderly, was moving from their previous home to the Star Mist Province. They had traveled on a river that took them from the south through Aurora and had only disembarked a few days ago and proceeded on land ever since.

    After talking to Jin Zhuan and getting to know the old man, Zhang found out they had moved their entire clan because one of Jin Zhuan¡¯s friends happened to be an official in Aurora and had sent him a letter saying that soon the province he was living in would turn into a warzone. Although Zhang asked for the name of this friend, Jin Zhuan refused to say.

    ¡°Leaking such news outside is punishable by death and it would be wrong of me to betray me friend because of some sacks of rice.¡± Jin Zhuan said to Zhang.

    ¡°So senior would you mind telling me why you''re moving to the Star Mist Province then?¡± Zhang asked since he did not know much about the various provinces in the warring states region besides the Aurora Province, the Black Wind Province and the other three that his armies conquered.

    ¡°You must not be from around these parts so I¡¯ll tell you, the Star Mist Province only second to the former Aurora Province¡¯s strength and since it¡¯s situated in the north it won¡¯t be affected by war in the south. There¡¯s also the fact that The Star Mist Province is a part of the Alliance of the Seven Lords making it a force to be reckoned with.¡± Jin Zhuan stated.

    ¡°The Alliance of the Seven Lords?

    ¡°It¡¯s an alliance consisting of the Star Mist Province and six other provinces that border the northern frontier of the Warring States Region. Together these seven provinces often times combine their armies to repel invaders that try to meddle with the Warring States Region.¡±

    ¡°Interesting, but isn¡¯t the northern frontier a very long distance from here?¡± Zhang asked since one would have to cross roughly four provinces from Aurora to reach the northern borders of the Warring States Region, that including the Black Wind Province. Had Zhang not been to the Black Wind Province or seen a general outline of the Warring States Region he would not have known this. As for the names of the dozens of other Provinces in the region he had no clue.

    ¡°Well if we head north west we would reach the southernmost tip of the Star Mist Province since its domain runs down vertically along the western side of the region.¡±

    After chatting with Zhang for some time, Jin Zhuan decided it was time for him and his people to continued their journey once more because it is said that unknown dangers are lurking in the area they are currently in. However, with Zhang¡¯s insistence pair with the fact that he wouldn¡¯t take any payment for the food and water they were given, Jin Zhuan and his people made camp for the night.

    A night that people will remember as the night the forest turned red with blood.

 Chapter 93: Bloody Forest

    :D I''ll try to have anther chapter or two for tonight ::)

    ===========================

    Late in the night dozens of campfires were lit with many men basking in their warmth. These men were part old man Jin Zhuan¡¯s escorts whom he hired to take him and his clan to the Star Mist Province. Previously due to Zhang insistence, Jin Zhuan decided to have his family set up camp and not continue on their journey through the night.

    Traveling through the forest where many people have gone missing only to have their mangled bodies found was not very safe at all, so it would be wise to set up a camp and fortify their position for the night rather than roam about in the dark to brave unknown dangers.

    Thus a ring of carriages was formed with a mass of tents in it¡¯s center. Guards were divided into shifts to ensure that nothing is able to approach the camp without anyone noticing.

    While most if not all of the people in Jin Zhuan¡¯s clan was at theirs hair end with fear, Zhang¡¯s party did not show an ounce of it. This seemed very odd to Jin Zhuan because from the tales of what happens in this forest alone, anyone would find themselves somewhat afraid, however this was not the case for Zhang and his men at all. Yet another odd thing that Jin Zhuan found that was odd was that Zhang had taken a large tray of food into his carriage and then come back outside empty handed and ate something else.

    At first Jin Zhuan thought it was perhaps another member of Zhang¡¯s party but when he thought about it, there was enough food for four people to eat on the tray while the carriage looked only large enough to carry four people at most. So with such a large tray inside there couldn¡¯t possibly be people in there and from the looks of it Zhang¡¯s party did not consist of anyone else or rather JIn Zhuan has yet to see any other members of Zhang¡¯s party nor did Zhang mention of any other people in his party.

    Then the question of why would Zhang bring such a large tray into the carriage  if there weren¡¯t people inside the carriage would pop into Jin Zhuan¡¯s head.  Soon an endless loop of questions had begun playing in Jin Zhuan¡¯s head.

    Then when it came time for everyone, besides those selected to guard the camp, to go to sleep Jin Zhuan saw Zhang climb into his carriage and did not leave for as long as Jin Zhuan sat watching.. Strangely sometimes the carriage would be seen rocking back and forth for no reason.

    ¡°How could someone possibly sleep in a carriage of that size?¡± Jin Zhuan thought as he looked at Zhang¡¯s carriage curiously but with a hint of suspicion in his eyes. The way he saw it, Zhang was too mysterious perhaps even strange would be a more fitting word.

    So with a head full of questions and suspicion, Jin Zhuan decided it was time for him to get some rest so he headed toward his tent where his wife was waiting for him.

    With the moon high in the sky Jin Zhuan¡¯s escorts stood guard over the camp the forest around them came to life as the wildlife that lived in it began fleeing from some unknown entity. Deer, rabbits, boars, and dozens of other regular animals scurried right past the camp in a flash.

    Soon a series of blood curdling howls sounded out and echoed throughout the forest waking everyone in the camp.

    ¡°Young master wake up something''s happening.¡± Cheng Yu said as he knocked against the door of Zhang¡¯s carriage.

    It did not take long for the carriage door to open as Zhang jumped out with his robes hanging loosely over his shoulders. Before Zhang could ask Cheng Yu what was wrong Jin Zhuan ran up to him hurriedly and began talking.

    ¡°Zhang tell your men to quickly prepare for battle, something is out that causing all of the animals in the forest to flee.¡± Jin Zhuan said with a somewhat shaken voice that had a hint of fear in it.

    But once more before Zhang could say anything he was interrupted by someone else.

    ¡°Brother what''s wrong? Hurry up and get back in here so we can close the door, cold air is getting in.¡± Ai said as she appeared at the carriage door while rubbing one of her eyes. Ai had appeared like a goddess in the night, wearing nothing but a simple hehuanjin with a beautifully seen rose patterned running across her chest.

    ¡°Yea darling if nothing¡¯s happening get back in here we have some unfinished business to attend to, sister Yuying and sister Ling are also waiting for you.¡± Lingqi said in a seductive voice as her arms wrapped around Ai. From Lingqi¡¯s words alone it was clear what had transpired inside this carriage that appeared smaller on the outside and larger in the inside.

    But before anyone could get a good look at what they were not meant to see, Zhang quickly closed the carriage door behind him.

    ¡°Senior please continue what you were saying earlier.¡± Zhang said with a smile on his face which was practically screaming if someone saw something they were not meant to see he would put an end to them.

    It was evident that if someone happened to catch a glimpse of what was currently inside the carriage right now, Zhang would kill that person without a moment''s hesitation and as a man Jin Zhuan could relate so he did not question the matter and once more asked Zhang to ready his men for battle.

    After listening to Jin Zhuan¡¯s words a second time, Zhang ordered his men to mobilize and defend the carriage that the three beauties were in. Then with a flash of white light, Zhang appeared clade in nearly transparent white armor with two swords hanging by his side as a long black cape draped his shoulders and occasionally drifted with the wind.

    Now the Zhang who Jin Zhuan had previously thought was weird appeared like a god of war that was ready to cut down any foe that appeared in his path.

    As Jin Zhuan stood admiring the fully armed Zhang, beasts of prey began appearing from out of the woods. But just like the animals that had been here before them, these beasts were also fleeing. The sight of beasts such as tigers that often ruled forests and jungles such as this one fleeing for their lives from something unknown made fear seep into the hearts of many people who beared witness.

    But it did not take long for them to encounter what could have caused all of the commotion. As if they had crawled out  from the deepest darkest depths of hell, hundreds of beasts with blood red eyes began appearing. These beasts were not of the kind that Zhang had face thus far, they stood on two hind legs while their entire bodies were coated in fur from head to toe and were armed with sharp claws and large fangs. Also to make things worse than they already are these beasts had swords and axes griped in their hands and of course armor, really thick armor, was covering parts of their bodies.

    ¡°Werewolves?¡± Zhang thought as he watched these hairy humanlike beasts approaching the camp.

    Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.¡°Women, children and the elderly in the center! Everyone else take up arms!Werewolves are attacking!¡± Zhang yelled out to the rest of the camp.

    However it turns out that these werewolves in fact we''re not their enemies but rather they were fleeing from someone unknown enemy also. The dozens of werewolves ran straight past the camp without paying any attention to anyone.

    As the werewolves fled, their pursuers quickly slid through the earth and in a blood curdling moment dozens of unknown tentacle like things shot out from the earth and impaled a few dozen of them. Then in an instant later the lifeless corpses of these werewolves were dragged down into the ground.

    Those who saw this sight stood in silence trying to comprehend what had just happened. Dozens of werewolves which were demonic beasts of the sixth level had been slaughter in an instant without any chance of resistance.

    Shortly after the bodies of the werewolves were dragged underground, geysers of blood spewed out from the ground and coated the woods in bright red blood.

    ¡°What the fuck was that!¡± Wang Ping screamed in horror.

    Not long after the wolves met their end, Zhang noticed something slithering just be beneath the ground causing the earth to bulge and he sprang into action.

    With swords in hand Zhang plunged into battle. While anticipating where the the bulge was heading Zhang stabbed his sword into the ground.

    Once Zhang¡¯s sword was plugged into the ground, a reddish blood like goo oozed out from the earth. Then a deafening screech became audible from every corner of the forest as whatever Zhang managed to stab dislodged itself from his sword and slithered away. Although the word slither was used to describe this unknown being¡¯s movement, in no way did it appear to be a snake or any sort.

    It seems that after receiving Zhang¡¯s attack, the unknown ¡°thing¡± retreated and disappeared back into the depths of the forest, leaving only a path dyed in red.

    From the recollection of those who had bore witness to the events that unfolded tonight and the nights and days to follow a tale of blood and death would soon be spread a vast region of the Warring States Region. The tale of a young man, the tale of a hero would soon be spread to the furthest reaches of the land.

    After whatever had killed the werewolves and many of the creatures that dwelled in the forest disappeared without a trace, silence and serenity was restored to the forest.

    ¡°Zhang you have my thanks, if not for what you did then perhaps it would have been the end of us.¡± Jin Zhuan said as he held the hand of a small boy that looked no older than the age of four. From the looks on this boy''s face he had no idea of what events had transpired.

    ¡°No need to thank me senior, I''m only doing what is needed to be done.¡± Zhang replied with a smile as if what he had did was not something worth mentioning.

    After a small chat with Jin Zhuan, Zhang stood guard for the rest of the night until the sun peeked out from the horizon above the tree line. Of course he did not stand guard alone, he was joined by dozens of Jin Zhuan¡¯s guards and when no way was looking he release the hundreds of Golden Titanic Spiders from the Ruler¡¯s Domain to scan the forest around the camp.

    Once the sun managed to partially not long hid  itself beneath the tree line the camp was packed up and Jin Zhuan¡¯s clan began their journey once more. But my they were joined by Zhang''s party because it for now their destinations were the same, both groups were now headed toward Red Star City.

    When the two groups began their journey once more, the four beauties finally showed themselves. They were first seen with Zhang who had sat atop his carriage watching over the camp. The people of the Jin clan had only awoken and had left their tents to spot these four sitting fast asleep in their husband''s embrace. It was a sight to behold as the morning sun¡¯s rays shone through the tree line and seemed to wrap around Zhang and his lovers.

    After a some introductions the beauties quickly became fond of Jin Zhuan¡¯s four year old grandson and even asked Jin Zhuan¡¯s daughter to join them in their carriage with her son.

    It could be said that Ling  and Yuying were especially fond of this child because they often dream of having a child of their own with Zhang. As for Ai she could be considered a child herself at times.

    So once the four beauties were introduced to the Jin clan, many of the clan¡¯s men would try to catch glimpses of them but they could only look in envy as these four were always with their husband. Envy soon turned to idolization as every man dreamt of one day become like Zhang.

    As the group now traveled through the forest they would often run into other groups who unlike them had meet gruesome ends. Mangled bodies could be seen hanging by a limb from trees, trials of blood could be seen bodies that had been dragged into the forest and dismembered, mangled bodies with gaping holes in them laid about on the dirt road and all sorts of other horrors were just waiting to be discovered.

    The sight of many of the scenes that they encountered cause some with weak stomachs to spew the contents of their breakfast. For now the only emotion that everyone felt was fear, fear of the unknown, fear of joining the ranks of those who had met such unfortunate ends and the fear of death filled their hearts. Of course there was an exception to everything and that exception was Zhang and his party.

    Zhang and the four beauties could not even be placed in the same sentence as the word fear. As for Zhang¡¯s men they had witnessed the horrors of war and been through the horrid events in the Black Wind Province so there weren''t many things that could incite the emotion of fear within them any longer.

    So tonight when the sun went back into hiding and the moon illuminated the sky, Zhang¡¯s men stood guard. Tonight Zhang¡¯s men would watch over the camp as alert their lord if anything occurred. Although Zhang wanted to find out what was lurking in the woods but his attention was required elsewhere.

    Tonight the four beauties and Zhang once more retreated to their carriage and would not show themselves unless the situation called ther intervention. It was their honeymoon and as they saw it unless the situation truly forced them to help they would try their best to enjoy their trip meant for leisure and staying up all night to fight some unknown beast lurking in the forest was not something one should be doing on a trip meant for enjoyment.

    So as the night grew cold and the people in the camp drifted into their dreams, Zhang¡¯s men and the Jin Clan¡¯s escorts stood watch to ensure everyone''s safety. But of course if a situation did arise these men wouldn''t be able to do anything besides alert Zhang of the approaching danger.

 Chapter 94: Blood Forest Two

    Heres another one :D

    ============================================================================================

    While Jin Zhuan and Zhang¡¯s men stood guard the wind whistled through the forest. As these men stood guard, wait for the end of their shift, all kinds of horrors came to life in their minds. Memories of mangled bodies and geysers of blood were ever present in their thoughts as the night embraced them.

    The many lit torches around the camp danced and flickered as the howling wind continued blowing.

    As these men stood waiting for the executable to occur they couldn''t help but worry for their own safety. Unlike Zhang¡¯s seasoned soldiers, the Jin Clan¡¯s escorts were merely hired guards who most likely have never even engaged in battle before. Although they currently stood guard and put up a brave front to make a living, if faced with life or death they would certainly abandon their clients or maybe even turn their swords on those they were paid to protect for their own gain.

    As they stood watch, the moon¡¯s brilliance was clouded by clouds and the light from the torches extended by the wind, the earth began to bulge as some unknown entity borrowed its way toward the camp.

    Before anyone noticed due to the lack of light dozens of tentacle like limbs shot forth from the earth causing a few unlucky souls to lose their lives without even being able to put up an ounce of resistance.

    Limbs were crushed and lives were taken as blood sprayed all about. Be it swords or shields nothing we able to stop these whip like limbs. Swords were shattered, shields were dented beyond repair and armor was penetrated before this unknown foe.

    ¡°Enemy attack! Enemy attack!¡± A few men who survived the onslaught began yelling, pleading for assistance.

    Answering their cries was a lone man donning nearly transparent white armor with a pitch black cape fluttering in the wind. In his hand an eerie black fire danced and flickered about.

    In a hairs breath the black flame in Zhang¡¯s hand shot forth and smashed into one of the tentacles that were one sidedly slaughtering the Jin Clan¡¯s escorts. By a hint of luck of some sort, Zhang¡¯s twenty soldiers have been able to survive the one sidedly slaughter with only skin deep injuries.

    They dodged, they rolled and if needed they jumped, to keep the tentacles from ending them. But without vision these men had to leave their lives to luck and heaven¡¯s will.

    Once the black flame smashed into a part of the tentacle, it was severed from the rest of whatever it had been connected to and laid motionless on the ground. This sight was extremely odd because the black flame had never been able to physically damage anything and Zhang had only used it to test if his foe possessed a soul or not because he could not see a hint of essence being emitted from them.

    ¡°I shouldn''t think too much of it¡­ If the black flame can do damage the. I might as well keep using it.¡± Zhang thought as more black flames ignited around him.

    Soon one after another the tentacles were severed using the black flame, but unlike the night before none of them could be seen oozing a blood like goo.

    However, before Zhang was able to sever all of the tentacles, even more popped up from the ground. But this time instead of going for the escorts or the soldiers the tentacles shot toward the tents where the people of the Jin Clan were. Although they had been awoken by the commotion outside these people could be considered defenseless against the incoming attack and would only be slaughtered senselessly.

    Thankfully dark green vines began sprouting from the ground and created a protective dome over and under those defenseless people. Then dozens of razor sharp crescent water blades shot through the air and sliced through the tentacles. Though Ai was able to shield protect the people of the Jin Clan for now it did not mean she could keep protecting her because soon after the tentacles once more sprang out from the earth.

    This time perhaps instead of a few dozen tentacles, there were a few hundred. As the battle went on the clouds above the sky finally released the moon¡¯s rays from their dark curtain, allowing light to shine down on the battlefield below.

    In the instant light was restored to the battlefield and those in it, the sight of hundreds of thick brown tree roots were visibly whipping about above ground. With this everyone was able to realize what their opponent was. Obviously it was some sort of demonic tree, but of course no one could name an exact kind since the term tree includes a wide variety of species. Although one could argue a demonic tree could be classified as a plant, there was a fundamental difference between the two. Demonic plants such as the one Ai¡¯s whip was made out of, which live off of the essence in the earth. Then there were demonic trees which often times feed on other creatures and use them as it¡¯s nutrients.

    Unlike demonic plants, demonic trees are many times more dangerous because they can extend their roots to encompass a huge area and also they possess the overly powerful ability of connecting their roots into regular trees and controlling them. This meant that when someone faced a demonic tree in battle, they were not facing one foe but an entire forest of foes.

    But from the looks of things the demonic tree that they were facing right now, is but a fledgling. Had it been a fully grown demonic tree then Zhang¡¯s story would have ended here. A single man cannot face an entire forest of trees in battle, theoretically it was impossible for this scenario to play out favorably for the man. Even if fire came into to play the amount of time required to burn down a vast forest was immense and the demonic tree could always extinguish the fire itself by sacrificing a few regular trees. But now that the opponent was identified as a demonic tree it would explain why the black fire was effective against it. This was because the demonic tree possesses other trees not by using its essence but by implanting a part of its soul into the other trees.

    However, the heavens never look too favorably on any single lifeform thus demonic trees possessed one fatal weakness. Although they are sentient and are able to control an entire forest, demonic trees cannot move from the spot that they spawned from. It is said that underneath the spot where a demonic tree grows there are treasures called The Fruits of Eternity. Every single demonic tree starts out with at most ten such fruits and never grow anymore for the rest of eternity, hence the name. As for the effects of the fruits no one has ever openly spoke about it.

    ¡°Ling you watch over the others I¡¯m going to tree something.¡± Zhang said to Ling who seemed to be the only one of the four beauties to be able to counter the roots of the demonic tree.

    What Zhang was able to do could be considered truly foolish and extremely idiotic. He began running at full speed at one of the tree roots whipping about at the escorts of the Jin Clan. In an instant Zhang pounced onto the tree root and then splintered his hand with it. As blood oozed out from Zhang¡¯s palm he channeled essence from the Underworld Heart and sent it into the tree root. Over the course of seconds, Zhang¡¯s essence traveled through a vast network of tree roots that ran through a vast area of the forest.

    Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!

    It did not take long for Zhang¡¯s essence to locate where the main body of the demonic tree was. After finding what he wished to find, Zhang burned the tree root that was stabbing into his hand with black fire. Once the tree root turned into nothingness only a bloody hole was left in Zhang¡¯s hand. But it did not take long for the Underworld Heart to do its job and mend Zhang¡¯s hand back to how it was.

    ¡°I wonder if I can get my hands on a Fruit of Eternity.¡± Zhang muttered as he ran off toward where the demonic tree was rooted while twinkling stars could be seen in his eyes. There were but a few things that could get Zhang¡¯s attention and they were his wives and treasure. Being an extremely rare fruit that has unknown abilities, the Fruit of Eternity could be considered a treasure. Thus Zhang wished to possess it.

    Zhang ran through the forest as hundreds of tree roots shot up from the ground trying to block his path. But they tried to no avail because the shadows around Zhang gave birth to a dozen Abyssal Demonic Beasts, whom took all of the deadly blows for their creator.

    Though something that did manage to stall Zhang was the sight of a group of travelers being ripped to shreds by the tree roots. There were most likely many more groups traveling through the forest who were being assaulted by the demonic tree just like Zhang and Jin Zhuan¡¯s group.

    ¡°I guess the fruit can wait, it¡¯s not like they are going to just magically disappear.¡± Zhang thought as he changed the direction he was heading in and headed toward the group of people in peril.

    By the time Zhang arrived to their aid, this group of people had lost nearly half their numbers. Men and women had been torn limb from limb once they were caught by the roots. As they were ripped apart, blood sprayed on the faces of their friends and family. With Zhang¡¯s arrival the ten or so remaining members of this group found salvation.

    Although using the black flame took up a considerable amount of essence stored in the Dragon Heart Necklace, Zhang felt that saving anyone he could in such a situation was the right thing to do. So with that thought in mind, dozens of black flames ignited and began extinguishing the tree roots.

    Only after saving these people did Zhang realize that he was in a dilemma. If he continued heading toward where the demonic tree was rooted, then he would not be able to protect these people from the assault of the tree roots. But if he stayed in protected these people then not only would be not being able to get the Fruits of Eternity but he would also have left his wives to fend for themselves to protect some strangers.

    ¡°Fuck¡­ What should I do¡­¡± Zhang cursed to himself in his mind.

    Of course he couldn¡¯t just abandon these people, but he couldn''t bear to no go obtain the Fruits of Eternity nor could he bare protecting these strangers while not protecting his own wives. Thankfully after a few moments of brain racking thought, Zhang came to a conclusion.

    ¡°I¡¯ll take these people to where the girls are and then go obtain the treasure.¡± Zhang mumbled to himself.

    ¡°Follow me if you want to live.¡± Zhang said to the ten odd people who he just rescued.

    Also once he said the words that he did, Zhang couldn''t help but chuckle as he remembered a certain man from his previous life saying the same thing. Listening to Zhang the group of ten people followed as he sped through the forest to return to his own camp.

    But along the way he spotted yet another group of people who were being attacked. As Zhang sprang into action an unlucky man was grabbed by a tree root and had his head ripped off. Without even thinking Zhang sprang into action once more to save those in need. But this time he did not use his black fire but instead opted to use the twin swords hanging by his waist.

    Moments passed before a dance of blades diced a large tree root into pieces. Soon after ten familiar looking throwing knives and two chain daggers appeared and floated in the air around Zhang. Although the daggers and throwing knives not being long enough to cut through the roots, Zhang had other uses for them. The chained daggers would be used to pull those that were about to be slaughtered by the tree roots to safety while the throwing knives were used to change the trajectory of the tree roots when they swung downward at their victims.

    Not long after rescuing this second group of people, Zhang encountered yet another group of survivors. Although he wished he could face palm himself and just ignore them, he could not bring himself to do so. In the time it took Zhang to return to the camp where his wives and men were, he was able to save quite a few groups of people.

    Sadly, he would often appear after these groups were nearly annihilated and turned to pools of blood. Alas in the end Zhang was only a man and he had done what he could. One could only blame how strangely packed with people the forest had been tonight.

    ¡°Why are there so many people in this forest?¡± Zhang questioned as he continued toward the demonic tree once more.

    This could all of course be viewed as heaven¡¯s view of making a hero out of our young prince. Once these people make it out of the forest, the tales of his heroic deeds would surely reach the ears of the populace and from there he would turn into a hero in the making. After being branded as a hero, Zhang would be able to wage war as he pleased since a war lead by a hero would always be considered a war for the people and for justice. But again these things are meant for the future and currently do not apply as Zhang was still making his way toward the demonic tree behind the senseless slaughter in this forest.

    After tiring of running a black shadow emerged from under his feet and formed into an Abyssal Mirage Viper, with two heads. With a new mode of transportation, Zhang quickly slithered through the forest and toward the demonic tree. thanks to the speed of the Abyssal Mirage Viper none of the tree roots were really able to impend on Zhang¡¯s path. Like a blur the viper slithered about.

    It did not take long for Zhang¡¯s eyes to gaze upon a grotesque looking tree with the faces of hundreds of people visible on it¡¯s trunk. Numerous corpses were hung in the tree as it slowly sapped them of their nutrients to feed itself. The ground around this tree could only be described as being soaked in the blood.

    As he gazed at the tree Zhang realized that not all of the bodies that were hung on the tree were dead. A few people who being sapped of their nutrients were in fact alive and partially conscious as the tree fed on them.

    ¡°Perhaps this is one of the few moments in my life that cutting down a tree would benefit mankind.¡± Zhang thought about the irony of cutting down a tree to save lives.

 Chapter 95: Bloody Forest 3

    Here ya go O_o.

    I might start posting chapters on rrl in batches at the end of the week rather then everyday. Posts would still be everyday on NovelsNao though but I''m not sure yet lol.

    ==========================================================================================

    With the grotesque looking demonic tree in front of him, Zhang gripped his swords ever tightly and readied to obtain the treasure he wanted. But the more he looked at the tree the more he realized something. A sudden thought sprang into his mind as he gazed at the twitching bodies impaled by the demonic tree¡¯s limbs.

    ¡°I¡¯m so stupid¡­ Had I gone directly to the tree and cut it to pieces then I would most likely have been able to save more people and ensure the safety of everyone back at camp much sooner¡­¡± Zhang thought as he face palmed himself.

    ¡°However what¡¯s done is done, instead of dwelling on them I must do what I can now.¡± He thought a few moments later as he steeled himself to end the abomination in front of him.

    This time the roots shooting toward Zhang were many times faster than their predecessors.  From this alone, Zhang was able to tell that these were the true roots of the demonic tree. Unlike the roots that had simply been taking control by the demonic tree, these roots were a part of it and were many times tougher and faster.

    Zhang¡¯s Dragon Talon throwing knives levitated besides him as his chained daggers were coiled around his arms while his Mirage Viper Swords were held tightly in his hands. One could say that Zhang was armed to the teeth, but there was still a possibility of failure when facing an abomination that uses people as it¡¯s nutrients.

    ¡°Perhaps I¡¯ll turn you into a chair, or a stool, or better yet toothpicks.¡± Zhang said jokingly toward the demonic tree. But of course it¡¯s not like the tree was able to comment on his remark since it did not have any way to communicate with other sentient beings.

    Soon after Zhang launched himself from the ground and began taking long strides, in but a moment he closed in on the abomination of a tree with swords raised. Sensing Zhang¡¯s approach the bark on the demonic tree began to wrinkle and part, until a large red eye was in plain view. Not only did this happen to the main tree but dozens of trees that looked entirely normal soon had blood red eyes on them too. The limbs on all of these trees began to move about and interlock with each other creating a web of branches and leaves.

    A wall of branches separated and prevented Zhang from attacking the demonic tree. ¡°You think simple branches can stop me?¡± Zhang roared as he swung one of his swords downward, aiming to slash through the wall of branches. However, swords were never meant be used against things such as tree limbs so despite being razor sharp, Zhang¡¯s sword was caught in the branch due to its sticky sap.

    Realizing his blunder Zhang abandoned his sword stuck in the tree branch and stabbed his other sword into the ground. An instant later his trusty halberd appeared and slid right into his grasp. Now with a weapon fitting the occasion, Zhang began mincing the wall of branches to pieces.

    Although he did not always strike a limb connected to the demonic tree, Zhang was able to cut down a few, causing reddish blood like goo to spew onto the ground. Of course a deafening and blood curdling screech would follow every time a limb connected to the demonic tree was severed. With each swing of Zhang¡¯s halberd dozens of branches were limbs fell to the ground only to be replaced by dozens more.

    ¡°Damn is there no end to these things?¡± Zhang cursed as he continued swinging. If one truly thought about it a tree could possibly have hundreds of limbs and hundreds of roots, and here Zhang was facing a forest in battle.

    However, he was not alone, with the ability to conjure monsters from the depth of darkness, Zhang was soon surrounded by dozens of Abyssal Demonic Beasts. Despite not possessing high combat ability in a situation such as this, these Abyssal Beasts could serve as shields for Zhang.

    Soon enough the demonic tree began hurriedly corpses and those on the brink of death at Zhang. While he would skillfully avoid the corpses, Zhang went out of his way to catch the people who were still a hair''s breadth from death. But this would term out disastrous for our hero.

    ¡°I¡¯ve caught you and everything will be fine.¡± Zhang said as he caught a woman in her late twenties in his hand and reassured her. Hope filled the eyes of this women who had none just a few moments ago. This woman had been in front of death¡¯s door not too long ago and the gaping hole in her abdomen from when the demonic tree was sapping her of her nutrients served as a grim reminder.

    Sadly, heaven often plays tricks on the hopeful. In Zhang¡¯s embrace the women¡¯s body began to bulge and her once slender self-bloated into something unrecognizable.

    ¡°Thank you¡­¡± The women said as she worked loose from Zhang¡¯s hold and rolled onto the ground. Once she was atop the cold hard earth the women¡¯s bloated body finally gave out and exploded.

    ¡°Damn it!¡± Zhang yelled out as he saw what was happening. But seeing that there was nothing he could do, Zhang quickly jumped back a few times to create some distance between him and the explosion. But of course his retreat was not left without opposition, dozens of branches and roots shot forth at Zhang who was in mid jump. That was when one of the chained daggers shot from Zhang¡¯s hand and lodged itself into a tree, once the dagger was secure Zhang shortened the chain it was attached to and pulled himself to safety.

    ¡°The demonic tree must have done something to her¡­¡± Zhang said with a hint of rage in his voice. He had been so close to saving this woman and yet so far from it. The mere fact that he was played by a tree irked Zhang to no end. After the women, Zhang did not catch anyone else because the outcome would be the same as before.

    ¡°The sooner I put an end to this the better. A moment of my hesitation had caused the suffering of so many¡­¡± Zhang muttered in a pained voice. Although no one could blame him for the choices that he made tonight, Zhang found that he could not forgive his own indecisiveness. He had always been somewhat softhearted and could never make a swift decision when lives are at stake, especially those of the common folk. But after tonight that will become a problem of the past.

    With his rage now boiling, Zhang began cutting away at his foe ever more vigorously. In the time that it would take him to perform ten strikes a few moments ago, he would now perform fifteen strikes.

    ¡°This damn tree can only have so many limbs for me to cut¡­¡± Zhang thought as he continued adding to his pile of lumber on the ground. But contrary to Zhang¡¯s thought, the demonic tree had enough limbs for him to cut for days and that was not counting the limbs of the trees under its control.

    To beat such a foe, brute force was not an answer but ingenuity and magic was key as Zhang would soon find out.

    ¡°This isn¡¯t working¡­ Lightning probably won¡¯t have too much of an effect, while the amount of black fire I can produce is limited¡­¡± Zhang thought while continuing his attempt of slaying the demonic tree. That was when the lightbulb in Zhang¡¯s head lit up.

    Zhang jumped into the air as two of the Dragon Talon throwing knives slide under his foot and levitated him into the air. Then from Zhang¡¯s interspatial ring, thousands of arrows made from Lightning Eater scales appeared. Although controlling them all would take a massive amount of essence, Zhang was barely able to manage the consumption thanks to the endless stream of energy from the Underworld Heart.

    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

    Unfortunately, the Underworld Hearts essence accumulation rate could not match the consumption rate of the black flame or else Zhang would be able to use it at all times.

    As sweat dripped from his brow Zhang looked down at the forest below him, from which hundreds of tree branches and roots shot up toward the sky. But they Zhang was simply too high up so they were not able to reach him.

    Moments later the thousands of arrows under Zhang¡¯s control began their descent. With a motion of his finger the arrows shot forth at high speeds and could most likely devastate whatever appeared in their paths.

    The wall of branches and leaves proved futile as each arrow chipped off a small piece of wood when they passed. But the arrowheads were to small and individually only did a little damage. However, this is where their numbers came into to play, together the thousands of arrows gouged out huge chunks of the wall made by the demonic tree. From the hole that was left by the arrows, Zhang could see the demonic tree¡¯s blood red eye.

    ¡°Once more!¡± Zhang yelled as he gestured for the arrows to ascend back into the sky. Although some of the arrows were damaged beyond use when they impacted the tree limbs a majority of them were in pristine condition. Not long after the arrows flew back into the sky and swirled around Zhang, they descended once more.

    ¡°I¡¯ll call it, ¡°Catastrophe''s Descent.¡± Zhang said as he continued directing the arrows downward. Had his opponent been humans instead of trees then they could possibly have been wiped out by now.

    Of course the more powerful and destructive a technique is, the more taxing it is to use. Levitating thousands of arrows with essence alone could in itself be considered the act of a madman, due to how much essence it would require. But to direct the arrows on a guided path over and over again was something unimaginable.

    Zhang continued using the Catastrophe''s Descent over and over until an entire part of the forest was turned into a barren wasteland of broken trees and unturned dirt. The top of the demonic tree was now laying on the ground in shattered pieces while a stomp was left where it had stood. Zhang had made sure that the roots of the tree stayed untouched because of the possibility of destroying the Eternity Fruits that grew down there.

    Almost as if he was falling from the sky Zhang descended onto the ground. To be honest Zhang was indeed falling from the sky before he was able to stop his fall and lightly land. Controlling the arrows for so long had sapped him of unbelievable amounts of essence.

    With a wave of his hand Zhang¡¯s twin swords flew back into his grasp and disappeared into his interspatial ring. Then he began walking toward the stump where the demonic tree had been.

    ¡°It should be over now¡­¡± Zhang muttered as he looked around at the destruction that he had caused. It would be amazing if the demonic tree could survive such destruction.

    Arriving at the place where his prize was buried, Zhang plunged his halberd at the place where tree stump in front of him connected with the earth. Then with all of his remaining strength Zhang began uprooting the stomp.

    Soon after eight odd looking objects came into view. Looking as if they were made of crystals these objects were shaped like fist sized peaches.

    ¡°Maybe these things are what the myth about the peaches of longevity originated from.¡± Zhang laughed as he tore the Eternity fruits from the roots of the dead demonic tree. Although Zhang very much wanted to try and eat one of these fruits he felt it would be idiotic to do so without knowing it¡¯s affects.

    ¡°Perhaps I¡¯ll find someone to test one of these one and then after I know it¡¯s safe I and my lovely wives will have our share.¡± Zhang thought as a devious smile appeared on his face.

    ¡°But then again I might end up wasting a treasure¡­¡± Zhang muttered as his smile turned into a frown.

    ¡°I¡¯ll just let Lingqi inspect it for poison and then try my luck with it. Shouldn¡¯t be too dangerous as long as I have this thing inside me.¡± Zhang then though as his hand was touching a part of his armor that was directly over where his heart should be. Sometimes taking a risk ends in rewards.

    With his prize safely in his interspatial ring Zhang headed back toward the camp. Zhang arrived at the camp to find everyone perfectly safe, mainly because of how strong his wives are. The four beauties had been able to work together flawlessly and managed to fight back the onslaught of tree roots.

    From the many knocked down trees and the cracks on the ground one could tell how hard fought that battle had been.

    ¡°Zhang your back!¡± Old man Jin Zhuan said with joy.

    ¡°Yes I¡¯m back senior, I hope everyone is fine.¡± Zhang said as he greeted Jin Zhuan.

    ¡°No everyone is perfectly fine.¡± Jin Zhuan said before Zhang headed off to his four wives.

    ¡°Who wants a reward for a job well done?¡± Zhang said jokingly as he approached the four beauties.

    ¡°If I get to pick a reward I¡¯ll pick to have ownership of you darling.¡± Lingqi said happily.

    ¡°Owning brother hmmm.¡± Ai said as if lost in thought.

    ¡°How about this instead?¡± Zhang said as he grabbed Lingqi¡¯s hand and pulled her into him. An instant later he planted a kiss on soft lips.

    Moments later the other three of his wives received the same reward.

    ¡°How was that a reward? It¡¯s something that we usually get for free.¡± Ai complained.

    ¡°Who says it was a reward for you four?¡± Zhang laughed. In the end it was more of a reward for him then for the four beauties. In fact, he had that in mind the entire time. Of course this wasn¡¯t the last reward because the night was still long from over and many things could be done before the sun rose. Thus another battle began, a battle much more epic than the one with the demonic tree. Being newlyweds and all such things should be expected.

    So finally the battle in the blood forest comes to a fitting end.

 Chapter 96: Eternity Fruit

    On phone and no spell checker, so please help me spot out any errors.

    Kanadaj: Laziness is a bad excuse. Let me fix those commas :P

    =============

    Once the demonic tree perished, the people that were being culled inside the forest slowly made their way to safety. With heavy hearts filled with loss they transported the corpses of their loved ones and comrades out of the forest.

    After encountering dozens of groups of people, some small, some large, Zhang finally received the answer to his question of why were there so many people in the forest at such a time.

    It turns out that a business based in the Heavenly Sword province had been offering tours to the New Moon Province for those who wished to partake in the New Moon Festival.

    Once a year on the last day of the lunar calendar, the New Moon Province would turn into a festive wonderland. Fireworks and firecrackers would be set off night and day to welcome the new year. Although this festival was not solely celebrated by those in the New Moon Province, the celebration in this province was the merriest. Thanks to the fact that the province itself received its name from the festival.

    ¡°Seeking joy and pleasure often times brings about tragedy if one is unlucky..¡± Zhang thought after his number of travel companions skyrocketed.

    Many people whom he saved decided to stick with him and the Jin clan until they at least reach Red Star City. Thus, over the next few days, a group numbering in the thousands formed.

    This group under Zhang¡¯s ¡°protection¡± consisted of people of all kinds of social class and origin.

    Zhang decided that he and wives, along with their men would head to New Moon City to partake in this festival that people died to get to. Jin Zhuan and his clan had decided to tag along since it was in the same direction they would need to go to get to the Star Mist Province.

    After Zhang has returned from slaying the demonic tree, he had shown the girls his spoils of war. The eight crystal like peaches were laid in front of them as Lingqi tried her best to see if they were poisonous.

    Of course, it was impossible for her to be entirely sure because of how many different kinds of poisonous things were out there in the world. Perhaps she may think the peaches are not poisonous, when in fact, they are; or vice versa.

    So, in the end Zhang decided to take a gamble and bite into the Eternity Fruit despite Lingqi¡¯s warning.

    ¡°Here goes.¡± Zhang muttered as he bit into the peach but not before waving his hand over the table and storing the remaining peaches into his interspatial ring. He knew if he allowed them the chance the beauties would eat the fruit too regardless of it¡¯s effects. Zhang knew he would be - to some degree - protected, thanks to the Underworld Heart; but his wives did not have such a blessing.

    Soon, a sweet taste and alluring aroma filled Zhang after each bite of the fruit and soon the entire peach was gone with only a seed left as proof of it¡¯s existence.

    The beauties watched as their beloved husband ate the fruit in anticipation. Suddenly Zhang¡¯s hands wrapped around his neck and he began choking.

    Moments passed before Zhang stumbled onto the ground and rolled about.

    ¡°Darling!¡± Lingqi yelled out.

    ¡°Sweetheart!¡± Yuying yelled.

    ¡°Brother!¡± Ai yelled.

    ¡°Honey!?¡± Ling yelled.

    The four beauties each decided to call their husband something different after marriage.

    Seconds passed as Zhang laid flat on the floor without moving an inch as the four beauties crowded around him. When Lingqi tried to check his pulse through his wrist, there was none. But when she leaned toward his face to check his breathe, Zhang¡¯s hand quickly extended and pulled Lingqi in.

    ¡°The fruits are fine to eat.¡± Zhang said after a long kiss with his worried wife.

    Not long after a karate chop came down and hit him in the head. The bangles worn on Yuying¡¯s arm had changed from its regular color to a bright red.

    ¡°If you''ll take my apology.¡± Zhang said as he pulled Yuying closer. Three passionate kisses later, everyone was happy.

    That was when the Eternity fruit truly took effect and Zhang¡¯s body began glowing. Steam began releasing from his body as an unbelievable change occurred.

    Once the whatever was happening to Zhang was done, his hair grew to his waist and his skin became soft and glossy while his muscles and bones became as hard as iron. The fruit seemed to have made him even look a bit younger also. It had turned the nearly perfect body that the Underworld Heart had granted Zhang into something even better.

    Little did Zhang or anyone know that these peaches were indeed what the myth of the peach of longevity has spawned from. By the peach, Zhang¡¯s life span had been extended by an entire century. The equivalent of gaining one level of cultivation. Sadly, the peach did not help with his cultivation very much.

    After Zhang and the four beauties had eaten the Spiritual Cleansing Dan''s the essence in their body had condensed and became many times purer; which meant that it would be much harder for them to advance to the next level of cultivation. But if they fought someone of the same level or not too far ahead, they would be able to hold their own.

    Soon, four crystal-like peaches laid atop the table inside the magical carriage awaiting to be eaten. Once these for peaches were consumed, four goddesses were born from the shell of the four beauties.

    The change on them were many times more visible than that of their husband¡¯s. Their already jade like white skin was now glowing as if layer of gloss was brushed atop of it, their bodies were now free of blemishes and the only word that could be used to describe them was perfect.

    Perhaps after today Zhang would truly become one of the most hated men on the face of the planet. To marry one such beauty could be considered a blessing from heavenly but to marry four such beauties was basically stealing from the rest of the world.

    Thus Zhang¡¯s tale of heroism and his tales of villainy began spreading throughout the land. The man who saved lives and the man who stole from the world.

    =================================

    Days had passed since Zhang and the four beauties had eaten the Eternity Fruit and ever since then they rarely left their carriage, since there was little need to.

    ¡°Young master we¡¯ve reached Red Star City and the Jin clan had went in ahead saying that they will get lodgings for us.¡± Cheng Yu reported from outside of the carriage.

    ¡°Okay.¡± Zhang¡¯s voice sounded out as the carriage door opened; and from inside Zhang and his wives emerged. This time, of course, the four beauties - or shall we call them the four goddesses - appeared with thin veils covering their face.

    They wished to go on a stroll once they entered the city but did not want to recorded unwanted attention.

    Despite being only a small city,  the line to enter Red Star City was extremely long. This was because it was the only city for many miles on the southern side of the New Moon Province. So everyone coming from the south would have to stop at Red Star City.

    Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    But since it was the only city out here the expenses to keep the city going were immense. Thus its growth has always been stalled. With demonic beasts emerging from the forests, bandits and the cost of transporting supplies from other places here the city could not grow despite its high volume of visitors.

    So after storing their magical carriage away into his interspatial ring, Zhang and his wives stood in line to await their turn to enter the city. Magical items were often sought after and it was best to keep them out of sight when entering cities or else certain people may be overcome by greed and cause trouble.

    When it was finally their turns to enter the city, Zhang¡¯s party was met by a group of city guards.

    ¡°State your reason for entering the city.¡± A guard said while trying to assert his authority.

    ¡°Our young master is heading toward New Moon City for his honeymoon, milord.¡± Cheng Yu said.

    ¡°Is that so? Is that one there your young master?¡± The guard said while pointing at Zhang.

    ¡°Yes milord it had taken our young master a very long trip to arrive here, if you can allow us to enter that would be wonderful. We can even treat you to some wine.¡± Cheng Yu said while trying to slip the guard some silver coins.

    But before the guard could take the silver coins another guard, who was a hulking giant, appeared and slipped them out of Cheng Yu¡¯s hands.

    ¡°What do you take us for? Beggars?¡± The hulking guard said as he eyed Zhang and the four beauties. His eyes sparkling as he saw how expensive Zhang¡¯s attire looked. Then his sparkling eyes soon turned to lustful ones as he gazed upon the figure of Zhang¡¯s wives.

    ¡°Hmph just another rich kid.¡± The hulking guard thought with a snort. To be honest Zhang did not look like a general at the front of thousands of soldiers at all, rather he more like a scholar than anything.

    ¡°I suspect these people are wanted criminals or else they would cover their face! Take them away and throw them in a cell for further questioning!¡± The hulking guard yelled.

    Moments later a team of a dozen so guards cladding armor appeared and surround Zhang¡¯s group.

    ¡°Take off your veils and reveal yourselves!¡± He added while his hand reached out to pull off Yuying veil.

    ¡°Don''t go too far¡­¡± Zhang said in a calm demeanor. An instant later his hand grabbed the hulking guard¡¯s arm just before it could reach Yuying¡¯s veil.

    ¡°Hah someone as puny as you thinks he can stop me?¡± The guard laughed as he tried to brush off Zhang¡¯s hand but to no avail.

    ¡°Why do I keep running into people like this?¡± Zhang sighed and muttered in a displeased tone.

    Strengthening his grip and pulling back, Zhang made the hulking guard stumble onto the ground.

    ¡°Consider this a lesson for the future.¡± Zhang said as he twisted the guard¡¯s arm back causing a loud cracking sound to be audible.

    By now a large crowd had gathered and winced as they imagined the pain the cocky guard was in.

    ¡°Ahhhh!¡± The guard screamed in pain as Zhang continued pulled back until he finally let go, leaving the man¡¯s arm to fall loosely onto the ground.

    ¡°What are you guys doing!? Help me!¡± The hulking guard plead to his comrades.

    ¡°Shut up!¡± Zhang yelled as his foot landed on the back of the man''s head causing it smash into the muddy ground.

    ¡°We are leaving.¡± Zhang said to his men and the four beauties. Any later and perhaps fighting would have broke out between the beauties and the guards and that would have ended up causing an even greater commotion.

    With a glare from Zhang the surround guards backed off and allowed them an exit. Honestly, if the hulking guard did not lust after his wife, Zhang would not have been as heavy handed.

    ¡°A gift in return for your lecherous  gaze.¡± Lingqi said as a needle shot out from her sleeve and stuck itself into the man¡¯s shoulder.

    Without bothering to see its effect the group soon departed. If they were fated to meet Jin Zhuan again then they would if not then they were perfectly fine with that.

    ¡°My lord.¡± Cheng Yu said as he let go of the reins of a spare horse he had so Zhang count mount it.

    That was when the four beauties suddenly shot looks at each other.

    ¡°I''m first!¡± Yuying yelled as she quickly jumped onto the horse Zhang had just landed on.

    ¡°Damn¡­ She beat me to it.¡± Lingqi cursed as she got on another horse. Soon Ai and Ling got on hordes of their own and the party quickly departed.

    ¡°To think a small city as this dares to offend you my lord, next time we are here we will have an army behind us and we''ll see if they dare act like this.¡± Cheng Yu said in a stern voice.

    ¡°That''s if we are even assigned to take this province.¡± Zhang replied as he looked back at the city gate. Thus the party continued on their journey.

    The hulking guard who had received Lingqi¡¯s gift was having spasms on the ground as his body strangely shrunk to a punt size. Out the for beauties, Lingqi could be said as the most dangerous, considering all the sorts of odd poisons and herbs she had on her. Getting on her wrong side definitely did not mean death but it surely meant living a life worst then death.

    For example, the three trees that were fated to guard the Lu family¡¯s graveyard for all eternity.

    So it was obvious that the hulking guard who lecherously gazed at her and her sisters, then had the gall to offend her husband will not meet a very fortunate end.

    Of course the same could be said for anyone who offended the other three beauties as well.

    ¡°My lord where are we headed now?¡± Cheng Yu asked; now that they can''t enter Red Star City there were a few possible destinations now.

    ¡°Directly to New Moon City, we will most likely run into such a scene again if we went to the next nearest city anyway. The southern part of the New Moon Province simply lacks cities so those in control of them can do whatever they wish.¡± Zhang said in a displeased tone.

    ¡°If I end up getting assigned to take this province after our the invasion of the south ends and the invasion of the north begins, I''ll purge every corrupt city.¡± Zhang thought.

    ================================

    Elsewhere evil was lurking in the festive streets of an unsuspecting city. While people were busy readying themselves for the new lunar year, many unseen events were unfolding. Like a veil of darkness had descended, everyone went on with their everyday lives without knowing a thing. But soon that will change as a beacon of hope was headed their way to dispel  the darkness.

    <hr />

    I see you my readers o__o lol Ima go read issth now started reading it a few days ago must catch up lol

    Kanadaj: Sorry Tony, you are just too lazy with those commas; I can''t let your readers suffer just because you don''t have a proofreader :P And for the love of of everything that''s good, don''t set the font colour to white, or the letters can''t be seen with the light forum theme...

 Chapter 97: A Way Home

    Welp here''s a chapter o,,,o

    feel free to proof kana >:D muahahahaha

    http://iendworlds.chatango.com/

    ==============================================================================================

    After being denied entry to Red Star City and causing a huge commotion, Zhang and his wives decided to leisurely travel through the countryside on their way to New Moon City inside. Although they would miss out on the essentials that a city offers, they were able to enjoy gorgeous views and avoid annoying incidents from occurring.

    Currently Zhang and the beauties were casually laying atop a hay cart that they had bought off someone. The man in question who sold them the cart broke into tears once Zhang casually handed him a few silver coins for the cart. Those few silver coins would most likely be able to keep his entire family fed for an entire year.

    Zhang had bought the hay cart because staying in the magical carriage the entire trip was rather dull and riding on horses was not something that should be done when one is taking a leisure trip. Atop the hay cart Zhang and his beloved wives watched the clouds floating peacefully in the sky. For now, they did not have a care in the world, there was no war to fight, no one in need of saving, no cities to conquer. Just each other and a bottle of wine and a plate of fruit.

    One could say that the current scene was rather dull while others may call it ideal. A man and four of the world¡¯s most beautiful women, simply enjoying each other¡¯s presence atop a fluffy hay cart with their pet spider. What more can one ask for?

    The wind blows gently brushing against Ling¡¯s hair as she sat atop the hay cart beside her husband. Gazing into the distance there was nothing but nature¡¯s beauty in sight, the ancient trees, the gently streams, the dignified mountains, and the peaceful denizens of the forest.

    ¡°I guess waiting all of that time proved to be worth it.¡± Ling thought as her delicate hands cupped Zhang¡¯s while a smile crept onto her alluring face.

    Sadly, this pristine atmosphere was shattered when something floating atop the river¡¯s surface caught Cheng Yu¡¯s attention.

    ¡°My lord there''s a corpse in the river!¡± He yelled.

    Not long after the corpse was fished up from the river. The body of a young man in his thirties with his eyes sunken in and black colored veins running throughout his body was laid by the side of the river by Zhang¡¯s men.

    ¡°This man died due to essence exhaustion.¡± Lingqi said as she examined the corpse and found that it did not have a single wound on it.

    Before Zhang or anyone else could say anything, something else caught their attention. Dozens of other corpses could be spotted floating down the river. Soon these corpses were fished up and laid beside the first corpse. Upon further examination by Lingqi it was revealed that every single one of these corpses had died from essence exhaustion.

    ¡°Lingqi what do you think could have caused this?¡± Zhang asked.

    ¡°Well there are no sign of struggle or fighting and it does not appear like they were robbed or anything because many of them still have their valuables intact.¡± Lingqi replied with no definitive answer.

    ¡°Odd.¡± Yuying said while looking down at the dozens of corpses in front of her.

    ¡°Maybe someone harvested their essence.¡± She said while still looking down.

    ¡°Harvest?¡± Ai asked.

    ¡°Their essence was forced out of their bodies and once they were drained, their bodies couldn''t function anymore and died.¡± Yuying hypothesized.

    ¡°Eh this matter doesn¡¯t concern us, let¡¯s continue to New Moon City. No point in worry about something like this.¡± Zhang said as he put his arms around Ai and Yuying and gestured for his men to ready their horses so they could leave.

    ¡°Almost forgot¡­¡± Zhang muttered as he let go of the two beauties in his arms and ignited every single one of the corpses, turning them into ash. ¡°May you find your way home to your loved ones with the help of the wind.¡± Zhang said as the ashes was picked up by the wind and scattered throughout the lane.

    If someone appeared in front of Zhang and needed help, he would aid them in an instant without hesitation. But how could he possibly help when all that laid in front of him were corpses besides what he had just done.

    Thus after the ashes were scattered, Zhang and the four beauties along with their men continued their journey. Once in a while they would encounter corpses just like those previously found ones and Zhang would offer them the same service he had done to the others.

    Although some would argue that it would have been better for him to offer them a proper burial, with a grave and tombstone. But the way Zhang saw it, he did not know the names of these deceased people and burying them out here in the wilderness with an unmarked grave was night right. Rather he felt he was giving them a chance of returning home.

    ¡°A way home, a way back to your loved ones¡­¡± Zhang sighed as he turned yet another corpse to ashes and watched it scatter to the wind.

    ¡°Cheng Yu, how many more day until we reach New Moon City?¡± Zhang asked.

    ¡°My lord if we travel nonstop, we should arrive after sundown.¡± Cheng Yu replied.

    ¡°Okay, once we arrive at the city have everyone be vigilant. I don¡¯t want anyone ending up like those corpses we¡¯ve been finding.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll make sure to tell the others, my lord.¡±

    ¡°Brother are you done yet? The foods ready, big sister Ling sure knows how to cook.¡± Ai yelled from a short distance away as she sat by a warm campfire, eating a delicious looking chicken leg.

    ¡°You¡¯re eating without me?¡± Zhang yelled out as he ran to join the others by the campfire. Also when he got to where everyone was he grabbed the delicious looking chicken leg that Ai had been nibbling on and bit into it.

    ¡°Give it back!¡± Ai yelled as her eyes became misty and clear droplets of water began forming. Like a child who had their candy stolen, Ai began chasing her husband around the campfire.

    Seeing this the other beauties couldn¡¯t help but break into laughter. The sight of a husband and wife fighting over a single chicken leg would surely put a smile on anyone¡¯s face.

    It did not take long for Zhang to eat the entire chicken leg while Ai was chasing him around the campfire, once all of the delicious meat was gone, Zhang tossed the bone into the campfire.

    ¡°Nooooo!¡± Ai cried as she remembered how great that chicken leg had been. Hilariously because she was so caught up in chasing Zhang, she totally forgot about the entire tray of chicken legs that were piping hot and just a few paces to her left.

    So Zhang being who he was, grabbed one off the tray and stood in front of Ai eating it with a silly grin on his face.

    ¡°Where did you get that!¡± Ai asked as a sliver of hope shone in her eyes.

    ¡°Don¡¯t remember, but maybe a kiss will jog my memory.¡± Zhang said jokingly.

    Without hesitation Ai stood up and leaned in. But before her lips could touch his lips, something appeared in between them. Zhang was holding another chicken leg in his hand the entire time and with that Ai received another chicken leg.

    Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!

    ¡°The shenanigans.¡± Cheng Yu said, trying to keep himself from bursting into laughter. It could be said that there is never a dull moment when one is around Zhang and the four beauties. Besides their engaging nightlife, this group of five acted more like children most of the time then adults, always joking, always messing with each other.

    After a hearty meal the group continued on their trip. Like before the scenery around them was vastly beautiful and strangely they did not encounter any more corpses along the way. So for the remainder of the trip Zhang and the four beauties were able to once more solely enjoy their trip and immerse themselves in each other¡¯s company.

    The sky was clear, the sun¡¯s rays were warm, and in Zhang¡¯s embrace the four beauties laid atop the hay cart.

    ¡°Hey darling don¡¯t you think that looks like a rabbit?¡± Lingqi asked as she pointed into a cloud far up in the sky.

    ¡°No that''s a cat, right honey?¡± Ling said while pointing at the same cloud.

    ¡°You''re both wrong it¡¯s a cabbit.¡± Zhang said as he received weird looks from the two women lying beside him.

    This was how the group spent most of the rest of the day, gazing into the sky and looking at the scenery around them. With the occasional playful joking that they usually engaged in.

    While the five were caught up in a world of their own the skies soon became dark and the moon¡¯s rays showered the weary travelers. With a wave of his hand Zhang made a warm cotton blanket appear and blanket himself and his wives from the cold night¡¯s breeze.

    Once the sun descended it did not take long for the party to arrive at the outskirts of New Moon City. Cheng Yu was the first to notice that something odd was happening, the city gates were wide open and there was only a single man standing guard.

    This was obviously very strange because even in times of peace there would always be at least a squad of soldiers standing guard at every city¡¯s gate to prevent criminals and people of their kind from entering. Upon closer inspection when the party arrives at the city gate, they noticed that this guard seemed especially skittish and fearful.

    ¡°Milord, we¡¯ve come to partake in this year¡¯s New Moon Festival.¡± Cheng Yu said to the skittish guard after dismounting from his horse.

    ¡°Le-leave right away before it¡¯s late.¡± The guard squeezed out from his lips.

    ¡°Too late?¡± Cheng Yu repeated while raising one of his brows.

    ¡°Milord it¡¯s very late and we couldn''t possibly find any lodging out in the forest can we?¡± Cheng Yu asked in a respectful tone.

    ¡°Th-that¡¯s true¡­ But it¡¯s unsafe in the city, I swear I¡¯m not trying to scare you, I only wish to prevent unnecessary deaths.¡± The skittish guard said with resolute eyes.

    ¡°Yuying please help calm the man down. We won¡¯t get anywhere at this pace.¡± Zhang¡¯s voice rang out from behind Cheng Yu.

    That was when Yuying appeared with dozens of black runes swirling on her hand. Without needing Zhang¡¯s instruction Cheng Yu grabbed the guard and held him in place.

    ¡°Wh-what are you doing?!¡± The guard tried to yell out but with Cheng Yu¡¯s hand covering his mouth, only muffled sounds were audible.

    Moments later Yuying¡¯s finger tapped the man¡¯s forehead and the runes from her hand transferred themselves onto him. Once the runes had spread throughout his body the guard stood erect and in a daze.

    ¡°What is your name?¡± Yuying asked while keeping her finger in touch with the man¡¯s forehead.

    ¡°Zhen Xiang.¡± The skittish guard stated while looking at Yuying.

    ¡°How old are you this year?¡±

    ¡°I am twenty-five years old this year.¡±

    ¡°Okay now tell us why we should not enter the city.¡± Yuying asked.

    ¡°Roughly twenty days ago corpses began turning up around the city, mainly of lowlifes who lived in the slums so no one paid any attention. With the festival nearing everyone was too busy to care about some lowlifes. But a few days later the bodies of even more bodies turned up, to the point that they could no longer be ignored. Men and women started disappearing every night, at first it was only commoners but eventually even the city guard began turning up dead. Now no one dares to go out at night, had I not needed to make money to pay for my mother¡¯s medicine then I wouldn¡¯t be caught dead out here.¡± Zhen Xiang said.

    Once Zhen Xiang told them what they wanted to know, Yuying released him of her control and the black runes that were on his body faded and were no longer visible.

    ¡°Wh-what happened?¡± Zhen Xiang asked as he was brought out of his dazed state of mind.

    ¡°You were just going to quit your job as a city guard and go home with your ill mother.¡± Zhang said as he grabbed hold of Zhen Xiang¡¯s hand and placed a pouch filled with gold coins in it.

    Upon realizing what he was just given Zhen Xiang did not know what to say. Although he felt he could not take this pouch, a part of him knew he needed to because of how dangerous his job had become. There was a chance he might not get to come home tonight if whatever killed the other guards got to him.

    ¡°Take it and go.¡± Zhang said in a stern voice and gently nudged Zhen Xiang.

    ¡°Many thanks your master! Many thanks!¡± Zhen Xiang finally accepted the pouch as he broke into tears and ran off into the city.

    ¡°Alright let¡¯s go find somewhere to stay for the night.¡± Zhang said to the rest of his party as he watched Zhen Xiang leave.

    ¡°Wait¡­ Fuck! I forgot to ask him what¡¯s a good hotel to room at¡­¡± Zhang thought as he remembered the this was his first time in this city.

    ¡°My lord we will go find a hotel to room in.¡± Cheng Yu said as if being able to guess what Zhang was thinking, then directed his men to try to find lodgings.

    But despite their efforts, every door in the city was tightly shut and not a single soul was out on the streets. Every door they knocked only resulted in silence or yells for them to leave.

    ¡°We would like to rent some rooms night, please open up.¡± One of Zhang

    s men said as he banged on the door of a fancy looking hotel that was four stories tall.

    ¡°Go away! No more customers after sundown!¡± A voice rang out from inside the hotel. This was basically the same response that all of Zhang¡¯s men had received.

    ¡°Enough! Everyone, follow me¡­¡± Zhang said to his guards. With the four beauties by his side Zhang walked toward the fancy looking four story hotel that had just turned one of his men down. With a flash, a sword appeared in his hand and once he was in front of the hotel¡¯s entrance Zhang slashed downward cutting through the door¡¯s lock. Then with a kick the twin doors that led into the hotel swung open.

 Chapter 98: Three Troubles

    Sorry for lack of updates, Life has been busy. Happy New Years Everyone.

    Took me 2 days but i¡¯m about caught up on issth.

    Have faith in the Lord Fifth, gain eternal life. When Lord Fifth appears, who dares to cause strife?

    ================================================================

    Once the doors of the hotel swung open, Zhang, his wives, and their guards walked inside. The inside of the hotel was filled with festive decor, along with lavishly looking furniture. Upon their entrance they saw a startled looking middle age man who appeared to have been wiping off a counter before they barged in.

    ¡°Close the doors.¡± Zhang ordered to his men. Once his men pulled the two doors together, Zhang used the Underworld Heart to mend them together.

    From the words of the city guard he had met and helped earlier, it was extremely dangerous outside at night and people were turning up dead left and right. Since leaving the city was not an option, Zhang felt he had to force his way into a hotel to for shelter for the night.

    Of course he was more than willing to fix the door for that he broke down and pay extra for the rooms he¡¯ll be renting, but there was no way he was willing for his men and his wives to stay outside for the night.

    ¡°What are you doing!? Didn¡¯t I tell you to leave!?¡± The man who was at the counter yelled.

    ¡°You mean stay outside so we could possibly get killed?¡± Cheng Yu growled.

    ¡°What happens to you has nothing to do with me and the others in here! But now that you broke that door, you''re endangering us all!¡± The man yelled, still thinking the door was still broken but in fact Zhang had repaired it.

    ¡°Enough¡­ We would like to rent as some rooms. I hope this will be enough.¡± Zhang said as he walked up to the counter and placed a bag of coins on it. Unlike the bag he gave to Zhen Xiang that was filled with gold coins, this one was only filled with silver coins. Although money in general had little value to Zhang, he felt that this man¡¯s attitude was not worthy of receiving a reward.

    That being said, a bag filled with silver coins was more than enough to rent a few dozen rooms in any regular hotel.

    ¡°Hmph you think a bag of copper coins will change my mind?¡± The man snorted as he took the bag and worked loose it¡¯s bindings. An instant later his eyes glittered and he began to speak once more, ¡°dear young master how can I be of service to you?¡±

    ¡°Enough rooms to accommodate us all. The largest room you have for me and my wives.¡± Zhang replied.

    ¡°Of course young master, of course right this way. I¡¯m glad you picked our hotel to stay in for the night. If you need anything, anything at all feel free to ask me.¡± The man said, with a totally different attitude.

    To think that only a few minutes ago this man had turned them away and wouldn¡¯t have bat an eye even if they screamed for help because whatever was killing the people of the city appeared.

    ¡°Mister Liu, what''s the commotion about.¡± A young woman who was standing on the second floor with a small child by her side asked.

    ¡°Nothing, nothing at all. Everything is fine miss, nothing to worry about when you''re staying at our hotel.¡± The man who the young woman referred to as Mister Liu, who Zhang had given a sack of silver coins to said with a smile.

    Moments later, Mister Liu led Zhang and his party to the fourth floor of the hotel and showed each of them to their rooms. Zhang and his four wives were given the largest suite in the hotel, their room even came equipped with a midsized pool

    After everyone was in their rooms, Zhang shut the door to his room and turned back to speak to his four wives.

    ¡°You four get some rest, I¡¯ll keep watch for a while to make sure everything is safe. We wouldn¡¯t want some monster sneaking in and kidnapping anyone.¡± Zhang said in a half joking manner as to not make anyone tense.

    .

    Soon the night grew colder and everyone was fast asleep, but Zhang who wished to stay up to keep watch. Despite the various attempts by his wives to lure him into bed, he decided it was best for him to keep everyone safe. ¡°There are times for such things, and sadly although I want to now is not the time¡­¡± Zhang thought with a sigh.

    Although he was much tempted to, Zhang felt that if a situation arises he should be completely ready to handle it and being in bed, having fun with the four beauties was not being ready.

    So thus he sat alone, over watching his four lovelies sleeping. To be honest this in itself was something he very much enjoyed doing. There wasn¡¯t much more he required in the world, but to being in the presence of these four whom he wished to spend the rest of eternity with. If they were together then there wouldn¡¯t be a dull moment.

    As Zhang sat watching the four beauties sleep, something shattered the night¡¯s silence. A rhythmic hopping echoed through the empty streets. Following this hopping noise were the sounds of hundreds of dragging feet.

    ¡°Well fuck¡­ A Jiangshi¡­¡± Zhang cursed as he peaked out of his room¡¯s window, spotting a hopping vampire dressed in a minister¡¯s set of robes. Following behind this Jiangshi were hundreds of its victims turned into zombie minions. Jiangshi were usually undead who were buried atop a dragon¡¯s vein and after hundreds of years of feasting on natural essence, reawaken to prey on the living. Unlike other types of vampires, Jiangshi solely feast on essence, meaning their victims are drained drain of essence and die. Spawning from corpses, Jiangshi cannot bend their limbs due to rigor mortis. So they can only hop and extend their arms forward.

    A terrifying ability the Jiangshi possesses is the power to turn victims who it does not drain dry of essence into a lesser Jiangshi, basically a zombie.

    ¡°Thankfully, usually only one Jiangshi would appear.¡± Zhang said, feeling confident he could handle the situation. However, he spoke too soon because moments later yet another Jiangshi appeared, to Zhang''s disbelief. Sadly, that was not the end of it because soon after a third Jiangshi appeared.

    ¡°Welp I guess everyone is on their own.¡± Zhang muttered as he saw the three Jiangshi hopping through the empty streets. Any poor soul they happen to run into would be drained dry of essence.

    Of course Jiangshi had one major weakness and that was sunlight and a virgin¡¯s blood. But right now Zhang had neither of those, sunrise was not for another few hours and there were no virgins in sight.

    ¡°But I wonder how there can be three of them. Usually only one would show up and it would be able to destroy an entire city by itself. From the looks of things these three are newly awakened Jiangshi and aren¡¯t at the peak of their strength yet.¡± Zhang thought as he continued observing. The more he thought about the appearance of multiple Jiangshi the more questions came to his mind.

    Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

    There has never been a recorded instance where there were more than one Jiangshi appearing at once, nonetheless three.

    As Zhang kept watching the three Jiangshi, to his horror they suddenly turned and turned in the direction that he was in.

    ¡°Fuck¡­¡± Zhang cursed in his mind as he quietly closed the sliver in the window that he had opened.

    However, that was when the sound a dog barking sounded out. In an instant the Jiangshi sprang into action and descended on the dog. However, as the dog saw them coming it scurried off into a hole in wall. But that was when the Jiangshi jumped over the wall and continued its pursuit of the dog. Soon blood curdling screams echoed throughout the city. Whoever was living on the other side of that wall was most likely killed and drained dry of their essence.

    ¡°The only thing I can do is wait until morning and kill them somehow when they are sleep. There is no way we can handle three Jiangshi¡­ If only there was one, then we could wipe the floor with it.¡± Zhang thought, displeased about the current situation. Although he wanted to help the people being killed by the Jiangshi, there was no way for him to do so.

    The blood curdling screams continued to echo throughout the night as the Jiangshi rampaged. However, when a morning sun peaked out from the horizon a serene silence filled the city. The Jiangshi and their legions of undead disappeared as mysteriously as they appeared.

    Soon enough the citizens of New Moon City arose from their slumber and poured onto the streets. Soon more horrifying tales were spread across the city, as those who heard the cries in the dead of night told their tales.

    Zhang did not get an ounce of sleep the entire night, he had stayed up to make sure that no Jiangshi came near the hotel. If one did, then he would find a way to evacuate everyone in the hotel away. One could say that this hotel was currently one of the safest places in the city, since Zhang was keeping guard over it.

    ¡°Brother you should get some rest.¡± Ai said as she climbed out of bed and wrapped her arms around her husband.

    With the sun overhead, Zhang had nothing to fear so he soon joined his four wives atop the luxurious bed and fell asleep for a few hours.

    While Zhang was in his deep slumber, the city outside was bustling with people, despite the fear everyone possessed at night, New Moon City was still in an extremely festive mood. Everyone that went missing or were found dead, totaled not even a fraction of the city¡¯s population and of course many people choose to believe that a majority of the deaths were natural causes.

    When something can¡¯t be explained, many people choose to dismiss it. Obviously this will come back to haunt them sooner or later. Thus the festivities around the city continued on despite the trouble that was brewing.

    Those in the city choose to be blind to the evil that was haunting it, but Zhang did not. He felt that the appearance of the three Jiangshi was too odd.

    ¡°Maybe they aren¡¯t naturally spawned Jiangshi¡­¡± Zhang questioned in his mind as he laid atop his bed, shirtless and surrounded on all sides. After he had a few hours of sleep, he indulged in some merry making with his wives. The notes of the bedchamber were put into play, as well as the endless stamina granted by the Underworld Heart.

    Had Jian Wei been around he would most likely pop in and then leave the room sighing about how it was too early in the morning for such things. But one cannot extinguish the flames of passion once they are lit, especially amongst these five.

    So after a few dozen rounds, the five of them laid atop the luxurious bed, once they had a bit more rest the five would being on their search for the three Jiangshi.

    The moment the group set foot onto the streets they were enveloped by the festive atmosphere that lingered in the air. Stalls and vendors were set up all along the streets, performers crowded the streets to show off their arts, and thousands of people were out and about. The fear that curtained the night had completely evaporated as the sun rose and nothing seemed amiss.

    ¡°These people choose to be ignorant so they can live in bliss.¡± Yuying muttered as she walked through the merry streets.

    ¡°Sweeping something under the rug does not solve the problem.¡± Ling added.

    The longer everyone choose to deny the situation the more it would escalate. As a matter of fact, Zhang had not even seen a single person packing their things and trying to leave the city, the entire time he and the beauties were walking through the streets.

    While walking through the crowded streets, Zhang kept an eye out for residual trials of essence left behind by the Jiangshi. Unlike regular essence, the essence of a Jiangshi is pure black, in a way symbolizing death.

    Thanks to the Underworld Heart, if Zhang saw even a hint of black essence he would be able to follow it and track the Jiangshi back to their lair.

    ¡°Darling, do you think someone is making Jiangshi? Since you said there are three¡­¡± Lingqi asked. When Zhang had brought up the fact that there were three Jiangshi, Lingqi instantly told him that making a Jiangshi was not very hard at all, it really only required lots of essence and a corpse and a few other things such.

    However, they could not be sure on anything until they find out where the Jiangshi disappeared to.

    ¡°Did you hear? After last night entire Le family disappeared and only some scratch marks and a huge mess was left at their mansion.¡± Zhang heard a man say as he walked pass a table of people chatting.

    ¡°Brother you want to try some?¡± Ai asked as she held up a kabob at Zhang, while nibbling on a kabob of her own.

    ¡°Sure.¡± Zhang replied as he plucked the kabob Ai was nibbling on out of her hand and bit into it, then returned it to her.

    ¡°Indirect kiss?¡± Zhang chuckled.

    With that the group continued their search for the Jiangshi once more, Zhang received a karate chop to the head for eating Ai¡¯s kabob and not his own as silly as it might seem.

    After hours of walking through the city with not a whiff of black essence, Zhang spotted a thick trail of it leading into an alleyway. Quickly signaling to the girls and his men who were trailing behind him, Zhang briskly walked into the alleyway.

    Following the thick trail of black essence, Zhang and the group weaved through the network of alleyways of New Moon City, to be exact the alley ways could even be considered a maze. With so many twists, turns, and dead ends, once could probably consider it a maze.

    Upon arriving at the end of the trail of black essence, Zhang looked up to see a large sigh that read, ¡°Wang Clan Residence¡± this had belonged mansion of the provincial lord Wang Jhin, Lord of New Moon City.

 Chapter 99: Conspiracy

    SOOOOOOOO tired T_T, some lady almost rammed into my car on the freeway because of a giant tumbleweed the other day¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­. Welp here¡¯s new chapter :D. Also I¡¯ve started a new story which I¡¯ll post when I reach a decent amount of chapters. It¡¯s called ¡°Ascending The Heavens.¡±

    =======================================================================

    Zhang and the four bestirs stood in front of the provincial lord¡¯s mansion with confusion on their faces. Of all the places the trail of essence could led them to, it led to the provincial lord¡¯s mansion.

    That in itself was strange, personally Zhang had expected the trail to lead to some cemetery or the outskirts of the city. However, they were led here, to the center of the city.

    ¡°Darling should we force our way in?¡± Lingqi asked as she wee the hulking men standing in front of the gate.

    ¡°No, now is not the time to draw attention to ourselves.¡± Zhang said in a whisper as he directed everyone to head off.

    The provincial lord¡¯s mansion was not a place anyone could just wander into, although Zhang was fairly confident he would be able to get in and out, it was still very dangerous. An enemy that could create three Jiangshi and keep them contained was not an enemy that one should engage without preparing.

    ¡°We can''t possibly enter and not arouse suspicion, so the best plan would be either taking care of the Jiangshi when no one is around, or inform the people and have them leave this province. Of course neither will be easily accomplished.¡± Zhang whispered to the four beauties beside him.

    ¡°But before then we might as well enjoy the festival a bit.¡± Zhang added.

    ¡°Cheng Yu, you and the rest of the men go enjoy yourselves a bit. Meet me back at the hotel before sundown.¡± Zhang said to Cheng Yu who was trailing behind him. A few moments later a small bag of a dozen gold coins shot toward Cheng Yu.

    ¡°Many thanks my lord.¡± Cheng Yu murmured before he disappeared into the crowd.

    With Cheng Yu and the guards gone, Zhang and the four beauties began to indulge on the festivities.

    Fire spotters, dagger jugglers, opera singers, dozens of acts were occurring on the streets of New Moon City. As they passed a crowd of people watching an opera group enacting a play, an ingenious idea began concocting in Zhang¡¯s mind.

    ¡°If I tell the citizens of the city that a Jiangshi is the one doing the killings, I doubt they would believe me. Jiangshi are usually many times more destructive than the three that have been appearing here and most believe they are but creatures of legends. However, if I had someone else plant a seed of fear in their hearts, then my words will seep in better.¡± Zhang though at his eyes glittered.

    ¡°Let''s have a seat and watch the play.¡± Zhang said to his wives. With a wave of his hand a bench appeared, which he hoisted on his shoulder and through the crowd. Once Zhang arrived at the front of the crowd he deployed his bench and sat down.

    Not long after four beauties that could be considered goddesses joined him, to enjoy the play.

    This troupe was currently enacting a piece about a man who fought a black dragon.

    ¡°Pretty spot on.¡± Zhang thought as he recalled the paintings from the underworld, depicting the battle between the founder of the Heilong Kingdom and the Black Dragon.

    However, a princess was added, and a scene where the dragon¡¯s head was ripped off, but grew back was shown. There was also some random scene with a penguin for comedic relief and then there was a mysterious tumbleweed.

    ¡°Damn the penguin! It stole the hero''s sword!¡± A few people in the crowd yelled as they emerged themselves in the play.

    ¡°What''s up with that tumbleweed causing a carriage collision?¡± A few others asked.

    From the look of things, it seems the crowd wasn''t enjoying this adaption of the story of the creation of the Heilong Kingdom. Despite a strong start the actors were now getting booed off the stage.

    Once the play ended the actors all walked off the stage with their heads drooped.  With a sense of dread and defeat was emitted from the.

    ¡°Dammit why does it happen every time¡­¡± A man who played the part of the penguin cursed as he wiped tomato stains off his costume.

    ¡°Because our troupe leader always makes you play the penguin¡­¡± Another man muttered.

    ¡°You forget the fact that some parts of our play is flat out stupid¡­¡± A beautiful woman playing the princess rescued by the hero said with a hint of disdain in her tone.

    ¡°Well there''s not much we can do, our playwright quit, which made our earnings plummet and now we can''t afford to hire any good playwrights for our troupe¡­Soon we might even have to disband because of our lack of funds¡± A middle aged man said with a sigh, he clearly was the leader of this troupe. Many wrinkles and creases ran across his face, visibly showing the hardship the troupe was currently enduring.

    ¡°I''m looking for the leader of this troupe.¡± A voice rang out. As the troupe members looked back they saw a young man, and behind him were four women who could only be described with the word mesmerizing or beautiful.

    ¡°Young master how may I be of service.¡± The troupe leader said quickly. From the clothes of this young man and the women behind him, they were clearly part of the social elite and if their troupe could get a sponsor or be hired by people of such status, they would be able to pull out of their slump.

    ¡°I would like for you to enact a play for me. The details are on this piece of paper. As for any fees you inquire, on top of the cost of hiring you I believe this should be enough to handle them. You can also use some of it to hire a good playwright.¡± Zhang said with a smile as he handed the troupe leader a small sack of gold coins.

    The troupe leader¡¯s hand trembled as he griped the bag of gold coins in his hand. During his entire life he had never had so much money in his hands.

    ¡°Also I would like you all to move into the hotel listed on the piece of paper, all expenses paid of course. I wouldn¡¯t want my entertainers to be living in some dump.¡± Zhang said, but of course his real goal was to keep these people safe because if they ran into any danger for taking part in his plan, it wouldn''t sit right with him.

    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

    ¡°Troupe leader, what are you doing, thank the young master.¡± The man who played the penguin in the play said.

    ¡°Wait, we must go over some details first. To be honest this seems too good to be true. Why pick us? There are dozens of other troupe in the city. Also, I¡¯m not one to turn down money but when someone offers so much for a simple play, it makes me wonder.¡± The troupe leader said, thinking Zhang¡¯s offer was too good to be true. Who would give a bag full of gold coins for a simple play.

    ¡°First, you will not be the only troupe I will be hiring. Second, it won¡¯t be just a simple play, it will be a play that will be remembered for ages.¡± Zhang said with a smile and left with the four beauties.

    Soon after the troupe leader was tied up and gagged, as his troupe members dragged him to the hotel that Zhang was staying at. To their surprise they found that four other troupes had already arrived at the hotel and were bringing their things in. Not long after the rest of the troupes in the city were gathered by Zhang to enact his plan.

    Each troupe he hired was to perform as play about a Jiangshi attacking New Moon City during the festival, of course they were able to freely portray the stories to their liking as long as they enacted the parts Zhang wished. The troupes would be dispersed throughout the city to send Zhang¡¯s message to the masses.

    He also hired storytellers, soothsayers, and many other people of the sort to begin spreading rumors about a Jiangshi attack.  He knew that directly confronting the lord of this province was not wise so Zhang choose to influence the populace instead. Much like his scheme with the stone tablets that said he was the chosen king, this plan was devised to basically mind wash the populace.

    But for today, their objective was to all relocate to the hotel Zhang was staying in. He had even strictly stated that anyone who doesn¡¯t arrive at the hotel would not be hired anymore. Later that day the hotel Zhang was staying at was swarming with people and all of the rooms were booked. Despite all the rooms being booked, many more people were still arriving.

    Sheets and bedding was currently being spread out on the floor throughout the hotel to accommodate the hundreds of people Zhang had hired for his plan.

    ¡°Sweetheart, I¡¯ve made dozens of dark essence repelling talismans and stuck them all over the hotel. So even if the Jiangshi attack here we should be able to repel them for a while.¡± Yuying said with a refreshing smile on her face. Zhang had previously asked her if there was any way to deal with the Jiangshi, Yuying could be considered one of the most knowledgeable people regarding the topics relating to the undead or the occult so asking her an obvious thing to do.

    ¡°Your enjoying this aren¡¯t you?¡± Zhang asked with a chuckle as his hand traced Yuying¡¯s long silky red hair.

    ¡°Of course, I¡¯ve always wanted to create and control a Jiangshi myself and it seems that perhaps the lord of this province has found a way to mass produce them on a small scale. If I can acquire the method, I¡¯ll create an army of Jiangshi.¡± Yuying said with a glint in her eyes. She had a maddening look in her eyes that showed she wasn¡¯t kidding when she said she would create an army of Jiangshi. Zhang could image his wife standing in front of a massive army of undead and Jiangshi.

    ¡°Truly befitting of a princess of the underworld and my wife.¡± Zhang thought with a chuckle.

    Dozens of talismans could be seen stuck to the many of the windows and doors of the hotel. Everyone was given instructions not to touch the talismans at any cost.

    With everyone in the hotel busy doing this and that, it did not take long for the sun to depart and the moon to arise to the dark night sky. Once the moon was in the sky, the streets of New Moon City became a desolate place without a single soul. Although no one knew that Jiangshi were in the city, they knew people were being killed left and right, so everyone would head home before sundown and fortify themselves.

    Once the people were gone, a parade of undead appeared from the darkness. Three Jiangshi, emitting terrifying auras began roaming the city looking for prey. Any poor soul that ends up in their hands was destined to turn into dried carcasses. The rhythmic hopping of the Jiangshi soon rang through the city, with a legion of undead behind them the Jiangshi were like heralds of death. Wherever they went a think black screen of invisible essence appeared.

    The Jiangshi continued moving through the city until they spotted a cage in the middle of the street. Inside this cage was a dozen or so chickens, clucking away and scurrying about at the arrival of the Jiangshi.

    Upon seeing the chickens, the Jiangshi sprang into action and pounced at the cage.  However, the instant they touched the iron cage a red glow emitted from it and repelled them.

    Off in the distance, from the fourth floor of the hotel they were staying in, Zhang and Yuying could be seen peeking out of the window.

    ¡°Sweetheart you see? It works.¡± Yuying murmured cheerfully.

    As they continued to observe, the Jiangshi began an onslaught of attacks against the cage but to no avail. They continue their unending assault until seconds turned into minutes and minutes turned into hours. Soon a total of six hours had passed before the red light enveloping the iron cage finally faded.

    The instant the red light was gone, the Jiangshi shattered the cage and consumed the chickens inside.

    ¡°We should find a way to mass produce these and distribute them throughout the city. That way casualties will cease to a certain degree.¡± Zhang said to Yuying.

    ¡°I¡¯ll look into that.¡± Yuying said.

    ¡°Are you two done yet? How about catching some sleep?¡± Lingqi said from atop the large bed in their room with a yawn.

    Seeing the results of their experiment, Zhang figured it was indeed time for him to catch some sleep and climbed onto the bed.

 Chapter 100: Schemes

    Chapter 100 O_O woooo never thought i''d be able to get here lol. Well if you guys spot any errors/typos please do point them out. I wish you all a good and enjoyable read. Sorry I didn''t post yesterday, had to work 8 am until 11pm and was dead tired.

    http://iendworlds.chatango.com/</a>

    Chat with me O_o

    ============================================================================

    With his experiment complete and a good night¡¯s sleep, Zhang woke up early to watch his plan unfold. As soon as the run rose to the sky, the entertainers and storytellers that Zhang hired all quickly left the hotel and began doing what they were paid to do.

    It did not take long for wild tales of Jiangshi to be spread throughout New Moon City. Horrifying tales, comedic tales, and all sorts of others were being spread like wildfire. The people of the city began to let their imaginations run wild after seeing the plays and hearing the stories of Jiangshi attacking the city.

    According to his calculations, Zhang figured that it would take a few days and a few more dead bodies to be discovered before the citizens of New Moon City began trying to leave the city. All he had to do was add more fuel to the fire and fan it, soon he plans would be a success.

    While Zhang was busy over watching the performers, Yuying was wracking her brain trying to come up with a way to mass produce talismans that can repel the Jiangshi. Each talisman required a decent amount of prep to create and to produce them on a scale large enough to help the entire city was something that was most likely impossible, but one won¡¯t know one¡¯s limits unless one tried. Yuying figured if she wished to have an army of Jiangshi then we must have a way to stop an army of Jiangshi.

    Lingqi was also keeping herself busy by concocting highly corrosive acid, which was figured she could use to melt the Jiangshi. ¡°An acid strong enough to melt a Jiangshi to a pile of bones.¡± She said with a chuckle before running off to acquire ingredients.

    Ai and Ling on the other hand decided to just tag along with Zhang and enjoy their honeymoon because time spent worrying is time best spent having fun and it¡¯s like either of these two know how to deal with a Jiangshi. So in the end that got the long end of the stick and got to have fun with their husband.

    Zhang, Ling and Ai spent the majority of the day roaming the city and seeing the various plays that they had hired the troupes to enact. A variety of different stories had spawned from Zhang¡¯s initial request. It was evident that Ai really enjoyed watching these plays solely from the broad smile on her face after sitting through each play.

    ¡°Brother let''s go! The next one is starting soon!¡± She yelled as she tugged on Zhang¡¯s sleeve. She was being like a child who was let loose at a candy store. Her eyes glimmered as she, Ling and Zhang walked through the festive streets. It was clear she absolutely did not care a tiny bit about the incident regarding the Jiangshi that was occurring in the city at all.

    Perhaps even if something even more dangerous than Jiangshi appeared, Ai would still be without a single care in the world. That is simply how she is, a free spirit that cannot be weighed down by worries, a lofty being that is able to gaze down at everything.

    Before Zhang and the girls headed off to the next play, Cheng Yu appeared and whispered something into Zhang¡¯s ear before disappearing.

    ¡°Actually I think we have to visit a certain place before we go see the next play.¡± Zhang said as his arms were wrapped around Ai and Ling¡¯s waists.

    It did not take long for Zhang and his two wives accompanying him to arrive at a dark alleyway.

    ¡°Sweetheart, you''re not thinking of reenacting what you did with Lingqi in that alley that one time here are you?¡± Ling teased.

    ¡°If you want to.¡± Zhang replied with a chuckle as he walked into the alleyway.

    After taking a few turns and walking a short distance, Zhang, Ling and Ai arrived as an ordinary looking door.

    ¡°I had Cheng Yu find this city¡¯s best place for entertainment.¡± Zhang said as he proceeded to knock on the door four times with momentary pauses after the second and third knocks.

    Moments later a tiny slight on the corner of the door opened and a pair of eyes peeled out.

    ¡°State your business.¡± A voice sounded out from the other side of the door.

    ¡°The panda, eats, shoots, and leaves.¡± Zhang replied as his eyes scanned his surroundings. Ling stood beside him with confusion present on her face.

    ¡°How many wears do you need young master.¡± The voice rang out once more as a compartment on the wall beside the door opened.

    ¡°Three.¡± Zhang replied as he stuck his hand into the compartment and placed a silver coins inside.

    Once Zhang placed the silver coins inside the compartment closed and moments later it opened one more. This time when Zhang stuck his hand into the compartment he pulled out three beautiful looking animal masks.

    ¡°Put these on.¡± Zhang said as he handed Ai a cute looking rabbit mask that cut across her face sideways and Ling a unique fox masked that covered a fourth of her face, while he donned a wolf mask covering the upper half of his own face.

    Each mask was beautiful and most likely made by some own fairly proficient in the arts.

    Once they donned the masks, the door in front of them slowly swung open. A hulking man wearing an ape mask stood on the other side and behind him was an empty room with a single stool placed by the door.

    ¡°Please follow me young master.¡± The man said.

    The ape masked man led Zhang and the two beauties with him to a seemingly normal corner of the room. That was when the man produced a small bronze key, which he stabbed into a wall. Although the wall looked completely solid the instant the man stabbed the key into it a keyhole happened to be where his key touched the wall.

    Moments later the floor beside the stool moved and revealed a descending staircase. Without saying a word, the ape masked man began walking down the staircase.

    After a few dozen steps the man and the trio arrived at another door. With a combination of knocks, a slit opened up in this door just like the last.

    ¡°The tall giraffe licks the honey; the hippo drinks the tea.¡± The ape mask man said. Not long after the door opened and Zhang, Ling and Ai entered a new world.

    The epitome of luxury was present on the other side of the door. Luxurious furniture from all corners of the Warring States Region, hundreds of people dressed in exquisite clothing and masks stood about. Dozens of tables where all sorts of games were being played.

    ¡°Welcome to the Dark Side of the Moon!¡± A cheerful voice yelled out. the trio had just entered what could be considered the center of New Moon Province¡¯s underworld. To be exact they were currently at an underground gambling establishment, basically a casino, an illegal one.

    Spotting a relatively secluded spot off in the far end of the casino, Zhang led the two beauties by his side toward it.

    Despite the casino being crowded with people, that certain corner only had a few people seated.

    Upon arriving at their destination, a pair of largely built men blocked their path.

    Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.

    ¡°I''m sorry young master but this table isn''t for just anyone, a minimum bet of one thousand gold coins must be made and whoever does not have enough money to pay for their tab must leave behind an arm and a leg.¡± One of the men said.

    ¡°Hmm sounds interesting.¡± Zhang said while walking straight past the two men.

    A game of Tai Sai also known as Big and Small or Hi-Lo or Sic Bo was taking place. Atop a large round table were dozens of squares where one can bet, along with two large circles that either said big or small.

    The dealer was currently shaking a round cylinder as everyone present at the table was placing bets.

    ¡°Place your bets and hands off the board.¡± He said loudly as he placed the cylinder into the table with a thump.

    After all of the bets were placed the dealer lift the cylinder revealing three dice, one with five does, one with two dots and another with three dots, totaling ten dots.

    ¡°Small!¡± The dealer yelled as he gathered up all of the bets placed in the square on the table that said ¡°Big.¡± If the dice totaled a number from four to ten, then it is considered a small while if a dice totaled a number from eleven to seventeen the it is a big. A person could also bid on certain numbers if they wished, of course this would result in a higher payout if they win.

    Zhang after arriving at the table simply picked a seat and sat down, Ling and Ai pulled up seats beside him and also sat down.

    The next hand was able to begin and everyone began placing bets once more. With a wave of his hand, ten thousand gold coins appeared on the table.

    ¡°Ai which one do you think we should bet on?¡± Zhang asked in a playful tone.

    Ai¡¯s eyes glimmered as she pushed the pile of gold coins into the square that said big. While she was doing that many people at the table stared blankly at her in disbelief. Although the minimum bet was a thousand gold coins, rarely did anyone ever bet more than a thousand gold coins and it truly did not seem like Ai had put any thought into her bet at all.

    From this one could be able to guess how much wealth Zhang had at his disposal because he did not hesitate a single bit when she was betting with his money.

    The dealer¡¯s eyes also glimmered as Ai placed her bet. It was the eyes of someone who was counting their money.

    ¡°Place your bets and hands off the board.¡± The dealer said like he had done before.

    Moments later after tossing three dice into the cylinder once more, the dale at began shaking the dice and after a dozen shakes the dealer placed the cylinder into the table with a thump.

    Once he lifted the cylinder a dice with four dots, two dots and one dot came into sight. In an instant the dealer collected Ai¡¯s ten thousand gold coin bet.

    Maids appeared and offered wine and tea to those at the table Zhang and the beauties were currently sitting at. These people could be considered VIPs so they had preferential treatment compared to the other people in the casino.

    ¡°What should we bet next?¡± Zhang asked Ling, while waving his hand and making not ten thousand but twenty thousand gold coins appear.

    ¡°I say we pick big again.¡± Ling said with a smile as the wine in the cup in front of her snakes out of the cup and pushed the gold coins to the square that said big.

    A mere few moments later a few creases could be seen on Ling and Ai¡¯s foreheads, they hadn''t been able to win a single round and they''ve been playing for about five rounds each. Of course each round they would double their bets, so the amount of money they lost could be considered astronomical to regular people. But to them it wasn''t too much of a big deal, however the mere thought of losing ten games in a row was frustration.

    ¡°Okay my turn.¡± Zhang said with a grin, while tracing the silky hair of his two wives present. He made it seem as if he was putting up a front because after each loss he would make sure the dealer saw the displeasure on his face.

    ¡°Everything going according to plan, to lure the snake out of its den suitable bait must be used.¡± Zhang thought as an unnoticeable and invisible pulse of essence began emitting from him. The Underworld Heart will now be used to create a miracle of sorts.

    ¡°I bet six million gold coins on small because ten rounds of betting on big hasn''t been so lucky.¡± Zhang said, by now it was an accepted fact that he had mountains of money in his interspatial ring so Zhang no longer had to even place money on the table anymore.

    ¡°Okay young master, but are you sure?¡± The dealer said with a grin. He obviously was taking Zhang and the two beauties for idiots.

    ¡°Yes, now roll the dice.¡± Zhang said in an unhappy tone, trying to make the dealer think he''s angry.

    ¡°Hmph you must be the idiot son of some influential lord since you''re going to help papa get rich. Try to play cool as long as you¡¯d like but I know you¡¯ll lose it soon; six million gold coins can put a hole in anyone¡¯s pocket.¡± The dealer thought as he began shaking the dice. He clearly was thinking that Zhang was just another loaded playboy who doesn¡¯t know that he¡¯s in over his head.

    ¡°You think your rigged dice can help you win against me when I want to win?¡± Zhang thought mockingly as he an invisible layer of essence coated the dice.

    ¡°Alright all hands off the board!¡± The dealer yelled as he began shaking the cylinder in his hand thought that his commission from the winnings the casino got off Zhang would be able to let him live in luxury for the rest of his life. Moments later the cylinder was placed on the table with a thump and the dealer had a wide grin on his face, as if he had just struck gold. But as he lifted the cylinder three dies with only one point each were visible.

    The dealer looked startled however he did not say a word and paid Zhang his winnings. A few attendants arrived at the table with a few chests full of gold coins. Being a large underground establishment the casino had an unbelievable amount of money under its control but six million gold coins was not something it could keep paying out. By now tons of attention had been gathered on that specific table and a large crowd had gathered to look.

    ¡°Young master, do you wish to have someone count your winnings?¡± The dealer said with scorn in his eyes. ¡°What the fuck is wrong with these dice, I made sure to use a bit of fire magic to melt the iron inside so they would land on sixes.¡± The dealer thought.

    ¡°No need, we¡¯ll be better again.¡± Ai said as she pointed to one of the squares.

    ¡°Time to draw out the snake.¡± Zhang thought.

    ¡°Now Ai I think we should bet a little less, we wouldn¡¯t want to bankrupt the casino now would we?¡± Zhang said with his arm around Ai¡¯s waist.

    ¡°Sweetheart how about just a thousand coins?¡± Ling said as she waved her hand and a thousand coins appeared neatly stacked on the table. Withdrawing from her interspatial ring was much simpler than having to count out a thousand coins from the chests holding their winnings.

    ¡°Just you watch I¡¯ll make you lose so badly that you¡¯ll even have to bet the clothes on your backs or perhaps you¡¯ll be leaving without those two pretty ladies beside you.¡± The dealer thought as he began falling for Zhang¡¯s plan.

 Chapter 101: Ring Leader

    All eyes were now focused at the table on the far end of the casino. After winning back some of the gold coins he and his two lovely wives lost, Zhang had been on a winning streak.  Although he started off with only a one-thousand-coin bet, Zhang had been doubling his bet every match afterward like he had done before. But this time instead of losing, he was winning every single match. Zhang had lost a total of around ten million gold coins and had won six million back, but if he kept this trend up he would win back all he lost, then some.

    ¡°How¡­ how could this be possible. I¡¯ve made sure to use my fire magic on the dice every time, like I¡¯ve done before¡­ I even swapped out the dice, how is this happening.¡± The dealer who had cheated Zhang thought after losing four rounds in a row.

    ¡°Lin Shou, the boss told me to come and replace you.¡± A voice rang out behind the dealer.

    ¡°Brother Qian Sheng, please give me a chance. Just one more round, I need to wipe that smirk off this brat¡¯s face.¡± Lin Shou said in an unhappy tone, he knew if he left this table and let the other dealer take over then there wouldn¡¯t be a chance to deal against Zhang again.

    Also although Zhang had not won back all his money yet, Lin Shou was still somewhat afraid of being punished because he allowed Zhang to win so much of it back. Although the casino still hadn¡¯t lost any of its money yet and was simply giving Zhang back the money he had lost before, the way they saw it was that Zhang was winning their money. Once money entered their pockets, they did not want to dish it back out.

    It was as if someone walked up to a dog and gave it a juicy steak but as it took a nibble the person takes back the juicy steak.

    ¡°One more round and that¡¯s it.¡± Qian Sheng said in a cold tone.

    ¡°Are we still playing or not? If not, I¡¯ll take my leave.¡± Zhang said in an impatient tone.

    ¡°No no, young master. Of course we are still playing. Please place your bet.¡± Lin Shou said as he held on to the dice cylinder with a fake smile on his face. It was clear that he looked down on Zhang and disliked him.

    ¡°Ai how much do you think we should bet this time?¡± Zhang said in a playful tone, the total opposite of how he had spoken to Lin Shou moments ago.

    ¡°Bet a lot, I dare you. I¡¯ll make sure that you lose this round. You son of a bitch, I¡¯ll make sure you lose so badly this time.¡± Lin Shou thought as he cursed at Zhang in his mind.

    ¡° Ummmmmm ten million.¡± Ai said as her finger was poking her face as if she was lost in thought.

    ¡°Ten million it is.¡± Zhang said.

    Once those words left Zhang and Ai¡¯s mouths the crowd around their table was life breathless. Many of them has never seen such a large amount of money in their lives and to think someone was betting with such an outrageous amount.

    ¡°Young master, for a bet that large we would need to see the bet.¡± Qian Sheng said as he stood behind Lin Shou.

    ¡°There''s six million there and here''s another four million.¡± Zhang said as he waved his hand and a mound of gold appeared on the ground. The crowd stared at this mound of gold with glimmering eyes but did not get any funny ideas because moments after the gold flowed onto the ground, dozens of guards from the casino came to safeguard it.

    ¡°Damn how can someone have so much money on them.¡± Qian Sheng thought. He had hoped that Zhang was bluffing and then he would be able to decline Zhang¡¯s bet because after subtracting out the amount that Zhang had lost before, the casino would be in over six million gold coins it Zhang won. Such an amount would definitely cause the higher ups of the organization to punish or reward whoever the dealer was. But seeing how Lin Shou was on a losing streak, Qian Shen hoped to keep him out of trouble.

    ¡°On second thought, I¡¯ll do ten million for each of my lovely wives.¡± Zhang said with a smile as he waves his hand once more and another mound of gold appeared. It was time to lure the snake out of its den. If the casino did not take his bet then he would accuse them of running after winning his money, if they did then Zhang could win a huge chunk of money from them and that would obviously draw the attention of those who ran the casino, giving him a chance to meet them. Once he met those people the next part of his plan could come into play.

    ¡°Twe-twenty million?¡± A man in the crowd with a crow mask stuttered.

    Lin Shou gulped as he looked at the amount of gold coins that Zhang had on the floor.

    ¡°I''m thinking I will bet one this square.¡± Zhang said as he pointed to a square that said triple ones on it. Zhang had bet that the next draw would result in three dice with one point each, the payout of such a bet was one to one hundred eighty. Meaning if he won he would relieve an astronomical amount of money.

    Seeing Zhang¡¯s bet everyone in the crowd had money signs in their eyes. The unbelievable amount of money he could possibility get would be enough to perhaps buy or create provinces.

    ¡°Lin Shou move aside, I will be the dealer for this round.¡± A young man in his late twenties or early thirties with an intimidating air around him and a scar that ran along his cheek said.

    Seeing this man, Lin Shou didn''t say a word and back away while bowing. This man was the underground kingpin of New Moon Province, the man who runs the underworld of this province.

    ¡°It seems the snake has taken the bait. Well it''s not like he could afford not to. If I win this his organization might go bankrupt, and it''s not like they can try to weasel out of paying me with so many people here. Don''t pay up and risk dragging their reputation through the dirt, even an underground organization needs some reputation to operate. Lastly they shouldn''t even think of trying to rob me.¡± Zhang thought for a moment as he eyed the man who just arrived at the table.

    ¡°My magic might have failed but the boss Ran Kaitou, is an earth Mage who can even manipulate metal so certainly that brat is going to get a run for his money.¡± Lin Shou thought.

    Ran Kaitou had mysteriously appeared in the New Moon Province a few years ago after the Sai Empire had invaded the Heilong Kingdom and various other kingdoms. It was said that he was the fallen prince of some small kingdom to the north of the Heilong Kingdom.

    This man had arrived in New Moon City with nothing but the clothes on his back and a few retainers but after a few short years was able to seize control of the black market in the province along with other various illegal establishments.

    ¡°Alright young master if that is what you wish to bet on then I will proceed?¡± Ran Kaitou said to Zhang as he held the dice cylinder. He did not seem like Lin Shou who had looked down upon Zhang but instead he could tell that Zhang was someone unfathomable.

    ¡°If I were to say I wished to double my bet, what would you say?¡± Zhang asked with a devious smile on his face.

    ¡°I would have to ask you to kindly lower your bet because a small establishment such as us couldn''t afford to pay out such a number if you were to win.¡± Ran Kaitou replied.

    One hundred eighty times twenty million gold coins was already something that was out of this world, but one hundred eighty times forty million was something that could not be achieved even if Ran Kaitou had all of the men in his organization work for Zhang for the rest of their lives.

    Zhang of course was bluffing because he himself did not possess forty million gold coins, perhaps thirty million thanks to all of the plundering he had done but nowhere near forty.

    This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

    ¡°Consider the extra money after I break even a gift.¡± Zhang said with a smile, showing he was a hundred percent certain he would win.

    With a legendary treasure such as the Underworld Heart, he could cancel out any of the techniques that Ran Kaitou or Lin Shou could possibly use to manipulate the dice roll. Then he can use the heart to make the dice land on whatever side he wishes for it to land on.

    This of course is because techniques used to manipulate the dice had to be subtle, thus possessed little power, which allowed for Zhang to easily cancel them out. If these were instead full on spells, then cancelling them out would not be easy at all.

    ¡°We won¡¯t know if it is you who will be giving the gift of if it will be me who will be giving the gift.¡± Ran Kaitou with a smirk as he began shaking the dice cylinder.

    A yellow earthen glow was enveloping the dice inside the cylinder, where no one could see it. But this once Ran Kaitou placed the dice cylinder onto the table a purplish glow swept through his yellow one and enrolled the three dice.

    Noticing this yet another yellow energy appears in the cylinder trying to envelope the dice once more. For a few seconds perhaps it was able to take control of the dice but was then swept away by the purplish energy.

    Neither man could use a lot of energy or else the crowd around the table would notice their manipulation of the dice.

    With a smile on his face, Zhang released his control over the dice, allowing Ran to manipulate them.

    ¡°If we keep fighting back and forth then perhaps no one will ever see the end result of this match.¡± Zhang thought.

    Thinking that he had won, Ran quickly lifted the dice cylinder to reveal the end result of the match.

    ¡°Consider this my win.¡± Zhang thought as the purple energy from the Underworld Heart appeared moments before the dice were revealed.

    Once the dice cylinder was lifted an entire casino fell into silence.

    ¡°Brother look! Look we win!¡± Ai said happily. Simply winning made a smile appear on her beautiful face, as for the money she didn''t care too much about it. Inside her interspatial ring were all sorts of luxurious gems, necklaces and other sorts of jewelry, along with a mountain of gold coins of her own.

    ¡°Young master, someone with you power couldn''t possibly be here to win some gold coins. Please tell me how I may help you instead of continuing with this charade.¡± Ran Katou said as he looked down at the three dice on the table.

    All six sides of each of the dice on the table had single dots on them. In the amount of time Zhang has, for him to be able such a thing without anyone noticing or causing the dice to explode showed he had complete control of his essence.

    Someone who had complete control over their essence was obviously a master and of course a master couldn''t possibly be out to scam a casino. But of course there are also exceptions.

    This was all the Underworld Heart¡¯s doing but how could anyone possibly know.

    ¡°I have but a single request, a rather simply one that could be beneficial to you.¡± Zhang said as the gold coins around him began floating into the air. All of the gold coins on the table he was sitting at and soon copper, silver and gold coins also began floating into the air.

    Zhang''s arms were now wrapped around his two lovely wives. As the three were in the center of the swirl of floating coins a piece of paper appeared in front of Zhang and slowly drifted toward Ran Kaitou.

    ¡°Meet me at the location on that piece of paper.¡± Zhang said as the swirl of gold coins turned into a storm and blocked Zhang, Yuying and Ai from everyone¡¯s gaze.

    An instance later a blinding white light caused everyone to shutter their eyes. By the time their eyes opened, Zhang and the two beauties accompanying them had disappeared, along with all of the gold, silver and copper coins that had floated into the air.

    ¡°That was such a mystical sight.¡± A man in cat mask said.

    ¡°Where¡¯d my money go!?¡± Another man who was in a dog mask yelled.

    Following this man¡¯s words everyone now noticed that Zhang and the beauties not only disappeared but so did their money.

    ¡°Boss! The room where we keep the winnings is empty!¡± One of Ran Kaitou¡¯s men yelled out in a panicked voice.

    Ran Kaitou did not respond because he was still reading the contents on the piece of paper that Zhang gave him.

    ¡°Meet me at the Silver Swan Hotel in three hours, bring along as many men as you can. If you do not show up, then you will regret missing out on an opportunity such as this for the rest of your life.¡± Zhang¡¯s letter said.

    ¡°Casino is closed for the rest of today and the next few days! Qian Shen gather all of the men, we have a get together to attend.¡± Ran Kaitou yelled out.

    Outside of the casino Zhang could be seen walking with his two lively wives, hand in hand.

    ¡°Sweetheart aren''t you afraid that he won''t work with us because you emptied out his safe?¡± Ling asked as her body brushed an against Zhang¡¯s and her head leaned on his shoulder.

    ¡°Yea brother, sis is right. Wouldn''t they not want to work with us?¡± Ai joined in while also leaning her body onto Zhang as her head rested on his shoulder.

    ¡°We sure made a killing today.¡± Zhang chuckled. Along with getting back all of the money he lost, he was able to get a few hundred thousand gold coins from the casino. Although the it wasn''t a number in the millions, he was still quite happy with this harvest.

    ¡°Sucks they didn''t keep too much at the casino; they must have a safe house somewhere else.¡± He thought.

    ¡°Well if he works with us then his reward will be many times more enticing than a few gold coins.¡± Zhang said with a laugh as he and his two wives continued walking down the street. Ai and Ling continued walking asking side him while his arms were wrapped around their waists.

    With the masks they were wearing removed, many jealous gazes were directed at Zhang as they continued down the street. Of course there were also gazes of young women who had become smitten with a tall young man with somewhat broad shoulders who gave off an air of greatness, he had long flowing black hair that would put some women to shame. He had handsome features such as slanted eye brows along with large eyes, light colored skin and a lean build.

    Overall Zhang looked like a scholar, but gave off a mysterious sense of attraction to those around him.

    =====================================================================================

    Ran Kaitou appears! Thank You for Readers. Thank You Donators. Thank You those who support me on patreaon! Wish you all a great day or night O_O. I''m working on chapter 3 of Ascending The Heavens now once i get to like 50 I''ll post them all in one go O_O and flood the site.

 Chapter 102: Undead Parade

    I was at work and figure I would write a new chapter tomorrow but then I figured hey the readers need a chapter, so I began writing and here we are O_O.

    And LOL i posted wrong content T_T but fixed

    Will be lurking here for a while: http://iendworlds.chatango.com/

    ==============================================================================================

    After Zhang, Ling and Ai left the casino, Ran Kaitou stood staring at his empty vault without saying a single word.  Behind him was a casino full of people, however none of them were customers or looking to have some fun. Most of these men were men that Ran had spent the last few years of his time in the New Moon Province, while a few others had followed him since he had been kicked out of his home by the Sai Empire.

    ¡°Boss all of our men in the city have been gathered.¡± A voice rang out behind Ran Kaitou as his eyes were focused on the empty vault in front of him.

    ¡°How many do we have?¡± Ran Kaitou asked without looking back.

    ¡°On such short notice, our men in the other cities or our networks elsewhere can be accounted for so we have roughly two thousand men.¡± A voice sounded out once more.

    ¡°But is it wise to cooperate with someone we don¡¯t know and on top of that he robbed us¡­¡± The voice added.

    ¡°Yea boss is it wise to work with someone who robbed us?¡± Some of Ran Kaitou¡¯s men asked.

    ¡°Quiet¡­ Let me think.¡± Ran Kaitou roared at his men.

    ¡°If that man wanted to simply rob us he wouldn¡¯t have had gone to the trouble of luring me out, nor would he have given me that letter. He said that he had a simply request for me that would be beneficial to me and if I miss this opportunity I would regret it. But he required me to gather and bring as many men as I could, so most likely he has some big plans but requires lots of man power.¡± Ran Kaitou thought.

    ¡°Qian Sheng! Have our men go and gather every able body they can find; I don¡¯t care if they are just drinking buddy or acquaintances I want as many men as possible! As long as they know how to use a weapon bring them. Then the lot of you meet me back here before sun down so we can get to the Silver Swan.¡± Ran Kaitou ordered.

    Moments later the casino became void of life as Ran Kaitou stood inside alone while his men were out gathering up more people. He did not have to wait long before his men returned and their numbered swelled to four thousand men.

    Soon Ran Kaitou and his men took to the streets and headed for the Silver Swan Hotel. Of course they had split up into many small groups to avoid getting too much attention because moving across the city in a mass of four thousand men would only be looking for trouble.

    As Ran arrived at the hotel he noticed that there was strange writing on the ground, written in blood or red ink. From the look of things, the ground around the entire hotel and even a few buildings beside it was surrounded by these blood red letters. That was when he noticed that on some of the windows of the builds were red colored talismans. The buildings themselves looked to be connected by makeshift bridges made from wooden planks that connected the balconies of each building to the next.

    ¡°You made it.¡± A voice rang out from the third floor of the Silver Swan hotel.

    When looking up at the play where the voice originated from, Ran Kaitou spotted Zhang and beside him were two outrageously beautiful young women who he could tell were not the same women that accompanied Zhang to the casino.

    Zhang stood on the balcony of the third floor of the hotel looking down at Ran Kaitou and the few men that arrived. He himself had hired a few men that added up to a total of about five hundred, not counting the acting troupes that he hired.

    ¡°Yuying, I think he can gather around two thousand or so men on such short notice that would mean we have about two thousand and five hundred men do you think that will be enough man power to fight back the lesser Jiangshi?¡± Zhang asked Yuying who¡¯s waist was caressed by Zhang¡¯s arm.

    ¡°With that many we can probably barely manage.¡± Yuying replied as her body brushed up against her husband¡¯s, as one of her hands interlocked with Zhang¡¯s and her other arm was fiddling with her red hair.

    ¡°Don¡¯t forget the poison I made. It can melt those Jiangshi back into the ground, maybe.¡± Lingqi added as she stood leaning against Zhang on the opposite side of Yuying.

    ¡°But you said I can''t have any of the poison unless I promised to do something for you.¡± Zhang said with a laugh as he gazed at Lingqi, ignoring that she said maybe at the end of her sentence.

    ¡°Of course nothing in this world is free especially my poison that can maybe melt a Jiangshi. But I don¡¯t want anything like clothes, jewels or money, you gave me plenty of those already.¡± Lingqi said as she gaze shifted to the interspatial ring in her hand, which her husband had given her. Like Yuying, Ai and Ling, the interspatial ring that Lingqi received from Zhang possessed a portion of Zhang¡¯s vast wealth. Millions of gold coins, mountains of gold and jewels were inside each and every one of their interspatial rings.

    Although Zhang only had thirty million gold coins, the amount of actual gold that he had was astronomical. From the number of treasuries that he plundered there was no way his wealth added up to a measly thirty million, if he hadn¡¯t given shares to his wives then Zhang¡¯s wealth in current currency alone would be four times more.

    ¡°Then what does my princess wish for? Do you wish for me to pluck the stars in the sky for you? Or perhaps some unseen flower that can compare to your beauty?¡± Zhang said, while already having a vague idea of what Lingqi wanted.

    With somewhat blushed cheeks she leaned up toward him and whispered something into his ear.

    ¡°Done, but you didn¡¯t need to trade me anything for some alone time with just the two of us.¡± Zhang replied with a glint in his eye as his hand touched her chin and he leaned in for a kiss.

    ¡°Ahem¡­ A certain someone spent all day drawing runes all over the place¡± Yuying said but before she could finish her sentence her lips became occupied with another task.

    ¡°IS THIS WHAT YOU WANTED ME TO COME HERE FOR?! I don¡¯t have the free time to watch you guys make out, you know.¡± Ran Kaitou yelled from below the balcony.

    ¡°Get into the hotel with all your men then we can talk!¡± Zhang yelled back down from the balcony.

    A while later all of Ran Kaitou¡¯s men arrived and entered the hotel together just as the sun was setting. Once inside the found that the place was filled with runes, on the walls, windows and floor. One could imagine how much money Zhang gave to the hotel owner to allow him to do such a thing or perhaps he had even bought the hotel.

    Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

    ¡°Close the doors.¡± Zhang said as he appeared on the second floor of the hotel with four beauties beside him after Ran Kaitou had entered for some time. Moments later his men appeared and closed every single door into the hotel and then stuck talismans across the doors.

    ¡°Let me ask you something. Do you believe in Jiangshi?¡± Zhang asked Ran Kaitou and the men on the first floor of the hotel.

    ¡°What? Is this why you gathered us here for?¡± Ran Kaitou asked. He had been somewhat displeased, because Zhang had made him wait for a while before showing up.

    ¡°Answer the question.¡± Zhang said in a cold voice.

    ¡°Those are but things of fairy tales that are told to scare little children into behaving.¡± One of Ran Kaitou¡¯s men replied.

    ¡°Shut up¡­ He didn¡¯t ask you.¡± Ran Kaitou said as he pushed the man back into the crowd of men behind him.

    ¡°I am neither a believer nor a disbeliever. If proof is shown to me then I am a believer if not, then I will remain skeptical.¡± Ran Kaitou replied.

    ¡°If you want proof then I shall show proof, if you can survive tonight and help me rid the province of the Jiangshi then perhaps I¡¯ll leave this province in your care. Take these and use them if you are in trouble, also we only managed to make about a thousand of them so first come first served.¡± Zhang said as he waved his hand and a thousand talismans appeared and fell down from the second floor of the hotel.

    ¡°Boss are we really going to waste our time and go along with his charade?¡± Qian Sheng asked.

    ¡°We will play along for now, if nothing happens I¡¯ll make sure he knows not to mess around with me even if his cultivation is on a higher level than mine¡­ He may be stronger then me but not everyone around him is.¡± Ran Kaitou said as he grabbed one of the talismans that Zhang had tossed down.

    While Ran Kaitou was talking to his men, Zhang and the four beauties had made their way to the top floor of the hotel and Cheng Yu could be seen standing behind them.

    ¡°Cheng Yu gather up all of the actors, and noncombatants in the hotel and disperse them on the top floors of the hotel and the other buildings we rented out and arm them with bows and arrows. Although they won¡¯t be too proficient with them they will be able to help a bit while staying relatively safe up here. Tonight I will lure the Jiangshi here.¡± Zhang said as a blood red sword appeared in his hand, this blade was the Slaughterer sword that he had acquired some time ago.

    In front of Zhang was a mid-sized clay pot that had some rope tied to it. Once the sword appeared, Zhang tied the rope attached to the pot to the sword and then the purple energy of the Underworld Heart enveloped the sword.

    Zhang could have simply just enveloped the clay pot with the purple energy but he found it much easier to manipulate objects with a point or edge to them. Such objects were more aerodynamic.

    It was not long until the moon was high in the sky and the creatures the lurked the night roamed about. Especially a certain horde of undead, that were currently roaming the streets of New Moon City.

    While focusing some essence around his finger, Zhang poked at the clay pot, creating a finger sized hole on its side. From this hole a stream of blood flowed out and stained the wooden floor boards underneath Zhang¡¯s feet.

    Moments later the Slaughterer sword shot out of the Silver Swan hotel and carried the clay pot with it. A trail of blood was left in its path as it cut through the night sky. Zhang was going to lead the Jiangshi straight toward the hotel and into his home field. The hotel and its surroundings had been specifically outfitted to suppress the Jiangshi and would give Zhang and those of the living an advantage when facing these soul eating undead. The trail essence enriched blood would soon draw the undead horde to Zhang¡¯s doorstep and perhaps their end.

    ¡°Ran Kaitou, get ready to meet a real live Jiangshi, or well should I say a real dead Jiangshi.¡± Zhang yelled.

    ¡°No just no brother¡­¡± Ai said as she patted Zhang on the back after witnessing his horrid attempt at cracking a joke.

    Disheartened Zhang descended to the first floor of the hotel and began issuing orders.

    ¡°Everyone move outside of the hotel; we will engage them outside. Ran use some of your fancy earth magic you used during the dice game to make us some walls. Also make sure not to damage any of the talismans on your way out.¡± Zhang said as he carefully took off one of the talismans stuck to a door and opened it.

    Soon four thousand and five hundred men along with four outrageously beautiful women were standing in font  of the hotel. While hundreds of actors, storytellers and people of the sort stood on the upper floors of the various buildings that

    Zhang had rented with weapons drawn. At first these people were panic stricken when they were told that tonight they would be facing a real live Jiangshi.

    But there wasn¡¯t much that money and  pep talk couldn¡¯t do to convince some people to fight for their lives. There was also the fact that if the Jiangshi wasn¡¯t stopped then all of them would die anyway, be it sooner or later.

    ¡°All of you stand back.¡± Ran Kaitou said as he bent over and placed his hands atop the ground. A blue glow soon enveloped his body and then it turned to a yellow earthen one. Moments later the ground began to twist and turn, then dozens of earthen walls rose out of the ground. A miniature maze was soon constructed in front of the hotel with many of the runes that Yuying had drawn appearing on them.

    ¡°Whoever or whatever walks into this will be pounded to paste.¡± Ran Kaitou said.

    While the miniature maze rose from the ground, Zhang¡¯s blood red sword could be seen shooting across the night sky and behind it was a trail of blood and a horde of monsters.

    At the front of this horde were three Jiangshi jumping from place to place trying to get at the clay pot that was filled with blood. Soon they arrived at the miniature maze but they didn¡¯t seem to even notice what was in front of them and kept going for the clay pot instead.

    But the instant one of the Jiangshi jumped atop a red rune that was drawn on the ground it was pushed back and couldn¡¯t move forward. That was when ten throwing knives shot through the air and honed in on it. With deadly force the throwing knives shot through a single Jiangshi, leaving ten holes inside of it.

    However, that was when it turned back and jumped at one of the lesser Jiangshi, in an instant the lesser Jiangshi was turned into ash while the ten holes were completely gone.

    ¡°Lure them into the maze!!!!¡± A voice rang out in the night.

 Chapter 103: Living Vs. Undead

    Still No Editors/ Proofers so if you spot anything please help me point it out lol. My neck has been killing me today and yesterday like extreme pain but ehhh I managed to get a chapter done. Ascending the Heavens has 5 chapters done, once I have 50 done I''ll post. Hope you all have a great day.

    Will be in this chat if anyone wanna chat :http://iendworlds.chatango.com/

    ========================================================================================

    ¡°Prepare to engage the undead!¡± Zhang yelled out toward the men behind him. The people watching the scenes happening below were horrifying as they could clearly see the Jiangshi and the horde of lesser Jiangshi.

    For most of these people this would be said to be one of the most terrifying experiences of their lives. Had it not been for the fact that Zhang had reassured them if they ran away tonight they would surely die, then most of these people would have fled. As for the four thousand and five hundred men down in the streets, they had not caught sight of the Jiangshi yet due to the miniature maze obstructing their vision.

    ¡°The-they¡¯re here!¡± A shriek came from one of the women standing behind a window inside the Silver Swan Hotel.

    ¡°You lot, fan out! I don¡¯t care what is coming but if it makes it through my maze then you best prepare to fight it!¡± Ran Kaitou yelled as he could sense the horde of lesser Jiangshi swarming into his maze.

    Fully focusing on manipulating the maze, Ran Kaitou closed his eyes. Although it was called a maze, there wasn¡¯t really an exit to the series of walls that Ran Kaitou has rose from the ground. Of course such a strong technique required a lot of concentration and essence to pull off or else it could not be maintained.

    Once the parade of undead made its way into the maze, spikes would shoot out of the wall and impale them or walls would begin moving and crush the lesser Jiangshi to paste. As for the Jiangshi themselves they were many times more powerful than their minions and would move through the maze undamaged. They would try to jump over walls of the maze but thanks to

    Yuying¡¯s runes being on some of the walls, they would simply get repealed. The same went for the lesser Jiangshi but instead of being knocked back they would turn into dust.

    However, Yuying¡¯s runes only managed to deal some damage before expending their power and fading away. Unlike what she had used on the chicken cage the other night, these runes were somewhat mass produced and less powerful. While he full strength talismans and runes were placed on the hotel and the buildings surrounding it. But the mass production runes made up for their lack of strength in numbers.

    ¡°Thankfully we have an earth mage on our side.¡± Zhang thought with a grin while standing beside his four wives. He could tell that if Ran Kaitou not been here then he and the beauties would of had to face the horde head on with only five hundred men to aid them. Had it been that way then perhaps Zhang wouldn''t have been confident enough to lure the Jiangshi toward them and would have waited or come up with a different plan.

    From their encounter at the casino Zhang could tell that Ran Kaitou was a fairly high level mage, perhaps a level seven. Thus when he decided to lure the Jiangshi toward the hotel he had accounted for Ran¡¯s earth magic, which usually specialize in defense or earth manipulation.

    Sadly, what he could not account for was the number of lesser Jiangshi that showed up. What Zhang didn¡¯t know was the horde had increased to roughly four times the numbers that it had possessed a few days ago. This meant that there weren¡¯t enough of Yuying¡¯s runes to annihilate them.

    As the undead horde continued through the maze it finally reached the end. They could sense the breath of the living on the other side of this last barrier and one of the Jiangshi hopped to the front of the horde in preparation for the feast of souls that would soon begin.

    With a terrifying roar the Jiangshi¡¯s had smashed against the earthen wall that Ran Kaitou had raised not too long ago.

    ¡°Ran use your earth magic and make trenches and barriers for the men!¡± Zhang yelled out as he saw the wall in front of them crumble.

    ¡°You think I have an unlimited supply of essence here or something?¡± Ran Kaitou complained as he opened his eyes. The maze had taken quite a bit of power to maintain and manipulate and he didn''t have too much left in the tank. But thanks to the maze about one fourth of the lesser Jiangshi had been turned to dust.

    ¡°Drink this and quit complaining I didn¡¯t pay you to complain.¡± Zhang said jokingly as he tossed a bottle full of essence water toward Ran Kaitou.

    ¡°You didn¡¯t pay me at all! Rather you robbed me¡­¡± Ran complained as he drank the contents of the bottle without questioning what was inside of it. Moments later he could feel that the essence that he had used was replenished, rather he felt he had a bit more than he did when the battle began.

    ¡°For him to toss around such medicines without a care, obviously means he¡¯s very powerful or his backer is, so if we make it out of this alive I should be making a big harvest.¡± Ran Kaitou thought to himself as he looked at Zhang from the corner of his eye before turning toward the incoming horde of undead. Although it took a moment to describe all of this happened in only a few breathes.

    Not long after drinking the essence water, Ran Kaitou made dozens of earthen walls that were as tall as a person''s waist rise from the ground and pits that were roughly ten feet deep were soon made.

    ¡°Let''s do what we had talked about earlier.¡± Zhang said to the four beauties before a pair of twin swords appeared in his hand and he charged toward the three incoming Jiangshi.

    Without saying a word, the four beauties quickly dispersed and began enacting the plan that they had come up earlier.

    ¡°Sis hop on.¡± Ai said to Ling as the Queen of the Night whip in her hand shot into the ground and turned into vines, lifting her up into the air.

    Grabbing Ai¡¯s hand, Ling quickly arrived at the top of the Silver Swan Hotel. Zhang had arranged for hundreds of barrels filled with water to be placed at the top of the buildings that he had rented out. These were all placed here for Ling¡¯s use.

    While Ling and Ai were at the roof top, Yuying pulled out dozens of talismans and quickly began sticking them to the earthen barriers that Ran Kaitou had risen from the ground. These talismans would help give the barriers the power to repel and turn a few lesser Jiangshi to ash. Once these talismans were stuck on the barriers, Yuying ran back into the hotel to prepare in case the people outside had to fall back.

    ¡°Darling take this.¡± Lingqi yelled as she tossed Zhang a clear vial. This was the poison that she had concocted to use against the Jiangshi. Although it hasn¡¯t been tested before, Lingqi assured Zhang that at the least it would cause some damage to the Jiangshi. Of course he had to promise to keep his promise to her regardless if the poison worked out not.

    Zhang spun, mid dash and grabbed the vial in his hand despite already holding a sword in it. Then he quickly tore off the paper sealing on the vial and sprinkled its contents on his swords.

    The undead had swarmed out of the hole in the maze that the Jiangshi had made and were amassing in huge numbers. But as long as the three Jiangshi don¡¯t join the battle right away then, Zhang felt assured that he could help dwindle the number of undead a bit.

    Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

    While Zhang charged toward the horde, Ran Kaitou and the rest of his men stayed behind the barriers and pitfalls. Their jobs were to fortify their position and confront all of the undead that make it past Zhang. Of course, Zhang being only one person meant that the vast majority of undead would just move past him so in the end they would face almost the entire horde.

    With his poison soaked twin swords, Zhang dashed into the horde of undead and began slashing away. Fighting large groups while brandishing twin swords was his forte and what he had be taught by his teacher as a child. Like a formless river, he flowed through the enemy ranks and used their numbers to his advantage.

    If he could extinguish the lesser Jiangshi army than fifty percent of the threat to the city would be gone. The most terrifying thing about a Jiangshi was its undead horde that can grow to astronomical numbers. Unlike zombies, Jiangshi drained essence and did not eat flesh so most of its victims turn into lesser Jiangshi, instead of being torn to pieces.

    ¡°Fighting undead is way easier then fighting live soldiers, they don¡¯t have formations nor do they wield weapons.¡± Zhang thought as he cut away at the lesser Jiangshi. Thanks to Lingqi¡¯s poison whenever he slashed into a lesser Jiangshi it would scatter and turn into dust. Like a fighting god, wherever his blade went death followed or rather salvation.

    Although some of the undead tried to swarm him, Zhang spun and like a tornado of blades everything around him was cut to pieces and turned to dust. While he was occupied, the bulk of the horde of undead that walked passed Zhang made their way toward the hotel.

    Ai and Ling sat on the roof of the hotel watching the battle below since it was not time for them to act yet, not long ago Yuying and Lingqi had joined them.

    ¡°You think brother had us all come up here because he doesn¡¯t want us to fight?¡± Ai asked the other three beauties.

    ¡°You think so? That would mean he cares about us and doesn¡¯t want us to get hurt.¡± Lingqi said with a big grin on her face.

    ¡°If you want to fight then wait until the three Jiangshi join the fight.¡± Ling said with a laugh as she looked at Ai.

    ¡°I almost forgot! You guys take these.¡± Yuying said as she withdrew a dozen or so talismans from her interspatial ring.

    ¡°Each talisman will allow you to block a single attack from the Jiangshi.¡± She added as she handed her sisters each a few talismans.

    ¡°With these I can shield darling from an attack from the Jiangshi and make him love me more.¡± Lingqi thought as a devious grin crept on her face. One could say she was a true schemer and can use any situation to her gain.

    Lingqi was the sort of person who would see a dying rich man and use the fact that he was dying to her advantage. If she was also the kind of person to help save a dying poor person without asking for a thing in return, which was somewhat contradictory but that was just how she was.

    Down below fierce fighting had broken out between the living and the undead. Thanks to the pitfalls and barriers that Ran Kaitou had erected the four thousand and five hundred men were able to hold the undead at bay. Perhaps the horde tripled or even quadrupled their numbers, but with the barriers up only a small number of undead were able to squeeze through and engage in battle.

    ¡°Follow the boss¡¯s lead! Send these fuckers back into the ground!¡± One of Ran Kaitou¡¯s men yelled as he sword slid into the body of a lesser Jiangshi. However, his confident face soon became filled with despair because the lesser Jiangshi continued moving toward him despite the fact that it was ran through by his sword. He could smell the monster¡¯s breath as it tried to sink its teeth into him and drain him of his essence. Fear filled this man¡¯s heart as his life flashed in front of his eyes.

    Unlike when Zhang attacked, the lesser Jiangshi did not turn into dust. This was of course because none of these men had the poison that Lingqi had concocted, so the only way they could kill a lesser Jiangshi was to slash off its head.

    ¡°Idiot! Slash off its head! Don¡¯t even try stabbing them!¡± Ran Kaitou yelled as an earthen spike shot out of the ground and impaled the lesser Jiangshi, lifting it into the air.

    ¡°Th-thanks boss¡­¡± The man said in a shaken voice.

    The rest of the men gulped as they saw their comrade almost join the ranks of the undead.

    Dozens of the undead had fallen into the pitfalls as they pushed forward toward the hotel, however this did not make that much of an impact on their numbers at all. But thanks to the barriers the undead were not able to overwhelm the living while the living was not able to overpower the undead. The two sides were temporarily locked in a deadlock without any progress being made, but of course the living would soon run out of stamina while the undead had an unlimited supply of it.

    Meaning soon enough the undead would slowly start gaining an advantage and eventually overwhelm the living.

    Zhang was in the middle of a sea of undead as he made his way toward the three Jiangshi that were standing at the back of the horde. He knew there was no way for him to fight all three of them alone but for his plan to work he needed them to join the rest of their horde in the assault against the hotel.

    ¡°Man I can¡¯t imagine how someone would be able to beat back a Jiangshi horde if it managed to convert an entire city or worse yet a province.¡± He thought as his ten dragon talon throwing knives were withdrawn from his interspatial ring along with his two chained daggers, his halberd and a variety of other weapons.

    These weapons floated into the war while being enveloped by a layer of purple essence and pierced through the sky and cut into the undead. Then a thick black shadow appeared behind Zhang and dozens of abyssal beasts crawled out from the darkness and joined the fray.

    Thanks to the abyssal beasts he was able to steadily make his way through the horde and get closer and closer to the three Jiangshi. Soon a large abyssal beast slithered out from Zhang¡¯s shadow and towered over the undead. This shadow turned out to be a twin headed mirage viper.

    The viper swooped his head down and sank its fang¡¯s into the lesser Jiangshi in a blink of an eye. As the viper neared him, Zhang jumped into the air and landed atop its head. While atop the viper¡¯s head, dressed in head to toe in nearly transparent white armor, a long pitch black cape draped over his shoulders while wielding a pair of twin swords, while looking down upon the undead below, Zhang looked more like a heavenly king looking down on those beneath his feet.

    One could say it was a sight to behold as our young hero attempts to purge the evil that is terrorizing the New Moon Province.

 Chapter 104: Green Flower

    undefined Will be here if anyone wanna chat. http://iendworlds.chatango.com/</a>

    ==========================================================================================

    Atop the abyssal viper¡¯s head, Zhang continued to manipulate and maneuver his throwing knives and chained daggers with deadly precision. He had not taken out the thousands of arrows he had in his interspatial ring because last time he had used it; the technique had nearly drained him dry.

    ¡°Unless I absolutely need to I shouldn¡¯t use that move, just like the black fire.¡± He thought to himself as the abyssal viper slowly made its way through the undead horde.

    Dozens of other abyssal beasts were out and about on the ground and rampaging through the ranks of the undead.

    Although they weren¡¯t too strong, the abyssal beasts proved to be worthy opponents against the undead because even if they were destroyed, Zhang could simply summon more from the shadows. Of course this required him to expend some of his essence but the benefits outweighed the costs.

    The Titanic Spiders living in his Ruler¡¯s Domain ring might get slaughtered by the undead this time so they were not released either.

    Slowly but surely the undead horde was beginning to dwindle, the four thousand and five hundred men along with the dozens of abyssal beasts were able to hold back the incoming horde thanks to the various preparations made beforehand.

    But in an instant this could all change, if the three Jiangshi were to spring into action and Zhang and the four beauties were not able to hold them back then the entire province or rather the entire region could be considered done for once the population of New Moon

    City were all converted to lesser Jiangshi then they would become an unstoppable force.

    Unlike the Heart Burrower Worms, the lesser Jiangshi did not possess a hive mind which meant that even if the if the Jiangshi themselves died their minions wouldn¡¯t perish and would be able to convert more living people to join their undead army.

    ¡°If those three were somehow created by people then whoever did so must be planning something big. After I take care of them I should investigate the provincial lord¡¯s mansion and send word to Aurora to send a regiment of men over. Maybe we will be adding another province to our kingdom.¡± Zhang thought as he looked at the three Jiangshi that stood at the hole in the maze that was created earlier. They had not moved and were simply watching as their horde marched forth.

    ¡°Gahhhhhhhhh!¡± A scream echoed out from the direction where the hotel was.

    A scene of horror had broken out as all eyes were glued on a man who had pushed out too far from the rest of the defenders and ended up swarmed by the undead. The spear in his hand extended and had pierced through an undead but before he could do anything else one of the undead bit into his arm and pushed him onto the ground. In a battle such as this one must remember to never push too far or death was inevitable.

    Seeing the first and definitely not the last casualty of the night, many of the defenders were fear stricken. Soon after yet another man was caught by the horde and ripped apart. Not long after one after the other people were slowly being overwhelmed by the undead. Although Ran Kaitou was there to help, he was only one person and there was no way for him to protect everyone.

    ¡°Sis they are getting overwhelmed, should we help now?¡± Ai asked one of the other beauties as the stood watching from the roof of the hotel.

    ¡°Not yet, if we spend all of our energy fighting the horde, then who would help our husband?¡± Ling replied as she looked away from the fighting below. She and the other three could definitely help push back the horde of undead but if Zhang needed their help and let¡¯s say they were drained of energy and had to drink essence water to replenish themselves then they might risk their husband dying while waiting for help. That was definitely something that these four did not want.

    Besides the four beauties, the people watching from the balconies and windows had not joined the fray yet either. Their jobs were to wait until the forces currently engaged in battle, retreated into the hotel. Only then were they to open fire against the undead, since more of these people were inexperienced with the bow and arrow, Zhang did not want them to mistakenly open fire on friendly forces.

    ¡°You lot stop breaking away from the rest of the group! Stand together or die!¡± Ran Kaitou roared, he was enraged by the fact that dozens of his men and the men that Zhang had hired were killed because they pushed too far. He had created a perfect environment for them to defend against the undead, pitfalls and barriers had been placed to give them an astronomical advantage but these people weren¡¯t using such an advantage and ended up getting themselves and those beside them killed.

    Just as Ran Kaitou roared another blood curdling scream echoed throughout the night.  This time it was not someone who had pushed too far but rather the undead had managed to fill one of the pitfalls and were overwhelming the defenders.

    ¡°Switch out the front line!¡± Ran Kaitou commanded. The tired defenders in the front had to be cycled and replaced with those who stood in the back or else they wouldn¡¯t be able to keep fighting the undead. Since there wasn¡¯t enough room for all four thousand five hundred people to fight at once, some were able to rest while others fought on.

    ¡°Right away boss!¡± A few of Ran Kaitou¡¯s men yelled in reply.

    AS the men were rotating positions a sudden flash branched into the night sky. Lightning could be seen snaking about across the sky and soon to follow the blinding light was a loud boom and a cloud of dust.

    Zhang head concentrated essence into his finger tips and shot a lightning bolt in the shape of a dragon straight at the three Jiangshi, hoping to deal some damage to them before having to confront them in battle.

    But once the cloud of dust dispersed a large crater was visible as Zhang gazed down from atop the head of the Abyssal Viper. The moonlight had struck his nearly transparent white armor causing it to gleam and send rays of light shooting into the darkness of the night.

    In the crater were the three Jiangshi with slightly charred clothing but without any sign of actual injury.

    ¡°You¡¯re kidding me¡­ They¡¯re absorbing the residual essence from my attack¡­¡± Zhang muttered in disbelief as he watched the Jiangshi absorb the essence from his attack that dispersed into the air. Had the Underworld Heart not become a part of his body then he wouldn¡¯t have been able to see such a sight or would he be able to find out his opponents possessed such an ability.

    ¡°Ling! Do it now!¡± Zhang¡¯s voice reverberated throughout the battlefield.

    ¡°On it.¡± Ling mumbled as she began concentrating the essence in her body. Soon a blue glow was emitted from her body and the hundreds of barrels of water placed above the roofs of the buildings nearby busted open.

    This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

    A huge volume of water soon shot into the air and a massive glob of it formed in an instant.

    ¡°Everyone fall back!¡± Yuying commanded from above the roof top.

    ¡°All of you fall back!¡± Ran Kaitou¡¯s voice followed afterward as a yellow earthen glow emitted from his body and dozens of barriers rose from the ground and connected with the barriers that were already on the battlefield, creating a wall.

    Moments later the sound of thousands of footsteps could be heard as four thousand odd man began running toward the hotel and the various buildings that Zhang had rented out.

    A few were unlucky and were caught by the undead, who were not cut off by the wall, as they turned their backs and began retreating. But for the most part everyone made it back inside and sealed the doors with Yuying¡¯s talismans. Most of the people still had the talismans that Yuying had distributed earlier thanks to the protection they received from Ran Kaitou¡¯s barriers. To them these talismans represented another life when facing these undead.

    ¡°Fire arrows!¡± Someone yelled once the men on the battlefield had successfully retreated. In an instant hundreds of arrows took to the skies and showered down on the horde of undead behind the wall that Ran Kaitou had just created.

    ¡°Water God¡¯s Rage!¡± Ling yelled as the glob of water floating in the air turned into an indistinguishable face and descend toward the ground.

    While the face was heading down, Ran Kaitou could be seen bent over with his hands touching the ground as a yellow earthen glow enveloped his body. The barriers he had created outside slowly shrunk into the ground and the pitfalls rose to ground level.

    The Abyssal Viper that Zhang stood atop of coiled up onto a building near it as the massive wall of water smashed into the ground and the few buildings in its path. The force of the water alone would be able to smash bones into powder.

    A wall of water slammed into the horde of undead knocking them onto their backs and washing them away. The water raged all the way toward the crater that the three Jiangshi were in and a whirlpool was soon formed.

    Lightning once more crackled in between Zhang¡¯s as he readied to unleash another attack. In a flash a dragon made purely out of lightning once more shook the air and snaked down into the whirlpool. With the water acting as a conductor the lightning¡¯s destructive power was elevated at least ten times as the dragon shaped lightning broke into dozens of smaller versions of itself upon impacting the water.

    The smaller versions of the dragon shaped lightning swam about in the whirlpool, sending sparks of lightning shooting into the air around them before dissipating.

    Lingqi who was standing atop the roof of the hotel produced a clear glass jar that was filled with a dark green liquid. Uncapping the jar, Lingqi tossed it into the water below. Once the jar dropped into the water and the green liquid oozed out it created a dark green cloud underneath the water¡¯s surface.

    The green cloud rapidly spread across the turbulent water and before long all of the water was turned green. Every lesser Jiangshi that touched this dark green water was instantly turned into ash.

    ¡°Freeze!¡± Ling¡¯s voice echoed as the spiraling whirlpool instantly turned into a huge block of semitransparent green ice. In this huge block of ice were three Jiangshi who were frozen solid, with glowing red eyes that were vision through the dark green colored ice.

    Black vines then shot out of the earth and extended into the skies, moments later two beauties could be seen moving toward the frozen Jiangshi above a black vine. Yuying could be seen with dozens of talismans in her hand while Ai was maneuvering the black vines.

    ¡°Ran Kaitou move the earth and lift them up. I didn¡¯t pay you to stand there and look pretty¡± Zhang ordered with a chuckle.

    With a snort Ran Kaitou walked out of the hotel and placed his hands onto the earth¡¯s surface. Moments later the earth around the ice began churning and raising. Soon something that resembled a flower could be seen. The earth formed the stem while the frozen whirlpool formed the petals.

    Once the block of ice was raised above the ground, the black vines lowered the two beauties to the ground and Yuying began deploying her talismans. One by one the talismans shot out of her hand and stuck themselves to the ice. While four different colored talismans shot onto the ground. Moments later thousands of black runes flowed out from the talismans and created a perfect square on the ground and dozens of crisscrosses on the surface of the ice. Four pitch black chains shot out from the four talismans that Yuying had place on the ground and bound the ice along with the lines of runes.

    ¡°Done and now all we have to do is wait for sunrise.¡± Yuying said with a smile.

    ¡°No way they are getting out of that.¡± Zhang said as the Abyssal Viper lower its head, allowing him to get off. Once he hopped off the viper dispersed into nothingness and disappeared.

    By now most of the city had been woken up and hundreds of people were peeking out of their windows trying to figure out what was happening. Thanks to Ling¡¯s manipulation, no water made its way into anyone¡¯s home or demolish any buildings. Had she not done so then a portion of the city along with the people living there might have gotten washed away by the raging waters.

    ¡°You¡¯ve made me a believer¡­¡± Ran Kaitou said with a sigh as he walked up behind Zhang.

    ¡°Glad I¡¯ve managed to convert you. Now have your men stand guard and not let anyone near this location until the sun comes out or these monsters might get out.¡± Zhang said.

    ¡°We have to pay someone a visit later today after we dispatch of these things.¡± He added.

    ¡°Pay who a visit?¡± Ran Kaitou asked with a bit of confusion on his face. He had thought that after capturing the Jiangshi and waiting for the sun to rise and extinguish them, was the end of things. Little did he know this was just the beginning.

    ¡°Someone who you will replace.¡± Zhang replied with a grin.

    A few hours later Zhang and the four beauties could be found on a large bed on the top floor of the Silver Swan hotel. They slept soundly as if there weren¡¯t three high level undead outside that could possible break free of their bindings at any moment.

    To ensure the Jiangshi are kept bound, the four thousand odd men who fought against the undead were split into four groups to stand watch over the frozen Jiangshi while everyone else got some rest. Their task was to make sure no one approaches the frozen Jiangshi and to alert Zhang if anything were to occur.

 Chapter 105: Shatter

    Hello Folks :D Got a chapter for you all. Also I''m still taking responses to the survey thing I posted yesterday. Will contact those who wish to help me proof and edit. Thank you and wish you all a great night/day.

    ========================================================================================

    Once the sun began to peek out from the horizon, Zhang and the four beauties climbed out of bed. After a few hours of sleep, they were rested and ready to go about the day.

    ¡°My lord breakfast is ready.¡± Cheng Yu¡¯s voice could be heard through the screen door that led into Zhang¡¯s room.

    The four beauties were getting dressed and doing what women usually do in the morning, while Zhang was standing on the balcony of their room. His four wives had dressed him before dressing themselves so he was currently looking at the three frozen Jiangshi while they got ready.

    ¡°If they created three then what''s to say there aren''t more? Perhaps I should prepare just in case...¡± He thought in his mind as he looked at the block of green semitransparent ice. A scowl creeped onto Zhang¡¯s face the more he thought about the possibility that there were even more Jiangshi out there.

    ¡°Darling what are you thinking about.¡± Lingqi whispered into Zhang¡¯s ear as she crept up behind him and wrapped her arms around his body.

    Without replying Zhang placed his hand on top of hers and stood in silence. While the two of them were basking in each other¡¯s warmth, sunlight reflected off of the huge block of ice and sent dozens of rays everywhere.

    ¡°What are you two doing so early in the morning?¡± Ai¡¯s soft voice sounded out.

    ¡°Things that a husband and wife should do in the morning.¡± Lingqi replied with a smile on her face.

    ¡°Now you two don''t argue.¡± Zhang said with a chuckle as he turned back and took Lingqi¡¯s delicate hand in his. Moments later he arrived in front of Ai and took her hand in his hand also and headed back into the room.

    ¡°Let''s go get some breakfast we have a long day ahead of us, things aren''t over yet.¡± Zhang said to the two beauties whose hands he was grasping and the other two beauties who were inside the room.

    Moments later prince of Aurora and his four princesses departed from their room and were seated at a table with a scrumptious breakfast spread out.

    Despite the life or death battle that occurred last night everyone was having a merry time. Zhang had arranged for room and breakfast for everyone present last night. For some of these people this breakfast could be considered the best meals in their lives, so instead of pondering about the events last night they were enjoying this free meal.

    ¡°Cheng Yu, after your meal I want you to go have some men buy up all of the mirrors in the city. We will be needing them just in case my fears turn out to be true.¡± Zhang said to Cheng Yu who was seated at the table beside his own.

    ¡°Ran Kaitou, I''ll be needing you to accompany me on a certain task later today.¡± He said to Ran Kaitou who sat at the same table as Cheng Yu.

    ¡°Accompany you? Why should I? After I finish this meal I¡¯m taking my men and leaving. Only a fool would stick around and risk dying for free.¡± Ran Kaitou retorted in an unhappy tone.

    ¡°Of course I paid you.¡± Zhang replied with a grin.

    ¡°When was this?¡± Ran Kaitou asked with a confused look on his face.

    ¡°I''m paying you in opportunities. An opportunity to survive a Jiangshi invasion, an opportunity to achieve greatness, an opportunity to obtain wealth and power, and an opportunity to get revenge against your enemies.¡± Zhang said. He had looked into Ran Kaitou¡¯s background and knew about how Ran was the former prince of a kingdom, invaded by the Siwang Empire.

    Without replying Ran Kaitou continued his meal and sat in silence.

    After everyone finished their meal Zhang led them outside to where the three frozen Jiangshi were. Dozens of thin cracked could be seen running across the surface of ice upon closer inspection, as everyone approached.

    ¡°Ai if you could do the honors.¡± Zhang said to the lovely young women he was holding hands with.

    In a flash the Queen of the Night whip appeared in Ai¡¯s hand. An instant later one end of the whip shot into the ground and dozens of vines sprouted out from the earth.

    With a thought, Ai made the vines lash out and pierce through the air. With devastating force, the vines punctured the block of ice, as they headed toward the Jiangshi at high speeds.

    Drilling through the ice the vines latched themselves around the three Jiangshi.

    ¡°My turn.¡± Zhang muttered as his Sky Piercer halberd was withdrawn for his interspatial ring. A purple glow soon enveloped it and the halberd took to the skies and twirled about ask it had a mind of its own.

    The halberd shot toward the block of ice and soon a loud cracking sound rung everyone''s ears. A few people felt that their hearts would burst out of their chests at any moment as they watched the massive flower like block of ice shatter.

    Remember the shrug that had occurred last night a few people even wanted to run. But they chose to put up a brace front and stayed to watching instead.

    Once the ice shattered, a blood curdling and earth shattering roar sounded out. The three Jiangshi were not free and no restricted by the poison laced ice any longer. Now was the time for them to go on a rampage and slaughter everyone.

    That would be the case had dozens of vines not wrapped around their bodies. The three Jiangshi tugged and pulled at the vines trying to break loose but to no avail.

    ¡°Just to be sure none of you can break free.¡± Zhang murmured after his halberd flew back into his hand and was deposited back into his interspatial ring, twenty-one arrows, tipped with Lightning Eater scales appeared in front of him.

    These arrows, much like the halberd shot through the air toward the three Jiangshi. Moments later, each Jiangshi was pierced through by seven arrows. Hands, arms, shoulders, neck, leg, knee and foot joints were all pierced through by an arrow.

    This made it highly improbable for them to even move an inch. Like pinned insects the three Jiangshi could not budge at all.

    Hung up by Ai¡¯s vines and incapacitated by the arrows, smoke began slowly raising from the bodies of the three Jiangshi. They were currently facing their strongest adversary, the sun.

    The one true weakness of the Jiangshi and their kind was the warm rays of the sun. As their bodies were wrapped in smoke, pieces of the Jiangshi were sliding off their bodies. The flesh on their faces was slowly being melted away, revealing white bones.

    Not long after, after the last of their power was expended, they bursted into clouds of dust and was blown away by a gentle breeze. From the clouds of dust that the Jiangshi had turned into three green colored pearl like objects fell onto the ground.

    This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    A purple glow soon enveloped these green colored pearls causing them to levitate into the air and fly back to Zhang, who stored them away into his interspatial ring to inspect later.

    ¡°You there, fix the road. As I''ve said before I don''t pay you to stand there and look pretty.¡± Zhang said to Ran Kaitou with a grin. He didn''t know why but it was fairly fun to bug Ran Kaitou when the opportunity presented itself. Of course he did not possess any ill will against Ran Kaitou, they could be considered comrades who shared a common goal, since they both wished for the destruction of the Siwang Empire.

    After Zhang¡¯s words from earlier, Ran Kaitou simply did as he was told. The thought of revenge which he had suppressed for years, suddenly flared and occupied most of his thoughts. His land, his people, his power, and his family had all been turned to ashes by the Siwang empire and he was forced to scrape the bottom of the barrel to survive.

    Had it not been for a few loyal subjects who survived the slaughter then perhaps there wouldn¡¯t even be a person named Ran Kaitou anymore. Zhang¡¯s words were now deeply imbedded in his heart.

    ¡°A chance to obtain wealth and power, a chance at obtaining revenge¡­¡± Ran Kaitou thought as he used his earth magic to fix the road.

    Once the three Jiangshi were taken care of and the road was fixed, there was nothing to do but wait for Cheng Yu to return after buying all of the mirrors in the city, so Zhang and the four beauties went back into the hotel.

    =====================================================================

    A few hours later Cheng Yu finally returned with a dozen horse drawn carriages full of mirrors.

    ¡°Everyone! We are heading out! Prepare to meet hostile forces! No matter who tries to stop us, take them down. As long as you stick we me you¡¯ll be fine.¡± Zhang¡¯s voice echoed throughout the hotel.

    Although not many people knew the extent of Zhang¡¯s influence, from what they¡¯ve seen so far they could tell that his wealth was extremely vast, meaning that he must be a part of some extremely powerful clan or have an extremely powerful backer. Then comes the fact that so far all he had done was save the province from the threat of annihilation while no one else was doing a thing, so there wasn¡¯t anything that would make people not want to work with him. Also he paid everyone except Ran Kaitou very handsomely.

    ¡°Lingqi did you prepare what I asked you to prepare?¡± Zhang asked.

    ¡°You think I can¡¯t concoct something as simple as that?¡± Lingqi replied with a chuckle as she waved her hand and a large sack appeared in front of her. With her delicate fingers she undid the knot on the sack and revealed dozens of clear jars of liquid.

    ¡°Now I exchange for this sack what will you offer me?¡± Lingqi said in a teasing tone.

    What she didn¡¯t expect was for her husband to walk up beside her and whisper into her ear. After a few words from Zhang, Lingqi could be seen with blushed cheeks while handing the sack full of jars to Zhang.

    ¡°So we have a deal?¡± Zhang said in a teasing tone.

    ¡°W-we have a deal¡­¡± Lingqi said while trying to avoid eye contact with Zhang. With that the group headed out and headed for the provincial lord¡¯s mansion.

    On his way through the city, Zhang noticed that there was an oddity occurring. Not a single soldier or guard that affiliated with the New Moon Province could be seen. The streets were still bustling with people but no one that was a part of the government or military could be seen at all.

    ¡°Something is wrong¡­ Cheng Yu I want you to send a few men start a small fire in the north western region of the city and spread news that the city is under attack. I want people to start evacuating the city as soon as possible. Something is off and it¡¯s definitely related to this province¡¯s lord.¡± Zhang said in a whisper to Cheng Yu who was walking behind him and the four beauties. He could have ordered Cheng Yu to rally the people of the city to perhaps aid him but Zhang did not want innocent people to end up in harm''s way due to his actions so he thought it would be best to try to evacuate the city instead.

    ¡°Right away my lord.¡± Cheng Yu replied as he and a few men disappeared into the crowd.

    ¡°Sweetheart, everything should be okay as long as we stick together.¡± Yuying¡¯s said with a reassuring smile on her face. It was a face that told you that even if the sky were to fall, everything would still be fine.

    ¡°Yea honey, everything will be fine.¡± Ling said as her arm curled around Zhang¡¯s.

    ¡°Alright let''s make sure things are finished and continue our trip.¡± Zhang said with a grin as he planted a kiss on Yuying and Ling¡¯s face. Lingqi did not complain and demand a kiss this time because her face was still somewhat flushed and she was still avoiding eye contact with her husband due to the words that he had whispered into her ear earlier.

    Once they arrived at the front of the provincial lord¡¯s mansion which was strangely unguarded, Zhang began issuing orders to the men who followed him, ¡°In a few moments we will storm into the mansion, I assure you that what we are doing is for the good of everyone in the city. If anything occurs, I will accept the consequences in your place so fear not.¡± Since most of these men were a part of Ran Kaitou¡¯s underground syndicate to begin with, it was not as if they were afraid of breaking any laws so no one showed any sign of leaving. While the various actors and storytellers had come thus far already they did not seem willing to turn back now.

    With his word spoken, he walked up to the front gate of the provincial lord¡¯s mansion and a single blood red sword appeared in his hand. With a swing of his sword, the wooden bar that kept the gates locked was cut into two. Then with a single kick he sent the two doors swinging back.

    When the doors opened they revealed a sight that could only be described as spooky. Dead trees, broken down doors, cobwebs and an all-around creepy feeling atmosphere. It seemed as if no one had been in the mansion for a long time.

    ¡°Everyone grab a mirror and follow my instructions.¡± Zhang said as he directed the men following him to fall into formation. They were to break into groups of ten and use the mirrors to reflect sunlight into the mansion in case there were undead lurking inside the mansion as they investigate.

    ¡°Lingqi I guess we won¡¯t have to use your potions to knock out the guards, guarding the mansion. But if you want we can still go through with the deal.¡± Zhang said in a teasing tone to his lovely wife.

    Not knowing what to say, Lingqi stayed silent while avoiding eye contact.

    Thus the investigation of the provincial lord¡¯s mansion begun.

 Chapter 106: The Search

    Thank you Naoto for your pledge on Patreon. Wish the rest of you a great day.

    ==========================================================================================

    The teams consisting of ten men each dispersed throughout the provincial lord¡¯s mansion as they began their search for answers.

    Where have the soldiers of the New Moon Army, who were stationed in the city go? Why was the lord¡¯s mansion in shambles? Most importantly where was the lord of the New Moon Province?

    Full of questions, everyone carefully split up and in went from one room to the next trying to find signs of life. Of course everyone was equipped with mirrors and would shine sunlight into every room before entering. Even once they entered, someone would stay outside with a large mirror and reflect sunlight inside. Those who were inside would use midsized or small sized mirrors to reflect the sunlight reflected on the large mirror throughout the rooms. This was a way; Zhang had come up with to bring light to places where the sun¡¯s warm rays could not reach.

    Windows were propped up and doors were kept open as a sign that a room had been searched already. Zhang had instilled a set of procedures in place to ensure everyone¡¯s safety. This was because of the likelihood of someone injured or killed during the search turning into an enemy that he made everyone be extra careful.

    While many people were busy searching the grounds, a few had been ordered to return to the hotel and transport the blocks of ice that had encased the Jiangshi, over to the mansion. They were also ordered to acquire as much water as they could so that in case Ling needed to use her magic there would be an ample supply of water to use. Zhang had forgotten about this when they had left the hotel and headed for the provincial lord¡¯s mansion or else he could have stored away all of the ice into his interspatial ring. But things done later are better then things left undone.

    ¡°Ran, if you can use your magic and reinforce the outer walls of the buildings for us to stay in tonight that would be wonderful. Also some tall guard towers and walls to section off the mansion.¡± Zhang said as he was overlooking the search.

    They were plenty of open space in the courtyard of the provincial lord¡¯s mansion for Ran Kaitou to construct things that could provide lots of protection in case of enemy attack. As for the rooms in the mansion, Zhang felt that the walls seemed too flimsy, so he asked Ran Kaitou to reinforce them with earthen magic.

    ¡°Okay, everyone make room.¡± Ran Kaitou said as a yellow earthen glow enveloped his body. Once his hands pressed down onto to the ground a rumble sound became audible as the ground began shifting.

    The ground underneath Ran Kaitou began to rise into the sky, creating a stone pillar beneath his feet. The pillar began to mold itself and slowly change into the shape of a guard tower that was complete with a ladder made of stone.

    Ran Kaitou who was now standing on the roof of the guard tower, had a bird¡¯s eye view of a large portion of the provincial lord¡¯s mansion allowing him to plan where to and what to construct next.

    Soon enough a yellow earthen glow was sent from the top of the guard tower down to the ground below causing a dozen more stone guard towers to shoot out from the ground. Stone tiles were unturned and buildings were left with holes in their ceilings as circle of guard towers was erected. Of course these buildings had no people in them because they were in sections that haven¡¯t been reached yet, so no one was injured by the falling roof tiles.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be needing some of that stuff you gave to me last night.¡± Ran Kaitou yelled down at Zhang.

    Zhang waved his hand and ten or so bottles of essence water appeared and levitated up to Ran Kaitou who collected them and stashed them into his robes. Afterward walls rose upward and sectioned off the provincial lord¡¯s mansion, they of course came equipped with gates and stairs for easy access. A fortress now replaced the provincial lord¡¯s mansion.

    ¡°The evacuation should be starting right now.¡± Zhang thought as he saw puffs of cloud smoke rise into the sky in the north western section of the city.

    ¡°Ran, I¡¯ll give you the opportunity to become a hero now. Take half of the men and help the civilians evacuate outside of the city. Use those bottles I gave you to erect a fortress or something to keep the people safe. Also recruit as many people as possible to bolster our forces.¡± Zhang had thought that they would opposite when arriving at the provincial lord¡¯s mansion so he had Cheng Yu ensue panic and evacuate the city but that was not the case when they arrived. So now was to ensure the safety of the civilians and also paint themselves in a good light with the masses.

    ¡°A fallen prince turned mob boss turned hero, one cannot fathom what the heavens has planned.¡± Zhang laughed as he thought at how ironic somethings were in life.

    ¡°Right away¡­¡± Ran Kaitou replied as a stone pillar rose the sky and then lowered him to the ground.  He had stopped questioning Zhang¡¯s orders and simply did what he was told because a certain level of trust had been established between the two. Zhang was no one to mistreat those who followed him and Ran was not someone who turned away benefits so a mutual relationship was put into place.

    Thus Ran Kaitou departed the provincial lord¡¯s mansion and his men mixed into the evacuating citizens. Although there were no apparent threats occurring, everyone was fleeing the city. With the tales that the acting troupes and storytellers and the commotions and deaths during the night, the city at the end of its wits. The fire and news of an apparent enemy attack from in the north western section of the city was the last straw that broke the camel''s back.

    The fact that there were no soldiers or guards in the city added more fuel to the fire. This could be the perfect moment for a hero to arise amidst the chaos and that was Zhang had planned for Ran Kaitou. If Ran Kaitou could project the image of a hero into the hearts of the people, then if Zhang placed him as lord over the province then things would progress much more smoothly.

    But of course even if he was placed as provincial lord, Zhang would still keep an eye on him. Although they currently had a common goal he couldn¡¯t tell if they would stay allies in the future.

    ¡°I¡¯ll have Sun Ce and Zhang Liao move a battalion over into that fortress I¡¯m having him erect in the on the outskirts of the city to keep an eye on things after this is all over.¡± Zhang thought as he looked toward the southeast where Ran Kaitou should be. He was a trusting person but he was absolutely not a fool, perhaps no one noticed but Zhang had placed checks over all of the forces under his control.

    Sima Yi who was stationed in the Red Mist Province along with the those in the Aurora Province and the Heavenly Sword Province kept the Green Clover Province in check. While the Green Clover Province and the Aurora Province kept the Red Mist Province in check. Then the Green Clover Province and the Aurora Province kept the Heavenly Sword Province in check. Thanks to their positioning all of the provinces in the Aurora Kingdom kept each other in line. If the New Moon Province were to be subdued and added into the Aurora Kingdom, then the Heavenly Sword Province and the Aurora Province which border its southern and part of it eastern region to keep watch over it.

    The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    Besides the Aurora Province no other province in the Aurora Kingdom housed an army larger than the other provinces in the kingdom.

    While the investigation occurred and Ran Kaitou went to help with the evacuation, the ice and water that Zhang had ordered to be brought to the newly erected fort had arrived. Now an abundant supply of water was available if Ling were to use her magic.

    ¡°Darling you know that after all of this is over, we are going to have to extend our honeymoon time.¡± Lingqi said as she stood beside Zhang atop a guard tower that Ran Kaitou had erected.

    ¡°Of course, our honeymoon can last as long as you guys want. Also once we have the time we can do what we talked about earlier.¡± Zhang said with a devious smile on his face. As his words reached Lingqi¡¯s ears they turned a crimson red as her face blushed.

    ¡°What was it that you two were talking about earlier?¡± Yuying asked as she chimed into the conversation.

    Lingqi proceeded to walk up to her and whisper into her ears the same words that Zhang had told her in the morning. Afterward Yuying¡¯s checks also began blushing and she did not have any more questions. Later Ling and Ai would learn of what their husband had said and would end up with flushed faces also.

    ¡°My lord we have found traces of blood in a large room in the western section of the mansion.¡± A man yelled up at the guard tower Zhang and the four beauties were in.

    ¡°You four stay up here and enjoy the view I¡¯ll be right back.¡± Zhang said as he leapt off the guard tower and landed on the ground.

    ¡°Lead the way.¡± He said to the man who had reported about the traces of blood.

    Zhang was then lead through the twisting and winding paths of the provincial lord¡¯s mansion. Soon they arrived at a small courtyard where a few men were waiting.

    "My lord we have found traces of blood in that room over there. So far no other traces of people have been found elsewhere.¡± A men said respectfully to Zhang as he led him into a small room where a bloody handprint could be seen imprinted on the side of the door. The inside the room a single trail of blood could be seen trailing toward the door. The trail had seemed to have appeared out of nowhere and only led to the door.

    ¡°Hmmmm¡± Zhang said as he looked down at the trail of blood. Then an invisible pulse of essence began emitting from his body and scanned the room.

    ¡°Go and get more men over here.¡± Zhang said as a glint appeared in his eyes. The pulse of essence had discovered an opening under the floor. But before he opened up a hole in the floor, just to be safe he wanted more people with mirrors around to reflect sunlight into the room.

    Soon roughly a hundred men had gathered in the small courtyard with mirrors in hand, awaiting Zhang¡¯s orders. He had not asked for his wives to come over because if something was lurking were to happen he did not want for them to get hurt.

    With a vast amount of light shining into the room, Zhang waved his hand and withdrew his halberd from his interspatial ring. A purplish glow enveloped the halberd causing it to levitate into the air. With a flick of his fingers the halberd plunged itself into the floor and began drilling through it.

    Dozens of cracks ran through the floor as the halberd shattered the rock underneath it. Not much time passed before the halberd left a large hole through the wall, revealing flight of stairs and a hidden room.

    Without a single word said, a team of men entered the room and shone mirrors down into the flight of stairs. Light reflected down into the hidden room, but the flight of stairs seemed to extend into the dark indefinitely as only a small portion of it was revealed.

    ¡°Bring more mirrors and some torches¡­¡± Zhang said with a sigh as he looked down into the dark room beneath the floors.

    ¡°Maybe this is where everyone¡¯s been hiding.¡± He thought to himself.

    Moments later with more men and more mirrors, the exploration of the hidden room began.

    Torches were lit and enveloped with a purple glow as they were sent levitating down the flight of stairs to make sure nothing jumps out and catches unsuspecting people.

    A team of thirty men armed with mirrors followed behind Zhang as he walked down the flight of stairs and descended into the depths. After a certain distance a man would stop descending and use his mirror to extend the reach of a ray of light that was sent down from the surface because only a sliver of light was needed to wipe out a whole army of lesser Jiangshi and the same went for a full fledge Jiangshi if it was kept exposed to sunlight for a slightly longer duration of time.

    By the time they reached at the last step of the staircase all thirty men who had accompanied Zhang were busy reflecting light down from the surface.

    ¡°Send word up for more men to come down here.¡± Zhang said and soon after dozens of voices echoed to the surface for more men to come down.

    While more men were descending the stairs the sound of rattling chains drifted into Zhang¡¯s ears. With a thought the torches that he had kept levitating around him flew around the darkness, helping to illuminate the room and lift the veil of darkness that had shrouded the room.

    As the light illuminated from the torches brought light into the room, a wall with hundreds of chains attached to it came into view. Bound by these chains were close to a hundred Jiangshi, not lesser Jiangshi but full-fledged Jiangshi capable of individually raising armies of undead. From the aura they were emitting Zhang was one hundred percent sure these were not lesser Jiangshi.

    ¡°Well fuck me¡­¡± Zhang cursed as he saw the hundred or so Jiangshi chained to the walls. Upon closer inspection each chain had dozens of strengthening inscriptions etched into them. Had it not been for the strengthening inscriptions the chains would have only been there for decoration because there was no way that average chains could keep Jiangshi bound.

    ¡°At least they are bound and I can take my time extinguishing them with sunlight¡­¡± He sighed as he thought about what else might show up down here.

    ¡°If something stronger than these show up I¡¯m out of here¡­¡± He mumbled as a scowl crept into his face. Just imagining something stronger than a hundred Jiangshi appearing ruined Zhang¡¯s mood. For instance, if an undead dragon appeared then Zhang would be long gone and maybe even have the borders of the Aurora Kingdom be moved back a few hundred miles away from the New Moon Province.

    Seeing the one hundred Jiangshi also proved that they could be mass produced and maybe one day Yuying would have an army of them under her control along with her army of Titanic Spiders.

 Chapter 107: Into The Dark

    Was hoping to have two chapters today but customers kept me at work until only a bit ago T_T.

    =======================================================================================

    With a creases on his brow and an unamused expression on his face, Zhang eyed the one hundred Jiangshi chained to the walls of in the far end of the room. He was waiting for more of his men to descend the stairs and use their mirrors to lay these Jiangshi to rest.

    ¡°I should prepare just in case something stupid happens¡­¡± He thought as he activated the Cape of the Abyss that was draped over his shoulders. From the shadows and dark depth dozens of abyssal beasts spawned ready to obey Zhang¡¯s commands.

    The Jiangshi as if sensing something was about to happen began rattling their chains, trying to break free and charge at Zhang. If even half of them managed to break free then they would have more than enough power to rip him limb from limb.

    Then with a wave of his hand, thousands of Lightning Eater scaled tipped arrows appeared on the ground. With a thought a purple glow enveloped them and sent them levitating into the air. Moments later the thousands of arrows pierced and danced through the air towards the Jiangshi.

    It was dark and not a lot of light was present so Zhang could no target their joints like he had done to the three Jiangshi that they had caught earlier, so instead he opted to just use a large amount of arrows instead. Although he could not truly extinguish them with the arrows, Zhang would be able to damage and incapacitate them. The thousands of arrows whizzed through the air and punctured into their targets with deadly force.

    That was when something peculiar occurred, whereas Zhang had planned to have the arrows embed themselves into the Jiangshi to lower their mobility in the case that they were able to break free of their bounds, instead a few of them turned to ashes.

    ¡°That shouldn¡¯t have happened.¡± Zhang mumbled as he was confused at how the arrows were able to extinguish a Jiangshi.

    ¡°My lord, I thought you said those things could only be killed by expose to direct sunlight.¡± The man who had followed Zhang all the way to the bottom of the staircase asked. He had been scared speechless moments before when the Jiangshi tried to break free of their chains and only just now managed to calm himself enough to speak.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡± Zhang replied as he felt a hint of fatigue. Controlling thousands of arrows with essence was not something that one could do often because of the high consumption of essence, even in Zhang¡¯s case. The replenishment rate of the Underworld Heart, although fast was not able to keep up to the consumption rate of manipulating the arrows

    .

    With a thought a few torches that Zhang kept floating in the air flew over to where some of the Jiangshi had perished. That was when he noticed something glittering underneath the torch light.

    ¡°Fetch.¡± Zhang said as he looked at an Abyssal Hellhound that he had summoned. Without a moment¡¯s hesitation the Abyssal Hellhound sped through the room with a part of its body transforming into a trial of black smoke and arrived at the object in question and retrieved it, all the while avoiding the Jiangshi who were only embedded with arrows and were not extinguished. With the object in its mouth the Abyssal Hellhound returned to Zhang¡¯s side in a flash. Soon two halves of a black pearl were left in Zhang¡¯s hand.

    ¡°These things again, actually this one isn¡¯t identical like the other three that I found. This one as some white dots on its surface.¡± Zhang said as he examined the pearl fragments. Then with a wave of his hand three pitch black pearls appeared in his other palm.

    ¡°I guess these Jiangshi are either defective or have yet to reach perfection like those three.¡± He thought as he came to a conclusion based on the pearls.

    ¡°If my guess is right these pearls were used to create these Jiangshi, so realistically speaking we might be able to use them to raise an army of Jiangshi.¡± Zhang murmured as a glint appeared in his eyes. If he and Yuying could raise an army of Jiangshi then the conquest of the entire warring states region and perhaps the entire continent would be smooth sailing.

    ¡°Let alone those bastards from the Siwang Empire, even if those guys in the eastern empire decided to go against me with an army of Jiangshi, nothing will be able to hinder my plans.¡±

    Zhang thought as he imagined himself leading a vast army of undead and demonic beasts and laying waste to all who stand in his way.

    Unlike conventional armies, his army would consist of high level demonic beasts and hundreds of Jiangshi along with hordes of lesser Jiangshi. They would become an unstable force that could wipe out kingdoms overnight. Of course if he did lead an army like that, most likely the populous of the continent would pain him in a dark light.  But none of that would matter if he could unify the continent and become its sole ruler, as ambitious as it might sound.

    While Zhang was lost in his fantasy a group of a hundred men had descended the stairs and were awaiting his orders. They caught glimpses of the Jiangshi chained to the walls, causing fear to show on their faces but no one dared to leave. The threat in front of them was too large even think about running away.

    However, this did not prevent a few of them from wailing out of fear when they flickering torches revealed dozens of Jiangshi that were hidden away in the dark.

    ¡°Alright everyone gets in line, shoulder to shoulder.¡± Zhang ordered as he withdrew a scepter with diamond the size of someone¡¯s fist embedded at its handle from his interspatial ring.

    With the diamond in hand he walked up to where a sliver of light had managed to be reflected all the way down to the bottom of the staircase. Cloaking the scepter in essence and plunging it into the stone steps, the diamond embedded in the scepter into the ground.  Once the sliver of light struck the diamond, it scattered into dozens of beams of light.

    ¡°Use these to extinguish them.¡± Zhang commanded to his men. Since there were only a few scatter beams of light a small group of Zhang¡¯s man stepped forward and began redirecting the light toward the Jiangshi.

    Perhaps it was because the Jiangshi were imperfect, but once the slivers of light shone onto their bodies for a few minutes they bursted into ashes. Zhang had expected it to take at least half an hour due to how little light sunlight was being reflected, but he was not one to complain if the process ended sooner.

    Once the Jiangshi were gone and only a hundred piles of dust were left, Zhang¡¯s abyssal beasts swooped in and gathered all of the black pearls that were dropped and presented them to him.

    This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

    ¡°I¡¯ll store these away for later.¡± Zhang thought as he waved his hand and stored away all of the black pearls into his interspatial ring.

    ¡°Oh yea, I almost forgot¡­¡± Zhang mumble as he waved his hand once more and collected the arrows that he had shot at the Jiangshi earlier and stored them away into his interspatial ring.

    ¡°Everyone stay behind me and be careful. We are going to see if there is anything else down here.¡± Zhang said to his men. The staircase had spiraled down along the wall on one¡¯s right hand, while the wall of Jiangshi was to the left a bit away from the staircase. That being said Zhang did not know how far back the room stretched out in front of him.

    ¡°You all can leave the mirrors here; we are too far down here to reflect it much further.¡± He added as he had his men take up torches instead. Although the new arrivals were going to come along with Zhang, the thirty men who had accompanied him in the beginning would stay where they are just in case something were to happen. Of course they no longer needed to hold up mirrors and were given torches instead. Zhang even left the scepter lodged into the ground just in case they needed to use it, and he was more than confident that no one would dare to steal the scepter despite the large diamond embedded on it.

    Once everyone we equipped with a torch and had their weapons drawn, the group began their advance into the unknown. Although Zhang was fearless the men who were not so they huddled up and walked closely beside each other so if anything popped up they could face it together as a group.

    The light illuminating from the torches only gave off so much light so everyone was shrouded by a veil of darkness. Thankfully they were walking down a corridor and not wandering through a wide open space or else who knows we might be watching them from the darkness.

    Zhang had kept two torches constantly levitating a short distance in front of the group as they continued further but no end was in sight. By now they could no longer see the staircase and have yet to see anything but the stone walls on either side of them.

    As they continued on creases appeared on Zhang¡¯s brow. ¡°Blood¡­¡± He thought as he saw trails of blood on the ground a bit ahead of where he and his men were. It looked as if someone had been forcefully dragged away as they tried to claw the ground to prevent themselves from being taken.

    ¡°What¡¯s a kid doing here?¡± One of Zhang¡¯s men yelled as the flicker torch light illuminating their path revealed a hundred over figure of a child dressed in rags. With long disorderly hair, sickly pale skin while being draped in dirty rags, this child gave off an eerie aura which struck fear into the hearts of those present.

    ¡°There¡¯s nothing to be afraid of it¡¯s just a child.¡± Another man said trying to assure his comrades that everything was fine. He even worked up the courage to walk toward the child hunched over by the wall. But before he could get far Zhang¡¯s hand reached out and rested down on the man¡¯s shoulder.

    ¡°Step back¡­¡± Zhang said. It was clear to him something was out of the ordinary because what would a child be doing down here in the darkness.

    ¡°We mean you no harm, we are only here to help so walk over slowly.¡± Zhang said while projecting his voice.

    However, the child did not respond to his words and appeared to be preoccupied with something.

    ¡°Hey you! Our young master is talking to you!¡± A largely built man yelled. This man was the type who did not care if it was man, woman, or child, but if it was human then he would treat it the same. No one received special treatment and no one was treated differently.

    As if in response to the man¡¯s words, the child¡¯s head slowly lifted up and it began turning back toward where Zhang was standing.

    A head of long black hair riddled with balding spots, bloody red eyes, blood stained teeth that resembled the tips of arrows and a blood streaked chin turned back to greet Zhang and his men. The creature that resembled a child was not ignoring Zhang or his men but rather it was busy, busy devouring the severed arm in its grasp. As for where the owner of the severed arm no trace of him or her could be seen besides a trail of blood that led off further into the darkness.

    ¡°What the fuck is that thing!?¡± A few of the men behind Zhang broke out in screams. Had they been replaced with the men who had accompanied Zhang to the Black Wind Province then such a reaction would have no occurred. But considering this was the first time they had witnessed such a sight, Zhang was happy that no one tried to run away or fainted.

    ¡°Don¡¯t know what it is but it¡¯s dead.¡± Zhang said was a spear was withdrawn from his interspatial ring and shot through the air at the monstrosity in front of him. Once he knew it wasn¡¯t human or rather once he determined it was a threat Zhang was decided to slay it.

    A blood curdling screech soon reverberated through the ears of those present as the spear pierced through the air and impaled the its target. Although it was just a regular spear that Zhang happened to pick up in one of the many treasuries he raided, the thing packed so much force behind it that after piercing through its target it lodged itself into the ground.

    After a few minutes filled with blood curdling screeches the monster that resembled a boy slowly lost power and soon became lifeless.  Upon it¡¯s death the monster¡¯s body instantly ignited much like what happens when a Jiangshi or a lesser Jiangshi is exposed to sunlight, moments later all was left was a pile of ash and a glittering black pearl.

    ¡°Alright one of you go back and gather more men, also tell the madams about what had happened so far. The rest of us will move on ahead and see if we can find out anything.¡± Zhang said to his men. But of course everyone wished to be the one picked to go back and request reinforcements. After seeing that monstrosity of a child devouring an arm, none of them wished to continue going forward.

    Well after a while the group was finally decided on who to send back and then continued moving forward. By now Zhang had seen enough to have his twin swords made of Mirage Viper fangs, withdrawn from his interspatial ring and hung by his sides. He also had his Sky Piercer halberd out and leaning against his shoulder, one could say that whatever pops up in his path was going to wish it didn¡¯t.

    ¡°If a monster shows up I¡¯ll slay it, if a god shows up and stand in my way then someone will learn the meaning of death¡­¡± Zhang mumbled as they continued through the dark corridor that led on endlessly.

    As they moved further and further into the corridor the group was greeted by a wall of blood red eyes that radiated killing intent.

 Chapter 108: Evolution

    I''ll be lurking here O_o.

    http://iendworlds.chatango.com/</a>

    Also I forgot to clarify but the one who took over Ran Kaitou''s kingdom was the Siwang empire and not the Sai Empire. There was a typo sorry :D

    Another thing is o_o please support me on Novels Nao o,,,,,o thanks. I might update there first and here later idk O_o

    =============================================================================================

    As flickering torch light glimmered in the dark, a wall of blood red eyes stared at Zhang and his men. Hundreds of blood red eyes glowed in the dark while emitting killing intent that suffocated the air.

    ¡°Prepare to engage!¡± Zhang roared as he lifted his halberd up and gripped it with both hands.

    From out of the darkness a monstrosity crept out, revealing what could only be considered a living nightmare. This abomination possessed hundreds of arms and feet that stuck out throughout its body, hundreds of blood red eyes that dotted its body, lastly and most horrifically were hundreds of heads and torsos that stuck out from its body.

    It resembled what would happen if someone were to stitch hundreds of people together, and the bodies melded together into one monstrous thing. A sight that would give children or perhaps grown men nightmares for the rest of their lives.

    This thing was something that seemed to have crawled out from the darkest depth of hell was slowly inching its way through the corridor, squeezing through since it¡¯s body was too large. It¡¯s slowness and size gave everyone present a feeling of impending doom as they stood face to face with this monstrosity, well everyone but Zhang of course.

    ¡°Die.¡± Zhang snorted as he flung his arm muscles flexed and his halberd shot out from his grasp. The halberd screeched through the air at unbelievable speeds and plunged into the wall of flesh that stood in Zhang¡¯s way.

    The halberd sunk itself into one of the many torsos sticking out of the wall of flesh causing a fountain of dark red flood to spray out. Moments late the hundreds of heads on the abomination all let out eardrum piercing screeches as the torso that had been impaled by Zhang¡¯s halberd, ignited and turned into ash. Then a small partially black, white pearl rolled onto the ground. But almost instantly one of the many arms on the abomination struck out and grabbed the pearl, then fed it to one of the hundreds of mouths.

    Many of Zhang¡¯s men fell to their knees as they covered their ears, trying to block out the deafening screech.

    ¡°So I can¡¯t call this a single monster, but rather hundreds of monsters melded together. Sort of a colony of monsters, I guess. But now all there is to do is to kill attacking until all that is left is a pile of ash. Sadly, these men will only get in the way¡­¡± Zhang thought.

    ¡°All of you fall back and make a defensive line!¡± He ordered, as he sprang into action, deciding to engage the monster in close combat instead of manipulating weapons from afar like he had done so before. This was because he did not know if anything else would appear or how large this monster really was, so needlessly using up large amount of essence wasn¡¯t very wise.

    Taking long strides and moving at as fast as the wind, Zhang sped through the dark corridor as his pitch black cape fluttered behind him. Moments later he arrived in front of the wall of flesh and in an instant the two swords that were hung by his waist were drawn.

    As his sword slide out of their sheaths two bloody arcs were sliced into the wall of flesh. In an attempt to stop Zhang, a barrage of hundreds of arms and legs stretched outward. Claws and fists swung out as they tried to stop Zhang but to no avail.

    Zhang¡¯s blades were made out of Mirage Viper fangs and were able to cut through the wall of flesh as if it was made of butter. Whatever came in his way would be met by a whirlwind of slashes and cuts, leaving a trail of ash behind him.

    ¡°If all my enemies were simply big and not strong then life would be much easier.¡± Zhang said with a grin as he continued his onslaught of attacks. Of course he was not purely on the offensive, he also had to make sure to avoid the attacks from the wall of flesh that came at weird angles and couldn¡¯t be dodged.

    Perhaps on a battlefield a monster such as this would be able to do a lot of damage but in close quarters combat it wasn¡¯t too strong. It was too big to use its size as an advantage in such a small space, whereas Zhang was able to move nimbly and slowly but surely chip away at it. But as a pile of dust was accumulating behind Zhang he could notice that it¡¯s movements were slowly getting quicker, he also noticed that no more pearls were dropped after that first one.

    Despite peeling and turning layer after layer of the abomination¡¯s flesh and limbs to ash, it seemed as though no progress was being made at all.

    ¡°Guess I¡¯ll have to try something else¡­¡± Zhang thought as the Ruler¡¯s Domain ring flickered and a circular spiral that seemed to fluctuate space appeared behind him. From within the spiral countless of human sized golden spiders scurried out. But that was not the end of things, from Zhang¡¯s shadow dozens if not hundreds of beasts creeped out.

    Zhang¡¯s men had to move further back as the number of beasts under Zhang¡¯s control crowded the corridor.

    Without having to give any orders the horde of beasts under his control charged at the wall of flesh, as their master moved back and stood watch. With fangs and claws bared the beasts ripped through the wall of flesh. Although the Titanic Spiders tried to feast after being kept in the Ruler¡¯s Domain for so long, all that was left after they tore through the abomination that stood in their master¡¯s path was dust.

    ¡°After this I¡¯ll feed you all something good.¡± Zhang said as Silky could be seen on the ground by his side. Despite being hatched first, Silky was only half the size of the other titanic spiders. But of course she made up for this in terms of strength. If compared to the other spiders, Silky¡¯s toxins were twice as potent and in terms of raw physical power she possessed twice as much as the others.

    As the battle of monsters drew on, the spiders began injecting their venom into the wall of flesh. Once vast amounts of venom were pumped into the wall of flesh, a blood curdling barrage of screeches sounded out and then the corridor was filled with silence. All that was left was a sea of dust that glittered with countless black and white pearls.

    ¡°Release¡­¡± Zhang said and an instant later the Abyssal Beasts that he had summoned all faded away into black puffs of smoke.

    While Zhang was releasing the Abyssal Beasts, a titanic spider had caught sight of the pearls laying in the dust and before its master could stop it, consumed the pearl. Soon it¡¯s brothers and began finding the pearls that littered the ground and eating them also.

    Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.

    ¡°What the¡­¡± Zhang mumbled as he caught sight of his horde of Golden Spiders all twitching and laying on the ground. Before Zhang could say another word, cracks began appearing on the golden bodies of his spider horde.

    From these cracks pure white, almost ghostly limbs sprang out.  ¡°Their shedding?¡± He thought as he continued observing. Soon enough a ghostly horde of white spiders appeared in front of Zhang as they crawled out of their golden shells.

    These spiders looked many times stronger than their former selves, because now their limbs looked sharper and stronger, their fangs were larger and they emitted a powerful aura that would send other demonic beasts fleeing.

    As he combed through his horde of spiders, Zhang saw a single spider that had not shed yet. It was digging through the dust trying to find something, until it uncovered a glittering black and white pearl and swallowed it. Moments later it too would join its brethren and shed its golden shell.

    ¡°So the pearls caused them to shed and become stronger. Hmmmmm.¡± Zhang said as he eyes Silky and a pitch black pearl appeared in his hand. This was the same pearl that he had obtained from one of the three Jiangshi that was slain before he had gone to the provincial lord¡¯s mansion.

    ¡°Here you go Silky.¡± He said as he tossed the pitch black pearl into the air, where it was swooped up by silky and consumed. Under Zhang¡¯s watchful gaze, crack appeared on Silky¡¯s shell and she began shedding like the others spiders.

    ¡°Suddenly a hand as white as snow broke free of the golden shell, and a beauty that can compare to a goddess emerge. How funny would that be if that really happened.¡± Zhang thought with a chuckle. But of course this did not happen, what did happen was pure white metallic looking spider limbs emerged from the metallic pink and golden shell. Not long after a white metallic looking Silky with a beautiful shade of light purple covering part of its body appear.

    Unlike the rest of the spiders, Silky actually grew a bit in size and from the purple patterns that appeared on its body one could tell it was vastly superior to the other spiders.

    ¡°Alright you better not tell Yuying I fed you something funny. Got that?¡± Zhang said to Silky, who in response gave off a low screech.

    - ¡°Okay let¡¯s go.¡± Zhang said as he looked back at the hundred men that had followed him thus far.

    The group broke into formation with the hundred men in the center and the newly named Wraith Spiders surrounding them. While Zhang and Silky led the group in the very front.

    Once more the group continued onward into the darkness but now it was not they who would be afraid but those who happen upon their path because now Zhang had unleashed his horde of spiders and to make things worse for whoever or whatever shows up, the spiders had undergone a transformation and have become stronger.

    As they walked through the sea of dust, every single black and white pearl was collected and presented to Zhang. He did not know what these pearls are called but he could tell that they possessed an uncanny ability that could prove useful to him later on. If anything he could fed these to the next horde of spiders or beasts that come under control. Or maybe he could give them to Yuying and if they are lucky, an army of Jiangshi might be spawned. Nonetheless there was no harm and only good could come from collecting the pearls.

    An hour or so later the group was still making its way through the same corridor. Occasionally as the group would run a few humanlike monsters like the boy they had encountered before, but they¡¯ve yet to run into anything like the wall of flesh or the hundred defective Jiangshi that were chained to the entrance of the corridor.

    ¡°My lord, do you think perhaps there is some kind of hidden passageway behind the walls or something? We¡¯ve been walking for quite sometime now and there have yet to be any turns or other corridors.¡± One of Zhang¡¯s men said, breaking the silence that had been instilled for a while now.

    ¡°No, I¡¯ve been scanning the walls with my essence are we walk pass them and so far all that lay behind these walls are solid rock or dirt.¡± Zhang said as he continued walking forward. Thus none of his men asked anymore questions and simply followed behind him.

    Roughly after another half an hour of walking, flickering flames could be seen in the distance.

    ¡°Everyone stay on guard.¡± Zhang said as his men drew their weapons and the spiders became more vigilant. Soon the corridor opened up into a large well lit room. The walls of the room were lined with large jars that had talismans wrapped around them, while the floors had dozens of barred pits in them, then there was cloth draped cages that were situated all around the chamber. Lastly there was a mid-sized set of iron gates at the far end of the chamber.

    ¡°Spread out and yell if anything of interest pops up.¡± Zhang ordered. His men and the spiders then fanned out across the room. Besides the jars, pits and cages there was also an assortment of furniture and shelves of books that could offer clues to what was being done in this chamber. Perhaps even an answer to the weird creatures that they have been encountering thus far.

    Although Zhang had an idea of what had happened, he could never be sure because there were many coincidences in life and just as many unexplainable mysteries.

    While the books on the bookshelves were being examined, a loud scream broke out and echoed through the chamber.

    ¡°Help me! Something¡¯s caught me leg! Help!¡±

    Looking in the direction where the scream originated from, one of Zhang¡¯s men could be seen being pulled into a cage that was covered by a white curtain. Dozens of men rushed over to help him but were not able to pull the man free from whatever was pulling him from the other side.

    Seeing this Zhang made his way over to the cage and with a sweep of his hand, pulled off the white cloth that was covering the cage. Once the cloth was pulled off, a wall of iron bars with strange inscriptions etched into them was revealed along with group of ten shirtless men inside the cage. One man in partially was pulling on the leg of Zhang¡¯s subordinate.

    ¡°Let go or lose your arms.¡± Zhang said as he unsheathed his sword. From the things he¡¯s seen so far down here, he did not know if these people were still human or if they were human to begin with.

    Understanding Zhang¡¯s words, the men released his grip and sent a team of Zhang¡¯s men who were trying to pull their comrades free, tumbling onto the ground. From this along one could tell how strong the man in the cage was.

    ¡°Fr-free, u-us¡­¡± The man said, in a voice that belonged to someone who probably hasn¡¯t spoken for a long time.

    ¡°How do I know if you will attack us or not once I free you? So first you must answer a few questions for me.¡± Zhang said.

 Chapter 109: Fealty

    Took me like what 6 maybe 7 hours but I managed to do it T_T. DAM YOU HOT BUTTER!!!!!!!!!!!!! Time to SLEEP T_T <3 One hand typing wooooooo

    =======================================================================================

    Upon hearing Zhang¡¯s words, the men in the cage bent down onto his knees and bowed onto the ground. Soon after the rest of the men in the rage joined him and prostrated themselves to Zhang, the person who could now either leave them to die or become their savior.

    With the magical inscriptions on the iron bars there was no way for the men inside to break free so the only way they could ever possibly get out was if someone on the outside released them. But before today that was only but a slim dream.

    Watching the ten shirtless men prostrate themselves in front of him, Zhang felt that they were truly too pitiful. So without saying a word he lifted his sword once more and struck the lock that kept these men trapped behind the iron bars. The blade made out of the fang of a high level demonic beast was only able to leave a tiny scratch on the lock.

    ¡°Hmmm, as long as it can leave a scratch then I can get them out.¡± Zhang thought as he began swinging at the lock again and again. He objective not being destroying the lock but rather, altering the inscriptions on it with the scratches made by his sword.

    These inscriptions were the type that absorbed essence and negate attacks that are directed to them. Had Zhang¡¯s sword not been made of such high level material then scratching it was something to not even think about

    ¡°If I can scratch out only change a bit of the inscription then the entire spell on the lock would deactivate and be useless.¡± Zhang mumbled as he continued swinging away at the lock. Even if a bit of the inscription is change the entire spell would fail and deactivate.

    Soon a blueish glow enveloped the lock and an instant later it dissipated into nothingness, leaving the lock defenseless. With one last swing from Zhang the lock was cut into two and fell to the ground. With the lock done, an expression of relief appeared on the faces of the ten shirtless men.

    ¡°Alright, swear fealty to me and together we shall achieve greatness.¡± Zhang said while giving off the aura of a king with his head held high, looking down on the rest of the world.

    The ten shirtless men made their way out of the cage and kneeled in front of Zhang on one knee, as a sign of their allegiance. For men who had lost all hope, they would most likely be willing to jump into boiling oil or a sea of flames for their savior.

    ¡°M-my lo-ord¡­ Ot-th-ers¡­¡± One of the men tried to say as he pointed to another cage covered by white cloth not too far from theirs. From this Zhang could guess that all of these cloth covered cages most likely held people inside.

    Soon enough the dozens of cages in the massive chamber was unveiled and hundreds of shirtless men could be seen trapped inside. Moments later Zhang could be seen wildly swinging his blade once more.

    ¡°I have to free them myself and instill it in their minds that I¡¯m their savior. From the amount of essence being released by the ones I¡¯ve freed so far, they should all be level six or higher warriors. The inscriptions had kept Zhang from seeing the essence being emitted by these men before but once they were free, he could clearly tell what level of cultivation they were at.

    ¡°If I can add the hundreds of men here into my army then everyone else can kiss their asses goodbye.¡± Zhang thought happily as he worked to break the locks keeping the men caged in.

    Most regular people who are at the peak of their health could be considered on the fourth or fifth level of cultivation, regardless if they actually cultivate or not. A farmer could have an essence level of four but never actually utilize it. While trained soldiers who could to an extent utilize their essence were general at level five.

    In the end it came down to technique, skill and practice because someone could have an essence level of ten and still be beat by someone at the fifth level, if they did not know how to fully utilize their strength. Of course brute strength wise someone at the tenth level would totally outclass someone at the fifth level regardless of skill, technique and practice, but if they can¡¯t utilize that to their advantage then it would still be pointless.

    Having a unit of trained soldiers who were at least level six would make Zhang¡¯s army a force to be reckoned with. This was because the gap of strength between the fifth level and the sixth level was extremely vast and most sixth level cultivators would be high ranking military officer while most level seven or high cultivators would normally be appointed as generals.

    An army of soldiers who had the strength of generals would be able to sweep through kingdoms and wipe them out overnight. Especially if they were under Zhang¡¯s command.

    A long while later Zhang had nearly freed everyone caged in and he was just about to unlock the last cage when a loud screech echoed through the chamber. Looking back, he could see the now white and purple Silky scurrying across the chamber toward the corridor that they had passed through earlier.

    Being able to guess what caused Silky to screech and run into the corridor, Zhang continued swinging his sword at the lock of the final cage. A small army of men had gathered behind Zhang in anticipation of the release of their fellow former captives.

    ¡°Done!¡± Zhang yelled as his sword struck the lock and it fell onto the ground. With that the last of the prisoners were free or so Zhang thought. One of the shirtless men made his way up toward Zhang and began gesturing toward the hundreds large jars that were lined the walls.

    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me, there are people sealed in those jars.¡± Zhang said as he felt somewhat tired from swinging his sword so many times at the locks.

    After a few breaths he made his way to one of the jars that had dozens of talismans wrapped around them and reached his hand out. The moment his hand touched the talisman a red bolt of lightning shot and sent him flying a few feet back.

    ¡°What the fuck¡­¡± Zhang cursed as his hair was in a mess and black smudges were visible on his face.

    ¡°Sweetheart I wouldn¡¯t touch those again if I were you.¡± Yuying¡¯s voice sounded out behind Zhang in a slight laugh. Before Zhang could even get up, Yuying¡¯s figure brushed past him and arrived in front of the talisman covered jar.

    With a wave of her hand a blank piece of paper appeared in her hand along with a small bottle of ink and a brush. After placing the blank piece of paper on the ground and a few light strokes, a talisman with blood red ink was produced.

    Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

    ¡°This should do the job.¡± Yuying said with a smile as she stuck her talisman atop of the ones on the jar. Moments later the blood red ink on Yuying¡¯s talisman seemed to come to life and began flowing out of the piece of paper it was written on. Slowly the blood red ink spread from the talisman it was written on and covered the jar in a layer of red ink.

    Then the layer of red ink ignited and burned away. Once the red layer of ink and the talismans were all burned away all that was a bare jar with a wooden lid. Once the talismans were gone, a small hairpin appeared in Yuying¡¯s hand and an instant later it was sent piercing through the air.

    What followed next as the sound of a shattering earthen jar and the sound of gushing water, as the hairpin that shot out of Yuying¡¯s hand grazed the jar causing it to shatter and spill a large amount of water all over the floor.

    Something else that flowed out when the jar shattered was a young woman who looked to be in her twenties. This woman could be described as beautiful in normal terms but couldn¡¯t be compared to the four beauties.

    Dressed in rags that barely covered her body, the young women were covered by a set of robes that Yuying withdrew from her interspatial ring.

    ¡°She¡¯s has a level six cultivation.¡± Zhang said as he examined the woman¡¯s power level.

    ¡°Stick these to the jars.¡± Yuying said as she began producing talismans like the one she had used earlier. There were hundreds of sealed jars but Yuying was making talismans at unbelievable speeds. Soon enough every jar had one of Yuying¡¯s talismans stuck to them and were being engulfed by red ink that was flowing out of the talisman.

    The moment all of the talismans on the jars were burned off, all of the jars were gathered and removed from the walls. When the jars were one after another, beautiful young women were showing up, of course the majority of the jars contained men but a large number of women were found also.

    If the shirtless men in the cages were counted, a total of one thousand five hundred people were recovered. With their cultivation levels ranging from the lowest of five to the highest level being seven.

    Once the people who were sealed away in the jars had woken up, clothes and weapons were handed out by Zhang to properly equip this new addition to his army. Unlike the men that were kept in the cages, the people who were sealed away in the jars had no idea where they were or who they were. It was as if their mind had been wiped blank by whoever sealed them away in the jars.

    ¡°Alright we¡¯ve stayed here for long enough it¡¯s time to move.¡± Zhang said to his new and old subordinates and his four lovely wives who brought along a few hundred men with them.

    Now with sufficient numbers and an overall stronger force, Zhang was ready to continue investigation.

    ¡°Open the gates.¡± Zhang ordered as he and his followers stood in front of a pair of massive gates that led into the unknown. There were only two paths for them to take, the first was to head back from the direction they came from, and the other was to open these massive gates and move forward into the unknown.

    ¡°So far only weird things have been happening... I hope nothing crazy is behind these gates.¡± Zhang mumbled to himself in an inaudible whisper.

    The gates rumbled as they were pushed opened, once the gates open a mountain of bones flowed outward and buried everyone under countless white bones. Climbing out from underneath the mass of bones everyone was left dumbfounded.

    ¡°Just how many bones are there¡­¡± Ai said as her view of the room behind the massive gates was obstructed by the mountain of bones.

    ¡°Yuying if you can do us the honor.¡± Zhang said as a purple light enveloped his hand and shot toward Yuying. Knowing what Zhang meant, a green aura soon enveloped Yuying and a think green mist twisted and twirled around her. Soon enough the entire chamber was engulfed by a sea of green mist.

    Ran Kaitou¡¯s men and the men who Zhang, were stricken in awe and fear once the mountain of bones began rumbling. One by one the bones began to connect and join together, thousands of skeletons were created. Once they were created the skeletons crawled out from the mountain of bones and quickly formed neat rows, as if they were soldiers awaiting orders from their commander.

    A while later the pile of bones was gone and an endless amount of skeletons were standing in line. Then with a snap of her fingers, Yuying released her spell and all of the skeletons broke apart and a sea of bones was formed.

    The mountain of bones was replaced by a sea of bones but the main difference was the path forward was no longer blocked. Of course Yuying did not remove all of the bones that were blocking their path, she did however move a large portion the ones that were obstructing their path.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Zhang said as he took the lead and took the first step into the room behind the gates.

    With the mountain of bones gone the group made their way through the massive gates and entered room even larger than the one they were in before. Countless white bones laid about as the group pressed onward.

    As Zhang took the lead he noticed something atop one of the mountains of bones. It had the figure of a person, cloaked in pitch black clothes.

    ¡°Who are you! Name yourself or I¡¯ll take it you¡¯re one of those abominations we ran into earlier and I¡¯ll give you a quick death.¡± Zhang roared at the figure atop the mountain of bones.

    ¡°Who am I? Why must I name myself when you are the guest. But I will tell you this as thanks for bringing me more sacrifices. I am the lord of the new moon; I am the man who will consume the rest of the Warring States Region.¡± The man cloaked in black clothes said from atop the mountain of bones.

    ¡°So you¡¯re the provincial lord of the new moon province...¡± Lingqi said with eyes full of disdain and mockery.

    ¡°I am the lord of the entire region! Once my New Moon Army is recreated, nothing will be able to stop me. Ahahahaha.¡± The man said with a hint of madness in his voice.

    ¡°Help us! Help!¡± A mass of voices could be heard in the distance as the man dressed in pitch black cloths broke into hysterical laughter.

    In the distance behind a few mounds of bones, were hundreds of tired up people who were sitting in the center of a gigantic magical circle.

    ¡°Shut up and accept your fate! If you¡¯re lucky, you¡¯ll become some of the strongest people to step foot in the Warring States Region. If you''re unlucky I¡¯ll add you to the Jiangshi horde.¡±

    ¡°So it was him who made the Jiangshi¡­.¡± Zhang thought.

    Soon the cries for help turned into screams filled with fear.

 Chapter 110: Black Pearl

    Hello There! I would like to thank all of those folks who replied to the survey, and to those who volunteered to help proof/edit. Thank you my patrons who have supported me thus far, and my newest patron also :D I was planning to have two chapters today but I had one of those oh god my head hurts I needa lay down and then fell asleep days.........

    I think I''m going to start posting the chapters a few days later on rrl and post first on novelsnao O_O not sure still, sigh curse my indecisiveness

    ========================================================================================================

    The gigantic magic circle began glowing and blood began streaming out of the eyes of the people trapped inside. Soon blood began seeping out from their pores and a pool of it formed under their feet.

    An instant later the very flesh on their bodies began melting off of their bones and falling onto the floor. All of this happened in but an instant, not allowing Zhang very much time to react or help at all.

    Once the blood and flesh that covered their bones were completely gone, only hundreds of skeletons were left. With nothing left to hold them together the skeletons scattered into the ground forming a sea of bones.

    Then the glowing magic circle grew brighter and the blood and melted flesh began swirling about and condensing in the center of the circle. Flowing into the air the mix of gore condensed together, creating a pearl sized ball. A pitch black pearl fell to the ground as the light that was emitting from the magic circle faded away. In that end all that was left behind by the hundreds of people were bones, clothes and the single black pearl.

    A second later the man cloaked in black clothes who was the lord of the New Moon Province leapt off the mountain of bones and landed in front of the gigantic magic circle. Picking up the pearl he began to examine it as Zhang and the others stood with shocked expressions on their faces. Having collected and found countless pearls such as the one that was just created right in front of his eyes, Zhang could simply imagine the amount of people that were killed in order to create so many pearls.

    ¡°Perhaps that''s what happened to all of the people in the mansion and all of the soldiers guarding the city¡­¡± Zhang thought to himself as he watched the man examine the pearl.

    ¡°Hmph another defective one¡­  Besides those three perfect ones I¡¯ve yet to create another perfect soul pearl¡­¡± The lord of the New Moon Province said with a disappointed tone as he held the pearl in his hand, without showing any reaction toward the deaths of the people in the magical circle as he stepped on their bones.

    ¡°Thank you for bring me the next batch of materials, I was just about to go fetch them.¡± New Moon City¡¯s lord said with a sinister grin as he looked at Zhang¡¯s newly acquired soldiers.

    Of the one thousand and five hundred new additions to Zhang¡¯s army only the men who were kept in the cages were fit for battle while the people recovered from the sealed jars had amnesia and were not fit to fight at all.

    From the way the provincial lord acted he seemed fairly confident that he could defeat everyone present, or rather he had some way to deal with all of the people Zhang freed.

    ¡°Everyone retreat!¡± Zhang yelled to his followers. From the essence this man was emitting Zhang could tell that he was at most at the sixth level of cultivation. Which is lacking if one compared him to Zhang, the beauties who were at the seventh level of cultivation, nearing the eight and the thousand five hundred people that had just been rescued.

    But from the confidence on his face and speech, Zhang knew that he most likely had a way to deal with everyone present.

    ¡°Maybe there are other magic circles here and are just buried underneath the piles of bones.¡± Zhang thought as his people began retreating out of the massive twin gates and back into the chamber that they had just come from.

    ¡°There¡¯s nowhere for you to run!¡± The provincial lord yelled as he snapped his fingers. The walls began to tremble as hundreds of runes and inscriptions on the ground began to light up. Unlike the magic circle before, these ones turned the piles of bones on top of them into ash and replaced the bones with something sinister.

    The piles of bones were instantly replaced with hundreds of Jiangshi and lesser Jiangshi. There were also a dozens of monsters like the one that Zhang had faced in the corridor, some looked like children while others looked like grown men and women.

    Then there were even four gigantic monsters that resembled hundreds of conjoined people, which Zhang had resembled the larger versions of the thing Zhang had killed in the corridor, slowly inching out of the magic circles.

    ¡°Retreat to the corridor! Use the small space to our advantage!¡± Zhang commanded. Without knowing how many magic circles could pop up, paired with the large number of monsters that had just shown up, the best place to put up a stand was the corridors. If anything they could flee back to the surface and leave the province. When in doubt and without a way to fight the best strategy is to flee.

    The spiders were the first into the corridor thanks to their speed then they were followed by the people who were toward the rear of the group when entering the room behind the twin gates, then came the beauties and Zhang.

    Following behind his men, a glint appeared in Zhang¡¯s eyes as he caught sight of the cages that he had freed the shirtless men from not too long ago. Although the locks on the cages were broken, the cages themselves were completely intact and usable.

    With a grin on his face, Zhang stored away every inscription covered cage in his path as he headed toward the corridor. Amazingly he did all of this while hundreds of defective Jiangshi and a horde of monsters were in pursuit.

    ¡°Run as much as you¡¯d like but none of you are getting out of here alive!¡± The New Moon Lord yelled as maniacal laughter soon followed.

    ¡°This guy has a few screws loose¡­ As if sacrificing his people to make an army of monsters scary enough, guy has to be crazy too.¡± Zhang thought was a sigh as he and his people neared the corridor.

    Once inside he would be able to use the cage to block the path of the incoming monsters, make it so that only a few of the monsters if any at all can engage them in combat at a time. From what he had heard before, Zhang knew that none of the

    Jiangshi present were full-fledged ones because only three complete black pearls had been created. So if New Moon City¡¯s lord only had three complete pearls then all of the creatures present were made with defective pearls.

    With a wave of his hand, an inscription covered appeared out of thin air and a wall of bars stretched from side to side of the corridor, leaving but a small gap for the monsters to squeeze through.

    Along with the cage¡¯s appearance, Ai withdrew her Queen of the Night whip and dozens of black vines then shot out of the walls, latching the cage into place. With the vines keeping it in place, the cage was able to prevent the bulk of the monster horde besides a few from making it past.

    Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

    Besides holding the cage in place the black vines also struck out at the monsters.  Of course they weren¡¯t enough to turn any of the monsters into ash, but they were able to keep the monster back.

    ¡°You there, lead your men and inform our men above ground to move out of the city. God knows if he had placed magic circles around the city.¡± Zhang commanded because he thought the current situation was not something that these men could handle so it would be best for them to leave and inform the others above ground to leave also.

    ¡°The rest of you form up and kill whatever gets past the cage!¡±

    ¡°Honey I¡¯ll be back!¡± Ling yelled to Zhang as she decided to head for the surface. Without any water present she wouldn¡¯t be of too much used so her first priority right now would be to head to the surface and come back with the massive store of water that was brought for her use.

    With a nod Zhang began to face the few a Jiangshi that was squeezing through the side of the cage.  But before it could make its way through, a throwing knife pierced through the air and imbedded itself into the Jiangshi¡¯s forehead. However, despite having a knife lodged into its head the Jiangshi continued forward as if nothing happened.

    ¡°I¡¯m sure these ones are the same as the ones chained at the entrance¡­¡± Zhang though as creases appeared on his brow. But then it was as if a light bulb appeared atop of his head.

    Remembering back to how he had gotten rid of the hundred or so Jiangshi that were bound by the entrance of the corridor, another throwing knife was withdrew from Zhang¡¯s interspatial ring and shot forth at the Jiangshi.

    Moments later the second throwing knife lodged itself into the Jiangshi¡¯s chest and the instant it did the Jiangshi bursted into dust as two halves of a partially black pearl fell to the ground.

    ¡°Unless there was sunlight the only way to kill these defective Jiangshi was to damage the pearls inside their chests that serve as their cores.¡± Said to the people beside him, who in turn told those beside them. Soon this bit of information was known by the entire group. This tiny bit of information could have possibly meant the difference between life and death.

    Soon one after another the Jiangshi that managed to squeeze through the side of the cage were dealt with in an orderly manner. Although Zhang somewhat regretted having to break the pearls, there currently was no other way to kill them.

    Each pearl represented hundreds if not thousands of people converted into essence. Making them very precious, especially for someone like Zhang who did not like harming innocent people. It was highly unlikely that he would ever sacrifice thousands of people to produce things such as these pearls, however if he could acquire them through other means that he was all for it.

    Only a fool would turn down a hard treasure worth the lives of thousands of people.

    ¡°After this is over, I¡¯m going to collect those broken pearls and see what I can do with them¡­ Maybe the shards will still work but to a lesser degree.¡± He thought as he eyed the dozens of broken pearls lying about on the ground.

    ¡°To think your using my cages to hold back my army back¡­¡± The provincial lord¡¯s voice rang out from within the monster horde. Not long after he walked up from the mix of monsters and placed his hand on the cage.

    Instantly the inscriptions on the cage stopped glowing and allowed the monsters to easily rip through the iron bars.

    ¡°Fall back!¡± Zhang yelled as he withdrew another cage and used it to buy himself and the others some time. He didn¡¯t want a brawl to break out because that may end up too risky. The last thing he wanted was for the people he saved to be turned into lesser Jiangshi and used against him. Considering their levels of cultivation, they should be able to hold their own against the monsters, well in normal circumstances but currently the vast majority was suffering from memory loss. Meaning their minds were in disarray and which in turn could affect their combat capabilities.

    Zhang also noticed that despite having high cultivation a few of these people seemed to lack proper form. From the way their held their weapons and positioned their bodies, he could tell that before this incident they were most likely just regular people.

    A true cultivator¡¯s body had proper form and such things etched into them. For example, even if Zhang had lost all of his memories, if he was given a pair of twin swords he would still be able to use them fairly proficiently. Muscle memory could not be erased like the memories stored in the mind.

    If someone was a farmer for all of their life, even if they lost all of their memories they still be able to use a shove with proper form and such if given one.

    ¡°Silky! Take your masters out of here! Quickly!¡± Zhang said. Of all of the Wraith Spiders, Silky was the only one present. The others were at the very front of the group, while Silky stuck around with Yuying and the girls.

    With a screech in reply Silky shot silk at the three beauties and caught them in a thick web. Once it¡¯s cargo was secure Silky scurried onto the walls and made its way toward the front of the group, carrying the three beauties to safety.

    Soon after another screech could be heard coming from the front of the group, and unknowns to Zhang the other Wraith Spiders began copying Silky. One by one the other spiders began carrying off the people in the group in silky sacks. This caused the speed of the group to drastically increase, creating a small gap between them and the horde of monsters.

    At the far end of the group, Zhang was making inscription covered cages appear one after the other, because with a wave of his hand the lord of New Moon City was able to dispel the inscriptions allow the monster horde to charge straight past.

    ¡°Futile attempts won¡¯t help you against me.¡± New Moon City¡¯s lord said to Zhang.

    Despite being at a higher level of cultivation, Zhang felt that something was off about the man chasing after him. From his mannerisms, speech, and a variety of other things, Zhang felt something odd about this man.

    ¡°Once we reach the exit, I¡¯ll smash a hole in the ceiling and turn your monster horde into dust¡­ Then I¡¯ll deal with you and then harvest all of those black pearls.¡± Zhang thought as he shot a glance the lord of New Moon city.

    ¡°Hey! Maybe next time you chase after a guy, you should tell him your name first!¡± Zhang shouted. He did not know his pursuer¡¯s name and referring to him as the lord of the new moon province was getting annoying.

    ¡°Why should I tell my name to someone who will just end up dead in a bit.¡± The lord of New Moon City said mockingly.

    ¡°Snooty fucker¡­ Once we get out of here I¡¯m going to kill you¡­¡± Zhang cursed in his mind, as the group neared the staircase that lead out of this dark world.

 Chapter 111: Genius

    As Zhang and his people ran through the long corridor while being pursued by the horde of monsters and the lord of the city, their eyes soon saw a beacon of hope and survival. A massive spiraling staircase came to view. Although the forty men stationed to reflect sunlight down from above were no longer there, their mirrors were tied to swords that were stabbed into the cracks on the walls, and a tiny sliver of light managed to make its way down into the darkness.

    The Wraith Spiders along with their queen had been the first to arrive and quickly sped up the walls and made their way onto the surface. Not having to use the staircase at all made them ascend at unbelievable speeds, had they been just a bit earlier they would have caught up with Ling and those who had left earlier.

    After the spiders emerged from the underground, the rest of the group along with Zhang arrived at the bottom of the staircase.

    Looking back at the horde behind him Zhang cursed, ¡°If only I had affinity with earth magic instead of fire magic. Then I¡¯d just collapse the damn corridor on them.¡±

    ¡°But in a bit I¡¯ll turn all of you into ash and dust¡­¡± He thought as an evil grin crept onto his face as the staircase came into view.

    ¡°Ha give a fool, false hope and he won¡¯t fight back as hard.¡± New Moon City¡¯s lord laughed as came out of the corridor just a few breaths after Zhang. With a horde of grotesque monsters behind him, the city¡¯s lord stretched out his hand and pressed into the wall on his right and dozens of runes appeared on the wall.

    Soon thousands of runes lit up and illuminated the dark underground chamber. These runes could be seen stretching from the bottom of the staircase all the way to the top. Moments later a rumbling sound could be heard as the staircase in front of Zhang began to move.

    The stone steps were slowly moving into the walls and with enough time the entire staircase would be gone and so would be the only hope of escaping. Unless one could fly the distance from the bottom of the chamber to the exit was too high.

    ¡°Run! Quickly!¡± Zhang roared. Only a few hundred men and women who weren¡¯t carried off by the Wraith Spider were running up the shrinking stairs alongside Zhang. They were not even half way up yet but the staircase was already half of its original width.

    The monster horde had halted its advance and was simply watching Zhang and his men run up the staircase. It was clear that the city lord was certain that Zhang and his men would not make it to the top of the staircase. Thus he stood watching as if he were to watch a play unfold.

    ¡°Had this place not been rigged with traps and mechanisms, I¡¯d gladly fight that bastard¡­¡± Zhang thought as he shot a glare at New Moon City¡¯s lord.

    As the staircase steadily shrank, a crooked smile crept onto the city lord¡¯s face as he watched his prey struggle to escape. Like a lofty king who was on a hunt and was watching lowly animals scamper about until they were too tired to fight back, New Moon City¡¯s lord stood motionless with his vision locked on Zhang.

    But as wise men say, an opportunity not taken is an opportunity lost, because the sound of rushing water soon drifted down from the surface and filled everyone¡¯s ears. Moments later as if a dam had burst open, a jet of water shot down from the exit that the staircase led to.

    The water pressure was so strong that the stone that surround the exit began to shatter and large chunks of stone were blasted away by the water. Not knowing what was happening Zhang¡¯s new recruits watched in horror as the flood of water gushed down the staircase. In their minds they were believed they were going to be swept away by the water and considering how narrow the corridor below was they would certainly drown.

    However, moments before the water slammed into them, it turned and flowed down the side of the stairs. Then much like a snake, the water coiled back up from the side of the staircase and continued flowing down the staircase. By now the water made it impossible for the monster horde to pursue even if they wanted to.

    With a glint in his eye, Zhang looked upward at the growing hole in the ceiling that lead outside. Soon enough the hole was five times larger due to the force of the water grinding away at the stone. A goddess then descended atop a column of water and graced Zhang with a lovely smile.

    ¡°I¡¯m back!¡± Ling said with a corky smile on her face as hundreds of glittering droplets of water sprinkled down around her.

    ¡°You¡¯re late.¡± Zhang said with an equally corky grin on his face as he stood looking up at his wife, totally ignoring the fact that the staircase was still shrinking into the wall.

    ¡°You seem to be needing some help, my powerful husband.¡± Ling said with a grin.

    ¡°Only because you¡¯re late, my lovely wife.¡± Zhang replied with a grin.

    The people around him looked in disbelief as this couple continued their conversation, ignoring the predicament they were in. Perhaps in the hearts of everyone present, besides Zhang and Ling, they were cursing the fact that these two could not read the current atmosphere and were flirting. But if these two were not doing what they were currently doing then they wouldn¡¯t be themselves.

    For, Zhang and his wives are known to drift into a world of their own during times when danger is present. Is they had acted any differently than Zhang and the beauties might as well be someone else.

    ¡°Then perhaps I¡¯ll lend you a hand. But like sister Lingqi often says. What do you have to offer for my services?¡±

    ¡°Well I have nothing to offer you my dear, but I do have something to offer to mother in law and father in law.¡± Zhang said as the staircase continued shrinking and was currently only wide enough for three people to stand side by side. Compared to before when it was wide enough for ten people to stand side by side, the staircase was about to completely shrink into the wall.

    ¡°What could you possibly give mother and father?¡± Ling asked as Zhang¡¯s replied piqued her interest.

    ¡°Grandkids.¡± He said with a proud look on his face.

    ¡°Lots of grandkids.¡± He then added while puffing out his chest proudly.

    ¡°If that''s all you can offer then I¡¯ll think about lending a helping hand.¡± Ling said with slightly blushing cheeks. It was not as if she was new to the things that occur in the bed chamber but openly implying such things in front of others still made her a tad embarrassed.

    ¡°If elder sis doesn¡¯t want her parents to have grandkids then my father would be glad to take their place. He¡¯d be more than happy to have new grandkids, since newborns are very rare down there.¡± Yuying¡¯s voice echoed down from the hole in the ceiling.

    ¡°Maybe if sister Yuying takes me down there to visit, I¡¯ll be able to find my mother and father and I¡¯m sure they¡¯d be more than happy to meet their grandkids.¡± Lingqi¡¯s voice soon followed.

    Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.

    ¡°Me too! Me too!¡± Ai¡¯s voice of course was added to the mix.

    ¡°Damn¡­I took too long...¡± Ling cursed in her mind.

    ¡°Deal! I¡¯ll do it for mother and father.¡± Ling said as she waved her hand then the water in front of Zhang froze into ice. With another wave of her hand the ice¡¯s smooth surface was reshaped and turned into the shape of a staircase. There was even railing to prevent anyone from slipping on the ice and tumbling down.

    ¡°Deal.¡± Zhang smiled as he watched those in front of him take their first steps onto the ice staircase.

    A scowl had appeared on the previously gleeful and mocking face of New Moon City¡¯s lord as he gazed upward at the newly constructed flight of ice stairs. He could be considered lucky because after Ling froze the water and created the staircase, no more water flowed down anymore.

    Although it wasn¡¯t much but enough water had gushed down that the water level was high enough to cover his ankles.

    ¡°Hmph don¡¯t think that you¡¯re safe just because you have a new flight of stairs¡­¡± The city lord muttered in displeasure as his hand reached out once more and pressed onto the wall.

    Moments later runes once more covered the walls and soon the wall began morphing and thousands of spikes could be seen protruding from them. Afterward the walls began rotating in a spiral motion, creating what would seem like a meat grinder.

    ¡°Sigh, can¡¯t anything be easy these days?¡± Zhang mumbled with a sigh as he saw the spiral of spikes began expanding and enclosing on the ice staircase.

    If the spikes grind against the ice staircase, then more than likely the staircase would shatter and send maybe not Zhang but many of his new subordinates to their deaths. If the fall didn¡¯t kill them then they¡¯d join the horde of monsters below.

    Thus many of Zhang¡¯s new subordinates began desperately running up the icy staircase in the hopes of survival. Even with their high cultivation it still took a fairly long time to ascend the staircase. This was because most of the new subordinates were warriors and not mages, had they been mages like wind mages, water mages or earth mages then they would have been able to use the elements to escape. Had they been fire mages like Zhang then escape would have also been fairly simple.

    But being warriors, especially ones who did not know how to fully utilize their cultivation, these people were like sitting ducks or sheep waiting to be led to the slaughter. Perhaps if they escape alive and receive training from Zhang, then they would be able to unleash their true potential. But for now they were like unchiseled diamonds just waiting to be cut and polished.

    ¡°Tch... ¡°Clicking her tongue and with a wave of her hand, Ling liquefied parts of the staircase and made platforms on the rotating spiked walls.

    ¡°Make your way up using the platforms.¡± She yelled. Since the platforms were covering the spikes and apart of the wall, they could not be shattered. Of course ascending would be a tad more difficult, they did not have to worry about their escape route being shattered.

    Although Ling could use the water and carry everyone up, it was not a method that she preferred. Simply said controlling one column of water for herself was fairly hard and if she had to make hundreds of them then that would put too much of a strain on herself. Then there was the option of just collecting everyone in in massive body of water and raise it outside, but that would risk possibly causing some people to drown.

    So unless absolutely needed she preferred not to use either method. Also if push comes to shove, she would obviously save her husband and everyone else was on their own.

    The lord of New Moon City was no longer simply watching like before, after he had activated the spiked walls, with a motion of his hand the monsters that resembled giant masses of conjoined bodies made their way through the monster horde and began creeping up the walls.

    Despite the spiral moving spikes, these monsters were unharmed during their ascent. Slowly they made their way upward, using the spikes as leverage and gripes to propel themselves up. With hundreds of limbs, scaling the spiked wall could be considered child''s play for these monstrosities.

    ¡°Ling! Use the water to reflect the light down here!¡± Zhang yelled to his lovely wife.

    Mere moments later after a few thoughts, Ling waves her hand and sent a blast of water upward, smashing the ceiling of the room that was atop of the exit.

    ¡°Hey! Next time you do something like that give us a heads up!¡± Lingqi¡¯s voice came echoing down from above. Along with Lingqi¡¯s voice, a large ray of light shone down from above. With the roof of the room above no longer blocking its path, sunlight was able to make its way downward.

    Then with another wave of her hand, Ling made hundreds of specks of water float into the ray of light. With the water acting as a reflector, hundreds of dots of light speckled the stone walls.

    ¡°Wait a moment¡­¡± Ling said as a thought popped into her head. She remembered reading about a lost art where the user manipulated light instead of water, fire, earth and wind. Light magic was a lost magic that not many even know of, had she not stumbled about a small text about it in the Royal Academy¡¯s vast library then perhaps Ling wouldn¡¯t even know of its existence.

    But of course the world is filled with many strange types of magic. For instance, Yuying¡¯s black magic that can instantly raise the dead and alter the mind, such arts are completely unimaginable. Although creating undead could be done by people such as New Moon City¡¯s lord, it required vast amounts of sacrifices and time. However, Yuying is able to create lower ranking undead in mere moments, which is unheard of.

    Remembering the technique regarding light, Ling tried to imitate it by using the water droplets to redirect the light. The hundreds of water droplets condensed countless rays of light together under Ling¡¯s control.

    Soon enough a ray of condensed light, made up of hundreds of redirected rays of light was born. The heat that the ray produced was so intense that part of the stone that it shone on began liquefying. One could imagine how much heat the ray of light contained to turn solid stone into a liquid.

    With a glint in her eye and a proud look on her face, Ling began directing the ray of light at the monsters climbed up the walls.

    Wherever the ray of light went, death followed as the colossal masses of bodies one by one turned to ashes and made hundreds of black and white pearls turn downward. Not only did the monsters perish, but the ray of light even managed to cut through some of spikes and sent them tumbling down into the abyss.

 Chapter 112: Tomb

    Novels Nao is down T_T so welp here''s a new chapter :D

    =============================================================================

    As the ray of death shot about into the darkness causing dust and countless pearls to scatter about. The thin ray of light continued on a path of destruction and cut through dozens of the stone spikes that protruded from the walls. Dust, pearls and chunks of broken stone began to rain down upon the horde of monsters below.

    A scowl crept onto the face of New Moon City¡¯s lord as the raining debris came crashing down from above. Pressing his hand against the wall, a thin see through membrane began growing out from the walls and repelled everything that came to touch it.

    While chaos ensued, the strugglers that were fleeing up the ice staircase were but a few steps away from the exit. Having escaped from the darkness filled depths, all of their faces were filled to the brim with glee.

    Down below the ray of death was inches away from touching the thin membrane that the city lord had erected, Ling looked downward in anticipation, wishing to know how powerful her new technique would be.

    To her disappointment the moment the ray of light struck the thin membrane, it was deflected and reflected onto the ground causing it to melt. A small hole the size of a needle was left on the ground where the ray of light was reflected.

    With a wave of her hand, Ling cancelled out her technique and made the column of water underneath her feet raise up. With her objective complete there was no need to stay any longer. Thus the column of water rose out of the exit and Ling exited the underground abyss.

    Zhang had just exited the dark abyss and the light of the midday¡¯s sun shone into his eyes. The sun¡¯s glare coming down from the hole in the ceiling caused Zhang to squint as he looked around the room. Besides his wives and the few people who had just exited with him there was no one else.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Yuying yelled as she ushered everyone toward the door. Following everyone else and exiting the room, Zhang was greeted by the man who he had been hoping to see. Soon a yellow earthen glow radiated from the ground and the ground began to rumble.

    Buildings began to rumble, the earth began to fluctuate and the stone tiles laid atop the ground began to upturn. Ran Kaitou stood atop a stone column, chugging down bottle after bottle of essence water as the ground beneath him began to split apart.

    Zhang and the others were lifted into the sky by columns of stone just like the one Ran Kaitou was standing atop of as the land where the provincial lord¡¯s mansion stood over was pushed away. Buildings became meshed together as a huge crater was made with the place where the staircase that led down into the underground chambers as it¡¯s center.

    One could say the true power of an earth Mage had been unleashed. The power to reshape mountains and bury cities had been on full display thanks to the bottles of essence water that Zhang had given to Ran Kaitou.

    At the bottom of the crater stood New Moon City¡¯s lord and beside him were thousands of grotesque beasts that weren''t meant to see the light of day. As the warm rays of the sun struck them the beasts began to be enveloped in smoke and moments later they all turned into ashes and blew away with the wind. Thousands of black and white pearls scattered onto the ground and the provincial lord stood with a face full of rage.

    The monster horde that he had spent so much time and effort to create was blown away in but an instant due to the sun.

    Had undead demonic beasts not have such a major weakness then perhaps their kind would have already taken over vast amounts of territory. It was due to this fatal weakness and the reclusive nature of regular demonic beasts, that mankind was able to dominate so much land.

    ¡°Now that we are out in the open, we can use our numbers to take him out.¡± Zhang thought as he gazed down from the stone column onto his pursuer. Without the cover of darkness, nor the horde of monsters, the enemy''s battle potential had possibly decreased by half.

    ¡°Ran, upturn the ground. Make is so that any magic circles that have been laid on the ground before was destroyed. We can¡¯t have any more surprises showing up.¡± Zhang said turning his vision to Ran Kaitou who was a short distance away from him.

    Sections of the underground chambers and corridor was still untouched when Ran Kaitou moved the ground, so there was still a possibility of there still being magic circles laid out on the ground.

    With a motion of his hand, Ran Kaitou made the ground tremble once more and as if something was burrowing underneath it the ground began to upturn and soon not a single patch of even ground was left. The inside of the crated had turned into jagged rocks and cracked earth, making it so that even if there were some magic circles set up they would have been destroyed.

    But oddly the patch of tile underneath the city lord¡¯s feet remained completely intact, a bubble shaped membrane had appeared and prevented Ran Kaitou¡¯s magic from affecting the earth in that certain location.

    While Ran Kaitou was reshaping the land, Ling had collected every single drop of water in the area and created a massive wall of water that stretched as far as the eye could see and rose four stories into the sky. Standing atop the wall of water Ling made thousands of drops of water float into the air, in preparation to use her new technique that she had just used moments ago.

    With a wave of her hand the wall of water circled around the crater and surrounded it from all sides. With yet another wave of her hand, the wave of water gushed into the crater with unbelievable force. Rocks were smashed to bits and the earth was churned into mesh. The waves swept up the loose upturned earth that Ran Kaitou had created and made a flood of mood and gravel that threatened to not only drown anyone that was caught by it but also bury them whole.

    The moment that all of the waves met in the center of the crater they crashed into the thin membrane that encased the city lord.

    ¡°Now!¡± Ling yelled the thousands of water droplets emitted ten rays of condensed light that were as hot as the blazing sun. The crushing waves and the dazzling rays of light met at the center of the crater and a massive explosion of steam and water erupted into the air.

    Following Ling¡¯s terrifying display of might a lightning bolt snaked through the air and soon to follow was yet another devastating explosion that sent bits of rubble shooting about. Moments later as the stream cleared and the water settled, to everyone¡¯s disdain and disbelief a semitransparent membrane was still clearly visible at the very center of the crater.

    ¡°You think some water and a few techniques at this level can break my shield?  Not even a tenth level cultivator can break through this shield!  You may have destroyed my army but I simply have to recreate it. If anything I¡¯ll return to the sect¡­¡± The provincial lord said with his last words being in such a low tone that it was inaudible.

    ¡°Maybe we can¡¯t break it, maybe we can¡¯t kill you now, but there is one thing we can do.¡± Zhang said with a stern look on his face.

    If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

    ¡°Bury him¡­¡± He said while looking down into the crater.

    Gulping down yet another bottle of essence water, Ran Kaitou focused all of his essence and performed his strongest technique. Countless specks of dust rose into the air and a moment later as if being attracted by the provincial lord¡¯s shield, every speck shot forth. Speck after speck came together and soon a thin layer of dust formed atop of the shield, however things did not stop there.

    ¡°Ahaha you''re going to bury me in dust?¡± The provincial lord laughed.

    ¡°Condense! Mineral tomb!¡± Ran Kaitou roared as clapped his hands together.

    Although it the specks looked like insignificant specks of dust, in actuality the dust consisted entirely of hard minerals that had been sorted from the earth. Iron, copper, nickel, even bits of diamond was pressed together to create an extremely dense sphere.

    Once the dense sphere of minerals was created, a pitch black flame danced about in Zhang¡¯s hand.

    ¡°This flame isn¡¯t large enough to burn away a person¡¯s soul, but for it to burn away the essence around and inside the sphere shouldn¡¯t be too hard. I¡¯ll make sure to come back once a while to visit.¡± Said Zhang as the black flame shot out of his hand and whizz through the sky. He was certain that if he did not extinguish the supply of essence in the area around and inside the sphere then New Moon City¡¯s lord would more than likely be able to break free in no time. But if essence which is basically life force is taken out of an environment, a person¡¯s body would be weakened.

    The amount of essence the body generates wouldn¡¯t be sufficient to break out of the sphere that Ran Kaitou had. If the city lord used too much essence in a place that had been burned dry of essence, then rather of thinking about escaping he wouldn¡¯t be able to maintain his own life.

    If it was an open area then the essence would quickly return but in a closed off area, especially one such as the mineral sphere, essence most likely would not be able to return.

    Dozens of talismans shot out of Yuying¡¯s hand and stuck onto the black sphere while Ran Kaitou then made hundreds of rocks and stones shift about in the ground and shoot at the sphere of condensed minerals. Using his essence, he turned this hard stones into liquid and made them wrap around the mineral tomb. Layer of after layer of stone followed by a huge amount of dirt and gravel, the massive crater was filled in and not a single trace of it was left.

    ¡°That should do it.¡± Ran Kaitou said as he lowered the stone columns and patted his hands.

    ¡°To think his shield could block attack from tenth level cultivators¡­ Well that should be the last of him for now. Once we get strong enough I¡¯ll come back and finish him¡± Zhang mumbled.

    ================================================================

    After the battle was done, Zhang and the rest of those who escaped out of the abyss left the city and moved into the fort erected not too far from it. The Wraith Spiders returned to their home inside the Ruler¡¯s Domain after a hearty dinner of cattle and livestock, purchased by their masters.

    The provincial treasury was also raided on the way out of the city. Ran Kaitou¡¯s earth magic had smashed the treasury into a bunch of other buildings, but after some searching it was found.

    Zhang took roughly twenty-five percent of the treasure and left the rest to Ran Kaitou whom he had appointed as lord of the province. Of course this wasn''t official until the rest of the province is subdued.

    Having wrecked half the city, Zhang proposed that a new, New Moon City be built elsewhere. The city had sustained too much damage and too much blood and evil had been done underneath it, so a change of location would be for the best. On top of all of this a certain someone was sealed underneath the city and although they were fairly sure he wouldn''t be able to break out, there are no guarantees in the world.

    Since they had an earth Mage and Zhang''s supply of essence replenishing be water, building a new city would let require too much effort.

    But the relocation would have to wait because what everyone needed was a good night¡¯s rest. Zhang''s new additions to his army also needed to be accounted and put into ranks.

    The men and women were separated into groups and put under different leadership. Zhang acquired a team of men with high cultivation bases under his direct command, while the beauties divided up the women. They would each personally train and sort of come teachers to these men and women.

    Thus three camps were set up for the night. One larger camp for the civilians of New Moon City, and two small camps for the new additions to Zhang¡¯s army, one for men and one for women, with Zhang and his wives tenth in the between them.

    As the moon rose into the sky and everyone was asleep, in the now empty capital of the New Moon Province something unexpected was occurring. In a plot of land where the provincial lord¡¯s mansion used to stand a small figure was hunched over and scraping away at the ground.

    ¡°Master, does this mean we can finally return to the sect? Does it mean you don¡¯t have to pretend to be that lowly lord any longer? We can finally leave this wretched place?¡± The small figure muttered as his hands clawed away at the ground.

    As the night went on, moonlight shone on the small figure, revealing what looked more like a beast then a person. With a fur covered body, a hunched back, bulky arms that were totally proportion with its body, and a long tail that resembled that of a lion, the beast looked like a mixture of different animals.

    ¡°We¡¯ve been in this wretched place for years, can we finally go back now?¡± The beast continued muttering through the night as it clawed away the dirt and stone that Ran Kaitou had encased the mineral sphere in.

    Soon, an extremely deep hole was dug in the ground. Only a few hours had passed so one could say that whoever or whatever had dug the ground had done so at an unbelievable pace. Amazingly enough even the thick layer of stone that Ran Kaitou had laid out was clawed through and soon enough the pitch black sphere that was never meant to be seen again was unearthed.

    However, when the creature that was digging through the ground tried to claw open the black sphere, all was heard was a loud clang. Yuying¡¯s talismans had fused with the sphere and enforced its toughness to the extreme, allowing the black sphere to deflect the claws that were able to easily break through stone.

    Not being able to break through however did not deter the beast, for it hoisted the black sphere up out of the ground and after covering the hole, walked off into the darkness.

    ================================================================================

    I''ve been a pain magnet lately, first with the hot butter spilling onto my hand then another thing happened.

    I was at the school gym for my weight lifting class and I was mind my own business and just walking, when a 100lb... yes 100lb dumbbell rolled off the rack because someone didn''t put it back correctly and smashed onto my foot... imagine the pain T_T my god....

 Chapter 113: Doctor

    Sorry late post :( Listen to this song as you feel sorry for me instead >:D

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gpYnTUMF-co</a>

    ======================================================================================

    The sun was peeking out from the horizon, the clouds were nowhere in sight, and the roosters crowed as a new day began. A hectic day full of things to do awaited, all of the civilians of New Moon City basically had to relocated, and a brand new city had to be planed and built. The city had sustained too much damage and too much blood and evil had been done underneath it, so a change of location would be for the best.

    Of course this was all a pretense, Zhang not want anyone to accidentally release the madman they had buried underneath the city and secondly he had thought about using the fort that Ran Kaitou had erected to keep an eye on how Ran Kaitou runs the province, but in the end placing a few of his generals and some soldiers to keep an eye on Ran Kaitou was not an answer.

    If Ran Kaitou went rogue, then he could easily use earth magic and take out the soldiers that Zhang stationed to keep an eye on him. So the best option Zhang could think of was to move the province¡¯s capital closer to Aurora. Currently New Moon City was situated in the center of the province, but if it was moved toward the south west then, the other forces of Aurora can keep a better eye on it.

    It would also be safer since the New Moon Province, once added into the Aurora Kingdom, would be the only piece of land that stretched out into the northern lands. The provinces that made up the Aurora Kingdom were all situated in the central region of the warring states region, where Aurora had the highest influence. This made it the first place the northern provinces would attack if they were to attack the Aurora Kingdom, so leaving a large open area in the northern region of the province would make it safer for the civilians and would also make it so that less manpower and wealth would have to be spent to secure the province if enemies were to attack.

    Being the first to awaken as the morning sun¡¯s rays seeped through the white fabric that made up his tent, Zhang crawled his way out of bed while trying not to disturb anyone else. But that is easier said than done, because currently he was surrounded on all sides and without a place to go. He had to use every ounce of his concentration and every bit of his agility to prevent himself from waking up the beauties.

    ¡°They deserve some more rest.¡± He thought as he stood by the bed and his vision swept past each and everyone one of them. With a refreshed smile on his face, Zhang departed the tent and took in a breath of morning fresh air.

    ¡°In a few days we should be able to resume our trip. Since the New Moon Army practically disappeared, there shouldn¡¯t be too many people in the province with enough power to suppress Ran and once our forces from Aurora arrive our rule here will be officially established.¡± Zhang thought as he began his stroll, first he headed toward the large camp where all of the civilians were staying.

    His first priority right now was to ensure that no strife was to appear amongst the common folk. These people had lived most if not their entire lives in or around New Moon City and to tell them they were abandoned by their ruler and could have possibly be died in a string of unbelievable events would surely cause stress and unrest.

    ¡°A kingdom is only as powerful as its people, without support of the common folk then a nation could not exist.¡± Zhang thought as he walked through rows of tents. He figured if there was anything he could do to help the civilians of New Moon City cope with the events that unfolded he would try to.

    As Zhang continued his stroll through the rows of tents a pleasant mixture aromas drifted into his nostrils. Following his nose, Zhang spotted a few people up and about, steaming pots placed over open fires could be seen as some were preparing breakfast. While a middle aged women with a smile on her face was stirring a pot of bubbling stew, two small boys who looked no older than six years old were running about and playing.

    Creeping onto Zhang¡¯s face was a brimming smile, as he watched the two boys play, he could only image what it would be like to have kids of his own one day.

    However, the heartwarming sight of a loving mother cooking for her two children soon ended. The women who had been watching over the stew collapsed onto the ground and laid motionless. The two boys catching sight of what had happened to their mother, had ceased playing and ran to her side.

    Tears and yells soon flowed out of their mouths as they plead for help. An instant later a middle aged man who most likely was the woman¡¯s husband and the children¡¯s father appeared with a frantic expression spread out on his face. All of this happened in but an instant, which goes to show that happiness could drift away in bit a fleeting moment, so it is best cherished when one has it in their grasp.

    The man held his wife within his arms and yelled frantically, not knowing what to do or what was even wrong with her.

    ¡°Let me see if I can help.¡± Zhang said as he walked forward and stopped in front of the frantic man, the two crying kids and the woman who fainted.

    Although the man seemed a bit reluctant since he did not really know who Zhang was, due to the nature of the situation he couldn¡¯t do anything but nod and move aside. Trying to find a doctor now would most likely not help at all, not to say that this family of four could even afford to hire a doctor.

    This was because doctors usually catered to the rich and charged lots of money for their services, which in turn made it so the lower and middle class could not employ them. Of course there were often times charity doctors which offered their services for free or at extremely low rates, but they are most of the time inexperienced doctors looking to gain experience or very hard to come across.

    Pressing his fingers onto the woman¡¯s wrist, Zhang began checking on her condition. Thanks to the medical knowledge he remembered after tearing out his page from the book of fate, he could be considered a highly skilled doctor. Despite not having any practical expertise in his past life, he had vast knowledge on many times of different medical practices and extensive knowledge on the human body.

    ¡°Young master is it possible to save my wife?¡± The woman¡¯s husband asks after calming himself.

    ¡°Of course, as long as she is alive, I can save her.¡± Zhang replied as a purplish glow began emitting from his hand. Using the Underworld Heart¡¯s power, he enveloped the woman¡¯s body in a layer of purple essence. If the Underworld Heart can create bodies out of pure essence, then if one had enough essence, saving someone¡¯s life wasn¡¯t something hard to do.

    A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    Before Zhang had been too work and his control over the heart had been too little, but now as he grew stronger and since the Underworld Heart had become a part of him, his control over it had grown exponentially. Of course he still couldn¡¯t save people who had been poisoned, even if he used the heart¡¯s power.

    Around Zhang a large crowd had gathered, people who had caught sight of what happened, people who had just woken up and left their tents, were all gathered and watching anxiously. But to their relief, the woman who was laying on the ground slowly opened her eyes and was helped into a seated position.

    Soon the woman and Zhang were crowded by her children, husband, and dozens of other people. Some wished to know the woman¡¯s condition while others still in shock at how Zhang had just revived someone whom they thought was good as dead.

    ¡°Thank you young master, I don¡¯t know what we can do to ever repay your kindness.¡± The husband of the woman who Zhang had just saved said while kow towing.

    ¡°No need to thank me, I only did what anyone with a good conscience would have done.¡± Zhang said as he helped the man up. After receiving thanks from the man and his family, Zhang began to walk away however he was stopped before he could even walk a few steps and his path was blocked.

    ¡°Young master can you please have a look at my daughter? She has fallen ill and we couldn¡¯t afford to take her to a doctor.¡± A young man with a small child wrapped in his arms said as he dropped to his knees and plead Zhang to help.

    ¡°Let me have a look.¡± Zhang said as he withdrew an expensive looking blanket from his interspatial ring and spread it on the ground. After which the child was placed atop the blanket so Zhang could have a look at her. Feeling the child¡¯s pulse and placing his hand on the child¡¯s forehead, he was able to almost instantly figure out if something was wrong or not.

    ¡°Your child only has a minor fever, if you take her home and wash her in cold water that should help lower her body temperature. Also I¡¯ll give you a few of these, they should help her recover quicker.¡± He said as he produced a few medical pills from his interspatial ring and handed them to the young man. Although he could use the probably instantly cure the child¡¯s illness, Zhang decided not to because the more minor illnesses a child encounters the better their immunity develops.

    ¡°Thank you benefactor, thank you.¡± The young man said after quickly putting away the pills that Zhang had given him and as he picked up his daughter and embraced her. Common folk considered medical pills a luxury since all they could afford were herbs, which they had to cook. So the moment that Zhang handed the man pills, many people looked with surprised expressions.

    Unknown to Zhang while he was looking examining the little girl, a large crowd of people had gathered around him. These people had run back to their tents as quickly as they could and brought back with them, their sick family members. A massive crowd had gathered with Zhang as its epicenter, with a smile and a wave of his hand, a table and a few benches appeared.

    ¡°If everyone would form a line and wait their turn I¡¯ll be happy to help.¡± Zhang said, seeing an opportunity to help others while also reducing the possibility of revolt. If he helped all of these people, the chance of unwanted things happening would drastically decrease or so he believed. Well regardless of the outcome, he would have helped these people anyway, that was just how who he is.

    As the day went on, a line of dozens of people turned into a line of hundreds of people, perhaps it would even grow to a line of thousands of people. The young, elderly and even those in their prime could be seen waiting in line. Some people were on their deathbeds, some had minor illnesses, some were injured, and some simply wanted to see Zhang in action.

    ¡°Look at what we have here, turns out my husband is also a doctor.¡± Lingqi said with a grin as she made her way through the crowd and arrived beside Zhang who was examining a man who appeared to be in his seventies.

    ¡°There are many things you don¡¯t know about me.¡± Zhang replied in a joking tone.

    ¡°Would my lovely wife who happens to be an expert doctor like to lend a hand? Also where¡¯d the other three go?¡± He asked as he waved his hand and made another table and some benched appear.

    ¡°They wanted to train the new arrivals, I helped for a bit but decided to go hang out with you instead.¡± Lingqi said with a smile as she sat down at the desk next to Zhang¡¯s.

    Thus, Lingqi joined Zhang and the pair of husband and wife began giving many people free medical treatment. Lingqi¡¯s medical knowledge outstripped Zhang¡¯s by a huge margin, allowing her to heal most if not all of the patients that came her way. Of course there were a few patients who could only be saved by the Underworld Heart¡¯s power.

    At first only the poor people in the camp had showed up but over time even though in the upper class began appearing. News about Zhang and Lingqi being able to cure any illness that they came across had quickly spread throughout the camp. Wealthy people who were previously told they had incurable diseases by the doctors they had paid fortunes to, were now being cured one after the other and for free at that.

    Of course there were many people who insisted and gave Zhang and Lingqi things in return for helping them. Things from potatoes, rice, meat, fish, and of course money was given. At first the duo had declined but after a while they saw that by declining the goodwill of these people, it seemed like they were in a way looking down on them. Since that was definitely not the case, they decided to redistribute whatever they got to the poor later.

    ¡°Thanks to this I got to see another side of my lovely wife.¡± Zhang said jokingly as he turned toward Lingqi. The usual Lingqi was crafty and always out to get ahead of everyone else, but the current Lingqi was a caring one who was helping children and the elderly without care for benefits. It goes to show that there are many sides to a single person, sometimes they could save thousands of lives and sometimes they could take away thousands of live, this goes for both Zhang and Lingqi.

    While this pair of husband and wife was busy helping people and spreading goodwill, a short distance away trouble was brewing.

    ¡°Get out of the way! Our master wishes to see these miracle doctors! All of you scram!¡± A man bald man with a large scar running across his scalp to his forehead roared. Behind this man was a dozen or so other bulky men and a sickly looking man who looked to be in his late fifties. Sitting on a comfortable sedan chair, this man looked around in disdain.

 Chapter 114: Ants

    Song of the day: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_TWr2pj6kqM</a>

    =========================================================================

    ¡°Why haven¡¯t these peasants moved out of our way yet?¡± The sickly looking man said in an impatient tone while gazing down from atop his sedan chair.

    ¡°I¡¯ll have them move right away, master Tao Qian.¡± The bald man with the scar running across his scalp replied respectfully.

    ¡°All of you scram? Didn¡¯t you hear what our boss say? Move or else.¡± The bald man with the scar yelled at the people waiting in line in front of him.

    As if the man wasn¡¯t intimidating enough, the men behind him moved forward and stood behind him, shooting intimidating glares at everyone around. From the looks of it, these men had grown accustomed to having their way and if other did not comply to them then violence would be employed.

    It was evident that their methods worked too because once the bald man and his fellow hooligans shot glares at everyone, the people and the path in front of them slowly opened up. Most of the people present were seeking medical treatment, meaning that most of them were ill and didn¡¯t wish to be assaulted. Well most people would prefer to not get assaulted but in the current case, no one had the will to stand up for themselves in part due to their illnesses and such.

    Back in the front of the line, Zhang was examining an elderly man who could only be described as skin and bones. The man¡¯s son had carried him all the way to where Zhang was and pled all of the people to let them cut in line. Due to the sincerity that the man¡¯s son showed and from how serious the elderly man¡¯s condition seemed, they were allowed to cut. The elderly man kept complaining about experiencing painful headaches throughout the night and having trouble hearing recently as he was laid out onto the ground for examination. Apparently, the elderly man had been experiencing such painful headaches that he hadn¡¯t been able to eat any meals or get any sleep, resulting in his frail looking body.

    ¡°Hmmm, I checked his pulse and vital signs but nothing seems to be wrong with him.  That being said by simply from looking at him anyone can tell that there is something seriously wrong with him.¡± Zhang said with a perplexed look on his face as he placed his hand atop the elderly man¡¯s forehead and blue layer of essence enveloped the man¡¯s body. At first Zhang had thought that the elderly man was suffering from a clogged blood vessel or something but he did not pick up any signs of that when checking the man¡¯s vitals.

    Zhang¡¯s essence traveled through the elderly man¡¯s body, trying to figure out what was wrong with him. Soon a hint of amazement creeped onto Zhang¡¯s face as he figured out what was wrong with the elderly man lying in front of him.

    ¡°Hold him down.¡± Zhang said as he looked at the elderly man¡¯s son who was anxiously by his father¡¯s side, his wife and kids had also arrived and were beside him with equally anxious expressions.

    ¡°Doctor is my father alright?¡± The man¡¯s son asked.

    ¡°Just do as I say and he will be fine.¡± Zhang replied with a smile as to reassure the man¡¯s son. Listening to Zhang¡¯s instructions, the elderly man¡¯s son held down his father.

    While the elderly man was being held down, Zhang walked to where Lingqi was and whispered into her ear. Upon hearing Zhang¡¯s words, an intrigued expression appeared on Lingqi¡¯s face as she stopped what she was doing and arrived in front of the elderly man with her husband.

    Crouching down as Zhang gently held the elderly man¡¯s head, Lingqi produced a small vial from her interspatial ring. Unsealing the veil Lingqi began pouring a few drops of clear slick looking substance into the elderly man¡¯s ear. It was then that a painful scream was emitted from the elderly man¡¯s lips as he wriggled about trying to break free.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong! What¡¯s wrong with my father!?¡± The man¡¯s son yelled frantically as his father¡¯s pained screamed reached his ears.

    ¡°Just hold him still or else he might die.¡± Zhang said in a stern voice.

    ¡°Almost done¡­¡± Lingqi said as she produced another vial from her interspatial ring and poured a few drops of bluish liquid into the man¡¯s ear. Moments after the blue colored liquid entered the man¡¯s ear a yellow trail flowed out. Upon closer inspection one would see that this yellow trail consisted entirely of yellow ants.

    At first no one but Zhang and Lingqi knew what the yellow trail was and had thought it was just pus or something, until an ant that was equipped with a pair of wings and was three times larger than the rest, crawled out from the inside of the man¡¯s ear.

    Mere seconds after leaving the man¡¯s ear the ants all liquefied and ceased to exist. This of course was due to drops of liquid that Lingqi dripped into the elderly man¡¯s ear.

    ¡°All done.¡± Lingqi said with a smile as she saw that the elderly man was no longer in pain and a face full of relief was visible on his face.

    ¡°What was that?¡± The elderly man¡¯s son asked.

    ¡°A queen pharaoh ant had somehow made its way into his ear and was forming a colony in there. The pain was due to the ants trying to eat through his eardrum, to expand their colony. Any longer then they would have punctured the eardrum and make their way into his brain where they would build a colony of ants that would slowly but surely fed off of him until only an empty skull was left.¡± Zhang explained in a somewhat horrifying manner that made many of the people around cringe as they imaged a colony of ants eating the elderly man from the inside.

    As the elderly man¡¯s son was helping his father up and thanking Zhang and Lingqi, a clapping sound could be heard. Looking toward the direction where the sound originated, a bald man with a scar that ran across his scalp to his forehead could be seen. Behind this man was a group of man who looked like they belonged in Ran Kaitou¡¯s underworld organization.

    But these men were not where the clapping sound was coming from, rather the sound originated from a sickly looking man who was perched up in a sedan chair.

    ¡°Amazing! To be able to assess what was afflicting him and then being able to relieve him of his ailment, despite how peculiar and odd his ailment was.¡± The sickly man who was earlier referred to as Tao Qian said while clapping. At first Tao Qian was looking as Zhang with a smile but once his gaze swept to Lingqi who was returning to the patient that she had been helping earlier, a glint appeared in his eye as he looked at her for a bit before shifting his vision to Zhang once more.

    ¡°Thank you for the praise, senior.¡± Zhang said as he clasped his hands showing respect for someone who was his elder, before walked back to the table he had set up to see patients. Zhang knew from the look in the Tao Qian eyes that no good could come from associating with him so he decided to go back to what he was doing before instead of conversing.

    ¡°I¡¯ll take the next person in line now.¡± Zhang said, not long after a young man who had been waiting patiently in line walked forward. From how the young man was limping as he walked forward, Zhang could tell that most likely this young man was suffering from a leg injury or something.

    If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    But before the young man could reach the examination table and take a seat, his path was impeded by the bald man with a scar.

    ¡°What are you doing? He said he would be taking the next person in line and clearly my master had been here much longer than you.¡± The bald man said with a menacing look on his face, as if threatening to beat the young man.

    ¡°I believe he was next.¡± Zhang said with a sigh as he pointed to the young man who was walking with a limp.

    ¡°The one day I decide to do charity work and someone has to come and cause trouble¡­¡± He thought unhappily. One could say that what Zhang was doing was unprecedented considering that he is a prince and Lingqi is a princess and they were giving out free medical treatment, so for someone to come and spoil the atmosphere made him very unhappy.

    ¡°Doctor I believe you have mistaken; we¡¯ve been waiting here much longer than this guy.¡± The bald man said correcting Zhang.

    ¡°Ain¡¯t that right?¡± He then said to the young man with the limp while his sausage sized fingers rested on the young man¡¯s shoulder.

    Shaking his head Zhang got up from his seat and walked over to the young man with the limp and grabbed his arm.

    ¡°Come with me¡­¡± He said as he tugged on the young man¡¯s arm. However, the young man was stopped by the bald man and was kept from walking forward.

    ¡°What is this? Didn¡¯t I say we were here first?!¡± The bald man roared as his veins bulged and his body tensed, ready to brawl if he didn¡¯t get his way.

    ¡°Enough! Enough of these charades. Tell me how much you want. I¡¯ll pay you handsomely if you can treat my alignment.¡± Tao Qian who was atop the sedan chair said as he grew tired of the back and forth that was happening.

    ¡°If I don¡¯t want to treat someone, NO AMOUNT OF MONEY CAN MAKE ME.¡± Zhang said loudly, emphasizing his words.

    ¡°HA! Everyone has a price. Don¡¯t pretend that you''re some sort of saint. I can tell that only reason you''re offering free medical treatment to these lowly people is so you can gain fame. Now quit the act and I might even give you a thousand gold coins for your service.¡± Tao Qian said as he tossed a small pouch of coins onto the ground.

    Seeing this Lingqi couldn¡¯t help but chuckle. ¡°A thousand gold coin?¡± She thought as her chuckle soon broke out into loud laughter. To think someone was trying to tempt Zhang with a thousand gold coins was something that was simply hilarious.

    ¡°You there what''s so funny huh? Something wrong with your head? My master if only offering to give you a thousand gold coins because he is being generous, do you know how many men you¡¯d have to sleep with to make that much money?¡± The bald man said mockingly while looking at Lingqi.

    Hearing the man¡¯s words, creases appeared on Zhang¡¯s brow. If you want someone to help you, insulting their wife was definitely not the way to go about it. As for Lingqi, her laughter became even louder as she thought about how ignorant the bald man was.

    ¡°Ding Feng, shut up¡­Do not be rude...¡± Tao Qian said as he saw the displeasure in Zhang¡¯s face. The bald man¡¯s face sank as he quickly fell silent after hearing Tao Qian.

    ¡°Now young miss, I can tell that you are quite skill in field of medicine also. I find that very impressive considering you''re a very young and beautiful woman, so impressive that I would like to offer you a job as my personal physician after everything settles. I can offer you a very handsome salary if you''re willing to be a stay in doctor at my home.¡± Tao Qian said as he shot a lecherous gaze as Lingqi.

    ¡°Chapped lips, pale skin that most likely result from lack of blood flow, and balding scalp. If my guess is right, then the illness you''re suffering from is impotence.¡± Lingqi stated with a mischievous grin. It was obvious that she was mocking the Tao Qian, regardless if her diagnosis was true or not Tao Qian¡¯s reputation would surely take a hit.

    ¡°Insolent¡­ How dare you make up lies about my master. If you dare say such a thing again, I¡¯ll sell you into brothel.¡± The bald man said threateningly.

    ¡°You¡¯ll what?¡± Zhang said angrily as he appeared out of thin air, beside the bald man and with a kick made the man¡¯s leg bent at an odd angle.

    ¡°What will you do to my wife? You were going to sell her to where?¡± Zhang asked as he grabbed and twisted the bald man¡¯s arm.

    Seeing Zhang¡¯s incredible speed and strength made everyone that had witness him treating patients gasp in amazement. The kind doctor who looked much like a scholar, the doctor who had gently taken care of the children and the elderly had now just caused a hulking man¡¯s leg to bend at a weird angle.

    ¡°Ha...Ha¡­ you''re messing with the wrong people kid. Do you know who my master is? He is the master of the Tao clan!¡± The bald man yelled in a loud voice so everyone present could hear.

    ¡°Wait isn¡¯t the Tao clan one of the five aristocratic families of the province?¡± Someone in the crowd asked.

    ¡°Yea I heard they and the other four aristocratic families are all aligned together and that they all have private armies or something.¡± Another person in the crow said.

    ¡°Then where were they when all hell broke loose in the city?¡± Someone else asked.

    ¡°Who knows, probably too busy protecting their own hides.¡±

    Soon a frenzy of conversation broke out as things about the Tao clan was told one after the other. Of course all of this meant very little to Zhang who happened to be the ruler of the new ruler of the province. Being the boss¡¯s boss meant that if he wanted to he could have all five of these aristocratic families executed on a whim.

    Tao Qian sat atop his sedan chair in silence while many of his men who accompanied him surrounded Zhang as the babbling continued on.

    ¡°You there go back to our camp and bring more men¡­ I want these two taken back to our tents¡­¡± Tao Qian said, after a moment of thought.

    ¡°Now now, doctor. Calm down, my servant here is simply bad with words. If you¡¯ll just let him go, I¡¯ll have him apologize to you and your lovely wife. And to top it off I¡¯ll give you three thousand gold coins as a sign of apology after you accompany me and help me treat my illness.¡± Tao Qian said to Zhang, but of course if he didn¡¯t have his way, all he had to do was wait for more of his men to arrive.

    The four aristocratic families each possessed a private army of about two thousand or three thousand soldiers, and since the New Moon Army was nowhere to be seen, if the armies of the aristocratic families combined they would outnumber Ran Kaitou¡¯s men who were keeping the peace. Meaning that currently if they wished to they could seize control from Ran Kaitou at any moment.

    While Tao Qian was talking to Zhang, the crowd opened up and two rows of beautiful women dressed in matching uniforms marched forward.

 Chapter 115: Not A Cliffhanger

    As the crowd opened up, two rows of uniformed young women slowly made their way toward where Zhang and Lingqi were. Each of these young women could be considered beauties in their own right, snow white skin and delicate faces accompanied with well-proportioned figures. If one looked closely, every single one of these young women were equipped with beautifully made swords that hung by their waists.

    After the two rows of young women emerged from the crowd, the two rows split apart and created a path in between them. Walking down the path that had opened were three familiar looking faces, Yuying, Ling and lastly Ai appeared.

    The two rows of women stood in salute with one hand across their chest as their other hand laid atop the pummel of their swords. These were the very same women that had been recently freed from the provincial lord¡¯s mansion. But unlike the day before where they were entirely untrained, after a day¡¯s worth of training from the three beauties, these young women emitted an air of unity. Perhaps after a few more days of training they would be able to compare to a unit of new recruits who have gone through basic training.

    Looking at how the young women had emerged from the crowd and how they were saluting, Zhang was amazed by the progress that his wives had made on them. ¡°Maybe I should leave the training of all of the new recruits to them.¡± Zhang thought as he continued gripping the arm of the bald man who had insulted Lingqi.

    Tao Qian who did not know the relation between Zhang, Lingqi, the three beauties who had just arrived and the troop of trainees simply just sat atop his sedan chair and let his eyes wonder about trying to figure out the situation. To him the three beauties who had just arrived were most likely the daughters or wives of some wealthy household because disregarding how the three beauties looked, the women who were their servants were all very beautiful and to have servants who possessed such beauty meant that one must have considerable wealth and influence.

    As for what household the three beauties came from he did not know, but he knew as a matter of fact that they were most likely not from New Moon city because if they were he would definitely have heard of or have met them before. Being one of the powers only under the provincial lord, Tao Qian and the other aristocratic families were at the pinnacle of power and influence.

    To top it off the provincial lord was rather reclusive so the maintaining of New Moon City and the province itself was mostly left to the aristocratic families, of course the army was still under the provincial lord¡¯s command.

    ¡°Have our men been alerted yet? I want those two doctors detained and these women detain them also and take them back to the part of the camp under our control.¡¯ Tao Qian ordered while his eyes glinted.

    ¡°The people from the Aurora Kingdom shouldn¡¯t have arrived yet and if these women have no relation to that Ran Kaitou fella who was put in charge by the kingdom then I can do whatever I wish with them. Even if they have relations to him, he¡¯ll have to think twice before causing me trouble.¡± Tao Qian thought. News of the New Moon Province being added into the Aurora Kingdom had spread like wildfire throughout the camp and it was not a matter of if they would join or not but rather when they would join, so as long as Tao Qian did not offend Rai Kaitou who was said to be positioned as lord of the province or anyone from the Aurora Kingdom then considering his influence and status he could get away with anything else.

    So believing that Yuying, Ling and Ai were simply here to ask Zhang and Lingqi who were doctors for treatment or something, Tao Qian began plotting.

    Of course deep down he did not fear Ran Kaitou because of how much influence the alliance of five aristocratic families possessed. The only reason he did not want to offend Ran Kaitou was because Ran Kaitou was being backed by the Aurora Kingdom, no matter how much power and influence he and the rest of the aristocratic families held, if the higher ups in the Aurora Kingdom wished for them to disappear then they most definitely would.

    What can ten thousand or so soldiers do to the armies of Aurora who numbered in the hundreds of thousands, also rumors of the prince of Aurora possessing extreme battle prowess had reached Tao Qian¡¯s ears long ago. Zhang¡¯s decisiveness and mercilessness had long been exaggerated, with tales in which he bathed in the blood of his enemies and the like being spread far and wide.

    Although much has been said, the three beauties had only just arrived and were still the center of attention as they walked forward toward Zhang who was still gripping the bald man¡¯s arm.

    ¡°I¡¯m impressed by how much training you guys managed to do.¡± Lingqi said as she looked at her sisters and the trainees. When she had left to go look for Zhang, which was a few hours ago, the group could still be described as a ragtag mesh of unorganized people.

    ¡°There''s nothing a few dozen laps and a ton of team work building can¡¯t do.¡± Yuying said with a smile in response to Lingqi and she and the other two beauties neared Lingqi¡¯s treatment station.

    ¡°It seems someone is causing trouble?¡± Ling said as her gaze caught the sight of Zhang bending the bald man¡¯s arm at an uncomfortable angle.

    Before anyone can reply to Ling, the sound of marching footsteps was audible and countless men clad in armor marched forth. A banner with the word Tao was visible as these men that could only be described as soldiers appeared behind Tao Qian.

    ¡°Ha¡­ Ha¡­ Now you¡¯re in for it. My brother will kill you for doing this to me¡­¡± The bald man with the scar said to Zhang angrily.

    ¡°Unhand my brother!¡± A roar sounded out from amidst the soldiers of the Tao family. Soon a young man who looked to be in his later twenties emerged from the ranks of the Tao family¡¯s soldiers. This young man unlike his brother had a head full of long flowing hair, tied up in a ponytail.

    ¡°And what if I don¡¯t? In a situation such as this you think yelling commands at me would help?¡± Zhang asked as he strengthened his grip on the bald man¡¯s arm.

    ¡°Listen to my command or else!¡± The bald man¡¯s brother roared.

    ¡°Idiot¡­Does anyone even know how to ask nicely anymore?¡± Zhang cursed in his mind.

    The bald man¡¯s brother anxious to save his brother from Zhang¡¯s grasp, drew his sword from its scabbard. Soon enough every single soldier of the Tao family drew their weapons and stood ready for battle.

    Seeing the soldiers of the Tao family draw their weapons, the young women who were being trained by the beauties also drew their weapons. In terms of numbers the soldiers of the Tao family definitely made up the majority of the forces present, but in terms of power it was the unit of female combatants under the command of the beauties that were the stronger soldiers. Then of course there was Zhang, and the three beauties themselves who could more than likely defeat everyone present.

    This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    But before any fight could break out, yet again the sound of marching was audible. However, this time the people that arrived were neither in uniform or in armor. These men in fact resembled a ragtag team that had been thrown together without thought of cooperation in mind.

    Zhang of course recognized many of these men as the same men that Ran Kaitou had brought to the hotel. Mixed inside this group of men was their leader, Ran Kaitou who had arrived because he had heard news of a confrontation possibly breaking out.

    ¡°Dammit, I knew this out goat would cause trouble¡­¡± Ran Kaitou cursed as he saw Tao Qian¡¯s men with weapons drawn. Once his gaze swept to where Zhang was, Ran Kaitou couldn¡¯t help but feel sorry for Tao Qian.

    ¡°Of all the people he could cause trouble for, he had to annoy those four.¡± Ran Kaitou thought as he shook his head.

    ¡°Break it up! All of you back down!¡± Ran Kaitou roared as he winked to Zhang. Right now he had to show everyone, be they commoners or aristocrats that he was in charge. Hoping Zhang would help him consolidate his position as the future provincial lord, Ran decided to put up a front. What he failed to take into account was whether Zhang would go along with his act or not.

    Yuying, Ai, Ling and Lingqi narrowed their eyes as they all focused their gazes on Ran Kaitou, but did not say a word and simply waited to see what their husband would do.

    Hearing Ran Kaitou¡¯s words and seeing him wink, Zhang couldn¡¯t help but grin. ¡°I¡¯ll play along and see how our soon to be provincial lord handles the situation.¡± He thought as he released the bald man¡¯s arm and headed toward where his wives were standing.

    Seeing Ran Kaitou¡¯s arrival, Tao Qian signaled for the four men who were carrying his sedan chair to lower him to the ground. Slowly getting off the sedan chair he arrived in front of Ran Kaitou and began talking, ¡®I take it that you are the infamous Ran Kaitou. We haven¡¯t had the pleasure of meeting before but please take care of me in the future and likewise me and my fellow aristocrats will take care of our future lord.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve heard lots about you too, senior Tao Qian. It is an honor to meet you, but I would have preferred that we met in a friendlier atmosphere. I¡¯m not one to enjoy commanding others but I was tasked with ensuring the peace until the residents of New Moon City as safe behind newly built walls, so I¡¯ll have to ask you to tell your men to sheath their weapons.¡± Ran Kaitou said while trying put up a stern and commanding atmosphere.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry to inform you, ¡°future¡± lord, but sadly my men have not been behaving lately and there isn¡¯t much someone as old as me can do to get these youngsters in line. If you wish my ¡°future¡± lord, then perhaps you can try to get them to fall in line. But I feel that the other aristocrats wouldn¡¯t like it if they heard that our future lord is discipline our soldiers in our place.¡± Tao Qian said, trying to hint Ran Kaitou to not go too far or else he and the other aristocrats would retaliate.

    ¡°Senior you''re such a kidder, if it was left to me than your soldiers can be the scummiest bunch that roams the earth and it wouldn¡¯t bother me a single bit. But my higher ups from Aurora have ordered me to keep the peace and if I don¡¯t prefill my task then someone else will come and do it for me.¡± Ran Kaitou replied showing Tao Qian that he was no pushover and threats would not work on him.

    ¡°Brother I¡¯m getting bored can we go now?¡± Asked Ai as she curled up against Zhang¡¯s arm. Bored with the back and forth between Ran Kaitou and Tao Qian, Ai suggested to leave.

    ¡°Yea let¡¯s leave while they are both preoccupied.¡± Yuying added.

    Agreeing with the others, Ling turned her gaze to the trainees signaled them with her hand. Sheathing their swords, the trainees began leaving one by one in inconspicuous ways, as to not attract attention. Of course once nearly half of the trainees had sneaked off, someone noticed what was happening.

    This person in fact was the bald man with the scar that ran across his scalp and ended at his forehead. ¡°Stop them! Don¡¯t let anyone of them get away!¡± He ordered while looking at the soldiers of the Tao family.

    Ran Kaitou had long saw that Zhang¡¯s people were slowly leaving so he had tried to preoccupy Tao Qian as to try to prevent further conflict to occur. But of course all of his efforts were wasted once the bald man caught sight of things.

    ¡°Enough¡­ I said for everyone to back off!¡± Ran Kaitou roared as he stomped his foot onto the ground and caused an earthen wall to raise in front of the soldiers of the Tao family.

    ¡°Put away your arms or be arrested!¡± Ran Kaitou added as his ragtag group of men moved forward and encircled the Tao family¡¯s soldiers. It was clear that despite lacking the uniformed presence of the Tao family¡¯s soldier, Ran Kaitou¡¯s men possessed a vast numerical advantage and appeared to be a tougher batch.

    ¡°Mao Liang, tell your men to sheath their swords.¡± Tao Qian said to the bald man¡¯s younger brother. With a hmph, he made his way back to his sedan chair and departed. Seeing their master leaving the soldiers of the Tao family soon followed and left also.

    ¡°I¡¯ll have my men find you all later and round you up¡­ As long as you''re still within the camp then there no getting away from me.¡± Tao Qian thought as he made his way through the crowd of people that were present.

    ¡°I¡¯ll make sure to take care of you before I return to my honeymoon¡­ People such are you should be removed before they cause unnecessary trouble. Also perhaps with you gone those other aristocrats will fall in line.¡± Zhang thought as he and the beauties headed back toward where the trainees were camped at.

    From his encounter with Tao Qian, Zhang could tell why the provincial lord was able to amass so many black and white pears through sacrificing people unnoticed. It was because of selfish and corrupt officials such as Tao Qian who were only out for their own benefit. Perhaps no one besides the provincial lord knew about the incidents that were occurring, but had anyone in power been a tiny bit more intuitive than they might have caught wind of something.

    Bad and corrupt officials only mean the people have to suffer, so if needed Zhang would make them all disappear and replace them with a fresh batch of officials.

 Chapter 116: Kuai and Su

    Extra Long chapter today. Thank you my new patron on patreon O_O. Didn''t post yesterday because after work I had two hours to complete a nine page English assignment that was due at midnight , leaving little to now time to write. Now I have a five page final to do before Monday......

    If you wanna chat with me: iendworlds.chatango.com

    If you wanna become one of my patrons: https://www.patreon.com/iEndWorlds?ty=h</a>

    Song of the day:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tBmS73Eh70c</a>

    ==================================================================================

    Returning to where their tents were set up, Zhang assembled all of the forces currently under his command. Standing before him were two groups, one consisting of hundreds of men was high cultivation bases, clad in black armor and equipped with swords, shields and spears. Unlike the regular black armor that the soldiers under Zhang¡¯s command wore, the ones that the men present wore had golden thread lacing.

    While the other group consisted of hundreds of young women dressed in matching attire, with swords hanging by their side. If one looked closely they¡¯d be able to see that every single outfit that these young women wore was made entirely out of finely woven silk. Not only did silk make for a good material to make clothing, it also had another function that not many people realize. If an outfit is made out of silk that was woven finely enough, then the outfit would become somewhat arrow resistant. The lethality of an arrow comes from his piercing power, but when an arrow connects with silk woven clothes and tries to drill into flesh, the strands of silk would offer up resistance and make it so that the arrow would lose its piercing power.

    These two groups of young men and women stood in neat rows, waiting for Zhang and the beauties to speak to them.

    ¡°Sweetheart have you even started training your men yet?¡± Yuying asked in a somewhat teasing manner.

    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t take too long, seeing how you guys managed to do so much in only a few hours.¡± Zhang replied with a grin.

    ¡°You keep thinking that.¡± Yuying said as she stuck her tongue out at Zhang as she remembered how she had used her magic to share her directly share her thoughts with the female trainees. She found that instructing someone to do something was less effective than showing them how to do something and by show she did not mean demonstrate.

    When Yuying showed the trainees how to do something, she sent images directly into their minds. By doing this whatever she taught them would be saved into their minds, without any variation. For example, if someone showed someone else how to do something, the person being tough would observe and interpreted the information that is being show and then try to imitate it.

    But what Yuying was doing was allowing the trainees to perfectly copy what she showed them because they did not need to interpret the information that was shown to them. This would speed up the training process exponentially, compared to if one had to train someone normally. Of course how would Zhang have known this.

    So as things stand the female trainees were slightly superior to the male ones, thanks to Yuying¡¯s teaching method.

    With everyone under their command assembled, Zhang and the beauties broke the group up into units. These units would take turns patrolling the grounds as a precaution in case Tao Qian showed up and looked for trouble. They knew it was only a matter of time before Tao Qian came looking for trouble or before the opportunity arises for Zhang to take care of him.

    Without the aristocratic families, the New Moon Province would be void of any type of structure that was left. If one hadn¡¯t noticed, every single province that Zhang had acquired, the majority of the ruling party was left intact. For the Red Mist Province, no one in the government was replaced besides those in the Jin Clan. To top things off those in the Xia Clan and the Sima Clan helped fill in any vacancies in the government.

    As for the Green Clover Province, Guan Yu and a few of the generals who survived Guo Mei¡¯s plot were able to hold the government together and fix what was broken. While in the Heavenly Sword Province, Sima Yi had been able to acquire the help of the White Crane trading company, and was able to use their influence to get the majority of those in the government to deflect to Aurora¡¯s side.

    But here in the New Moon Province, the majority of the government in the capital city of New Moon city had disappeared along with its ruler. Zhang did not know about the rest of the province but all that was left of the ruling class in New Moon City were the five aristocratic families. If they were taken out of the equation, after a new capital is established he would have to go to the trouble of hand picking people to govern over the rest of the people.

    Then there was the fact that a lot of people would be less willing to surrender to him in the future due to the fear of being killed like the five aristocratic families. Basically politics is like a chess game where one must plan their moves ahead in order to come ahead, but if you thoughtlessly go about and simply eliminate everything that gets in your path, it is bound to come back later and cause setbacks.

    After their forces were split up, Zhang and the beauties decided that there was some people they needed to meet in order for an opportunity in which they can eliminate people such as Tao Qian to arise. Although the five aristocratic families were in league with one another, there would definitely be some cracks for them to exploit.

    There is never such a thing as an alliance where everyone in it is viewed as equals. There is never a relationship without strife or struggles, so all they had to do was to find out which of the families in the alliance were discontent with the others.

    ¡°My lord, I¡¯ve sent some of our men to investigate and we¡¯ve found that out of the alliance of five families, the Kai family and the Su Family are at the bottom, while the Tao family is the leader of the bunch.¡± Cheng Yu reported to Zhang who was sitting behind a desk in his tent.

    ¡°Have you found out where they are situated in the camp?¡± Ling who was by Zhang¡¯s said asked.

    ¡°Milady, their tents are in the southern part of the camp, and tomorrow when we begin marching they should have been placed as the rearguard. These two families seem very close, perhaps due to the fact that they both are situated at the bottom in the alliance.¡± Cheng Yu replied respectfully.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go pay them a visit. If all goes well our grip on the province will tighten and there will be a few less aristocratic families in the Wulin continent.¡± Zhang said with a devious smile.

    ¡°My lord should we alert Ran Kaitou?¡± Cheng Yu asked. Although technically Ran Kaitou who was to be lord of the New Moon province was of a higher rank then Cheng Yu, due to seniority and how close he is to Zhang he was not required to refer to Ran Kaitou as lord.

    ¡°No it¡¯s best that he stays out of this, if our plot doesn¡¯t succeed then no one will know who we are and there won¡¯t be any repercussions for the things that transpire.¡±

    Thus they decided that Zhang and Yuying along with a handful of their subordinates would set out to visit the Kai and Su Families. Ling, Lingqi and Ai were to stay behind and act if anything occurred and it was best that not only a few of them went because the more people that were left under the radar the better.

    By now the sun had went away and was replaced by a radiant full moon that shone down from above. The wind howled through the camp as people closed their tents and prepared for bed, Ran Kaitou¡¯s ragtag bunch turned into watchmen as they roamed the rows of tents keeping watch over the citizens of New Moon City.

    At a time like this Zhang, Yuying along with a pair of men and a pair of women sped through the camp. They were dressed entirely in black, the group melded with the shadows. Like specters they could come and leave without leaving a single trace or being detected.  Be it Ran Kaitou¡¯s men, the civilians or the soldiers of the various aristocratic families, no one caught sight of them at all.

    Soon they came upon a cluster of tents pitched tightly together, dozens of armor guards could be seen guarding the perimeter of this cluster of tents and a set of flags with the word Kai and the word Mu fluttered in the air.  In the center of this cluster of tents, was one particular tent that was roughly twice the size of the others. This tent was the meeting place for the two families and served as their temporary base. Four men armed with pikes stood guard outside as a middle aged man and a young woman were inside talking to one another.

    Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

    With a signal from Zhang, the two pairs of young men and women shot forth and in a blink of an eye knocked out all of the guards roaming the perimeter of the cluster of tents. Of the entire group of trainees, these four had the highest cultivation so handling a regular group of guards was very simple for them.

    ¡°Uncle Kuai Liang , did you hear about how that old frog Tao Qian was causing a ruckus earlier in the morning? To think that fool doesn¡¯t have anything better to do in a situation such as this.  We don¡¯t even know what the force of Aurora will do when they get here and he¡¯s out offending people¡­¡± The young woman said with a displeased face.

    ¡°Well all we can do is bid our time and build up our forces. If we play our cards right my Kai family and your Su Family can use the current situation to our advantage. With a new provincial lord and becoming a part of the Aurora Kingdom, the distribution of power within this province will be shifted. So as long as we gain the support of the provincial lord and the higher ups in Aurora we will be able to exceed those other three.¡± The man that young woman called Uncle Kuai Liang  said as he sipped a cup of tea.

    ¡°From what I¡¯ve heard that Ran Kaitou fella isn¡¯t a pushover so we must be careful when interacting with him. But I agree with you uncle that this is indeed a golden opportunity for us. Although we call it an alliance, we have no say and those other three receive all of the benefits while we do all of the work.¡± The young woman said as she gulped down some tea.

    ¡°Su Rou just leave everything to me, I¡¯ll make the proper arrangements and when the time comes we will act. But we make have to make some sacrifices to get the support of the right people in Aurora.¡± Kuai Liang  said as he looked at the young woman.

    ¡°If it¡¯s for the family then I¡¯m prepared to do whatever it takes.¡± Su Rou said with a steeled expression.

    Before either Kuai Liang  or Su Rou could say another word, they noticed that the shadows of the four guards stationed in front of the tent had disappeared, as for when this happened they had no idea.

    From her robes Su Rou drew out an exquisite looking dagger with a silver hilt that was covered with beautiful looking carvings. Kuai Liang  himself had unsheathed a sword that was left lying on a bench not too far from him.

    ¡°Show yourself! We know you''re there!¡± Su Rou yelled as she brandished her dagger, ready to strike at anyone who showed up.

    As the words left her mouth, the flickering flames that illuminated the inside and outside of the tent were extinguished leaving only light that shone down from the moon. As the moonlight embraced the tent a massive shadow could be seen slithering around the it and not long after a massive scaly head peaked its way inside.

    Stricken with fear, neither Su Rou or Kuai Liang  could muster up enough strength to even utter a scream, not that doing so would help them in anyway.

    ¡°Put away your weapons, we only wish to talk.¡± A voice reverberated inside the tent.

    Once she heard the voice, Su Rou was able to calm herself, allowing her to sheath her dagger and tuck it back into her robes. The same went for Kuai Liang  who took a bit longer to calm down before putting away his sword. Hearing this voice meant that the giant snake in front of them was being controlled by someone and would not kill them unless ordered to, so as long as they did what they were instructed they would be fine. Well at least for now since they did not trust or know the intentions of whoever was controlling the giant snake.

    Soon group of six masked people casually entered the tent. Of this group of six, two of them walked up to and seated themselves at the table where Su Rou and Kuai Liang  were previously sitting, while the other four stood by the entrance of the tent.

    ¡°Have a seat.¡± One of the masked people said as he poured some tea into four cups.

    Slowly Su Rou and Kuai Liang  seated themselves, after they were seated the masked man waved his hand and the black snake that was coiled around the tent turned into a trail of black smoke.

    ¡°My lord how may we be of service to you.¡± Kuai Liang  said in a respectful tone as he could tell that anyone in this group of six could easily take his life, so he had to be on his best behavior or risk angering people that he shouldn¡¯t anger. From the huge snake that turned into smoke alone, anyone was able to tell that these six masked people or at the very last the two sitting at the table were high caliber experts.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be straight forward, we overheard your conversation earlier.¡± The mask man said as he placed a cup of tea behind the black cloth that covered his face and took a sip.

    Once these words drifted into their ears, a number of scenarios sprang up into Kuai Liang  and Su Rou¡¯s heads. These six people could have been sent by the other three families to monitor them and be here to eliminate them or these six could be possible allies that could help them deal with the other three families.

    ¡°Is that so.¡± Su Rou said as she contemplated how to deal with the current situation because these next few words that come out of her or Kuai Liang ¡¯s mouth could result in their deaths. If placed in such a predicament most people would freeze up or start stuttering but as leaders of their respective families, these two were carefully concocting plans that may help them get out of their situation.

    ¡°Our backer wishes for the other three aristocratic families to disappear.¡± The other masked person who sat at the table said. From her voice one could tell that she was a woman who is fairly young.

    Hearing this both Su Rou and Kuai Liang ¡¯s eyes glittered as relief appeared on their faces. If these six were against the other three families then the term, the enemy of my enemy is my friend would come into play. But they still could not be sure if the words that the masked woman said could be trusted, because that would have been a ruse to get them to admit that they were plotting against the other families in the alliance.

    ¡°My lords we do not possess the power to even consider standing up to the other families so why approach us?¡± Kuai Liang  asked trying to get the masked men to speak.

    ¡°All our backer wants from you is that after the other families are gone then your two families are to absorb influence and stabilize the province. Of course your full cooperation is required.¡± The masked woman said.

    ¡°If you can give information and cooperate with us in eliminating the other three families then you would be free of their oppression. Atop of that as long as you remain loyal to the provincial lord afterward, you¡¯ll be the two strongest forces in the province.¡± The mask man added to what the woman had said.

    ¡°I¡¯m willing to cooperate.¡± Su Rou said, although she did not know if these people actually meant what they were saying or not, she decided that what they were saying was too good to turn down and even if she turned them down and remained at the bottom of the alliance, the other families may still set out to eliminate her family. So when placed between two roads that may lead to destruction she decided to pick the road in which she had at least a tiny bit of control. Also if these people meant what they were saying, then delaying her answer would do no good.

    ¡°If your onboard then I am also.¡± Kuai Liang  as he patted Su Rou¡¯s back in a fatherly manner.

    ¡°But first I would like to ask that you take over your masks and reveal your faces to us. I don¡¯t feel

    that we can properly cooperate until we at least know who we are working with.¡± Su Rou said as she eyed the two masked people in front of her.

    ¡°Fair enough.¡± The masked man said as he took off the black cloth that covered his face, revealing the face of a handsome young man who gave off the air of a scholar.

    Following the handsome scholarly man, the masked woman who was seated beside him took off her mask also, revealing a face that could make nations fall. Soon the four who were standing by the entrance of the tent removed their masks also, revealing dashing and beautiful faces also.

    ¡°Is this a gathering of beautiful people or something?¡± Kuai Liang  thought as his gaze shifted from person to person.

    Once the masks were removed, the four people seated at the table began talking about how they should go about eliminating the other aristocratic families.

 Hello Readers Who All But Disappeared

    How goes? I was wondering if some of you wanna share your artistic skills with me, since all I can do is draw stick figures. I was hoping for some fan art of the story, some of which I can use as a cover for the story and others I can use to help people visualize the battles and such.

    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

    I was going to ask the admin on NN to add a fan art section for me also O_o

 Chapter 117: Qilins Pass

    Today the citizens of New Moon City look back at the city that they had called home a few days ago, as they file out of the fort that Ran Kaitou had erected. Today would set out on their journey to where a new, New Moon City would be constructed. Bidding farewell to their homes, everyone began the first leg of the trip.

    When it came time to move out, Ran Kaitou who was too busy managing the civilians to even realize that his superiors had disappear, so the migration was not delayed in the slightest by Zhang¡¯s disappearance.

    Zhang, the beauties, and their subordinates on the other hand had disappeared and were nowhere to be seen. In the dead of night Zhang, his wives and every single man and woman that were under their command vanished without a trace.

    Civilians were placed in the center while the five aristocratic families split up their forces and took up the rear and front guard. Ran Kaitou¡¯s men were stationed on the sides to ensure that if someone attacked or some unwanted situation arises, the civilians would be safe.

    As the journey began thousands of carts and many more pairs of feet, headed for the southern region of the province. Although no one knew what would happen during this journey, one thing was certain, due to how many people were moving, lush fields turned into trampled roads, and paths were cut through dense forest. The very these people tread will reshape the landscape.

    ¡°Uncle do you think this is a wise choice?¡± Su Rou asked Kuai Lan as she took one last look at the place that she had been calling home for many years.

    ¡°What defines a good choice, what defines a choice and what defines a wise choice, is something one does not know until the very end. But there is one thing I know and that is the time we spend contemplating on our choices is better spent on other things.¡± Kuai Lan replied with a smile.

    ¡°But if this fails then it might be the end of us and our families.¡± Su Rou said in a uncalm voice.

    ¡°That is where you are wrong my niece, if one is clever enough then they can get away with anything. Regardless of the outcome, as long as we are clever enough we can make it out of anything.¡± Kuai Lan said in a reassuring tone.

    ¡°Then let¡¯s hope we are clever enough, uncle. Or at the very least let¡¯s hope that our accomplices are.¡± Su Rou said with a slight smile.

    ¡°Our men should have arrived at their destination by now, all we have to do now is wait for the signal.¡± Kuai Lan said looking into the distance.

    Although no one noticed, a good portion of men from the Su and Kuai families had disappeared late in the night just like Zhang¡¯s men. Due to the number of people in the expedition and how chaotic things were, a thousand or so people disappearing wasn¡¯t very noticeable.

    =====================================================================

    ¡°Sweetheart are you sure you don¡¯t want to join this fight?¡± Ling said as she gazed afar at the countless people swarming their way toward the south.

    ¡°We can¡¯t leave any clues as to who we are, so none of us will be using any magic.¡± Zhang replied with a grin as he sat down beside Ling who was sitting at the edge of a cliff.

    Ran Kaitou had mapped out a path for the expedition that would allow them to arrive at the location where the new capital of the province was to be built, at the fastest possible speed, with consideration of the size of the expedition in mind.

    Had they taken the path that Zhang had taken to arrive at New Moon City, then it would take nearly double the time despite not taking and detours, this was because the dense forests that they had to pass would be too narrow for the large number of wagons and carriages that were a part of the expedition.

    Some would think that this problem could easily be solved by cutting down trees and enlarging the paths in the forests, but doing so would also require a lot of time and manpower, which could possibly end up taking longer than using the alternative route that detoured around the forest.

    This detour just so happened to pass a place called, The Qilin¡¯s Pass. Zhang had deemed that this pass was the best place to enact his plans. This was because the pass was only wide enough for seven or eight carriages to pass at once, side by side. It meant that the three aristocratic families who were at the forefront of the expedition would be the only ones crossing the pass for a while.

    Now that they have the cooperation of the Su and Kuai families, they could simply get rid of the other three aristocratic families, well as long as they make it seem like they were not involved at all because of possibly deterring people from surrendering in the future.

    ¡°Do you guys know why this place is called the Qilin¡¯s Pass?¡± Zhang asked his wives who were all sitting beside him.

    ¡°I¡¯m sure it has something to do with Qilins. Maybe one used to live around here or something.¡± Ai said with a chuckle.

    ¡°Your sort of right.¡± Zhang said as he began recalling the story he had heard from one of the residents of New Moon City. In fact, if one asked anyone who lived in the New Moon Province then they¡¯d be able to tell the same story.

    ¡°Countless years ago, before the Sai Empire was formed, and when the land that would be called the Warring States Region, was controlled by two rival kingdoms. A war that was said to end all wars, occurred here. But when this war occurred the Qilin¡¯s pass was known as Mt. Wutai.¡± Zhang said.

    ¡°Of course this name would change after a certain event occurred here. On a day much like today, the two rival armies that controlled the land met face to face. Rows upon rows of spears and swords stood in line as the two armies prepared to engage in combat. One on side of the battle field a newly crowned king stood in front of loyal soldiers, while on the other side of the battlefield a newly crowned queen stood in front of her loyal soldiers, both wait for the other to make a move. Battles such as this one had occurred countless times, although both sides pledged that each battle would be the battle where they annihilate their enemy and unite the land, no matter how hard they fought the two sides were too evenly matched for a victor to arise.¡±

    ¡°For many generations the two kingdoms fought and killed countless people, but this battle would mark the end of the war. No one knows which side initiated the war, but countless arrows blotted out the sky and the flumes from the burned corpses were said to raise all the way to the heavens.¡±

    ¡°Kill them all! I¡¯ll offer their blood to my royal father who is looking at us from heaven! The newly crowned king roared. The previous king had recently fallen in battle; however, he did not fall alone. That is because upon his death he had taken down the king of the other kingdom also¡±

    If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.

    ¡°Once the two previous kings had fallen in battle, their two only children, one a young man and the other a young woman filled their places.¡±

    ¡°On the opposite side of the battlefield the newly crowned queen was cutting down every enemy in her path. The objective of the two armies were to capture Mt. Wutai, whoever captured this mountain could erect a fortress on it, which would give them a strategic location to invade the other kingdom.¡±

    ¡°Both sides had long before deemed that this battle would be perhaps the bloodiest battle that would occur in the entire war, but none of them would be prepared for what happened. The opposing armies interlocked and mixed with each other in bloody combat but this all stopped with a blinding light shone through the dark clouds that loomed over head. All of the killing and fighting ceased as everyone¡¯s attention was focused to the skies. From behind the curtain of clouds an inky black Qilin descended.¡±

    ¡°Foolish humans who plague the earth and no naught but violence. If you wish for violence I will show you violence that you¡¯ve never seen before. The Qilin said.¡±

    ¡°After saying the words it did, a beam of white light shot out of its mouth and rained down upon the soldiers below.  Not even moments had passed before thousands of soldiers were burnt to dust, the armies were decimated and the terms ally and enemy no longer applied.¡±

    ¡°The aftermath of the Qilin¡¯s attack was complete annihilation of the two armies. However as if by heaven¡¯s will, the newly crowned king and the newly crowned queen both survived. By a stroke of luck, the two of them were so how sparred. Once these two returned to their respective kingdoms a treaty was formed and peace was instilled.¡±

    ¡°The Qilin single attack had destroyed the mountain and carved this pass into the ground?¡± Ai asked as Zhang finished telling the story.

    If one thought about how far the pass stretched from side to side, the thought of a single attack from anything creating it was unimaginable. The pass stretched dozens of miles and was hundreds of feet tall, so if the Qilin truly carved it out of a mountain then the power behind it¡¯s attack was breathtaking.

    ¡°My lord, the expedition has arrived.¡± A masked man dressed entirely in black reported to Zhang while bowing on one knee.

    ¡°Good let¡¯s head out.¡± Zhang said as he pulled up a black piece of cloth that hung around his neck and covered his face. Once his face was covered, Zhang fastened a rope made of spider silk around his waist. All around him and the beauties were hundreds of masked people dressed in black who were fastening silk drops to their bodies.

    ¡°I¡¯ll see you all at the bottom.¡± Lingqi said as she tossed down a few dozen bottles filled with liquids of various colors before jumping off the ledge of the cliff. Soon to join her were the hundreds of masked people, along with the rest of the beauties and Zhang.

    Down below the Tao clan the other two aristocratic families were making their way through the Qilin¡¯s pass. They were the only ones currently in the pass, due to the number of carriages and belongings they had, traveling through the pass was taking very long.

    ¡°How much longer until we reach the other side?¡± Tao Qian said impatiently.

    ¡°My lord we should be at the exit in about fifteen minutes at our current pace.¡± One of Tao Qian¡¯s men said as he spoke through the flap of cloth that covered the entrance into Tao Qian¡¯s carriage.

    The moment the man finished his sentence the sound of shattering glass rang into everyone¡¯s ears. Soon a trail of white smoke drifted its way into the carriage, causing Tao Qian to cough uncontrollably.

    Had Tao Qian been outside then he would have been able to witness the sight of hundreds of black clothed people bungee jumping off the side of a cliff.

    Descending into the smoke, Zhang withdrew a flare from his interspatial ring and shot it into the air, signaling the men from the Su and Kuai family and his men stationed atop the cliff near the entrance to the pass.

    Once the signal was given, Zhang¡¯s men at the entrance of the pass would bungee down from the cliffs and the men from the Su and Kuai family would rushed into the pass from the other side.

    The people from the three aristocratic families that were in the pass were not trapped and being slaughtered left and right. Blending into the white smoke, the black clothed people cut down one person after the next.

    While disarray ensued, Zhang was storing away one cart full of treasure after the other. While looting the three aristocratic families, he of course was also looking for Tao Qian. He thought if anyone was going to kill him then he might as well be the one to do it.

    By now Tao Qian had crawled out of his carriage and was surrounded by dozens of his guards. All around him people were dropping one after the other, like flies. Hundreds of rivers of blood were bleeding through the land beneath the sole of his shoes, as he tried to find a way to escape.

    ¡°Quickly! Get my out of here!¡± Tao Qian screamed.

    ¡°Ri-right away my lo¡­¡± One of his men tried to say but before he could finish his sentence, blood gushed out of a hole left in his throat by someone¡¯s dagger.

    Zhang¡¯s subordinates were like specters that came and went as they pleased, leaving a trail of blood and death in their wake. To Tao Qian¡¯s horror, after a few breaths the dozens of men who were guarding him were all laying on the ground in a pool of their own blood.

    In a mix of emotions consisting mainly of fear, Tao Qian spotted a familiar face in the chaotic crowd. A goddess like beauty was making her way toward him, through the trials of white smoke that rose into the sky.

    As he spotted Lingqi, a burning pain emanated from his arm. Looking down he could see a trail of blood streaking the sleeve of his robes.

    ¡°Save me! Save me!¡± He yelled as he ran toward Lingqi. He totally forgotten to question as to why she was even here, the only thing that was going through his mind was the fact that she was a doctor and that she could possibly help him.

    A smile crept onto Lingqi¡¯s face as she heard Tao Qian¡¯s words. Her step become brisker as she saw that he was making his way toward her.

    ¡°I wonder which potion I should use.¡± Lingqi thought as Tao Qian inched closer and closer.

    However, the smile on her face turned to a frown as she caught sight of Zhang approaching from behind Tao Qian, with swords in hand. A smile was on his face as he looked not at Tao Qian but Lingqi.

    ¡°You want to compete with me?¡± She muttered as a smile once more crept onto her face and a pair of large needles were withdrawn from her interspatial ring.

 Chapter 118: Unexpected

    Hello folks O_O here¡¯s a new chapter for you all. Also great news, I''ve gotten the first 8 chapters of Ascending the Heavens proofed by editors. They say it was pretty good O_O so I decided that in a few days I''ll be posting a 1-chapter teaser for you all here.: :) A total of 5 chapters will be posted on NovelsNao first a few days before I update them over here.

    =========================================================================================

    Zhang¡¯s eyes glinted as he spotted Lingqi charging toward Tao Qian, although he did really care if he would be the one to kill Tao Qian or not, he found it enjoyable to compete against Lingqi. Thus he quickened his pace and moved in for the kill at lightning speeds.

    ¡°Darling! You''re not going to beat me this time.¡± Lingqi yelled as two large needles shot out from her hand at unbelievable speed. Despite her cultivation being only at the fifth level, which is rather low compared to the other three beauties, this didn¡¯t matter because anyone who was hit by her attacks would surely die.

    Be it a scratch or a single nick, that was all she needed to take a life. Sometimes there wasn¡¯t even a need for injury at all thanks to the variety of poisons at her disposal.

    The two needles that shot out of her hand pierced through the air and honed in at Tao Qian who by now has realized that there was no salvation for him in Lingqi¡¯s arrival, rather instead of salvation he was now face to face with certain death.

    Looking at the needles speeding toward him, Tao Qian¡¯s legs gave out and he kneeled onto the ground, with the eyes of someone who no longer has the will to resist present on his face. Facing the end of his life, Tao Qian gave off a maddening laugh the reverberated in the hearts of his men who were desperately fighting a losing battle. Afterward he closed his eyes, giving into and embracing death. There was no way for him to dodge these needles in time, Lingqi had shot them are peculiar angles and had aimed for his legs, which in turn became his torso after kneeling.

    Inches away from Tao Qian¡¯s face were the two needles that shot out of Lingqi¡¯s hand, mere seconds away from lodging themselves into their target. However, before Lingqi¡¯s needles reached their target, Tao Qian whose eyes were still shut, felt something wrap around his body.

    Pitch black vines, wrapped around Tao Qian¡¯s body and tossed him into the air, causing Lingqi¡¯s needles to shot past where Tao Qian was kneeling and lodge themselves into the ground.

    Both Zhang and Lingqi stopped in their tracks and looked up into the sky, where Tao Qian had been through. The black vines had thrown him unbelievably high into the air and now he was currently freefalling at high speeds, soon he would most likely smash into the ground and turn into paste. But of course such a death would be too gruesome, so right before Tao Qian smashed into the ground dozens of black vines caught him and then ripped his body apart into four pieces, raining blood and gore everywhere.

    ¡°You win this one Ai¡­¡± Lingqi thought as she disappeared back into the battlefield after pulling up a black cloth to cover her face.

    Zhang couldn¡¯t help but shake his head because he had specifically asked that no one use any of their magic because of the possibility that someone might recognize them.

    ¡°Well I guess even if there are any witnesses, they¡¯ll all be dead soon.¡± He thought shaking his head as he gazed through the white screen of smoke in front of him, to see Ai giving him a thumbs up before running off.

    With Tao Qian in pieces, Zhang also rejoined the fray and the slaughtering continued. The armies of the three aristocratic families did not stand a chance, due to the high level of cultivation of Zhang¡¯s men and the confusion caused by the ambush.

    As Zhang was cutting his way through the chaotic scene that laid before him, a familiar sight caught his attention. A well-built bald man with a scar that ran to his forehead and a handsome younger man was standing back to back, fighting four masked men and women.

    ¡°Looks like I¡¯ll get to have some fun today after all.¡± Zhang thought as he saw the two men who had offended him the other day.

    However, before he could even get close enough, dozens of needles shot through the air and embedded themselves into the two men in question. Soon enough the two men slumped over and fell to the ground without uttering a single cry.

    Outside of the pass, Ran Kaitou¡¯s men were at a lost at what to do, although they could see that the people from the aristocratic families were being slaughtered inside the pass, they had been tasked to protect the common people. So far it did not seem like the assailants attacking the aristocratic families were going to go after anyone else because they did not move out the pass to attack the civilians at all.

    ¡°Boss what should we do!?¡± One of Ran Kaitou¡¯s men yelled.

    ¡°Retreat! Keep the safety of the people as our priority!¡± Ran Kaitou commanded. Although he did not say anything, to him it was obvious that the people dressed in black were Zhang¡¯s men and right now he deemed that the best thing for him to do was improve his image to the common people.

    By showing them that instead of worrying about the aristocratic families and worrying about the common people instead, then that would help him gain the loyalty amongst the commoners. Since he knew that there was no reason for him to help anyone because Zhang was the one attacking. Thus the civilians were safely kept away from the chaotic fighting that was unfolding in the Qilin¡¯s Pass.

    ¡°Sigh I¡¯m probably going to be the one who has to clean this all up¡­¡± Ran Kaitou sighed as he peered into the pass. He could see that so much blood had been spilled inside the pass that the ground was dyed a deep crimson red.

    At the rear of the expedition Su Rou and Kuai Lan looked in the direction of Qilin¡¯s Pass anxiously. They were betting their futures on whether or not this plan succeeded or not, if the plan failed then they would be pitted against the other three aristocratic families and surely they would be eliminated. But if the plan succeeded then they would be free to absorb the other factions in the province and rise to prominence.

    As all eyes were looking toward the Qilin¡¯s pass, a red flare could be seen streaking through the sky, signaling the end of the battle. Inside the pass severed limbs, guts and body parts were scattered all about on the ground as Zhang¡¯s subordinated could be seen scaling up the side of the cliff, using the silk ropes they had used earlier to bungee down.

    While Zhang¡¯s subordinates were making their way up the face of the cliff, the soldiers of the Su and Kuai families quickly headed for the exit. All they had to do was make it to the other side, hide themselves and when the expedition passes, they could blend back in with the others.

    ¡°Have all of our everyone been accounted for?¡± One of the soldiers of the Kuai family asked.

    A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    ¡°Yes captain, all corpses have been collected and everyone is accounted for.¡± A soldier from the Su family replied. The two families had often trained soldiers together so it was easy for these men to cooperate together at times such as this.

    They had to make sure that they left nothing that could be connected back to their respective families. If someone made a connection between the attack and the Su and Kuai families, then a string of unpredictable events may unfold. Thus upon retreating, every corpse, every sword and everyone had to be accounted for.

    Soon, silence filled the pass and not a single living soul could be spotted, everyone had either been killed or has made it out of the pass already. With no witnesses left alive and no trace of their involvement, as long as everyone who was involved keeps quiet then no one will ever know who perpetrated the massacre.

    Ran Kaitou had decided that it would be best to camp in front of the pass for the day, while his men move into the pass and tidy up the mess that Zhang had created. Such a sight was not something that he wished for people to see, it is one thing to know that many people were killed and an entirely different thing to see the mangled bodies of hundreds of people. If he allowed the commoners to view such a sight, panic would surely ensue.

    Thus by the time the sun had set and the moon had rose, a large camp of thousands of tents was set up in front of the pass. The soldiers of the Su and Kuai family who were on the other side of the pass were of course alerted of this and were ordered to sneak back into the camp before daybreak.

    Zhang, the beauties and their subordinates of course had disappeared once more without a trace and no one had any clue where they were.

    But unbeknownst to anyone, there were other things to worry about instead of where Zhang had gone to.

    =====================================================================

    With the moon high in the sky, illuminating its rays on the bloodstained earth of the Qilin¡¯s pass, amidst a sea of scattered limbs an eerie glow was present. Dozens of loose limbs were all emitting an odd red colored glow, if one looked closely, each and every one of these limbs had strange runes tattooed onto them.

    These limbs continued glowing until they began twitching and not before long they began moving on their own accord. If someone with a faint heart had witness this scene then they¡¯d more than likely soil themselves because a pair of severed arms were clawing their way across the ground, while a pair of severed legs were kicking about trying to move across the ground.

    As the night went on, the severed limbs, be they arms, legs, fingers, toes, or any other manner of body part, slowly headed toward a patch of blood stained grass that had a rapidly beating heart laying atop of it.

    Once the severed limbs managed to reach the rapidly beating, they liquefied and turned into scarlet colored blood. The scarlet colored blood then formed a perfect sphere that not before long began reshaping itself once more.

    Blood soaked hands and feet shot out from the inside of the sphere and soon enough the blood sphere had totally been reshaped into the form of a man.

    ¡°Ahahahaha, to think I was so scared that I even forgot that I possessed such a technique at my disposal.¡± The blood soaked man laughed as he his eyes scanned the surrounding area.

    ¡°I guess delivering that bastard so many sacrifices paid off after all. Sadly, it only works once...¡± The blood soaked man said as he wrestled a robe off of a corpse that was laying on the ground. After wrapping himself with the robe the blood soaked man began making his way through the pass.

    Along the way he would occasionally look down at a few of the many corpses that were lying about and an expression of grief and rage began to appear on his face. It could be said that this man was glad to bad alive, however more than often it¡¯s the people who don¡¯t die that are the ones that suffer the most.

    As the number of familiar faces kept adding up the expression of grief slowly faded from the man¡¯s face and left only but pure rage.

    ¡°AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!¡± The man screamed at the top of his lungs. His scream reverberated throughout the pass and echoed off into the distance, carrying with it the embodiment of his rage. This scream of anger however soon turned into mournful cries as the man fell to his knees and wept.

    ¡°I¡¯ll find you two¡­ I¡¯ll find you two and make you pay for what you¡¯ve done!¡± The man screamed.

    Perhaps if Zhang had witnessed the sight of his man then he would show a bit of sympathy, but one reaps what one sows because it was because of one man¡¯s actions that led to this massacre. Had Tao Qian acted differently toward Zhang, the beauties, and the Su and Kuai family then perhaps this calamity would have not fallen upon him and those around how would have not such a fate.

    But sadly not learning from his mistakes and taking advantage of his new lease on life, he had chosen a darker path, a path riddled with death and vengeance.

    Thus in grief and rage, Tao Qian made his way out of the Qilin¡¯s Pass, heading toward the unknown, heading toward a path of no return, perhaps a path that would lead him to his end yet again.

    ====================================================================

    Elsewhere, Zhang and the four beauties were sitting comfortably inside their magic carriage. After taking care of the three aristocratic families, they decided that it was time to continue their honeymoon and once more began heading toward the Starmist Province. They did not know when the invasion of the southern region would begin so they had to make the most out of the time they had left.

    Now instead of traveling with a single carriage and a dozen or so horsemen, they had a small caravan of carriages filled with subordinates. Although they would be much most noticeable compared to before, the number of subordinates they now had with them could be said to be very fitting of people of their status. For a prince and princesses to travel like they had done before was rarely done, if done at all.

    Even Shu Shang who could be considered on par with Zhang in terms of cultivation, rarely traveled without a hundred or so people with him.

    But besides the extra manpower nothing else really changed, Zhang and the beauties were still dead set on enjoying their honeymoon to the fullest and were hoping to avoid getting into anymore problems for the remainder of the trip.

    However, the future is yet to be written so who knows if they will face unbelievable peril or if they will be spared the hardships and be able to enjoy their honeymoon until they must return to Aurora to begin the invasion of the southern part of the warring states region. But there is a saying that goes, those in bliss are often met with adversity.

 Chapter 119: Kidnapped

    I''m sorry to you folks who think the story sucks. But sadly I can''t make it any better because my imagination is lacking and my work schedule is pack. I''m amazed I have any time to write at all considering sometimes I''m working 14 hours... As for the other story, I''ve had little to no time to work on it so it''s actually not really being worked on at all.

    =======================================================================================

    Before the sun rose and while the moon was about to go away, a caravan of carriages was currently making their way through a rocky road and forgotten road deep in the forest. The rattling sound of wooden wheels could be heard reverberating through the forest as the caravan moved forward.

    In a few dozen or so of these carriages with hundreds of men, women and children with their hands and feet tightly bound, there were of course even infants whose mothers were my bound in order to hold their child.

    Despite not being bound, none of the mothers tried to escape because the knee that they would not be able to make it very far with their child in hand, and the thought of untying the ropes that bound everyone else was lost when a few tried and red colored runes appeared on the ropes and tightened.

    For the most part everyone was bound and even their mouths were gagged to ensure that they would not even make a sound.

    From the looks on these people''s faces one could tell that they were horrified. For they do not know what the future holds for them, more than likely they wouldn''t be killed because if they were then they wouldn''t be bound in the carriage, but even if they weren''t going to be killed there are many different futures that could hold fates worse than death.

    To these people, as long as the wheels of the carriages continued rolling then they had nothing to fear, because as long as they were kept inside the carriages then they wouldn''t not have to face horrid possibility that await them outside.

    In the beginning some people had tried to use their cultivation to break out of their bindings and escape however they soon found out that their attempts were futile because they could not muster up any strength from their cultivation bases.

    However even if they were to continuing their attempts to escape, they would not be given another chance to because currently the rattling wooden wheels of the carriages that sped through the rocky path slowly ceased and the carriages stopped.

    Anticipation filled everyone''s hearts as the carriages stopped. Now that the carriages had stopped, silence filled the air and no one made a sound. But this did not last long because the sound of a cry baby soon echoed out from one of the carriages and seeped into the other ones.

    It was not long afterward that dozens of doors were swung open and light shone into the carriages. Squinting their eyes everyone who had been kept inside the carriages was being blinded by the sudden exposure to light.

    Once their eyes adjusted they could see tens of people standing outside of the carriages. A mix of men and women were present and gazing into the carriages.

    Without saying a word, the men proceeded to carry people out of the carriages, one by one until everyone was gathered outside. Of course a few of those who were bound inside the carriages tried to resist as best they could be squirming about, but like their previous attempts to escape or retaliate, resistance was futile.

    Once everyone was taken from the carriages and gathered up outside a beautiful young woman, with long flowing reddish hair, and eyes that possess a hint of red in their pupils, stood appeared. Although she was beautiful, this young woman gave off an aura of that of someone who is used to death, making everyone who were bound tremble in their hearts.

    They could tell that if this woman wished for it then they''d soon arrive before the gates of the underworld.

    A hint of a smile appeared on her face as this young woman¡¯s gaze fell on a crying baby. As she approached the baby and opened out her arms toward it, the child''s mother had a face full of fear. The mother did not know what this woman would do to her child so she was not willing to hand the child over.

    After a few moments the young woman gave up on her attempt to hold the baby and walked toward someone else with a dejected look on her face. The person she walked toward was a young boy in his teens. This boy had been one of the few who had struggled and tried resist the most out of the entire group.

    Although he was bound he continued squirming about, although he was gagged one was certain that he was currently cursing his captors.

    With a wave of her hand, the woman called for two men to come over and grab the boy.

    ¡°Take out the gag.¡± The woman said to the two men who were holding the boy. The moment the gag was removed, a series of words that should not be repeated flowed out of the boy¡¯s mouth.

    However, no hint of anger appeared on the young woman¡¯s face, despite the boys cursing and provocation. Unexpectedly a smile crept onto her face.

    The sweat dripped down the brow of the boy''s father as he watched his son doing what could be considered then dumbest thing possible for anyone to do in their current situation. Now was not the time to be a hero, now was not the time to taunt your captors because now was the time that death could approach at any moment.

    The boy''s father tried to tell his son to stop, however his mouth was gagged and his arms and legs were bound, so there was nothing he could do but squirm about on the ground.

    The young woman¡¯s hand extended and reached toward the boy''s temple as countless unreadable runes appeared on her arm. Everyone became wide eyed and watched in silence as the boy proceeded to scream and struggle as the woman''s index finger pressed onto the boy''s forehead.

    Well soon enough these tunes that were on the woman''s arm were transcribed onto the boy, flowing into his mouth, ears, eyes and nose.  The runes began glowing in an eerie green light before the boy seemed to lose all strength and go unconscious.

    ¡°Onto the next one.¡± The young woman said with a smile still on her face, but with somewhat of a sign in her tone.

    The moment the boy lost consciousness, everyone else seemed to have been driven mad and squirmed about on the ground trying to escape. Every the few mothers who were left unbound to hold their children, began standing up and trying to run off.

    Of course before they could even make a few steps, they were apprehended.

    This one by one, people were brought in front of the beautiful young woman with red hair, and one by one they lost consciousness.

    Soon everyone has become unconscious and were once more loaded into the carriages this time however their bindings were taken off and when they awaken they will no longer be bounded by ropes.

    ¡°Sweetheart I think for the amount of work I did I deserve a reward.¡± The beautiful woman with red hair said with a smile. Afterward she produced a small bottle of water and drank it, instantly her complexion which seemed a bit pale, improved and became rosy like before she had performed her technique on the boy.

    Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

    ¡°Well you did alter the memories of all of these people.¡±  A handsome young man with black hair and distinguishing features such as slanted eyebrows said with a grin as he walked out from behind a few carriages.

    Of course this handsome young man was Zhang, and who else could toy with someone''s memories beside Yuying.

    ¡°Now they should totally have forgotten about the fact that they have come from the aristocratic families, and a bunch of other things.¡± Yuying said while puffing out her chest in a proud manner.

    ¡°Yea this way at least some people can be spare.¡± Zhang said with a slight smile. Although the three aristocratic families had to be dealt with, if he could spare women, and children then Zhang would. Not wanting to make some children, orphans he also soared a good number of the men.

    Those who had raised their swords in battle though, were killed because to be prepared to take another life is to be prepared to lose your own life.

    All of these people had been knocked out and carried up the cliffs of the Qilin¡¯s Pass and then transported within carriages with the last couple days, only after taking them a fairly far distance away from Qilin¡¯s Pass did Zhang''s feel that they would be far enough from prying eyes that he let these people out of the carriages.

    ¡°Now that everyone thinks that everyone in the Qilin¡¯s Pass had died and with all of their memories altered, if we take these people far enough then no trouble should arise for us and them.¡± Zhang said with a smile as he looked toward the carriages loaded with people.

    He had planned to find a quiet village somewhere or a nice and safe city for these people to live in. With the money that he had looted from the carts in the pass, even if he only gave them half of it, they would be able to live luxuriously for the rest of their lives and the next few generations.

    Some would say that Zhang and the beauties were fools for sparing these people because of the possible problems that could arise if these people regained their lost memories, but killing children and innocent women was not something that he felt should be done. If a day came when these people regained their memory and sought for revenge then he will deal with them but for now, they posed no threat to him thus they were spared.

    With the remnants of the three aristocratic families dealt with, Zhang subordinate began setting up camp and preparing meals for everyone.

    ¡°That lady didn''t let me hold the baby¡­ it looked so cute.¡± Yuying pouted as she recalled the crying baby.

    ¡°Well it won''t be long until you can cuddle our baby all day long. We just got to try harder.¡± Zhang laughed as he looked at Yuying before walking up toward her and placing his arm around and stop her shoulder.

    Soon the two of them found a large boulder which they climbed up on and sat atop of. Gazing out at the hundreds of men and women, hastily pitching camp and cutting down trees to use are firewood the two of them fell into a world of their own.

    ¡°Should we break them up?¡± A whispering voice sounded out a short distance away from Zhang and Yuying.

    ¡°Yea should we?¡± Another voice said.

    ¡°No, no we shouldn''t.¡± Yet another voice said.

    The other three beauties could be seen huddled up amongst themselves. Lingqi had been the first to speak, followed by Ling and lastly Ai, who was the one to say not to ruin Yuying¡¯s moment with Zhang.

    Of the four beauties, Ai and Yuying were the closest and often times would cooperate with each other, while Lingqi was the go getter and Ling somehow always finding the right opportunities to appear.

    ¡°Are you sure we shouldn''t move in?¡± Lingqi asked the other two.

    ¡°I think we should.¡± Ling said as her head lifted up and she looked at the backs of Zhang and Yuying who were now leaning against each other.

    ¡°As much as I want to, we shouldn''t because if we keep getting in each other''s way, then there might be a fifth sister who shows up.¡± Ai said as she glanced at the other two.

    ¡°A fifth¡­ competitor¡­¡± Lingqi murmured.

    ¡°Yea because not too long ago there was only three of us, until a fourth showed up.¡± Ai said, glancing at Lingqi who was also contemplating the possibility of a fifth competitor popping up.

    ¡°Damn¡­. if another me appears then all hope is lost.¡± Lingqi cursed in a low tone, taking Ai¡¯s words to heart.

    ¡°I agree, if another you appears then all hell will break loose.¡± Ling said as she glanced at Lingqi.

    ¡°Yup¡­ Then none of us will be able to get alone time with him¡­¡± Ai said while her gaze shifted from Ling to Lingqi and back.

    ¡°If darling wasn''t such a womanizer then we wouldn''t have to worry about this¡­¡± Lingqi said as she lifted her head and looked at Zhang¡¯s back.

    ¡°Yea this is all his fault¡­¡± Ling said while also lifting her head and looking at Zhang.

    Somehow all of the blame was thus shifted into an unsuspecting Zhang. Had he known about this then perhaps he would vomit blood at these allegations.

    ¡°So it''s agreed that we will leave them alone for now.¡± Ai said.

    ¡°Agreed.¡± Lingqi and Ling said at the same time. The thought of another Lingqi showing up had scared them into leaving Zhang and Yuying alone.

    With that in mind the three of them dispersed into the camp, each doing their own thing. Lingqi gather up a group of subordinate to go herb picking, Ling withdrew a technique manual from her interspatial ring to read, while Ai tagged along with Lingqi and headed off into the woods.

    As Zhang and Yuying say atop the stone boulder a sudden thought drifted into Zhang¡¯s mind.

    ¡°What do you think about me bringing back for you another sister, maybe twins¡± Zhang said jokingly.

    ¡°Don''t even think about it.¡± Yuying replied while sticking out her tongue in a joking manner contrary to the killing intent she has emitted for a split second.

    ¡°Just kidding, the four of you''d probably kill me if I did, if not your father would toss me back down the pits of hell again.¡± Zhang replied while looking down toward the earth, imagining the eighteen levels of hell after a flash of murderous intent ran down his spine.

    ¡°Yea you know how father is.¡± Yuying said with a grin.

    ¡°If another wife doesn''t get you killed than twins definitely will.¡± She thought, if the Yama didn''t kill him then she or one of the other beauties definitely would.

    Henceforth the topic of adding more wives to the marriage or disturbing alone time between Zhang and anyone of the beauties was never mentioned again for they all feared for the worst.

 Chapter 120: City of Firsts

    How are you guys O_O.

    =====================================================================================

    Roughly a dozen days had pass since Yuying had rewritten the memories of the survivors of the three aristocratic families. As of now, these people completely believed that they were a part of the Zhou clan, in other words, they were now considered relatives to Zhang. Meaning in terms of status, they were still nobility, actually compared to before they could be considered a step higher in terms of status. Since they were now relatives of a prince who will one day become king of Aurora.

    So after having their memories altered so that the massacre at the Qilin¡¯s Pass never happened, everyone who had been kept bound in the carriages were integrated into the rest of Zhang¡¯s caravan. It had been decided that after heading to the Starmist Province for a leisure trip, Zhang would then lead everyone back to Aurora, where these no additions to his family would settle.

    That way he could keep an eye on them, in case anyone regains their memories and plots against him.

    For the most part the last dozen or so days of the trip had been filled with relaxation. The beauties had grown exceptionally close to Zhang¡¯s so called relatives, especially Yuying who had spent most of her time watching the toddlers who were now her nieces and nephews play.

    The beauties were very fond of the children who were now a part of the group, be it babies who were still being breastfed, to children who were running about. Often times, Zhang would to see the beauties in one of their play sessions with the children and it would warm his heart.

    ¡°One day we¡¯ll be able to play with our own kids and hopefully by that time there won¡¯t be any need for me to fight.¡± He thought as he imagined coming home to a house full of kids. Thus the last dozen or so days passed like a breeze.

    ¡°My lord if we keep our current pace, we should be within the Starmist Province¡¯s borders in a few hours and if we don¡¯t set up camp, we can arrive at Wolfden City before midnight.¡± Cheng Yu reported to Zhang as his voice drifted in from a window that could be opened from the driver¡¯s seat of the carriage.

    ¡°Pass down my command, we will head to Wolfden City at full speed.¡± Zhang said in reply to Cheng Yu from within the carriage.

    If he could help it, Zhang would very much prefer to stay inside a city and enjoy all of the benefits that came along with it. Although he had a comfy bed within his magical carriage, there was a lack of delicious food, and the rowdy atmosphere that a city usually possessed.

    Of course besides these two minor things, there wasn¡¯t much to complain about. Rather most people would envy how Zhang traveled. He had for one a comfy bed, which most travels wouldn¡¯t have the liberty of enjoying until they entered a city. He was surrounded by beautiful women and there was occasionally delicious food, depending how what could be gathered from the surrounding area.

    After Zhang¡¯s command was passed, the caravan¡¯s speed increased and everyone was looking forward to arriving at Wolfden City. The trail of carriages and carts sped through the mountainous path in front of them as they neared the border of the Starmist Province.

    ¡°Oh yea I almost forgot, we might meet mister Qian when we arrive in the Starmist Province.¡± Zhang said as he recalled the old man who had traveled with him through the bloody forest.

    A few hours later once they entered the Starmist Province, signs of people began appearing. Carriages and travelers would occasionally appear along the side of the road, unlike the last few days within the New Moon Province where they did not see a single soul. Perhaps it was because New Moon City was relocated that attributed to this but who knows.

    The deeper they went into the lands of the Starmist Province and the closer they got to Wolfden City, more and more people could be spotted heading in the same direction. Some of these people were traveling with their families and were most likely relocating themselves to avoid be caught up in the war in the southern region.

    Countless rumors had been sparked regarding the possibility of war breaking out in the southern region of the warring states, of course no solid evidence was provided to back up such theories, but people felt that to be on the safe side they should move. Zhang certainly knew that the war was definitely going to happen but for the most part the civilians were only speculating.

    Besides the families that were relocating, hundreds of men were often spotted in pairs or small groups also heading toward Wolfden City.

    True to being the Warring States Region¡¯s second strongest province, from the amount of travelers alone one could tell that traveling within the Starmist Province was fairly safe. In weaker provinces that possessed less security, travelers wouldn¡¯t travel in small groups and would often employ guards, but this was not the case here.

    It did not seem like the people who were traveling within the Starmist Province possessed any fear of bandits at all from the lack of guards and small groups that they traveled in. Compared to them, Zhang¡¯s caravan was made up of thousands of people, causing it to draw lots of attention.

    So while drawing attention to themselves, the caravan continued forward until the sun descended and hid itself below the horizon. A cool refreshing breeze and the luminous moon was present and reminded everyone that that day had ended and it was not night.

    By now it was the stroke of midnight and the caravan had reached the outskirts of Wolfden City. However, they found out that they could not enter because despite being midnight there was a long line that stretched out from the gates of Wolfden City.

    Strangely enough the line was comprised of people who were waiting to enter the city. Zhang would soon find out that Wolfden City was also known by another name, many people called it the city of firsts, the city that never sleeps.

    One might ask why is Wolfden city referred to as the city of firsts and the answer would be simply because Wolfden City is red light city, or in other words a brothel city. From that bit of information anyone could guess as to why it was referred to as the city of firsts, but for those who can¡¯t guess, it was referred to as the city of firsts because of how many people have their first time when visiting it.

    Wolfden City was a haven where one could prefill their hidden desires, a place where men and women alike could find fulfillment and entertainment if their pockets were deep enough.

    Of course Zhang and the majority of the people in his caravan did not know of any of this so they were somewhat confused as to why there was such a long line of people waiting to enter the city at such a time, a time when most people should be at home in their beds getting ready to enter their dreams. For the most people those who have been to Wolfden City do not tell others that they have been there, because what happens in Wolfden City, stays in Wolfden City.

    Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

    But from the look Cheng Yu¡¯s eyes one could tell that he had certainly been here before, he definitely was not alone because a few others who were a part of the aristocratic families had the same look in their eyes. Although their memories were altered, there were things that were of course left intact.

    ¡°My lord, I think I¡¯ve heard somewhere that Wolfden City is a city that never sleeps, so the sight before us is a common one here.¡± Cheng Yu said after jumping off the driver''s seat and arriving at the side of the carriage at the window where Zhang¡¯s head was sticking out.

    ¡°Is that so?¡± Zhang asked with his head still sticking out of the carriage window. He had been curious as to why the carriages had stopped before entering the city so he poked his head out of the window to have a look. With Cheng Yu¡¯s words many of the questions that had popped up into Zhang¡¯s mind had been answered thus with a few words he closed the carriage window and resumed what he had been doing before. What was happening in his carriage? The world may never know.

    The caravan thus waited in line to enter the city, the line was long but was moving at a steady pace, making is so that there wasn¡¯t a very long wait time for those in line. Before long¡¯s Zhang¡¯s carriage arrived at the city gates and was greeted by a dozen or so soldiers.

    ¡°State your business.¡± One of the guards who seemed to be in charge said in a powerful voice.

    ¡°My young master is here for leisure, my lords¡± Cheng Yu said from atop the driver¡¯s seat of Zhang¡¯s carriage.

    ¡°Leisure with this many people?¡± The guard asked somewhat skeptical of what Cheng Yu said.

    ¡°Yes my lord, the young master had brought along a few servants beside myself, and a few other members of the clan had tagged along.¡± Cheng Yu said as he climbed down from the carriage and stood in front of the guard, somewhat hunched over so he did not give off an intimidating imagine.

    ¡°Wait haven¡¯t I seen you somewhere before?¡± Cheng Yu asked.

    ¡°What?¡± The guard replied with a confused look on his face.

    ¡°How could you forget me!? It¡¯s been years since we met but how could you forget your best friend Cheng Yu.¡± Cheng Yu said as he got chummy with the guard and patted the man on the shoulder. While everyone was confused Cheng Yu stuffed a small bag of coins into the guard¡¯s armor.

    ¡°Ah brother Cheng Yu, it¡¯s been ages! I had thought you looked familiar, but wasn¡¯t sure if it was you or not.¡± The guard said with a wide grin on his face.

    ¡°I thought you didn¡¯t recognize me for a second. We could find a good place to catch up when you''re not too busy.¡± Cheng Yu said with a smile.

    ¡°Yea I¡¯ll find you when I¡¯m not on duty.¡± The guard said with a smile as he gestured for Cheng Yu and the rest of the caravan to enter the city.

    It was clear that this was the first time these two men had met and that they did not know each other at all. But this was nothing new for the guards who were stationed at the city gates.

    On any given day, they would have hundreds if not thousands of ¡°friends¡± pass by and most if not all of these friend were rich. Meaning that whoever was stationed as a guard at the gate was fairly wealthy also.

    With that aside, not that they''ve been granted permission to enter, Zhang¡¯s caravan of carriages and carts rattled its way through the city gate.

    The inside of Wolfden City was like another world, dazzling lights lined the streets, beautifully made fountains that were powered by magic scattered throughout the city, countless beautiful women waved down to the people passing through the streets from their balconies, and a cheerful and mysterious atmosphere filled the air. This was a place where one could immerse themselves in pleasure or be lost in it.

    In such an atmosphere it was easy to lose oneself and be drowned in pleasure, which could be a good thing and a bad thing because sometimes too much of a good thing may not always be a good thing. There were often times in Wolfden City where people would be having the time of their lives and then get themselves in a lot of trouble or turn up dead the next morning because they did something stupid due to the thrill of the moment.

    ¡°Waaaa, I¡¯ve never seen a city like this. Not even Aurora had so many lights and places to go play.¡± Ai said as half of her body was sticking out of the magical carriage.

    Looking out into the brightly lit streets filled with people, you wouldn¡¯t even think that it was currently past midnight. In other places at this time in the night, everyone was fast asleep, readying themselves for tomorrow. However, this was most definitely not the case in Wolfden City.

    ¡°Cheng Yu can you ask around and find us a good hotel to stay at? Once that is taken care of we can enjoy our time here.¡± Zhang said through the window that opened up beside the driver''s seat.

    ¡°My lord, I think you¡¯ve mistaken something.¡± Cheng Yu said in a whisper as he bent toward the window.

    ¡°What?¡± Zhang ask with a perplexed tone.

    ¡°There aren¡¯t any hotels in this city. The only place you can board in is one of the countless brothels.¡± Cheng Yu said with a glint in his eye.

    ¡°Errr¡­ Find a nice one then¡­¡± Zhang replied.

    ¡°Freight not my lord, I¡¯ll find one that has twins. Young ones too.¡± Cheng Yu chuckled.

    ¡°Yes twins! Wai...wait where did you hear this?¡± Zhang retorted.

    However instead of replying, Cheng Yu began chuckling and closed the window instead.

    ¡°Every man¡¯s dream, my lord, every man¡¯s dream.¡± Cheng Yu murmured as he continued steering the carriage.

    Thus Zhang¡¯s magical carriage led the caravan through the crowded streets of Wolfden City. To where he did not know, but it seemed like Cheng Yu knew his way around this city pretty well so Zhang did not question. Also when Cheng Yu had mentioned twins, Yuying shot a glare at Zhang so he did not dare open that window again to converse with Cheng Yu.

    ¡°That bastard¡­¡± Zhang silently cursed as he watched the beauties look out into the busy streets and pointing at places they wanted to visit.

    Casinos, restaurants, brothels, clothing stores, jewelry stores and all sorts of other establishments built for entertainment and pleasure lined the streets, so many that it would probably take weeks to visit them all.

    ¡°Honey, I saw a beautiful looking necklace on display in one of the stores. How about we go have a look later.¡± Ling said as she walked away from the window and brushed up against Zhang. Truthfully nothing really caught her attention but she was hoping to call dibs on Zhang.

    ¡°Damn¡­I was too late...¡± Lingqi and the other two beauties thought as Ling took the initiative.

    ==================================================================================

    Wolfden City= VEGAS O_________O

 Chapter 121: Entertainment

    Hello folks, I come with wonderful news O_O>>>>>>>>>>> Ascending The Heavens</a> <<<<<<<<<<<<< is now available on NovelsNao. With five chapters :D posted :D Hope you all like it.

    Will post it onto RRL in batches but for regular releases its on the other site. That story will have much more cultivation :)

    ================================================================================================

    The magical carriage came to a halt in front of a four story building that stretched from one street corner to the next. Across its doors hung a large signboard that read, ¡°Wolfden Brothel.¡± Countless beautiful women could be seen standing on the hundreds of balconies that protruded from upper floors of the brothel, while countless more could be see inside the brothel, through its large gates.

    Cheng Yu had led the caravan to perhaps the only brothel in Wolfden City large enough to house everyone. This brothel was so large that it had enough rooms to house tens of thousands of people within its confines.

    ¡°Young master we are here.¡± Cheng Yu said as he opened Zhang¡¯s carriage door and stood aside in wait.

    Moments later, before Zhang or the beauties had made stepped off of the carriage, a few dozen men dressed in uniform and armed with wooden staffs filed out of the brothel.

    These men of course were employed by the brothel for security purposes, of course they did other things, such as wait on tables, carry luggage, etc.

    After these men filed out of the brothel, a beautiful woman who looked no older than the age of twenty walked out from within the brothel. She gave off an otherworldly vibe as she approached Zhang¡¯s carriage, just as he walked out.

    ¡°Welcome young master.¡± The young woman said as her glittering eyes scanned Zhang from head to toe, shimmering as they gazed at each article of his attire, perhaps in her head she was guessing the price of his attire.

    Upon hearing the young woman¡¯s words, Zhang smiled and nodded in acknowledgement.

    ¡°My young master wishes to rent out some rooms in your establishment.¡± Cheng Yu said to the young woman, as his eyes began to wonder from her long brownish black hair, to her delicate face comprised of rosy cheeks, cherry red lips and beautiful eyes that had bright blue pupils.

    Cheng Yu felt as if his soul was being pulled out from his body as his gaze shifted from her beautifully proportioned face to his well-defined figure. It definitely would not be too much to say that this young woman standing in front of Zhang and Cheng Yu was comparable to the four beauties.

    ¡°How many rooms would you like, young master. I wouldn''t mind if we got a room for just you and me.¡± The young woman''s said.

    ¡°You, him and us?¡± Lingqi¡¯s angelic voice drifted into everyone''s ear as she walked up beside Zhang, her eyes sizing out the young woman in front of her. A few breaths later, the other three beauties appeared beside Zhang also.

    ¡°It seems the young master has eye we for beauty.¡± The woman said with a smile as she turned away and headed back into the brothel.

    ¡°We have enough rooms to house as many people as you''d like.¡± She added before disappearing after passing the large gates.

    ¡°Right this way, young master. If you would follow me, we will make the proper arrangements for you and your people.¡± One of the uniformed men who works at the brothel said as he gestured for Zhang to follow him.

    While the man gestured and spoke to Zhang, the other male employees of the brothel, whose staffs were now leaning against a wall, all walked forward and began helping unload the luggage off the carriages and carts.

    ¡°Cheng Yu, please help them unload our things and see to it that everyone is properly accommodated. As a reward I''ll have them find the best looking pair of twins here for you.¡± Zhang said with a devious smile.

    ¡°Thank you young master.¡± Cheng Yu replied with a grin.

    ¡°Male ones¡­Every man¡¯s dream right?¡± Zhang said in a low tone as he followed the male employee of the brothel. The beauties who were beside him, being the only ones beside him couldn''t help but have smiles on their faces upon hearing his words.

    Soon enough they walked through the gates of the Wolfden Brothel and entered another world.

    A world filled with pleasure and enjoyment. Gambling tables, dancing stages, skits, drinking bars, and a large variety of other things could be seen as far as the eye could see within the brothel. Calling it a brothel was not a fitting description at all because of how many different things that were going on inside.

    ¡°Once I show you to your room young master, you''re free to roam the grounds if you would like.¡± The male attendant said, noticing Zhang and the beauties looking around.

    ¡°Where would you recommend we start.¡± Ling asked.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know where to even start. As you can see young madam, although our establishment is called a brothel, no one here offers those kinds of bed chamber services that you would think. Unlike most brothels, here everyone sells their talents and not their bodies. However, thanks to this we can give our clients a wider variety of enjoyable things to do. But if you really wanted me to suggest something then I¡¯d say you all should take a look at our singing stage. Sometimes the mistress even appears on stage and gives the audience a song. A Lot of people from all over the province come just for the opportunity to listen to her sing.¡± The male attendant said as he led Zhang and the beauties through the brothel.

    Soon enough they arrived at a large flight of stairs that spiraled up into the ceiling. The staircase itself could be considered a work of art, thanks to the intricate designs etched onto it. Hundreds of small carvings of wolves and nature could be observed on the railing and the column that made up the central support for the staircase.

    ¡°If you look at this column as you ascend the staircase then you¡¯ll be able to see the story of how this city received its name.¡± The male attendant said as his hand traced the beautiful carvings of the central column.

    ¡°Interesting.¡± Ai said as she observed the carvings which began with the depiction of a small village comprised of a few dozen homes. The carvings then lead to a scene where the dozens of homes are set blaze and hundreds of people atop horses clad in armor could be seen with weapons drawn. Then the carvings depict, hundreds of people on their knees as hundreds of the armor clad people stood behind them with swords in their hands.

    One could think the next scene would be a depiction of hundreds of people being decapitated, however this was not the case. The next set of carvings showed the image of a large wolf, one that was taller and larger than a few houses. It then showed the wolf watching as the armored people flee atop of their horses.

    ¡°It was thanks to the deity lunar wolf that watched over the village folk that allowed them to avoid being massacred by an army of rogue soldiers. Once the rogue soldiers were sent packing, the deity lunar wolf made the village it¡¯s home and gave the villagers it¡¯s blessings, which in turn helped the city grow to be the metropolis that it is today, hence the reason the city is named Wolfden City. Legend has it the deity lunar wolf still to this day watches over the city.¡± The male attendant said as they arrived at the fourth floor of the brothel.

    After the first and second floor which contained all of the entertainment venues, the third and fourth floor were purely comprised of guest rooms, with the rooms in the fourth floor being the rooms reserves for upper class and important guests.

    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    Led through a series of hallways and corridors, Zhang and the beauties arrived in front of a large set of doors that were being guarded by two well-built men.

    With a nod from the male attendant that had been guiding Zhang and the beauties, the two well-built men pushed open the two doors with one hand each, revealing a lavishly decorated room that was hidden behind the doors.

    ¡°These two will keep guard of your room and ensure that no one bothers you, young master.¡± The male attendant said.

    ¡°No need, I¡¯ll call for a few of my men to do that for me.¡± Zhang said casually.

    ¡°If that is what you wish.¡± The male attendant said before signaling for the two well-built men to leave. He of course soon joined them after bidding Zhang and the beauties a good day.

    Once they were settled into their room Zhang and the beauties descended the stairs that they had ascended not too long ago and joined in on the fun that was happening on the lower floors.

    ¡°Let¡¯s play that!¡± Ai said excitedly as she pointed to a table that was playing sic bo, the same dice game that they had played against Ran Kaitou. Soon she held onto Zhang and Yuying¡¯s hands, pulling them toward the gambling table.

    ¡°Sure let¡¯s play.¡± Yuying said with a smile

    Not wanting to be left behind, Ling and Lingqi quickly followed behind and crowded around the seat where Zhang sat down at. With two beauties on either side of him Zhang began placing bets as many gazes were directed toward him.

    As a finely dressed man, surrounded by beautiful women that gave off a somewhat innocent air, many people believed that Zhang was someone who was inexperienced in the ways of the world, and would soon lose all of his money at the gambling tables. Thus a mix of haughty stares and mocking gazes were placed upon him.

    Unlike Ran Kaitou¡¯s casino, the Wolfden brothel made profits thanks to the large number of games and transactions that transpired, so there wasn¡¯t really any rigging on the casino¡¯s end at all.

    ¡°Brother I want to bet, ten like last time.¡± Ai said with eyes full of anticipation.

    ¡°Ha, kids why don¡¯t you go find the kiddy table because here we no one has any use for your measly ten copper or silver coins.¡± A middle aged woman who was accompanied by a man who looked to be half her age said mockingly.

    ¡°Ai, you remember what happened last time we betted so much? Let¡¯s start out with one.¡± Ling said with a laugh.

    ¡°Ha, changing your bet to one coin? What do you take this place as? A playground?¡± The middle aged lady laughed.

    ¡°Ai, pay no attention to people who only know how to run their mouths. Maybe that¡¯s why she can¡¯t find any men her own age.¡± Lingqi said mockingly.

    ¡°We¡¯ll bet ten like you wanted.¡± Yuying said after Lingqi as she waved her hand, making one hundred stacks of one hundred gold coins appear on the table.

    ¡°Now what do you want to bet on?¡± Ling asked.

    ¡°That one right there, last time we won big betting on that one.¡± Ai said with a smile as she pointed to one of the squares on the table.

    With a flick of Ling¡¯s hand, a gentle breeze of wind pushed the one hundred stack of coins to where Ai pointed to, while amazingly not knocking over any of the one hundred stacks.

    Of course the middle age woman was angry due to Lingqi¡¯s words, but before she could reply she was dumbfounded by the large amount of gold coins that Yuying had placed on the table. Had Zhang been the one to place the gold coins on the table, then the woman wouldn¡¯t have been so surprised, but for his wives to be able to casually put out so much money stupefied the middle aged woman. Because how rich did Zhang have to be for his wives to be able to put out that kind of money without his consent.

    This middle aged woman was most definitely not alone because all of the people who had been shooting Zhang and the beauties, haughty and mocking gazes were also stupefied once the three dices in the dice shaker rolled onto three eights and Ai won another pile of gold.

    Well after a few games, since they were not cheating, Zhang and the beauties broke even and neither lost any money nor won any. However, they managed to leave everyone who was watching them speechless and dumbfounded once they moved on to find something else to do.

    After having some fun at the dice table, the group arrived at a stage where a group of performers were performing acrobatic tricks. Men and women could be seen balancing themselves across ropes that hung over beds of nails.

    As extreme as the act was, a few of the men and women were even juggling as they made their way across the rope while the audience watches in suspense. To add to the suspense a watermelon had been thrown onto the bed of nails below the tightrope, to show that the bed of nails was in fact deadly if any of the performers happens to fall on them, since the watermelon was riddled by sharp nails once it landed on the bed.

    As unexciting as it was, every performer made it safely across the tightrope and were awarded with a blazing applause and a shower of copper, silver and some gold coins.

    Next up, Zhang and the beauties arrowed at a small arena that was built much like a pit in the ground. The audience was seated in circular rows as the arena itself was cut into the ground beneath the first floor.

    In this said arena, men would fight against one another as those in the audience could place bets on who would win. Men with muscle covered bodies fought one another until they were bloody to entertain onlookers and to attain fame and fortune.

    For the particular fight, Zhang and the beauties were watching, a man who could be best described as a blob of muscle was fighting against a man who was said to be a former general of some fallen kingdom.

    Fists were swung and bones were broken as the two men duked it out inside the ring. At first the blob of a man held the upper hand thanks to his explosive strength and large build. His blob like bodies were able to basically absorb any damage his opponent dished out while his fists were able to deliver devastating blows.

    Although the majority of the onlookers had made up their minds on the fat blog like man becoming the winner, Zhang felt otherwise.

    ¡°To beat a large person, one must simply outlast them. Once their bodies tire, once they do not possess enough stamina nor strength to lift their fists, then that is the time the victor is certain.¡± He thought as he watched the fight unfold.

    Exactly like Zhang¡¯s words, the blob like man had begun to slow after delivering blow after blow onto his opponent¡¯s body. His opponent of the other hand was skillfully dodging and blocking the attacks of the blob like man, while trying to reduce the damage dealt to him as much as possible.

    Soon enough the blob like man began to tire and his opponent, the former general moved in for the kill and delivered a shower of blows.

    With a rumble the blob like man¡¯s body slammed onto the ground once he was knocked out cold.

    ¡°Our winner for this match, with a streak of twenty consecutive victories is Zhan Douji!¡± A middle aged man yelled as he walked out into the arena.

    ¡°Now is there anyone brave enough to challenge our champion, in the hopes of winning one hundred thousand gold coins!!¡±

    =======================================================================

    I''m going to put in a commission for an artist to draw for us a black dragon with a neckace dangling from one of it''s claws with a ruined city as the background. :D

 Chapter 122: Fisty Cuffs

    First chapter of Ascending The Heavens is now on RRL. If anyone hasn''t looked at it on NovelsNao. If you have read it already please give me your input on it thanks. HAPPY EASTER!!!

    ===================================================================================

    ¡°Is there anyone in the audience with the courage to challenge our champion? For a simple entry fee of one hundred gold coins, you''ll have the opportunity to win one hundred thousand gold coins!!!¡± The announcer said into a magical voice amplifier, that looked identical to the one that Lingqi used to sing atop the city walls.

    ¡°Please raise your hands!¡±

    A wave of a hundred or so hands rose to the air, after the announcer finished speaking. Many people the audience had glinting eyes, with money signs in them as they eyed the battered up champion standing within the arena.

    From bruised and battered look on the man who was being referred to as the champion, everyone thought that since he was already at the end of his ropes, they''d be able to easily defeat him.

    However, Zhang knew that this was not the case at all. Although the champion looked really banged up, he had only expended roughly twenty percent of his strength because for the most part of the match had had preserved his energy and avoided most of the attacked directed at him.

    ¡°Level seven, almost at the eighth level.¡± Zhang murmured as he watched dozens of people rise from their seats and were lead down to the arena.

    It was obvious that only a handful of people in the audience had any hope of beating the champion but for people to who can beat a level seven or level eight cultivator to enter the ring and fight for money was a rare occasion.

    Although a hundred thousand gold coins was a fairly hefty sum for most people, for people who have reached a high level of cultivation like Zhang and the beauties, such a sum was trivial. Since most people at that level of cultivation would be employed as generals, commanders and personal bodyguards for extremely important people.

    Thus this type of event could be considered a sure win for the brothel.  All they had to do was put on a good show and people will flock in with money to give to them.

    ¡°Without further delay we will begin the challenger matches!¡± The announcer said as one of the many challengers entered the ring. Like the champion the challenger had changed out of his regular clothes and was now shirtless with only a pair of trousers to clothe himself.

    No signal was needed because once both men were inside the arena they charged at each other at full speed. Although the challenger was not someone who could beat a level seven or eight cultivator, he himself was still pretty fast if compared to the champion.

    The two shirtless men met each other in the center of the ring, where a series of blows were exchanged.

    ¡°He''s putting on a show so none of the challengers quit before entering the ring.¡± Zhang murmured to the beauties who were watching the fight beside him.

    True to Zhang¡¯s thoughts although the fight looked to be an even match up it soon ended with the challenger being knocked out from a single attack from the champion.

    After the fight though the champion could be seen breathing heavily and panting, as if he was nearly exhausted. But of course that was totally not the case, because the next few fights all ended up with him as the victor, though after each one he would pretend to be tired and even seemed like he could fall over at any moment.

    ¡°Well, this is boring let''s go find something else to do.¡± Ai yawned and said in a bored tone.

    Although many people considered watching a fight a form of entertainment, Ai found it somewhat boring, since fighting and killing is something that normally occurs around her. People often grow duller to things that they are repeatedly exposed to.

    ¡°Alright let¡¯s go.¡± Zhang said as he got up from his seat and waited for the beauties to get up before he began walking away.

    Zhang and the beauties made their way through the rows of seats and leaving the vicinity of the arena before Zhang felt a huge influx of essence burst into the air.

    Looking back the toward the arena, the man who had been referred to as the champion was lying on the ground unconscious with a hint of blood flowing out of the corners of his mouth as a shirtless scrawny looking man in his mid-twenties could be seen in the ring.

    ¡°Level eight.¡± Zhang thought as his eyes glittered. This was the first time he had seen someone at the eighth level of cultivation who was so young.

    To be a level eight cultivator at such a young age is a true rarity in the warring states region and places like the Heilong Kingdom.

    However, the glint in his eyes soon faded as the scrawny man walked up to the unconscious former champion and kicked him, sending his body smashing to the arena wall.

    The beauties who had not really noticed the fluctuation of essence in the air, had only turned back as the former champion¡¯s body slammed into the wall, but they did not look very much entertained because the scrawny youth continued attacking his unconscious opponent after landing his kick.

    From the weird angles that his limbs were bending anyone could tell that the former champion was sustaining heavy injuries and perhaps many of his bones were broken.

    ¡°Hahaha, is this all the great champion of the arena can do?¡± The scrawny man laughed mockingly.

    The question of whether they should intervene or not kept running through repeating itself inside the minds of Zhang and the beauties as they stood watching the unnecessary beating occur.

    Moments after Zhang made up his mans and a Dragon Talon throwing knife appeared in his hand, a blinding flash of light shone into everyone''s eyes.

    While his optical vision was lost due to the light, Zhang¡¯s essence sensing ability that he gained from the Underworld Heart, was increased greatly. Perhaps now one but Zhang was able to see the scene that was unfolding down in the arena.

    In his mind he could make of the vague outlines of every single person in the audience, each person down in the arena, especially the former champion, the scrawny man and finally the faint outline of a woman who had not been in the arena moments prior. The essence coming out of her body was so faint that Zhang was barely able to make out her form at all.

    The scrawny man was no longer in the spot that he had been before everyone was blinded, but rather he was embedded into one of the arena walls.

    This scene of course was soon visible to everyone else moments later when everyone''s vision was restored.

    The crowd was stupefied when they saw the scrawny man glued to the arena wall, while w woman who everyone could recognize was down in the arena. This woman of course was the mistress of the Wolfden Brothel.

    ¡°What''s Lady Yue Lang?¡± One of the spectators in the audience asked in a confused tone.

    ¡°What you didn''t know? A few years ago, the spoiled son of some provincial lord came and tried get her spend a night with him. But as you all know the women here only sell their talents and not their bodies. So of course she declined him, but the fool didn''t know how to take no for an answer and resorted to force. Long story short, a dozen or so level six cultivators were beaten to a bloody pulp and a certain someone can no longer walk, let alone think about doing the deed anymore.¡± One of the more well informed people in the audience said.

    ¡°Interesting.¡± Zhang muttered as he watched as all of the essence emitting from Yue Lang¡¯s body disappear. Currently she was not emitting any essence at all, which required someone to be either dead or have perfect control over their essence. This only served to add to the mysteriousness of the beauty standing in front of everyone.

    If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    ¡°I apologize to everyone for the unsightly display. We will resume fights in the arena at a later time, I bid an enjoyable rest of the night.¡± Yue Lang said politely with a slight bow before signaling for some of her employees to carry the two unconscious people off. Thus the situation was resolved and the crowd was dispersed.

    As everyone in the audience began heading off to other venues, Zhang continued staring at Yue Lang intently still trying to gauge her power. Although the amount of essence she was giving off was nearly nonexistent at the start, as she began talking it fluctuated to that of a level four cultivator before dipping to that of a level one cultivator. After which it spiked to that of a level eight cultivator, making it impossible to figure out her true level of cultivation.

    This in its own intrigued had piqued Zhang interest, however that was not the end of things, since he also wished to figure out how she had appeared in the arena in the matter of a few breathes. Such a feat was something that even Zhang could not accomplish.

    ¡°Brother, why didn¡¯t you take her on her offer of sharing a room together, then you can stare at her for as long as you would like.¡± Ai said with a smile on her face, the same creepy smile that she wore on her face as she slashed down dozens of people during the battle in Green Clover City. Another indicator of her anger was a glowing red bracelet that wrapped around her delicate arm.

    This bracelet being the same bracelet that Zhang¡¯s mother had given every one of the beauties as a way to help her son, know when he had royally pissed off his wives.

    ¡°I was just admiring how beautiful her dress is and just about to go down and ask her where she got it, so I can buy a few like them for my four lovely wives.¡± Zhang said with an awkward smile as he scratched his head.

    ¡°That¡¯s obviously the case, our dear lord would certainly not lay eyes on other women when he has us.¡± Lingqi said with a smile as she linked arms with Zhang and tugged him to begin walking. This of course was her way of helping him out of a tough situation and in the hopes of one upping the other beauties.

    ¡°Yea let¡¯s go!¡± Zhang said loudly as his hand interlocked with Lingqi and they began walking off toward another venue. Ling and Yuying soon followed, while Ai arrived on the side of Zhang that was vacant and locked arms with him. While Lingqi snuggled up against his arm, Ai turned her head away as if she was ignoring him, as Yuying and Ling followed suite and conversed with one another.

    What Zhang did not notice was that Yue Lang was currently watching as he departed with a smile pasted over her well-proportioned face that embodied beauty. Once Zhang and the beauties were quite a distance away, if anyone was keeping an eye on Yue Lang, which no one was since they were all busy or leaving, they¡¯d see that her body began flickering and she disappeared into thin air.

    ¡°I wonder why such an expert is running a brothel.¡± Zhang thought as he continued walking hand in hand with Lingqi and Ai.

    Questions about Yue Lang often arose in every client that entered the gates of the Wolfden hotel, after meeting her. Why is someone so beautiful running a brothel, why is someone so powerful running a brother, and so on.

    With her beauty alone she could more than likely become the favorite wife of some provincial lord, king of perhaps even on of the emperors. Even if she lacked beauty, with her strength that is enough to take out a level eight cultivator in a flash, should was more than qualified to be an elite guard for someone important. But over time these questions have yet to be answered because Yue Lang often appeared and disappeared without a trace, so if she did not seek someone out, then, meeting her could be considered a one or two-time opportunity.

    Although Zhang was intrigue he felt that this was not a reason to pester someone, especially someone who is so mysterious and is stronger than him. As the saying goes, curiosity killed the cat. So he figured his first priority should be to have a good time with the beauties.

    Having forgotten what time of the night it is, Zhang and the beauties made their way from one venue to the next, watching a wide variety of shows and partaking in many different games. There was even a game where participants completed poems that the casino have hung up.

    Every participant pays an entry fee of a few gold coins and then submits his or her ending to the verse, then the submission is read aloud and the audience decides the winner. The winner would in turn receive half of the total entries for the particular poem verse, which ranged from a few hundred gold coins to a few thousand depending on how popular the verse was.

    Ironically, Ai was somehow very good at this game compared to the other beauties. Ling immersed herself in study cultivation arts and so did Yuying, while Lingqi studies medicine, but Ai who did not particularly practice her cultivation since it strangely rose by itself, often dabbled in many other things.

    ¡°I could imagine the amount of money that flows through this place every day. Maybe when I get back to Aurora I should open something like this, I¡¯ll call it the Dragon¡¯s Den.¡± Zhang thought as a glint appeared in his eyes.

    ¡°Honey let¡¯s go in there!¡± Ling said excitedly as she saw a store selling various magical items.

    ¡°Damn this place has everything doesn¡¯t it.¡± Zhang murmured as he and the others followed Ling inside the magical item store.

    Upon entering the magical item store, nothing worthwhile was really present so the excitement in Ling¡¯s eyes soon faded. Magical item stores, sometimes sold ancient scrolls and such that possessed lost techniques in them, which caused Ling to be excited however this store here could only be considered ordinary and most of its wares were for commercial use or entertainment purposes.

    ¡°It¡¯ll take a few of these and a few of those.¡± Lingqi said with a smile as she picked up a few medical herbs and examined them.

    ¡°If I mix this with that and that with this¡­¡± Lingqi mumbled and zoning everything around her out.

    ¡°Young miss you have good eye for things, although our shop is a magical item shop, we specialize in rare medical herbs.¡± An elderly man walked out from the back room of the store.

    ¡°Your store does kind of lack in magical items, but it sure does make up for it in rare herbs. You even have a thousand-year Snow Dew mushroom; I¡¯ve been looking for one of these but the climate around where we live can¡¯t grow them.¡± Lingqi said with a smile.

    ¡°Yes those are imported from the northern lands. Seeing that you are so knowledgeable, I¡¯d like to show you something we just received in one of our shipments.¡± The old man said as he walked behind a counter and pulled out a jade box, opening it to reveal a few ordinary looking tree roots.

    ¡°Those are three colored Spring Autumn tree roots? If you look at it under moonlight it¡¯ll change to the colors red, yellow and orange, depending on its age. If it is orange under moon like then when mixed with a few other herbs, it can be used to increase a person¡¯s longevity by fifty years. I¡¯ll take them¡± Lingqi stated, before she walked up to the counter and prepared to purchase the roots.

    ¡°Seeing that you are so well informed then young miss should know that these are rather rare and I sadly can¡¯t give you much of a discount on them.¡± The elderly man said with a sorry expression, although he was intrigued by Lingqi¡¯s medical knowledge and wanted to show a fellow medical enthusiast some rare herbs, he felt somewhat sorry that he couldn¡¯t give her a reasonable price for them.

    ¡°No need for a discount, my husband will be the one paying.¡± Lingqi said with a grin as she turned back and looked at Zhang.

    Thus Zhang paid for some overly expensive herbs, despite Lingqi possessing the same amount of wealth he had on him.

 Chapter 123: Blue Moon

    Chapters 2-5 of Ascending the Heavens now on RRL, Chapter 6 of Ascending will be on Novels Nao.

    Also Hello folks :D

    =====================================================================================

    After purchasing the three colored Spring Autumn tree roots, Lingqi left the store with a wide grin on her face.

    ¡°Although I can make a pill that can increase longevity with these roots, I can also make a batch of, Essence Severing elixir too. With those pills, it won''t matter even if we run into level ten cultivators.¡± Lingqi thought with a glint in her eyes.

    ¡°An elixir that can prevent the channel channeling of essence upon touching a person¡¯s skin.¡±

    While Lingqi was thinking of the various elixirs and pills she could concoct, Ai could be seen yawning.

    After a long day or travel and a night full of fun and excitement, everyone was physically and mentally fatigued so it was decided that it was time to go get some rest and continue venturing Wolfden City later.

    Thus the group headed back to their room as the sun rose over the horizon. By now Cheng Yu had assigned a few men to guard Zhang¡¯s room. So they did not have to worry about security as everyone slid onto a large bed and under a cool yet warm silk blanket.

    ==================================

    Elsewhere a human like beast could be seen dragging a large circular object, covered in runes, through a misty mountain pass. It was of course the same beast that had dug up the prison that held the previous lord of the New Moon Province. The large iron ball was tightly bound by ropes, strapped to the human like beast.

    ¡°Master, we are almost home, then you''ll be free.¡± The human like beast mumbled to itself, since it''s voice could not penetrate the iron ball that it was dragging along.

    The mist the obscured the road soon dissipated and revealed an otherworldly valley, from where the human like east stood atop the mountain, hundreds if not thousands of buildings could be seen below.

    A glimmer of excitement appeared in the beast¡¯s eyes as it looked down on a familiar landscape that it had longed to go back to. After seeing the valley, the beast''s pace quickened as it sped down the mountain.

    Mid way down the mountain it withdrew a golden mask from it¡¯s robes and donned it. If Zhang, Yuying or Ling had seen this mask then without a doubt they would instantly recognize it.

    This mask looked nearly identical to the ones that the assassins who were sent to kill Jian Wei, when he was traveling at sea, had worn. However, this mask was gold while the other ones were silver and bronze.

    Of course this could be a case of objects simply looking alike, but all suspicion would be expelled when the beast ran past a large monolith that had the words, ¡°Order of the Blue Moon,¡± carved into it.

    As the beast sped down the mountain while dragging the iron ball that trapped its master within, the woods around it echoed with activity.

    Soon enough dozens of shadows emerged from within the woods and sped alongside the beast.

    ¡°Senior brother, your back.¡± One of the shadows who donned a silver mask said respectfully.

    With a nod the beast acknowledged the man¡¯s words but did not reply and continued speeding forward while dragging the large iron ball with him.

    ¡°Senior brother, where is senior brother Hao Yang and why are you dragging around an iron ball?¡± Another man with a silver mask asked.

    ¡°My master is in there.¡±  The beast said in an unhappy tone as it pointed at the iron ball, causing everyone running alongside him to look at the iron ball with confused looks in their eyes. Had their faces not been covered by masks then their confused expressions would be in full display.

    Knowing the beast''s easily irritable personality, no one dared to ask any more questions and simply continued running alongside it.

    A while later the beast and the group of people that appeared in the woods arrived at the valley full of buildings.

    ¡°Where is old man Meng Liu?¡± The beast asked.

    ¡°Master should be in the experiment hall, senior brother.¡± A silver masked man replied. It was clear that the beast, despite being his master¡¯s servant, possessed a fairly high position within the Order of the Blue Moon.

    Without reply the beast ran past countless buildings before arriving at a large hall. However, as it arrived in front of the hall a slight hint of hesitation was present in its eyes.

    ¡°Senior brother!¡± Two bronze masked men who were standing guard in front of the hall saluted, however they were ignored as the beast spelled itself and walked up to and pushed open the gates of the hall, then ran inside.

    Once the gates swung open, light shone into the dark interior of the building, revealing a stone wall with countless people chained to it.

    Among the living were also the dead and dozens of skeletons. True to its name, some of the people chained within the experiment hall did not even remotely look human. Some were covered in fur, while others had dozens of bone spikes protruding from their bodies.

    A hint of pity could be seen in the beast¡¯s eyes as its gaze shifted from one end of the long hall in front of it to the other.

    ¡°To those who share the same fate, hope is not lost until one reaches the gates of hell.¡± It murmured as it sped through the hall while still having the iron ball in tow.

    Although returning to the order filled it with glee, the inside of the experiment hall brought back memories that the beast hopped were lost and forgotten.

    At the end of the hall, the path split into two. From one direction an endless amount of cries and screams echoed about. While in the other direction was pure silence, an eerie silence that made one¡¯s skin crawl.

    The beast did not even ponder for a second before choosing the path on the left that was filled with screams and wails.

    ¡°I''m sorry master but even if I knew the old man is over there, I wouldn''t be able to stomach seeing those things.¡± The beast man said as he felt a shiver run down his spine. Through the many years that he had stayed within the order, the beast man had only taken the path toward the right once and still till this day he would sometimes see horrific visions of the things that are kept there.

    The path on the left was heaven compared to the horrors stored on the path toward the right, but of course it would still cause a normal person to hurl whatever was in their stomachs if they were to witness the things that were kept there. So from this one could only imagine we lurks on the path to the right.

    Once the beast man had traveled a few hundred steps, the path in front of him opened up into a large room, where hundreds of masked men and women wearing gold masks could be seen.

    In front of each of these people was someone strapped to a chair screaming in agony as a different series of things are done to each of them. Some were being dissected, while others were being injected with strange substances.

    At the far end of the room was a large magic circle, and in it were a dozen or so people bound by ropes, standing outside of the magic circle was a man with a head of pure white hair, who was the person that the beast had referred to as old man Meng Liu.

    The beast¡¯s eyes glinted as soon as it''s gaze fell onto old man Meng Liu, but inside this glint there was an abundant amount of fear mixed in with its excitement. The fact that it''s master would soon be freed had attributed to its excitement, but old man Meng Liu¡¯s presence definitely gave the beast a sense of fear and dread.

    This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    As it moved through the large hall, the iron ball strapped to the beast, scraped the stone floor causing a screeching sound to enter everyone''s ears.

    Soon enough everyone stopped what they were doing and all eyes were focused on the beast and his iron ball. Normally these golden masked people would certainly speak harshly or punish whoever was disturbing them while they were in the middle of carrying out their experiments. But since they recognized the beast, thanks to his distinct features, mainly his hairy in proportioned arms, no one dared to say a word.

    ¡°Where''s your master.¡± Old man Meng Liu asked the beast as he turned back and shifted his attention away from the magical circle toward it.

    In front of this man the beast did not dare to utter a word and without the nerves to look the man in the eye, it dragged the iron ball covered in runes in front of old man Meng Liu and got into its knees beside the ball.

    ¡°What''s the meaning of this?¡± Old man Meng Liu asked impatiently.

    ¡°My-my master is in there. We-we we-were attacked and th-they sealed him in there. The beast stuttered.

    ¡°Damn it, why was I looking forward to returning to this place again?¡± The beast cursed in its mind.

    Old man Meng Liu no longer spoke and simply looked at the iron ball in intrigue. He knew perfectly well that if this was an average iron ball then it wouldn''t be able to hold his core disciple.

    However, he felt the need to lift his hand and try to smash apart the iron ball. With a thought, a black glow enveloped his hand as it descended into the black iron ball.

    But once his palm connected with the surface of the iron ball, the series of magical runes that were on it began to flow and moments passed but the iron ball was perfectly fine.

    ¡°Amazing, that was fifty perfect of my power.¡± A hint of amazement appeared on Meng Liu¡¯s face. As he examined the runes his amazed expression became even more fierce.

    ¡°It can¡¯t be! This is the same inscription as the Reaper¡¯s Coffin!¡± Meng Liu said loudly.

    ¡°What!? The Reaper''s coffin?¡± Dozens of voices echoed throughout the hall.

    ¡°Master it can''t be, no one has been able to completely decipher the inscriptions on the Reaper¡¯s Coffin for hundreds of years. At most we have ten percent of it worked out. How could there possibly someone alive who knows how to use it?¡± One of the many gold masked people said.

    ¡°Tell me now! Tell me what happened and how this inscription got on the iron ball!¡± Meng Liu grabbed the beast man by the collar and demanded an explanation.

    ¡°I-I don¡¯t know, ma-master had ordered me to go and collect specimens for his experiments, by the time I returned a large fight was happening and master had to use his good luck charm because he was about outnumbered and had no hope of escape. Since those people couldn¡¯t break through the good luck charm, the opted to seal master.¡± The beast man recalled what had happened.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know who those people are or where they even came from.¡± It added.

    ¡°Useless buffoon!¡± Meng Liu yelled as he tossed the beast man onto the ground.

    ¡°Do you not know the importance of these runes!? If we can capture whoever had inscribed them onto the iron ball, then we can open the Reaper¡¯s Coffin and unleash a saint level undead the likes of which the world has never seen. A thing that only spawns in the depths of hell.¡± Meng Liu said as he breathed heavily at the mere thought of being the one to open the Reaper¡¯s Coffin after so many generations before him had failed.

    ¡°There were two young men and four women who was fighting master, that¡¯s all I know. Master would probably know who those people were.¡± The beast man said as he cowered on the ground, they knew full well that if Meng Liu wanted to kill him it was only a matter of how much torture had would have to endure before he finally met his end. Simply thinking about all of the various types of things he would have to endure if he angered Meng Liu anymore, made the beast man¡¯s hairs stand on end and his skin crawl.

    ¡°Fool! If I could cancel out this inscription why would I need to find the person who had inscribed, it? If I could cancel out this inscription, then the Reaper¡¯s Coffin would have been opened long ago and our order would be reigning over this region.¡± Meng Liu said angrily as he glared at the beast man.

    ¡°Master if I remember correctly, brother Hao Yang had been in the New Moon Province, all we have to do is send some of our people there and have them investigate, I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll be easy to find out who were the people who attacked him. There¡¯s no point in questioning this failed experiment.¡± A masked woman said as she arrived beside the iron ball and gazed down at the pitiful beast man and winked at it.

    Although her words seemed sharp and hurtful, her gaze conveyed that she was trying to help the beast man and sooth the current situation.

    ¡°Xiao Hua you take a few of the lower ranked members of the order and go investigate then.¡± Meng Liu said after calming down a bit thanks to Xiao Hua¡¯s words.

    ¡°Disciple receives, master¡¯s orders.¡± Xiao Hua said as she bent on one knee.

    ¡°Here take this Blue Moon this badge and bring as much manpower as you see fit.¡± Meng Liu said as a crescent moon shaped badge appeared in his hand before tossing it down to the ground in front of Xiao Hua.

    Picking up the badge and storing it away into her interspatial ring, Xiao Hua quickly departed the experiment hall and began gathering up a squad of people to accompany her on the investigation. The beast man had been her first pick since he was most knowledgeable about the events that had occurred.

    ¡°Tha-thank you senior sister for helping me out.¡± The beast man said gratefully.

    ¡°No need to thank me, I was simply trying to find an excuse so I could go out and see the world. Being cooped up in this valley day after day has been a bore. Experimenting from morning till dawn is a bore. How I envied elder brother Hao Yang and you when you were granted permission to leave this valley. That stupid rule that prevents us gold tiers from leaving the valley unless permission is granted by master needs to be abolished¡­¡± Xiao Hua said angrily as she and the beast man arrived at what looked like a training ground where many hundreds of people wearing bronze and silver masks could be seen sparring against one another.

    Without saying a word, Xiao Hua withdrew the crescent moon badge and lifted into the air. The instant she did so all of the people in the training grounds ceased what they were doing and assembled in front of her in orderly rows, with the people wearing silver masks in the front and those with bronze masks in the back.

    ¡°All of you fight¡­ The last two hundred people that are left standing will accompany me out of the valley.  Also no killing anyone...¡± Xiao Hua said calmly. An instant later a large brawl broke out as everyone in front of Xiao Hua began attacking on another.

    Although unlike the gold tiers who were not allowed to leave the valley unless granted permission by the order master, the bronze and silver tiers were not to leave the valley unless they were hired by someone who wished to employ the Order of the Blue Moon¡¯s services. This meant that everyone within the order longed to venture outside and when an opportunity presented itself everyone wished to obtain it. Also since they were ordered to fight by someone holding the crescent moon badge, they had to fight or risk being punished for not following orders.

 Chapter 124: Differences

    Hello everyone here''s a new chapter of Ds hope you all like it, also must say that life literally hates me T_T a few days ago when I promised to sit down and finish up this chapter of Ds and chapter 9 of Ascending The Heavens I was hit with an overdose on caffeine :/ and nearly had to go to the hospital. I ordered what I regularly ordered at this one coffee shop but the lady making it put in the wrong type of coffee which when was extra dark coffee from Africa. I figured it was a minor mistake and took it, but later I would totally regret this :/ because of how much caffeine that was in it, the sweetener, that cup of tea i drank before, and a few other things, I had an overdose on caffeine and boy was that a terrible experience. After two-three days of recuperating from that, my left eye got an infection and it stings every time I blink sigh T_T. I''ll try to finish up the chapter of Ascending next after this but no promises T_T

    Proofers/Editors: nick0 (Pascal)

    http://iendworlds.chatango.com/</a> <---------- Chat with me

    https://www.patreon.com/iEndWorlds</a> <------------- Support me :d

    =================================================================================================

    The roosters crowed as the sun ascended behind the mountains, but after a long night of fun, no one responded to its calling. It was not until the sun rose above, that a familiar figure crawled out of bed.

    Although Lingqi was still a tad tired from a long night out, she was filled with excitement from obtaining a box of Spring Autumn roots, so she was the first to wake up and crawl out of bed.

    ¡°Now to find a good place to make those elixirs.¡± She thought as a beautiful dress was withdrawn from her interspatial ring. After dressing herself, she creaked open the hotel room door and walked out.

    Once her head peaked out of the door, four well-built men could be seen standing guard in the corridor.

    ¡°Shhhhh.¡± Lingqi signaled to the guards to not salute her, so that they aren''t disturbing the others.

    Silently the guards saluted Lingqi as the door behind her closed without making a single sound.

    As she walked through the corridors that led to the brothel lobby, a spark appeared in Lingqi¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°How could I forget¡­¡± She murmured as she face palmed herself.

    ¡°There was another formula that required the autumn roots¡­ The Spring of Youth Dan.¡± Lingqi mumbled to herself in a low tone as her eyes lit up.

    ¡°Luckily I suddenly remembered.¡± She thought.

    Lingqi had stumbled upon this particular formula in an ancient text that she found in her father''s personal library.

    The Spring of Youth Dan is a medicine that perhaps only women would want to use because of its side effects.

    ¡°Can I get a room for one, please.¡± Lingqi said once she arrived at the check in counter, to a receptionist.

    ¡°Miss please follow me.¡± A young woman said as she grabbed a set of keys that were hanging on the walls and walked out from behind the counter.

    Soon enough Lingqi was lead up to the third floor and to a small room with a single bed.

    One could say that this was one of the cheapest rooms within the brothel, for it only had the necessities and not the degree of luxury that the other room had.

    But Lingqi did not need a fancy room, all she required was a space where she wouldn''t be disturbed, so she can concoct.

    Once the brothel staff departed and the door was shut and bolted, with a wave of her hand, Lingqi made a large variety of things appear on the ground. Things such as a grinding stone, a pill cauldron, various vials and jars, a large quantity of herbs and even a large table.

    Before long, she immersed herself in preparing the herbs for concoction.  Some of them had to be soaked, while others had to be grinded to paste, requiring a vast amount of knowledge pertaining to the nature of each herb.

    ¡°This one here needs to be burnt to a char and then mixed with water.¡± Lingqi mumbled as she did one task after the other. If she misses or messes up even one of these tasks then the pill that results from her hard work would be an entirely different pill, one that she more than likely does not want.

    Soon dozens of neatly placed bowls could be seen on the large table that was withdrawn from Lingqi¡¯s interspatial ring. The contents in these bowls would soon poured into an ancient looking pill cauldron that was placed beside Lingqi¡¯s work table. With a total of ten dragons made of gold, wrapping themselves around the cauldron, with each of their mouths being a place to deposit medical herbs into the cauldron, this cauldron could be said to be on of a kind.

    This of course was to allow the concoction to add more herbs into the cauldron without having to open the lid, thus letting out the hot air inside. From the char marks on the cauldron¡¯s lid and the mouths of the dragons and the medical smell that was given off, anyone could tell that this cauldron has been used many times before.

    But it was common knowledge that the more a pill cauldron was used, the more medicinal aura it collects, increasing the success rate of concocting rare pills.

    ¡°Alright so the Spring Autumn root goes in first and after half an hour it should turn into a murky purplish liquid.¡± Lingqi said as she placed the Spring Autumn roots into one of the golden dragons and let it slide down into the cauldron.

    ¡°Ignite!¡± She said as she continually channeled essence into the cauldron and began the concocting process. For cultivators it is a common practice to use essence to concoct pills. Every cultivator¡¯s pill cauldron would have a built in mechanism that would ignite once it was fed some essence. Unlike Zhang¡¯s fire made purely out of essence, these mechanisms used an ore that most call Sun Stone, to create and maintain the flames inside the cauldron.

    Thanks to the Sun stones inside the cauldron, people such as Lingqi who do not have high affinity with fire, can make fire with their essence. However, Sunstones don¡¯t have very many uses besides to ignite flames for concocting pills or perhaps starting campfires. This is of course because the essence consumption when using these stones is exponentially high, and would be very impractically in a battle. For example, for the same amount of essence that it took Zhang to ignite ten flames for ten hours, the sun stone could perhaps only ignite four flames for ten hours. Hence its impracticality because most if not all people would opt to use the elements they have the highest affinity with, since every bit of essence expended could mean the difference between life and death when in a battle.

    So once the Sun stones within the pill cauldron were ignited, dazzling flames could be seen in the eyes of the ten golden dragons, giving off a majestic air. Within the cauldron, the Spring Autumn¡¯s root was immersed in flames and turned from its average looking shade of brown into a bright orange color, indicating its age.

    As the flames continued to shower the roots within the cauldron, a flood of purple colored droplets began seeping out of them, evaporating up into a small chamber at the top most section of the cauldron. After the Spring Autumn roots, a few other herbs and medicinal plants were added one by one, in succession to each other, in a particular order.

    The aroma of the mixture of herbs, cooking within the pill cauldron soon wafted throught the entire room and streamed into Lingqi¡¯s pores as she concentrated on fueling the flames with her essence. When concocting pills, a portion of its potency is lost due to steam escaping from the pill cauldron, the portion lost depends on the type of pill and the skill of the concoctor but there is a hidden benefit to this loss of potency.

    This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    Because the concoctor in turn would be able to absorb a portion of the lost potency into their body when concocting. Over time, the concoctor would have absorbed a large amount of beneficial medicinal aura into their body, often times strengthening their bodies and increasing their life spans.

    Of course this worked vice versa for poison concoctors, since they would be continually absorbing poisons into their bodies, over time this could either have a positive effect or a negative effect, depending on if they could gain immunity to poison or expel the poisons collected in their bodies.

    Legend has it that a certain man had concocting so many pills that his body itself became immune to poison and by simply touching other people he can cure any illness that they were afflicted by. Of course this is a thing of legend, but all legends have a hint of truth in them.

    =====================================================================

    After Lingqi had snuck out of the bedroom, Yuying was the next to wake up.

    ¡°I should let them rest some more.¡± Yuying thought as she slid out of the bed and went to clothe herself. Moments later the bedroom door creaked open and Yuying¡¯s slim body swiftly squeezed through. Seeing Yuying, the guards stationed in the corridor in front of the room silently saluted her.

    With a smile and a nod of acknowledgement, Yuying briskly walked through the long corridor. But unlike Lingqi, she did not head down to the lobby, rather she headed for the roof of the brothel. Last night while roaming the brothel and engaging in various games and fun, she happened to hear about a flower garden being on the roof of the brothel and figured she should have a look at it.

    ¡°If it¡¯s as beautiful as they say then I¡¯ll visit it again with him.¡± She thought as she ascended a small wooden staircase that is somewhat hidden and kept out of view. It could be said that this garden was a hidden treasure of the Wolfden Brothel and only frequent visitors or people lucky enough to hear about it know of it.

    Soon enough Yuying arrived in front of a simply looking paper screen door which slowly swung open with a gentle push. Once the screen door opened the midday¡¯s light made its way inside and embraced Yuying and showered her in warmth.

    With the sun gracing her with its warmth, a thousand roses of various colors entered into Yuying¡¯s vision. The morning dew could still be seen on some of the roses and once the sun struck them, it only served to make the scene even more surreal.

    Besides the thousand roses, there was even a lotus pond that was built into the roof of the building. Koi fish with the size of cats could be seen swimming about within and from time to time they could be seen peaking up out of the water.

    But what captivated Yuying the most was not the garden nor the pond, but the view that was offered. She could overlook the rest of the city from the roof of the brothel, such a view could only be described as breathtaking.

    ¡°Although it can¡¯t compare to home, the view here isn¡¯t too bad.¡± She said softly as she was reminded of when she often climbed one of the spiraling towers within the Yama¡¯s Palace to look over the City of the Dead.

    When Yuying was a child there weren¡¯t many opportunities for her to leave the palace, so she would often go to one of the spiraling towers and look outside. Like a bird in a cage, she longed to spread her wings. As the years went on and thanks to her diligence and personality the Yama gave in and would allow her to go out into the city once a while, of course once someone is given a taste of freedom they would never be willing to return to the state that they were in before.

    Thus began Yuying¡¯s frequent escapes from the palace, on one such occasion she ran into a certain young man, one that would help her achieve what she had longed for, true freedom. But of course there are often times when she still reminisces about the past, about her father, and about life in the palace, because there is always a place in one¡¯s heart for a place that was called home.

    Although it was a somewhat boring place, filled with many rules, it was still a place that she called home for many years and she would often miss the little things that would often occur there. From the beautiful view of the city, to the various maids that she grew up with and the familiar halls and places that she often frequented.

    ¡°One day I¡¯ll go back, on my own accord.¡± She thought was she reminisced, while looking out into Wolfden City. But unlike everyone else, in her eyes, she did not see Wolfden City at all, rather she saw the place that she called home.

    Brothels were replaced with ancient looking homes, hotels and restaurants were replaced with magnificent villas and majestic palaces. Spiraling towers that pierced into the skies sprang up as her gaze drifted across the city.

    Lost in thought and immersed by the past, Yuying sighed and continued to look out into the distance.

    =====================================================================

    After Lingqi and Yuying, Ai was the next one to awaken and after some cuddling, she slid out of bed and went outside. It had been decided yesterday that Ling would be given the day to hang out with Zhang and for the others to not to interfere, so Ai quietly made her way outside.

    Like the others she received a silent salute before making her way through the corridor. But unlike the other two, she did not stay inside the brothel and made her way onto the busy city streets.

    ¡°That looks like a good spot.¡± She said as she walked toward a small food stand at the corner of the street that is selling meat buns.

    ¡°One meat bun please.¡± Ai said to the middle aged woman who was selling meat buns as she sat down at one of the tables that were set out for diners.

    Moments later the middle aged lady placed a plate with a steaming meat bun in front of Ai.

    ¡°Enjoy.¡± She said as Ai gave her some copper coins.

    Once the lady was back at her stand, Ai picked up the steaming meat bun and began nibbling away at it. Of course her reason for coming here was not to eat a meat bun but rather it was so she could watch people interact with one another.

    Unlike the rest of the group, Ai who had no memory of her past had always felt distant from others beside Zhang, Yuying, Ling and only recently Lingqi. Thus she had set out to learn more about human interactions.

    She would watch how others interact and then try to match her experiences with these interactions.

    Sometimes she would watch how friends treated each other, sometimes she would watch how family members interacted and other times she would observe how lovers expressed their love.

    Perhaps one day she will truly come to understand humanity and be able to choose whether to keep herself aloof or integrate herself into it.

    But for now all she is doing is observing and trying to understand all there is out there regarding people.

 Chapter 125: What if?

    Editor/Proofer: nick0 (Pascal)

    It was not until a few hours before evening did Zhang awaken from his long night of fun. While his eyes were showered by rays of light from the sun, he realized that the warm and soft objects that usually surrounded him were missing. It had always been the common routine for Zhang to be the first to wake up and watch the others sleep.

    ¡°I guess i shouldn''t disturb her and let her rest.¡± He thought as his gaze was focused on Ling. After his hand traced her beautiful sleeping face, Zhang tried to get out of bed and dressed himself however before he could do so a gentle hand tugged on his sleeve.

    ¡°Just a bit longer.¡± Ling asked with half opened eyes. With a smile, Zhang crawled back into the sheets.

    Besides laying next to each other and caressing, nothing really happened but one could tell that such a moment was rare for these two so they thoroughly enjoyed it. The warmth that they have off served to fuel their love for one another, unlike the other girls, Ling and Zhang always had a bond that has been around ever since they were children.

    A bond that made is so that Ling would always possess a special place in his heart. She wasn''t as outgoing as Lingqi, mysterious as Ai, or adventurous as Yuying but Ling would always be there. She would be the wife who would have a meal ready for you after a long day''s work.

    ¡°Sometimes do you wonder what if the Siwang Empire never attacked?¡± Ling asked as her arms were wrapped around Zhang¡¯s arm and her thigh brushing against his.

    ¡°Don''t you wonder what would have become of us, if all those things never happened?¡± She added.

    ¡°You would have gone to the Royal Academy and become a high level Mage who would climb to the pinnacle of status and power and be sought after by princes. While I would have tried my hardest to catch up to you as you keep getting further and further away from my grasp.¡± Zhang said in a somewhat sad tone as he pulled her in closer.

    It was more than likely that the things that Zhang said would have been true had the Siwang Empire not attacked. He would have stayed a level one cultivator while trying his hardest to push his body over the edge to catch up to Ling, a genius Mage who not only had smarts but was also bestowed with beauty. She would catch the eye of some prince and he would watch as she is snatched away from him.

    So one could say that the Siwang Empire¡¯s attack was somewhat of a blessing that ensured their fate together. Of course such a blessing would be soon repaid, repaid in blood. But to be able to do that They must first unite the Warring States Region and raise an army that the likes of the other kingdoms and empires had never seen before.

    ¡°In the end I would have run away and then we would be together and maybe own a farm or a small inn.¡± Ling said in a joking tone.

    ¡°A farm?¡± Zhang laughed as he imagined himself tending to cattle and raising livestock.

    ¡°Owning an inn wouldn''t be too bad though.¡±

    ¡°Yup and then when we grow old we would leave our inn and farm to our kids and grandkids and enjoy our old age.¡± Ling added.

    ¡°We can do that now, you know. Now let''s get up and go on that date.¡± He said as he gently kissed her forehead.

    For the most part these two did not need words to convey their feelings but once in awhile time alone to express such things could be considered a treat.

    Soon the two of them dressed and departed from the hotel room, arm in arm.

    ¡°My lord.¡± The saluting guards standing in front of the room said in unison as Zhang and Ling departed.

    ¡°You guys worked hard, you should go and have some fun.¡± Zhang said with a grin as he handed one of them a small sack of gold coins.

    ¡°Where do you want to go first?¡± He asked Ling who was now glued to his arm.

    ¡°Don''t know, let''s just go for a walk.¡± She replied, happy that the others gave them some time alone.

    Thus without a goal the two lovebirds made their way to the main staircase and headed outside of the Wolfden Brothel. Wolfden City itself was filled with various attractions that were only waiting to be seen.

    Thankfully Wolfden City unlike most cities, was filled with beauties, making it so that the beauties did not attract too much attention to themselves. Although not many could compare to them, the festive atmosphere and pace within the city made it so there weren''t too many people looking to cause trouble.

    Within each other''s care and without any guards, Zhang and Ling made their way through the busy streets.

    The instant they walked outside, Ling caught sight of Ai but she skillfully diverted Zhang''s attention elsewhere and walked the opposite direction.

    ¡°When it''s your turn you''d probably do the same too.¡± She thought with a hint of self pity as she eyed Ai from the corner of her eye.

    As the two made their way through the streets a sign caught Zhang''s attention. The sign read, ¡°Wolfden City Beast Auction¡± and in front of the building was a stone statue of a fierce looking wolf.

    ¡°Let''s go have a look.¡± Zhang said once he saw that hordes of people which were going into this particular store.

    Following the crowd the two of them made their way into a large auditorium with a mid sized arena pit at the very bottom. Much like the arena in the Wolfden Brothel, where the fights took place.

    ¡°Welcome everyone to our monster auction!¡± A middle aged man said as he walked to the center of the arena down below as everyone was getting seated.

    ¡°Here at the Wolfden Monster Pen we offer some of the finest specimens that you''ll ever come upon. From rare never before seen demonic beast''s to the monsters of legends, if you''re lucky enough to be around, we¡¯ll be auctioning them off.¡± The man said while waiting for the last few people to enter the room and seat themselves.

    Like the Golden Lotus auction houses, there were vip rooms with balconies. Of course since Zhang and Ling simply followed the crowd and did not reserve a room prior or tell others of their status, they were seated with the common people.

    ¡°For those who have not taken part in one of our auctions before the rules are simple. Each bid is made in at least a one thousand coin increment and all sales of course are final. Demonic beasts come as they are displayed and it is the buyer''s responsibility to transport and tame them, of course all the beast''s that we auction have had a bit of training done so they will not outright attack people but we feel that too much training would defeat the purpose of having a demonic beast, since no one wishes to buy a full knife or a dog with no canines. So without any further ado the auction will now begin.¡±

    Moments later a large cloth draped cage was pushed onto the center of the arena by two hulking men.

    ¡°To start off our auction, I present to you a rare Treasure Eater Tortoise.¡± The man said as the cloth that was curtain owning the cage was pulled off, revealing a large turtle with s golden shell that gleamed and blinded everyone looking at it.

    ¡°Treasure Eaters are generally level three demonic beast''s and are only found in mineral mines and will take up the characteristics of whatever minerals it eats. This particular one was caught in a gold mine, hence its shell is gold, but if someone were to feed it let''s say mithril then it would turn into mithril.¡± The middle aged auctioneer said as he tossed a few silver coins to the turtle.

    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

    The audience watched in amazement as the the turtle turned from gold to silver once it ate the  silver coins.

    ¡°Bleh¡­ It eats treasure¡­¡± Zhang looked at the turtle in disdain. The last thing he wanted was a beast that ate treasures.

    ¡°The bidding for this Treasure Eater will begin at ten thousand gold coins.¡± The auctioneer said, before Zhang zoned him out.

    ¡°Brother you think we should get it?¡± Ling laughed as she said jokingly, knowing full well that he would absolutely hate having such a pet. It was one thing for them to spend lavishly on themselves but to feed treasure to a pet was something outrageous.

    ¡°If we get it you''re feeding it. Actually if I feed it a piece of mithril and then kill it and collect the mithril then I could profit off of it.¡± Zhang replied half jokingly.

    So while Ling continued to tease Zhang, the Treasure Eater tortoise was sold for a staggering price of one hundred thousand gold coins to one of the people in the vip boxes.

    ¡°The next beast up for auction is a death worm!¡±

    Upon hearing the words death worm, Zhang could not help but chuckle inwardly, remembering back to the auction in Red Mist City. Of course many other people couldn''t help but chuckle also because domesticated death worms are generally worthless and the only good use anyone could get out of one would be churning soil for farming.

    After the death worm was sold for a measly seven thousand golds, another cage was pushed into the middle of the arena by the same hulking men.

    ¡°Next we have an level four Eyeless Silver Winged Bat!¡±

    This too did not catch Zhang¡¯s attention, because within his Ruler¡¯s Domain were hundred of Wraith Spiders that could slaughter this bat in an instant.

    ¡°Next up is a level six White Wind Liger. This beast took a team of a dozen level seven cultivators the span of a month to capture it. In front of it¡¯s fangs and claws, steel might as well be considered paper. Along with its outstanding arsenal, this liger can manipulate wind to make itself run faster when on land. The bidding starts at one hundred thousand gold coins.¡± The auctioneer said as the curtain was removed from the cage while pushing the cage to the center of the arena, revealing a massive liger that was easily five times larger than any average tiger. With beautiful white striped fur the liger gave off a majestic air that couldn''t properly be described as he eyed the people in the audience.

    As it mesmerized everyone, a ferocious roar echoed from its mouth and startled everyone present, it seemed like this liger could break out of its cage at any moment and slaughter the audience.

    ¡°I''m getting this for you.¡± Zhang said with a grin as he looked at Ling. He was eventually going to give the Ruler¡¯s Domain to Yuying, in turn giving her the horde of Wraith Spiders, and since most if not all animals are extremely afraid of Ai for some reason, only Ling and Lingqi need demonic beasts to protect them.

    Also there was something about this liger that made Zhang like it.

    ¡°One hundred and one thousand gold coins!¡± One of the people in the audience said.

    ¡°One hundred and ten thousand!¡±

    ¡°One hundred and fifteen!¡±

    One hundred and sixteen!¡±

    ¡°One hundred and fifty thousand!¡± Zhang said in a loud voice.

    ¡°One hundred sixty!¡±

    One hundred sixty six!¡±

    ¡°I want that Liger! Two hundred thousand!¡± Someone in the vip box said leaving the small time bidders speechless.

    ¡°Three hundred thousand.¡± Zhang said further adding to the silence.

    ¡°Three hundred thousand gold coins, going once! Going twice!¡± The middle aged man began counting down.

    ¡°Three hundred and fifty!¡± Someone from the vip boxes said. Looking up at the balconies a elderly man with shaking hands could be seen gripping the balconies stone railing.

    ¡°Four hundred thousand.¡± Zhang said calmly.

    Well it could be said that the White Wind Liger was soon given a new owner as no one else placed anymore bids.

    After the Liger were a few pretty strong demonic beasts, however Zhang did not think that any of them could compare to the potential he saw in the Liger so he did not bid.

    Once the auction concluded, all of the bidders who had won were ushered down into the arena where they would claim their prizes and of course pay.

    ¡°Young master and young lady, thank you for your patronage.¡± The auctioneer said with a smile as he approached Zhang and Ling with the White Wind Liger¡¯s cage following behind him, being pushed by the two hulking men.

    ¡°Now young master will your people be coming to pick up the liger or we could deliver it to wherever you are staying for a small fee. We can even train it for you for a fee.¡± The auctioneer said.

    ¡°No need, we¡¯ll take it out for a walk.¡± Zhang said with a grin and a wave of a hand he made a mound of gold coins appear on the ground, causing everyone around to gawk.

    ¡°I would advise against that young master, this liger is not tamed yet and very dangerous.¡± The auctioneer warned since there have been cases of people buying demonic beasts and being killed or attacked by them.

    ¡°It''s alright. Just open the cage there''s nothing to worry about, my husband will have everything under control.¡± Ling said with a reassuring smile.

    ¡°We¡¯d have to wait until the other masters leave the arena before I can open the cage.¡± The auctioneer said, thinking about the safety of the other customers.

    ¡°No problem.¡± Zhang and Ling said in unison and waited patiently for the gold coins that Zhang placed on the ground to be collect and for the other customers to leave.

    Once the arena was finally vacated, the auctioneer stood in the stands while one of the two hulking men was standing in front of the cage with a small key in his hand. Soon the cage was unlocked and the door slowly creaked open.

    The hulking man ran toward the gate and slammed it shut, leaving only Zhang, Ling and the Liger in the arena.

    Moments passed before the Liger charged out of its cage with a savage glint in its eyes.

    ¡°Sit.¡± Zhang said as his aura exploded and suppressed the liger, before it could even get close to him and Ling.

    The amount of essence under his control swirled in the air and wrapped around the Liger¡¯s body, pressing it onto the ground.

    The liger¡¯s savage glint soon disappeared as Zhang and Ling made their way toward it. The closer Zhang inched toward the Liger the more his aura intensified, showing the difference between their strength.

    Although Zhang was only a single level higher than this Liger, regular cultivators could not compare to him, since his body was constantly being nourished by the Underworld Heart. Making him many times stronger than others.

    ¡°I''m going to call you Little White.¡± Ling said with a smile as she patted the Liger¡¯s head.

    ¡°Follow.¡± Zhang said as he released the pressure he placed upon the Liger and gestured for it to follow him and Ling. Being intelligent as it is, the Liger instantly listened to Zhang¡¯s command and obediently followed behind him.

 Chapter 126: Subconscious Fear

    2 chapters of Ascending The Heavens also up. :D

    I''ll try for two chapters of DS tomorrow :D

    ============================================================================

    With the liger in tow, Zhang and Ling departed the monster auction house and went back onto the streets. Of course this time, unlike before, everyone''s gazes were centered around them.

    It''s not every day that one sees a giant liger obediently following a scholarly looking young man and a young woman. Such beasts are generally unleashed upon battlefields and kill indiscriminately, due to how hard it is to tame them. Even with extensive training, a liger would still be an unruly beast.

    With its ancestors branching from the king of the jungles and the king of beasts, it is expected for ligers to possess unyielding personalities.

    ¡°Little White, if you move any slower you¡¯re going to fall behind.¡± Ling said with a smile on her face. Not even breaths passed after the words left Ling¡¯s mouth, before the liger sped up and arrived by her side.

    ¡°That¡¯s a good Little White.¡± Ling said as she began brushed the liger¡¯s white fur. If anyone had seen the air that the liger had been giving off while it was within its cage, they wouldn¡¯t be able to imagine the things that are happening right now. Compared to before, the liger was now very much like a domesticated cat, of course if it was given the order to attack, then whoever was on the receive end would more than likely be torn to bits because while they were moving through the streets, the liger would occasionally growl at those who come too close to it, showing that if provoked by others beside Ling and Zhang, it would attack.

    So with the liger in tow, Zhang and Ling headed back to the Wolfden Brothel. They would need Yuying to work her magic on the liger to ensure that it would devote one hundred percent of its loyalty to them, very much like the Golden Titanic Spiders that evolved into Wraith Spiders.

    However, something strange occurred when they reached the brothel, the liger¡¯s fur stood on end as it gave off a low growl and would not entire the brothel. Perhaps it could sense something within the brothel that it did not hope to cross paths with, but no matter what Zhang or Ling tried it would not go inside the brothel. One could tell that it definitely was afraid of Zhang and Ling but the degree of fear it had for the brothel was many times greater.

    ¡°What are you guys doing?¡± A voice rang into everyone¡¯s ears. Once Zhang and Ling¡¯s gazes were directed at the source of the voice, they could see Yue Lang standing in front of the brothel entrance with a ravishing smile on her face.

    ¡°Miss Yue Lang, I don¡¯t know what¡¯s wrong but our liger won¡¯t enter, we¡¯re sorry for any inconveniences that we are causing.¡± Ling said politely in an apologetic tone.

    ¡°It¡¯s alright. Sometimes felines are skittish of our brothel for some reason. But sometimes they will find the courage to enter.¡± Yue Lang said as she eyed the liger from the corner of her eye. The moment Yue Lang¡¯s gaze was directed at the liger, it slowly began moving forward and into the brothel although there was still a hint of reluctance in its footsteps.

    ¡°Many thanks miss Yue Lang. If we have the opportunity, we should sit down for a drink.¡± Zhang said with his hands clasped before running off after the liger.

    ¡°My offer of sharing a room together for a night still stands.¡± Yue Lang chuckled as she watched Zhang and Ling chase after the Liger.

    ¡°I let you in but there is another obstacle for you to face.¡± Yue Lang laughed in a low tone as she looked at the liger.

    Getting the liger into the brothel was an issue in itself however, getting it through the crowded pathways within the brothel was another thing. Hundreds of gambling tables littered the floor and thousands of people walking from one venue to the next filled up most of the space available, so getting the massive liger to the central staircase and to their suite was a problem.

    Unlike in the streets outside, few people made way for them because everyone was too busy gambling their lives away. But if there is a will there is a way, slowly Zhang and Ling managed to guide the liger through the busy floor and to the staircase.

    Surprisingly enough there was an issue that Zhang thought would happen but didn¡¯t. He had thought that the liger might be too heavy and break the central staircase but surprisingly enough that did not happen or come close to happening at all.

    By now the day was half over and the other beauties had all returned to their suite, so when Zhang pushed open the door and entered, he was greeted by a barrage of smiles.

    ¡°I think we have a problem¡­¡± Ling said as Little White would not budge once more, much like what had happened at the entrance of the brothel, the liger would not budge and stayed outside of the suite. Its eyes were focused solely upon a single figure within the room, the figure of Ai who was seated at a table and sipping some tea and eating desserts.

    Spotting the liger, Ai¡¯s eyes glinted and a happy expression had spread across her face.

    ¡°Wahhh, it¡¯s so fluffy.¡± She said as she got up from the table and headed for the liger. Ai had always been an avid lover of animals, but for some reason most of not all of them would be deathly afraid of her.

    As Ai came closer and closer to the liger, it began to take steps backwards and trying to distance itself from her.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare run away.¡± Zhang said, peeking his out from within the room.

    ¡°Ai, wait until big sis imprints it.¡± Lingqi said, peeking her head out from behind Zhang.

    With a hint of disappointment, Ai stepped to the side and waited for Yuying to make her way out of the room and in front of the liger.

    Yuying placed her hand in front of the liger and accompanied by a glare from Zhang, the liger quickly laid its large head onto the ground. Moments later, Yuying¡¯s index finger pressed onto the liger¡¯s temple and countless runes flowed from her hand onto its body. Seconds turned into minutes and minutes turned into dozens of minutes before Yuying lifted her hand and the spell was complete.

    Once the imprinting was complete, the liger no longer hesitated when given orders and seemed to become many times more familiar with Ai, however it still seemed to be somewhat subconsciously afraid of her because when in Ai¡¯s embrace the liger¡¯s fur would still stand on end.

    ¡°Little White, come here.¡± Ling said with a smile as she gestured to the liger. Unlike before, it did not show any hints of fear, rather one could see that he liger was no viewing Zhang and the beauties as it true masters or perhaps family.

    ¡°Oh yea I almost forgot.¡± Zhang said as a black and white pearl appeared in his hand. This of course was one of the many pearls that he had collected in the catacombs in New Moon City.

    Tossing one of the pearls in front of Little White, who is now gently licking Ling¡¯s hand, Zhang watched as the liger ceased its prior actions and began sniffing the pearl. A few moments later the pearl was picked up by liger¡¯s teeth and swallowed. But unlike the wraith spiders, nothing happened.

    Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    ¡°Maybe he needs more than just one?¡± Lingqi said as she leaned onto Zhang arm.

    ¡°Perhaps.¡± Zhang said as he produced another pearl and tossed it at the liger.

    But like before there was still no change, so Zhang produced yet another pearl and tossed it in front of the liger. After the liger was fed it¡¯s fifth pearl, an unbelievable change began occurring. It¡¯s snow white fur began showing black streaks, much like a regular tiger but with a blueish hue to them. Its fangs began growing longer, peaking out of its mouth, and its claws appeared to become many times sharper, allowing it to further displaying its arsenal.

    However, that was not the end of it because Little White¡¯s body began to shrink. Slowly Little White changed from being a few times larger than a regular tiger to the size of a kitten, now the name Little White could truly be applied.

    Despite shrinking in size, Zhang could tell that the liger was actually stronger than it was previously and was one the borderline of entering the seventh level of cultivation. Before it was only at the beginning of the sixth level of cultivation but now it had nearly jumped an entire level. With time it would surely enter the seventh level and hopefully that would not be the end of its growth. Before anyone could comment on its size, Little White¡¯s body began growing and it soon returned to its original size.

    ¡°Shrink again.¡± Ai said cheerfully. Amazingly enough, the liger began shrinking and changed to the size of a kitten once more.

    ¡°There we go, you¡¯re much cuter like this.¡± She said with a grin as she picked up the liger and began petting it.

    ¡°Meowwwww~¡± Little White meowed while being carried by Ai of course it¡¯s fur was still standing up so it looked like a cute little fur ball. With that the liger was tamed and underwent an amazing transformation.

    Now that Little White was kitten sized, it could be carried around easily and would draw much less attention when going out onto the streets.

    After the issues regarding Little White were solved, Zhang and the beauties headed toward a hall that was rented out by Cheng Yu, this hall was reserved to serve meals for people apart of their caravan, it would also serve as a common gathering place in case a gathering was required before they leave Wolfden City.

    ¡°Brother, can I get one too? Can I? Please?¡± Ai asked Zhang as she tried to get him to find her a White Wind Liger, like Ling.

    ¡°But they only had one. Next time I see something as good as Little White I¡¯ll get it for you.¡± Zhang replied with an apologetic smile.

    ¡°Then I want two.¡± Ai said while pouting.

    ¡°Done.¡± Zhang laughed.

    ¡°I can give you one of the spiders.¡± Yuying said as she smiled at Ai.

    ¡°Bu-but they aren¡¯t cuddly.¡± Ai replied as she eyed Little White.

    Seeing this, Ling decided to let Ai help take care of the liger until she got her own demonic beast.

    Upon entering the hall that was rented for their use, Zhang saw many of his suburbanites and the former members of the aristocratic families sitting about and enjoying meals. Of course once he entered the room, everyone got up from their seats and saluted him before sitting down once more.

    ¡°My lord, a table has been especially set aside for you.¡± Cheng Yu¡¯s voice sounded out before he appeared in front of Zhang and the beauties.

    Soon they were led to a large table at a secluded section of the hall and were seated. Without having to order, dozens of extravagant dishes were laid out in front of them.

    ¡°My lord, a messenger had also arrived from Aurora, however when we went seek an audience with you, you weren¡¯t in your suite and since the situation wasn¡¯t very urgent so I had him wait for your return.¡± Cheng Yu said.

    ¡°Alright have him come here.¡± Zhang said.

    ¡°Right away.¡± Cheng Yu replied before exiting the hall.

    While Cheng Yu was fetching the messenger, Zhang and the beauties began their meal. Even Little White joined in on the feast and was given a large chicken, which it devoured in the matter of breaths, so many more seconds were given to it.

    Zhang couldn¡¯t help but grin as he watched the first sized kitten, devour one chicken after the other at blinding speeds. The one thing he wondered was why didn¡¯t Little White just change into its larger form where it can eat entire chickens with a single bit.

    ¡°Try some of this.¡± Zhang said as he placed various delicacies into each and every one of his wives plates and in turn they would place food back into his plate.

    ¡°My lord, I come bearing word from his majestic Jian Wei. His majestic wished for me to inform you my lord that the invasion will proceed in a few months and he hopes that you have managed to enjoy your honeymoon, also he wanted me to give you this. He said something about sharpening your sword well and to win the war.¡± The messenger said as he kneeled on the ground with one knee and saluted before pulling out a familiar looking jade bottle from his robes.

    ¡°His majesty also wished for me to hand this scroll to you personally.¡± The messenger added as he presented the jade bottle and a scroll to Zhang.

    ¡°Please tell lord Jiang Wei that I will use this well and I will head back before the invasion begins.¡± Zhang said with a chuckle as he picked up the jade bottle, knowing the contents within it.

    Once the messenger was excused, Zhang picked up the scroll and opened it. Its contents basically informed Zhang that the invasion would begin in three months¡¯ time and that he was assigned to take command of the forces station in Red Mist City and for him to lead them into battle with the Dark Sea Province located south of the former Red Mist Province.

    After examining the contents of the scroll, Zhang conjured a flame in his hand and burned it into ashes. Such information was best kept to himself, for it could change the tide of war if it was given out.

    ¡°With three months left, I¡¯m sure we can find a few more places to go and enjoy ourselves.¡± He thought as he watched his wives enjoying their meal.

    Elder Sister Xiao Hua, we should be reaching the New Moon Province soon. A man with a silver mask reported to a beautiful young lady who was currently seat within a carriage.

    ¡°Head for the new capital and send out people out to seek information about the one woman who knows about the runes on the Reaper¡¯s Coffin. Also slow down the pace of our march, the New Moon Province should be in high alert right now due to all of the things that are happening that and we would draw attention to ourselves if we appear at such a time.¡± The young lady called Xiao Hua said, beside her was a golden mask and hanging by her side was a jade badge in the shape of a crescent moon.

    ¡°Also, the longer this trip takes the longer I¡¯ll be able to stay out here, instead of returning to the order.¡± She mumbled in a displeased tone as she remembered the place she would have to return to once the mission was completed.

 Chapter 127: Plots

    Sigh just got home from work, managed one chapter though T_T. See you all soon.

    =====================================================================

    Dragon¡¯s Soul 127

    Two weeks had passed since Little White had gained the ability to shrink to the size of a kitten, ever since then, the beauties have been bringing it everywhere they went. To most it would seem no different from a regular house cat, of course besides the oddly colored pelt it possessed. Little White¡¯s fur would still stand on end when in Ai¡¯s embrace, but over time the two have grown fairly close, despite this.

    Zhang and the beauties, knowing they only have but a few weeks left to enjoy themselves, visited many of the attractions within Wolfden City. Occasionally they would run into Yue Lang, these encounters would only serve to add to her mysteriousness. But if someone do not wish to tell you something, it is best not to pry.

    Today Zhang, the beauties, and their people were busy readying for their trip to Red Mist City. Of course there would be quite a few stops on the way, but if they stayed in Wolfden City any longer then they might end up missing the start of the southern invasion, that would in turn cause a series of unwanted events to occur.

    Thus it was time to head back to Red Mist City, though it was decided that once the southern invasion concluded and perhaps if a northern invasion occurs, they would visit Wolfden City once more.

    It was not until midday did Zhang¡¯s caravan begin to head out of Wolfden City, with everyone accounted for, they would head south, through what would soon be the former New Moon Province. From there they would head southwest and would eventually arrive in Red Mist City. Once they arrive at Red Mist City, the former aristocrats of the New Moon Province would be sent to Aurora, where they would not be in the way if something goes wrong during the invasion.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be seeing you again.¡± Yue Lang¡¯s voice drifted into Zhang¡¯s carriage as it rocked through the crowded streets. The beauties and Zhang all poked their heads out of the carriage but Yue Lang was nowhere in sight due to the sea of people blending everyone together into an indistinguishable crowd.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be back.¡± Zhang said out into the crowd, adding to the babble that was present.

    Many blocks away standing on one of the many balconies sticking out of the Wolfden Brothel, Yue Lang could be seen looking out into the distance. It was fairly obvious she was not looking at the city, but rather she was able to see Zhang¡¯s carriage however her gaze was not specifically at Zhang.

    ¡°We¡¯ll meet again, be it in days or years, our paths will intertwine once more.¡± Yue Lang smiled before her figure faded away and disappeared.

    ====================================================================================

    ¡°My lord, we have just entered the borders of the New Moon Province.¡± Cheng Yu¡¯s voice flowed into Zhang¡¯s carriage.

    Shortly after Cheng Yu spoke into the carriage, the sound of neighing horses shook the air. The sound of something impacting the wooden carriages reverberated through the air as a mass of confusion ensued.

    ¡°Defensive formations! Protect the carriages!¡± Cheng Yu¡¯s voice could be heard, serving as a beacon through the chaos that was befalling the caravan.

    Peering outside of their carriage, Zhang could see an endless rain of arrows showing down from the sky.

    ¡°Kill everyone! Take everything of value!¡± A roaring voice could be heard outside. Soon thousands of men wearing mismatched leather armor could be seen flooding out of the woods.

    ¡°Defend our lord! Kill the bandits!¡± Someone yelled. Although Zhang¡¯s men could be considered experts, there were simply too many bandits, making it difficult for them to gain an upper hand since a warrior can only slay so many people at once.  Rather than calling these men bandits, the term army would fit more due to the numbers they were boasting.

    Somehow one of the bandits managed to make his way to Zhang¡¯s carriage and opened the door. Once the door swung open, the man was awestruck as his gaze fell upon the four beauties, however his vision soon became stained in red. While the man was caught up in looking at the beauties, a kitten pounced at him and with its razor sharp fangs, it caused a fountain of blood to shoot out from his neck.

    ¡°Little White, go play.¡± An angelic voice sounded out from within the carriage.

    As the bandit who opened the carriage door fell to the ground, his comrades who happened to be nearby looked entirely dumbfounded because never in their wildest dreams would imagine that they would be attacked killed by a little kitten. A fountain of blood continued to shoot out from the man¡¯s neck as Little White¡¯s body began to grow larger. From the size of a kitten, it soon grew as large as an adult cat, then into the size of a regular tiger, finally it returned to its regular size.

    ¡°Gahhhh! Wha-whats that thing!¡± Some of the bandits screamed in horror as Little Fight towered above them, brandishing its canines and sharp claws. The screams soon ceased, as the wind began to wrap around Little White¡¯s body, allowing it to move at blinding speeds, leaving a whirlwind of blood in its wake.

    Limbs were severed and lives were taken as Little White was unleashed on the unsuspecting bandits who were foolish enough to attack Zhang¡¯s caravan. A White Wind Liger is normally already extremely dangerous, but after eating the black and white pearls made of pure essence, Little White was elevated into a league of its own.

    Little White was of course not the only one showing off their battle prowess, since Zhang¡¯s soldiers and the women trained by the beauties were also a part of the fray.

    Relying on their brute force and the basic battle formations that Zhang had taught them, the soldiers formed a wall of shields and spears that represented death for all who stood before them. While the women who had mostly received training from Yuying, sped through the battle field like shadows, plunging their blades into countless victims.

    It could be said that the bandits had awoken a sleeping dragon and were not prepared for the consequences, as their numbers slowly began to dwindle.

    ¡°Damn¡­ They did not tell me about this, when I took the job¡­¡± A bandit who clearly process seniority cursed as he watched his men being slaughtered.

    ¡°Retreat!¡± The same bandit yelled.

    But it was clearly too late, even though the battle had only begun, it was nearing its conclusion. Nearly a quarter of the bandits had been slain while Zhang¡¯s people had only been slightly injured. A portion of the bandits even dropped to their knees and toss their weapons aside to surrender. Unlike Xi Ning¡¯s bandit group, these ones were not too united, which in itself created a vital weakness for them.

    If they were faced with death then many of these bandits would choose to surrender or flee, while Xi Ning¡¯s men would have more than likely fought to the death.

    ¡°Capture their leader, kill everyone else who resists.¡± Zhang¡¯s voices echoed through the battlefield.

    ¡°Yes my lord!¡± Thousands of voices replied in unison.  Soon a slick sea of blood began flowing down the hills, creating countless rivers of blood.

    The bandit leader tried to ride off on his house however before he could make it very far, a gleaming blade slashed down in front of his path and severed his horse¡¯s head, causing its corpse to tumble over, sending the bandit leader into the air and into a tree.

    Although he tried to get up the only thing that happened was a mouth full of blood being coughed up due to the internal injury caused by slamming into the tree.

    Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

    Moments later the leader of the bandits was bound and dragged to Zhang¡¯s carriage. Seeing that their leader was captured, even more bandits began to surrender and as quickly as it began, the battle concluded.

    Hundreds if not thousands of bandits were then led in front of Zhang¡¯s carriage and forced to kneel. Behind every few bandit was one of Zhang¡¯s people with weapons drawn. Now every single bandit was at Zhang¡¯s mercy and their lives were now his to end or spare.

    Once the battle concluded, Little White could be seen in its shrunken form, atop a mound of corpses, licking its fur. This scene would have been unbelievably adorable if it was not for the blood and mangled bodies.

    Everyone¡¯s eyes were glued on Zhang¡¯s carriage as its door slowly opened, a truly terrifying sight was witness. Instead of the inside of the carriage, everyone saw a black oval like portal and from within this portal hundreds of giant ghost like spiders appeared.

    ¡°Little White, I hope you don¡¯t mind sharing your food with Silky and the others.¡± Yuying¡¯s voice could be heard from within the carriage. The hundreds of wraith spiders began feasting upon the corpses of the dead, causing those with weak stomachs to vomit.

    Zhang¡¯s people of course knew they had nothing to be afraid of so they all stood as still as a mountain and were waiting for orders.

    ¡°If I heard right, I think you said someone hired you?¡± Zhang said as the portal into the Ruler¡¯s Domain closed and he stepped out of the carriage.

    ¡°I-I-I don¡¯t know anything.¡± The leader of the bandits said frantically.

    ¡°Of course you know something, we¡¯ll just help you remember.¡± Zhang said with an evil grin as Yuying appeared from behind him and walked up to the leader of the bandits.

    ¡°Hold him still.¡± Yuying said as she reached her hand out.

    ¡°Yes milady.¡± One of their soldiers who was standing behind the bandit leader said before he pressed his hand down on the bandit¡¯s shoulder while his sword was placed beside the bandit¡¯s neck.

    ¡°Tell us who sent you and what is their goal.¡± Yuying said once her finger pressed against the bandit¡¯s forehead and countless runes covered his body.

    Like everyone else who falls under Yuying¡¯s mind control, the bandit leader began talking.

    ¡°Three weeks ago, a group of men came to our bandit den and gave me a vast amount of wealth. They wanted me to unite as many bandits and outlaws as I could within the New Moon Province and cause as much of a disturbance as I could so that Aurora¡¯s attention would be diverted to the northern region rather than the southern regions. We were told that we could pillage as much as we pleased and that they promised will make us all lords and grant us unbelievable riches if our mission succeeded. Roughly a week ago, we managed to capture a messenger headed for Aurora and from him we learned that the crown prince of Aurora was going to pass these parts, so if we managed to capture him then for sure, all of Aurora¡¯s attention would be focused here, allowing ample time for the southern provinces to mount an offensive. ¡°The leader of the bandits spewed.

    ¡°To think they underestimated so much as to simply send a group of bandits whose cultivations hasn¡¯t even passed that of a regular person. Now what shall we do with them darling?¡± Lingqi laughed as she produced a clear glass bottle filled with yellowish liquid and a clear glass bottle filled with bluish liquid.

    ¡°Yuying, have him tell us the location of their dens. I¡¯m sure they have plenty of gifts for us there.¡± Zhang¡¯s eyes glinted.

    Moments later a group of Zhang¡¯s people were sent out to retrieve the riches that the bandits had gathered and free whomever that had been captured by them. There were a total of ten bandit forts in the surround area that was filled with riches that they had plundered so Zhang was automatically propelled into a good mood, simply thinking about the harvest that practically presented itself to him on a platter.

    It was also decided that the bandits would accompany Zhang to Red Mist City where they will serve as the vanguard in his army, realistically speaking they would become human shields for Zhang¡¯s men once the invasion began. He did in fact however promise that if any of the bandits serve the invasion, then he would set them free and if they wanted he would allow them to join his arm, that is to say if any of them do survive.

    Only a few hours after being sent out, Zhang¡¯s men returned carrying many dozens of crates filled to the brim with gold and jewels. There were also roughly a hundred people who had been captured, including the messenger that had been sent by Jian Wei.

    Having broken military law, this many was punished with one hundred lashes, which could be considered a lenient punishment considering how the information he gave out could have derailed the southern invasion. And cause harm to Zhang and the beauties.

    ¡°My lord, we have accounted for an estimated wealth of three hundred thousand gold coins.¡± Cheng Yu reported to Zhang after inspecting all of the treasures retrieved.

    ¡°Good, reward one hundred thousand gold coins amongst our combatants.¡± Zhang ordered after waving his hand and storing away two thirds of the treasure crates laid out in front of him.

    ¡°Right away my lord.¡± Cheng Yu said while clasping his hands.

    ¡°I wonder what kind of looks they¡¯ll have on their faces when they find out that the money they sent to cause us trouble, ended up in our pockets.¡± Ai who was standing beside Zhang said with a grin.

    ¡°If they can put out this much to cause us trouble then I could only imagine what¡¯s waiting for us down south.¡± Zhang said as money signs appeared in his eyes.

    Within the Warring States Region, the southern region is undoubtedly the richest region, thanks to the warm weather there allowing for higher productivity in agriculture. Food is always a necessity to life and since the southern region is able to produce ample amounts of it, they are able to bring in lots of revenue through trade. Had it not been for the fact the lord of the southern were constantly feuding with one another, then Aurora might not have been able to become the superpower that it currently is.

    The central region which includes Aurora had always been somewhat lacking in agriculture and resources if compared to the south, but thanks to the trade diverted to it by Red Mist City which acts as the central trade hub for the ocean west of the Warring States Region, it had managed to produce the Warring State Region¡¯s strongest province, Aurora. Thanks to Jian Wei¡¯s expert management, Aurora had been able to make use of its position and turn into a trade hub within the Warring States Region, allowing for it to grow very powerful.

    Lastly there was the northern region which if compared with the other regions is on the poorer side. If it was not for the many mines located in the north that brought in trade, then it probably wouldn¡¯t even be able to muster up a sizable army. But thanks to the cooperation amongst the lords of the north and the ample natural resources within their land, they¡¯ve been able to create an iron wall that protects the northern region of the Warring States area.

    ¡°Cheng Yu, pick a few people and have them return to aurora dressed in blood stained rags. Have them tell ask Lord Jiang Wei to disperse news that we were ambushed and the majority of our forces have been lost and that I¡¯m currently missing. Also inform him that we will we be beginning the southern invasion a bit earlier.¡± Zhang said with a devious grin.

 Chapter 128: Of All People

    Heya folks O_O how are you doing?

    =========================================================================

    Soon news of Zhang¡¯s disappearance was spread throughout the Warring States Region, causing a frenzy of rumors to arise. Some said that Zhang had been killed, while others said that he barely managed to survive at the cost of all of his men, while other say that the beauties were captured and Zhang was currently trying to save them.

    But unknowns to most people a caravan consisting of a thousand or two people was currently making its way through the Warring States Region. This caravan would make camp during the day and move out through the night. The few who have ran into this caravan are left with bit and pieces of memories that prevent them from recalling what they truly saw. However, some say they saw ghostly white monsters and thousands of people bound in rattling chains, overall a horrific sight to see.

    Through these unusual encounters, the few who knew about the caravan began linking this caravan to a caravan that had gone missing countless years ago, and many believed that this caravan was comprised of the dead whose dying wishes have yet to be profiled.

    On a particular night when the moon¡¯s light was not obscured by clouds, hundreds of carriages could be seen making their way through an open plain. Pulling these carriages however were not horses but ghostly white spiders the size of horses.

    Although no one knew where the ghost caravan was headed, but wherever it went news would quickly spread and so long it was mentioned everyone in the area would tightly shut their doors and not even dare to look outside, until they knew that the caravan was elsewhere.

    However, unlike most places, tonight Red Mist City was bustling with activity. Soldiers could be seen shuttling supplies from one end of the city to the other as they prepared for the coming invasion that would begin within two weeks¡¯ time. New recruits were being trained around the clock as the Red Mist Army was trying to bolster its numbers.

    ¡°They should be arriving soon, everyone move out. Xi Ning, Gan Ning let¡¯s go out and greet our lord.¡± A scholarly looking young man who gave off an air of authority said as he climbed onto a muscular looking horse and dashed for the city gates. Soon to follow behind him were a dozen or so other men.

    Once they dashed out of the city gates it did not take long for the ghostly caravan to come into sight. At the forefront of the caravan was a carriage being pulled by a massive white and purplish spider and a team of fiery horses.

    As the team of horsemen and the caravan closed in on each other they both slowly came to a stop, and the horsemen all quickly jumped off their horses and bent down on one knee.

    ¡°We welcome your return, your highness.¡± All of them said in unison.

    ¡°No need for the formalities.¡± A voice rang out from the caravan as a familiar face appeared, this of course was Zhang.

    ¡°Brother Sima Yi, how are the preparations going along? Also didn¡¯t I tell you to call me brother and drop the formalities?¡± Zhang asked as he helped Sima Yi up.

    ¡°Also I hope all is going well, for you two.¡± Zhang said as he looked at Gan Ning and Xi Ning.

    ¡°Our naval fleet is ready to set sail at your command and the rest of our army should be ready to face the enemy in battle.¡± Sima Yi said with a smile as Zhang patted his shoulder.

    ¡°Brother Yi, brother Gan Ning and brother Xi Ning, it¡¯s been a while.¡± Yuying¡¯s voice could be heard as she appeared beside Zhang, along with the other three beauties.

    ¡°Your highnesses.¡± Sima Yi, Gan Ning, and Xi Ning said in unison as they saluted the beauties. Although they were quite friendly with Zhang, they still felt that they needed to be formal to the beauties when in public.

    Once all of the formalities were done, Sima Yi lead Zhang and the rest of the caravan into Red Mist City. Not long after the Red Mist Army was assembled, hundreds of thousands of men who were either clad in the red armor of the Red Mist Army or black armor that symbolized they belonged to Zhang¡¯s personal army.

    ¡°Thanks to the funds confiscated from the Jin Clan, we were able to allocate much more spending to our military. Whereas before when the Red Mist City was solely focused on defense, we now have tripled the size of our naval fleet and increased our infantry by a substantial amount.¡± Sima Yi reported.

    ¡°How many ships does our navy consist of now?¡± Zhang asked.

    ¡°Our navy consisted of roughly thirty ships before and now there is a total of one hundred ships, eighty warships, nineteen carriers and a commanding vessel. Now that the Jin Clan is gone and there is no more embezzlement, we can properly fund our military.¡± Sima Yi replied with a smile.

    Had the Red Mist Province¡¯s navy and army been properly funded then perhaps Zhang¡¯s assault on Red Mist City would have most likely failed. But now that Sima Yi was given command, and the proper amount of funds were allocated to the military, it could be said that capturing Red Mist City like how Zhang had done is now but an unattainable dream.

    ¡°How many mobile ballistae have we managed to construct?¡± Zhang asked.

    ¡°Roughly eighty of them, thanks to the cooperation of the Golden Lotus trading company we were able to secure plenty of building material however we did not have enough artisans at hand due to the construction of the new warships.¡±

    ¡°Have most of them placed onto the commanding vessel and the remaining few on the warships. They¡¯ll be a great surprise for our enemies. Also ready the men we set out toward the Dark Sea Province at sunrise.¡± Zhang said with a devious smile.

    ¡°I¡¯ll have the ballistae moved onto the vessels, but doesn¡¯t the invasion start in two weeks? If we move out now we¡¯ll arrive too early.¡± Sima Yi asked.

    ¡°The enemy probably knows that the invasion will begin in two weeks and will be ready for our arrival, so we don¡¯t we come a bit early and give them a pleasant surprise.¡± Zhang said.

    After Zhang¡¯s words and a nod from Sima Yi, ninety percent of the soldiers within the Red Mist Army and all of Zhang¡¯s personal soldiers began boarding warships. The remaining ten percent of the Red Mist Army was to remain within Red Mist City to defend it.

    Zhang¡¯s prisoners who had attacked him when he was moving through the New Moon Province were the last to set foot on the naval ships and assigned to be the oarsmen since they couldn¡¯t really be trusted, they were kept bound in chains. Of course Zhang was not cruel enough to ensure their deaths if one of the ships were to sink in battle so he had promised to relocate them to the carrier ships if enemy forces show up.

    It was also decided that Gan Ning would be the one to command the naval fleet because of all of the generals present, Gan Ning who used to be a pirate was the most knowledgeable person about naval warfare.

    Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.

    Also without know what the size of the enemy and what tricks they could have hidden in their sleeves, Zhang felt that he needed to be in the front lines where he could aid his soldiers and prevent unnecessary deaths if possible. Sima Yi of course would manage the land battles once they set foot on the lands of the Dark Sea Province.

    Thus when the sun peaked out from the horizon, hundreds of oars struck the ever shifting waves of the western sea as the wind blew onto hundreds of red colored sails.

    As the awe inspiring fleet made its way through the massive sea gates of Red Mist City, the same thought appeared in the minds of every resident present, perhaps the lost magnificence of the Red Mist Navy would soon be restored.

    Atop the deck of the largest ship within the fleet, the commander¡¯s vessel, was Zhang and the beauties. The commander¡¯s vessel was built in a square shaped and was a staggering three stories tall, from afar it looked like a fortress that was floating atop the waves rather than a ship. Although it¡¯s design was flawed and not really great for battle, the presence that it inspired was otherworldly.

    Of all of the beauties, Ai could be seen excitedly looking out into the open sea with sparkling eyes. The fresh air, the gentle breeze and the boat¡¯s gentle rocking reminded her of the time that she, Yuying and Zhang he spent at sea before running into Jian Wei. Although an experience could be unbelievably terrible, as time passed and when one reminisced, even the worst of experiences could be turned into a fond memory.

    ¡°Sis, I wonder if we¡¯ll spot dolphins again.¡± Ai said to Yuying who was standing beside her and also looking out into the endless ocean in front of them.

    ¡°Perhaps.¡± Yuying replied with a chuckle. Like this the two of them stood side by side until Red Mist city was out of sight.

    While Ai and Yuying were reminiscing about the past, Zhang could be seen watching over them from the second floor of the ship with a smile across his face, for he too was reminiscing about the events that had brought them together.

    ¡°Maybe one day we¡¯ll return to that island and I¡¯ll build a castle or something on it.¡± He thought as he looked toward the direction where a certain one hundred islands were.

    Behind him atop a bed, Lingqi could be seen laying down.

    ¡°Of all of people I would think that you¡¯d be the last to be sea sick.¡± Ling¡¯s voice could be heard with a laugh.

    The instant Lingqi had set foot onto the boat, she had shown signs of seasickness and once they left the calm waters within the sea gates, her symptoms worsened.

    Without replying to Ling, Lingqi grabbed a small bucket beside her bedside and expelled the contents of her last meal before laying back down on her bed.

    Very much like Ling, Zhang had not thought that Lingqi of all people would get seasick but there wasn¡¯t much he could do for her in such a situation. So for the remainder of the voyage, Ai, Yuying, and Ling were able to enjoy the ocean¡¯s view while Lingqi remained within her cabin. Zhang of course divided his time between keeping the beauties company and going over battle strategies with his generals.

    Although they were fairly certain they could defeat the enemy at sea, the beast battlefield for Zhang¡¯s army was on land, where their cavalry could trample the enemy lines. While on land Zhang could use his cavalry and a variety of other factors to achieve victory, but sadly on water battles tend to revolve around the number of ships one possess.

    Since they did not know whether or not the southern provinces have banded together and formed an alliance or not, there was no telling how many enemy ships they will have to face.

    ¡°If we engage the enemy here they will not be able to deal significant damage to our forces and we can gauge the extent of their forces.¡± Gan Ning said as his finger pressed into a map of the western sea.

    ¡°If these navy vastly outstrips ours we can dock here and continue on foot. Once our ships dock in this bay they wouldn''t dare to move in.¡± Sima Yi added while pointing to a location near where Gan Ning''s finger was.

    ¡°This would also serve as the perfect place to trade the enemy of her highness were to use her water magic.¡± Gan Ning said.

    ¡°None of the then will be actively participating in this battle, unlike before when we were facing one province at a time, this time we can fighting a dozen provinces, each other their own experts who will be sent to the front lines to repel our invasion. Which makes it too dangerous.¡± Zhang said, disagreeing with Gan Ning''s suggestion of using Ling¡¯s magic for the naval battle.

    Although it was commonly known that generally there are no saints and those who are at the tenth level of cultivation within the Warring States Region, from the sizable sum the southern provinces were willing to spend to delay the invasion, he could not be sure how many experts they could have gathered. Though most experts, unlike Zhang, do not seek personally wealth but mostly go after cultivation resources, if enough money is presented, who know how many people will come under the banner of the southern provinces.

    That being said, the invasion is unavoidable because if they do not act then sooner or later the Aurora Kingdom would be attacked. The creation of a kingdom with the middle of the region definitely is an eyesore to most if not all of the other lords, so it was only a matter of time before a war began.

    Few would ask, why didn''t Jian Wei invade the north, rather than the wealthy south. But the answer is simple, he did so because the Aurora Kingdom was being sandwiched by two sides, if they invade the north than in the end they would still be sandwhich. Then the issue of defending the northern border against the various kingdoms north of the Warring States Region would come into play.

    So the best and most logical decision would be to invade the south and solidly their power while using the northern provinces as a buffer zone. Then when they are strong enough they can absorb the northern provinces and for the first time in thousands of years the Warring States Region would be united as one.

    ¡°Only if the situation becomes dire will I let them put themselves in harm''s way.¡± Zhang said.

    ¡°Then our best course of action would be to scout out the enemy and if possible move onto land. It would be best to dock here at this harbor and from there occupy this small village here and then use it as a command base to seige Blue Wind City. ¡± Sima Yi said as he traced a path across the map with his finger.

    ¡°That is to say I don''t crush them at sea. If we sink them all then we can sail directly to Dark Sea City.¡± Gan Ning laughed as he stabbed a dagger onto the map, directly on where Dark Sea City was located.

 Chapter 129: Fool or Genius

    Also got a new chapter of Ascending the Heavens up, hope you all enjoy :)

    =============================================================================

    Hundreds of ships could be seen floating atop the water¡¯s surface as two naval fleets faced each other. Without a single cloud in the sky nor even the faintest of breezes, it was as if the heavens itself was bestowing the two fleets with the silence before the storm.

    Of the two fleets, one numbered a hundred ships while the other fleet possessed what appeared to be quadruple that number.

    Most would expect an epic battle to begin, this would likely not happen because of how the two fleets were positioned. The Red Mist Naval fleet had anchored itself behind a shallow reef, making it so that the other fleet could not engage them or risk the possibility of running aground on one of the reefs.

    ¡°There must be at least four hundred ships over there.¡± Gan Ning said as he looked at the hundreds of ships that were anchored across the reef.

    ¡°As expected they managed to gather quite a few different provinces to halt our invasion.¡± Sima Yi said as he looked at the various different banners being displayed within the other fleet.

    Gan Ning and Sima Yi were currently on one of the many warships and were peering across the reef.

    Sadly, despite the fact that they had departed earlier than the planned invasion date, the other fleet was already waiting for them by the time they neared the waters of the Dark Sea Province. What made things scary was the fact that it had arrived at the location that Zhang and his generals had picked.

    The location was selected so that they could safely send out scouts to survey the numbers that the enemy fleet boasted but surprisingly enough the enemy fleet had arrived here even before the Red Mist Naval fleet did.

    From this alone they could tell that whoever was leading the Southern Fleet had a good head atop their shoulders.

    ¡°Enemy vessel incoming!¡± One of the soldiers on a vessel belonging to the Red Mist Navy yelled at the top of his lungs, an instant later a dozen more men joined him and yelled.

    Off in the distance, a small lifeboat which had ten people on to was slowly making its way over the reef and toward the Red Mist Naval fleet. From their attire, there were eight soldiers, one general and a strategist or noblemen.

    ¡°All hands on deck, prepare to intercept the enemy!¡± Gan Ning roared as he arrived at the side of his warship.

    Following Gan Ning¡¯s words, countless of archers made their way to the upper deck of a dozen or so ships that were located at the front of the fleet. With bows in hand and arrows drawn, these archers were ready to shoot the ten people within the lifeboat full of arrows if they are given the order.

    ¡°Who goes there!?¡± Gan Ning asked as he withdrew his sword and pointed toward the lifeboat when it closed in on his ship. The thought that the people who were on the lifeboats could experts did not even come across Gan Ning¡¯s mind, because he knew the other fleet would not risk sending in their experts when they did not know how many experts the Red Mist Navy had at hand.

    ¡°My name is Huang Xiao and this is master Zhuge Liang commander in chief of the Dark Sea Naval fleet, we¡¯ve come to seek an audience with your commanding officer!¡± The man who was dressed in the attire of a general bellowed as he gestured to the man who appeared to be a strategist.

    ¡°You think we¡¯ll just let you meet our commanding officer just like that? What do you take us for? Fools?¡± Gan Ning mocked.

    ¡°As a show of good faith we will disarm.¡± Huang Xiao said as he withdrew his sword and tossed it into the water, following his example the eight soldiers on board the lifeboat also tossed their weapons into the water.

    ¡°You and you, lower a lifeboat and check if they are hiding any weapons.¡± Gan Ning ordered two sailors.

    ¡°Right away, boss.¡± The two men said in unison. Soon after a lifeboat was lowered and not much time passed before the two lifeboats met up atop the still waters. Although they seemed displeased, Huang Xiao, Zhuge Liang and their men allowed Gan Ning¡¯s men to pat search them.

    ¡°Boss! They don¡¯t have any weapons!¡± Gan Ning¡¯s men yelled after they completed their search. Had Huang Xiao or Zhuge Liang or their men resisted in anyway then it was certain that they would become human porcupines.

    ¡°Inform his highness that the commander of the enemy fleet requests an audience with him. Tell him perhaps there is an enemy ploy in place.¡± Sima Yi said as he eyed Zhuge Liang. Although they had never interacted with each other before, Sima Yi had long ago heard about Zhuge Liang, who was considered an unrivaled genius within the Warring States Region. He felt that there was something odd about Zhuge Liang but he couldn¡¯t put his finger on it.

    After being made to wait for a while, Zhuge Liang¡¯s ship was allowed to sail toward the commander¡¯s ship where Zhang was.

    Once they climbed up a rope ladder and made their way onto the upper decks of the massive commander¡¯s ship, they were greeted by a familiar looking young man. This young man of course was Zhang, however unlike most times he was dressed in the attire of a regular soldier.

    ¡°I welcome you my lords onto our ship. I was assigned to show you around our ship before his majestic is ready to allow you an audience.¡± Zhang said with a smile as he saluted Zhuge Liang and Huang Xiao.

    ¡°We¡¯ll be in your care.¡± Huang Xiao said with a nod.

    ¡°If you¡¯ll follow me your lordships.¡± Zhang said as he gestured to his guests.

    ¡°If you don¡¯t mind me asking, my lords, why is it that you have come aboard our ship personally? Wouldn¡¯t it be more safe for people of your status to simple send someone such as me to send a message?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t mind telling you it was lord Zhuge Liang¡¯s idea. We truly do not wish to have to shed blood and were hoping that you all would leave.¡± Huang Xiao said as Zhuge Liang nodded.

    However, from the look in his eye, Zhang could tell that what he said was only partially true and there was something else that he was hiding. Zhang also found it odd how Huang Xiao has been the one who has been doing all of the talking instead of his master.

    Suddenly the ship they were on began to violently sway, causing everyone to lose their balance. The following events would cause many people to be confused, however they served to strengthen Zhang¡¯s initial suspicions.

    As the ship sway and people were falling left and right, the group of ten people who were guests aboard Zhang¡¯s ship acted extremely strange. Instead of attending to their lord and making sure he does not fall over and get injured, many of them had instead helped a man dressed as a soldier.

    From this Zhang could guess what was going on and a smile crept onto his face. Maybe it was because he had noticed the look on Zhang¡¯s face, but Huang Xiao reached his hand out to Zhuge Liang and stopped him from falling over.

    You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

    ¡°Too late, you think you can fool me?¡± Zhang laughed as the rocking subsided.

    After leading the ten guests to a small room, Zhang had bid them goodbye and departed. Before long he had arrived at another room where the beauties, Sima Yi and Gan Ning could be seen waiting for him around a large table.

    ¡°No need for formalities.¡± Zhang said the moment he entered the room and walked toward a chair and said down.

    ¡°Do you need me to rock the boat some more?¡± Ling laughed as she looked at her husband.

    ¡°No need, some of my suspicions have been confirmed, however they only serve to raise more questions.¡± Zhang said as he shook his head.

    ¡°From what I¡¯ve seen, the man who they are claiming is Zhuge Liang is but a stand in and the real Zhuge Liang should be masquerading as a regular soldier. However, we still don¡¯t know their reason for coming here, nor why Zhuge Liang would pretend to be a regular soldier.¡± Zhang said afterward.

    ¡°No need to keep guessing, a bit of poison and they¡¯ll sing like birds.¡± Lingqi said as a jade bottle appeared in her hand.

    ¡°Or a simple touch will do also.¡± Yuying added as she tapped the wooden table.

    ¡°Or we can just kill them.¡± Gan Ning said as he stabbed a dagger into the table.

    Ai did not say anything because she was busy nibbling on a meat bun that she had gotten from somewhere.

    ¡°Your highnesses no need to be so drastic, perhaps he¡¯s trying to test our lord.¡± Sima Yi said.

    ¡°Perhaps.¡± Zhang said. Of all of the people within the room it could be said that Sima Yi would be the most likely person to understand what Zhuge Liang was thinking. Although Zhang could be considered a genius in his own right, Sima Yi and Zhuge Liang could be said to be two peas in the same pod.

    ¡°Alright let¡¯s go meet them.¡± Zhang said as he got up from his seat, following him were his generals while the beauties stayed behind.

    Only after walking out of the room did Zhang remember something that he had forgotten to do.

    ¡°Shit¡­ I forgot to go change.¡± Zhang said as he face palmed himself and reentered the room he had just left.

    Moments later he reappeared in his usual black colored gown that was embroidered with golden dragons. There were also a few lipstick marks left on his cheeks which he had to quickly wipe off before anyone could noticed.

    ¡°Alright let¡¯s go.¡±

    Zhang¡¯s steps were brisk and full of anticipation as they headed toward the room where he had left their guests. Once they arrived at the room, the guards stationed outside pushed open the twin doors and Zhang proceeded inside.

    Of the ten people within the room, eight of them gawked once they saw Zhang dressed in different attire and accompanied by his generals.

    ¡°Just the reaction I was waiting for.¡± Zhang chuckled inwardly, he had been waiting to see the reactions on these people''s faces once they figure out who he was.

    Of course Huang Xiao did not look too surprised, neither did real Zhuge Liang. They both stared blankly at Zhang before getting up from their seats and saluted him along with the rest of their men.

    ¡°Lord Zhang, you sure are a prankster, to dress up as a regular soldier to trick us.¡± Huang Xiao laughed.

    ¡°I might say the same for master Zhuge Liang.¡± Zhang said as he eyed Zhuge Liang who was dressed as a soldier.

    ¡°You caught me, Lord Zhang.¡± Zhuge Liang laughed as he took off his helmet, revealing a handsome face.

    ¡°So now if you would please state the real reason you have come here.¡± Zhang said as he seated himself at a table.

    ¡°Truthfully we have come here because we did not want to shred blood.¡± Zhuge Liang laughed.

    ¡°However that is of course if my lord was not a fool, had someone duller been in charge then perhaps blood would definitely be shed.¡± He added stating his intentions to attack had Zhang been a fool.

    ¡°You know they say the line that separates a fool and a genius is but a thin one. What if I am a fool, one who likes to shed blood.¡± Zhang laughed as his eyes glinted.

    ¡°If your highness is confident in victory then who am I to stop you?¡± Zhuge Liang replied with a grin.

    ¡°True, true, had you not arrived here personally then you could stop me. But since you are here how about I introduce you to my father in law, after I send you off to the underworld.¡± Zhang said as he withdrew his white bottle with an endless amount of wine in it from his interspatial ring and poured himself a glass of wine.

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid if I were to go on such a trip then your highness will regret what he had done.¡± Zhuge Liang said as he took Zhang¡¯s wine bottle and poured himself a glass of wine.

    ¡°Regret? Maybe if I were to let you go back, I¡¯d regret that decision also.¡±

    ¡°Had you been a fool then you would regret letting me go back, however now that I¡¯ve deemed you as someone who possesses quick wit and intellect, I can make an offer that you can¡¯t refuse.¡±

    ¡°Unless you''re offering to have the some like the entire southern region then there aren¡¯t many offers that would entice me.¡± Zhang said.

    ¡°What if I were to offer you the world?¡± Zhuge Liang asked.

    ¡°Then I¡¯d say it was too good to be true and only a fool would believe your words.¡± Zhang laughed.

    ¡°But as you said, the line that differentiates a fool and a genius is but a thin one.¡±

    ¡°One cannot offer up what one does not own.¡± Zhang said as the conversation between him went on with each of their words filled with hidden meaning.

    ¡°Perhaps it is too soon to say I can offer you the world, but I can offer you something smaller, maybe a light to beacon your path. But it is for you my lord to either play the genius or the fool.¡±

    After some thought and a few sips of wine Zhang said, ¡°You may leave. Gan Ning show them the way out.¡±

    ¡°Then I bid you a good day, your highness.¡± Zhuge Liang said as he saluted Zhang and departed with his men.

    ¡°Let¡¯s see what kind of show you show me.¡± Zhang thought with a chuckle as he watched his guests depart.

    The future was uncertain but from Zhuge Liang¡¯s words, Zhang could somewhat understand what he was implying, and if Zhang¡¯s guess was right then letting Zhuge Liang go would be rather advantageous to himself.

    But to be sure all he could do was watch and let things unfold. Whether or not his hunch about Zhuge Liang was true or not, it did not really matter to Zhang because if it was true it would only mean his work would be slightly easier and if it were to be false then nothing really changes.

 Chapter 130: Flames of War

    Thank you ---------> proofer/Editor: nick0 (Pascal)<------------------------

    Hi there folks, here''s a new chapter for you all.

    I would also like to take some time to help resolve any confusion that might have occurred due to Zhang¡¯s talk with Zhuge Liang.

    Basically Zhuge called Zhang out for pretending to be a regular soldier, while Zhang  also pointed out that Zhuge Liang had pretended to be a regular soldier also. He then asked the reason as to why Zhuge Liang had requested an audience with him.

    Zhuge Liang had said that he did not wish to fight while pointing out that if Zhang had not been so quick witted or if he got the impression that Zhang was an idiot, then he would have attacked once he returned to the Southern Fleet.

    Zhang then said that there isn¡¯t much difference between a fool and a genius, and said what if he was a fool who wanted to shed blood, in other words attack the southern fleet.

    Zhuge Liang then said if Zhang was confident in winning then Zhang should go ahead and attack. To which Zhang said had Zhuge Liang not entered his ship and fell under his mercy then he would most likely not attack and retreat, however now that Zhuge Liang was within his grasp he could kill Zhuge Liang and cause the Southern Fleet to lose it¡¯s commander.

    Zhuge Liang responded by saying if Zhang killed him then Zhang would regret it. Zhang said he would regret it more if he let Zhuge Liang leave.

    He then offers to give Zhang the world, but zhang said you can give what you don¡¯t own. Then they go back on forth for a bit and Zhuge Liang leaves. :D

    ======================================================================

    ¡°Master Zhuge Liang, what will we do now?¡± Huang Xiao asked as his men rowed their lifeboat back toward the Southern Alliance''s fleet.

    ¡°We will proceed with the second scenario that we planned for.¡± Zhuge Liang said with a smile as he looked back toward Zhang¡¯s ship.

    ¡°I will relay orders to our men once we return to the ship, my lord. But I will have to leave it to you master to persuade the others.¡± Huang Xiao said.

    ¡°Of course, you just simply have to inform our men, I¡¯ll deal with the generals from the other provinces.¡± Zhuge Liang said as he picked up a fan that was laying around on the boat and fanned himself.

    ¡°What an interesting person. Perhaps after this we can all sit down and have a fun chat.¡± He thought as he remembered his dialog with Zhang. Much like Sima Yi, he felt that Zhang was someone who could be said to be equals with him in terms of wit. To be able to meet others like himself, was a rare occasion for Zhuge Liang and one that he found very enjoyable.

    Thus when Zhuge Liang and Huang Xiao returned to their fleet a meeting was called for and all of the generals present were to attend.

    ======================================================================

    Late in the night, while most of Zhang¡¯s men were fast asleep, the Southern Fleet was wide awake and busy at work. From what Zhang¡¯s lookouts could see, it appeared that the Southern Fleet was doing something to their boats.

    Thousands of men could be seen atop the decks, hauling large iron chains and attaching them to every single ship within the southern fleet.

    Once the sun rose, a massive structure created by binding four hundred warships to one another was finished and begun moving over the water¡¯s surface.

    ¡°Enemy movement!¡± One of Zhang¡¯s sentries cried, alerting the rest of the fleet.

    However by the time all of Zhang¡¯s men were up and ready for battle the Southern Fleet had already made it around the reef.

    ¡°Sound the horns, we are moving north west. Let those bastards try to catch us.¡± Gan Ning¡¯s voice could be heard, giving out orders.

    ¡°No, we will engage them.¡± Sima Yi said as he arrived besides where Gan Ning was.

    ¡°Engage them? Now that their ships are bound together, they can ram our ships and their men will swarm onto our decks and overwhelm our men.¡± Gan Ning said. Although doing what the Southern Fleet did might seem strange to some people, this was not something new to Gan Ning.

    By chaining their ships together, they¡¯d be able to create a more stable foothold for their men, while gaining the ability to swarm soldiers onto the enemy ships, also the ability to carelessly ram into other ships. Since the individual ships could only hold so many people, the soldiers on this massive platform that was created would surely outnumber any regular sized ship.

    But of course there were setbacks, such as the risk of a fire attack and the decrease in mobility and speed. However these setbacks could be easily solved if the upper decks of the ships were soaked in seawater and if there were enough people rowing to increase speed.

    ¡° Move the troop carrier ships back, move our commanding vessel to the front and have our men move the ballistae to the upper decks. If we sink enough of their ships, they¡¯ll be rendered immobile, afterward it would take them some time to unchain the ships, allowing us ample time to move past them and directly to Dark Sea City.¡± Sima Yi said.

    ¡°Of course, since our lord gave you command, it is up to you whether we engage or not.¡± Sima Yi also said.

    ¡°You heard the man! Move our carriers back and arrange formations. Inform his highness that we will be engaging the enemy and ask him and the madams to move onto one of the carriers.¡± Gan Ning roared while his eyes glinted. After hearing, Sima Yi¡¯s plan, he now viewed the massive fortress in front of him as his prey and path to obtaining riches.

    Almost instantly after the orders were given out, the Red Mist Naval Fleet untied their sails and let theirs oars strike the water. Soon enough the massive commanding ship was placed at the center of a line of warships, while the troop carriers were a considerable distance away.

    Atop one of the carriers, Zhang and the beauties were seated atop the golden throne that Zhang had looted from the Sai Empire, awaiting for the battle to begin. Zhang did not object to what Sima Yi and Gan Ning were doing because he had somewhat figured out what Zhuge Liang was going to do already.

    ¡°Fire at will! Sink those bastards!¡± Gan Ning commanded once the ballistae were all brought above deck.

    Once the spear sized bolts were loaded and the mechanisms on the ballistae were released, hundreds of bolts pierced through the air and embedded themselves in the boats of the Southern fleet. There were also a few unlucky people who were pinned to the deck when a bolt shot through them.

    Within the massive platform that the Southern Fleet constructed, dozens of generals who the various provinces sent to aid Zhuge Liang were cursing as they watch their men being impaled by the bolts.

    Although ballistae have been around some time and were not a new creation, no one had ever thought of placing them onto ships and using them for battle at sea.

    The power behind these bolts was terrifying as they ripped through the wooden hulls of dozens of ships. However the holes that they created, were a tad too small so even though some ships were run through by dozens of bolts they did not sink.

    ¡°Have the ships positioned on the wings of our formation move forward and fall into the crane wing formation.¡± Sima Yi said to Gan Ning. This formation would allow their ships to surround the enemy from three sides and allowing them to dispense more damage.

    Like Zhang, Zhuge Liang was also watching the battle unfold, with his men stationed at the back row of the platform of linked ships.

    ¡°To think that they had those up their sleeves.¡± He said to Huang Xiao as they both witnessed the battle from the crow''s nest of their ship.

    ¡°Had we not bounded the ships together, could they have used those to sink a considerable number of our ships.¡± Huang Xiao pointed out.

    This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.

    ¡°Are the preparations complete?¡± Zhuge Liang asked.

    ¡°Yes my lord, a few of our ships were arranged into the other parts of the formation.¡± Huang Xiao replied.

    ¡°Good, all we have to do now is wait.¡±

    While Zhuge Liang was waiting and watching the battle unfold, the two fleets finally engaged in direct combat. The massive platform rammed into two of Zhang¡¯s ships and smashed their hull, causing them to capsize and sink. Although the ships that smashed into Zhang¡¯s ships were equally damaged, they were able to keep afloat thanks to being chained to the other ships.

    ¡°Tie the pots of oil to the bolts and fire!¡± Gan Ning ordered his men. Although they did not have a large amount of oil lying around, he figured that all they needed to do was light a few ships on fire and it would spread to the other ships.

    Soon dozens of bolts were shot into the air with pots of oil tied to them and when they impaled the ships, the pots of oil smashed apart and coated parts the hulls of the enemy ships with oil.

    ¡°Fire arrows!¡±

    At blinding speeds and before the enemy could react, hundreds of fire arrows were shot from the ship''s closest to the enemy, the moment these fire lit arrows touched the oil covered wooden ships a dozens flames were ignited. Of course since the wood was damped by water before hand, the flames were fairly small and did not burn fast enough to cause significant damage to the enemy.

    However as quickly as the fires started, they were just as quickly put out. The sailors aboard the ships of the Southern Fleet, tossed hundreds of buckets down into the waters and quickly extinguished the flames.

    ¡°Dammit¡­¡± Gan Ning cursed as he saw the efforts of his men wasted.

    It was then did a sudden breeze start to pick up. Fairly fast winds blew from the south and was blowing toward the north. That was when Zhuge Liang¡¯s eyes glinted and he looked toward Huang Xiao and nodded.

    ¡°Begin our plan.¡± He said.

    Moments later Huang Xiao pulled out a flare from beneath his arm and shot it into the air, signalling to his men. Once the flare was let an unbelievable chain of events occurred. Thousands of Zhuge Liang¡¯s men who were clad in blue armor marched to the upper decks with bows and arrows, while hundreds of them appeared with axes.

    The men with axes charged toward the ship''s wooden railings that were used to chain all of the ships together and began hacking away. As their task was completed the chains that bound Zhuge Liang¡¯s ships to the rest of the platform sank beneath the waves.

    With the chains no longer bounding their ships to the rest of the platform, Zhuge Liang¡¯s oarsmen began rowing and creating distance between themselves and the rest of the Southern Fleet. While all of this was happening, the people on the platform watched in confusion.

    ¡°Fire!!!¡± Huang Xiao commanded his soldiers from above the ship''s crow¡¯s nest where he and Zhuge Liang were. Soon the sky was bloated by flaming arrows that would soon shower down onto the Southern Fleet¡¯s platform.

    ¡°Take cover!¡± Some of the men on the platform screamed.

    Strangely enough, the arrows only descended upon a few ships that had no people on them. These ships of course were ships that belonged to Zhuge Liang.

    If anyone was on the upper decks of these ships they would notice a slick coating on the wooden beams and the planks that made up the floors. If they were to go down to the lower decks, they would see hundreds of barrels filled to the brim with black powder.

    The second the fire arrows landed onto the these ships that were left behind by Zhuge Liang, a raging flame ignited and in an instant the ships were engulfed in fire.

    Fire then made it¡¯s way into the lower decks and sparked the hundreds of barrels of black powder, setting of a massive explosion causing the surrounding ships to blow into bits. But that was not the end of it, the exploding ships would send fire and debris flying everywhere, causing even more of the ships that Zhuge Liang had left also to ignite on fire.

    A terrifying chain reaction occurred as one ship after the other exploded. Things happened so fast that there was nothing anyone could possibly do to stop them. While many dozens of ships exploded and sank beneath the waves, many more caught fire.

    With the winds blowing toward the north, serving as a fan, the flames burned ever more fiercely. In mere minutes Zhuge Liang had sank nearly three hundred ships, sending them to the bottom of the sea.

    Once the final ships burned to a char and fell beneath the water¡¯s surface, the Southern Fleet was no more. What remained of it were fifty warships that were under Zhuge Liang¡¯ command.

    Zhang could not help but be surprised as he witnessed what Zhuge Liang had done. Although he had a vague sense of what might occur, when it did happen, it happened in a much more explosive manner then he would expect.

    The beauties also watched in amazement beside Zhang atop their golden throne. Lingqi was still obviously very seasick as anyone would be able to tell from looking at her composure, however she wanted to watch the battle unfold so she had crawled out of bed and joined Zhang and the other beauties.

    ¡°To be able to kill thousands without losing a single soldier, this man is a true genius.¡± Yuying said as she looked at the floating corpses and scattered debris that was all that was left of nearly three hundred ships.

    ¡°Brother, don¡¯t let him on our ship anymore.¡± Ai said half jokingly.

    ¡°With this the southern seas are as good as ours, they probably scraped together every available warship that was at hand to stop us.¡±Ling said.

    As the beauties and Zhang watched the aftermath of Zhuge Liang¡¯s plan, fifty white flags soon fluttered in the wind symbolizing that Zhuge Liang wished to surrender.

    Zhang¡¯s men were filled with disbelief and joy as they watched the Southern Fleet disappear right before their eyes and once Zhuge Liang surrendered they could not help but break out in cheers. This was because once Zhuge Liang surrendered, there was no one else to stop them, meaning that they would not have to fight any battles for a while, meaning that many of their brothers in arms would be spared from a trip to the Underworld.

    The happiest bunch were the bandits that Zhang had forced to become oarsmen for his ships, of course their happiness would not lost long because there were many more battles to come where they could serve as human shields for Zhang¡¯s soldiers.

    Thus marked the end of the first and perhaps last battle that the Red Mist Naval Fleet had to fight. A battle that will forever be remembered in the history books, the battle that showed how one genius was able to wipe out an army without losing a single soldier. A battle that would allow Zhang to control the southern seas.

    It also marked the day when the Underworld received an increase in residents.

    In the depths of the Underworld, the Yama could be seen with a scowl on his face as he was forced to work more due to the massive increase in souls that have been arriving.

    ¡°That little bastard¡­ I let him marry my daughter and what does he do to repay me? He causes me to have to work more¡­¡± The Yama cursed as he found out that Zhang had a hand to play in many of these deaths.

    From the soldiers who were commanded by the Jin Clan of Red Mist City, to the members of the Yu Sect, to the soldiers of the Heavenly Sword Army, countless other encounters and also the sailors and soldiers of the Southern Fleet whose deaths were somewhat related to Zhang.

    ¡°If I don¡¯t get grandkids soon, I¡¯m going to have to pay you a visit¡­ You damn rascal, too busy out causing deaths than to spend time with my precious daughter.¡± The Yama said with furrowed eyebrows.

 Chapter 131: False News

    Heya folks O__o here''s a new chapter for you all. Can''t top three hundred or so ships exploding but welp lol.

    Also I''ve read your comments on the other post and will continue to try to get better :)

    ===============================================================================

    Although the Southern Fleet was wiped out and Zhuge Liang had joined Zhang, no one knew of this. This was because there were no survivors other to report the news back and because Zhuge Liang had sent messengers back to Dark Sea City and reported a total victory.

    His men had reported that all of Zhang¡¯s ships had sunk beneath the waves and thanks to the numerical advantage that the Southern Fleet possessed only a few of their own ships were lost.

    This of course caused the various southern provinces to all break out in celebration because they thought if Zhang¡¯s fleet was destroyed then Aurora¡¯s invasion would suffer massive delays.

    Without ships to quickly transport supplies from the Aurora Kingdom to the front lines in the southern provinces, a proper supply line would be hard to establish, causing the forces of Aurora to lack essential supplies for the invasion.

    Zhang¡¯s defeat would also represent the loss of hundreds of thousands of soldiers that could have been used for the invasion. Such a crippling blow before the invasion even began would surely allow the southern alliance to gain an upper hand if Aurora decided to even continue with their plans for the invasion.

    But of course since the opposite of what was reported had occurred, Zhang¡¯s fleet would now be unopposed on the western seas the ran along the Warring States Region. Although there was a chance that the Southern Alliance could catch wind of what really happened and throw together another fleet, this new fleet would not even be able to be compared to the previous one.

    To top things off, with Zhuge Liang¡¯s defection, Zhang¡¯s fleet was now even larger and stronger. Even without the ships, Zhuge Liang¡¯s defection would have a massive effect on the invasion, who knows how many spies, and loyal subordinates he had left within the Dark Sea Province.

    With these contacts under their wing, Zhang¡¯s forces would be able to swiftly take over the Dark Sea Province and from there move further down south.

    ¡°My lord, I suggest we move immediately to Blue Wind City, from there we can follow this path and reach Dark Sea City.¡± Zhuge Liang said as he pointed and traced a path on a map that was laid out on a large table.

    Standing around the table were Zhang¡¯s generals, the beauties, Huang Xiao, and Zhang. After some probing from Yuying, Zhuge Liang was given a fairly high position within Zhang¡¯s army, standing as equals with Sima Yi.

    Yuying had found the reason that Zhuge Liang defected was because his previous lord, although a good lord was rather unambitious. Liu Biao, the lord of the Dark Sea province, was a man in his later sixties who was content with the size of his province, so his solely focused on defending his lands instead of expanding them.

    But due to his sole focus on defending and massive spending on the economy, the Dark Sea province had massed an enormous amount of wealth. To top things off the lands of the Dark Sea Province was also comprised entirely of fertile lands, making it a natural granary.

    When all of these factors were combined together it made the Dark Sea Province turn into a juicy piece of meat that everyone was secretly hoping to own. Even if it specialized in defense, if a few other provinces decided to band together and carve up the Dark Sea Province, the task would be easily done.

    Besides the possibility of being attacked by the other southern provinces, an issue regarding Liu Biao¡¯s heir was another key factor in Zhuge Liang¡¯s defection.

    Liu Biao had who sons who sadly were both incompetent and spent all of their time drowning in women and luxury, which prompted Liu Biao to not clearly pick a successor. So the chance of either of them becoming his successor was fairly even.

    This of course caused a fracture within the Dark Sea Province, since only one of the two sons could become the next provincial lord, every government official and person of influence had to pick between one or the other.

    Thanks to this fracture, the Dark Sea Province slowly became internally weaken. So when the external dangers and internal strife combined, the fate of the Dark Sea Province was practically sealed, leaving its people under peril, prompting Zhuge Liang to seek a new lord to serve under, in the hopes of protecting the province¡¯s people. Since in times of war the one who suffer the most are the common folk.

    He could have caused a coup and taken power for himself, however the civil war that would spark from it would only give other powers the opportunity to invade. So what he needed was an external power that could deter the other provinces from attacking, while ensuring the welfare of the people of the Dark Sea Province.

    He had known about and kept track of Zhang¡¯s exploits for some time and found Zhang to be an ideal candidate to serve under. Zhuge Liang knew for certain that Zhang treated his people with care, and even personally treated the sick in the New Moon Province. Although he knew Zhang to be a kind ruler he had to test Zhang¡¯s wits and that all of Zhang¡¯s accomplishments were not flukes and he would not be serving under an idiot.

    Of course Zhang passed this test with flying colors and thus Zhuge Liang choose Zhang as his new lord. Prompting him to imitate his plan to annihilate the Southern Fleet.

    Had Zhang failed his test then he would have used all the power he had to stop Zhang, then find another candidate to serve under.

    With all of that being said, after Zhuge Liang and his ships joined Zhang¡¯s army a strategy meeting was called for. They had initially planned to move directly to Dark Sea City if they managed to defeat the Southern Fleet however with the addition of Zhuge Liang under his command, Zhang felt that a better and safer plan could be devise once Zhuge Liang and Sima Yi both voiced their opinions.

    ¡°If we move to Blue Wind City, we can quickly occupy the area and move east where the Dark Sea Province¡¯s granaries are built.¡± Huang Xiao said as Zhuge Liang suggest the advance toward Blue Wind City.

    ¡°Couldn¡¯t we go with the original plan and directly attack Dark Sea City with our fleet? We can pretend to be your subordinates and sneak into the city.¡± Gan Ning said.

    ¡°That won¡¯t work, by the time we arrive there, they would have already realized the news that we had spread was false. If the people within the Dark Sea Province does not realize it, the other provinces will once their forces fail to report back to them. If we happen to attack Dark Sea City when they are prepared, then our ships won¡¯t even make it past the sea gates. The only way to capture Dark Sea City is to seclude it and siege it.¡± Zhuge Liang pointed out.

    ¡°Capturing the granaries alone won¡¯t do us any good, as you¡¯ve said before the entire Dark Sea Province could be considered a granary, so finding food won¡¯t be an issue. So instead of moving there, we should focus on what Mr. Zhuge Liang said and capture as many cities as we can to seclude Dark Sea City.¡± Sima Yi said.

    ¡°Good then it¡¯s settled, we advance to Blue Wind City and then split our forces into three and occupy the northern half of the Dark Sea Province.¡± Zhang said.

    ======================================================================

    While Zhang¡¯s forces were believed to have perished, a massive festival had broken out within Dark Sea City.

    This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.

    The celebration began the instant news arrived that the Red Mist Naval fleet had been defeated by Zhuge Liang and have been going on for days.

    Lavish parties were held, and a festive mood flourished within Dark Sea city and the few towns and villages that neared it.

    Many people firmly believed that the southern invasion would be called off due to the outcome of the naval battle that took place.

    While the few you suggested for the city¡¯s defenses to be furthered strengthened and for the guards to be more alert, were completely ignored.

    People were too lost in joy and optimism clouded their vision too much for them to see the possible impending danger.

    Even if Zhang was truly defeated and Aurora lost roughly a fourth of its army, it could still set its sight for the Dark Sea Province. The only thing that would essentially change was that they would first capture the Dark Sea Province and then sweep westward.

    Although this would mean they could not take over the entire southern region in one fell swoop, it would only be a matter of time before the banners of Aurora fluttered stop every city wall in the southern region.

    Of course most people failed to see the possibility of this happening or perhaps they did not want to admit that such a thing was possible.

    It is also true that the southern regions were now united, but that did not mean they would stay united.

    Perhaps once they find out what Zhuge Liang had done, the southern alliance would crumble.

    But in the meant time within the confines of Dark Sea City, within the largest brothel the city had, an extremely extravagant party was being held night and day. Beautiful women appeared on after the other and exquisite food was served without end.

    The hosts of this party were of course Liu Biao¡¯s two sons, Liu Han and Liu Yuan. The two brothers rarely saw eye to eye unless it in regards to matters that involved enjoyment.

    Using the new of Zhuge Liang¡¯s victory as an excuse they took massive funds from the provincial treasury and used it to host this extravagant party.

    Although their father somewhat disapproved of this, he did not stop them because he too was swept up in joy due to the news that Zhuge Liang¡¯s messenger had brought.

    So without their father¡¯s interference, the two Liu brothers spent lavishly to entertain their friends while they each secretly tried to recruit people to their respective political camps.

    ¡°Where is Brother Xu?¡± Liu Han asked after taking a sip of wine.

    ¡°Yea where is Brother Xu? He was really close to Brother Zhuge Liang, he should be one of the happiest people right now.¡± Liu Yuan said.

    The two brothers were currently surrounded by beautiful women and seated at a large table crowded with people, while the rest of the room was partying away. Everyone currently seated at their table could be considered an influential power within a Dark Sea City, sons of aristocrats, high government officials and mighty generals could be seen all around.

    ¡°Yes where is Brother Xiao also.¡± A few people asked.

    Many people who were Zhuge Liang¡¯s openly known supporters had gone into hiding the moment his messenger returned. A series of scenarios had been planned out beforehand and they were to act accordingly depending on what kind of news the messenger brought back.

    While his openly known supporters went into hiding, his secret supports went to work, keeping people distracted. Perhaps they were the ones to instill the festive mood over Dark Sea City.

    ¡°Who cares if they aren''t here, there''s more for the rest of us to enjoy.¡± One young man said as he kissed a beautiful woman who was sitting on his lap.

    ¡°Hahaha, you are right¡± Liu Han laughed as he offered everyone a toast.

    As bottle after bottle of wine was drunken and the days turned to nights, no one would be prepared for the news that would soon arrive.

    ¡°My lord''s! My lords! Your father requests your audience immediately!¡± A soldier said as he ran into the brothel frantically.

    ¡°What does father want with us?¡± Liu Yuan asked.

    ¡°Tell him we are in the midst of entertaining guests.¡± Liu Shan laughed.

    ¡°My lords, your father said if you don''t not return instantly, you will be judged by military law for insubordination.¡± The soldier said.

    Hearing this, Liu Shan and Liu Yuan instantly got up and returned to the provincial lord¡¯s mansion.

    Within a large hall, an elderly man could be seen sitting on a golden throne while a small group of soldiers with dirt clad armor could be seen kneeling below.

    ¡°Father what''s wrong l?¡± Liu Shan asked with a hint of worry in his tone. For his father to threaten them with military law, meant that something disastrous had happened.

    ¡°You, tell them what happened.¡± Liu Biao said with a grim expression on his face.¡±

    ¡°My lords, Blue Wind City had fallen to the forces of Aurora and by the time we found out they had arrived at the Clear Tide City and encircled us. Before we could even send word for reinforcements, defectors opened the city gates and allowed the enemy inside. Many of our soldiers instantly surrender while those who were loyal were rounded up. Only a few of us managed to make escape.¡± One soldier with bloodstained armor said.

    ¡°We believe that Blue Wind City and Clear Tide City were not the only cities to fall to the forces of Aurora, judging by the direction they came from, the cities in that run along the western coast might have fallen too.¡± The soldier added.

    ¡°What!? How could that be? Weren''t the forces of Aurora wiped out by Zhuge Liang? What happen to him and his soldiers!?¡± Liu Shan yelled in disbelief.

    ¡°A few of those who managed to escape have confirmed that they saw lord Zhuge Liang amidst the enemy soldiers who entered Clear Tide City.¡± The soldier said.

    ¡°If-if that¡¯s true the news we received of Zhuge Liang¡¯s victory was false¡­¡± Liu Yuan said as he fell to his knees, realizing the severity of the situation.

    ==================================

    Zhang¡¯s forces had marched relatively unopposed and wherever they went, many would surrender.

    Those who surrender of course were Zhuge Liang¡¯s supporters and subordinates. He had strategically scattered this people all across the Dark Sea Province.

    For the cities that refused to surrender, Zhuge Liang¡¯s spies would go to work and open the city gates for Zhang¡¯s armies to enter.

    Thanks to all of the preparations that Zhuge Liang had done beforehand, Zhang¡¯s forces conquered a large portion of the Dark Sea Province at an unbelievable pace. Thanks to this unbelievably quick pace, by the time news of their conquest had reached the next city, they would of had arrived and encircled the surrounding area.

    By now Zhang¡¯s forces were further bolstered by the defectors that followed Zhuge Liang causing Zhang¡¯s army to swell in number. Many supply lines were also established, making it possible for Zhang to continue onward without worrying about supplies for his army.

    With established supplies lines and insider help, it was only a matter of before Zhang¡¯s forces arrived at the gates of Dark Sea City.

    From the progress that was made over such a short span of time, anyone would be able to see how fearful Zhuge Liang was and how great an asset he is to have by your side. With that being said, Sima Yi has yet to have an opportunity to shine but in terms of intellect and cunning he stood neck and neck with Zhuge Liang.

 Chapter 132: Preparations

    Here you guys go :D

    Also heres my patreon if anyone wants to plegde and get some rewards O_O

    https://www.patreon.com/iEndWorlds</a>

    ==========================================================================

    Atop the walls of Dark Sea City, thousands of men were stationed as guards along with hundreds of catapults to defend the city. Knowing it was only a matter of time before Zhang¡¯s forces arrived, Liu Biao had village and town within a fifty-mile radius of Dark Sea City evacuated.

    All of the civilians were transported into Dark Sea City for their own protection. Once all of the civilians were gathered, the city gates were bolted by giant wooden beams and sealed by placing massive boulders behind them. This made it so it would be impossible for defectors to open the gates to let Zhang¡¯s soldiers inside the city and would also make it many times harder to break into the city.

    Hundreds of thousands of civilians were then drafted to help defend the city, bolstering the Dark Sea Army¡¯s numbers to a staggering eight hundred thousand soldiers. Although these soldiers lacked training and discipline, none of this mattered because of the advantage given to those who were defending a city from atop its walls. With their numerical advantage alone they would be able to keep Zhang¡¯s soldiers at bay.

    Liu Biao also offered high pay to any high-level warrior or mage who were willing to help defend the city, allowing him to gather twenty level seven warriors and twenty level six mages.

    With the size of their army and the cultivators, they managed to recruit, Liu Biao¡¯s generals were all feeling extremely confident in successfully defending the city. To them, this would be the perfect opportunity to gain merits because there was no possibility of defeat.

    ¡°What can that little prince and his strategists do against the might of our forces? Maybe once he arrives we¡¯ll be the ones to attack and stick his head on a pike.¡± Some of them laughed.

    While his men were feeling confident, Liu Biao was so worried that he could not even sleep at night. He knew the terror that men like Zhuge Liang could bring, to be able to kill thousands without suffering a single loss. Despite the size of his army and the experts that joined under his banner, Liu Biao did not feel confident at all. Rather he was busy coming up with possible plans to use to escape if Zhang¡¯s forces manage to make it into the city.

    ¡°What to do? What can I do?¡± He said over and over again trying to figure out a solution to his troubles.

    As Liu Biao was wracking his brain trying to come up with plans within his study, his sons walked in.

    ¡°Father, what seems to be the problem.¡± Liu Han asked as he saw how distressed his father is.

    ¡°If it¡¯s regarding that traitorous bastard Zhuge Liang, then we will be fine. There is no way they could possibly make it past our army.¡± Liu Han added.

    ¡°Fool, never underestimate the enemy. Do you think Zhuge Liang has not planned for the possibility of us holding up in the city? You can¡¯t come close to possibly fathoming what goes on within the minds of people like him.¡± Liu Biao said angrily as he saw how confident his son sounded.

    ¡°If you''re worried father then how about we make it so they do not attack us.¡± Liu Biao¡¯s other son, Liu Yuan said.

    ¡°If I could do that then I wouldn¡¯t be in the state I am in now¡­¡± Liu Biao said with a sigh.

    ¡°The answer is simple, I heard the crown prince of Aurora loves wealth and women. If it¡¯s wealth and women he wants, then we have plenty. We can offer him a large sum of gold and the most beautiful women our Dark Sea Province can offer if he chooses to accept our terms of returning our lands and withdrawing his forces from our province. When faced with the possibility of defeat and gaining nothing and the possibility of gaining something without having to even lift a single finger then I believe he will choose to accept our offer. If he doesn¡¯t take the offer, then we can even offer to give him a fraction of our land.¡± Liu Yuan said.

    ¡°But how much wealth can we possibly offer to satisfy a prince. As for women I¡¯m sure he has plenty, haven¡¯t you heard the tales about the beauty of the four princesses of Aurora. I say we use our martial might to crush him.¡± Liu Han said, shooting down his brother¡¯s plan.

    ¡°Fool, if I was certain we can defeat them on the battlefield then this conversation wouldn¡¯t even happen!¡± Liu Biao broke out in rage at the idiocracy of his youngest son.

    ¡°Yuan, go have our men load thirty percent of the treasury into carts and find the three prettiest women within the city. No the ten prettiest women within the city. If he chooses to attack our city despite the difference in the size of our armies, then we can only use your plan.¡± Liu Biao said to his eldest son.

    ¡°Right away father. Also wouldn¡¯t it be more convenient to simply store away the gold into an interspatial ring?¡± Liu Yuan asked.

    ¡°No, giving someone an interspatial ring with thirty percent of our treasury is one thing but showing someone thirty percent of our treasury loaded into carts is another thing.¡± Liu Biao said.

    Which is true, if one were to compare the enticement an interspatial ring filled with treasure versus the enticement hundreds of carts filled with treasure would bring, the hundreds of carts would certainly have a higher awe factor.

    ¡°I understood father, I¡¯ll go make the preparations.¡± Liu Yuan said.

    Back on atop the city gates, the Dark Sea Army¡¯s soldiers were vigilantly keeping an eye out for enemy movements. All of the trees and cover within four miles of the city was cut down or demolished, making it impossible for anything to close up in the city without the guards knowing.

    ¡°When do you think they¡¯ll get here.¡± One of the new recruits said nervously.

    ¡°Ha, what are you so nervous about? Do you not see the size of our army? The number of experts that our lord has managed to gather? There¡¯s nothing to worry about, the ones who should be worrying are those guys that came from Aurora.¡± Another soldier laughed.

    ¡°The size of our army doesn¡¯t matter because if they attack there¡¯s still a chance that I¡¯ll die. So what do we outnumber them? It doesn¡¯t mean that all of us will survive.¡± The new recruit said in a shaken voice. It was obvious that he did not want to be here but was drafted and forced to join the army.

    ¡°Calm down, there¡¯s a chance they won¡¯t even come.¡± The other soldier said as he slapped the back of the new recruit¡¯s head.

    However just as he finished his words, one of the other sentries yelled, ¡°Movement within the tree line towards the northwest!¡±

    Soon after another sentry cried out as his voice echoed across the city thanks to the use of a magical voice amplifier., ¡°Movement within the tree line towards the southeast!

    After another dozen or so guards yelled out that the soldiers atop the walls realize that they were surrounded from three sides, with the last side being the ocean.

    From behind the tree line, an army of bones marched forth. A sea of undead skeletons slowly rattled their way from behind the trees and marched forth as the green mist rolled in behind them.

    A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

    ¡°Wh-what is this!¡± One of the soldiers atop the walls screamed as the skeletal army inched ever closer to Dark Sea City. It was obvious that their numerical advantage was lost because there seemed to be no end to the skeletons that were coming out of the woods.

    After heaven knows how many skeletons marched out, hundreds of massive ghostly white spiders could be seen, followed by hundreds of thousands of soldiers either carrying a red banner or a black banner.

    ¡°Inform our lord that the city has been surrounded and the enemy¡¯s numbers vastly outnumber ours. Also, inform the masters that had joined under our lord¡¯s banner that we are in need of their services.¡± One of the soldiers who was in a higher position than the others commanded.

    Mixed within the army of skeletons were hundreds of beautiful women with glowing green eyes. These women were the ones that Yuying and the others beauties had been training.

    Thanks to Yuying¡¯s teachings, they too were now able to raise the dead. Of course, they could not control as many as Yuying nor were their undead physically as strong as hers, however since there were hundreds of them the number of undead that could be summoned was staggering.

    Although the number of skeletons along with the number of men within Zhang¡¯s army vastly outnumbered the soldiers within Dark Sea City, if a fight broke out, there was still no telling what the outcome would be. This was in part due to how weak the undead are, especially during the day.

    Someone would need at most a single swing to defeat one of the undead who were swarming around Dark Sea City.

    Before word reached Liu Biao¡¯s hears, the twenty level six mages and twenty level seven warriors arrived atop the walls. Each of them wore expensive looking gowns and gave off the air of a master, earning them the respect and awe everyone within Dark Sea City.

    These forty people were all given the best that Liu Biao could offer and were practically able to get whatever they wanted within the city. They were treated pretty much like kings.

    ¡°So the enemy has arrived, I guess we will show ourselves and tell them to go away or face out wraith.¡± A middle-aged man with a large hairy build said.

    ¡°I bet they¡¯ll run away the moment they find out how high our cultivation is.¡± Another man who had long droopy eyebrows and long streaks of white in his hair laughed.

    ¡°Of course, within the Warring States Region, it could be said that there isn¡¯t another group who can rival ours.¡± A man with a white expressionless mask covering his face said.

    ¡°Let¡¯s get this done quick, I want to go back and drink some more wine and enjoy some more young men.¡± A young looking woman in a revealing dress said.

    ¡°Haha, when will you let me have a turn?¡± The large hairy man said with a laugh as he lecherous eyes scanned the woman¡¯s body.

    ¡°Now where is the enemy?¡± One of the people in the group of forty asked a soldier once they reached the top of the city walls.

    ¡°Th-they are everywhere.¡± The soldier said with a stutter.

    ¡°Everywhere?¡± One of the forty¡°masters¡± asked as he walked over to the edge of the ramparts and peered out into the distance.

    Once he caught sight of the countless undead below he could feel the sweat begin to gather on his brow. Before long the rest of the forty masters were able to see what they would be facing, a mixture of emotion could be seen on each of their faces, of course the man who was wearing a mask was excluded from this since his face couldn¡¯t be seen.

    ¡°I¡¯ve never seen demonic beasts like those before and there are so many of them.¡± Someone said while pointing toward the hundreds of Wraith Spiders who are now as large as horses.

    ¡°How is it possible to gather this man undead and control them?¡± Someone else pointed out.

    Not long after seeing Zhang¡¯s forces the same thought ran through most of their minds, the thought of running away.

    However, despite wanting to run away, there was no way for them to. Dark Sea City was completely surrounded and there was nowhere to go but out to sea.

    Sadly, these hopes would soon be dashed because a fleet of a hundred and fifty ships soon sailed into view and formed an encirclement around Dark Sea City¡¯s Seagate.

    ¡°If there¡¯s nowhere to run then we have to fight.¡± The large and hairy man who was a part of the group of forty masters said with a gulp.

    ¡°ATTACK!!!¡± The man who wore an expressionless mask roared.

    ¡°Order the soldiers to fire arrows!¡± He commanded to one of the commanders of the Dark Sea Army.

    Soon each of the forty masters would begin to use their magic while the hundreds of thousands of arrows were fired from atop the city walls.

    The large and hairy man¡¯s body began to bulge and grow in size until he was as large as a house. After his transformation was complete he jumped over the city walls and came crashing down onto the ground. With a roar he smashed his fists into the ground, sending a large shock wave of broken rocks at the sea of skeletons.

    From atop the walls, fireballs wore conjured, blades of wind were formed, and boulders flew into the skies before raining down below. Essence powered energy blades cut through the air as a wide variety of magic and techniques was employed.

    A few of the mages specialized in the element water and headed toward the sea where the one hundred and fifty ships were. Jumping over the city walls and landing on columns of water they combined their power to create a wall of water that towered into the sky.

    ¡°With this, we can escape by sea if we can¡¯t beat back the enemy.¡± One of the water mages laughed as the torrent of water toppled over and rushed toward the Red Mist Naval Fleet.

    But unknown to these water mages, there was another water mage present. Within the crow¡¯s nest of the Red Mist Naval fleet¡¯s commanding vessel, Ling stood watching the torrent of water approach with a cup of tea in her hand.

    ¡°Ice Demon¡¯s Eternal Prison!¡± She said as a needle sized icicle was made from the water in her teacup and shot out toward the massive incoming wave.

    Despite being a tiny fraction of the wave¡¯s size, when the icicle impacted the wave it caused the wave to slowly freeze solid right before it crashed down onto any ships. After using such a skill, Ling¡¯s face became pale and she had to drink a bottle of essence water to replenish her power.

    The water mages who had made the wave were flabbergasted at what had happened to their creation.

    ¡°After using a move such as that, the enemies water mage should have used up all of their essence. Now is the time to strike!¡± One of the water mages said.

    While this water mage was talking, the massive frozen wave of water had reverted into its liquid form and sank down.

    ¡°Move our ships back, I¡¯ll be engaging the enemy¡¯s water mages.¡± Ling said as she jumped out of the crow¡¯s nest and a column of water shot up into the sky and caught her.

 Chapter 133: Bribes

    Heres a chapter for you folks O_O.

    Looking for something to read? Look no further give my other story a try lol. Way more focused on cultivation :D

    http://royalroadl.com/fiction/5221</a>

    ==============================================================================

    Crushing waves of water rose one after the other into the air as Ling and the other water mages battled. Blades of water slashed through the skies while shards of ice the size of swords shot about. Being the most versatile type of mages, a battle between water mages was bound to become a dazzling display of skill.

    ¡°Keep going! She¡¯s bound to run out of essence soon! No one can keep using so many spells like that and still be at full power.¡± One of the water mages said to his comrades.

    To their disappointment, Ling continued to use spell after spell without depleting her supply of essence thanks to the large stash of essence water she had and of course because she was a level seven mage while her opponents were all level six mages.

    So despite outnumbering Ling, the water mages who were a part of the group of forty masters could not gain an advantage.

    ¡°Misty Veil!¡± Someone yelled as the ocean¡¯s water began to vaporize and turn into a cloak of mist, shrouding all vision.

    ¡°Mist won¡¯t stop me¡­¡± Ling said as the column of water underneath her feet rose higher into the skies. While her column was rising a barrage of attacks were sent flying through the mist and aimed at Ling, luckily she was either able to avoid them or block them with her own barrage of attacks.

    The moment the column of water rose about the shroud of mist, thousands of droplets of water formed around Ling and blinding rays of light were condensed and cut through the mist. Wherever the rays of light struck, the mist would vaporize and turn into steam. But that was not it, once Ling¡¯s rays of light shone onto the ocean¡¯s surface, large explosions of boiling hot water was sent splashing everywhere.

    ¡°Condense!¡± Ling yelled as what was left of the shroud of mist condensed into countless shards of ice. The moment the mist was gone, the four water mages who were fighting Ling could be seen standing atop four columns of water, with evident fear in their eyes.

    ¡°Wh-what kind of magic is that!?¡± Someone asked while trembling.

    Meanwhile back on land, all twenty of the level seven warriors who had joined under Liu Biao¡¯s banner had all jumped off the walls and engaged Zhang¡¯s horde of undead in battle causing a frenzy to breakout.

    Flaming swords were swung while lightning coiled about on iron spear as energy blades were sent flying left and right. Although warriors were not able to utilize large-scale magical attacks like mages, they could release small scale magic through their weapons.

    With bodies are strong as iron they were able to smash through the horde of undead that surrounded the city at quick speeds.

    ¡°If this is all they have then we worried for nothing.¡± One of the warriors yelled as he slashed down a group of skeletons.

    ¡°Don¡¯t celebrate too soon, who knows what else they have in store for us.¡± Another warrior said as countless arrows and magical attacks rained down from atop the walls.

    Zhang watched as the enemy warriors continue to advance through his horde of undead while seated on a golden throne at the very back of his army with Yuying, Lingqi, and Ai seated by his side, they had decided not to join the battle until their process was needed because there really would be not point to having an army if they did all of the fighting themselves. Had the water mages not tried to sink the naval fleet then Ling would not have shown herself at all.

    If Zhang wanted to he would be more than enough to take down all twenty of Liu Biao¡¯s level seven warriors. Despite only being at the seventh level of cultivation himself, Zhang had two of the seven legendary treasures and having the Underworld Heart embedded into his chest meant that he had an inexhaustible supply of essence. This would allow him to be on par with those at level eight and perhaps level nine.

    ¡°Should we move in on the city now? Or send a messenger asking them to surrender.¡± Yuying asked.

    ¡°First, we must show them desperation and once they have no way out we will offer them a glimmer of hope, a way to escape.¡± Zhang said with a smile as his arm wrapped around his wife¡¯s waist.

    It was no longer possible to even describe the chaos that was happening before Dark Sea city¡¯s walls. Luckily Zhang had not ordered for his skeletons to actually attack the city walls or else more chaos would ensue. Much like Zhang, Liu Biao who had just made his way to the city walls was watching the battle rage on.

    Cold sweat broke out and collected on his brow as he saw the size of Zhang¡¯s army and the furious battle that was happening near the City¡¯s sea gates.

    Liu Biao was fairly unhappy that they had gone and engaged Zhang in battle without his command but there was nothing he could currently do to change something that had already happened. But he felt there was something that he could do.

    ¡°Sound the horns! Order everyone to retreat to the city walls. Cease firing arrows!¡± Liu Biao commanded, hoping to stop the fighting. He wished to enact the plan that he and his son had come up with earlier and to offer Zhang thirty percent of the city¡¯s treasury and ten of the city¡¯s prettiest women.

    Soon enough dozens of horns were sounded and the experts that Liu Biao had recruited slowly retreated. Rope ladders were lowered for the warriors to climb up and the mages that were fighting Ling stopped their attacks and fled into the city.

    ¡°Move our forces back half a mile. Give them some space¡± Zhang commanded once he heard the horns sound off atop Dark Sea City¡¯s walls.

    A bit of time passed before a horse was lowered from the city walls and a messenger rode toward Zhang¡¯s army.

    Without having to give a single order, Zhang¡¯s army parted into two and opened up a path for the messenger to travel through.

    Once the messenger made it to where Zhang was he jumped off his sword and kneeled.

    ¡°My lord, Liu Biao, wishes for an audience with his highness in two hours at a tent that will be erected between the city walls and your highness¡¯s army.¡± The messenger said.

    ¡°Tell your lord that I¡¯ll see him there.¡± Zhang replied and sent the messenger on his way.

    Not long after the messenger was sent, a large number of men were lowered from the city walls and a large tent was erected.

    After two hours passed, Zhang, Yuying, Ling, Ai, Lingqi, and their generals and strategists road out of camp and toward the tent. Having seen what, the experts within the city were capable of they had nothing to fear so they did not bring any guards or soldiers with them.

    Upon arriving, Zhang and the beauties descended from their Inferno Wind Walker horses and were led into the tent. Within the tent seated at a large square, table was Liu Biao, his two sons, and the forty experts.

    By personally arriving, Liu Biao was trying to show Zhang his sincerity and hoped to be able to convince Zhang to leave.

    ¡°Greetings, Prince Zhang.¡± Liu Biao said after getting up from his seat.

    The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    ¡°No need for such formalities, lord Liu Biao.¡± Zhang replied politely with a nod.

    After Liu Biao greeted Zhang, he moved onto greeting the beauties and complimenting them on their beauty. He even greeted all of Zhang¡¯s subordinates who had come also, well everyone but Zhuge Liang. When it came to Zhuge Liang there was a sense of awkwardness between the two thus Liu Biao sort of avoided talking and eye contact with Zhuge Liang.

    In turn, Zhang also took the term to greet some of Liu Biao¡¯s subordinates.  After all the formalities and greeting was done the two sides were each seated at opposite ends of the long table within the tent.

    ¡°So how may I help you Lord Liu Biao.¡± Zhang asked after he sat down.

    ¡°I would like to make you an offer that you cannot refuse.¡± Liu Biao said.

    ¡°An offer that I can¡¯t refuse?¡± Zhang asked, somewhat intrigued.

    While Zhang and Liu Biao were talking m, a kitten sized cat poked out from Ling¡¯s robes and crawled out from where her chest was. Before anyone could get a good look she fixed her attire and began playing with the kitten who had made his way onto the table.

    Without replying, Liu Biao clapped his hands and from the outside of the tent, ten extremely beautiful women made their way inside. Dressed in revealing clothes, their sex appeal was maximized.

    ¡°I heard you''re a man who knows how to appreciate treasure and women, so I prepared for you ten of the prettiest women that our province could offer and a substantial portion of our provincial treasury as a gift for you, your highness.¡± Liu Biao said as the ten beautiful women lined up beside each other to the side of the table.

    ¡°Ahem¡­¡± Lingqi coughed she looked at Zhang from the corner of her eye. Of course, she was not alone and the other beauties were also watching Zhang from the corner of their eyes.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry Lord Liu Biao but I can¡¯t possibly accept such gifts, my wives would not like it and I couldn¡¯t possibly take wealth from your treasury.¡± Zhang said quickly, trying to avoid getting in trouble with the beauties.

    ¡°I told you he wouldn¡¯t be interested in women when he had wives like those.¡± Liu Biao¡¯s son Liu Han whispered to his brother.

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll be blunt, what would it take for your highness¡¯s army to go elsewhere.¡± Liu Biao said.

    ¡°There isn¡¯t anything that can be given to me or done for me that would entice me to withdraw, however if you wish to surrender and have this province added to our kingdom without any blood having to be shed then you are free to do so.¡± Zhang said.

    ¡°Although your army is larger than ours, I do not believe that you can be certain of victory your highness, so how about my previous offer and thirty percent of the province.¡± Liu Biao offered. If anything he could for the first time in many years send out the Dark Sea Army with the experts who were now under his banner to expand the province, so Liu Biao did not really mind offering Zhang thirty percent of his lands.

    ¡°No blood would have to be spilled if we handled things now. Well, maybe a little blood.¡± Lingqi said as she gazed at Liu Biao across the table.

    ¡°You think you can that while we¡¯re here?¡± One of the forty masters said as he withdrew his sword. Following his lead, the other nineteen level seven warriors withdrew their weapons also, showing off their gleaming weapons.

    ¡°Baldy you want to die? I¡¯ll cut you to pieces and feed you to the fishes.¡± Gan Ning said as he lifted up his scimitar and held it so that it¡¯s back leaned on his shoulder while giving off a mocking and proud look.

    Seeing the weapons being drawn, Little White who was playing with Ling jumped off the table in a flash and grew to its regular size. Once Little White transformed back to its regular size, it had to curve its body to stay within the tent.

    With a ferocious roar, it caused all of Liu Biao¡¯s forty masters to have cold sweat.

    ¡°Put away your weapons, we did not come here to fight¡­¡± Liu Biao said calmly despite having the wits scared out of him due to Little White¡¯s transformation.

    Liu Biao¡¯s words had helped the forty masters snap out of the daze they were in due to the appearance of our furry friend. How could they have imagined that such a tiny kitten who seemed harmless moments ago turn into something that made them shake with fear.

    ¡°Gan Ning you too.¡± Zhang said afterward.

    ¡°You too Little White.¡± Ling said, almost instantly after she spoke, Little White shrank and made its way onto her lap where it curled up.

    ¡°Good kitty.¡± Ling said as she began to pet Little White¡¯s soft fur.

    Seeing how Little White listened to Ling to obediently, Liu Biao and his people couldn''t help but imagine how powerful Ling was.

    Once everyone¡¯s weapons were lowered or sheathed and Little White was no longer going to rip anyone''s head off, Zhuge Liang began to speak.

    ¡°Throughout my time serving under Lord Liu Biao I¡¯ve come to know him as a great leader who knows how to properly govern his lands and his people. While on the other hand, over the course of time that I¡¯ve served under Prince Zhang, I¡¯ve come to see that he is someone who does not lack ambitious nor the power to drive his ambitions. So I would like to make a suggestion that would benefit both of you.¡± Zhuge Liang said.

    Zhuge Liang suggested for Liu Biao to turn the Dark Sea Province into a vassal state under Zhang¡¯s direct rule. In exchange he would still be a provincial lord and once the southern region is conquered he would be promoted to the rank of duke and govern over the entire south. Of course, he would not be entirely free to do what he wanted there would be limitations to his power to make sure that he doesn¡¯t do anything against the interest of Aurora.

    The reason for this suggestion was because Zhang lacked subordinates who were capable of ruling. He had many talented people by his side but if he had to assign each of his generals or strategists a place to govern then it was obvious that he would not have enough of them. This would be especially true if they managed to obtain the entire southern region.

    So what they needed to do now was either find more capable people to recruit or have the lords governing the provinces in the south to surrender and join Aurora. Since everything needed a start, if they managed to get Liu Biao to set an example that others could follow there would be more provinces likely to surrender.

    Also, if Liu Biao does join Zhang, they would be able to integrate the Dark Sea army that currently numbers eight hundred thousand men into their army. The more soldiers they had at hand during the invasion the better so if the Dark Sea Army joined together with Zhang¡¯s current forces, they¡¯d be able to easily swap through many of the other provinces unchallenged.

    ¡°I¡¯ll need to think this over since it¡¯s a matter that would affect the entire province.¡± Liu Biao said after Zhuge Liang finished speaking.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be waiting for your answer, please get back to me within three days.¡± Zhang said with a smile as he got up from his seat and left the tent. If he did not get an answer within three days, then he would be forced to begin sieging Dark Sea City.

 Chapter 134: Decisions

    Long day at work T_T but I managed 1 chapter, forgive me if there are alot of errors O_o did this on my phone, ran it through spellcheck on docs/word/grammary but idk if i get everything. Too tired to proof and editors busy or went mia lol.

    ==============================================================================================

    ¡°Darling, are you sure we shouldn''t have ended things there?¡± Lingqi asked as they rode away from the large tent that Liu Biao had erected for the meeting.

    ¡°Yea brother, if you wanted to we could have ended things in there.¡± Ai said.

    ¡°We could have, but that would have caused more problems in the long run. Although Zhuge Liang has many informants and supports within this province, the Liu Clan has been its rulers for many generations. So they are very deeply rooted in the province and its people. If we were to kill or capture their leader at a meeting to negotiate peace, the people would fight to the bitter end with us. Their army would increase to include all of the civilians inside the city. Meaning at the end of things we would have had to kill off everyone within Dark Sea City.¡± Zhang explained.

    ¡°However that wouldn''t be an entirely bad thing, the destruction of Dark Sea City would set an example for the rest of the province and either scare them into surrendering or drive them to also fight to the bitter end. While on the other hand if Liu Biao surrenders, we can use his forces and bolster our own and cooperate with our other forces heading south, we would be able to easily sweep through all obstacles.¡± Zhang also stated.

    ¡°Boss, what about the issue regarding his sons. I know that Liu Biao guy is a pretty good people person but weren''t his sons a big issue? Imagine the amount of trouble those two fellows would cause once their old man is made into a duke and governs over the south.¡± Gan Ning asked.

    ¡°I was thinking of telling him to send his sons to Aurora or to place them under one of you three to serve as your apprentices. That way we can mold them into useful people while keeping them hostage, preventing Liu Biao from getting any funny ideas once he is given power.¡± Zhang said with a smile.

    Zhang also mentions a series of ways to keep Liu Biao¡¯s power in check and under his influence. For instance, not allowing the southern regions to maintain a substantial military force. There were also plans for men from the south to be sent to Aurora to be trained and stationed in Aurora.

    Overall Zhang, Zhuge Liang and Sima Yi had a fairly good picture of how they would carve up and control the south once the invasion was over.

    Upon returning to their camp and entering his tent, Zhang withdrew a map made from golden silk and placed it atop a large table. This map, of course, was the map that he had obtained a long time ago that depicted the ever moving dragon¡¯s veins.

    Once the map was laid out on the table, mountains and forests began to form on to, along with the depiction of a dragon¡¯s head at a location roughly a day¡¯s travel from where Zhang was camped.

    ¡°We finally are close enough to one that it won''t disappear by the time we get to it. Now I''ll finally be able to break, though.¡± Zhang said.

    After stepping into the seventh level of cultivation his progressed had stalled. None of the beauties nor Zhang were able to break through to the eighth level due to the lack of cultivation materials available and the low density of essence in the air. Had he been in the Underworld where the essence is abundant then breaking through would not be an issue at all.

    So considering how hard it was to obtain cultivation materials within the warring states region, Zhang¡¯s best bet was to locate a dragon¡¯s vein. He would periodically check for them but they were either nonexistent or too far away.

    The veins ran beneath the earth and would often move from one place to the next. They generally only stayed in the same spot for roughly ten to fifteen days. Considering the speed, he could travel by horse, Zhang had never been able to reach any of the veins that had appeared on the map before.

    But luckily for him, while moving through the Dark Sea Province, a vein appeared and judging from its location on the map it would only take him a day¡¯s travel from Dark Sea City. Hence, the reason why he gave Liu Biao three days¡¯ time to decide whether to surrender or not.

    This would give Zhang two days to travel and one day to absorb the abundant energy from the vein. One might wonder why Zhang did not allow himself a larger time frame to absorb the essence from the vein, by the answer is simple.

    Although the vein itself possessed a nearly inexhaustible amount of essence, the locations that show up on the map was merely spots where its essence had seeped through the earth and rose to the surface. The vein itself was located deep underground, far from the reaches of man.

    Meaning only a portion of the vein was available for absorption. But nonetheless, this portion would still be of massive help.

    ¡°Once we consolidate our rule, I''ll send some people to dig all the way down there.¡± Zhang thought. Such a project, of course, would need an unbelievable amount of manpower and massive funds to accomplish but all of this would be available to him once the Warring States Region was united under one rule.

    After confirming the location of the dragon¡¯s vein, Zhang, the beauties and Little White departed from camp. If they brought along all of their soldiers and generals, then there was without a doubt that the vein would be depleted in next to no time. So for once they decided to be greedy and hog the vein to themselves.

    In the end, there was no one to rely on but yourself anyway.

    While Zhang was away, control of the army would be given to Sima Yi due to his seniority but if big decisions had to be made the two of them had to work together.

    Atop their fiery mounts and clad in dazzling white armor, Zhang and the beauties rode over vast fields and rugged mountain paths.

    The further they got away from Dark Sea City the more serene the scenery became. Once they had left the fifty-mile radius around Dark Sea City, small villages comprised of a few dozen homes would often pop up.

    These places interacted so little with the outside world that it seemed like they did not know a war was happening at all.

    Unlike the usual suspicious gazes and fearful expression made when strangers rode into villages while clad in armor, these people looked in intrigue and awe.

    Due to the time that they had departed from camp Zhang and the beauties had to camp outside for the night. Well, one wouldn''t call it camping because with a wave of his hand Zhang had withdrawn their magical carriage from his inner spatial ring.

    To allow their horses to move at maximum speed they had not traveled within the carriage, but thankfully it could be stored away within an interspatial ring, so it could be used for other purposes.

    So as the stars appeared overhead and illuminated the skies and while the moon smiled down and radiated the night, our prince and princesses were all seated around a warm campfire.

    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

    ¡°So which one of my beautiful wives will be cooking dinner tonight?¡± Zhang laughed.

    Ai gaze shifted toward Yuying, while Yuying¡¯s gaze shifted to Ling, whose gaze finally landed on Lingqi.

    ¡°I can make dinner but considering the amount of time I spend dealing with poisons, I think I''ll end up getting everyone sick.¡± Lingqi said with a laugh.

    While Lingqi was threatening everyone with poison, Ai began to whistle and pretend she didn''t know what was happening.

    After some funny looks and failed attempts to get someone else to cook, it was decided that everyone would cook one dish.

    Soon a meal consisting of five dishes were laid out within the magical carriage. Ai had called dibs on the easiest but more essential dish of all, the rice. While the other beauties each made a simple dish of their own. Zhang had outdone everyone by going into the woods and coming back with a large boar which he grilled over an open fire.

    So after a hearty meal filled with weird looks, everyone crawled into bed. Once in bed, no one would fall asleep for at least a few hours of course since an epic war was still raging on and neither side was able to show clear dominance.

    ==================================

    While Zhang and the beauties were headed toward the dragon¡¯s vein, within the confines of the provincial lord''s within Dark Sea City, Liu Biao could be seen pacing back and forth through his study.

    With only three days to make a decision that may lead to his demise, Liu Biao¡¯s head felt like it was going to explode.

    There were currently five scenarios playing out over and over in his mind. The first was one where he refused Zhang¡¯s offer and Dark Sea City was sieged, resulting in his death. The second scenarios were not too different besides the fact that he manages to repel Zhang''s forces but later ends up dead because after Aurora¡¯s forces withdrew, the Dark Sea Army was no longer strong enough defend itself against the other southern provinces, which would also result in his death.

    The third scenarios were one in which Liu Biao chose to surrender and Zhang¡¯s army sweep through the southern provinces, crushing all who stand in their way. But the end result would be that Liu Biao outlived his usefulness and is killed by Zhang.

    The fourth scenario is one where Zhang¡¯s forces are defeated and dispersed by the southern alliance and the Dark Sea Province is persecuted for defecting. This, of course, would result in Liu Biao¡¯s death also.

    Lastly, there was the fifth scenario where everything ends well and Liu Biao becomes duke of the southern lands.

    Liu Biao felt that odds were entirely against him because no matter what he did there was only a one in five chance of surviving this situation. Currently, he was stuck between a rock and a hard place, without a clear way out.

    ¡°Damn it¡­¡± Liu Biao cursed as he sweeper his arms and caused everything on his desk to drop into the ground.

    ¡°What''s wrong father?¡± Liu Shan said as he entered the room. He had been passing by and heard the commotion so he wanted to check if everything was okay.

    ¡°Shan, come here.¡± Liu Biao said.

    Once Liu Shan arrived in front of him, Liu Biao began to speak.

    ¡°What do you think we should do? Should we surrender or should we fight?¡± He asked in a dejected tone.

    ¡°Neither, I say we pretend to surrender and secretly work with the other provinces to put an end to Aurora.¡± Liu Shan replied instantly without a thought.

    ¡°You think we can establish contact with the other provinces without Zhuge Liang noticing? It wouldn''t be too farfetched to believe that he has placed spies and subordinates throughout the southern region.¡± Liu Biao retorted.

    ¡°If we don''t surrender we have to fight, if we surrender we have to fight¡­.¡± Liu Shan said with a sigh.

    ¡°How about we call for a meeting with all of the government officials within the city and see their opinion.¡± Liu Shan suggested after a long pause.

    ¡°Hmph most of those fools know nothing and all their good at is sucking up. You really want to give them a say in a decision that can bring about the end of our province?¡± Liu Biao snorted.

    ¡°Then how about spread news that we did fight against Aurora but lost, while in actuality we surrendered.¡± Liu Shan suggested.

    ¡°Fool, that would defeat the purpose of us surrendering in the first place. That Zhang fellow wanted us to surrender to set an example for the rest of the provincial lords. He wants to show them that if they surrender to him they will receive benefits without suffering any disadvantages.¡± Liu Biao said.

    ¡°Then we should take a gamble and surrender.¡± Liu Yuan¡¯s voice echoed as entered the room.

    ¡°If all paths lead to death then we might as well pick the path that gives us the longest time to live. We need not think too far in the future when the problem is at our doorsteps.¡± He said.

    Although both of Liu Biao¡¯s sons were playboys, Liu Yuan was the brighter one of the two.

    Of course despite Liu Yuan¡¯s suggestion, he, his brother and his father would have to spend the next two days on finalizing their answer to Zhang.

    ==================================

    Meanwhile within the New Moon Province, Xiao Hua was having the time of her life.

    She had totally forgotten or well chose to forget, about her mission to track down the person who knew how to open the Reaper¡¯s Coffin. Instead, she had sent her subordinates on a wild goose chase while she herself spent her time enjoying various tourist attractions and delicacies.

    She who rarely ever got an opportunity to leave the order was going to enjoy this one chance to it''s fullest.

    ¡°I hope we never find out who it was.¡± She thought as went from stall to stall down a busy street buying up various foods.

    ¡°I wonder where I should go next, maybe Aurora or Starmist will be fun.¡± She thought while nibbling on some food.

    ==================================

    In the depths of the Underworld, the Yama was still processing through all of the paperwork that had to deal with the Underworlds influx of residences.

    By now he had stopped cursing Zhang and his rage had subsided. Of course, there was still the occasional mumble when more paperwork showed up on his desk.

    ¡°That damn rascal¡­¡± He would say with a sigh.

    Before when he was anger was at its peak he had been ready to order for an additional floor to be made within the eighteen levels of hell, especially for his silly son in law. However, the thought of never being visited by his daughter and grandkids had kept his anger in check.

    ¡°I''ll lock you so deep down there that you''ll never see the light of day again¡­¡± He went on and on before he changed his mind.

    ¡°Hopefully, my grandchildren won''t come out a rascal like their father.¡± Was something the Yama would also often say after giving up on the idea of making a floor in hell for Zhang.

    Very much like Liu Biao, the Yama was extremely torn on what to do.

 Chapter 135: Dragons Vein

    It was noon before Zhang and the beauties had set foot into large cavern that opened on the side of a steep cliff which was located within a deep ravine.

    Had it not been for the Wraith Spiders, it would have been next to impossible to enter the cavern without the risk of slipping and falling to one¡¯s death.

    The moment they were within the cavern; Zhang could feel that the essence present in the air was already a fraction greater than how it regularly was.

    As if it was reacting to the increase of essence within the cave, Little White jumped out of Ling¡¯s arms and ran about excitedly. This of course was a very adorable sight considering Little White looked like a fluffy kitten.

    While Little White was playing around, the Underworld Heart which was inside Zhang¡¯s chest began to turn his body into a vortex as it took in the essence from the surrounding area.

    With a thought from Zhang, the essence taken in by the Underworld Heart was equally distributed among the group.

    Although a part of Zhang wanted to be stronger than his wives so that he could shelter and protect them, he felt it was much more logical for everyone to be equally as strong. That way everyone can protect themselves even if he were not around.

    He thought about how so many powerful men would often pair themselves with women who were basically damsels in distress and were solely dependent on their man to survive and came to the conclusion that such pairings were often disasters waiting to happen.

    Honestly Zhang would have probably been one of these men too had it not been for his experiences and the memory of his past life, he would have wanted to become a pillar of support, one that could hold up the skies and keep it from crashing down on his loved ones. But thanks to his experiences and memories, his way of thinking was gradually changed.

    The world is filled with dangers and life could slip away from our hands at any moment for any reason, so if someone was solely dependent on someone else, then what happens with that person that we depend on disappear.

    Women who are dependent on their husbands often find themselves in seriously troubling and dangerous situations once their husband dies or disappears. Stereotypically stories of widows being kicks out of their homes or being forced into this and that were common occurrences in this time and age.

    Since Zhang did not know the future, there was always the possibility that one day he might disappear or be stuck somewhere and unable to return, while his wives and children would have to fend for themselves so to prepare for this possibility he preferred to gradually grow stronger together with the beauties.

    That way he wouldn¡¯t have to worry about their safety every time he left home or was apart from them. It also helped establish an equal relationship amongst him and his wives, where no one was really the dominant figure.

    As they traveled deeper and deeper into the cave the concentration of essence continued to raise.

    ¡°If we are able to go directly to the source then there would be an inexhaustible supply of essence there. I¡¯m definitely going to have people try to dig down there and see if we can tap into the vein.¡± Zhang muttered.

    Sadly, the pickets of essence which appear on Zhang¡¯s map were only excess essence that was released from the Dragon¡¯s Vein and not the vein itself. Over time essence would travel from deep beneath the earth from the Dragon¡¯s Vein up to the surface through cracks in the ground.

    Once a considerable amount of essence is saturated in the ground, it¡¯ll seep through to the surface. But due to the nature of essence, these pockets would quickly disperse or condense together over ten or fifteen days.

    So it was not the vein that traveled but the pockets of essence disappearing that had been preventing Zhang from harnessing its power. The vein itself did not move but was inaccessible due to how deep it was underground.

    After walking a considerable distance into the cave the density of essence in the air ceased to increase. Instead the cavern walls were now lined with hundreds of sparkling purplish crystals.

    ¡°Spirit stones.¡± Yuying said as she plucked one of the purplish crystals out from the wall.

    ¡°Simply inject some essence into it and it¡¯ll turn into a gas and can be absorbed to either strengthen one¡¯s cultivation or replenish one¡¯s essence stores like our essence water does.¡± She added.

    ¡°We should collect them all after we finish absorbing the essence in the cave.¡± Zhang suggested as he sat cross legged onto the ground and began mediating. Soon after his wives gathered around him and also sat cross legged on the ground.

    As the Underworld Heart gathered all of the essence in the air and distributed it amongst the group, everyone began circulating the essence throughout their bodies.

    Seconds turned into minutes while minutes turned into hours as the group sat in silence, taking in and circulating as much essence as they could. So far within the group the one undergoing the most visual changes was Little White, who had been absorbing essence for roughly eight hours.

    Strangely enough despite being a wind element demonic beast, lightning bolts began appearing and wrapping around it¡¯s body. Its fur looked sleeker while it¡¯s fangs and claws appeared many times sharper.

    Although no one else noticed, thanks to the Underworld Heart. Zhang was able to tell that Little White had gone from a level six demonic beast to a level seven demonic beast. He could also see that the essence around Ling was swirling about and about to undergo a transformation also.

    Within the group, Ling was the one who had been at the seventh level of cultivation the longest and had been at the stuck there for a while. But from the looks of things, it appeared she only needed a slight push in the right direction to finally step foot into the next level because roughly an hour or two after Little White¡¯s cultivation advanced Ling stepped into the eighth level of cultivation.

    Lingqi who had been at the fifth level of cultivation, making her the one with the lowest cultivation within the group, had stepped into the sixth level not too long after Little White had leveled up. Since there wasn¡¯t a bottleneck for those at the fifth level she didn¡¯t really have a hard time leveling up.

    Meanwhile, Ai did not have any changes at as far as Zhang could tell. From beginning to end he had never been able to understand how she was able to level up so quickly when they had run into her after escaping from the Underworld. But her freakish cultivation speed had seemed to stall as she no changes could be seen from her despite absorbing an abundant amount of essence from the Dragon¡¯s Vein.

    After Ling¡¯s Cultivation stabilized, Little White crawled onto her lap where it curled up and fell asleep. With a smile Ling began petting the small furry kitten like liger in her lap. After advancing to the eighth level it would take a large amount of essence and quite some time before she could advance into the ninth level.

    But realistically speaking, Zhang¡¯s group besides Lingqi, could all be considered genius or monsters. This was because regular people stop at the fourth level of cultivation and many only manage to make it to the sixth or seventh level after a hundred or two hundred years of cultivating, well unless they are a part of a large sect with massive amounts of cultivation materials.

    This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

    So without accounting for the people apart of large sects, not many people can accomplish what Zhang, Yuying, Ai and Ling have done. Hence the reason to why level seven and above warriors are all generals and why high mages are considered national treasures. As for saints, they generally stay within large kingdoms or empires due to how revered and worshiped they are.

    If a saint asked two small kingdoms to fight one another with the promise of placing himself under the service of the kingdom that wins, then these two small kingdoms would instantly set out and wage war against each other. With that being said that were quite a few saints within the Wulin continent, however many of them choose to do what Xin Tao did and roam the continent or travel the world.

    It was not until a total of sixteen hours had passed before the pocket of essence was completely absorbed. Zhang and Yuying had barely managed to join Ling in the eighth level of cultivation while Ai did not seem to make any progress at all.

    ¡°If I remember right, once we step into the ninth level our bodies will undergo a great change.¡± Yuying said as she got up from the ground.

    ¡°Wahhhhh. I¡¯m so tired¡­ Don¡¯t know how people can do this for days on end.¡± Ai said with a yawn.

    ¡°Well now that there''s nothing else to do, we should eat some dinner and get some sleep. We have to head back to camp tomorrow morning.¡± Zhang said as he waved his hand and made a large boar appear on the ground. Yesterday he had actually hunted quite a few of them, some he stored away in his interspatial ring, others he fed to the Wraith Spiders residing in the Ruler¡¯s Domain and one he cooked for his wives to eat.

    ¡°Here you go Little White.¡± Zhang said he as bent down and sliced off one of the boar¡¯s legs and tossed it over to the furry liger. Once the boar leg was in front of it, the flurry liger began to nibble away until there was only bone to gnaw on.

    Soon the cavern was filled with the aroma of perfectly grilled boar as the group enjoyed their meal.

    =====================================================================

    Once the sun was up, Zhang and the beauties scaled up the face of the steep cliff and headed back toward Dark Sea City.

    While they were making their trip, the other various armies of Aurora began moving southward. Guan Yu, Lu Xun, Jian Wei, Zhang Liao, Leng Zai, and a dozen or so others each lead an army toward the southern provinces.

    Many hundreds of thousands of men stomped through open fields and cut through forests as the forces of Aurora began its journey south. Each and every one apart of this colossal force was fill with confidence and bravery as they thought about the honor and riches that may come if the invasion is a success.

    There were some who were eager to impress the ladies or marry their sweethearts once they return, while many others sought to raise through the military ranks and gain prestige and honor. Each person had their own purpose for joining the expedition north and each and every one of them was making history as they marched onward.

    The south was filled with riches to be claimed, beautiful women to meet, and untold opportunities for those who wished to raise through the ranks.

    They had long ago received word from Zhang of his exploits within the Dark Sea Province and everyone of Aurora¡¯s generals were eager to prove themselves because once the south was conquered, Aurora would become a small empire.

    Once Aurora became an empire, a large variety of government positions would appear and everyone wished to show Jian Wei they were worthy of being bestowed the highest of ranks.

    While Aurora¡¯s armies marched south, the southern provinces had marched north. Thousands of encampments and forts had been erected to welcome Aurora¡¯s soldiers. Countless miles of trenches were dug to prevent cavalry soldiers from playing a large role in the battles that would ensue.

    Unlike the Dark Sea Province who had been caught off guard by Zhuge Liang¡¯s defection, the other provinces had all gathered their troops within the provinces that bordered Aurora. The provinces that directly bordered Aurora did not take any chances and had established themselves as the frontlines for the incoming war.

    Their civilians were relocated while support from the other provinces in the south arrived. Countless men were drafted, while countless more were made to help with construction. Defenses had to be strengthened while weapons had to be made, causing most of the southern provinces to fall into a frenzy of production and construction.

    =====================================================================

    Within a large hall, hundreds of dignitaries and lords who resided in the southern provinces gathered on the day Aurora¡¯s troops began to move. They were all seated at a large square table with scowls on their brow as war would soon being.

    ¡°Have sufficient supplies been sent to the Stone Ridge Province yet?¡± One man dressed in fancy robes said.

    ¡°What about my New Wind Province? I need more men to reinforce the borders.¡± A chubby bald man said.

    ¡°Lord Ma, we will be sending another battalion to reinforce you as soon as more soldiers are trained.¡± The fancy dressed man said.

    ¡°Trainees? You think trainees can fight back those bastards from Aurora? Can¡¯t you send over the Dark Legion?¡± The chubby bald man said as he slammed his hand onto the table.

    ¡°The Dark Legion has been sent toward Lord Chang¡¯s province, since we have yet received word from Lord Liu. If the Dark Sea Provinces falls then Lord Chang would have to be able to repel the enemies that come from the west.¡± The fancy dressed man said.

    ¡°Then what about the troops of the Dragon Core?¡±

    ¡°They¡¯ve been sent to Lord Dong, to help him defend against the enemy troops that will be coming from the former Green Clover Province.¡±

    The leaders of the Southern Alliance were all working diligently to spread their forces to prepare for Aurora¡¯s arrival, however each and every lord was only looking out for themselves so despite having sufficient forces they would request for more reinforcements.

    These requests of course would often be shot down because no one was truly willing to loan their army to someone else.

    But besides these issues, overall the southern lords had all banded together in the hopes of maintaining their rule because once Aurora swept south they all faced the possibility of death or being dethroned from their positions.

    Hence large amounts of funds and supplies were funneled to the provinces that would become the front lines for the war and although no one wished to loan out their elite troops, new regiments and battalions were made and trained daily so send out as reinforcement.

    But will their cooperation be enough? Will they be able to repel Aurora¡¯s forces? No one knows because the future has yet to be written.

 Chapter 136: Deadline

    Here''s your chapter of Ds for the day :)

    Also please support me by reading and leaving a good review for my issth contest entry :)

    http://royalroadl.com/fiction/6508</a>

    ==================================

    While the flames of war were about to spark in the other provinces, an eerie silences swept over the Dark Sea Province. Today was the deadline that Zhang had set for Liu Biao, today would become a turning point in the Dark Sea Province¡¯s history depending on the path that it decides to take.

    Early in the morning, Yuying¡¯s one thousand disciples rose a massive army of undead skeletons in case Dark Sea City decided not to surrender. These skeletons would serve as the vanguard and help lessen casualties.

    With all sides of the city surrounded and nowhere to go, the soldiers of the Dark Sea Army stood atop the city walls with uneasiness in their hearts. Unlike Zhang¡¯s soldiers who would only begin to move in after the massive army of skeletons broke into the city, the soldiers atop the walls did not have the luxury of someone else fighting the battle for them.

    If their lord chooses to fight, then it was highly likely that many if not all of them would be sent to the Underworld. Anxiousness loomed in the air as no one knew what Liu Biao¡¯s decision was going to be.

    ¡°You lot, move the trebuchets into range and prepare the battering rams, I¡¯ll move in once the skeletons scale up the city walls. I also want forty thousand men mounted and ready to move in case the enemy decides to try to break through our lines and escape.¡± Gan Ning could be heard issuing commands.

    As one army prepared to attack and one army prepared to defend the sun rose to its peak.

    ¡°Brother, do you think they¡¯ll surrender? This is pretty boring; can I go break down the wall?¡± Ai asked as she sat beside Zhang.

    ¡°They should be sending out a messenger anytime now if they don¡¯t then I¡¯ll let you have a go at the wall.¡± Zhang said with a smile as he stroked Ai¡¯s hair.

    Almost instantly after the words left Zhang¡¯s mouth, all of the gates that led into Dark Sea City opened and hundreds of white flags were raised into the air.

    Moments after the city gates were opened, the eight hundred thousand soldiers within the city marched out, not in orderly rows but more like a mob of regular people.

    Once they were outside of the city gates, every one of these soldiers tossed their weapons onto the ground and took off their armor, creating a hill of weapons and armor in front of the city walls.

    They had taken things a step further then what Zhang had anticipated, opening the city gates and allowing him to enter and disarming their soldiers. This was a show of good faith and trust that earned Liu Biao a few good marks in Zhang¡¯s book.

    ¡°Have the skeletons move in and secure the outer walls and city streets, all of the soldiers who had just disarmed themselves are to be watched in case of enemy deceit.¡± Zhang said to a handsome yet sturdy looking man who stood beside his throne. After the orders were given, the army of skeletons entered the city and secured the walls.

    Zhang had to make sure that Liu Biao was truly surrendering and not trying to pull off some kind of trap. Perhaps Liu Biao did not truly surrender and was simply luring Zhang into the city so he could close the gates and rain arrows down from the city walls. There were a number of possible traps that could have been laid, however this would not matter since Zhang had sent the skeletons into the city first.

    If anything was to occur he would not lose a single soldier while Liu Biao¡¯s ploy would be exposed, that was of course if Liu Biao decided to act when Zhang was entering the city. There was still the chance of assassination or poison coming into play after the city fell into his control so Zhang had to be careful.

    After the skeletons had complete control of the city walls and the streets were lined with them, Zhang¡¯s soldiers began to enter the city. Sitting atop a lavish golden throne that was laid onto a large cart pulled by a team of fiery horses, Zhang made his way through the empty city streets.

    No one dared to leave their homes nor even peek outside once the skeletons had marched into the city, which was a good thing since it would allow Zhang¡¯s army to move inside without having to mind the civilians.

    It did not take long after Zhang entered the city before a procession of people arrived to welcome him. Liu Biao, his sons and hundreds of government officials and high ranking military personnel had gathered and kneeled on one knee in the middle of the streets, showing that they had submitted to Zhang.

    ¡°No need to be so courteous.¡± Zhang laughed as he hopped off of his throne and walked over to help Liu Biao up.

    ¡°We welcome your highness into our city and hope that you will take care of us in the future.¡± Liu Biao said politely.

    After some formal introductions to the various dignitaries that were in Dark Sea City, Zhang and the beauties were led to the provincial lord¡¯s mansion where a feast was being held in their honor. Gan Ning, Sima Yi and Zhuge Liang were also to be honored but they had declined due to the number of duties that they needed to do.

    Gan Ning needed to find housing for the soldiers while Sima Yi had to city¡¯s treasury, granary, and army. Lastly, Zhuge Liang had to rally his supporters and create a list to give to Zhang, this list would be used to replace corrupt or inept officials. Since one of the main problems that the Dark Sea Province faced with cause by the two fractions of rival government officials, a purge was needed.

    Truly corrupt and heinous officials would be executed while others would be replaced or given punishments according to their crimes. Of course, Zhang had ordered Zhuge Liang to keep the number of individuals purged to the minimal because he did not wish to replace all of the Dark Sea Provinces officials since that would only serve to cripple the government. But by ridding the province of many of its corrupt officials, Zhang would not only be establishing his dominance by making an example out of those who abuse their power and preventing future problems, but this would also aid him in obtaining the hearts of the civilians.

    Since it was the common folk who suffered the most at the hands of the corrupt officials, they would more than likely see Zhang as their savior instead of a ruthless conqueror.

    So while Gan Ning, Sima Yi and Zhuge Liang were busy with their various tasks, Zhang and the beauties headed off to the provincial lord¡¯s mansion.

    Much like Liu Yuan¡¯s suggestion, Liu Biao was wholeheartedly submitting to Zhang and inwardly praying that he had made the right decision. But without having Yuying scan Liu Biao¡¯s thoughts, Zhang still remained somewhat vigilant.

    Within a large hall filled small rectangular tables, each only large enough for a single person to sit, Zhang was given the seat of honor that was located at the very end of the hall up above a few marble steps.

    Stolen story; please report.

    Although the table was only large enough for one person to sit, since the beauties either sat on Zhang¡¯s lap or closed in beside him they were all seated at the same table. Besides the fact that they wanted to sit with him, for security purposes, Lingqi would taste all of the dishes first.

    Being a master at concocting poisons and medicine, if there were anything wrong with the food Lingqi would know instantly.

    Of course, no one else knew this since some were too busy being envious of Zhang while others were too lost in thought about what will happen to them now that Zhang was in charge. Without knowing what plans Zhang had in store for them many people were filled with fear.

    ¡°Here darling, have a bit.¡± Lingqi said as she used a pair of golden chopsticks to pick up a piece of meat and brought it in front of Zhang¡¯s mouth.

    ¡°Damn if only I knew more about poison¡­ She¡¯s totally using this opportunity to her advantage.¡± Ling complained in her mind.

    While the same thought appeared in Yuying¡¯s mind, Ai was delighted that she could now enjoy the extravagant meal that was laid out on the table since all of the dishes had been checked and no poison was found.

    As the festivities continued on and dancers filed into the hall, Lingqi decided to join in the fun by withdrawing a zither from her interspatial ring and gracing those within the hall with a few songs. Songs of joy and love echoed out from the large hall and uplifted everyone¡¯s mood as Lingqi skillfully played the zither and sang.

    After the festivities concluded, Zhang and the beauties were led a large mansion where they could sleep. Liu Biao had said that after making some arrangements he would move out of the provincial lord¡¯s mansion and offer it up to Zhang but his goodwill was declined because would not stay within Dark Sea City for too long so there was no need.

    ========================================================================

    Early in the morning, Liu Shan and Liu Yuan had arrived at the mansion where Zhang was staying and requested an audience with him, hoping to win his favor. As things stand, they both know that Zhang could very well be the one to pick who will be Liu Biao¡¯s successor. So if either of them were able to gain Zhang¡¯s support then it would be certain that they would become the future duke of the southern regions.

    Wanting to see what the two brothers were up to Zhang followed them on a whim. Without telling the beauties Zhang and the two brothers arrived at the White Snow Brothel. With hundreds of guards stationed outside, the brothers led Zhang to the upper floors of the brothel where dozens of beautiful women were waiting.

    Surprisingly enough the lower floors were filled with people, despite the fact that ownership of the province had just shifted hands. Usually at times like this people are too busy worrying about their lives but perhaps if one needed to have some fun then one needed to have some fun.

    Of all things they could have done, the brothers were hoping to win Zhang¡¯s favor through the use of women. Although unimpressed by their effort Zhang did not say anything and continued to watch the brothers.

    ¡°If all you two know is surrounding yourselves with women and fun then I¡¯ll have to either have Yuying rewire you or have Liu Biao make more heirs. In the end, if neither of these plans worked then Liu Biao will be the last Liu to govern in the south.¡± Zhang thought as he poured himself a cup of wine and drank it. Unlike the two brothers, Zhang did not choose a few women to accompany him.

    Meanwhile back at the mansion, the beauties were gathered up and conversing with one another.

    ¡°I bet those two are up to no good.¡± Ling said to the others.

    ¡°They probably took him to a brothel or something.¡± Lingqi added.

    ¡°Then should we go have a look?¡± Yuying asked.

    ¡°I think nothing will happen so why bother.¡± Ai said stating that she trusts that Zhang would not do anything that would get him in trouble with her and the other beauties.

    After some back and forth the beauties departed the mansion and followed Zhang¡¯s trail to the White Snow Brothel. Being the only place in the city with some many guards stationed around it, it was fairly obvious that Zhang was in there.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Ling said as she headed toward the Brothel¡¯s entrance.

    ¡°Wait, we can¡¯t go in there dressed like this.¡± Linqqi said as she grabbed Ling¡¯s arm.

    ¡°What do you mean? It¡¯s not the first time we¡¯ve been into one of these places.¡± Ling said.

    ¡°All the other times we went with darling, but now we¡¯re going in alone. Do you know what happens when women like us go into places like these alone?¡± Lignqi asked.

    ¡°Then what do we do?¡± Ai asked.

    ¡°Simple, follow me.¡± Yuying said as she pointed to a clothing store.

    A while later after the four beauties entered the clothing store, four very handsome young men departed. Once they departed from the clothing store these four young men entered the White Snow brothel. The moment they entered a crowd of women swarmed around them.

    ¡°Young masters, are you here looking to have some fun?¡± A middle-aged woman with a hairy mole said.

    ¡°Even if I was a man I wouldn¡¯t.¡± Lingqi mumbled in an inaudible tone.

    ¡°We¡¯ll call if we need something, for now we just want to drink some wine.¡± Yuying said as she pushed through the swarm of women and made her way to the upper floors. She did not bother looking for Zhang in the lower floors because without a doubt someone of his status would not be led there by the two brothers.

    ¡°Now let¡¯s see which room he is in,¡± Lingqi said as she poked a hole in a paper screen door.

    ¡°Nope not in this one¡­ people doing this so early in the morning¡­¡± She mumbled with slightly blushing cheeks

    The other beauties also began poking holes and peeking into the various rooms to find Zhang however he was nowhere to be found.

    It was not until they arrived at the very end of the hall did they find the room where Zhang was. Unlike the other rooms, this one was crowded with people.

    Half naked women and the smell of liquor the room as Zhang could be seen drinking wine. Strangely enough Liu Yuan was sitting beside him and talking instead of chasing after women like his brother Liu Shan.

    ¡°Now what do we do?¡± Ai whispered.

    ¡°Well now that we know he¡¯s not doing anything unfaithful or trying to add another sister to the group we can leave.¡± Lingqi said.

    But before they could leave a voice came out from within the room.

    ¡°Hey you four there what are you doing? Come in and join the fun.¡± Liu Shan yelled as he spotted the four beauties who were dressed as men peeking in from outside the door.

 Chapter 137: Misunderstanding

    Will try to have another chapter of Ds or Ascending today :D maybe both T_T

    ===============================================================================================

    ¡°You four no need to peak, there''s plenty of wine and women for everyone.¡± Liu Shan laughed as he headed toward the door where the four beauties were standing while dressed in men''s attire.

    ¡°We-we were just passing by.¡± Ai said in a somewhat panicked voice.

    ¡°Haha, no need to be shy.¡± Liu Shan said as he put his arm around Ai¡¯s shoulder and led her into the room in a friendly manner.

    Reluctantly the other beauties followed behind and entered too.

    ¡°It seems you found yourself some new friends brother Liu Shan.¡± Zhang¡¯s voice drifted into the ears of the four beauties.

    ¡°I spotted these four guys peeking in from the door and figured the more people we have the more fun it would be so I invited them in, I hope you don''t mind your highness.¡± Liu Shan said with a smile.

    ¡°You realize you could have invited assassins in who would be after his highnesses life right?¡± Liu Yuan asked with furrowed brows.

    ¡°It''s okay I think I recognize these four from somewhere. I think they were in an acting troupe.¡± Zhang said with a smile. It was fairly obvious that Zhang knew that the four ¡°men¡± Liu Shan invited in are actually his wives.

    Only a fool wouldn''t be able to recognize his wives who share the same bed with him every night. There was also the fact the Zhang remembered each of the beauties by smell also.

    ¡°Join us, there are plenty of wine and women for everyone.¡± Zhang said as he looked at the beauties.

    To be honest, they did not know whether he figured out if it was them or not, but if he didn''t then they would obviously play along because being found out by your husband that you''re dressed up as a man to go spy on him in a brothel was as embarrassing as things could get.

    ¡°You saw our show?¡± Lingqi asked, pretending she was actually in an acting troupe.

    ¡°Yea I think in that play you were playing a Jiangshi.¡± Zhang replied with a smile.

    ¡°A Jiangshi? Are these four from one of the acting troupes you hired in the New Moon Province, your highness? News of how you saved the city from the undead had even reached down to these parts¡± Liu Shan said.

    ¡°Yea I''m pretty sure he was the one who played an innocent villager.¡± Zhang said as he pointed to Yuying.

    So after a bit of talking, Lingqi was remembered as a Jiangshi, Yuying was an innocent villager, Ai was a farmer and Ling was a city guard.

    ¡°Brother Liu Shan send some ladies over here for our friends.¡± Zhang said.

    ¡°Of course, of course.¡± Liu Shan laughed as he brought over eight beautiful young women.

    ¡°No no no that won''t do. Men like our friends here prefer unique women. Call the ¡°mama¡± here.¡± Zhang said with a smile as he eyed the four beauties.

    Trying to stay in their roles and not blow their cover, the beauties tries to speak as little as possible.

    Soon enough a middle-aged woman with makeup caking her face arrived into the room. This lady of course was the ¡°mama¡± of the brothel which basically means she''s the brothel''s owner, like a certain pretty lady in Wolfden City.

    ¡°Young masters what can I do for you today.¡± The middle aged lady said.

    ¡°I want you to bring out the most unique girls you have in the brothel, my friends here like women who are different, unique, odd, those that possess features that men usually don¡¯t look for. If you can satisfy their needs, then these gold coins are yours.¡± Zhang said as he waved his hand and made a small stack of gold coins appear.

    Seeing the money on the table the brothels mama quickly went to work with money signs in her eyes.

    With Zhang¡¯s words in mind, the mama soon assembled a group of a dozen or so ¡°unique¡± women and led them back into the room where Zhang was.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t my brother here ask for you to bring back women? What''s that guy doing there?¡± Liu Shan asked as he pointed to someone in the group that was brought back.

    The person in question towered over the others and had bulging muscles that would put anyone of Zhang¡¯s soldiers to shame. A beard that most men would be jealous of and a hairy mole right on the nose.

    ¡°Young master, I¡¯m a woman, would you like to check?¡± The person that Liu Shan pointed to said as she began to lift the hem of her dress.

    ¡°No! No need.¡± Liu Shan said as he tried to stop himself from vomiting.

    ¡°Then what''s wrong with that one?¡± Liu Yuan asked as he pointed to a fairly beautiful young woman. It could be said that within the group of weirdos that were gathered, this woman stood out the most because she appeared entirely normal.

    ¡°Young master that is Yang Mai it could be said of this entire group she is the one that fits what the young master was looking for the most.¡± The mama said.

    ¡°How so?¡± Zhang laughed.

    ¡°Because no other woman here has even been a man.¡± The mama said.

    ¡°PFFFFTTTT¡­.¡± Upon hearing the mama¡¯s words wine sprayed out from Liu Shan¡¯s mouth.

    ¡°Your highness I forgot to tell you I have a very weak heart and can¡¯t handle too many surprises. So if you could please let our friends pick women in their own free time when we aren¡¯t around it would be very much appreciated.¡± Liu Shan said with a very sickly look on his face.

    ¡°You may all leave, take this as a thank you for your time.¡± Zhang said as he pushed the stack of gold coins across the table.

    ¡°Sorry, we couldn¡¯t pick out anyone for you four.¡± Zhang said as he looked at the four beauties.

    ¡°It¡¯s quite alright.¡± Ling said as cold sweat dripped from her brow.

    Although Zhang did not know what exactly was going through the minds of the beauties he couldn¡¯t help but inwardly laugh.

    ¡°I¡¯m going to milk this as long as I can.¡± He thought as he offered a toast.

    Unlike their usual attitudes, the beauties were trying very hard to contain themselves so that no one would catch on that they are cross dressing, if such news was spread then it would be the end of their reputations and an endless amount of made up stories would spawn.

    So without saying a word, the beauties smiled and drank wine whenever someone offered a toast. Each of them was hoping that the mess they got themselves into would soon end once all the wine was gone and when everyone was tired.

    But wanting to mess with his wives, Zhang pulled out his never ending bottle of wine.

    As the hours past, everyone besides Zhang became dead drunk.

    This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

    Like the old saying goes, drunk people speak no lies. So through the use of liquor, Zhang was able to further probe the two Liu brothers.

    Of the two he found out that Liu Yuan obviously the brighter one of the two brothers. While Liu Shan was outright honest, he was definitely not a schemer and was a pretty likable person.

    However, there was one major flaw that both brothers possessed, they were both overly competitive and would never be content with second.

    These two were so competitive that they would even try to outdo each other when having fun, which attributed to why they are deemed as playboys.

    Once he had a good feel of the personalities of the two brothers, Zhang continued teasing the beauties who were acting awfully meek.

    ¡°Here have some more.¡± He said as he poured Ai some wine.

    By now most of the women in the room had been sent away and each of the Liu brothers had picked one to spend the night with while Zhang and the beauties opted not to choose.

    ¡°Your highness if you''ll excuse me.¡± Liu Shan said with a hiccup as he and a young woman left the room. Liu Yuan soon excused himself also, leaving Zhang and the beauties alone.

    After everyone else left Zhang got up and bolted the door into the room.

    ¡°So have we had enough fun?¡± Zhang laughed as he sat back down at the table.

    ¡°No, we have not.¡± Yuying replied with an awkward grin.

    ¡°When did you find out.¡± Ai said with a hiccup.

    ¡°At the start I kind of figured from the twinkle in his eye.¡± Ling said with flushed cheeks from drinking lots of wine.

    ¡°Darling I don¡¯t know how you wear this these types of clothes all the time, they are so restricting. Since no one else is here how about you help me remove them.¡± Lingqi said as she tugged on her robes and revealed a bit of her snowy white skin in a provocative manner.

    ¡°I¡¯ll help you but let¡¯s not do this again next time.¡± Zhang laughed as he moved over to where Lingqi was.

    With the room filled with the scent of wine and women, a passionate atmosphere soon blossomed. While the sun was still up Zhang and the beauties made way from the drinking table to a large bed at the far end of the room.

    Snow white skin was revealed as robes were discarded and passion ignited.

    It had been roughly four hours past noon when the Liu brothers departed to do the deed with the women they had picked out in the brothel by the time the sun had set and after finding out that Zhang was still in the brothel, the brothers returned to the room where Zhang was and tried to open the door. But to their confusion it was bolted, before coming they had asked if Zhang had picked out any women to accompany him, to make sure they were not going to disturb him while he was doing the deed.

    Hearing the sound of someone trying to hope the door into the room, Zhang crawled out from under a tangle of arms and legs and made his way to the door after covering himself with a robe that was on the ground.

    As the doors slowly creaked open Zhang¡¯s head peeked outside.

    ¡°Your highness, we didn¡¯t mean to bother you.¡± Liu Shan said with a slight hint of embarrassment in his tone since it was awfully rude to disturb someone when they were practicing the arts of the bedchamber.

    ¡°The mama told us that you didn¡¯t call for any girls so we didn¡¯t know. Shan let¡¯s go and not disturb his highness.¡± Liu Yuan said as he noticed something peculiar in the room.

    ¡°Once you''re free we have a banquet planned for you, your highness. We¡¯ll be waiting back at the provincial lord¡¯s mansion.¡± Liu Shan said as his brother dragged him away.

    With a smile, Zhang closed the door and bolted it once more before returning to the chaotic battlefield that was awaiting him.

    ¡°Brother, what are you doing? I was trying to talk to his highness at least let me finish talking before you drag me away.¡± Liu Shan complained.

    ¡°You didn¡¯t notice?¡± Liu Yuan asked.

    ¡°Notice what?¡± His brother replied.

    ¡°The robes that he had one were different from the ones that he had one when we left. If I remember correctly it was the exact same ones that one of those four actors were wearing. The mama also said he did not call for any women, so you could guess who are the ones in his bed.¡± Liu Yuan said.

    ¡°You don¡¯t think he swings that way do you?¡± Liu Shan asked as his head tilted back toward Zhang¡¯s room.

    ¡°You want to stick around long enough to find out?¡± Liu Yuan asked.

    After Liu Yuan¡¯s question, a shiver ran down Liu Shan¡¯s spine as he imagined the horrors that were happening in Zhang¡¯s room.

    ¡°That¡¯s one thing I¡¯ll not compete with you in. But who would have thought for a man who has such beautiful wives to go that way.¡± Liu Shan said as he shook his head.

    ¡°Who knows, everyone has their own unique set of preferences. Also, those four looked very feminine to begin with.¡± Liu Yuan said with a shrug.

    ¡°Yea the did and I heard most male actors in acting troupes swing that way too.¡± Liu Shan said.

    A while later Zhang departed from the brothel with the four beauties who were once more in men¡¯s attire. After heading back to their mansion and changing, the group headed to the provincial lord¡¯s mansion for the banquet that the two brothers had planned for them.

    Upon arriving with the beauties by his side, Zhang received a mix of weird looks from the two brothers as they recalled what they thought had happened in the brothel.

    ¡°I wonder if they know.¡± Liu Shan whispered into his brother''s ear as Zhang and the beauties entered the room.

    ¡°If he wants them to then they''ll know. There are people we shouldn''t talk about and things that shouldn''t be mention.¡± Liu Yuan whispered back to his brother, telling him to stop mentioning what they think had happened at the brothel.

    ¡°I understand.¡± Liu Shan said with a nod as the two brothers got up from their seats and greeted Zhang and the beauties.

    Soon after the banquet began and an extravagant feast we brought forth for Zhang and the beauties to enjoy. The two brothers were trying their best to get on Zhang¡¯s good side by after what had happened in the brothel, the two of them seemed to have taken a step back and did not act as openly as before.

    However, Zhang quite enjoyed this, he did not like people who fawned over him. So once the two brothers stopped fawning over him, his impression of them vastly improved.

    But maybe if Zhang knew what they were thinking when they were talking to him he would have shaken his head or perhaps vomited blood.

 Chapter 138: I Punched It

    After the banquet that the Liu brothers held in honor of Zhang and the beauties, a few days of leisure followed before Zhang¡¯s armies went on the move once more. This time, their numbers had subsequently doubled compared to the number of men that had come along with Zhang from Red Mist City.

    With such a substantial force under their command, Zhang and his generals and strategists decided to split their army into two. One army under Zhuge Liang and Gan Ning¡¯s command would continue heading down south while the other army under Zhang¡¯s command headed toward the east to aid the other forces of Aurora.

    Zhang had placed Zhuge Liang in command of one of the armies because Sima Yi was to stay in the Dark Sea Province, to ensure that Liu Biao does not try to plot anything. Since Zhang wished to see the extent of Zhuge Liang¡¯s capabilities since Sima Yi had proven his ability many times over he was chosen to remain in the Dark Sea Province and oversee things.

    To ensure Sima Yi¡¯s safety, Zhang even assigned a group of a hundred of his personal guard, which he had formed from the man that was rescued from New Moon City, to protect and ensure Sima Yi¡¯s safety. With these men to watch over him, Sima Yi wouldn¡¯t have anything to worry about.

    ¡°My lord, another small enemy fort has been spotted up ahead but like the others there seem to be no signs of the people in it.¡± One of Zhang¡¯s scouts reported.

    ¡°Have more scouts scour the area and have our forces move into their encampment and expand it to hold our forces for the night. If they were kind enough to build it for us we might as well use it, after checking for traps of course.¡± Zhang said from atop his fiery steed.

    ¡°Yes my lord, I¡¯ll have the fort checked and the area surveyed.¡± The soldier said before clasping his hands and excusing himself.

    Ever since Zhang¡¯s forces across the borders of the Dark Sea Province into the borders of the Rainbow Rock Province, dozens of empty forts and encampments had been found with no signs of enemy troops lingering in the area.

    At first, Zhang had ordered for all of the forts and encampments to be burned, after they were searched. But after the seventh or so empty fort they came upon, he decided to send his men the trouble of having to set up an entire camp every night and just add onto abandon forts.

    ¡°Darling if we do not encounter any enemy forces then we should be able to meet up with Uncle Guan¡¯s army in a month or so.¡± Lingqi said with a smile.

    Guan Yu has basically become the closest person she had to family so Lingqi was very much looking forward to seeing him after such a long time.

    So after the fort was searched and nothing out of the ordinary was found, a fraction of Zhang''s army began moving in and occupying the fort. While their men were expanding the fort and setting up camp for the rest of the army, Zhang and the beauties decided to have a race to the fort.

    Since there had been a severe lack of battle and things to do ever since they left the Dark Sea Province, they group tried to come up with a variety of things to do to pass the time.

    ¡°The losers have to follow one command from the winner unconditionally!¡± Lingqi laughed as she rode ahead of the group.

    ¡°I look forward to issuing if you all my unconditional command!¡± Zhang chuckled as he began feeding his Inferno Wind Walk with essence from the Underworld Heart, causing its flames to burn brighter and its legs to move faster.

    ¡°Cheater!¡± Ai yelled as her black whip sliced through the air and smashed into the ground in front of Zhang, causing debris and dust to dance in the air.

    Moments later Zhang rode into the fort and looked back at his wives with a victorious smile on his face.  Thanks to the power boost Zhang¡¯s Wind Walker received it was able to make it to the fort before the beauties could even pass the half distance mark from where they started and the fort.

    ¡°I win.¡± He said with a grin.

    However, Zhang¡¯s grin would disappear almost instantly as the ground began to quake and six massive stone pillars pierced upward through the ground. With countless glowing runes on them, these pillars rose into the sky.

    As the pillars came into view, Zhang¡¯s first thought was to get as far away from the fort as possible so he whipped his horse and bolted toward the fortress gates that he had passed moments earlier.

    ¡°Damn it has to be an enemy ambush¡­.¡± He cursed in his mind as creases appeared on his brow.

    Although Zhang¡¯s horse was moving as fast as the wind, before could make it out of the for a translucent blue membrane was emitted from the pillars and formed a dome over the fort. When a few of Zhang''s soldiers tried to exit the done, they found out that they could bypass.

    Once the beauties saw the stone pillar, they frantically tried to speed up their mounts and sped toward the fort. But by the time they were there the fort was already encased and there was no way in or out.

    ¡°Break the pillar!¡± Yuying yelled as she arrived in front of the translucent membrane.

    An instant later Zhang could be seen with two swords in hand and dozens of sharp weapons floating by his side.

    ¡°Everyone! Attack the pillars!¡± Zhang¡¯s voice reverberated throughout the enclosed space within the thin membrane and the area outside of it.

    ¡°Hopefully, this works.¡± He thought as he closed in on one of the pillars. Meanwhile, his men who were futilely pounding on the barrier were now swarming around the stone pillars.

    With swords and spears in hand Zhang¡¯s men began to frantically swing at the stone pillars but failed to do more than make scratches in it. Even a few men from Zhang¡¯s personal guard who were also trapped inside the barrier couldn¡¯t do very much damage to these stone pillars for some reason.

    Considering that there were people who were level six or seven warriors in Zhang¡¯s personal guard, smashing regular stone pillars could be considered child¡¯s play. However, whenever a weapon was about to impact one of the stone pillars, a thin membrane of light would absorb a majority of the damage that was supposed to be inflicted on the pillar.

    Much like his men, Zhang couldn¡¯t inflict too much damage on the pillars either. Although his dragon talon throwing knives were able to cut into the pillar easily, they did not possess enough length to destroy the pillar. He even tried shooting lightning at the pillar but that did not seem to have any effects either.

    ¡°Damn it this isn¡¯t working either¡­¡± Zhang cursed as he tried to destroy the runes on the pillar, thinking that if the inscription was broken then the spell itself with cancel out. However, whenever Zhang scratched out a part of the inscriptions the stone pillar would mend itself and appear brand new.

    Outside of the barrier, the beauties were launching a barrage of attacks of their own. Vaporizing rays of condensed light left trails of scorched earth wherever they went but when they struck the barrier they would be reflected and scatter all about.

    ¡°I can¡¯t do anything from the outside¡­¡± Yuying said as she examined the inscriptions on the pillars.

    Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.

    While the beauties were not successful in their attempts to free Zhang from the barrier, a thought popped up in his mind.

    ¡°I guess this could be counted as a life or death situation... ¡°Zhang mumbled as the dragon heart necklace that hung around his neck began to glow. A second later black flames ignited all around Zhang and coiled around his body in the shape of a dragon.

    Since the essence consumption of the black flames was massive, Zhang had been frugally storing away essence into the dragon heart necklace and promised to himself that he would only use the black flames when he was cornered and had no means of escape.

    With a flick of the wrist, the flames that swirled around Zhang¡¯s body shot into the air and soon a dragon comprised of black fire rammed into the barrier. The moment the black flames impacted the barrier a massive hole was formed.

    ¡°Yes!¡± Zhang yelled as a hint of hope of escape was presented before him.

    Not too far away from where Zhang was, deep in a mountain range were a group of a few thousand men in black cloaks. These thousands of cloaked men were sitting within a large glow magic circle and chanting in unison when suddenly one after the other they began to spray mists of blood from their mouths.

    ¡°Ho-how were they able to damage the formation, that is being powered by three thousand members of the Black Legion, in multiple areas and to such a large degree...¡± One of the cloaked men said as he wiped the blood off the corners of his mouth.

    ¡°Men of the Dark Legion! Begin the transfer incantation! Send these bastards to their graves!¡± Someone yelled, prompting all of the black cloaked men to begin chanting once more.

    As the black cloaked men chanted, the hole that Zhang had created in the barrier began to mend itself and in the blink of an eye the damage that was dealt was no longer visible. With furrowed brows, Zhang was one more enveloped in black flames.

    However, before he could attack again, the barrier began to emit a blinding light causing disorientation and confusion to ensue.

    Within a flash the barrier disappeared along with those enveloped within it, leaving only a large patch of barren earth behind and six stone pillars that once rose into the skies now laying in broken pieces on the ground.

    ¡°Wha-what!!! He was just here!¡± Ling cried as she ran to the pillar where Zhang has been just seconds ago.

    Soon a saddening wail echoed into the ears of everyone present.

    Ling¡¯s wailing was soon joined by Lingqi once she and Yuying also made their way to the stone pillar.

    ¡°Calm down, he''s not dead!¡± Yuying said as she calmly traded her hand against a piece of the stone pillar that was laying on its side.

    ¡°He¡¯s not?¡± Ling and Lingqi said in unison.

    ¡°This is a teleportation array, it simply sent everything within its boundaries somewhere else. Although this one is defective and can only work once, if I''m given enough time then I might be able to find out where it sent him.¡± Yuying said as she continued to examine the pillar.

    After hearing Yuying¡¯s words, Lingqi and Ling were no longer shedding tears and their eyes were no longer dull and filled with despair but were now filled with hope and resolution.

    ¡°The lot of you stop standing there like dead fish and set up camp! I want all of the inscriptions on these pillars recorded and given to me as soon as possible!¡± Yuying said in a domineering tone.

    Had she not known that this was a teleportation array and had she not possessed an unshakeable belief in her husband''s power then Yuying would have been exactly like the other beauties. But since she knew Zhang was alive, she had no time for tears because it was better spent figuring a way to find him.

    ¡°Wait¡­ Where''s Ai!!¡± Yuying yelled once she realized that Ai was nowhere in sight.

    While Zhang¡¯s wives and the majority of the army that accompanied him were frantically trying to figure out where he was sent and where the heck Ai is.

    Zhang found himself and everyone within the fort in a place with an entirely different terrain than the area they had been in before he was teleported away.

    ¡°What the heck just happened.¡± Zhang mumbled as he surveyed the area around him after jumping off his horse.

    ¡°Brother!!!¡± Ai¡¯s voice could be heard as Zhang felt a familiar scent enter his nostrils while something jumped into him.

    ¡°Ai! How are you here!?¡± Zhang asked with a perplexed look on his face, since Ai has been on the outside of the barrier when it was erected.

    ¡°It wouldn''t let me in so I punched it with all my strength, next thing I know there was a bright flash and I couldn''t see.¡± Ai said would rubbing her right fist.

    ¡°We¡¯re surrounded! We¡¯re surrounded!¡± Someone within the fort screamed before Zhang could comment on how Ai miraculous got into the barrier.

    Looking out through the fort gates Zhang could see countless blood red eyes that were filled with murderous intent.

    ¡°Cactus Dragons!¡± Zhang said in a loud startled voice as he gazed out into the army of green colored dragon like demonic beasts that were covered in thorns.

    ¡°Cactus Dragons?¡± Ai said as her head tile fed to the side.

    ¡°It seems we ended up in the middle of their territory and they aren''t too happy about it¡­¡± Zhang said with a sigh.

    ¡°All forces gather up! We are surrounded by a hoard of level six Cactus Dragons!¡± Zhang roared, trying to rally together his soldiers.

    The area outside of the fort was completely packed with hundreds of massive Cactus Dragons, luckily for Zhang, despite being called Cactus Dragons, these beasts are not really dragons at all.

    They are simply demonic plants who mimic the appears of dragons to scare away predators. However, despite not being dragons, these beasts are extremely territorial and since they grew to great sizes and lived in large groups, they are still very formidable enemies. There was also a very unique and overpowered ability that Cactus Dragon¡¯s possessed that made them very dangerous, upon death, their bodies will spawn more Cactus Dragons.

    ¡°My lord we have roughly five thousand men and enough provisions for a few days.¡± One of Zhang¡¯s lieutenants reported hurriedly.

    ¡°Dismantle every building and tent and gather anything that is flammable. We¡¯ll be needing them if we plan to hold out against these monsters.¡± Zhang said as he grasped Ai¡¯s hand tightly.

    For now, she was the only one who he can completely depend on and the only one that he was truly worried about.

    While Zhang¡¯s men were gathering flammables, a set or preying eyes were keeping watch of the fort from afar.

    ¡°Congratulations general on successfully sending the prince of Aurora to meet his demise. Now that his army is like a dragon without a head, a dragon that can be slain without much effort.¡± A man in a black cloak said with a laugh.

    ¡°Hahaha, once those Cactus Dragons do our work for us, we will take out his army and be greatly reward by his lordship.¡± Another man who was in a white cloak said with a laugh.

 Chapter 139: Three Calamities

    Strangely enough even though the Cactus Dragons were surrounding the fort Zhang, Ai and their men were in, none of them attacked.

    After a few hours of watching the Cactus Dragons to see if there were any movements or signs of attack, Zhang deemed it a waste of time.

    While assigning a few men to keep watch, Zhang ordered the rest to begin digging large pits within the fort. Once the pits were dug, Zhang withdrew a large quantity of oil kegs from his interspatial ring and had his men fill the pits with them.

    Zhang¡¯s next order was for all available food to be gathered to be stored away into his interspatial ring. By doing this he would be able to ration the food out to his soldiers while being able to prevent disputes regarding food amongst his men.

    In situations like this unity was an absolute must because who knows when they''d be attacked, by either the horde of Cactus Dragons or the enemies that had set up the teleportation array. So infighting was something Zhang was hoping to suppress.

    ¡°With traps prepared and food stored away, now I need to find possible ways to escape.¡± Zhang thought as he watched his men pitch camp for the night.

    ¡°Brother do you know where we are?¡± Ai asked as she sat down beside Zhang and leaned against his shoulder.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know but I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll find out soon.¡± Zhang replied as his arm wrapped around Ai¡¯s waist and pulled her in closer to him, trying to reassure her that everything would soon be fine.

    If one took pure battle prowess into consideration when ranking the four beauties, then Ai and Ling would probably outrank Yuying and Lingqi. However unlike Ling who was very resolute and hardheaded, Ai could be described as being very fragile.

    Without a past, for the most part, her life had somewhat revolved around her time with Zhang and Yuying, making these two her pillars of support. So if anything bad happened to either Zhang or Yuying then Ai¡¯s mind would more than likely fall into a state of panic.

    Despite her usual lofty and detached attitude to others, Ai was very reliant on Zhang and Yuying, so seeing this Zhang kept an especially close look over Ai.

    ¡°We¡¯ll be alright.¡± Zhang said softly as he rubbed his wife¡¯s shoulder.

    ¡°Yea we¡¯ll be alright.¡± Ai said in reply as a faint smile appeared on her face.

    While Zhang and Ai were sitting side by side and drifted into a world of their own the forces of the Dark Legion that were watching them from afar grew impatient.

    ¡°What the fuck is wrong with these stupid Cactus Dragons!? Aren¡¯t they supposed to be extremely territorial and attack people on sight?¡± The Dark Legion¡¯s general said as he furrowed his brows, he had expected for Zhang to be slaughtered by the horde of Cactus Dragons by now so he can move in and recover Zhang¡¯s head.

    Then with Zhang¡¯s head in his possession he would use it to demoralize Zhang¡¯s soldiers and after poisoning some wells and burning some land, Zhang¡¯s army would either retreat on their own or possess little to no moral and be easily defeated in battle.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what¡¯s wrong general Hei Ang, when we were setting up the teleportation array those things wouldn¡¯t stop attacking until we used the White Cloud Sleep Powder on them. But it effects should have worn off by now.¡± A man in a black cloak said.

    ¡°Damn it¡­ There¡¯s nothing we can do but wait now¡­¡±  Hei Ang said with a sigh.

    ¡°What¡¯s the situation on the front lines?¡± He also asked.

    ¡°After their prince was caught in the teleportation array the enemy erected a large fort and shows no signs of moving away from their position.¡±

    ¡°Good it seems they have no one capable of leading such a large force and are waiting for reinforcements to arrive and assume command.¡± Hei Ang said with a laugh as a grin appeared on his face.

    Little did he know, the reason as to why Zhang¡¯s army had erected the fort was to allow Yuying a safe place to study the runes on the teleportation array while blocking out possible the preying eyes of the enemy. So while behind a towering wall made of bound together logs, Yuying could be seen deciphering the inscriptions on the stone pillars.

    ¡°I¡¯ve found it!¡± She yelled joyfully after jotting down from notes onto a piece of paper.

    ¡°Where are they?¡± Ling and Lingqi asked with smiles on their faces.

    ¡°According to the coordinates inscribed on the teleportation array, he should be somewhere here.¡± Yuying said as she pointed to a map that was placed on a wooden table located by where she had been working.

    ¡°The Black Vine Province¡­ That should take about three weeks¡¯ time to get there if we do not run into any disturbances. Should I go tell the soldiers to pack up camp?¡± Lingqi said.

    ¡°No, even if we move now it¡¯ll take too long to get there. Three weeks would allow the enemy to pick up on our movements and layout ambushes. So now that we know where he is, we have to believe in his ability and move in a way that the enemy would not expect. We sweep through this province while heading southward, then move into the Black Vine Province from the southwest, by then we would have entered range to use the transmitters to contact them.¡± Yuying said.

    ¡°I agree, although I want to get to where he is as soon as possible if the enemy figures out the route we are taking then there will be bound to be ambushes set up. But moving as one group through this entire province will take too long so we should split the army into three groups and meet up there.¡± Ling said as she pointed to the map.

    ¡°Okay, then we¡¯ll meet here. I¡¯ll make sure these people regret what they¡¯ve done.¡± Lingqi said in an unhappy tone.

    ¡°Yea they¡¯ll regret it alright¡­¡± Yuying said as her face darkened.

    Soon after locating Zhang¡¯s location the three beauties began concocting battle strategies and dividing up their army. It could be said that a shroud of darkness and fear would soon cover the southern provinces because unlike their husband, the beauties were very radical and would stop at no means to accomplish what they set out to do, especially when it comes to Zhang.

    With the moon high in the sky hundreds of shadows sped out of the fort where Yuying, Ling and Lingqi were. These shadows were the thousand elite guards that Zhang and the beauties had trained.

    Like the wind, they sped through the forest with weapons drawn and bloodthirsty eyes. The task they were given was simple, they were to move out before the rest of the army and eliminate every person they come upon. This was to ensure that no information regarding their movement was described or given away.

    Whereas Zhang would have ordered everyone who could not be identified as a soldier to be captured, the beauties gave the order to kill all who are unfortunate enough to come across their path.

    With the elite guard out paving their way with blood, it did not take long before the Dark Legion to lose contact with their scouts that were stationed to keep an eye on the forces that were now under the command of the three beauties.

    Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.

    After setting off in three separate directions and hunting down the scouts of the Dark Legion one after the other, one of the beauties had stumbled upon a small enemy outpost set deep within the forest, far away from the main roads and hidden in a small valley.

    As they lost contact with many of their comrades a lot of the Dark Legion¡¯s scouts who became filled with the fear of death began to flee from their positions and gather in an easy to defend location. But sadly for them, the shadows of death had managed to trail them all the way to the outpost.

    ¡°Capture one of them and kill the rest. Burn the outpost and hang the bodies of the dead up on the trees.¡± Yuying commanded once the location of the outpost was reported to her.

    Once the order was given, five hundred elite guard surrounded the outpost and after a mere half an hour¡¯s work, every member of the Dark Legion within the outpost was sent to the Underworld, well besides one unlucky soul who happened to have the pleasure of being dragged before Yuying.

    With her hand pressed onto the captive¡¯s forehead and thousands of runes appearing on his body, Yuying was able to obtain the location of dozens of outposts in the area from her unwilling informant.

    ¡°Prepare the soldiers, our friend here has revealed the location of a highly fortified city a day¡¯s travel from here. Purple Rock City¡­.¡± Yuying said as a black spherical portal appeared behind her and ghostly purplish spider legs stepped out of it.

    ¡°It¡¯s been awhile since you¡¯ve had a meal, haven''t you Silky?¡± She said as her hand stroked Silky¡¯s smooth exoskeleton.

    By now Yuying¡¯s spell had been released and the eyes of her captive was filled with terror as a set of fangs pierced into his body. Before long he could feel his insides liquefied and consumed.

    Without a doubt, the Dark Legion had not included the beauties when formulating their plan to repel the forces of Aurora because they had basically unleashed three calamities on themselves the moment they separated Zhang from his wives.

    As the sun rose and the night ended, hundreds if not thousands of dried up corpses could be seen littering the forest¡¯s canopy as Yuying¡¯s army moved toward Purple Rock City.

    While Yuying was out looking for enemy outposts, Lingqi had sent her forces to locate all of the rivers and lakes in the area.

    ¡°Bring back enough water for a month¡¯s travel and pour this into the rivers and lakes.¡± She said as she handed her soldiers jars filled with dark purplish paste.

    She had figured that her time would be best utilized marching deeper into enemy territory so instead of directly wiping out enemy outposts, she poisoned all of the water sources in the area. Some may say that her method was extreme and ineffective because there was a chance that the enemy outposts possessing water sources of their own.

    However even if their water source was not infected by Ling¡¯s poison, the animals in the forest would surely be infected and when the men at the outpost eat these animals they surely would, in turn, become infected by the poison.

    A simple solution for the men hiding out at the outposts would be not to drink or eat but that wouldn¡¯t do them any good, so without a doubt, their fates were sealed.

    As environmentally friendly as Lingqi¡¯s methods were, the poison did not harm animals and would dissipate in water after roughly a month.

    Unlike the other two beauties, Ling had a much harder time locating or getting rid of enemy outposts because she possessed neither mind reading powers nor knowledge regarding poison, so it took her a bit more time to locate the enemy outposts in the area around her.

    But thankfully she had a little furry friend who a keen nose to help her find the most well-hidden outposts and through some torture, she even managed to locate a fortified enemy city like Yuying.

    When taking into consideration the number of outposts that had been wiped out, it could be said that half of the Dark Legion¡¯s scouting outposts that were set up in the Rainbow Rock Province had been taken out. Meaning their method of keeping an eye on the forces of Aurora was basically severed.

    But despite losing contact with half of their outposts, the commanders of the Dark Legion were more frustrated by the fact that the horde of Cactus Dragons would not attack the small fort Zhang was secluded in.

    Once sunlight had struck on the small fort Zhang was in, he began observing the Cactus Dragons once more with Ai by his side.

    ¡°Brother you think we should go poke one of them to see if they¡¯re dead?¡± Ai asked.

    ¡°Ha don¡¯t you remember what happened to those people who poked that azure dragon?¡± Zhang laughed.

    ¡°Well, these things aren¡¯t real dragons.¡± Ai said as she stuck her tongue out at Zhang.

    ¡°We¡¯ll wait another day and if they don¡¯t move I¡¯ll let you go poke one of them all you want. That¡¯s if they stick around long enough to be poked. Maybe if they aren¡¯t dead and we somehow beat them all then you can even keep on as a pet.¡± Zhang teased.

    ¡°But they aren¡¯t fluffy.¡± Ai said while pouting.

    ¡°Hahaha, I guess those things are too thorny to cuddle. I guess next time when we found a bear or something you can keep it.¡± Zhang said as he patted Ai¡¯s head.

    ¡°Ehhhhh, a bear¡­Don¡¯t want one.¡± She said while sticking her tongue out at him again.

    ¡°Gotcha.¡± Zhang grinned as he pinched Ai¡¯s tongue.

    Ai tried to speak but since Zhang was literally holding her tongue she all that could be heard were some indistinguishable sounds.

    Had the men of the Dark Legion seen how carefree Zhang and Ai were acting they would have most likely vomited up a mouth full of blood. However, smiles would soon appear on their faces because as Zhang and Ai were playing around the earth began to rumble. The stillness that had covered the land was erased as the horde of Cactus Dragons began to move.

    Deafening roars rang throughout the air as the hundreds of thorn covered Cactus Dragons go up from the ground and towered above the trees.

    ¡°Yes! It¡¯s finally happening!!!!¡± General Hei Ang of the Dark Legion army yelled in glee as the earth around him continued to shake while his eyes were focused on Zhang was. His eyes began to gleam even more as a bright red colored Cactus Dragon emerged from the horde of beasts.

    ¡°The queen!¡± He said energetically.

    Once the queen Cactus Dragon¡¯s appeared all of the other Cactus Dragons roared in unison announcing the arrival of their matriarch.

    ¡°Ahahahaha now all I have to do is wait until you''re dead and then collect your head.¡± Hei Ang laughed manically. Without a doubt, Hei Ang was filled with indescribable joy at the moment because of how long it took before the Cactus Dragon¡¯s moved.

 Chapter 140: Spell Formation

    While Hei Ang was watching with anticipation, Zhang¡¯s soldiers gathered behind the oil pits with torches in hand prepared to make a stand against the horde of beasts outside. As the rumbling and roars continued on, Zhang and Ai were standing hand in hand atop the wooden fort walls with a mixture of emotion in their eyes. On one part they filled anticipation for the chance of fighting the horde of Cactus Dragons while another part of them worried about how many of their soldiers may be killed.

    The main reason as to why Zhang had not tried to leave the fort yet was because he worried about the safety of his soldiers while another part of him also firmly believed that if it were just him and Ai then slaying a few Cactus Dragons and escaping wouldn¡¯t be impossible.

    ¡°Hey brother what¡¯s that one doing?¡± Ai ask as she pointed at the Queen Cactus Dragon while her legs dangled over the fortress walls.

    ¡°Don¡¯t know.¡± Zhang replied as squinted his eyes and focused the Queen Cactus Dragon while sitting beside Ai.

    The Queen Cactus Dragon had strangely dropped onto its knees and bowed its head on to the ground while giving off a low humming sound.

    ¡°Wh-why is it prostrating?¡± Hei Ang said in a shaken tone as he watched the Queen Cactus Dragon kneel and the all of its horde bowing.

    ¡°Something is wrong, go ready our men.¡± He said to his adjacent who was also watching what was happening with a dumbfounded expression on his face. Soon the many thousands of soldiers dressed in black cloaks sped through the forest and formed ranks where general Hei Ang was.

    While the Dark Legion was forming ranks, the Queen Cactus Dragon bit off a beautiful glowing red flower that was growing on her shoulder and placed it onto the ground before prostrating once more.

    ¡°I think it¡¯s giving us a peace offering.¡± Zhang said as he nudged Ai who was captivatingly looking at the red star shaped flower.

    ¡°Why would it do that.¡± Ai said with a perplexed look on her face.

    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s scared of you, like most animals are.¡± Zhang laughed.

    ¡°Maybe it is, only one way to find out though. I¡¯ll be right back!¡± Ai said as she slid down the fortress walls and landed on her feet before Zhang could stop her.

    ¡°Stay on guard I¡¯ll be back in a bit.¡± Zhang said to his soldiers while shaking his head before jumping off the ledge of the wall himself.

    ¡°I guess as crazy as it seems it¡¯s better than just sitting there and waiting to see what happens.¡± Zhang thought as he caught up to Ai with a pair of long swords gripped in his hands.

    As the Cactus Dragons saw Ai close in on them they began to emit low volume growls and screeches before moving back showing that they were reluctant to be near her for some reason. Soon all of the Cactus Dragons had retreated moved back a few feet, furthering their distance away from Ai, while their queen remained prostrating on the ground.

    ¡°Where are you all going!?¡± Ai yelled.

    Once Ai arrived at where the red star-shaped flower was the Queen Cactus Dragon was watching her with its huge red colored eyes. After a low howl, the Queen Cactus Dragon performed a single bow and turned around and walked into the forest, leaving a trail of fallen trees in her wake. Once their queen departed the horde of Cactus Dragon¡¯s soon followed her after they too bit off a star-shaped flower, creating a pile of green colored flowers atop the red one that the queen had left.

    ¡°I guess the fear that animals have for Ai has been taken to an entirely new level.¡± Zhang laughed as he watched Ai pick up the red colored star shaped flower.

    Although a number of factors could have attributed to the current situation, such as Zhang¡¯s black dragon flames that reside in his body or Ai¡¯s Queen of Night whip, that could have caused the Cactus Dragons to act the way they did. Since the black flames belonged to a true dragon and the Cactus Dragons were imitations they, of course, would be scared of it. There was also the Queen of the Night which is called the flower of kings and since Ai''s body was covered in its scent, other plant demonic beasts would surely be afraid of her.

    But Zhang naturally would claim it was due to her deposition with animals as the reason as to why the Cactus Dragon Horde was moving away, this was because he could use it to tease her later.

    ¡°Ge-ge-general, ho-how did they get those things to prostrate!? Those Cactus Dragons even gave them the Star Lilies that take a thousand years of growth to reach maturity. Those flowers are said to instantly heal wounds and even act to prolong youth. I heard they even help cure excessive blood vomiting which is a plague to many cultivators.¡± General Hei Ang¡¯s second in command said while stuttering.

    ¡°Tsk¡­ Have our forces move in and encircle them! I was a fool to wait for those stupid beasts to complete our task for us.¡± Hei Ang said with furrowed brows and a frown on his face. Shortly after he spoke two streams of blood trickled out from the sides of his mouth.

    Once the orders were passed down through the ranks the soldiers of the Dark Legion marched through the woods while raising their flags into the sky.

    ¡°Ai collect those and let¡¯s get back into the fort, it seems we have some more new friends.¡± Zhang said as he few thousands of flags fluttering in the sky and many more thousands of men slowly emerge from the woods.

    Even the path that was created by the Cactus Dragons had been filled in by soldiers with black cloaks draping over their bodies.

    ¡°I wonder how many people they brought there are so many flags.¡± Ai said as her gaze shifted from one place to the next while she and Zhang sped toward the fort.

    While Ai was curiously looking around, a broad smile appeared on Zhang¡¯s face as he found an opportunity to test out the extent of his power after stepping into the eighth level of cultivation. There had been techniques that had been shown to him by Yuying and Xin Tao that he could not use until he had reached the eighth level, that he was itching to try out.

    ¡°Change of plans you head back and keep an eye out on those in the fort, I¡¯ll go stretch my legs a bit and test out their strength so we can plan accordingly.¡± Zhang said to Ai with a grin as his cap began to emit a dark aura while his shadowed extended and a large scaly snake shot out and lifted Zhang into the air.

    With a mighty roar, the Abyssal Viper shot toward the soldiers of the Dark Legion with Zhang riding on top of its scale head.

    ¡°Hogging all of the fun again¡­¡± Ai said while pouting a bit, however since she was asked to keep the soldiers in the fort safe until Zhang had a bit of fun, she did not stop moving and continued heading toward the fort.

    ¡°Use the Heaven¡¯s Chaser Formation!¡± Hei Ang¡¯s voice echoed into the ears of his subordinates as Zhang neared them with weapons drawn.

    ¡°Those damn phony dragons might have left but I¡¯ll be showing off your head atop a spike soon enough.¡± Hei Ang said in a low tone as he watched his men enter formation and readied themselves to fight against Zhang and the massive Abyssal Viper.

    If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.

    The soldiers of the Dark Legion had formed a massive yin and yang shaped formation with their swords drawn as they charged toward Zhang. Like water, they evade the body of the massive Abyssal Viper that would have crushed them to mesh and reformed their formation and sent thousands of rays of light shooting out from their swords.

    ¡°So this is a living spell formation! To think I would see this here!¡± Zhang said delightfully as dozens of weapons appeared around him and floated in the air.

    Usually, spell formations were only practiced by large sects who generally resided in large kingdoms. Since the Warring States Region was comprised entirely of tens of provinces and war was waged without end, large sects avoided building their foundations within it because the last thing they wanted was to be dragged into senseless wars which would only serve to slow down the growth of their sects.

    So since there were no large sects within the Warring States Region, Zhang figured that the spell formation being formed in front of him would not by a high level one, which would make it perfect practice if he happened to find himself caught in a spell formation when traveling outside of the Warring States Region.

    ¡°Heaven Chaser Activate!¡± The cloaked soldiers of the Dark Legion yelled in unison as the rays of light from their swords concentrated into a single point in the air and formed into a giant translucent sword that looked big enough to slice mountains in half.

    While jumping off the head of the Abyssal Viper, with a thought Zhang made the massive snake tower into the sky. Upon receiving Zhang¡¯s command, the Abyssal Viper¡¯s jaws unlatched and lashed out at the giant sword that was descending from the skies.

    Sadly, the Abyssal Viper was fundamentally not very strong and was disintegrated upon touched the giant translucent sword.

    As his Abyssal Viper disintegrated, Zhang landed onto one of the clocked soldiers of the Dark Legion and his twin blades pierced through the unlucky man¡¯s body.

    Once their target landed the soldiers of the Dark Legion changed the shape of their formation and created three rings comprising of many hundreds of men who were in constant motion with their swords pointed toward Zhang.

    They had basically formed a giant bullseye symbol with Zhang in the center. With a thought Zhang¡¯s weapons that were levitating around him shot in random directions and impaled a dozen or so cloaked men.

    ¡°So to break the formation I have to quickly cut my way out before the giant sword descends and before they can react to my movements.¡± Zhang thought as he charged through the spell formation

    While Zhang was trying to figure out how to break through human spell formations, Ai had made it back to the fort and made countless black vines pierce through the earth and encase the fort.

    As Ai¡¯s essence reverberated in the air and the black vines released their aura, the horde of Cactus Dragons that were quite a distance away began to roar loudly before speeding up their pace and fleeing.

    Although Zhang was killing one cloaked soldier after the other, he could not stop the spell formation because once he killed someone another would fill that person¡¯s place. Of course, he was in no immediate danger but it was only a matter of time before the massive sword piercing through would impact the ground m and who knows what kind of damage that could do.

    ¡°Heaven¡¯s Wrath!¡± Zhang roared as he pointed one of his swords into the sky and sent a large lightning bolt snaking upward.

    The Lightning was naturally faster than the translucent sword and ascended into the skies before dealer dispersing in a cloud.

    As the cloud began to crackle, streaks of lightning danced through the skies as countless lightning bolts rained down.

    It was without a doubt that the lightning bolts lacked the power to destroy the translucent sword but it would cause devastating damage to the Dark Legion¡¯s soldiers below.

    ¡°We can have some more fun later¡± Zhang mumbled as he tried to make his way out of the spell formation while lightning randomly struck the ground around him.

    ¡°Maybe it''s because they aren''t proficient at it or this spell formation is not strong but it''s too slow.¡± Zhang thought. It was obvious the translucent sword that was materialized due to the spell formation was very powerful since it was constructed by the combined might of thousands of people, but no matter how powerful something is if it doesn''t hit its target then it''s pretty much useless.

    ¡°Disperse!¡± All of the dark legion¡¯s soldiers in the spell formation yelled as the massive translucent sword they conjured broke up into hundreds of thousands of smaller swords and tries to negate the rain of lightning.

    ¡°So it can do things like that too, maybe if I can capture their commander and make him teach it to my men.¡± Zhang thought as an Abyssal Viper appeared out from his shadow and snaked out of the spell formation.

    ¡°Reform ranks! Give me a damage report!¡± Hei Ang ordered his soldiers who had been showered by lightning moments ago.

    ========================================================================

    While Zhang was experiencing new things, Yuying¡¯s army had surrounded Purple Rock City.

    ¡°Your highness all of our men are in place and are awaiting orders.¡± A soldier reported to Yuying who was sitting atop of throne made entirely of bones.

    ¡°Good.¡± She said as her throne rose into the air as a column of bones appeared underneath it. With a thought, Yuying made countless bones rose into the sky and formed a massive bony fist that shot through the air.

    The soldiers within Purple Rock City looked in horror as the giant fist smashed into their city wall, however, contrary to their expectations the bone fist did not do very much damage to the wall at all. The only thing it did was leave thousands of bones embedded into the side of the wall.

    ¡°Tree of Death.¡± Yuying said in a low tone as the bones that were embedded into the wall began to grow like the roots of a tree. As they grew the bones began to connect and intertwine with one another until a large tree trunk was formed within the city walls.

    ¡°Everyone off the walls!¡± The soldiers atop the walls screamed as bony branches pierced through the stone blocks that the wall was made out of. Tens of minutes later an eerie tree of bones replaced a section of the city walls.

    ¡°Move in! Kill everyone!¡± Yuying commanded with a cold expression in her eyes before her throne made of bones arrived before another section of the city wall.

    By the time Yuying was done, four trees of bones had spawned out of the city walls and her army had already swarmed into the city.

 Chapter 141: The Seige

    Once Yuying¡¯s army moved into the city they proceeded to cut everyone down without discrimination, no matter if the person was trying to surrender or was without a weapon. Of course, not everyone will be killed on sight because Yuying had commanded her men to bring a single survivor so she could extract information from them once the information was extracted the person would be released and allowed to leave. By leaving a single survivor, Yuying would send fear into the hearts of all those who will face her in the future, possibly enough fear for them to surrender without putting up a fight.

    By the end of the day corpses were piled up so high that formed a small mountain that rose over the city walls, or well what¡¯s left of the city walls. After the mountain of corpses was burned and their bones added to Yuying¡¯s arsenal, the Purple Rock city was sacked and burned to the ground.

    Although sacking and burning cities would prove to be counter effective after assuming control of the province, by doing so she would by sending a message to all of the other cities in the province.

    ¡°Surrender or everyone dies.¡±

    There was also the fact that if she took prisoners she would have to keep them fed and have some of her soldiers keep watch over them, which would only serve to slow down the progress of her army.

    While Yuying would soon be viewed as evil reincarnated, Ling¡¯s reputation would not be any better.

    Just like Yuying, Ling¡¯s army had also surrounded a fortified enemy city. Thousands of barrels filled to the rim with water had been transported by Ling¡¯s soldiers and placed behind Ling as her gaze was focused on the city in front of her.

    With a thought essence enveloped Ling¡¯s entire body and the barrels of water, causing countless gallons of water to form a pillar underneath her feet and lifting her into the air. Using her strongest technique, Ling made thousands upon thousands of droplets of water dance around her and began bending the sun¡¯s rays to her will.

    Without any other cultivators to interrupt her, Ling was like an angel of death who brought down light to expel those who went against heaven¡¯s will. It did not take long for the light show of death to begin as dozens of rays of light scorched the ground and melted the city walls. Any unlucky soul who just so happened to be touched by the rays of light were instantly set ablaze, had their limbs severed or burned to ashes. Wooden buildings could catch fire while stone buildings were cut to pieces as the rays of death moved from place to place.

    Aided by the power of the sun itself, Ling¡¯s soldiers easily made their way into the city that they surrounded with weapons drawn and bloodthirsty eyes. Much like Yuying¡¯s soldiers, Ling¡¯s soldiers were given the order to cut down everyone and not no prisoners. Once everyone in the city was slain and the city was sacked of its food, weapons, and wealth, it would be burned to the ground.

    While Yuying and Ling were leaving a trail of death and destruction behind them, Zhang and Ai were surrounded by hundreds of thousands of soldiers from the Dark Legion. After Zhang broke out of their spell formation and returned to the fort, the hundreds of thousands of men of the Dark Legion proceeded to set up a massive spell formation that projected a barrier over a vast area of land.

    But due to their previous failure with the Heaven¡¯s Chaser Formation, the Dark Legion chose to not attack. Hei Ang figured that he would wait until Zhang¡¯s army ran out of provisions and were weakened by hunger before he would move in.

    With the Dark Legion¡¯s barrier in place and nowhere to go, Zhang, Ai and their army could only wait within the fort as hours turned into days.

    As the number of days that Zhang and Ai were trapped in the barrier went on, Lingqi had managed to locate a fortified enemy city to siege like the Yuying and Ling. However, unlike the other two who were deemed as demons, Lingqi¡¯s method of conquest would be viewed as benevolent.

    After her army surround, the city Lingqi converted her soldiers into an orchestra, the likes no one has ever seen before. With a few of her soldiers burning a hallucinogenic plant that Lingqi had found in the air and the wind carrying it into the city, her orchestra began playing a tone of defeat and surrender.

    Once the hallucinogenic smoke kicked in and the saddening tone seeped into their hearts, the soldiers within the city began to toss down their weapons and fall into a state of despair allowing Lingqi to capture the city without having to kill a single person or destroy a single building.

    With the city under her control, Lingqi had her soldier disperse her medical pills to all of her new captives before adding them to her own army. Through the use of addictive drugs, she was able to gain undying loyalty and bolster her army. Of course, she did mention giving them the antidote after the Rainbow Rock Province was completely taken over, but even if she didn¡¯t use drugs, compared to the others Lingqi could be considered a saint.

    While Yuying, Ling, and Lingqi were making amazing progress through the Rainbow Rock Province, the other forces of Aurora were also on the move.

    For the most part, the other forces of Aurora had been running into one obstacle after the other as they headed deeper into the southern territories because the southern alliance was not simply sitting around and waiting for the soldiers of Aurora to march in front of their doorsteps.

    Many soldiers from the provinces that were further south were sent to the front lines to repel Aurora¡¯s forces, at first it was not much of an issue but over time as the Southern Alliance¡¯s numbers continued to swell while Aurora¡¯s armies began to shrink.

    With that being said, not all of the armies under Aurora¡¯s banner shrank. The army that was led by Zhuge Liang and Gan Ning had actually increased in size by twenty-five percent due to many of Zhuge Liang¡¯s spies leading men to join them as they headed down south.

    So of course victory and defeat were still yet to be decided because the scale of this war was simply too big to completely comprehend and there were too many factors at play. While one of Aurora¡¯s armies may have suffered defeated, another one would achieve victory as the same went for the Southern Alliance.

    Although most of the forces of Aurora were facing a disadvantage because the southern provinces had put together a united front, there was a hidden blessing that would fall into their laps. If they managed to crush the armies of the Southern Alliance, then they would be able to march south undeterred.

    This is obviously because all of the soldiers that could be spared in the south had been sent to the front lines, leaving many of the southern provinces with little to no manpower.

    Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.

    =====================================================================

    After five or six days, the Dark Legion began regularly sending raiding parties toward the fort Zhang and Ai were in. Their goal was to disturb Zhang and his soldiers and wear them down over time, much like what Gan Ning had done when he fought against the Heavenly Sword Army.

    Small fires were started to set the fort¡¯s wooden walls ablaze, unruly yelling and screaming disrupted the silence of the night to prevent Zhang and his soldiers from getting sleep while a variety of other methods were also tried.

    However, this harassment did not go unpunished because Ai would occasionally appear on the walls with her black whip in hand and send devastating lashes smashing into the ground or the unlucky souls who were annoying her. There were also times when she did not use her whip and opted to practice her archery, which left many people with arrows sticking out of their knees.

    Zhang, of course, would occasionally appear also and practice shooting bolts of red colored lightning at people.

    Thanks to Zhang¡¯s rationing his army was well equipped to survive for roughly a month on the supplies they had at hand, so as the days went on Hei Ang¡¯s impatience continued to grow.

    At first, he had thought that getting rid of Zhang would be a walk in the park and would serve as a stepping stone for him to rise in fame and power once he returned home. However, his plans initial plans had played out entirely different than from what he had planned and nothing had gone entirely right since, prompting a mixture of unwanted emotions to swirl in his mind.

    ¡°Dammit, how can they have so many supplies when we teleported them before their supply unit could enter the for?! Have our forces move in! I¡¯ll have his head today! Argh!¡± Hei Ang finally bellowed as his patience was expended after waiting roughly ten days and not seeing Zhang nor Ai experience any signs of fatigue or hunger.

    Some may wonder how would he know this if he was not inside the fort himself, but the answer was simple. After the seventh day of being stuck inside the fort Zhang and Ai would appear atop the fort walls every day and do what couples did, cuddling, making out and talking.

    Watching how the two were doing only further served to infuriate Hei Ang and thinned his patience.

    ¡°Hey, brother look I think they¡¯re finally moving in.¡± Ai said as she saw the Dark Legion begin to mobilize.

    ¡°Good, although they outnumber us and our soldiers would be wiped out if we marched outside, if they come to us then instead of fighting their entire army we would only have to fight the ones that make it up the walls.¡± Zhang said with a smile. For the main reason as to why he had not left the fort in the last few days in an attempt to break out of the enemy encirclement was because if he waited for the enemy to siege the fort, they won¡¯t be able to use their spell formations atop the fort walls, which would, in turn, allow his soldiers a much higher survival rate.

    ¡°Everyone! To the walls! Prepare for the enemy siege! Today they¡¯ve come to us to seek death and tomorrow we will live on to celebrate our victory!¡± Zhang roared to his men below who had been lazing around for the last couple days.

    ¡°You heard his highness! Everyone suit up!¡± Some of Zhang¡¯s soldiers said to their subordinates.

    ¡°If they use that spell formation they did the other day, you''re going to have to use the final form of the whip to stop it. Or maybe you can punch it.¡± Zhang said with a laugh as he turned toward Ai.

    With a nod from Ai, the couple watched as the soldiers of the Dark Legion formed ranks and began marching toward them as thousands of banners fluttered in the sky.

    Once the Dark Legion neared the fort, hundreds of Zhang¡¯s soldiers who were clad in shiny black armor appeared atop the fort walls with sword and shield in hand, as Zhang¡¯s black banner with a golden dragon head rose into the air.

    Although vastly numbered, Zhang¡¯s soldiers did not show fear because the only thing running through their minds was to fight and survive. Much like the mindset of a cornered beast who is left without a way of escape, Zhang¡¯s soldiers bared their fangs and claws and prepared to find a way to salvation through a sea of death.

    ¡°ATTACK!!!!!!¡± The Dark Legion¡¯s various commanders bellowed, initiating a charge consisting of hundreds of thousands of men in black cloaks while dozens of siege ladders and battering rams could be seen in their hands.

    Atop the fort walls, Zhang pointed his finger out toward the incoming army and in a flash, a bolt of red lightning shot out from the tips of his fingers.

    The red lightning snaked through the air before impaling a soldier who was a part of a group of men who were carrying a battering ram. Once the lighting passed through its first victim it proceeded to travel to the next person and the person after that and the person after that, until it¡¯s energy dissipated and dozens of corpses were left charred on the ground.

    It did not take long for many more bolts of red lightning to shoot out of Zhang¡¯s hands leaving large gaps in the enemy ranks. But of course, these ranks would be quickly filled in by people moving forward from the rear.

    There were simply too many enemies for Zhang defeat by himself so before long many siege ladders were latched onto the sides of the fort walls as many more soldiers began to scale them.

    ¡°Pour the hot oil!¡± One of Zhang¡¯s men yelled as sizzling hot oil soon flowed down the enemy siege ladders or splashed onto the faces of the men climbing up some of the ladders.

    Being splashed by the hot oil did not mean death, however, losing grip of the ladder and falling down surely did, either the height would bring about the end or by being trampled to death by men who were swarming in front of the fort walls.

    ¡°Unlatch the ladders!!¡± Another one of Zhang¡¯s soldiers yelled as some of them tried to detach the siege ladders that were hooked to the walls by hacking at them. Once a siege ladder was detached from the wall it would mean death for most of the people who were scaling it and those unlucky enough to be crushed by them as they fell from the sky.

    Had Zhang possessed a more sizable force then he would have no problem defending the fort, but since the enemy outnumbered him so much it was only a matter of time before enough of them made it up the walls to overwhelm his soldiers.

    But for now, Zhang¡¯s men fought valiantly and making sure the no enemies step foot atop the walls. Systematically they stabbed one enemy after the other without showing any signs of fatigue at all, however, the battle had just begun and would surely be hard fought.

 Chapter 142: Lee Ming

    Heya folks O_O heres a new chapter for you all o___o hope you are all well.

    ================================================================================================

    At first, Zhang¡¯s soldiers held an absolute advantage over the Dark Legion¡¯s troops who were trying to scale the walls, however as the enemy continued to ascend the ladders without end the soldiers of Aurora soon found themselves overwhelmed by the enemy¡¯s numbers.

    Unlike their master who had an unlimited supply of stamina thanks to the Underworld Heart, Zhang¡¯s soldiers slowly found themselves sapped of strength while new enemies kept appearing before them.

    Had it not been for the fact that Zhang and Ai each took command of a wall while the elite guard mixed in with the regular soldiers on the other two walls then the fort would have fallen in no time at all.

    As a steady flow of enemy soldiers climb up the siege ladders, others were busy using siege rams to try and knock down the fort¡¯s gates.

    Thankfully Zhang had the foresight to reinforce the gates with sturdy logs and use the Underworld Heart to seal the gates shut.

    ¡°Quickly! Their forces are dwindling! Up the ladders!¡± Many of the soldiers of the Dark Legion roared to their subordinates.

    However, to their dismay, Zhang¡¯s shadow expanded and hundreds of shadowy figures rose out from the endless darkness.

    Abyssal beasts of all shapes and sizes pounces and clawed at the soldiers of the Dark Legion as the battle was further pushed into chaos.

    As more of their comrades began to fall and as their limbs began numb, Zhang¡¯s soldiers who were pushed to the brink of life and death seemed more like ravaging beasts of slaughter instead of people.

    If their swords broke they would use their fists and legs, when they could no longer feel their fists and legs they would use their teeth. That is to say, if they could not pick up one of the many weapons lying about on the ground.

    While the soldiers were fighting with everything they had, Ai was cutting down one person after the other with a sword dripping with blood in hand. Instead of using her ships which would expend a lot of unnecessary amounts of energy and essence, she chose to wield the same sword that she had used to cut down countless soldiers of the heavenly sword army.

    Besides the risk of possibly knocking down the fort walls by accident, there was also the fact that they did not know if the enemy had any experts hidden in their ranks.

    After hours of endless fighting, the sun slowly began to set and the Dark Legion ceased its siege of the fort. Scaling the ladders once the sun set and trying to siege the fort would only further increase their casualties needlessly so they opted to encircle the fort and resume the siege once the sun rose.

    ¡°The first day is over!¡± Some of Zhang¡¯s soldiers managed to yell in a cheer.

    ¡°All of you go get some rest and prepare dinner! They''ll be  back here tomorrow.¡± Zhang said with a sigh as he watched the enemy soldiers retreat as a glint suddenly appeared in his eyes.

    ¡°You think you can control the beginning and end of the battle?¡± He thought with a chuckle as dozens of Abyssal beasts charged over the side of the walls and began to attack the retreating soldiers down below.

    Soon after one red colored thunderbolt after the other shot out from the tips of Zhang¡¯s fingers.

    While his soldiers were patching each other up, preparing meals, gathering up the dead and fine tuning their weapons and armor, Zhang continued to shoot lightning bolts into the night.

    By doing so he made it so that the enemy could not set up camp close to the fort or else they risk being hit by lightning.

    ¡°They''ll probably attempt to disrupt our sleep at night, but tell everyone not to worry and just rest.¡± Zhang said to one of his men who''s as standing beside him atop the fortress walls.

    ¡°Brother it''s time for dinner.¡± Ai said as she brought him a tray of food while the soldier who Zhang was talking to departed to tell the others what he was told.

    ¡°They killed all of the Abyssal Beasts I sent out.¡± Zhang said as hundreds of figures rose out of the shadows around him.

    ¡°Dig.¡± With a single order, all of the red-eyed Abyssal Beasts leaped off the walls and headed toward a large hole in the middle of the fort. For the last couple days Zhang had been summoning Abyssal Beast using the Cape of the Abyss, to dig a tunnel for his army to escape with, but since only a few days had past the tunnel was not very deep and would not take them very far.

    ¡°If we can¡¯t fly out or break out then we will dig out.¡± Zhang said as he sat down and began eating the food Ai brought for him.

    ¡°Have you had another to eat yet?¡± He asked his wife.

    ¡°Not hungry yet.¡± Ai said with a yawn.

    With a silly grin on his face, Zhang moved beside Ai and picked up some food with his chopsticks.

    ¡°Open wide.¡± He said with a smile as he lifted his chopsticks in front of Ai mouth.

    Thus began Zhang and Ai¡¯s meal together, soon after that essence water was given out to all of the soldiers while Zhang had his Abyssal Beasts dig out a series of large trenches around the fort.

    ¡°My lord, of our five thousand men defending the fort a total of roughly a thousand hundred were killed while another five hundred were injured.¡± One of Zhang¡¯s soldiers reported to him.

    Since a total of a thousand and five hundred men were either incapacitate or dead, roughly thirty percent of his forces were unfit for battle and only after the first day of the siege.

    ¡°Damn¡­. It''ll take another few days for the tunnel to be finished, by that time there won''t even be an army to escape with¡­¡± Zhang said with a frown as he heard the report.

    ¡°There''s nothing we can do but continue digging the tunnel and continue defending the walls. Unless we decide to charge out.¡± Ai said with a not so happy expression on her face as she looked toward where the soldiers were.

    ¡°If only I didn''t give the Ruler¡¯s Domain to Yuying, I would be able to have everyone enter it and then break out of here.¡± Zhang said with a sigh as he stood beside Ai.

    Although he was unhappy about the current predicament they were caught in, there was nothing that Zhang could do besides defending the fort until the last man or doing a suicide charge outside and try to break out of the encirclement. Either choice would probably lead to the death of his soldiers so Zhang was at a loss and did not know what to do.

    Suddenly Zhang¡¯s eyes lit up and a plan began to form in his mind.

    ==================================

    After a not so restful night, the second day of the siege began and the countless soldiers of the Dark Legion once more began scaling the fort walls. Despite the option of lighting the wooden walls on fire or using a large scale spell formation, General Hei Ang ordered his soldiers to simply overwhelm Zhang¡¯s forces by their numerical superiority.

    This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    This was because if they light the fortress on fire there was a chance of burning Zhang¡¯s body to the point where no one could recognize it. If no one could recognize that t was Zhang¡¯s head atop a spike being paraded around, then General Hei Ang would not be able to demoralize the forces of Aurora.

    If Zhang¡¯s main forces did not believe their master had fallen in battle then their moral would not be affected, rather they would feel that their master was being mocked and the Southern Alliance would only end up feeling their wrath. Of course, General Hei Ang failed to realize that regardless of whether he did succeed in killing Zhang or not the outcome would be the same.

    If he killed Zhang then the beauties would fall into an even more maddened killing spree and no one would be spared, if he did not kill Zhang but lied and said he did then they would still fall into a maddened killing spree.

    So as the sun peaked out of the horizon and began to ascend to the sky, the Dark Legion made its way toward the small fort once more. Those in the front of the army were not too eager to move forward while those in the rear were watching in anticipation.

    ¡°All forces attack! Archers provide cover!¡± General Hei Ang commanded.

    Oddly enough once General Hei Ang¡¯s soldiers made it to the fort there was no form of resistance like the previous day. There were no soldiers atop the walls nor any arrows shot into the skies, only an eerie silence.  Even when the siege ladders latched onto the fort walls there was no sign of Zhang¡¯s men inside the fort.

    However, the moment the soldiers of the Dark Legion made it to the top of the fort walls a thick black mist bursted out of the fortress gates and cloaked the surrounding area in darkness. For a fleeting second, all vision was lost and darkness enveloped everyone near the fort.

    Within the black mist hundreds of blood, red eyes shone in the darkness and hundreds of the soldiers of the Dark Legion were cut to pieces by sharp claws belonging to Zhang¡¯s Abyssal Beasts. Under the cover of darkness where no light could reach a bloody battle ensued and many met their end.

    However, when the black mist faded away and the sun¡¯s light was no longer blocked the soldiers of the Dark Legion found many of their allies wounded and dead but no signs of Zhang¡¯s forces at all. When they gazed inside the fort there was no one in sight, only a series of four tunnels dug into the ground. Afraid of being ambushed they no one dared to enter any of the four tunnels until they were commanded to by General Hei Ang when he arrived.

    ¡°General, all four tunnels lead to dead ends and show signs of being caved in by the enemy.¡± A soldier of the Dark Legion reported to General Hei Ang after search parties were sent into the tunnels and found nothing.

    ¡°Dammit! Have all of our men scout the area and report back if they see any signs of the enemy.¡± General Hei Ang said with an angry expression on his face.

    Soon after many thousands of men broke up into large groups and began to comb the area in search of Zhang and his troops.

    Little did Hei Ang know, he his army had slightly increased in size once they had arrived at the fort. Mixed into the thousands of black cloaked men of the Dark Legion were two familiar faces and a few thousand of their subordinates.

    ¡°Hey brother, when should we try to sneak away?¡± Ai whispered while she and Zhang who were both dressed as soldiers of the Dark Legion were out combing the woods with the rest of the Dark Legion.

    Zhang had ordered all of his men scavenge armor and black cloaks off the corpses of the soldiers who had been slain during the battle that took place the day prior. Once they donned the armor and black cloaks, it was next to impossible to differentiate between Zhang¡¯s soldiers and the real soldiers of the Dark Legion.

    So using the black mist and Abyssal Beasts to cause confusion amongst the enemy¡¯s ranks, Zhang, Ai, and their men were able to blend in with the enemy. Ironically afterward they were ordered to set out in search of themselves.

    ¡°No, if we try to escape then there¡¯s still a chance of being caught. If we stick with them, then we have a higher chance of running into the others. Also, some of our men are injured and had been taken to the enemy¡¯s infirmaries.¡± Zhang whispered back to Ai. Although there was a chance of escaping if they hid away while they were mixed in with the search parties, Zhang felt if they stayed within the Dark Legion there would be opportunities to aid his main forces later on. There was also the fact that five hundred of Zhang¡¯s men were injured, meaning their movements would be slowed drastically if they tried to leave.

    The search for Zhang and his army went on well into the night but with no leads at all the Dark Legion¡¯s soldiers were ordered to return to camp, which would prove to be another obstacle in Zhang¡¯s plan to hide within the ranks of the Dark Legion.

    As Zhang, Ai and their followers entered the massive camp of the Dark Legion, they found themselves lost and were wondering the camp like fools.

    ¡°Damn¡­ We need to find some vacant tents that don¡¯t have owners¡­ You guys disperse and lay low.¡± Zhang cursed as he commanded his men to split up and scatter amongst the enemy camp. Staying together would only serve to draw too much attention to themselves.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go. Stick close.¡± Zhang said quickly as he held onto Ai¡¯s hand after his men dispersed.

    Zhang now had to keep Ai especially close to him because if anyone in the camp found out she was a woman then there would be disastrous consequences, fact being everyone in the Dark Legion was a man and an enemy. But mostly because everyone in the camp was a man besides Ai.

    ¡°Hey you there!¡± A voice called out as Zhang and Ai were combing through the countless rows of tents. Looking back a man in his mid-twenties could be seen gesturing at Zhang.

    ¡°Sir what can I do for you?¡± Zhang replied as he gripped Ai¡¯s hand, signaling for her not to talk. He had also spoke in a polite manner just in case the man calling to him was someone of superior rank in the Dark Legion.

    ¡°Haven¡¯t I seen you somewhere before?¡± The man asked.

    ¡°Is that you brother!? It¡¯s been ages since we last me.¡± Zhang said with a happy expression on his face as he tried to claim that he knew the man.

    ¡°Brother Lee? Is that you?¡± The man asked with a smile.

    ¡°Yea it¡¯s me! How did you not recognize me?¡± Zhang said with a laugh. Before no time at all Zhang had made the man who had called him out believe that he was a man named Lee Ming and was on his way. Using Lee Ming as his identity Zhang was able to find out some information regarding the structure of the enemy¡¯s camp.

    Using his newly found knowledge Zhang was able to find a vacant tent for himself and Ai in no time at all, and was able to blend in with the other soldiers of the Dark Legion.

 Chapter 143: Blending In

    For those who did not see the map here it is :D will try to have a new chapter of either Ds or Ascending tonight maybe o_o I''ll try T_T

    ============================================================================

    Many days had passed since Zhang and his people had infiltrated the Dark Legion, and as the days went on he had been able to acquire quite a bit of information from his interactions with the soldiers within the camp.

    He found out that he was not in the Rainbow Rock Province but was actually in the Black Vine Province. The Dark Legion had planned to take care of Zhang before joining their allies, the Rainbow Rock Army, in dealing with Zhang¡¯s main army.

    However, as they were surrounding the fort Zhang was in, news arrived from the Rainbow Rock Province informing them that Yuying, Ling, and Lingqi who were ravaging through the Rainbow Rock Province and the Rainbow Rock Army was suffering massive casualties. This prompted Hei Ang to begin his initial assault on the fort so he could go aid the Rainbow Rock Army.

    But of course, things ended up horribly for Hei Ang because Zhang and his men had disappeared off the radar and could not be found. One may wonder how it is possible for Zhang and his men to blend into the Dark Legion without being found but the answer is simple.

    Zhang had found out that the Dark Legion numbered roughly one hundred and eighty thousand men after all of the losses that they had suffered during the siege. With one hundred and eighty thousand different people, even with captains and commanders in place, it is definitely impossible to remember everyone since they were all dressed in standard armor and had black cloaks on.

    There was also the fact that after a few days of searching and being unable to find any trace of Zhang, the Dark Legion began moving toward the Rainbow Rock Province to provide aid to their allies, so since they were marching from one place to the next it became much harder to keep track on all of their men.

    ¡°Brother you need to get us jobs in the food transport.¡± Ai said as she and Zhang were marching in the midst of thousands of Dark Legion soldiers.

    ¡°Why is that?¡± Zhang asked, not knowing what Ai was getting at.

    ¡°So we don¡¯t have to walk¡­ This wrap is making it hard to breathe and all this walking is so tiring. I heard the food transport people get to use horse-drawn carts.¡± Ai said with a sigh.

    ¡°I¡¯ll see what I can do once we reach Red Thorn City.¡± Zhang said with a laugh.

    After leaving the Forest of Thorns, the Dark Legion had been on the march for roughly ten days and were heading toward the Black Vine Province¡¯s most westward city, Red Thorn City. This meant that for the last ten days, Ai and Zhang had to march on foot like all of the other foot soldiers of the Dark Legion.

    So for Ai, who was used to sitting in a comfy carriage or riding a horse when the army moved, the last ten days have been a test of patience. Ai also had to wrap her chest tightly with cloth so that no one noticed her lush hills while she masqueraded as a soldier of the Dark Legion which made it very uncomfortable for her to walk around.

    ¡°Had there not been so many people around, I¡¯d give you a piggyback ride.¡± Zhang said with a laugh as he whispered to Ai.

    While Zhang and Ai were talking to each other they caught the attention of a few soldiers who were marching nearby.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you think those two are awfully close?¡± One soldier asked.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you know? That¡¯s Brother Lee Ming and Brother Shu Ai, I heard they even share the same tent.¡± Another soldier said as he looked at Zhang and Ai from the corner of his eye.

    ¡°You don¡¯t mean they¡¯re¡­¡± The other soldier said.

    ¡°You want to find out? Maybe they¡¯ll let you join in on the fun.¡±

    ¡°Maybe I will.¡± The other soldier said as he licked his lips, causing a shiver to run down his friend¡¯s spine.

    For the most part besides appearing to be into men, Zhang and Ai did not stand out very much amongst the thousands of soldiers of the Dark Legion. In fact, Zhang had actually been able to befriend some of them, who in turn have taught him various spell formations and techniques.

    Although it may seem odd that Zhang had to be taught spell formations while being under the guise of being a soldier of the Dark Legion, it turns out that there was actually a portion of the Dark Legion that consisted entirely of new recruits that had been drafted due to Aurora¡¯s invasion. So this meant that mixed in with the well-trained soldiers who knew how to perform spell formations were new recruits who were basically meant to be placed at the front of the army to wear the enemy down.

    After marching for nearly half of the day, massive walls came into Zhang¡¯s view as he looked into the distance. Of course, these walls were not as tall as the hundred feet tall walls of Red Mist City, however, they easily towered over fifty feet and had beautiful flags with Red Roses draping down from above.

    ¡°The lot of you, make sure to not cause any trouble while in the city or else the general will have your heads.¡± The captains within the Dark Legion said to their men as the army neared the city.

    ¡°Everyone is to report to Red Thorn City¡¯s central barracks before nightfall or else you will be deemed a deserter and will face the military law.¡± The captains also said.

    Since the Dark Legion were reinforcements sent from another province to aid the provinces in the frontlines, they had to act carefully and avoid causing trouble or else risk being attacked by the very allies they had come to aid.

    In part this was due to the fact that the southern region was not truly united in order to stop Aurora¡¯s advance. The lords of the south had warred with each other for many generations, meaning feuds and grudges were more than one can count which in turn made it extremely hard for any of them to truly trust each other. Also as humans, desires such as greed and lust were highly influential and if Aurora offered enough incentive there was a chance of defection.

    There was also the fact that currently only the provinces that bordered Aurora were being attacked, prompting many lords to only send a fraction of their forces as aid. So instead of facing the entire southern region which rivaled the Aurora Kingdom in both size and military might, the forces of Aurora only had to face a fraction of the south¡¯s forces.

    Besides not fully helping one another, there was also a chance that the entire Southern Alliance would fall apart do to the selfish action of one of the many southern lords.

    ¡°Brother Lee Ming how about you stop hanging out with Brother Shu Ai and come with us to visit the Red Flower Brothel and have a good time.¡± Someone said to Zhang as the Dark Legion was about to enter the city gates.

    Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    ¡°Let¡¯s get to the barracks that we were assigned first, before we worry about what to do with our time. There''s also only a few hours of daylight remaining and I don¡¯t want to break military law.¡± Zhang said with a laugh as he and Ai made their way into Red Thorn City.

    Upon entering the city, Zhang noticed how lively it was despite the fact that a war was currently underway. Although the Red Thorn Province was currently not being invaded and only its neighbors were, it was strange how so many people were out and about.

    But soon Zhang realized the reason as to why the city was so lively. After making only a few steps into the city, Zhang was instantly stopped by a peddler who began trying to get Zhang to buy his wares.

    ¡°Young master you must be wary from a long day¡¯s march, how about buying some refreshing fruit to replenish yourself?¡± The peddler said before one of his business rivals closed in and began to try to get Ai to buy his wares.

    ¡°Young master! You seem like the type of person to enjoy watermelons, how about you buy some of my watermelons! They¡¯re really fresh and juicy!¡±

    ¡°No don¡¯t buy his melons, I have kebabs for sale! These are way tastier!¡±

    Before long a small mob had surrounded Zhang, Ai and the other soldiers of the Dark Legion, as many peddlers and salesman were trying to make sales.

    ¡°I guess where there is money there is people.¡± Zhang thought as he realized the reason why there were so many people in the city. They were all here to sell things to the soldiers who were being sent to the frontlines. Since the Red Thorn Province and Red Thorn City was located so close to the frontlines and has yet to be involved in the actual fighting, many soldiers that were sent to aid the border provinces were sent here.

    With so many people passing by, many merchants had set up shop in Red Thorn City and were making a fortune selling to soldiers who had money but had nowhere and no time to spend it. Since there was a chance of dying on the battlefield, without families many of the soldiers that passed by Red Thorn City spent their money like there was no tomorrow.

    ¡°If the reports are accurate, the girls should reach this city in a matter of a few days to a week or two. Once they get here the city treasury should be full thanks to the taxes they should be getting from all these merchants.¡± Zhang thought as he and Ai squeezed their way out of the crowd of people that had swarmed around them trying to sell things.

    Once they were able to break out of the swarm of merchants and peddlers, Zhang and Ai were once again surrounded. However, this time instead of men trying to fill their pockets with gold, it was women who worked at the local brothel.

    ¡°Young masters, how about you join us for some fun.¡± A young woman in skimpy attire said as her hand brushed against Zhang¡¯s arm while a few others were trying to sink Ai¡¯s arm into their massive mounds as a way to entice Ai into being one of their clients.

    ¡°Sorry but I like men.¡± Ai said as she tried to get away from the swarm of women had surrounded her.

    ¡°Hmph should have said so, instead of wasting our time.¡± One of the women who worked at the brothel said with a snort as she walked toward another group of soldiers who had just entered the city.

    But of course Ai was not out of the hot water yet because not too far from here a group of large hairy looking men were standing with big grins on their face.

    ¡°We like men also.¡± One of them said with a smile as he walked in front of Ai and Zhang.

    ¡°What have we gotten ourselves into now¡­¡± Zhang thought as he grabbed Ai¡¯s hand and began to run toward a group of soldiers from the Dark Legion and mixing in with them.

    ==================================

    While Zhang and Ai were busy escaping from merchants, brothel workers and large hairy men, the other beauties were still on their path of slaughter.

    The majority of the cities in the Rainbow Rock Province had either been turned to rubble and ashes or have surrendered, laying only Rainbow Rock City and a few villages untouched.

    Most of the citizens in the province had been relocated to Rainbow Rock City and many of which had been conscripted into soldiers as the beauties closed in on the city.

    A militia that numbered hundreds of thousands, much like the one that the Raging Sea Province had, were armed to defend the final stronghold in the Rainbow Rock Province.

    Due to how quickly the beauties had made their way across the province, it was without a doubt that reinforcements from the Southern Alliance would not reach Rainbow Rock City in time.

    Although it was evident that no reinforcements were going to come and there was no way for Rainbow Rock City to possibly be able to defend against the armies under Yuying, Ling and Lingqi¡¯s command, the lord of the Rainbow Rock Province or at least what''s left of it was not going to go down without a fight.

    He was determined to fight down to the last man if he had to instead of surrendering, thus every able man within the city was forced to join his destined to fail cause.

    While those inside the city prepared to defend, thousands of men under the command of the beauties had surrounded the city and sealed off all possible routes of escape. Even hidden passageways were found thanks to the interrogation of captive nobles and government officials.

    A short distance away from the city, adjust thousands of neatly pitched tents, within a makeshift headquarters, Ling and Yuying could be seen strategizing with each other.

    ¡°Do you think you can breach the city walls here?¡± Ling asked Yuying as she pointed to a map of Rainbow Rock City.

    ¡°I can but if we enter through here our troops may take heavy damage if the enemy has the foresight to position archers here and here. If they city was small like those other cities the battle plan would simple to formulate, but it''s too big¡­¡± Yuying said as the flap into the commander''s tent opened and someone entered.

    ¡°You''re late¡­¡± Ling said as she turned toward Lingqi who had just entered the tent.

    ¡°I brought shields.¡± Lingqi said with a smile as she arrived at the table where the map of Rainbow Rock City was laid out.

    ¡°How many of them and are they fit to serve as the vanguard?¡± Yuying asked.

    ¡°Roughly fifty thousand of them have been gathered.¡± Lingqi said.

    ¡°Okay, so I''ll break down the walls here and then you have them march in and attract the attention of the enemy forces while a part of our forces splinter off and try to enter the city from this direction.¡± Yuying suggested as she traced a path on the map.

    ¡°Then it''s settled, we¡¯ll go with this plan tomorrow and from here we should be able to march to where brother was teleported to after we attack Red Thorn City.¡± Ling said.

 Chapter 144: Tang Wei

    After Zhang and Ai arrived at the barracks they were assigned to in Red Thorn City, they were lead into a large hall that was lined with beds placed one after the other.

    ¡°We¡¯ll be taking those two beds.¡± Ai said as she pointed two beds that were located at the far end of the room in a corner. She, of course, would sleep on the bed located at the very end of the row while Zhang slept in the bed beside it, making it so that no other man would sleep near her. As a further precaution, a few of Zhang¡¯s soldiers who had also managed to blend into the Dark Legion would occupy the next few beds near Zhang and Ai¡¯s beds also.

    Without having to explain, it was obvious as to why Zhang and Ai had made such bed arrangements.

    ¡°All of you stay on your best behavior, young master Tang Wei will be arriving here shortly for an inspection, it would be in your best interest not to offend the son of our host.¡± One of the captains in the Dark Legion said before exiting the hall.

    The moment their captain left the hall the soldiers, with Zhang and Ai included, huddled up and began gossiping with one another.

    ¡°Whose Young Master Tang Wei?¡± Zhang asked.

    ¡°This your first time out of the province Ming?¡± Someone asked Zhang.

    ¡°Yes, I joined the legion not too long ago.¡± Zhang said while scratching his head and grinning.

    ¡°Quit pestering the kid and answer his question.¡± A middle-aged bearded man said as he slapped the man who was speaking to Zhang in the back.

    ¡°It just like you Wang Yong to stick up for the new guy.¡± The man who got slapped in the back said with a chuckle.

    ¡°From what I heard, young master Tang Wei is the bastard son of the lord of the Red Thorn City. But thanks to his quick wits and prowess in battle, his father had named him as the next lord of the province, disregarding his older brothers claim.¡±

    ¡°I also heard that his brother hates his guts because he was proclaimed the next provincial lord. Also that the current provincial lord is about to go pay the Yama a visit due to some strange illness that he had gotten.¡± Someone else said.

    ¡°Once their old man hits the dust I bet all sorts of problems will occur here. I hope we don¡¯t get dragged into things¡­¡± The middle-aged man who was named Wang Yong said with a sigh.

    ¡°Interesting.¡± Ai mumbled as she stood beside Zhang.

    While everyone was worried about the possibility of the Dark Legion and themselves being caught up in a civil war after Red Thorn City¡¯s lord passes away while the forces of Aurora were steadily moving south. Zhang was delighted to hear this piece of news.

    If civil war broke out in the Red Thorn Province, then the Southern Alliance would not be able to reinforce the province''s acting as frontlines any longer and without reinforcements, these provinces would fall to the forces of Aurora in a matter of weeks of not days.

    ¡°Maybe I should send the good lord on his trip early.¡± Zhang thought.

    ¡°But first, I need to figure out which of his two sons is the better one to support. Since relative to the previous lord is always more accepted by the people.¡± He also though once the thought of assassinating Red Thorn City¡¯s lord popped up in his mind.

    However, there was one problem to Zhang¡¯s thought. He did not know the layout of Red Thorn City¡¯s provincial lord''s mansion and did not know where the provincial lord resides in the mansion.

    Although it is fairly simple to guess where the provincial lord¡¯s courtyard is, there is always the likelihood that he does not reside in his courtyard but somewhere else.

    ¡°What kind of illness does the provincial lord have?¡± Zhang asked the other soldiers as a thought appeared in his head.

    ¡°I hear that after sustaining a wound on a hunting trip, Red Thorn City¡¯s lord came down with a fever and before long hundreds of sores appeared on his body. I also heard that anyone who comes in contact with him soon receive the same illness. But of course, these are all rumors that I''ve heard.¡± Someone said.

    ¡°Is that so.¡± Zhang muttered as he began to formulate a plan in his mind.

    Roughly an hour later the new of young master Tang Wei¡¯s arrival reached Zhang''s ears and this his plan began. Withdrawing a tiny vial from his interspatial ring and dipping a small needle, made by condensing essence with the power of the Underworld Heart, into it when no one was looking, Zhang waited for Tang Wei.

    This vial, of course, was something that he had gotten off of Lingqi and was capable of making someone fall incredibly ill. Their skin would turn purple as reddish blisters would begin to form on their body while their mouths would foam.

    ¡°The young master is coming, everyone getting ready.¡± Someone said, signaling for all of the soldiers to form two neat rows of soldiers standing beside their beds.

    Before long, a young man dressed in white robes with the air of a scholar entered the room with a small group of guards around him.

    ¡°He should be Tang Wei.¡± Zhang thought as his eyes glinted and with a flick of the finger launched the poison coated needle toward a soldier standing not too far from him.

    Although the thought of poisoning Tang Wei had come into mind, Zhang decided not to do so because of the likelihood of someone noticing any traces left behind by the needle. He could have also poisoned one of his soldiers mixed into the Dark Legion but by doing so he may attract too much attention to his own men and risk being discovered by the enemy.

    Once the needle shot out of Zhang¡¯s hand, it pierced through the air and made a small cut across the right shoulder of its target before dispersing into the air. To the man who was now infected by Lingqi¡¯s deadly poison, the needle had felt like a mosquito bit.

    ¡°I would like to welcome you all for coming to our fine city.¡± Tang Wei said as he walked down the aisle of soldiers. As the neared where Zhang and Ai were, the soldier who had been infected by the poison began to sweat and his body began to shake convulse uncontrollably.

    ¡°You there, what are you doing!?¡± A captain within the Dark Legion said as he caught site of one of his men acting strangely in front of an honored guest.

    Upon catching Tang Wei¡¯s attention, the man stumbled over onto the ground. Before long his skin began to turn purplish which served to further draw everyone''s attention.

    ¡°What''s wrong with him!?¡±

    ¡°Someone get a doctor!?¡±

    A mixture of yells and cries broke out within the large hall.

    Due to one of their own falling over, the soldiers and officers of the Dark Legion within the room disregarded Tang Wei and gathered around their comrade.

    ¡°Now to create a bigger commotion.¡± Zhang thought as he shot a few more poison-laced needles at a few more unsuspecting people.

    Before like about a dozen or so people had fallen over and the room was filled with hysteria.

    ¡°Whatever is happening seems to be highly contagious, let''s all get out of here!¡± Ai yelled, adding new to the chaos.

    The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    ¡°No! No one is to leave this room! We can''t risk infecting any more people!¡± Tang Wei said.

    ¡°Seal the gates! No one is permitted to leave or I''ll have them hung above the city walls!¡± He added.

    ¡°Everyone help me lay the I''ll onto beds! So I can have a look at them, I might be able to help them.¡± Zhang yelled as he pushed his way through the crowd of soldiers.

    Once the dozen or so ill people were each laid atop a bed, Zhang walked up to the first infected person and began to pretend to examine them.

    ¡°Eyes dilated, high fever, red blisters, and purplish skin.¡± Zhang mumbled as he looked at the men he poisoned one after the other.

    ¡°Someone give me a brush, some paper, and ink.¡± Zhang said.

    ¡°You heard they man! Give him the things he asked for.¡± Tang Wei said with a commanding tone.

    ¡°Ask for anything you need; lives are at stake here.¡± Tang Wei said as he arrived behind Zhang.

    After receiving the things, he asked for, Zhang wrote down a large variety of herbs, many of which he could use to concoct some simple poisons that Lingqi had shown him.

    Upon receiving Zhang¡¯s list, a soldier slipped it under the door to the people who were standing guard outside. Since no one was permitted to leave the room due to fear of spreading whatever was ailing the ill.

    Once he relieved the variety herbs and various things arrived, Zhang was given space to concoct medicine. Of course, he already had the antidote to the poison so Zhang simply began making a variety of poisons and medicines that he figured would be useful to further his plans.

    Also, since he had to put up a show, he might as well go through all of the stops.

    While no one was looking he withdrew a small green vial from his interspatial ring and mixed it with some water.

    ¡°Brother Shu Ai I''ll be needing some help.¡± Zhang called out to Ai who had been simply observing as a part of the crowd.

    Once Ai joined him, Zhang handed her the antidote to the poison that everyone was infected with while he continued to make more poisons and medicines.

    It was not until roughly an hour passed did Zhang and Ai stop ¡°working¡±.

    ¡°All done!¡± Zhang said in a loud voice as he and Ai walked over to where their patients were lying with two trays filled with bowls of medicine.

    After all of the patients were given the antidote to the poison their symptoms subsided almost instantly, making everyone present look in awe.

    ¡°If everyone would form a line, I''ll check to see if any of you have caught the strange disease.¡± Zhang said.

    Without having to say another word, the hundred or so people within the hall all lined up to be examined. Strangely for someone of his status, Tang Wei had let everyone else be examined before himself.

    ¡°Alright, it seems no one else has caught the illness. If anyone happens to show symptoms of the illness, then place seclude them from everyone else and alert me.¡± Zhang said with a smile after he took a look at Tang Wei.

    Apart from the dozen or so people who had been infected by Lingqi¡¯s poison and were laying in their beds resting after taking the antidote, everyone else was free to go. Of the previously infected, nine were regular soldiers while the remaining three were all captains or lieutenants in the Dark Legion. Zhang figured having them owe him a favor would come in handy later on.

    ¡°Meals should have been already prepared in the dining hall so everyone goes have your meals.¡± Tang Wei said as he signaled to his men to usher everyone out of the room.

    ¡°You two stay.¡± He said as his gaze shifted onto Zhang and Ai.

    ¡°My name is Lee Ming and this is Shu Ai, how may we be of service to you my lord.¡± Zhang said with a bow.

    ¡°Brother Lee no need for the formalities, I''m interested in knowing how were you able to cure a disease like that so easily? Such a thing would make other doctors look down in shame due to their lack of knowledge.¡± Tang Wei said.

    ¡°It is simple my lord, my teacher had taught me instead of cure an illness as a whole, one should cure its symptoms one by one. That way instead of facing an army one would only have to face a single soldier at a time.¡± Zhang explained.

    ¡°If there is nothing you need my lord then I''m quite hungry.¡± Zhang said with a smile as he and Ai began to walk.

    ¡°Wait! I have a relative who has caught a strange disease and none of the doctors in the city have been able to come to a conclusion as to what the person is ailing if Brother Lee would accompany me and help cure that person.¡± Tang Wei said with a sincere face.

    ¡°I would love to but I fear someone like me who has only dabbled in medicine cannot hope to cure what none of the doctors in the city could not cure.¡± Zhang said modestly.

    ¡°Brother I''m getting hungry¡­¡± Ai complained adding a sense of urgency to the conversation.

    Although Zhang wanted to enter the provincial lord mansion and meet the city¡¯s lord, he had to make it seem like he didn''t. Only after Tang Wei pleaded to him would Zhang ¡°reluctantly¡± go.

    ¡°You can come to the provincial lord¡¯s mansion, there''s plenty of food there. As for you Brother Lee, I''ll have a talk with your higher ups and have them give you permission to take a leave from your duty. Tang Wei said.

    After Tang Wei¡¯s mouth went dry from trying to persuade Zhang to help him did Zhang finally agree.

    With the provincial lord¡¯s heir guiding them, Zhang and Ai headed toward the provincial lord¡¯s mansion.

    ¡°Now to figure out if I should poison him or cure him¡­¡± Zhang thought as he and Ai stepped onto Tang Wei¡¯s horse drawn carriage.

    ¡°If I cure him I would gain the support of this fellow right here, if I poison him then I would undoubtedly cause a lot of turmoil in this province.¡± Zhang pondered as he sat beside Tang Wei.

    It was certain that whatever Zhang¡¯s decision was the Red Thorn Province would certainly undergo great changes.

    But whatever changes the Red Thorn province undergoes, it would all end the same once the other beauties arrive with their armies.

    ==================================

    While Zhang and Ai were heading toward the provincial lord¡¯s mansion and while the sun began to set, trouble was brewing elsewhere.

    As the kingdom of Aurora marched southward, the continent''s second strongest empire began to march on a path of blood also.

    Far off from the western coast of the Warring States Region, a massive naval fleet consisting of hundreds if not thousands of ships had headed to sea.

    Everyone single one of these ships had the flag of the Siwang Empire hoisted high up on their sails and many hundreds of thousands of soldiers on board.

    Perhaps what had happened years ago would repeat itself and the Siwang Empire would once bring terror to its neighbors.

    Perhaps the Siwang Empire''s path would once more cross with Zhang¡¯s. But the Zhang of today is not the Zhang of yesterday.

 Chapter 145: Kill or Save

    You guys didn''t expect another chapter did you? But well I stayed up to 3:31 Am (time right now) to finish writing a 2nd chapter for you all lol. Also will see to making more revisions to the map :D

    =================================================================================================

    Throughout the trip from the barracks to the provincial lord¡¯s mansion, utter silence filled the inside of Tang Wei¡¯s carriage.

    Due to their roles as mere soldiers of the Dark Legion and Tang Wei¡¯s role as the next provincial lord, neither Zhang nor Ai spoke. Rather instead of not wishing to speak, Ai was rather captivated by the view of the scenery outside.

    It seemed like Tang Wei wanted to strike up a conversation but did not know what to talk about.

    Before long the carriage stopped and an attendant opened the carriage door for Tang Wei, Zhang, and Ai to disembark.

    ¡°If you two would follow me.¡± Tang Wei said as he gestured for Zhang and Ai to follow him.

    Compared to the other provincial lord mansions Zhang had been in, the one in Red Thorn City was rather plain.

    Whereas the other mansions resembled small imperial cities, this one was simply decorated and there did not seem to be many servants at all.

    As Zhang and Ai were lead through a series of hallways, they spotted a few people in servant uniforms packing sacks onto dozens of carts.

    ¡°Up until recently our province had gone through a terrible famine for a very long time and only thanks to this war and the aid coming from the other provinces have we been able to keep afloat.¡± Tang Wei said as he spotted Zhang and Ai looking at the carts curiously.

    ¡°There was even a point when my father had to sell off various things in the mansion to buy grains and rice to feed our people. But now when everything is becoming better he isn''t able to enjoy the fruition of his sacrifices.¡± Tang Wei said with a sigh.

    Before Tang Wei could even utter another word and as they walked into a small courtyard, a loud voice rang into everyone''s ear.

    ¡°Tang Wei what are you doing here? Didn''t I tell you and your whore mother to scam!?¡± The loud voice said. Once Zhang looked toward where the voice came from he saw a bald young man in his late twenties with a medium build surrounded by dozens of people in the clothes of a scholar.

    ¡°Tang Shiang, you''re telling me to leave? I''m the one father chose to replace him once he is gone. And do not talk about my mother like that or else I''ll kill you.¡± Tang Wei said in a furious tone.

    ¡°Ha! You guys here that!? He wants to kill me.¡± Tang Shiang laugh.

    ¡°Go teach him a lesson.¡± He said to some hulking men who stood behind him and the group of scholars.

    ¡°But my lord, he is your brother and this is the provincial lord¡¯s mansion after all. On top of things, he''s the next provincial lord. One of the hulking men said in hesitation.

    ¡°Hmph, you think my father''s bastard has a right to be the next lord while I''m still alive? Go teach him a lesson or else I''ll have everyone here go teach your families a lesson.¡± Tang Shiang said to his guards.

    After info hearing Tang Shiang¡¯s words, all of his guards steeled themselves and charged toward Tang Wei.

    ¡°My lords I don''t know what issues you two have with each other but if you can wait for another time.¡± Zhang said with a smile as he withdrew a sword that hung from his waist. This sword was, of course, a standard issue from the Dark Legion.

    ¡°Kill that son of a bitch.¡± Tang Shiang said as he pointed to Zhang.

    ¡°Come and try!¡± Ai yelled as she too drew a sword.

    ¡°Call off your men! Do you want to encode the wrath of the Dark Legion!¡± Tang Wei yelled.

    ¡°Dark Legion?¡± Tang Shiang asked with a hint of confusion appearing on his face.

    ¡°My lord, the Dark Legion, you know the one that is heading to the front lines to fight the forces of Aurora.¡± One of Tang Shiang¡¯s people whispered into his ears.

    ¡°I''m General Hei Ang¡¯s nephew, if you dare to lay a finger on us then my uncle will turn your city to ashes before the armies of Aurora even makes it here!¡± Zhang said in a haughty voice.

    ¡°Young master, if his words are true and we anger General Hei Ang and the Dark Legion then let alone ourselves, the entire city may be implicated.¡± One of Tang Shiang¡¯s followers said.

    ¡°This is Red Thorn City and you''re in the provincial lord¡¯s mansion, even if I were to kill you, who would know?¡± Tang Shiang said.

    ¡°Do you know what this is!?¡± Zhang asked as he pulled out his magical communication jade after pretending to search through his robes.

    ¡°If I simply activate it and say a single word then my uncle and the rest of the Dark Legion will be here in a matter of minutes.¡± Zhang said.

    Once the magical communication jade came into view Tang Shiang and his people began to buy into Zhang¡¯s bluff.

    ¡°Hmph since the Dark Legion is our guest, as a proper host I¡¯ll let things slide this time.¡± Tang Shiang said as he flicked his sleeves and walked off with his entourage.

    ¡°Brother Lee Ming you''re related, General Hei Ang?¡± Tang Wei asked after his half-brother departed.

    ¡°If you don¡¯t mind keeping a secret for me. We aren¡¯t related, I¡¯ve never even met the general.¡± Zhang said in a whisper as he leaned toward Tang Wei.

    ¡°Shall we resume the purpose of today¡¯s visit?¡± Zhang asked as he began walking down the hallway once more with Ai by his side. As a grin crept onto Tang Wei¡¯s face caught up to Zhang and Ai.

    Soon enough, Tang Wei gradually opened up to Zhang after seeing how resourceful Zhang was. Zhang in return learned Tang Wei¡¯s character and circumstances.

    Tang Wei¡¯s father, the current provincial lord, had married into the family of the provincial lord before him since the previous provincial lord did not have and male heirs. Roughly three years after marrying into the Tang clan and producing a male heir, Tang Wei¡¯s father met his first love and childhood friend who he had lost contact with for many years., Tang Wei¡¯s mother.

    Of course, since he had married into the Tang Clan he did not have the right to marry more wives or take any concubines. So although their love was rekindled and they declared their undying feelings for each other, Tang Wei¡¯s mother and father could no publicly show their affection for each other.

    ¡°My father who could not bear to part from my mother had her work in the provincial lord¡¯s mansion as a maid and shortly after she began to live her, I was conceived. But of course like all secrets, father and mother''s affair was soon discovered and mother was forced to leave by Tang Shiang¡¯s mother. With only the clothes on her back and a small amount of money she left as father could do nothing to keep her.¡± Tang Wei said with a saddened tone.

    ¡°Working day and night, mother and I lived a humble life in a small village. Perhaps a simple life is a better life because at least all we had to worry about was having enough to feed ourselves. However, a great famine happened and food became scarce, whatever the village had stored away was quickly depleted and to make things worse there were even people coming from other places to beg for food.¡±

    The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    ¡°I remember as if it was yesterday, I had just turned fifteen and to celebrate mother and I went into the mountains to dig for potatoes. Of course, we did not find any but after coming heading back home our lives as we knew it would completely change. That was the first time I saw him, sitting atop a large white stallion, clad in gleaming silver armor and surrounded by dozens of mighty looking guards. That was the day when I met father.¡±

    ¡°It turns out that a few years after mother left, father had become the provincial lord and had slowly gained the respect of those who ran the city, with his intelligence and kindness he had become a great ruler. A ruler who the people adored, a ruler who everyone looked up to, and a ruler who yearned to find what he had lost.¡±

    ¡°Perhaps it was the heavens who led him to us but while father was distributed rations to the common folk he one of his men suddenly feel ill so his escort had rested near where we went to dig for potatoes.¡± Tang Wei recalled as a smile appeared on his face as he reminisced about the past.

    Once he had met his father, Tang Wei and his mother was brought back to Red Thorn City and into the Provincial lord¡¯s mansion, where his mother was officially married with his father. But Tang Shiang¡¯s mother and her son obviously were very much against this and tried to create as many problems for Tang Wei and his mother as much as they could.

    To protect himself, his mother and to show to his father that he was an able person, Tang Wei practiced martial arts and cultivated day and night while regularly attending classes that taught etiquette, battle strategies, and the likes. As he continued to try to climb closer to his father, the more obstacles he met and sadly when he had finally proved himself and named the next provincial lord, his father fell ill.

    The very moment his father fell ill, all of the officials and people of power within the Red Thorn Province one by one turned their backs on Tang Wei and banded together with his older half-brother. So in the end Tang Wei simply only had the title of next provincial lord but no power to speak of, besides a few retainers who are loyal to his father.

    ¡°We are here.¡± Tang Wei said as he, Zhang and Ai reached a room with four guards stationed outside.

    ¡°Has anyone visited father?¡± Tang Wei asked the guards.

    ¡°Only Lord Tang Shiang, my lord.¡± One of the guards replied as he helped open the door for Tang Wei.

    ¡°Thank you for your hard work.¡± Tang Wei said to the guards as he entered the room with Zhang and Ai following behind him.

    The instant they entered the room Zhang caught sight of middle aged women sitting beside a large bed where a frail looking man with many sores visible on his face.

    ¡°Mother.¡± Tang Wei said in a happy tone.

    Upon hearing Tang Wei¡¯s voice, the woman looked away from the frail looking man and looked toward where Zhang, Ai and Tang Wei were standing. With delicate features and a smile that could brighten a dark room, it was no wonder Tang Wei¡¯s father was so in love with his mother.

    ¡°Wei your back, come here and greet your father.¡± The woman said, but once she noticed Zhang and Ai she got up and curtsied.

    ¡°Are you two perhaps my Little Wei¡¯s friends?¡± She asked in a kind tone.

    ¡°Mother, Brother Lee Ming here might be able to cure father''s illness!¡± Tang Wei said in an excited voice.

    ¡°Really?! If you can then I, Sheng Yi, will forever be grateful.¡± Tang Wei¡¯s mother said.

    ¡°Madam, I fear my medical skills may be lacking, however if I can help someone then I will try my very best.¡± Zhang said as he arrived at the Tang Wei¡¯s father¡¯s bedside and began to assess his condition.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, this disease is not contagious at all.¡± Tang Wei said, assuring Zhang it was safe.

    ¡°Please do not resist or else implications may occur.¡± Zhang said as he extended his hand and placed it atop Tang Wei¡¯s father¡¯s forehead, Zhang sent a pulse of essence throughout the man¡¯s body to inspect it to see what was wrong after pulling off the blanket that had covered the frail man¡¯s body.

    ¡°There seems to be something living inside of his body, it should be located right about here. If memory serves and my guess is right, there should be an adolescent Corpse Eating Silkworm inside your father.¡± Zhang said as he pointed toward Tang Wei¡¯s father¡¯s abdomen.

    ¡°What!?¡± Tang Wei and his mother said in disbelief.

    ¡°It had hatched and began to gouge itself inside your father''s stomach and once it finished eating his insides, it¡¯ll hatch out of his body that is not acting like it¡¯s cocoon and become a Blood Moth. From my examination, it¡¯s consumed roughly half of his insides.¡±

    ¡°So there''s nothing you can do?¡± Tang Wei said with a grim look on his face.

    ¡°The question here is how it got into his body, since Corpse Eating Silkworms generally only are found in bodies of the deceased and do not even live anywhere near this region.¡± Zhang said, not replying to Tang Wei¡¯s question.

    ¡°Someone probably infects his lordship with it.¡± Ai pointed out.

    ¡°It has to be him¡­¡± Tang Wei mumbled as his brow creased.

    ¡°You couldn¡¯t mean¡­¡± Sheng Yi, Tang Wei¡¯s mother said as if she had a suspect in mind.

    ¡°Tang Shiang¡­ Father fell ill only days after he announced for me to be his successor and as if he was prepared, Tang Shiang was able to gather all of the influential people in the province under his banner in a matter of days.¡± Tang Wei said.

    ¡°Sorry to interrupt but if I act now I may be able to save him.¡± Zhang said, interrupting Tang Wei and his mother.

    ¡°What?!¡±

    ¡°If you can get me some much-needed supplies, I can extract the Corpse Eater Silkworm out of his body and give him some medicine to help him get better.¡±

    ¡°But you said that thing has already consumed nearly half of my father¡¯s insides.¡± Tang Wei said.

    ¡°Half is not all and with proper medication and help. Your father will be able to live for countless more years.¡± Zhang said with a smile.

    ¡°I¡¯ll have someone lead you to our medicinal store room, everything in there you can use at will.¡± Tang Wei said to Zhang as hope ignited in his eyes.

    ¡°If I save his father then Tang Wei will definitely be indebted to me and as long as he fights his brother then chaos would surely ensue so my objective would have been met. If I take things a step further and help him take care of his brother, then there¡¯s also a chance that I can bring Tang Wei to my side and have him cooperate with me once the girls arrive.¡± Zhang thought.

    In the end, Zhang¡¯s goal was still to aid Lingqi, Yuying, and Ling once they arrive, so as long as things were occurring that could possibly benefit his plans in the future, Zhang was ready to act.

 Chapter 146: Hold The Door

    Hold the Door T_T

    ===============================================================================

    As the sun looked down from above and gleamed down upon the countless shields and swords below, a flurry of yells broke out.

    ¡°Surrender or perish!¡± Hundreds of thousands of soldiers chanted over and over as the forces under Yuying, Lingqi and Ling¡¯s command surrounded Rainbow Rock city.

    Lingqi¡¯s fifty thousand conscripted soldiers were situated at the front of the army and acted as the vanguard. Yuying had a massive siege ram built and given to the conscripted soldiers so they can fulfill their task of gathering as much attention from the enemy as possible. Of course, if they just so happen to manage to break through the city gates then it would serve as a bonus.

    The soldiers above the city walls watched in horror as all possibly exist in and out of the city teamed with enemy soldiers clad in black armor. As the forces of Aurora continued to chant ¡°surrender or perish¡± the soldiers of the Rainbow Rock Army could not help but tremble.

    ¡°Vanguard, move out! Head for the western gate!¡± Yuying commanded as she sat atop a throne of skulls.

    Soon enough the rumbling sound of wheels could be heard as the conscripted soldiers pushed their massive siege ram toward the city¡¯s main gate.

    ¡°Tho-those are our men down there!¡± Someone yelled from atop the walls as they spotted Lingqi¡¯s conscripted soldiers who were still wearing the Rainbow Rock Army¡¯s standard gray armor with blue trim.

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter! Archers fire at will! If that siege ram reaches the gate, then the city will fall!¡± The Rainbow Rock Army¡¯s general said.

    ¡°But General Hong Yang if we open the gates and allow them in, we would gain a substantial number of troops to defend the city with. Considering how the enemy is only sending our former soldiers to test the waters.¡± A soldier said.

    ¡°Fool have you not heard the ruthlessness and cunning the enemy generals possess? You think they would be dumb enough to simply send in our former soldiers without planning for a scenario such as that?¡± General Hong Yang said.

    ¡°Archers fire!¡± General Hong Yan commanded once more.

    Soon the skies were filled with countless arrows and the sun was blocked out from view as the soldiers atop Rainbow Rock City¡¯s western wall fired arrow after arrow at their former comrades.

    ¡°Move the catapults into range.¡± Lingqi commanded and before long dozens of catapults appeared and were loaded with large clay pots filled with poison.

    ¡°Launch!!!¡± Lingqi said with a wave of her hand.

    With Lingqi¡¯s orders being passed down the catapults fired one after the other, sending dozens of earthen pots into the air. Some of these pots smashed into the city walls while others impacted directly on the soldiers atop the walls, covering them in a thick purplish goo.

    ¡°This poison only reacts when in sunlight and will turn into a thick mist in about three seconds. One¡­ Two¡­ Three¡­¡± Lingqi said as a cloud of purplish mist formed atop the city walls. As a cloud of poison covered the top of the city walls, one after the other soldiers began to fall over as all of the fresh uncontaminated air was gone.

    ¡°Don¡¯t breathe in the smoke! Don¡¯t breathe the smoke!¡± Someone yelled however they too fell over. However due to the lack of available ingredients, Lingqi was not able to produce a lot of her poison so only a small portion of the soldiers on the wall was affected so countless arrows continued to rain down from above the walls.

    ¡°Have shield unit move forward and form formations around the vanguard! Have the Vanguard move back and regroup with shield unit!¡± Yuying commanded as the conscripted soldiers began to break out of formation and suffer heavy casualties. Soon horns and flags were raised to signal to direct the soldiers out on the battlefield.

    At first, she had left the conscripted soldiers totally open to enemy attack to draw their attention and taunt them into using their arrows. However now that the conscripted soldiers were taking unnecessary casualties and the volume of arrows being shot from the walls began to decrease it was time to have armored units move forward.

    Once the shield unit and the conscripted soldiers grouped together and continued to head toward the city wall, Yuying gave the order for the rest of the soldiers under her command to move forward but stay clear of the area where the enemy¡¯s arrows can reach them.

    ¡°Ask the southern and northern gates to send us reinforcements!¡± General Hong Yang said after he had his men carry the unconscious down the walls. Although Lingqi¡¯s poison only affect a few small sections of the wall, there were gaps that needed to be filled in.

    On the opposite side of the city, Ling could be seen standing atop a column of swirling water with thousands of soldiers standing in neat rows below.

    ¡°Time for me to move in.¡± Ling murmured as she spotted the enemy soldiers above the city walls begin to move and reinforce each other.

    With their goal of diverting the enemy''s forces to the western gate complete, the column of water underneath Ling¡¯s feet began to move forward.

    Soon a bubble of water covered Ling from all sides as thousands of droplets of water rose into the air. Once Ling¡¯s column of water closed in on the city the archers atop the walls began to fire arrows at her, but to no effect because Ling¡¯s water shield.

    In a flash dozens of rays of light condensed and began to carve away at the city walls, wherever and whatever they touched instantly light aflame or began to melt.

    ¡°Wretches invaders! Feel my wrath!¡± A roar could be heard echoing throughout the battlefield as a javelin whizzed through the sky and impaled Ling¡¯s water bubble. Unlike the arrows that were caught earlier, the javelin punctured the water bubble causing it to burst into countless droplets.

    Thankfully Ling had quickly manipulated the column of water she was standing on, allowing her to dodge what would have been a deadly blow. The javelin that would have easily pierced through Ling¡¯s neck had only left a minor scratch. However, the distraction the javelin caused had interrupted her concentration thus canceling the rays of light that were cutting through the city walls.

    Squinting her eyes and looking at the city walls, Ling could spot a soldier clad in gleaming gemlike armor with a quiver of javelins tied to his back.

    With a hmph, Ling made her water column rise higher into the sky while thickening her water bubble and then restarting her efforts to burn a hole through the city walls.

    Since Rainbow Rock City was the capital city of the province, it¡¯s walls were reinforced causing it to take considerably longer to break through it, however once the walls could be breached and the soldiers of Aurora storm in the city was theirs for the taking.

    Had the man clad in crystal armor been a mage then Ling would have dealt with him instantly, but since he was a warrior she doubled her efforts to take down the walls. It was not because warriors were inferior to mages, but it was due to the fact that warriors did not possess techniques or attacks that could affect large areas but were superior to mages in close range combat. A high level could easily dodge Ling¡¯s attacks and possibly move in and kill her if given the opportunity.

    Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!

    Ling¡¯s only current advantages over a high-level warrior was that they had to take down their opponents one by one and at close range, meaning if Ling took down the city walls and her soldiers stormed in, she could use numbers to deal with the man clad in crystal armor.

    ¡°You think I can¡¯t get you if you stay up there?¡± The crystal armor clad man bellowed as he pulled out two javelins from his quiver. As the man¡¯s muscles flexed and his grip loosened, one of the deadly looking javelins shot through the air toward Ling.

    ¡°Not again¡­¡± Ling murmured as she watched the javelin flying straight for her without batting an eye. Unlike before she had no intention of attempting to dodge but simply waited.

    Like before the javelin easily broke through the water bubble and homed in on Ling, but when it was mere inches away from her abdomen, Ling reformed the water bubble and with a thought made it freeze into ice.

    Once the water bubble froze the javelin stopped moving forward as its tip was about to stab into Ling.

    Although she managed to stop the javelin Ling did not even have a moment to rest because the crystal armor clad man had sent yet another javelin soaring through the skies.

    With a wave of Ling¡¯s hand, the ice instantly turned back into the water and wrapped around the javelin that had been caught moments ago. With her thoughts manipulating the water, Ling sent the javelin she caught into the air as well.

    Moments later the two javelins collided and sent sparks and shrapnel flying in all directions. Some of the shrapnel even managed to find their way into Ling¡¯s newly formed water bubble.

    ¡°Maybe I¡¯ll see how well he can stand the heat.¡± Ling said as she decided to momentarily stop attempting to melt through the base of the city walls but instead unleash some havoc on the top of the wall.

    Soon enough dozens of rays of condense light drew paths of deaths on the city walls as they headed for the top of the walls where countless soldiers stop tightly packed.

    Heart-wrenching screams were audible moments later as dozens of men were either burned to ashes or cut to pieces by the intense heat packed in the rays of light.

    Surprisingly enough the warrior clad in crystal armor pushed away all those in front of him and bolted toward one of Ling¡¯s rays of light. In his hand was a large circular shield that shone in a magnificent blue hue.

    What happened next would leave Ling speechless as the man used his shield to deflect Ling¡¯s ray of light downward at an area where thousands of Ling¡¯s soldiers stood.

    ¡°Damn¡­¡± Ling cursed as a few of her soldiers sustained injuries before she could cancel out her technique.

    ¡°I have to be prepared for the next time he does that¡­¡± She thought as she glared at the man clad in crystal armor who was showing a proud smile through the opening in his helmet.

    Thus, Ling decided to forgo any more attempts at directly attacking the tops of the walls and stuck to trying to melt the walls while dodging the crystal armor-clad man¡¯s javelins.

    ¡°He¡¯ll run out eventually¡­¡± She murmured as she gulped down a small bottle of essence water.

    On the other side of the wall, the conscripted soldiers had valiantly made their way to the city¡¯s front gates and the siege ram began to pound against the wood and iron gate.

    ¡°HOLD THE DOOR!!!!¡± The soldiers within the city yelled.

    ¡°HOLD THE DOOR!!!¡±

    ¡°HOLD THE DOOR!!!!¡±

    Soon it became a maddening chant as they tried to pile whatever they could find behind the city walls to prevent the siege ram from knocking it down. There was also one particularly large built man who had his back pressed against the gates, it could be said that it was thanks to this man that the iron doors had not fallen. Had he not held the doors then perhaps Yuying¡¯s soldiers would have already knocked down the doors. From this alone we could only guess his level of cultivation.

    ¡°What''s taking Ling so long¡­¡± Yuying said as she clicked her tongue and with a sigh a column of bones rose up underneath her throne made of skulls lifting Yuying into the air. Had Ling successfully entered the city a flare would have been shot into the air however after some time had passed and with nothing happening Yuying decided she had to act.

    ¡°Bring out the siege towers!¡± Yuying commanded figuring something was preventing Ling from entering the city.

    Upon receiving their commands Yuying¡¯s soldiers quickly dispatched two large towers that rose higher than the city walls. With teams of armored horses and men pushing and pulling them, the two towers filled with archers inched toward the city.

    Preparing for possible enemy fire attacks, Yuying¡¯s men began to pour hundreds of buckets of water onto the tower as they neared the city walls.

    ¡°Any obstacle that stands in my way of reuniting with him will be crushed.¡± Yuying said as she watched her soldiers move into action.

    While Ling and Yuying were busy, Lingqi began to perform a song on her zither with hundreds of musicians playing in an orchestra with her. Since there weren¡¯t too many useful herbs in the area to create enough poison, she decided to affect the battle in another manner.

    Once Lingqi¡¯s invigorating tone drifted into the ears of the conscripted soldiers and the shield unit, they felt their bodies become empowered and their strength renewed.

    It was said the music affects the soul and soothes the body so depending on what melody Lingqi decided to play, the soldiers on the battlefield will feel a different emotion.

    If she played an upbeat energetic tone then the soldiers would feel invigorated, if she played a sad tone and directed it at the soldiers atop the walls then their morale would fall, basically, Lingqi was subtly able to alter people¡¯s moods at will. This was because Lingqi¡¯s essence was weaved into the strings of her zither whenever she plucked a string and then sent across the battlefield or wherever she chooses.

    Sadly, the music could not affect the battle more directly like poison.

    Despite many hours passing since the start of the battle, neither sides really took significant damage however things were about to change because despite being bombarded by javelins, Ling managed to cut a small hole in the city wall and Yuying¡¯s siege towers managed to close in on the city walls without suffering significant damage.

    ¡°Heavy cavalry move forward!¡± Ling commanded as she caught a javelin in her frozen water bubble.

    ¡°Deploy oil!¡± Yuying commanded the soldiers in the siege tower to being tossing pots of oil onto the city walls.

    ¡°Th-this is oil!¡± The soldiers of the Rainbow Rock Army yelled to each other as the soldiers of Aurora tossed clay pots onto the city walls.

    ¡°Surrender or perish! Surrender or perish!¡± Yuying¡¯s men chanted.

 Chapter 147: Surrender or Perish

    How are you guys and gals? This arc should wrap up in a few chapters and then we can get to some neater stuff so look forward to it lol. Also Ascending is starting to pick up if any of you follow that too o_o

    ===============================================================================================

    As oil seeped into the cracks between the tiles on Rainbow Rock city¡¯s walls Yuying¡¯s archers prepared to set their enemies ablaze. With fiery arrows nocked in their bows, the archers were simply awaiting orders before turning the top of the city walls into a blazing inferno.

    It was obvious to some of the soldiers of the Rainbow Rock Army that they were in a terrible position after the clay pots hurried by Yuying¡¯s soldiers had covered them in oil.

    ¡°Damn it, I don¡¯t want to be turned into a living torch!¡± A few of them cried as they tried to push their way through their comrades and escape.

    While panic ensued atop the walls, the conscripted soldiers had managed to create a large dent in the iron gates below and it was only a matter of time before the gates get knocked down.

    On the other side of the wall, Ling¡¯s heavy cavalry poured into the small hole in the wall smashing through the enemy soldiers that had gathered around the entrance that Ling created. While her cavalry soldiers entered the city, Ling unleashed havoc with dozens of rays of light aimed toward the tops of the walls. She had ordered her forces to move back so they would not be caught in her attacks if the man clad in crystal armor decided to deflect the rays of light.

    Since there was only one main gate into Rainbow Rock City, Ling¡¯s cavalry was tasked with charging through the city and opening the gates from the inside, of course, they were also commanded to unleash chaos upon the enemy soldiers when given the opportunity.

    If one can imagine how devastating a cavalry charge was in an open plain, the extent of damage a cavalry charge can deal if they were atop a city¡¯s walls that were packed with soldiers was on an entirely different level.

    Since there were so many civilians inside the city, Ling had no ordered her heavy cavalry to initiate a fire attack. Although Yuying and perhaps Lingqi would be able to do such a thing without batting an eye, Ling was much like Zhang who can kill enemy¡¯s soldiers mercilessly by could not bring themselves to harm civilians.

    Soon enough Ling¡¯s cavalry soldiers made their way to the other side of the city, however, they were unable to open the city gates because when they arrived at the city gates the soldiers of the Rainbow Rock Army lit the inside of the gate on fire to prevent them from opening the gates from the inside.

    ¡°Report to her highnesses that the operation is a failure.¡± One of the cavalrymen said as another pulled out red colored flare from underneath his armor and shot it into the sky.

    ¡°Swap to the other plan.¡± Another one of the cavalrymen said as he set his gaze toward the provincial lord¡¯s mansion. In total about ten thousand cavalrymen had stormed into the city, when considering the enemy amounted to a few hundred thousand soldiers total, ten thousand wasn¡¯t much but now that they were inside the city and were free to roam the amount of damage they could deal was unimaginable.

    As the ten thousand heavy cavalries charged toward the Provincial lord¡¯s mansion, Yuying¡¯s archers set the top of the city walls ablaze causing thousands of Rainbow Rock Army soldiers to turn into human torches.

    While a section of the walls was changed into what resembled the fiery pits of hell, the siege towers moved to another section of wall where the side of the siege towers opened up and acted as bridges, allowing Yuying¡¯s soldiers to storm the top of the walls.

    Considering that most of the soldiers of the Rainbow Rock Army were comprised of conscripted civilians it was obvious that they would get slaughtered by the professional soldiers of Aurora and original soldiers of the Rainbow Rock Army that were conscripted by Lingqi.

    ¡°WE SURRENDER!!!! WE SURRENDER!!!¡± A few of the soldiers of the Rainbow Rock Army cried as they tossed their swords onto the ground. For they who did not wish to be here in the first place, their lives were more valuable than the city. Surely if they were allowed to surrender then their families would not be harmed. Also, there was the horrid stench of burnt flesh and the agonizing cries of those who were turned into human torches to reinforce their decision to surrender.

    ¡°General wha-what should we do, the conscripted soldiers are surrendering!¡± A soldier said in a trembling voice to general Hong Yang as small sections of the wall soon fell into the hands of the soldiers of Aurora.

    ¡°Regroup the soldiers who are still willing to fight and gather them at the provincial lord¡¯s mansion!¡± General Hong Yang said with mixed emotion in his tone. A part of him wished to surrender because victory was now a fleeting dream while another part of him could not bear the thought of abandoning his lord.

    ¡°All forces move in!¡± Yuying commanded as her soldiers who had reached the top of the walls began tossing down rope so their comrades below can climb up.

    ¡°Extinguish the fire behind the gates so our comrades can enter!¡± A few of Yuying¡¯s soldiers said.

    ¡°Time to move out also.¡± Lingqi said, for the most part, the neither soldiers under Lingqi¡¯s command nor the elite guard had contributed to the battle participated in the battle. The elite guard simply waited for orders while Lingqi¡¯s soldiers contributed via playing instruments and had not directed participated but now as the battle was reaching a turning point it was now time to move out.

    Tens of minutes later the fire blocking out the city gates were extinguishing and the forces of Aurora stormed inside, but of course, the battle was long from over. Rainbow Rock City like all of the provincial provinces was massive in size, so despite occupying a large section of the walls and entering the city, the majority of the city was still under enemy control.

    For instance, the section of wall in the east and west still bolstered large amounts of soldiers while the southern wall which had been bombarded by Ling still had a considerable amount of soldiers also. If they all retreated to the provincial lord¡¯s mansion and holed up inside with the soldiers already stationed there, then unless the city was razed to the ground the battle would be drawn out much longer.

    That is if anyone can reach the provincial lord¡¯s mansion. Hong Yang and his men were the first to retreat to the provincial lord¡¯s mansion however before they could reach the inner city walls they were attacked by ten thousand horsemen. As shields were splintered by spears and lances, rivers of blood bang to form as the once orderly retreat turning into a mass of hysteria.

    ¡°Charge!!!¡± The ten thousand horsemen roared as their horses sped forward.

    ¡°We surrender!¡± General Hong Yang said as he saw that the longer he continued on the more his men would suffer.

    With General Hong Yang¡¯s surrender, roughly a sixth of the forces within the city had submitted while one-sixth were concentrated in the provincial lord¡¯s mansion and four sixths who were under the command of the man clad in crystal armor were still atop the city walls.

    This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    ¡°Section off the walls and surround the provincial lord¡¯s mansion!¡± Yuying commanded to the soldiers inside the city as her throne made of skulls broke apart and turned into a column.

    Thus, the battle raged on into the night and despite having entered the city, the beauties had not been able to achieve total victory yet.

    =====================================================================

    As the flames of war burned under the night sky in the Rainbow Rock Province, the items that Zhang had requested had been brought to him and he was about to begin operating on Tang Wei¡¯s father.

    ¡°Brother Lee if you need anything please just tell me.¡± Tang Wei said as he stood beside his mother.

    ¡°The medicine is taking effect and his lordship is about to entire a deep sleep so I think it would be best to begin the operation. I would advise those with a faint heart to step outside of the room.¡± Zhang said as he picked up a scalpel and placed its blade into an open flame burning in a bronze bowl to sanitize it. Once the blade was glowing bright red, Zhang arrived in front of Tang Wei¡¯s father and began to operate. As the scalpel began to cut through skin and flesh, blood spurted out of the newly cut wound onto Zhang¡¯s face.

    ¡°Towel.¡± Zhang said calmly before Ai handed him a white towel to wipe away the blood that oozed out of the wound and the blood that splashed onto his face.

    As Sheng Yi saw blood splatter onto Zhang she felt a tad light headed but nonetheless steeled herself to watch her husband¡¯s operation until it was complete.

    ¡°Now to get through the muscle layer and find out where that critter is¡­¡± Zhang mumbled as his scalpel continued to cut deeper into the Red Thorn Province¡¯s provincial lord. From the knowledge he had acquired from his past life and the knowledge he had acquired from his current life, Zhang could be considered an expert at traditional medical practices.

    ¡°Tang Wei! What the fuck are you doing in there!¡± Tang Shiang¡¯s voice could be heard outside as someone banged on the door.

    ¡°Open the door this instant! I want to know what you¡¯re doing to father!¡± Tang Shiang roared as his fists pounded on the screen door causing parts of it to splinter off.

    ¡°Hold the door, we can¡¯t allow him to interrupt.¡± Tang Wei said to two of his guards who were inside the room. With a nod, the two bulky men headed toward the door and began to build a barricade.

    ¡°Miu Liu, smash the door!¡± Tang Shiang yelled

    Soon enough Zhang could feel the aura of a level seven cultivator emit through the air as a loud boom sound turned the screen door into hundreds of pieces.

    ¡°Yo-you you¡­ What are you doing?¡± Tang Shiang asked with an ashen face as he saw Zhang sitting beside his father with blood stained hands once he entered the room.

    ¡°Saving your father¡¯s life.¡± Zhang said with a smile as he turned back with a squirming blue colored silkworm in his blood stained hands.

    ¡°You successfully took it out?¡± Tang Wei said with relief on his face.

    ¡°That was in father?!¡± Tang Shiang asked with a disgusted look on his face.

    ¡°Playing the fool now? Aren¡¯t you the one to put it in him?¡± Tang Wei said as he turned around and grabbed Tang Shiang¡¯s collar.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what the fuck you''re talking about. If anyone did it, it should be you! You probably did it so you can take over father¡¯s position without having to worry about him changing his mind and appointing me rightful heir!¡± Tang Shiang said angrily as he brushed off Tang Wei¡¯s hands.

    ¡°You think I would harm father over something like that?¡± Tang Wei said.

    ¡°And you think I would harm my father over something like that?¡± Tang Shiang refuted.

    ¡°Ai hand me the thread and needle.¡± Zhang said to Ai as the two brothers continued to argue. After playing the silkworm in a large bronze bowl to have a look at later, Zhang began to stitch his patient¡¯s wound back together and mend it with the Underworld Heart.

    In a few quick moments, Zhang was able to skillfully mend the previously gaping wound without leaving even a scar. After he was done, Sheng Yi quickly arrived beside her husband¡¯s bedside held onto his hand.

    ¡°The two of you can quit arguing now. Since the operation was a success and I can use this silkworm to find the culprit.¡± Zhang said calmly as the brothers were about to begin swinging their fists at each other.

    ¡°Since this is a matter concerning the future of the province I would recommend both of you to take a step back and reconsider the current situation. If neither of you admits to infecting your father, then who else would have the motive?¡± Zhang said after the two brothers stopped arguing and silence filled the room.

    ¡°If father dies and I don¡¯t become the provincial lord then he does.¡± Tang Wei said.

    ¡°If both this bastard and father are gone and I don¡¯t become the provincial lord then¡­.¡± Tang Shiang mumbled

    ¡°Uncle Tang Pan¡­.¡± Both brothers said in unison.

    ¡°How could your father¡¯s brother be next in line to be the provincial lord when he married into the family.¡± Ai asked with a confused look on her face.

    ¡°He¡¯s not our father''s brother, but Tang Shiang¡¯s mother¡¯s cousin and more than likely if both of us were disposed of he would become the next provincial lord¡­ But of all the people, Uncle Tang Pan is father¡¯s closest supporter. They are practically like brothers...¡± Tang Wei said with a sigh.

    ¡°Well, we¡¯ll find out soon enough.¡± Zhang said as he picked up the bowl containing the bloody silkworm in it.

    ¡°These things are only able to survive roughly three days after they hatch unless they find a host, they also become unbelievably attached to the place where they hatched so if they are not in the host they will almost always find their way back to their spawning point.¡± Zhang said as he placed the silkworm onto the ground.

    ¡°So you''re saying if we simply follow it I can find out the bastard that put that thing in my father?¡± Tang Shiang asked.

    ¡°Yes my lord.¡± Zhang said with a nod.

    ¡°You heard him¡­ Gather our men¡­ Once I get to the bottom of this, whoever did it will be hanged¡­¡± Tang Shiang said angrily.

    ¡°Brother Ai you stay here and keep an eye out on his lordship.¡± Zhang said as he proceeded to follow the silkworm as it crawled on the ground.

    Soon, Zhang, Tang Wei, Tang Shiang and a bunch of men began to trail the silkworm who was moving fairly faster despite its size. Without a doubt as they walked through the provincial lord¡¯s manor they caught everyone¡¯s attention, from maids, butlers, soldiers to generals and nobles, everyone was wondering what was happening.

    It was a rare occasion for Tang Wei and Tang Shiang to be in the same place at once and not fight each other so soon enough people began to trail them to see what was happening.

 Chapter 148: Into the Night

    So our entire water drainage pipe was blocked by buildup and I couldn¡¯t fix it despite trying for hours which ended up resulting in lots of pain in my right hand and $350 for a plumber to come and work on the pipe :/

    I¡¯ll be trying to have a chapter of either Ascending or Ds up tonight if I can, but here¡¯s a chapter for you all. Happy Memorial Day to those in the US.

    ========================================================================

    Once the moon rose and the sun was gone, the provincial lord¡¯s mansions in both the Rainbow Rock Province and the Red Thorn Province were filled with activity. Whereas one was being surrounded by enemy soldiers and under siege, the other one had hundreds of people trailing a small silkworm.

    ¡°Surrender and you¡¯ll be spared!¡± The soldiers under the command of Yuying, Ling and Lingqi chanted along with the soldiers of the Rainbow Rock Army who had laid down their arms.

    Atop the tall walls of the provincial lord¡¯s mansion which was resembled a fortress more than a mansion, thousands of soldiers desperately tried fought on. Although the some of these soldiers very much wished to surrender, they simply could not and did not dare to.

    This was because the lord of the city had ordered every flag and every white piece of cloth in the mansion to be dyed black so that no one can raise a flag of surrender.

    Without a flag or anything to indicate their surrender, no one in the mansion dared to defect or open the gates. There was also the fact that there was a majority of soldiers who were not willing to surrender so any defectors would be slain on the spot.

    So all they could do was pray that some miracle occurred and that the mansion walls and gates would not be breached.

    However even if the mansion walls and gates were indestructible, Ling and Yuying could simply create lift themselves up into the air and rain down death from upon, that was of course if they managed to deal with the soldiers atop the city walls.

    Besides the soldiers inside the provincial lord¡¯s mansion, there was also a pocket of soldiers atop a section of the city walls who were resisting heavily.

    Since the sun had set Ling could no longer condense rays of light into deadly beams, which gave the soldiers atop the city walls a new lease on life and the ability to resist.

    ¡°Just have our soldiers keep at it, our forces obviously outnumber theirs and by the time they tire we¡¯ll send in fresh troops to wipe out those who do not surrender.¡± Yuying said as she and Ling and Lingqi walked into the city¡¯s largest hotel.

    ¡°Little White will keep an eye out on that guy in crystal armor on the walls¡­¡± Ling said with a sigh as she followed behind Yuying.

    For the most part, none of them had been able to sleep on a soft bed for weeks so they decided that tonight would be a great night to do so. Since most of the city was under their control and the hotel was surrounded by their soldiers, they did not need to worry about being attacked. There was also the fact that the provincial lord¡¯s mansion was surrounded and the enemy forces atop the city walls had Little White watching with preying eyes.

    ¡°Ho-ho-how may I help you your highnesses.¡± A middle-aged innkeeper stuttered as his gaze shifted between the beauties and his family that was huddled up in one corner of the room.

    In times of war, and especially when one''s city is being occupied for the first time by a foreign force, anything could happen and to anyone, be it man woman or child was gripped by fear.

    ¡°No need to be afraid, we simply want to check out all of the rooms in your hotel for ourselves and a few of the army¡¯s officers.¡± Lingqi said with a smile.

    ¡°We¡¯ll be paying of course.¡± Ling said.

    ¡°N-n-no need to pay.¡± The innkeeper said while still stuttering as his legs shook uncontrollably.

    Regardless of how beautiful the beauties were and how brilliant and kind their smiles were; the innkeeper was frightened out of his wits by the horrendous stories he had heard about them.

    Also as invaders, it was without a doubt that the common people would hate and fear the beauties.

    ¡°Sister please don''t hurt my father.¡± A little girl said as she ran toward the innkeeper and hugged his leg.

    ¡°Mei, go back to your mother!¡± The innkeeper yelled at his daughter.

    ¡°Come here.¡± Yuying said to the little girl as she crouched on the ground and reached out her hand.

    ¡°Yo-your highness please forgive her, she''s only a child.¡± The innkeeper said.

    ¡°Come here.¡± Yuying said with a smile before the little girl timidly approached her.

    After a soft pinch to the cheek and a pat on the head, Yuying waved her hand and a beautiful hairpin appeared.

    ¡°Here you can have it since your father won''t accept payment for the rooms, I''ll gift this to you.¡± She said with a smile as she stuck the very expensive looking pin into the girl¡¯s hair.

    ¡°Please show us the way to our rooms.¡± She said with a smile to the innkeeper after the little girl scampered away to show her mother the hairpin.

    Although they were going to overpay for the rooms anyway, the hairpin was a treasure that Yuying had acquired in the remnants of the Sai Empire and was well worth enough to purchase this hotel two times over.

    But of course, if anything, the beauties all had a soft spot for children.

    Before long the beauties were shown to separate rooms as the war continued to rage on outside.

    ==================================

    Back in the Red Thorn Province hundreds of curious people had followed behind Zhang and the Tang brothers are they trailed the grotesque looking silkworm crawling on the ground.

    Although the silkworm moved fairly fast for its size, the provincial lord¡¯s mansion being a provincial lord¡¯s mansion was pretty large so hours had passed as everyone followed the worm.

    To prevent new of spreading about what they were doing, Tang Wei and Tang Shiang had ordered for everyone that happens to encounter them to stay with the group or be executed for treason. Lending a small helping hand, Zhang used the Underworld Heart to sense all of the people within the area that they were moving through so that no one was missed.

    There was also a team of guards who surrounded the silkworm from all sides, creating a human wall to ensure its safety so that no wondering maids would accidentally step on it.

    From Tang Shiang¡¯s attitude, Zhang could tell that despite being rude snotty loud mouth, he did not use the silkworm on his father. This was because of he did then simply ¡°accidentally¡± tripping on the silkworm and squishing it would solve most of his problems.

    ¡°Damn couldn''t this stupid thing move any faster¡­¡± Tang Shiang complained as the moon was rising in the background behind him and while dozens of men stood around him with lit torches.

    It was not until roughly an hour later did they find themselves exiting the provincial lord¡¯s mansion and walking out onto the city streets. Roughly an hour after they descended upon the streets with hundreds of servants and soldiers following behind them did Zhang and the Tang brothers finally arrived at their destination. Although the few civilians were out in the streets during this time of day were curious none of them dared to draw near the group so for the most part no one could find out what they were doing.

    This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    ¡°So it seems we¡¯ve managed to reach our destination.¡± Zhang said as they stood in front of a large manor that was located not too far from where they had begun.

    ¡°My lords how may I be of service to you at such an hour in the night.¡± A young man in servants clothing said in a polite manner as he arrived in front of the group.

    ¡°Arrest him and surround the mansion! Call for more soldiers!¡± Tang Shiang commanded.

    ¡°Wha-what¡¯s the meaning of this! Do you know who I work for? Do you know where this is?!¡± The young servant said as two bulky soldiers seized him while man more charged inside.

    However unexpectedly the moment Tang Shiang¡¯s men rushed inside they found themselves facing armored guards and fierce fighting broke out almost instantly.

    ¡°What do you fools think you¡¯re doing here?¡± A man in his later twenties dressed in white silk robes said as he walked into the courtyard where the fighting had broken out with a sword in hand.

    ¡°By orders of lord Tang Wei and Tang Shiang, everyone is to lay down their arms or be executed. We have the mansion surrounded and there is no way to escape!¡± A loud voice sounded into the mansion from the outside.

    Of course, this was simply a bluff because only about a hundred or two soldiers had accompanied the group and that was nowhere near enough to surround an entire mansion and secure all of the exits. But since there was no way to tell what was happening outside, the people inside the mansion felt suffocated as they thought they were like trapped mice who were now caged without any way of escaping.

    ¡°Young master! What''s the commotion about!? Could they have possibly figured out what your father did?¡± A bald middle-aged man said as he hastily arrived in the courtyard with a handful of guards by his side who looked like they had hurriedly dressed themselves.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know, but have someone break out of the encirclement and alert father for reinforcements.¡± The young man said.

    While the fighting was going on, Zhang stood all the way at the rear and did not participate because he did not want others to notice his battle prowess.  Also, this fight was not his to fight because he was currently only a soldier of the Dark Legion who was simply lending his medical skills to his host.

    ¡°Tang Xiao lay down your arms and stop resisting!¡± Tang Wei said as he stepped through the front gates of the mansion.

    ¡°What do you bastards think you''re doing attacking my home?! Do you not remember that we are family!?¡± The young man who was called Tang Xiao roared in reply.

    ¡°How do you explain this then!?¡± Tang Wei said as he held up the silkworm that they had been following for hours.

    ¡°What kind of rubbish is that? Because of some Corpse Eating Silkworm you''re attacking us?¡± Tang Xiao mocked.

    ¡°How did you know it was a Corpse Eating Silkworm? Don¡¯t buy into his act young masters!¡± Zhang said, as he inwardly called Tang Xiao an idiot for calling out the name of the silkworm.

    ¡°He¡¯s a level five and they are both level fives also.¡± Zhang thought as he watched the two Tang brothers set aside their differences and rush forward to capture Tang Xiao. But of course, Tang Xiao had personal guards who aided him so the brothers could not gang up on him.

    Since Zhang decided not to take part in the fight Zhang found a relatively quiet corner by the mansion''s gates and sat down. But due to Zhang not taking part in the fight and everyone else being fairly evenly matched the fighting dragged on as the moon shone down from above.

    While everyone was fighting and chaos roamed about freely, a team of soldiers rushed into the mansion with panicked expressions on their faces.

    ¡°My lord! My lord! Lord Tang Pan has brought a large number of soldiers from the Eastern Fort and the guards watching over the eastern gate had let him into the city! It¡¯s only a matter of time before he gets here!¡± One of the soldiers yelled.

    ¡°Send for soldiers from the provincial lord¡¯s mansion, the Western Fort and request aid from the Dark Legion!¡± Tang Wei yelled.

    The majority of Red Thorn City¡¯s soldiers were placed in two strategic forts located roughly an hour away from the city itself with each fort housing roughly one hundred thousand soldiers each they served to provide Red Thorn City two shields in case of enemy attacks. One of these sorts, the Eastern Fort, was under the control of Lord Tang Pan, the provincial lord¡¯s right-hand man.

    ¡°Well, things sure have gone way out of proportion. If a civil war breaks out here and drags the Dark Legion into it then I won¡¯t have to work as hard later. But if they manage to stop the civil war then I¡¯ll have to try and come up with something else.¡± Zhang thought as he continued to watch the fight while sending a message to Ai on his magical message transmitter telling her to be careful.

    ¡°My father will be here soon and you¡¯ll wish that you didn¡¯t wake the hornet¡¯s nest!¡± Tang Xiao laughed mockingly.

    ¡°When your father arrives, we will be using you as a hostage!¡± Tang Shiang roared as he cut down one of Tang Xiao¡¯s guards.

    To be honest in terms of military prowess Tang Wei and Tang Shiang were evenly matched, had it not been for Tang Shiang¡¯s hot temper and foul mouth they his father would have had to reconsider who to elect as his heir.

    ¡°I guess I should lend a hand¡­¡± Zhang thought as he used the Underworld Heart to materialize a dozen tiny needles which he then sent piercing through the air with a thought. These needles made their way through the thick armor that Tang Xiao¡¯s men wore and found their way through flesh and skin.

    Once inside the human body these needles dematerialized and turned back into essence causing small bursts of essence to explode inside the bodies of whoever were unfortunate enough to be hit. Of course, due to their small size, the needles were not lethal and only served to deal minor injuries that would allow the Tang brothers to quickly defeat their opponents.

    With Zhang¡¯s help, Tang Xiao¡¯s guards were cut down one after the other and Tang Xiao himself was soon apprehended. Upon seeing their young master in enemy hands, the rest of the hostile soldiers and combatants in the mansion laid down their arms.

    If they continued to fight and their young master was harmed due to that then when the master of the household arrives with one hundred thousand soldiers, then it was obvious that they would be severely reprimanded and possibly killed.

    ¡°Tie everyone up and barricade the gate!¡± Tang Wei said, telling the soldiers who were fighting with him to prepare for Tang Pan¡¯s arrival.

    Since the barracks where the Dark Legion was staying was located west of the provincial lord¡¯s mansion and the location where they currently located was east of the provincial lord¡¯s mansion, there was no need to worry about the provincial lord¡¯s mansion being attacked. However, since they did not know when Tang Pan would arrive with his soldiers, retreating on the open city streets could result in being caught by the enemy, so the most logical thing Tang Wei could come up with was holing themselves up in the mansion until reinforcements arrive.

 Chapter 149: Observers

    Proofed byiamvectorious

    This chapter was meant for yesterday but I didn''t get home until really late in the night and it was short about two hundreds words so I decided to wait until morning to finish.

    =====================

    As one hundred thousand soldiers raced through Red Thorn City their rhythmic footsteps awoke every home they passed by. Curiosity, fear and a mixture of emotions crept into the hearts of everyone who was woken up from their dreams and peaceful night¡¯s sleep. While countless eyes peaked out onto the streets, countless torches and gleaming shields and swords could be seen under the moonlight.

    Although Tang Wei¡¯s messenger had reached the barracks where the Dark Legion was staying, however upon receiving word from the messenger, General Hei Ang was filled with contradiction.

    ¡°General, should we ready the men?¡± One of General Hei Ang¡¯s aids who''s still dressed in a nightgown asked.

    ¡°No¡­ We will wait and see how things play out before we intervene. Although we are allies with them right now, our mission was to engage the forces of Aurora and stop them from advancing and not to take part in another provincial civil war. Also make sure that messenger never arrived here.¡± General Hei Ang said with a sigh.

    In the end, his mission was still his priority and even if the leadership of the Red Thorn Province changed hands it wouldn¡¯t really affect his mission, there was also the fact that if he choose to intervene, his forces could possibly suffer casualties which might end up hindering him when facing the forces of Aurora.

    Lastly, although the southern region was currently united and aiding each other, they would definitely revert back to enemies once the war was over. So as General Hei Long saw it, if he extended a helping hand to the Red Thorn Province, there was a chance that he would end up helping his future enemy.

    So for now his best choice of action would be to get rid of the messenger and pretend that he did not receive and pleas for help. Then, once the fighting reached its peak, the Dark Legion would show up and back the winning side.

    Or if the situation totally gets out of hand then perhaps the Red Thorn Province will fall into the hands of the Dark Legion.

    Back in Tang Pan¡¯s mansion, the few hundred soldiers the two Tang brothers had with them were busy trying to barricade the gates with whatever they could find things from tables, beds, carts and even doors were gathered. Now that the fighting inside the mansion had ceased, Zhang could be seen up and about helping the wounded and aiding the attempt to barricade the gates.

    ¡°Once father gets here you¡¯ll all die like dogs!¡± Tang Xiao laughed manically despite being bound and laying on his side on the ground.

    ¡°Shut the fuck up or I¡¯ll cut out your tongue!¡± Tang Shiang roared his foot smashed into Tang Xiao¡¯s stomach and send him flying into a wall.

    In a fit of rage, Tang Shiang continued to violently beat Tang Xiao until his half brother finally intervened.

    ¡°Stop! Or else you¡¯ll kill him and he¡¯ll be useless as a hostage¡­¡± Tang Wei said as he placed his hand on his half brother¡¯s shoulder.

    ¡°Consider yourself lucky¡­But keep flapping your mouth and you¡¯ll regret it.Tang Shiang said as he spat onto Tang Xiao before storming off.

    ¡°You two keep an eye on him¡­ If he tries to do anything funny cut off a few of his limbs¡­ As long as he doesn¡¯t die then it¡¯s fine.¡± Tang Wei said as his patience with Tang Xiao was also at its limit. Had it not been for the one hundred thousand incoming soldiers then it was without a doubt that Tang Xiao would have been beheaded by now.

    Although some may say that simply because Zhang said that wherever the Corpse Eater Silkworm would lead to the ones who schemed against the provincial lord, there wasn¡¯t enough evidence to prove that Tang Xiao and his father Tang Pan were guilty.

    However if they were not guilty of scheming against their ruler, then Tang Pan would not march one hundred thousand soldiers into the city. Even if they were innocent, the mere act of marching soldiers into the city without proper authorization is an act of treason.

    ¡°My lords, we searched the mansion and have found something we think you should see.¡± A soldier reported back before leading Zhang and the Tang brothers the mansion¡¯s main hall where a passageway could be seen opening up in the floor.

    ¡°There was a hidden mechanism built into one of the stone tablets on the altar which opened up the floor.¡± One of the soldiers said.

    Unlike most of the underground passages that Zhang had gone into that seemed like they extended infinitely into the dark depths of the earth, this one only required a mere thirty steps to reach the room hidden underneath the floor.

    ¡°What are these?¡± Tang Shiang asked as he saw hundreds of blue colored pearls, placed on tidy looking shelves that lined the walls within the small chamber. Before anyone would answer him, he even picked up one of the blueish colored pearl and began to examine them.

    ¡°Those are without a doubt Corpse Eating Silkworms eggs¡­¡±  Zhang said as watched Tang Shiang hold the bluish egg close to his face.

    ¡°Wahh!?¡± Tang Shiang yelled as Zhang¡¯s bit of information startled him while the bluish egg rolled out of his hands and smashed into the ground spewing its contents everywhere.

    ¡°So it was them¡­¡± Tang Wei said as his fist slammed into a shelf next to him causing a few eggs to roll onto the ground.

    ¡°Burn it¡­¡± Tang Shiang said with unhappy look on his face since these eggs reminded him of his bedridden father who was at death¡¯s door.

    ¡°You heard him! Burn it!¡± Tang Wei roared at the two guards who accompanied them and Zhang down into the small chamber. Like his half brother, the moment he realized that theses were the eggs that spawned the tiny monster that was eating away at his father, Tang Wei felt an unbelievable amount of rage.

    ¡°These may come in handy later.¡± Zhang thought as he quickly swiped away a few of the bluish eggs and hid them in his robe¡¯s sleeve. Since he did not have the Ruler¡¯s Domain and since interspatial rings can not hold living matter, Zhang had to keep the eggs tucked away instead.

    By the time the underground chamber was set ablaze, the Tang brothers were alerted by their men that their uncle Tang Pan¡¯s had just arrived and had surrounded the mansion while demanding the release of his son.

    ¡°Good nephews, release my son and I promise nothing will happen to you. I¡¯ll even ensure the safety of your men.¡± Tang Pan¡¯s voice echoed into the mansion while a middle aged man with streaks of grey hair and a charismatic looking face could be seen atop a white stallion outside of the mansion¡¯s walls.

    However after Tang Pan¡¯s words, only silence filled the air while something unsettling occurred. Instead of a proper reply a severed arm tightly gripping a jade pendant flew over the mansion¡¯s walls and landed in front of Tang Pan¡¯s horse.

    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

    ¡°Thi-this is young master¡¯s jade pendant.¡± One of Tang Pan¡¯s lieutenants stuttered as he held up the pendant for his master to see.

    ¡°Calm down that is not Xiao¡¯er¡¯s arm¡­ They wouldn¡¯t dare to harm him and are only trying to threaten us.¡± Tang Pan said in a calm manner.

    Without the mansion, Tang Wei could be seen standing beside a corpse with a missing arm while a blood stained sword could be seen in his hand.

    ¡°Uncle Pan! Retreat out of the city or else our warning will not stay a warning for long.¡± Tang Wei yelled.

    ¡°It seems the Dark Legion aren¡¯t going to be showing up¡­¡± Zhang thought while sitting beside the mansion¡¯s main gate. He thought if they had any intention of showing up, then considering how close the mansion and the barracks were, the Dark Legion would have arrived by now.

    ¡°Also I doubt the reinforcements from that other fort will arrive in time, that is to consider if they too had not defected in the other side.¡± Zhang thought.

    ¡°Young masters, is there a chance that the soldiers in the western fort will not show or rather is there a chance of them defecting to the other side?¡± Zhang asked as he continued leaning back on the wall behind him.

    ¡°Impossible, the western fort and the eastern fort have little to no interactions at all.¡± Tang Wei declared with positivity and no hint of doubt in his words.

    Not long after Zhang sat back down and a few threats were issued by Tang Pan, the soldiers surrounding the mansion began using battering rams against the gates and sections of the wall to create entrances into the mansion.

    It was evident that Tang Pan was confident that the Tang brothers would not dare to kill his son so he acted without reserve and had his men move in.

    Although the battering rams made quick work of the gates, the barricade that was stacked up behind the gate was able to keep them at bay. Mostly in part, thanks to the help of dozens of spears systematically being thrusted out at anyone who was trying to break down the barricade.

    Since it was without a doubt that the people inside the mansion was vastly outnumbered, Zhang decided to lend a hand by picking up a spear and weakly thrusting it through the gaps in the barricade. Of course he wasn¡¯t going to give it his all, but simply pretending to do his part was all Zhang needed to do.

    This was because like the Dark Legion, Zhang simply needed to wait and see the outcome of this civil war. If the Tang brothers was showing signs of victory then he would convince them into possibly siding with the forces of Aurora, if Tang Pan wins then he would give the same offer.

    Although this seemed contrary to Zhang¡¯s regular approach to things, he felt that there was a need for chaos and conflict to occur. If the pot was not stirred then it would only serve to hinder his forces and harm his soldiers in the longer run, so as long as civilians are not harmed then Zhang was perfectly fine with sitting back and waiting to see how things played out.

    But deep down there was a part of Zhang who was kind of worried about the possibility of the Tang brothers achieving victory and then fighting against each other. That would of course further damage the forces of the Red Thorn Army, while it would serve to have  little to affect to the Dark Legion.

    It was true that Zhang¡¯s main army outnumbered the Dark Legion however if there was only a fourth of the Red Thorn Army remaining then it would be easily crushed by the Dark Legion which would then require Zhang¡¯s forces to siege the city because their possible inside helpers were routed. Then once a siege began then the common people would suffer innumerable casualties because stones launched by catapults; and arrows possess no eyes when they are sent flying through the air.

    If the beauties unleash havoc, things would even get worse, so Zhang¡¯s best plan was to get the brothers to get along or have them lose to their uncle and then convince the winner to side with Aurora and then take care of the Dark Legion.

    As spears thrusted out from behind the barricade and soldiers trying to break into the mansion were all gifted with trails of cut flesh and blood, large cracks began to form on certain sections of the mansion¡¯s walls. Hammers were slammed into the stone walls while blades and axes were used to try to chip away at whatever they could.

    Before long a small section of wall crumbled and teams of soldiers rushed inside with weapons drawn.

    ¡°Young masters, it¡¯s time to move elsewhere and fortify our position!¡± Zhang yelled as he signalled to Tang Wei and Tang Shiang.

    ¡°To the main hall!¡± Zhang pointed. Since they had only set the underground chamber ablaze, for the most part the mansion¡¯s main hall was completely intact and would serve as a secure location to hole up in for the time being.

    As everyone abandoned the barricades and rushed into the main hall, a few of them met their end when archers stormed in through the broken wall and a torrent of arrows was released into the air.

    ¡°Shut the doors!¡± Someone cried.

    ¡°Let me go and I''ll ensure your bodies stay intact after you die.¡± Tang Xiao said as he was dragged into the hall.

    As axes, swords and spears were used to cut into the main hall''s doors and paper screens.

    ¡°Pour this onto those doors!¡± Zhang said after he withdrew a keg of oil from his interspatial ring and passed it to one of the soldiers beside him.

    As oil was poured onto the makeshift barricade, some of the paper screen windows that had been cut to pieces had people trying to climb  into them.

    With only a handful of about a hundred remaining combatants; a few dozen maids and butlers holding out until reinforcements arrived seemed like a fleeting dream.

    ¡°Hold him!¡± Tang Shiang said as his patience was at an end and the dire situation caused him to think irrationally.

    With a soldier holding down Tang Xiao, Tang Shiang withdrew his sword and with a swing caused a severed hand to fall into the ground.

    ¡°Gahhhhh!¡± Tang Xiao cried while blood shot out from the spot where his hand used to be.

    ¡°Didn''t I tell you to shut up!?¡± Tang Shiang roared as the barricades broke down before a fire could be lit to further the soldiers storming in.

    ¡°Stay back or else he dies!¡± Tang Shiang yelled as he tossed Tang Xiao¡¯s severed hand at the enemy soldiers.

    Upon charging into the hall and seeing his son¡¯s severed hand land in front of his feet, Tang Pan felt an aching pain ring through his mind.

    ¡°Everyone stay back!¡± Tang Pan commanded.

    Soon the two sides were at a standstill and stood silently staring at each other with neither side making any movements.

    Even the previously rowdy Tang Xiao sat in silence as he tried to contain the amount he was in.

 Chapter 150: Gold Saves Lives

    With a sword brushed against his only son¡¯s throat, Tang Pan ordered for all of his men to stop moving.

    ¡°If you don¡¯t want your only son to take a trip to the underworld then have your men move out of the room!¡± Tang Shiang said as he pressed his sword even harder against Tang Xiao¡¯s neck, causing a thin streak of blood to ooze out from Tang Xiao¡¯s neck.

    ¡°Fa-father¡­¡± Tang Xiao managed to squeeze out of his lips as streaks of tears ran down his cheeks. Unlike other cultivators, Tang Xiao was aided by cultivation materials that his father gathered for him so simply said he was a playboy at heart and when paired with the fact that he rarely ever even got hit, one could imagine his reaction to having his hand cut off.

    ¡°Xiao it¡¯ll be alright, father will invite the best doctors the province has and have your hand fixed.¡± Tang Pan said as he saw the sorry state his son was currently in.

    As the standoff tensed and silence ensued, Zhang leaned against a wall and watched silently waiting to see what would happen next and to his amazement it did not take very long for something to occur.

    The sea of soldiers filling up the courtyard began to split apart and four people could be seen being escorted through the crowd.

    Within this group of people were two middle-aged women, a frail looking man, and a young looking man who could very well be a woman.

    ¡°Mother¡­¡± Both Tang Wei and Tang Shiang said at the same time while Zhang¡¯s eye brightened once he saw Ai. It was without a doubt that Ai did not resist when they were apprehended or else they would have been a massive commotion, so Zhang and her covers were not yet blown.

    As soldiers of the Dark Legion, at best they would receive a slap on the wrist if Tang Pan succeeds in becoming the next provincial lord, so there wasn¡¯t much for Zhang to worry about despite Ai being capture. Also, if she wanted to, there were not many people present who could stand a chance against Ai in a fight.

    ¡°Release my son or else your father and mothers will be put to the sword.¡± Tang Pan said as he eyes the two brothers.

    ¡°Ho-how did you get to them so quickly¡­¡± Tang Shiang said in disbelief.

    ¡°You think that I don¡¯t have any agents planted inside the provincial lord¡¯s mansion? Let me remind you that I¡¯ve been in that mansion well before your father had even stepped foot in it. Also, the city gates are all under my control now so even if the forces from the Western Fort arrives they won¡¯t have any means of entering the city.¡± Tang Pan said mockingly.

    ¡°Shiang, don¡¯t give this traitor what he wants.¡± A woman who seemed to be Tang Shiang¡¯s mother said while revealing an air of nobility and grace.

    ¡°If I remember right, good nephew you are the one that cut off Xiao¡¯s hand¡­ How about I give your mother the same gift that you gave my son?¡± Tang Pan asked as he withdrew a gleaming blade from the golden scabbard.

    ¡°No! Wait!¡± Tang Shiang yelled as his uncle was about to attack his mother.

    ¡°Then release my son!¡± Tang Pan roared.

    ¡°Release our parents first!¡± Tang Wei yelled in reply.

    ¡°I suggest releasing them at the same time.¡± Zhang poked in before disappearing back into the crowd people behind the Tang brother.

    ¡°Very well then, if you release my son then I¡¯ll release these four.¡± Tang Pan said with a smile.

    In their current situation, no matter what Tang Pan did in the end he would still hold an absolute advantage because of the overwhelming numerical advantage that he possessed. However, a prisoner exchanged had to happen or else he could harm the four prisoners in his possession at will.

    Soon enough a prisoner exchange occurred as Tang Xiao was exchanged for Ai, the provincial lord, and his two wives. As the prisoners slowly made their way to their respective sides, Zhang whispered into Tang Wei¡¯s ear.

    ¡°Young master, it¡¯s obvious once the prisoners are exchanged they will apprehend us and by then our lives will all fall into that traitor¡¯s hands. So if I were to offer you an alternative scenario would you listen to my commands?¡± Zhang said in a whisper.

    ¡°How could we possibly get out of this situation?¡± Shang Wei replied with a sigh.

    ¡°Simple.¡± Zhang replied with a smile as the prisoner exchanged concluded.

    ¡°Capture them!¡± Tang Pan commanded once his son was safely by his side.

    With a grin on his face and Ai by his side, Zhang waves his hand and made countless gold coins rain from the sky. Using the same trick Jin Sho employed, Zhang quickly signaled for Tang Wei to follow him as he charged toward a group of soldiers who were preoccupied with the raining gold coins.

    Since Zhang¡¯s goal was to damage either the forces of the Red Thorn Army or the Dark Legion as much as possible, if the civil war next occurs and the Dark Legion never gets dragged into it then in the end when his forces arrive they would face the combined might of two armies. So to further his plans, he decided to give the Tang brothers a way out of their dire situation.

    Ignoring their master¡¯s command, all of Tang Pan¡¯s soldiers hurriedly tried to pick up as many gold coins as they could while Zhang and the Tang brothers tried to make their escape.

    Since his men were clamored in front of him, not even Tang Pan was able to make his way to where Zhang was.

    Although there was amazing about the amount of wealth that was currently falling from the sky, Tang Wei did not utter a word and stuck to ushering his father and mother to safety. Knowing greed would only result in their deaths, none of Tang Shiang¡¯s men bothered trying to pick up any of the gold coins either and followed closely behind their lord.

    It did not take long for the party to sneak into the back of the mansion where they, of course, ran into a group of soldiers who were busy picking up gold coins from the ground, so amazingly they were all able to exit the mansion and find their way onto a labyrinth of backstreets.

    ¡°Head to the western gate! We must leave open the gates so when our reinforcements arrive they can enter the city!¡± Tang Wei said.

    ¡°I¡¯ll make sure to collect back every single coin¡­¡± Zhang thought as he saw the mound of gold coins that had risen above the mansion¡¯s walls. Suddenly a flash of inspiration appeared in his head while a smile also crept onto his face.

    ¡°A new technique¡­¡± Zhang thought as he and the group headed toward the western city gate.

    While Zhang¡¯s group was making their escape, chaos was still present within the mansion as soldiers hurriedly tried to grab as many gold coins as they could. For a province that had undergone famine and poverty for so many years, such an amount of wealth had soldier clamoring, washing military discipline out of the door.

    This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

    With a click of his tongue and a quick motion of his hand, Tang Pan withdrew his sword and walked into the crowd of crazed soldiers. A stern expression was evident on his face as he swung his sword downward, decapitating a soldier who had a small pile of gold in hand.

    As their comrade¡¯s head fell to the ground and began rolling about, the soldiers snapped out of the mad states of mind and soon silence filled the courtyard.

    ¡°I want you all to go and find them and since I¡¯m feeling generous, for every head brought back I¡¯ll reward a thousand gold coins. As for those who do not obey orders then they will join this fella here.¡± Tang Pan said as blood dripped down from the blade in his hand.

    Considering the amount of gold that Zhang had left behind it was simply to say that Tang Pan wished to hoard it all for himself, but when considering a soldier doesn''t even make more than a hundred gold coins a year then he is offering a very large reward.

    With frightened expressions on their faces, Tang Pan¡¯s men rushed out of the mansion and began to try to track down where Zhang and the others had gone to. Nearby homes were thoroughly searched and every back street and alley were combed.

    It actually did not take very long for Zhang¡¯s group to be discovered at all but with some quick decisions the group of soldiers who ran into Zhang was slaughtered and their armor was stripped. Employing the same tactic that he had used against the Dark Legion, the soldiers loyal to Tang Wei and Tang Shiang were thus given the armor of the soldiers of the Eastern Fort.

    For the most part, the armors were identical but the soldiers of the Eastern Fort had black thread lacing their armor while the soldiers of the provincial lord¡¯s mansion had white laces. From afar they would all look the same but close up it was obvious that they belonged to different units.

    Although they were equipped with the correct armor to camouflage themselves, the group still moved at a fairly slow pace due to the number of maids and the ill provincial lord who was a part of the group.

    ¡°Brother, at this rate by the time we get to the gate the enemy would have had a bunch of time to station their soldiers there.¡± Ai said as she walked beside Zhang as they moved through an alley.

    ¡°No need to worry, I just came up with a new technique that I think will come in very handy.¡± Zhang replied with a smile that was visible through the slit in the helmet he acquired not too long ago.

    ¡°If you say so.¡± Ai replied.

    For the most part, the group Zhang was in was able to move unhindered despite running into dozens of enemy search parties after obtaining their camouflage.

    ¡°Damn¡­ To think they already have so many soldiers stationed at this gate.¡± Tang Shiang cursed as the group arrived not too far from the city¡¯s western gate after roughly two hours after their departure from Tang Pan¡¯s mansion.

    As they continued to near the city gates it was evident that the soldiers from the Western Fort had arrived due to the sound of banging against the city gates. It was clear since the soldiers of the Western Fort couldn¡¯t get in, they resorted to using a siege ram. Luckily for them, since the Red Thorn Province was not in an official state of war yet, most of the city¡¯s defensive weapons were stored away, along with most of its arrow supply. Meaning the soldiers of the Western Fort were met with relatively low resistance as they tried to break into the city to save their lord.

    ¡°Brother Lee Ming, do you have any ideas on how to pass all of those soldiers?¡± Tang Wei asked. By now he had partially become reliant on Zhang¡¯s advice since for the most part Zhang had been a miracle worker in Tang Wei¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°If you¡¯ll keep a secret for me then I¡¯m eighty percent sure we can exit the city unharmed.¡± Zhang replied with a smile.

    ¡°I promise.¡± Tang Wei said with a nod.

    After giving instructions for Tang Wei to have the rest of the group wait where they currently were, Zhang and Ai headed toward the gate side by side.

    As he stood roughly three hundred feet away from a cluster of soldiers who were defending the city gate, a golden coin appeared in Zhang¡¯s hand. With a single thought, red bolts of lightning began to emanate from his body and coil around him as held the golden coin in his hand.

    Moments later the gold coin was flipped into the air as lightning gathered in Zhang¡¯s hand. While time seemed to slow down to a crawl the golden coin spun about in midair before gravity took its course. In a flash, a bolt of red lightning shot out from Zhang¡¯s fingertips and collided with the golden coin.

    Faster than the eye could see the golden coin cut through the air and the instant it touched the city walls an explosion occurred, sending bits of stone and gravel everywhere. While dust swirled and robbed every one of their vision Zhang proceeded to launch a few more gold coins through the air however unlike the first gold coin the following ones produced even larger explosions, with the last one creating the largest of the all.

    Tang Wei watched in disbelief as he saw the aftermath of Zhang¡¯s devastating attack once the dust settled. Large sections of the city walls were turned to rubble while hundreds of not thousands of Tang Pan¡¯s soldiers were lying motionless on the ground.

    ¡°If only I was at a higher level of cultivation, then I can use this technique better¡­¡± Zhang muttered. Since he had not never tested this technique before Zhang had to gauge its power. He found that he needed to draw on the supply of essence in the Underworld Heart if he actually wanted to use this technique to its full potential since the supply of essence in his body alone was not enough.

    The technique was roughly five times more devastating when using one hundred percent of his powers when compared to when he used fifty percent of his powers, however when employing the essence stored in the Underworld Heart, Zhang found that it was capable of becoming ten times stronger than when compared to using fifty percent of his powers.

    He also found out that if he used too much power then the gold coin would liquefy and then evaporate, thus identifying the limit of the technique.

    ¡°Young master, we can leave now.¡± Zhang said as he turned back toward Tang Wei and the rest of the group who were all but stupefied.

    As for Ai, there were sparkles in her eyes as she watched how cool Zhang was.

    ¡°Do it again!¡± Ai said with a laugh.

 Chapter 151: Instigator

    Hi folks :D I actually finished this one last night but got home at like 3 am so didnt post but here it is :D

    Also Zhang used gold coins for the railgun because gold coins are what he has the most of o_o

    ===============================================================================

    As unbelievable was it was, none of the soldiers of the Western Fort were injured while and after Zhang¡¯s new technique was unleashed. For the most part, they only sent a small unit to try and knock down the city gates and Zhang ignored the city gate and focused on the sections of wall, so in the end, the city gate was still intact and the soldiers of the Western Fort were stunned but unharmed.

    ¡°Quickly!¡± Tang Wei yelled as he ushered the group to flee toward the what used to be the city walls.

    ¡°Maybe I should demolish some more walls.¡± Zhang thought as he moved along with the rest of the group. The more he destroyed now, using the excuse of helping Tang Wei escape, the fewer defenses the city will possess when his soldiers arrive.

    ¡°Young masters, keep going! I¡¯ll distract them!¡± Zhang said as he prepared to release some more gold coins at the city walls.

    ¡°Brother Lee Ming, stop! If the walls are damaged any more than when the soldiers of Aurora arrive we won¡¯t be able to defend the city.¡± Tang Wei cried.

    ¡°What?!¡± Zhang yelled, pretending not to hear what Tang Wei said as he caused large sections of walls to crumble and huge explosions to ring into everyone¡¯s ears.

    ¡°Stop!!¡± Tang Wei roared as he began to stop moving toward the soldiers of the Western Fort but toward Zhang.

    It was only when Tang Wei arrived right before him, did Zhang stop unleashing havoc on the city walls and said sorry with an apologetic face.

    In split seconds, Zhang, Tang Wei and Ai began to catch up with the rest of the group and join up with the soldiers of the Western Fort. By now Tang Pan¡¯s soldiers were either dead, scared out of their wits or still stuck in a daze so they¡¯ve all but become irrelevant.

    ¡°Halt! Traitors!¡± A soldier from the western fort yelled as a wall of spears surrounded the group after they passed the remnants of the city walls.

    ¡°Where is General Song Ren?¡± Tang Wei¡¯s father asked as he took off his helmet and withdrew a pendant from his robes with the help of his two wives. Although the man still appeared very sickly, there was a certain presence that he gave off which demanded everyone¡¯s attention now that he was cured of the pesky insect that plagued him.

    ¡°My lord, I¡¯m sorry that we were late.¡± A middle-aged man with eyes that resembled that of a hawk¡¯s and had the presence of a lurking predator said as he kneeled on one knee in front of Tang Wei¡¯s father.

    ¡°Brother Song, please get up. In the end, you''re the only one who I can rely on.¡± Tang Wei¡¯s father said while coughing.

    ¡°Had it not been for you my lord then I would have died many years ago, without your grace I would not have been able to obtain the position I am currently in, so as long as my heart beats then I shall remain the sword who cuts your enemies.¡± General Song Ren said while reminiscing about a time that had long since passed.

    ¡°Good, I want all of these rebels apprehended and I want Tang Pan¡¯s corpse hung above the city walls.¡±

    ¡°As you command my lord.¡± General Song Ren said as his men stormed into the city and quickly captured what remained of Tang Pan¡¯s men in the area around the western city gate.

    While the soldiers of the Western Fort and their general grouped up with Tang Wei and the others, Zhang and Ai departed to cause more mischief and chaos.

    ¡°Now to drag the Dark Legion into this.¡± Zhang said to Ai with a devious grin.

    Although Tang Pan¡¯s forces near the western gate were in shambles due to the arrival of General Song Ren and his soldiers coupled with the destruction that Zhang had caused, for the most part, the other city gates, and the provincial lord¡¯s mansion was still under his control. Thus meaning there were many pockets of Tang Pan¡¯s soldiers scattered around the city to which Zhang could use to his advantage.

    ¡°Ai, hop on.¡± Zhang said as large serpent slid out from his shadow and rose up from underneath his feet.

    While extending his hand out, Zhang grabbed Ai and the two of them sped through the city atop a massive Abyssal snake.

    ¡°We should do this more.¡± Ai said with a grin while her arms wrapped around his husband¡¯s stomach as they moved through the back alley streets at blinding speeds. Despite the Abyssal Snake being a few hundred feet long, it moved so quick that anyone who saw it only saw a blur.

    ¡°Hang on tight.¡± Zhang said as the Abyssal Snake increased its speed. What took a few hours by foot to travel took only tens of minutes as Zhang and Ai made their way back toward the area where Tang Pan¡¯s soldiers were mostly concentrated.

    Before long the two of them hopped off their mount and it faded back into the shadows from whence it came. Using the Underworld Heart to scan the area, Zhang had found a group of Tang Pan¡¯s soldiers numbering roughly three hundred in total, gathered in front of the provincial lord¡¯s mansion.

    Upon making sure Tang Pan was nowhere in sight, Zhang and Ai made their way toward the group of soldiers while giving off an air of authority.

    ¡°Who¡¯s the one in charge here?¡± Zhang said while puffing out his chest and acting as if he was a high ranking officer in Tang Pan¡¯s army.

    ¡°I am the commanding officer here, who are you?¡± A man who appeared to be in his late fifties with a head full of gray hairs said. Of course, although this man appeared to be in his late fifties since most people lived to be four hundred years of age, his age could range from anywhere in between. But general as soldiers who were living in an age of constant war, people don¡¯t live very long.

    ¡°I¡¯ve come with orders from lord Tang Pan, to gather up as many soldiers as I can to attack a group of soldiers holed up in the city¡¯s barracks.¡± Zhang said.

    ¡°We were ordered to guard the provincial lord¡¯s mansion. Are you sure it was lord Tang Pan who gave that order?¡± The old man said, questioning Zhang.

    ¡°Are you questioning our lord¡¯s commands?¡± Zhang said as he withdrew a soldier that he had picked up not too long ago.

    After Zhang¡¯s sword was drawn the group of soldiers were relatively easy to convince. Since this group of soldiers only had about three hundred people, it was clear that their commanding officer did not have a high position. Meaning it would be relatively easy for Zhang to trick them into believing he was a high ranking officer.

    When considering how large the armies were, it wasn¡¯t farfetched for regular soldiers to not know what their commanders looked like.

    So with three hundred of Tang Pan¡¯s soldiers following behind him, Zhang and Ai headed toward where the Dark Legion was staying. Along the way they absorbed every soldier they stumbled upon into their group, resulting in a force that numbered roughly six thousand total by the time they arrived at the barracks.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t this where the Dark Legion is staying? Weren¡¯t we ordered to avoid conflict with the Dark Legion by all means possible?¡± A soldier said.

    If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.

    ¡°Lord Tang Pan changed his mind and wishes to send a message to the Dark Legion and show them that it would be best not for them to interfere in our business.¡± Zhang said.

    ¡°Halt! Who goes there?!¡± Voices could be heard as the barrack¡¯s gates opened and hundreds of soldiers clad in black armor and robes stormed out with weapons drawn.

    ¡°General Hei Ang, had stated that he will not interfere in your civil war as long as it does not hinder our mission of stopping the forces of Aurora.¡± A soldier from the Dark Legion said.

    ¡°Lord Tang Pan wishes for me to convey a message to General Hei Ang.¡± Zhang said as he produced a piece of parchment from his robes.

    ¡°You Dark Legion dogs, if you know your place then you¡¯ll stay out of our business or else I¡¯ll have you all beheaded and hung from the city walls. Then after I deal with those idiots from Aurora, I¡¯ll head down south and raze your cities to the ground, your children will become my slaves, your wives will be sold into brothels, your parents will be worked until they are buried underneath the earth.¡± Zhang said as he pretended to read off the blank piece of paper he pulled out of his robes.

    Standing beside him, Ai couldn¡¯t help but have a silly grin on her face as she had come to admire Zhang¡¯s trouble making skills.

    While Ai was on the edge of breaking out in laughter, Tang Pan¡¯s real soldiers gulped as they heard Zhang¡¯s words. Never could they imagine their master utter such words and on top of things to the Dark Legion which easily outnumbered their forces four to one.

    ¡°My lord also requires a payment of one million gold coins or else you dogs will have to find somewhere else to camp. Lastly, he requires your precious general to kowtow to him three times while calling him daddy.¡± Zhang added as a devious grin appeared on his face underneath his helmet.

    By now even the calmest soldier in the Dark Legion had bulging veins and furies eyes.

    ¡°You scum! How dare you speak about our general and our families like that.¡± Countless angry yells echoed through the night.

    ¡°Tch¡­ You all just a bunch of unruly dogs that need to be taught a lesson. Which one of you dares to fight me!?¡± Zhang roared while withdrawing his sword.

    Blinded by rage, a few of the Dark Legion¡¯s soldiers charged forth and lunged their spears and slashed their swords at Zhang.

    With a sideward step and a shift of his center of gravity, Zhang skillfully avoided the barrage of attacked directed toward him before returning a barrage of attacks of his own.

    Delivering a backhanded fist as his first attack, following up by delivering a kick to someone''s ankle, and a downward slash with his sword, Zhang took out three of the Dark Legion¡¯s soldiers in a flash and moved forward to take out the remaining five or so who charged at him.

    ¡°Attack!!!¡± Ai cried as she withdrew a sword that was hanging by her waist and charged forward.

    Seeing Ai charge forward the soldiers of the Dark Legion who had yet to join the fray rushed in and began to attack Tang Pan¡¯s soldiers. Soon enough a large brawl broke out with people being killed left and right.

    ¡°Ai!¡± Zhang yelled as he signaled for Ai to retreat.

    With their objective of causing conflict between Tang Pan¡¯s soldiers and the Dark Legion complete, all they had to do was to gather more soldiers to join the five thousand who was not engaged in battle with the soldiers of the Dark Legion.

    If Zhang¡¯s guesses were right, then Tang Pan would currently have roughly about ninety thousand soldiers under his command, after subtracting the soldiers who were at the western city gate. So now Zhang¡¯s goal was to lure the other eighty-five thousand soldiers to also join the fight against the Dark Legion.

    ¡°I almost forgot¡­¡± Zhang mumbled as he flipped his hand and withdrew two flares from his interspatial ring. Moments later two green colored flares shot into the skies, signaling to his soldiers who were still undercover within the Dark Legion.

    This signal was for Zhang¡¯s men to being to sabotage the Dark Legion from within and add to the chaos as much as possible. Now was the time to cause as much damage as possible to the Dark Legion and the Red Thorn Army.

    With Zhang¡¯s direction, soon thousands of soldiers under Tang Pan¡¯s command sparked toward where their comrades were fighting the Dark Legion. With the right number of lies and misdirection, a tale of betrayal was spun.

    ¡°Those Dark Legion dogs are helping those two idiot brothers and are attacking our comrades!¡± Zhang cried every time he met a group of Tang Pan¡¯s soldiers.

    ¡°They said if we don''t give them the province, they''ll rape all of the men and sell all of the women and children into slavery!¡± Ai said adding more oil to the fire.

    Thus, the Dark Legion and Tang Pan¡¯s soldiers began to slaughter each other, much to Tang Pan¡¯s grief.

    Seeing how things were going, General Song Ren ordered his soldiers to halt their advance to avoid confronting the Dark Legion. Since the armor that the soldiers of the eastern and western fort wore were essentially identical besides the color of the thread lacing, it would be very easy to confuse the two forces.

    Amidst the chaos, Zhang¡¯s soldiers within the Dark Legion used the once in a lifetime opportunity given to them to set a large amount of the Dark Legion¡¯s the rations ablaze before blending back into the enemy¡¯s army once again.

    One might wonder, with the conscience of interspatial rings, why would anyone even leave important things such as rations out in the open. But the answer is simple, in an army as large as the Dark Legion, it is impractical for a single or a few people to hold onto all of the food since there is always the possibility of the person holding all of the food defecting from the army.

    ¡°Those bastards! All I wanted to do was conserve our forces to face the biggest threat the southern region will face, but they had to drag us into this stupid civil war¡­¡± General Hei Ang cursed as his soldiers were being killed and his army was dragged into the Red Thorn Province¡¯s civil war.

    ¡°Kill them! Kill them all! I want that bastard Tang Pan¡¯s head on a spike! Find lord Tang Hong, and tell him we will aid him and for his soldiers to not engage our soldiers.¡± He roared in rage as he finally decided to commit his soldiers into quelling the rebellion and aiding Tang Wei and Tang Shiang¡¯s father.

    By picking to help Tang Hong and his sons, the Dark Legion would have to face one hundred thousand fewer enemy soldiers and thus, would suffer fewer casualties. They would also be able to demand compensation for their losses since a lot of their rations were all but turned into ashes.

    Although he had a portion of the army¡¯s funds and rations stored away in his interspatial ring, nearly half of the rations were turned to ashes. So if their supply was not supplemented then there was the possibility of starving

    Overall, Zhang¡¯s plan had lit Red Thorn City ablaze and caused a sea of blood to form.

 Chapter 152: End to Fighting

    With the soldiers of the Dark Legion officially joining the fray, the soldiers of the Western Fort were able to easily recapture the city walls. Before long, Tang Pan¡¯s forces became caged beasts as their numbers continued to dwindle. There were those who choose to fight till the bitter end and there were those who surrendered the first opportunity they got, but for the most part, Tang Pan¡¯s forces were suffering a massive defeat.

    Although the fight was somewhat one-sided once the Dark Legion joined it, it was not like the soldiers of the Eastern Fort were going down without a fight. For every three soldiers, Tang Pan lost, the Dark Legion would lose one soldier.

    Meaning by the conclusion of the battle, the Dark Legion would have lost roughly forty to fifty thousand men, while the Red Thorn Army¡¯s forces could possibly be halved. That would, of course, be if Zhang and his men did not meddle any further.

    Of course, it was without a doubt that Zhang and his soldiers would continue to meddle to further fuel the chaos.

    ¡°We should do this more often.¡± Ai said with a wicked grin as she and Zhang led a freshly gathered group of Tang Pan¡¯s soldiers toward the ever growing bloodbath in front of the barracks that the Dark Legion was staying at.

    ¡°We should.¡± Zhang replied to his wife as he nudged her shoulder with his hand as they walked through the alleyways of Red Thorn City.

    While Zhang and Ai were out having the time of their lives causing chaos, thousands of soldiers under the command of the three beauties in the Rainbow Rock Province surrounded the provincial mansion. As Ling, Lingqi and Yuying entered the land of dreams and were fast asleep their soldiers had held the offensive and continued to attack the soldiers of the Rainbow Rock Army.

    ¡°Bring the siege rams in!¡± A captain left in charge by Yuying commanded.

    However, before any siege rams were brought and any gates or walls were toppled over, the battle concluded. The twin gates of the provincial lord¡¯s mansion opened and hundreds of soldiers from inside walked out with their hands raised.

    ¡°We surrender!¡± They cried as they ushered an elderly looking man dressed in purple robes along with a dozen beautiful women and some children out from the mansion. This was, of course, the provincial lord, his wives, his daughters, and his sons.

    ¡°Tie the soldiers up and bring that man and the others to the princesses.¡± One of the captains of the forces of Aurora said to his subordinates.

    Before long the lord of Rainbow Rock City and his family were brought into the hotel where the three beauties were resting, much to the amazement of the innkeeper and his family. They believed that although victory was a farfetched thing, the soldiers in the provincial lord¡¯s mansion would at least hold out for a few more day, perhaps until reinforcement from the other southern provinces came.

    With sleepy looking faces and slight yawns, the three beauties had the city¡¯s lord and his family brought before them.

    ¡°Tch¡­ To think my clan¡¯s hundreds of years¡¯ worth of hard work is lost to three girls who look like they¡¯re still being breastfed by their mothers.¡± Rainbow Rock City¡¯s lord sneered once he laid eyes on the three beauties.

    ¡°Wisdom does not come with age, gramps.¡± Lingqi said with a smile.¡±

    ¡°We have a proposition for you.¡± Yuying said in a stern voice and emotionless face.

    As contrast to the uplifting but tired faces of the other two beauties, Yuying showed a cold front that would send chills down anyone spine when talking to her. A face only one who had seen the depths of hell could make, a face void of expression and radiated the coldness and despair. Of course, her beauty was not diminished in anyway, simply the presence that she gave off would remind one of death.

    ¡°We can allow you to live out the rest of your days as a very wealthy man or perhaps grant you the power to govern over this province once it has been incorporated into Aurora if you command for your soldiers in the eastern section of the walls to lay down their arms and obediently surrender. That way we can prevent further bloodshed.¡± Yuying said.

    ¡°Ha! You think I¡¯m some kind of fool or something? Once the last of my army lay down their arms, we¡¯ll be completely at your mercy¡­¡± Rainbow Rock City¡¯s lord said with spite.

    ¡°We can just wait until morning, then I¡¯ll turn everything into cinders and ashes¡­ Judging from the reaction the red string is giving me, once we finish things here we can enter the Red Thorn Province and arrive at where he is in a matter of weeks.¡± Ling said as her gaze swept from one side of the room to the other, sending chills down everyone¡¯s spine, her expression had changed in an instant showing how the current situation could also change in an instant. All the while her hand was playing with a red string tied to her pinky finger that was invisible to everyone else.

    ¡°Bring him in.¡± Yuying said as she gestured to one of her soldiers, who left the room in an instant and returned with someone following behind him not long after.

    ¡°Hong Yang greets your highnesses.¡±  A familiar looking man who had previously tried to rally his soldiers to head to the provincial lord¡¯s mansion said as he kneeled on one knee before the beauties.

    ¡°Hong Yang you traitor! How dare you bend the knee to the enemy while in my presence!¡± The province¡¯s lord cried angrily.

    ¡°Lord Jian Jue, what else could be done in a situation like this? I have a family of my own to protect, even if it means giving up on what I¡¯ve strived to achieve while under your service.¡± General Hong Yang said with a sigh.

    ¡°How many soldiers have you successfully persuaded to join you?¡± Yuying asked.

    ¡°Your highness, of the two hundred thousand soldiers remaining in the city which include those conscripted, about sixty thousand are willing to surrender. Roughly sixty are trying to hold up on the western walls while the rest have yet to be accounted for.¡± General Hong Yang said.

    ¡°Okay, you may leave. If you can tell your men that I promise that none of their families will be harmed and they will all be taken cared for.¡± Yuying said as she gestured for General Hong Yang to leave.

    ¡°Lord Jian Jue, as things are it is only a matter of time before our army crush the last of your soldiers, so why don¡¯t you give them a path that does not lead to death? Submit to us and you¡¯ll have not only spared thousands of lives, but you would also at the very least provide yourself and your family with a glimmer of hope for surviving. I suggest you make up your mind quickly because the sun will rise in but a few hours and my sisters are rather hard to reason with once they¡¯ve made up their minds.¡± Lingqi said, playing the role of the good person.

    Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    ¡°Think about your children¡­¡± Lingqi said, prompting Jian Jue to eye every single one of his children and every one of his wives present, seeing their scared and nearly lifeless faces as their lives all hang on his choice.

    ¡°Maybe you don¡¯t mind dying, but I believe that they wish to live.¡± Yuying said.

    ¡°Papa, will we be okay?¡± One of Jian Jua¡¯s sons who seemed to be no older than five years old said.

    Thus, when the sun rose, Rainbow Rock City was completely under the control of the three beauties. To be precise, now that they have conquered the province¡¯s capital and had all of the remaining soldiers of the Rainbow Rock Army under their command, it was without a doubt that the beauties had the entire province in their grasps.

    Like in the Rainbow Rock Province, the fighting in the Red Thorn Province had also ceased. Once general Hei Ang and lord Tang Pan had fallen into Zhang¡¯s ploy, blood paved the streets of Red Thorn city. Hours after the Dark Legion joined the fray, a small mountain of corpses was gathered outside of the city.

    This mountain, of course, was comprised of the corpses of the soldiers of the Eastern Fort. Roughly forty thousand men were slaughtered before Tang Pan was captured and hung from the city walls, signaling the end of the coup and the civil war. Within a single night, Red Thorn City underwent a tremendous change as many positions in the military opened up, thousands of men were killed and serious damage was dealt with the city¡¯s walls and buildings.

    Last but not least there was also the fact that the province¡¯s treasury was raided. While everyone was busy slaughtering each other, Zhang and Ai had found their way to the treasury and recovered the gold that they had lost to Tang Pan during their escape. After making up for their losses our pair of trouble makers even ended up with a little extra as interest.

    Luckily for the Red Thorn Province, the Dark Legion had returned Tang Pan¡¯s interspatial ring to them at their request, thus, they were able to make up for a part of their huge deficit after failing to figure out who could possibly have made off with the province¡¯s riches.

    To be honest, anyone who knew of Zhang¡¯s personality would have had not even had to guess at who could have possibly done the deed because they would have had known without a doubt that the thief was Zhang.

    Once Tang Pan was dealt with and his soldiers apprehended, Lord Tang Hong issued an order for the Red Thorn Army to be quickly supplemented and the city walls to be rebuilt. Cured of his ailment, Tang Hong, although still somewhat weak and fatigued, began to exert his influence over the province once again.

    The people needed to be assured that they were safe while the city and the army needed to prepare for the incoming forces of Aurora, Tang Hong assigned his two sons, who have seemed to not hate each other¡¯s guts any longer, to make sure every one of his orders and plans are put into motion.

    ¡°Brother, what should we do now?¡± Ai asked as she and Zhang watched thousands of civilians being mobilized to help reconstruct the city walls.

    ¡°Too bad I let all of that gold that Tang Pan got from us end up in the hands of others¡­ Or else with paired with the loss of a huge fraction of their army and when faced with an empty treasury, Tang Hong, Tang Wei, and Tang Shiang would be easier to bring to our side.¡± Zhang thought with a sigh as he stood beside Ai.

    ¡°For now, we will observe and try to sabotage the Dark Legion as much as possible while trying to turn the Red Thorn Province into our allies. Despite their losses last night, the Dark Legion will still be an obstacle for our forces once the others arrive.¡± Zhang whispered into Ai¡¯s ear.

    ¡°Do we still pretend to be a part of the Dark Legion?¡± Ai asked.

    ¡°If we can we should mix in with the forces of the Red Thorn Province instead since it¡¯s obvious the higher ups of the Dark Legion know what we look like and there is always the chance of being discovered. Whereas even if we''re found out by those brothers or their father, we can bargain with them easier.¡± Zhang replied in another whisper.

    Before heading off toward the provincial lord¡¯s mansion, while no one was looking Zhang stuck a few red colored talismans onto a few dozen stone blocks that were going to be used to build the city walls. Once he finished what he was doing, Zhang and Ai left with devious smiles on their faces. Throughout their time together this could be said to be the time where both Zhang and Ai were the most mischievous, constantly trying to cause trouble and invoke chaos.

    However, in the eyes of others, these two were heroes who prevent a coup from successfully overthrowing the province¡¯s ruler. Thus, when they arrived at the provincial lord¡¯s mansion, they were welcomed in with open arms and every person they walked past would bow and greet them.

    With statuses as the province¡¯s saviors and the friends of both of the provincial lord¡¯s sons, Zhang and Ai were well respected and not many people dared to offend them and of course, it was obvious that they would use this to their advantage.

    ¡°First, we must completely gain their trust by helping them to the best of our ability and then when the moment calls for it, we will get them on our side.¡± Zhang thought as he walked through the simply looking halls of the provincial lord¡¯s mansion.

    As a show of gratitude, Tang Hong had offered to throw a large party in Zhang and Ai¡¯s honor, however since they did not wish to be discovered by the Dark Legion, Zhang suggested a small dinner would be sufficient. This would minimize the chance of meeting any of the Dark Legion¡¯s higher ups, while granting an opportunity to get close to Tang Hong and his family.

    But of course, not all things go according to plan, because as our duo neared the mansion¡¯s main gardens, where the dinner was going to take place, they spotted a dozen or so men dressed in black cloaks. Much to Zhang¡¯s disdain, members of the Dark Legion were going to be present at the dinner.

    When thinking about it rationally, in the eyes of the Tang brothers and their father, both Ai and Zhang were a part of the Dark Legion. So it was only proper to invite the higher ups of the Dark Legion to the dinner. There was also the fact that the Dark Legion ended up being the ones to take care of Tang Pan and his soldiers.

    Lastly, since Zhang and Ai were a part of the Dark Legion, Tang Hong thought it would be good to praise them in front of their superiors which would perhaps end up in them getting promoted in military rank.

 Chapter .0000001: Boredom

    There was once a wannabe writer who wrote a story that wasn''t so great. Today said wannabe writer is bored out of his mind but sadly can''t write .___. So how are you folks? .___. (Ascending The Heavens fans I''ll try to update that soon lol)

    Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

    You guys wanna play the world game? I''ll say one word and then someone else post first word that comes to mind.

    First word:

    Beautiful

 Chapter 153: Options

    ¡°Tch¡­. In the thrill of the moment, I forgot to plan for this.¡± Zhang said in a low tone to Ai as he realized his blunder.

    Although the thought of leaving the city with his soldiers during the chaos that had ensured last night had popped up into Zhang¡¯s head, he had figured it would be more beneficial in the long run if he stuck around.

    ¡°Now there are two options for us to choose from the first is to skip the dinner and the other is to kill that General Hei Ang and his high ranking officers.¡± Zhang thought.

    If he chose to flee with Ai and mix into the common folk who were in the city, then it would be fairly difficult for them to be found. However, this would cause Tang Hong and his sons to developed a sense of doubt and be much more reserved with dealing with Zhang. Then there was the direct approach where he simply killed General Hei Ang while either revealing his identity or hiding it.

    Within the mansion¡¯s garden, there were dozens of rectangular tables, large enough for a single person to sit, positioned in two rows in front of a small stage. While Zhang and Ai were pondering their next move, Tang Hong, his sons and the various government officials of the Red Thorn Province, along with the higher ranking officers of the Dark Legion were all seated and a merry atmosphere was present.

    ¡°I would like to thank you and your soldiers for helping us quell the rebellion before it got out of hand.¡± Tang Hong said with a rosy complexion on his face.

    ¡°No need to thank us Lord Tang Hong, it is our duty to help you since we are all currently in the same boat.¡± General Hei Ang replied with a smile. Although he had been somewhat reluctant to lend a helping hand, now that he had done so it was only natural that he stated it was his intention all along. This way he could use the opportunity to ask Tang Hong for compensation and various things the Dark Legion was currently lacking.

    ¡°Had it not been for one of your soldiers named Lee Ming, then my father would have been killed by that filthy traitor and we wouldn¡¯t have even known about it¡­¡± Tang Shiang said with a face full of disdain as he recalled what his uncle had done.

    ¡°Lee Ming? Do you recall having someone by that name in our ranks?¡± General Hei Ang asked one of his subordinates after some small talk with Tang Hong and his sons.

    ¡°I believe so general, apparently he was the one who helped cure that strange illness that a few of our captains and lieutenants had caught.¡± One of Hei Ang¡¯s vice commanders said.

    ¡°Is that so, have him brought to me after the banquet. I¡¯d like to meet with him in private.¡± General Hei Ang said. People with talent are naturally sought after in an army that was as large as the Dark Legion, especially those with medical skills since there were almost always injured people and doctors were always in high demand.

    ¡°I¡¯ll tell him to accompany us back to camp after the banquet.¡± General Hei Ang¡¯s vice commander said.

    While everyone engaged in small talk and appetizers were brought out by beautiful young maidens carrying trays full of food, the merry atmosphere continued to be lively. Soon enough, dancers, singers, and musicians filed onto the stage and began to perform.

    Like any other banquet, plenty of liquor was passed around and everyone indulged in either drinking or teasing the pretty maidens passing out food.

    ¡°Shang, how come your friends aren¡¯t here yet?¡± Tang Shiang¡¯s mother asked.  Since she was not there to witness Zhang cure his husband, she had hoped to thank him today and perhaps give him a small gift as a show of appreciation for what he had done.

    During the period of time when Tang Hong was ill, she had been to a total of eighty-seven temples and had met with one hundred and twelve doctors in order to try to help her husband get better, she had even secretly come to terms with the fact that her husband loved not only her but also Tang Wei¡¯s mother, Sheng Yi.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know he should be on his way.¡± Tang Shiang replied as he looked toward Tang Wei for an answer but was replied with shrugged shoulders.

    After the incident with his cousin and uncle, Tang Shiang¡¯s relationship with his half-brother had taken a one eighty degree turn for the better since they had experienced life or death together the two of them had been able to somewhat put down their past differences and consider themselves both sons of their father. Thus, they were able to work together and help their father with his plans to strengthen the province and the city.

    While everyone was mesmerized by a very beautiful dancer putting her skills on display on stage, the musicians and singers suddenly stopped and screams soon reverberated into the air as they all began to flee.

    ¡°What the¡­¡± Someone said as they turned back from their seat to find many dozens of black colored wolves within the garden. These wolves had blood red eyes, fur as dark as the night, fangs that appeared to be as sharp as swords and bloodlust that could only be found within nightmares.

    ¡°Protect our lord!¡± General Song Ren yelled as he withdrew his sword from its scabbard and rushed to where Tang Hong was.

    ¡°Defend the general!¡± The various vice commanders and high ranking officers of the Dark Legion said in unison as they encircled General Hei Ang.

    Surprisingly enough the black colored wolves did not attack anyone and simply sped through the crowd of people who had all but fell into panic. Since it was generally rare to run into demonic beasts, even in the wild, within the Warring States Region, so to have what seemed to be a hundred of them attacking simultaneously it was obvious that those with little to no combat experience such as the government various officials present would be stricken with fear.

    Luckily for them, the black colored wolves ignored everyone and closed in only on the members of the Dark Legion. Using their sharp fangs and claws, the wolves unleashed dozens of attacks on the various high ranking members of the Dark Legion with unstoppable fury.

    Had the officers of the Dark Legion not been equipped with high-level armor and possessed tough physiques it was obvious that they would have been riddled with wounds as the one hundred or so black colored wolves took turns attacking them. Like caged animals, General Hei Ang and his men were trapped amidst the group of predators and had no way to escape.

    It was not until one or two of General Hei Ang¡¯s aid were killed and when he was filled with rage did he used his sword to strike out at the wolves, to which he found that the wolves were extremely fragile.

    This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    ¡°How could this be¡­¡± General Hei Ang mumbled as he began to unleash a barrage of attacks against the black colored wolves. Usually, even the weakest demonic beasts were a chore to handle, let alone demonic wolves who were usually at least the fifth or tenth rank of cultivation.

    ¡°General, these are similar to those things we faced when we were attacking the fort!¡± One of General Hei Ang¡¯s men said as he cut down an Abyssal wolf.

    ¡°That means that he¡¯s around here somewhere¡­¡± General Hei Ang said as his gaze scanned the surrounding area.

    ¡°No need to look.¡± Zhang¡¯s voice reached General Hei Ang¡¯s ears as the sound of arrows piercing through the air could be heard. Before long the sky is blotted out as thousands of arrows rained downward onto the area where General Hei Ang and his men were clustered.

    As blood-curdling cries could be heard, many of the high-ranking officers of the Dark Legion were skewed through by countless arrows while they desperately tried to protect themselves but to no avail since there were simply too many arrows. Also, these arrows were tipped with Lightning Eater Scales, allowing them to pierce through the armor that the officers of the Dark Legion wore as if it were made of tofu.

    Moments later, Tang Hong, Tang Wei, Tang Shiang and all of the other people present in the provincial lord mansion¡¯s garden watched in shock as the rain of arrows ended. General Hei Ang was barely alive as his body had dozens of arrows stuck to it while all of his men were all dead but still standing upright, shielding their leader.

    ¡°Come out you coward! Come and face me! Enough of your tricks! Damned prince of Aurora!¡± General Hei Ang roared despite the horrid state his body was in.

    Instead of a verbal reply, General Hei Ang was gifted with another volley of arrows. By the time, the volley of arrows ceased General Hei Ang was on his last leg and stumbled onto the ground and there was not a single inch of earth near him that was visible. Though heavily injured General Hei Ang still showed slight signs of life, so it was obvious that he was at least a level six or seven warriors to have survived the onslaught of arrows.

    ¡°I''m ready to face you now.¡± Zhang said as he and Ai walked into the garden.

    Judging from what General Hei Ang had been screaming, it was obvious to everyone present that Zhang was not Lee Ming but Zhou Zhang.

    ¡°It seems you all have a bit of trouble on your hands.¡± Zhang said with a polite smile.

    ¡°Seize him! Capture the prince of Aurora!¡± General Song Ren commanded.

    ¡°If I were you I wouldn¡¯t do that because you have bigger problems at hand. Let¡¯s say you do manage to capture me, what then? How will you explain to the rest of the Dark Legion that their general and all of the high-ranking officers in their army was wiped out while no one on your side suffered even a scratch? There is also the fact that it¡¯s more than likely that all of those who know who I am in the Dark Legion had met their end here, so if I simply tell them that you teamed up with Aurora and killed our general then tried to frame me, who do you think they''ll believe? Lee Ming, who helped saved dozens of people from a strange disease, who had been traveling and befriending hundreds of people within the legion or you folks here?¡± Zhang said calmly.

    ¡°No matter what is done I believe that your all sort of in a tough situation right now.¡± Ai said as she walked up beside Zhang.

    Considering that General Hei Ang¡¯s life could end at any moment under Zhang¡¯s discretion, while all of the high ranking officers of the Dark Legion were slaughtered, and by the fact that Zhang¡¯s men were mixed into the Dark Legion still, even if he was captured by the forces of the Red Thorn Army he could definitely make the situation unfavorable for them.

    All he had to do was allow for his men to spread rumors about the Red Thorn Province allying with Aurora and with their general and commanders gone, the Dark Legion, like a dragon without a head, would be easily manipulated into attacking the Red Thorn Army.

    ¡°If you would lend me your ears for just a bit.¡± Zhang said as dozens of soldiers filed into the gardens with swords and spears ready for battle.

    ¡°Father let him speak, if he wanted to kill everyone here I have no doubt in my mind that he could have easily done so.¡± Tang Wei said to his father.

    ¡°A few words won¡¯t hurt anyone and he did, after all, save your life.¡± Tang Shiang¡¯s mother spoke.

    ¡°Speak¡­¡± Tang Hong said with a sigh.

    ¡°Simply put as things are now the only option you have that wouldn¡¯t lead to the destruction of this province is to work with me. If you follow my plans, then we will be able to disarm and incapacitate the Dark Legion. After the armies of Aurora arrive and have swept southward, I¡¯ll even reward you for helping me.¡± Zhang said with a confident smile.

    ¡°How about doubling the size of this province? Or maybe triple?¡± Ai suggested.

    ¡°Tri-tri-triple?¡± A few of the government officials stuttered. If one considered the size of the entire Warring States Region then a plot of land three times larger than the current Red Thorn Province was not much, however for the government officials of such a small province simply imagining the land that is available for them to govern tripling was something unimaginable.

    After tens of minutes of utter silence, a pact was formed between Zhang and Tang Hong. Since Zhang¡¯s option was perhaps the safest, Tang Hong decided to secretly ally the Red Thorn Province with Aurora. When the possible benefits that Zhang offered were paired with the danger that he could present to them, there wasn¡¯t really much of a choice to begin with.

    Zhang could have simply unleashed hell on earth in Red Thorn City and slaughtered hundreds of thousands of soldiers, but that was not the person he was and he felt that it would only serve to frighten the populace and prevent other provinces from surrendering to him in the future.

    With their pact in motion, Zhang had Tang Hong lock up General Hei Ang and then send a convoy of supplies to the Dark Legion. These supplies, of course, would be laced with various drugs and would cause the soldiers of the Dark Legion to lose their ability to resist after consumed.

    Once the Dark Legion¡¯s soldiers were left without even the strength to tussle a chicken, the soldiers of the Red Thorn Army would march in and capture them all.

 Chapter 154: Meat!

    Surprise!? :D

    ==============================================================================

    ¡°Quickly transport all of these supplies to the central barracks!¡± A soldier clad in the standard red armor of the Red Thorn Army said as he led a trail of wagons through the city. Wagons brimming with sacks of grains stacked one on top of the other, dried rations, barrels filled with water and wine, and dozens of other various things could be seen as far as the eye could see.

    All of the supplies on these wagons, of course, were being delivered to the Dark Legion under the orders of Lord Tang Hong. Since new of General Hei Ang¡¯s capture and the death of the various high ranking officers of the Dark, Legion were suppressed, once the supplies arrived at the central barracks they were very much welcomed and quickly accepted.

    Since the Dark Legion had lost a large portion of its supplies due to the fire that had occupied during Tang Pan¡¯s rebellion they were filled with glee the moment the Red Thorn Army arrived with such a huge caravan of wagons.

    ¡°I thank you in place of General Hei Ang for the hospitality your lord has shown us.¡± A captain within the Dark Legion said as he had his men store away the supplies brought to them.

    ¡°No need for thanks, we simply doing our duty as fellow members of the Southern Alliance. Our lord also had us bring a freshly a few hundred freshly slaughtered pigs and cows that he says are a sign of his personal thanks to the soldiers of the Dark Legion for helping us defeating those traitors.¡± A captain within the Red Thorn Army said with a smile.

    ¡°I¡¯ll make sure to have everyone gets a bit of Lord Tang Hong¡¯s gift.¡± Replied the captain within the Dark Legion.

    Once the supplies were unloaded and given to the Dark Legion, the Red Thorn Army made their way toward the provincial lord¡¯s mansion while the members of the Dark Legion began to store away their new supplies.

    Since regular soldiers rarely had the chance to eat fresh meat, since meat did not have a very long shelf life and would often go bad when an army is moving from place to place, the slaughtered pigs and cows were quickly processed and used to cook dinner for everyone apart of the Dark Legion.

    As the day went on and meals were served, everyone drools with anticipation as they heard that tonight¡¯s meal would be comprised mostly of fresh meat. Counting down the hours of the day before dinner time, the soldiers could not contain themselves when it came time to file into the mess hall. Before the meals were even served, everyone¡¯s imaginations ran.

    ¡°No more beef jerky! No more pork jerky! No more chicken jerky!  No more jerky! No more bread! No more plain rice with soy sauce!¡± The soldiers of the Dark Legion chanted as slabs of grilled meat were brought before them.

    Like hungry beasts they devoured all that was given to them, leaving only bones and cartilage in their wake. But soon enough everyone would regret their gluttonous appetite as all of their stomachs began to rumble.

    ¡°Out of my way!¡± A soldier roared as he rushed out of the mess hall and sped toward one of the many outhouses located not too far outside.

    In no time at all dozens more men charged outside and laid claim to their own outhouse before the rest of the men were able to. Before anyone realized it, every single person in the Dark Legion was assembled into lines leading to an outhouse.

    ¡°Damn it! I can¡¯t hold it any longer! Someone give me a bucket or something!¡± One soldier cried as he gave up on trying to wait for a stall and resorted to relieving himself in a bucket.

    Unknown to them, all of the meat given to them by the Red Thorn Army had been laced with super laxatives that would cause them to experience what could only be called hell for hours.

    ¡°Oh god, this is the fifth time already! Why must this happen to me!?¡± A soldier cried as he limped back in line to use the outhouse.

    Of course, he was not alone because as hours passed on, every member of the Dark Legion would soon find themselves without enough energy to even stand.

    ¡°Tie them all up!¡± A voice could be faintly heard by some of the soldiers of the Dark Legion who were laying on the floor as if they were lifeless corpses.

    ¡°Wha-what are you doing here?¡± A few of the soldiers who had a bit more strength than the others managed to say as countless soldiers in red armor rushed into the barracks and began tying people up.

    Without even the strength to stand, let alone resist, all of the soldiers of the Dark Legion were quickly rounded up and separated into small groups that would be dispersed to various places throughout Red Thorn City so they could be easily watched over. Many were left in the barracks that became a makeshift prison, while others were sent to various households belonging to government officials, some were even sent to the Eastern and Western forts for safe keeping.

    Overall the mighty Dark Legion had been successfully split apart and even if some were able to by some stroke of luck manage to escape, they would not pose any threat to the Red Thorn Army.

    In the meantime, while the Red Thorn Army was out capturing and splitting apart the Dark Legion, back at the provincial lord¡¯s mansion¡¯s garden, a banquet was taking place. The bodies of the dead officers of the Dark Legion were cleared out while General Hei Ang was given some medical treatment and placed in a holding cell and the garden had been cleaned and restored to its former glory by the mansion¡¯s staff.

    Broken floor tiles, dead plants, spilled food and demolished tables were all replaced while dancers, musicians, and singers resumed their performance so there was little to no sign of any fighting having taken place within the garden.

    ¡°I look forward to working together with you again in the future, Lord Tang Hong.¡± Zhang said with a smile as he offered a toast to Tang Hong.

    Sitting right next to Zhang was Ai, who was not no longer dressed as a man but could be seen in a tight fitting dress that showed off her alluring figure.

    ¡°I hope our cooperation will last for a very long time also your highness.¡± Lord Tang Hong said as he returned Zhang¡¯s toast. As things as now, he could only hope that their cooperation lasted because if it did not then the Red Thorn Province would certainly be crushed between the forces of Aurora and the forces of the Southern Alliance.

    ¡°To think we were played in such a manner¡­¡± Tang Wei whispered to his brother, Tang Shiang.

    ¡°I know, here I thought that he was into men¡­ I should have figured that fellow was actually a woman¡­ No man could have looked like she did.¡± Tang Shiang said as he looked at Ai.

    Besides the Tang brothers, their father, and Zhang, no one else dared to talk due to the heavy atmosphere that was present. As things were, today could very well mark the day that begun the Red Thorn Province¡¯s descent into destruction or the day it ascended to greatness.

    This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

    Most if not all of the government officials and generals present were torn between trying to get close to Zhang or distancing themselves from him since the future was still up in the air. If the forces of Aurora succeeded in capturing the southern regions, than those who got close to Zhang would obviously receive lots of benefits such as high government positions and wealth.

    However, if the forces of Aurora failed, then those who closed up to Zhang would more than likely be put to death for openly betraying and opposing the Southern Alliance.

    Since their decisions could go either way, no way dared to act rashly, thus evoking an awkward silence in the garden that was luckily masked by the singing and music played by the performers on stage.

    ¡°Hey brother, when do you think the other sisters will arrive?¡± Ai asked in a whisper as the atmosphere made her rather bored.

    ¡°Last I received news of them, they were unleashing mayhem in the Rainbow Rock Province and judging from the pace that news travels I¡¯m guessing they¡¯ll be here in a few weeks.¡± Zhang said with a smile as he used his chopsticks to put some food into Ai¡¯s bowl of rice.

    While everyone else was too frightened to even breathe, Zhang and Ai began to feed each other despite the hundreds of eyes present. It had been a very long time since they could act like a couple in the open so now that they could, there was no need to hold back.

    ¡°Those two remind me of us when we were younger.¡± Tang Wei¡¯s mother laughed as she joked with her husband who had been somewhat tense.

    As time passed and Zhang and Ai began to appear more like just any other couple and once everyone had their fair share of alcohol, the atmosphere was able to take a slight turn for the better. Soon enough a few brave souls who were able to come to the conclusion that they should try to gain Zhang¡¯s favor began to approach the table where Zhang and Ai sat.

    Although not every general and government official was able to figure out whether they should try to get close to Zhang or not, the banquet ended without anything going astray.

    For the next few days, Zhang and Ai would often receive visits from various people hoping to bridge connections with them, but for the most part, the two of them either spent their time going sightseeing or within their room.

    =====================================================================================

    In a flash, a month had gone by like a breeze before a messenger rode into Red Thorn City with urgent news.

    Upon rushing into the provincial lord¡¯s mansion, the messenger reported that the hundreds of thousands of soldiers under the banner of Aurora were but hours away from the city.

    Roughly eight hours later when the sun was at its peak, countless flags and soldiers could be seen marching toward Red Thorn city from the horizon.

    ¡°Sis, are you sure he¡¯s?¡± Lingqi asked Ling as they rode toward Red Thorn City.

    ¡°I¡¯m certain.¡± Ling said as she looked at the String of Fate that was wrapped around her finger.

    ¡°All forces, double our pace! Once we close in on the city you are to wipe out the enemy and save your prince!¡± Yuying commanded.

    After her army¡¯s marching speed increased exponentially and when they arrived in front of the city did Yuying realize something was amiss. The city¡¯s walls had many missing sections while there were no soldiers or people in sight.

    ¡°Prepare in case of enemy ambush! All forces enter the city!¡± Yuying commanded. Generally, she would have sent scouts into the city beforehand to see the situation inside, but this time, Yuying was filled with the anticipation of reuniting with her husband so she chooses to move forward without waiting.

    With swords drawn and shields raised up high, the soldiers of Aurora made their way passed what used to be large sections of wall and entered what seemed to be an empty city.

    ¡°Welcome!!!!!!¡± Loud cheers could be heard as countless civilians stormed out from their homes and filed into the streets.

    Before anything could go amiss, Zhang and Ai could be spotted walking down the center of the city¡¯s main street with silly smiles on their faces.

    ¡°Welcome to my city.¡± Zhang said with a smile as Yuying, Ling and Lingqi hopped off their mounts and sped toward him. Of course, despite how fast they running, they were running, the beauties were no match for a certain furry four-legged beast that pounced onto Zhang and covered his face in saliva.

    ¡°Little White!¡± Ai yelled as she pulled the furry liger that looked like a kitten off Zhang and cuddled it.

    ¡°We welcome you to our city your highnesses.¡± Thousands of soldiers said as they marched through the city streets and formed ranks behind Zhang.

    Tang Hong, his sons, and his wives could also be seen paying their respects to the princesses who had just been reunited with their prince.

    ¡°Honey!¡±

    ¡°Darling!¡±

    ¡°Dear!¡±

    The three beauties yelled in succession as they jumped into Zhang¡¯s open arms.

    ¡°He¡¯s definitely not into men.¡± Tang Wei whispered to his brother with a laugh.

    Once their soldiers were given a place to rest, Yuying, Ling and Lingqi accompanied Zhang to a large feast held in their honor where they were introduced to the various nobles, high ranking government officials and generals of the Red Thorn Province.

    But of course, after a short while, they beauties opted to do something else with their time and dragged Zhang away from the feast.

    Making their way to the rooftop of a very tall tower located in the heart of the city, Zhang and the beauties gazed into the horizon and watched the sunset. Various tales and happenings were recalled as they all spoke of what occurred during their time apart from each other.

    Making up for lost time, the three beauties who were not by their husband¡¯s side surrounded him and embraced him until the moon and stars were visible in the sky. Without a single thought about the past nor the future, Zhang and his wives watched the stars and gazed at the light given off by the city as they were in each other¡¯s company.

    It is often said that when given more space love is more likely to bloom. After reuniting with Zhang the three beauties felt like they had regained something that they had temporarily lost, something they made their hearts ache and gave them the feeling of longing.

    But once they were reunited with him, these feelings blossomed and intensified by dozens of times.

 Chapter 155: Azure Tower

    While Zhang and the beauties gazed into the stars in each other¡¯s company, the flames of war continued to burn elsewhere. Zhuge Liang and Gan Ning¡¯s forces were currently storming into small city located on the western tip of the southern region.  Although they could not compare to the pace of the beauties and Zhuge Liang, the other forces of Aurora had steadily pushed forward also. By now roughly three-sevenths of the southern region had been conquered.

    With their efforts to halt Aurora¡¯s advance proving to be ineffective, the various southern lords were scrambling to find solutions to the looming threat that would soon descend on them.

    Some lords began to blame their allies for not sending enough aid while other lords were contemplating whether to surrender or not. Slowly their trust in each other began to dwindle as new of the Dark Sea Province¡¯s defection, coupled with the new of the Red Thorn Province¡¯s betrayal and arrest of the Dark Legion.

    There were some lords who had sent emissaries throughout the continent hoping for aid in halting Aurora¡¯s growth.

    Within a province not too far from the Red Thorn Province, within the confines the provincial lord¡¯s mansion, hundreds of servants could be seen loading things onto wagons underneath the moonlight.

    ¡°My lord should we really be abandoning the capital and moving to the Azure Tower?¡± A middle-aged man fully clad in azure colored armor said to another middle-aged man who was dressed in azure colored robes made of silk.

    ¡°With the buffer zone gone we are no longer safe here¡­ It won¡¯t be long before the forces of Aurora march into our Azure Rain Province.¡± The man dressed in azure robes said with a sigh.

    ¡°Have any of those emissaries that we sent out returned with good news?¡± The man dressed in azure robes also asked after a slight pause.

    ¡°No my lord, the Siwang Empire refused to interfere in the war and the other kingdoms have yet to answer our request for aid. As for the Ma Ren Empire, our emissaries have yet to cross the Grassless Sea and locate their roaming cities.¡± The man clad in armor said.

    ¡°What about the sects that are located on the edge of the Lunar Mountains? Have any of them taken up our offer?¡± The lord of the Azure Rain Province asked.

    ¡°Those damned sects told us that even if we combined all of the wealth and resources in the entire Warring States Region, we would not be able to employ their services.¡± The soldier said with disdain and anger.

    ¡°It seems we can only leave things up to fate... Once all of the civilians are accounted for and our people are ready to move out, I want the city to turn into a sea of fire, and the wells to be poisoned. We will not leave anything for the enemy to use when they arrive.¡± The lord of the Azure Rain Province said as he watched his servants busily packing things away.

    The Wulin Continent was filled with powerful forces, but sadly for the Southern Alliance, these powerful forces all had their own plans and wouldn¡¯t easily move to help anyone without first guaranteeing themselves a substantial amount of gain. In this place, those without power could only hope to gain power while those with power could only try to gather more because in the end there is not one to rely on but one¡¯s self.

    Like the Azure Rain Province, many other provinces began to relocate their forces and people further south and eastward to brace themselves for the arrival of the forces of Aurora.

    Back in the Red Thorn Province, Zhang and the beauties were still atop the city¡¯s highest tower watching the stars and gazing at the bright moon.

    ¡°So next time we get separated, I call dibs on being the one to be with Darling.¡± Lingqi said as her arms wrapped around Zhang¡¯s arm.

    ¡°Or we can try to not get separated like that again.¡± Zhang said with a laugh.

    With nods, the beauties and Zhang continued to watch the sky and talk until they fell asleep and the sun rose up from the horizon marking the beginning of a new day began.

    Once Zhang and the beauties awoke from a few hours of rest, they began to reorganize their army and the soldiers who were teleported away with Zhang were reintegrated back into the main army.

    ¡°Let¡¯s have our soldiers rest here for a while longer and wait until General Guan Yu¡¯s forces arrive before we push forward anymore.¡± Zhang suggested since he was somewhat tired of the constant fighting that had been occurring.

    ¡°Judging from the reports that we had received on our way here, Uncle Guan should arrive in roughly two weeks¡¯ time.¡± Lingqi said as the group strolled through the city.

    ¡°With the soldiers we managed to collect in the Rainbow Rock Province and the soldiers that you have acquired from this province, once General Guan Yu arrives our numbers would be more than enough to push all the way south, unhindered.¡± Yuying said confidently.

    ¡°Alright, then it¡¯s settled. We will try to enjoy ourselves for two week until Guan Yu arrives.¡± Zhang said with a smile as he pulled the beauties in closer to himself and walked into a small restaurant to have their breakfast.

    Over the few days, Zhang and the beauties were inseparable as they went everywhere together from various banquets to tourist attractions to restaurants, they were never apart. After a while, the war seemed to become irrelevant as they and the people within Red Thorn City were surrounded by peace.

    With the hundreds of thousands of soldiers of Aurora, camped inside and outside of the city, no one dared to cause trouble and the crime rate within Red Thorn City became nonexistent. This allowed the common folk to experience true peace and prosperity for at least a short while.

    Trade boomed as the hundreds of thousands of soldiers often entered the city to buy goods and find entertainment while they wait for Guan Yu¡¯s forces to arrive.

    While the soldiers of Aurora brought wealth and security to the city, Lingqi and Zhang would occasionally gather all of the doctors in the city together and give out free medical treatment to anyone who could not afford it, enabling them to bring good health to the commoners.

    Tang Hong, his sons and the officials of the Red Thorn Province couldn¡¯t be happier as they witnessed the wealth and change that was happening to their beloved city right before their eyes. Instead of being ravished by war, the Red Thorn Province experienced an increase in taxes that had never been seen before and the common folks were not much better off than they were before.

    When considering the state that the Red Thorn Province was in before the war, plagued with famine, poverty, and death, everyone viewed the current state of the province as a blessing from the heavens.

    ¡°I hope that this peace can be maintained for as long as possible.¡± Tang Hong would say every time he witnessed how bustling the city streets were and how happy the common folks were.

    ¡°To think they only arrived three days ago and the city is already undergoing such tremendous changes.¡± Tang Wei said as he had witnessed small business owners turn into rich men and women overnight. Broken down huts were being slowly replaced as people used their newfound wealth to build sturdy houses and mansions.

    Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

    The soldiers under Zhang¡¯s direct command had always been very well paid and would often receive plenty of gold as rewards, so when compared to the soldiers of the Dark Legion, they were much more willing to spend their wealth on the things that Red Thorn City could offer.

    Brothels were booked full, restaurants sold out their stores of food while shops and stalls set up along the streets sold all of their inventory. Gold and silver flooded into the city¡¯s treasury in amounts that had never been seen before in the history of the Red Thorn Province.

    Much to Zhang¡¯s delight, Tang Hong had the foresight to offer up roughly forty percent of this new found wealth to him as tribute.

    Even after giving Zhang forty percent of the wealth that came into the treasury, Tang Hong and his sons were still able to expand what used to be the Red Thorn Army back to its former size of two hundred thousand soldiers after only a few days of open recruitment.

    Of course, these new recruits would have to be trained, but if anything, Red Thorn City would have sufficient manpower to defend itself.

    Besides restoring their army to its former size, Tang Hong, and his sons also had dozens of schools erected thanks to some suggestions from Zhang.

    ¡°The children symbolize our future, so they must be properly taught or else even if I manage to unite the Warring States Region, the product of my hard work and ambition would not last very long.¡± Zhang said as he suggested for more schools to be built.

    Over roughly a week, the Red Thorn Province had undergone more change and development than what it had done for the last ten or twenty years. By the time Guan Yu¡¯s army arrived near Red Thorn City, the city walls had already been reconstructed and strengthened.

    After having his army pitch camp outside of the city beside one of the camps that Zhang¡¯s men were staying at, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei and dozens of their high ranking officers rode into the city following a team of horsemen sent by Lingqi to escort them into the city.

    Riding through the busy streets filled with commerce and people, Guan Yu was soon led to the provincial lord¡¯s mansion where he was welcomed by a beautiful young woman who commanded his absolute loyalty.

    ¡°No need to be so formal, we are practically family.¡± Lingqi said with a smile as Guan Yu slide off his horse and was about to salute her.

    Once some small talk was exchanged, Lingqi led Guan Yu into the mansion where a feast was held to welcome his arrival.

    To keep things brief, few days after Guan Yu¡¯s arrival his army was combined with Zhang¡¯s army as all of their soldiers were assembled outside of Red Thorn City.

    Although Guan Yu¡¯s forces had suffered heavy casualties due to facing against the Twin Dragon Province¡¯s Dragon Core Army, he had brought roughly one hundred and fifty thousand soldiers to supplement Zhang¡¯s forces. This meant that when the soldiers of the Red Mist Province were included, their army neared a nine hundred thousand soldiers total.

    As the force comprised of nine hundred thousand soldiers stood in neat rows that stretched as far back as the eye could see, they made everyone who was able to witness this sight watch in awe.

    Tang Hong, his wives, and practically the rest of the people living Red Thorn City were either gazing down from the city walls or trying to peak a look on at the imposing force that was assembled in front of them.

    Amidst the countless soldiers, Tang Wei and Tang Shiang could be seen atop large white stallions, surrounded by the soldiers clad in red armor.

    ¡°All forces move out!¡± Zhang commanded, signaling the various commanders and generals within his massive army to intimate their march toward the east tip of the Southern Region.

    Before long, new of Zhang¡¯s army resounded from one southern lord to the next as he continued to go deeper south.

    ==================================

    A few weeks after their departure from Red Thorn City, Zhang and his people found themselves in a desolate land void of green and was instead filled with black.

    Charred land and ruined towns and cities were all they saw as they made their way into the Azure Rain Province.

    While every well and water source they encountered had been laced poison

    Luckily for Zhang¡¯s army, they had someone extremely well versed in the art of poison who was able to purify the poisoned wells and water sources in next to no time at all.

    Because if there was no natural source of water then an army of nine hundred thousand soldiers would be forced to withdraw from battle before even began.

    Traversing ruined cities and poisoned lakes and rivers, Zhang and the beauties soon saw the top of magnificent tower poking out from deep within a large mountain range.

    ¡°Your highness, I believe that is the Azure Rain Province¡¯s Azure Tower. It is said to be the site of an ancient fortress that can hold hundreds of thousands of people within it. Although I''ve never been to it since it is considered a sacred site to the rulers of the Azure Rain Province, I''ve heard that this fortress was built to honor a mighty dragon.¡± Tang Wei said as he stood beside Zhang and saw the glorious tower that pierced into the clouds.

    ¡°Azure tower¡­ Dragon¡­. Azure Dragon¡­¡± Zhang mumbled as his eyes focused on the tower.

    ¡°Have our men pitch camp here for the night.¡± Zhang said before calling for a conference amongst all of his generals and commanders.

    Before long hundreds of people converged into a large tent erected within a massive camp that was currently being constructed.

    General''s such as Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Song Ren, Tang Wei, Tang Shiang and many more unnamed individuals and their subordinates arrived and either sat or stood in a circle with a large map laid out in the center.

    Once Zhang and the beauties made their way into the tent, the conference began.

    ¡°Judging from the layout of this map provided by Lord Tang Hong, there is a total of five passes through the mountains and to the Azure Tower. There are also a dozen small back mountain routes that would only allow for a dozen or so men to travel on at a time.¡± Yuying explained as she traced her finger on the large map in the center of the conference tent.

    ¡°Since the enemy has the advantage of knowing the local terrain, coupled with the fact that they arrived here before we did, it would prove to be disadvantageous for us to simply March our forces into the mountains.¡± She also said.

    ¡°Does anyone have any suggestions as to how we should advance?¡± Zhang asked.

 Map Update

    Named the continent''s largest empire.

    The green area past the Lunar Mountains is made up of thousands of sects and do not have one ruler.

    Added Black Wind City ( place where all the worms appeared)

    Added the Azure Rain Province

    This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

    Click for Bigger Image</a>

 Chapter 156: Chicken, Rabbit, Boar

    ¡°My lord, we can simply seal off the mountain range and wait until they run out of food and water.¡± Zhang Fei suggested.

    ¡°From what I¡¯ve heard, the Azure Tower has vast underground springs and plenty of fertile land within its vicinity.¡± Tang Wei said.

    Since it was located deep within the mountain range, there was obviously plenty of water sources available to the forces of the Azure Rain Province, or else they would not have poisoned the wells and other water sources in the province.

    ¡°We could simply light the whole range on fire.¡± Ai said in a bored tone.

    ¡°We can march in and use our numbers to overwhelm them.¡± Someone else suggested.

    Before long the tent was filled with babble was everyone voiced their opinions. But due to the advantage that the forces of the Azure Rain Province possessed thanks to their geological advantage, it was hard to select a plan to go with.

    After a few hours of discussing, it was decided that five forts would be erected to seal off the mountains. Once the mountains were successfully closed off, two thirds of Zhang¡¯s army would break off and proceed south while the rest remained to keep the forces of the Azure Rain Province from attacking them from the rear.

    A messenger was also to be sent with a message from Zhang to the ruler of the Azure Rain Province.

    ¡°I have a feeling that something important is in that tower.¡± Zhang said to his wives. After the conference ended, they climbed a tall tree and gazed at the beautiful tower in the distance.

    ¡°We¡¯ll found out once we capture it.¡± Yuying said.

    =======================================================================

    The next morning, Zhang¡¯s army of hundreds of thousands of men split apart into five units and sent out to locate and secure five strategic locations. Once these locations were picked, the preparation to construct the five forts began. While a lone rider headed into the forest with a sealed golden colored scroll safely tucked into his robes.

    Despite the fact that thousands upon thousands of trees were cut, the forest that covered the mountain range did not seem to be lacking any trees at all. Rivers were also diverted to create reservoirs for the soldiers that would be stationed in the fort.

    Guard towers were the first to be erected to help ensure the safety of the men laboring away on the ground since there is always the face of the forces of the Azure Rain Province initiating sneak attacks while the forts were being constructed.

    The elite guard was dispersed throughout the forest to keep an eye on enemy movements while dozens of small outposts were secretly being constructed. Once the forts and outposts were completed, there would be no way for the forces of the Azure Rain Province to possibly leave the Azure Tower and the mountain range without Zhang¡¯s soldiers being alerted.

    As Zhang¡¯s men were busy working under the morning sun, Zhang, the four beauties and their furry little pet liger set out into the forest to do some hunting. Figuring that it would be a fun way to spend time together as the day passed, they set off from camp with a small group of guards following behind them.

    Thanks to Little White¡¯s keen senses, after a mere ten minutes ride from where one of the forts were, they stumbled upon an orange beast covered in black stripes.

    ¡°Little White, it seems like you found one of your kin.¡± Ai laughed as she spotted the tiger lurking within the woods, it¡¯s face partially visible thanks to the streaks of light coming from the sun that managed to break through the forest¡¯s dense canopy.

    Upon spotting Zhang, the four beauties, and Little White, the tiger became extremely startled and bolted into the forest. At first, it had verb curious toward those who were approaching it but upon seeing them, the tiger¡¯s senses alerted it of danger, prompting it to flee.

    Once the tiger was gone, the party continued through the dense woods filled with lush green leaves and flowers in every color of the rainbow.

    Although it was a hunting trip, Lingqi could be seen occasionally sliding off her horse and picking up various herbs or digging up certain tree roots.

    ¡°So many herbs are simply laying around, ready to be picked.¡± Lingqi said with a smile.

    ¡°Perhaps it''s because that this place is considered a sacred area to the lords of this province, so regular people aren''t normally permitted in, so there''s no one to pick the herbs.¡± Ling said.

    ¡°More for me.¡± Lingqi said with a laugh as she stored away a bush of pinkish colored flowers with dozens of orange dotted blue colored fruit.

    While Lingqi was loading up on herbs and ingredients to concoct poison and medicine, Little White would occasionally charge into the woods and come back with prey clenched between its jaws.

    Unlike Little White, Zhang and the others decided to practice their archery skills and after a while, this resulted in a contest between husband and wives.

    ¡°Same rules as always, the winner gets to demand a single wish from anyone of the losers.¡± Lingqi said with a grin right as three arrows shot from her bow and pierced through the air and into two small boars.

    ¡°Deal!¡± Zhang and the other beauties said in unison. Thus, the party split up and would meet back up after sixty minutes.

    Some may question why they would split up when in an area that is close to enemy terrorist, but of course Zhang would use the Underworld Heart to keep an eye on his wives to ensure they don''t get themselves into any danger, ensuring nothing would go wrong.

    ¡°Now do I cheat or not.¡± Zhang said with a low laugh. If he simply used the Underworld Heart, then he would know the location of all of the creatures within the area and with a bit of essence manipulation, he would be able to control thousands of arrows and send them in to collect lives of his prey.

    ¡°Eh, maybe I should let one of them win. It''s always more fun trying to guess what they want to do.¡± Zhang laughed as he found a good place for his Inferno Wind Walker to graze on some grass.

    ¡°If I mix a bit of Cat Paw grass with some Deer Horn leaves then all of the animals within a mile with gather here.¡± Lingqi said as she could be seen crouching over a small mortar in the middle of the woods while her horse was grazing on grass.

    Using her medical knowledge and a few of the plants she found in the woods, she was going to concoct a potion whose scent could be side to be irresistible to regular animals.

    ¡°Now to figure out what I what him to do.¡± She said with a laugh.

    While Lingqi was about to basically cheat, Yuying had amassed a small army of mind controlled beasts that were quickly adding more to her horde.

    Minutes after the party had split up, Yuying had managed to kill a chicken with her bow and arrow. As she was retrieving her arrow a thought sprang into her head and thus she began to draw an intricate array of runes on the ground using the chicken''s blood.

    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

    Moments later the runs all magically moved across the surface of the ground into the chicken and resurrecting it. Unlike her regular reanimate on techniques, Yuying had placed a mid-level hex onto the undead chicken.

    The hex Yuying had made it so that every animal attacked or killed by the animals that she had infected would fall under her spell also. The infect animals, of course, were much stronger than regular animals since they were undead and their limiters were thus removed.

    Once the undead chicken was up and about, it attacked and pecked a rabbit to death, then the two tag-teamed and took out a mid-sized boar, from there the chicken, the rabbit, and the boar, slaughtered an unsuspecting pack of wild dogs. The moment pack of wild dogs was added to the group, the rate at which animals were infected and killed increased exponentially.

    ¡°Now to figure out what I want him to do and wait for the sixty-minute mark.¡± Yuying laughed as her horde of undead and mind-controlled animals hunted the area.

    While Lingqi was preparing to cheat and while Yuying was basically cheating, Ai was playing in a small field of flowers. While Ling and Little White were hunting the old fashion way.

    Neither Ai nor Ling¡¯s skill sets were really well adapted to do large-scale hunting. This was especially true for Ai because most animals that catch sight of her instantly run for their lives.

    ¡°Don''t need to win to get brother to do things for me.¡± Ai said with a smile as she picked up a bunch of flowers and then spent the rest of her time gazing at the Azure Tower that could be seen piercing into the sky from far away.

    Like Ai, after shooting down a few board and bears, Ling preoccupied her time grooming Little White.

    Once the thirty-minute mark was reached, Yuying¡¯s horde of animals numbered roughly three hundred and a confident small was present on her face. Currently, her horde contained dozens of chickens, rabbits, wolves, tigers, boars, deer, elk, and dozens of other types of animals. If she continued her efforts, then she could easily accumulate triple what she currently had.

    However, something unexpected happened, before Yuying¡¯s horde could increase any further, an odd scent drifted into everyone and everything¡¯s nostrils. Before long the forest was filled with activity as all of the living animals in the area began to gather.

    When the animals that were attracted to the irresistible scent gathered, Lingqi quickly dispersed one of her poisons into that air, by the time the one-hour mark was reached, Lingqi had surpassed Yuying and had hunted hundreds of animals.

    In the end, Lingqi was, of course, the victor of the contest amongst Zhang and his wives, however, the true winners were their soldiers because the ones who were able to enjoy the meat from the hunted animals were of course Zhang¡¯s soldiers.

    Once Zhang and the beauties finished up their contest and spent a few more hours enjoying their time in the forest, they returned back to camp where the meat from their hunt was quickly distributed to their hardworking soldiers.

    Ling had allowed Little White to roam the words in search of more prey until it¡¯s stomach was filled so it did not return until much later in the day, with its coat of white fur smeared in blood from the many animals it gorged on.

    As the sun departed and the moon began to over watch the earth, small feasts were held the soldiers constructing the five forts. With a large perimeter set up, dozens of guard towers erected at each construction site and many small trenches dug, Zhang¡¯s soldiers were given as much sense of ease as possible during a war. Although tea was used to replace wine, since drinking was prohibited when soldiers were on active duty, everyone was merry and enjoying the freshly hunted meat.

    Freshly recruited soldiers got to know their seniors while various generals and commanders became acquainted with one another over a simple meal.

    ¡°That tower looks so beautiful under the moonlight.¡± Yuying said as she looked at the Azure Tower that was basking under the moonlight. The azure colored tiles seemed to glow and gave off a mysterious air to all those who saw it, especially at night.

    To receive praise from Yuying, meant that the tower was truly exceptional because as a princess of the underworld, what type of building style hasn¡¯t Yuying seen?

    ¡°A beautiful tower should belong to a beautiful owner; shall I gift it to the four of you once we acquire it?¡± Zhang asked with a smile as he looked at each of the beauties who were enveloped in moonlight causing their features to be ever more dreamlike. Their hair glistened, their skin glowed, their eyes twinkled and their smiles captivated the soul of any onlooker.

    While Zhang couldn¡¯t help but sit in silence and stare at his wives, deep within the mountains, high up atop the clouds, a lone figure stood on a massive balcony, gazing down from above. This, of course, was the lord of the Azure Rain Province, who was on one of the upper floors of the Azure Tower.

    Gazing down through the gaps in the clouds, Azure Rain Province¡¯s lord watched silently at the unchanging landscape below. Only after tens of minutes of silence could a sigh be heard before he walks away from the balcony and entered into a large empty room.

    ¡°My lord, our scouts have reported that the enemy is erecting five forts and blocking off the exits out of the mountain range, they also spotting a lone rider moving through the forest and heading toward our current location. It appears to be a messenger.¡± A soldier clad in azure colored armor reported as he kneeled down on one knee.

    ¡°A messenger... ¡°The lord of the province muttered.

    ¡°Have our soldiers guide the messenger here and have him brought to me.¡± He said after a long moment of silence.

    ¡°Also have our soldiers mobilize and strengthen our defenses in case the enemy decides to move into the mountain range.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll have the men prepared right away my lord.¡± The soldier clad in azure colored armor said before dismissing himself.

    With the soldier gone, the lord of the Azure Rain Province proceeded to walk out onto the balcony once more and gazed down at the scenery below the tower where he could see countless specks that looked smaller than ants. These specks were actually the tents and makeshift lodgings for soldiers and civilians of the Azure Rain Province who were all taking shelter within the confines of a magnificent fortress that surrounded the base of the Azure tower.

    ¡°I pray that no lives would have to be needlessly sacrificed.¡± The province¡¯s lord said softly.

    Down below at the base of the Azure Tower, countless men, women, and children were helping the soldiers of the Azure Rain Army strengthen the defenses of their fortress while also carrying out dozens of other menial tasks.

 Chapter 157: Messenger

    Early in the morning before the moon hid away but as the sun rose up from the horizon, a soldier dressed from head to toe in black armor that gleamed under the light of the sun rode his trusty steed deep into the forest near the Azure Tower. With a golden scroll tucked tightly in his robes, the soldier rode day and night to complete his objective.

    ¡°Jiao Fu, all you have to do is deliver this scroll and then return back to camp.¡± The soldier repeatedly said in his mind as his steed sped through the forest, galloping over unkept roads and grassy patches of earth.

    Generally being a messenger was one step higher than a regular soldier, however during times of war when messages were sent to enemy lords and commanders, a messenger¡¯s job was a dangerous one. If the receiver of the message was in a bad mood then the massager¡¯s life would be forfeit if the receiver of the message did not like what was in the message then the messenger¡¯s life would also be forfeit.

    So the messenger named Jiao Fu, headed toward the Azure Tower all he could hope for was for the lord of the Azure Rain Province to be an understanding person and not a temper driven brute.

    ¡°Halt!¡± A voice rang into the Jiao Fu¡¯s ear as a group of riders clad in azure colored armor rode out from within the woods.

    With a hard tug on his horse¡¯s reigns, the messenger came to a sudden halt as he was surrounded by four riders from the Azure Rain Army.

    ¡°I¡¯ve come with orders from his highness, Prince Zhang of the Aurora Kingdom to deliver a message to the lord of the Azure Rain Province.¡± Jiao Fu said in a loud audible voice since the last thing he wanted was for the enemy soldiers to mishear what he said and possibly attack him.

    ¡°Lord Tian Lan has personally ordered for us to escort you back to the Azure Tower.¡± One of the four soldiers of the Azure Rain Army said as they gestured Jiao Fu to follow them.

    After traveling roughly, a day lone and half a day following behind the four soldiers of Azure Rain Army, and once he rode out of the forest, Jiao Fu found himself in front of a massive fortress built around the base of what looked to be an ancient dormant volcano. Thousands of buildings lined the mountain while a magnificent azure colored tower rose out from the crater at the peak of the mountain and pierced into the skies.

    ¡°To think such a large fortress was here¡­¡± Jiao Fu thought as he gazed at the fortress that was practically hidden away thanks to the surrounding mountains and dense forest canopy.

    Once he passed through a small side gate that was cut into the fortress¡¯s solid stone walls, Jiao Fu saw many dozens of rice paddies and countless people tending to them. Cattle and other domestic animals could be seen in makeshift pens while patrolling soldiers were constantly keeping an eye out on their surroundings.

    ¡°With so many rice paddies and animals, they could survive in here for decades without a problem, no matter the number of mouths they had to feed.¡± Jiao Fu thought.

    From what Jiao Fu could see, Zhang¡¯s decision to erect the five forts at the choke points that were the only exits out from the mountain range was a good one because if they were to march into the mountain range, sieging this massive fort would be a large issue even with nine hundred thousand soldiers.

    With the forest and mountains acting as natural barriers, there would be no way to move in siege weapons or quickly assemble large units of soldiers in one area. Enemy ambushes along the way would have caused a significant decrease in the number of Aurora¡¯s soldiers while the solid walls and lack of siege weapons would have prevented them from quickly breaching the fortress.

    ¡°Follow us.¡± Jiao Fu¡¯s escorts said as they noticed him eye the fort¡¯s defenses and the various facilities within it.

    Although a messenger¡¯s primary job is to deliver messages, their secondary job was also to act as scouts since they were able to infiltrate deep into enemy territory. A good messenger would be able to scout out and memorize the layout of the enemy¡¯s base of operations while gaining a good grasp on the personality of the enemy¡¯s leader.

    As he was led through the fortress and up the mountain toward the Azure Tower, Jiao Fu began to notice the countless gazes concentrate on him. Looking around he saw hundreds of not thousands of common folk watching, some had curious expressions on their faces, others seemed fearful, a few show looks of disdain and hatred.

    ¡°Maybe I should have taken off my armor and wore regular clothes before entering the fort¡­ Let¡¯s hope I¡¯m not done in by these people before I can even deliver this scroll¡­¡± Jiao Fu thought as the crowd around him continued to increase. Once the common folk saw his gleaming black armor they were drawn to it as insects were drawn to a fire at night.

    ¡°Aurora scum! Leave our lands!¡± A few of the people yelled angrily.

    At first, Jiao Fu was assaulted by words but this quickly escalated into small stones which eventually turned to fist sized rocks.

    Luckily for him, Jiao Fu was fulling donning armor while equipped with a large steel shield that managed to repel most of the things thrown at him.

    ¡°Stop! Do you not know that harming a messenger is an act of war!?¡± One of the escorts sent by Lord Tian Lan yelled as he tried to disperse the crowd that was attacking Jiao Fu.

    Since they did not know what their lord hoping to accomplish, the soldiers of the Azure Rain Army didn¡¯t dare to allow Jiao Fu to be injured because if Jiao Fu isn¡¯t killed after delivering his message then depending on what he reports when he returns to master, then an unwanted outcome could occur.

    Before thanks got even more out of hand, a group consisting of a dozen or so soldiers in azure armor marched in and formed a safety perimeter around Jiao Fu.

    ¡°Thank goodness¡­¡± Jiao Fu said with a sigh as the commoners were pushed back and he was allowed to continue his journey toward the Azure Tower.

    Once the crowd was forced to disperse and after Jiao Fu managed to ride to the top of the crater located onto of the mountain, he saw countless tents littering the inside of the blown out crater around the Azure Tower.

    Luckily for Jiao Fu, Lord Tian Lan was waiting on the first floor of the Azure Tower and he did not have to walk all the way up the many thousands of steps within the tower.

    ¡°My lord, Prince Zhang, sends greetings to you Lord Tian Lan.¡± Jiao Fu said as he kneeled on one knee.

    ¡°No need for small talk or formalities and just deliver your message.¡± Lord Tian Lan said coldly.

    ¡°I, Zhou Zhang, sends greetings to the lord of the Azure Rain Province.¡± Jiao Fu said after he pulled out the golden scroll tucked in his robes and began to read it.

    Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

    ¡°I humbly ask for your surrender because blood not spilled are lives not lost. If you surrender, then you are free to govern your lands like before and not much will change at all. But most importantly is no one has to die and no blood has to stain your sacred tower.¡± Jiao Fu continued to read.

    Since trying to appear polite would only make him seem weak and indecisive, and since trying to appear aggressive would only make him seem like a brute, Zhang tried to limit his words as much as possible.

    ¡°Return to your prince and tell him I¡¯ll agree to surrender if and only if he grants me a plot of land four times the size of the Azure Rain Province, along with a few other things listed in this scroll. I also want for him to personally come and give me the good news or blood will have to be spilled.¡± Lord Tian Lan said as he tossed a blue colored scroll that he had prepared beforehand toward Jiao Fu.

    ¡°I shall deliver this to highness as soon as possible.¡± Jiao Fu said with a bow.

    ¡°No, stay for the night. I¡¯ll have some men escort you back tomorrow.¡± Lord Tian Lan said.

    While Jiao Fu was staying the night at the Azure Tower, the construction of the five forts was coming along splendidly. The trenches that would wrap around the exterior walls of the forts were expanded and now equipped with wooden spikes. So although no walls were up yet even if the forces of the Azure Rain Army were to decide to attack they would find themselves unable to due to the trenches.

    Although they were not given meat to feast on like the previous day, the morale of Zhang¡¯s soldiers was currently as high as they could be because they had yet to encounter enemies and no fighting had occurred yet.

    However, peace does not often last very long because the following night, Jiao Fu who was escorted by the soldiers of the Azure Rain Army returned to camp.

    ¡°My lord, the enemy lord told me to give you this scroll that contains his terms for surrender.¡± Jiao Fu said politely as he presented the blue colored scroll to Zhang.

    After getting the scroll from Jiao Fu, Zhang broke its wax seal and began to unroll the scroll to read its contents.

    ¡°Dear Prince of Aurora,

    My terms for surrender are simple but they all must be accepted or it¡¯ll be like none of them were accepted, my first condition is the safety of my people must be ensure and no harm must come to them. My second condition is that you must ensure that after my surrender, you¡¯ll shield my people and me from the retribution that will come from the Southern Alliance. The third condition for my surrender is that you must aid us in the reconstruction of the province. My fourth condition is that you must¡­.¡± Zhang read the scroll half way before laughing and tossing it onto a desk not too far from him.

    ¡°Darling what¡¯s so funny?¡± Lingqi asked as she walked over and picked up the scroll and began reading.

    ¡°Hmmm, their safety can be ensured, the Southern Alliance can be dealt with, the province can be reconstructed although they were the ones who destroyed it to begin with¡­¡± Lingqi said as she read the scroll, however as she reached Lord Tian Lan¡¯s fourth condition she stopped talking and tossed the scroll on the desk.

    ¡°Absolutely not! Absolutely now!¡± Lingqi said angrily with furrowed brows.

    ¡°Let me have a look¡­¡± Yuying said after she saw Lingqi¡¯s reaction.

    ¡°What¡¯s the fourth condition, sis?¡± Ai asked, curious as to why Zhang and Lingqi reacted so differently.

    ¡°My fourth condition is that you must¡­ divorce your wives and marry one of my daughters in exchange for the province¡­¡± Yuying read before she tore the scroll into two and tossed it into a small open flame furnace.

    ¡°That fox¡­ If we all got divorced and honey had to marry one of his daughters, then wouldn¡¯t all of the lands under Aurora¡¯s control eventually fall into the hands of his grandchild?¡± Ling said in a surprisingly calm tone.

    ¡°What are you laughing about mister?¡± Ai said as she pinched Zhang¡¯s arm.

    Since Zhang did not currently have any children with the four beauties, if he were to divorce them and marry one of Jian Fan¡¯s daughters then his if they have a child then in the future all of the lands of Aurora would fall into that child¡¯s control, thus inevitably falling into the hands of Jian Fan¡¯s descendant.

    ¡°He even said that we must accept all of his conditions or else he won¡¯t surrender¡­ Maybe I¡¯ll show him not to get on my bad side...¡± Lingqi said angrily.

    ¡°How about a fake divorce?¡± Zhang said with a laugh.

    ¡°No!¡± All of the beauties replied in unison with burning flames lit in their eyes.

    ¡°Well since a real divorce is out of the question and a fake divorce won¡¯t work, I guess all there is left to do is finish building those forts and prepare for blood to be spilled.¡± Zhang said with a smile.

    Thus, Lord Tian Lan earned the scorn of the three beauties as they each began to concoct various methods to invoke their wrath on him.

    ¡°It seems someone wants me to turn them into a tree¡­¡± Lingqi mumbled as she recalled a certain trio who were turned into living trees.

    ¡°Uncle Si Ren will help me send someone to the last floor, won¡¯t he?¡± Yuying mumbled as she recalled a certain inverted tower that expanded deep underground and a certain uncle who is renowned for guiding people who have nowhere to go.

    After not hearing a reply from Zhang, Tian Lan took the initiative to send his own messenger, however unlike Jiao Fu, this messenger wasn¡¯t so well received.

    Had it not been for Zhang¡¯s intervention, Lingqi¡¯s poison would have mysteriously made it into a bowl of soup that was offered to this messenger. Or a random ray of light accidentally turning the messenger to ashes.

    For the most part, Tian Lan¡¯s messenger tried to relay to Zhang that Tian Lan was awaiting his answer to the conditions. To which Zhang replied by trying to change some of the conditions to something else. Instead of the fourth condition, he offered to give Tian Lan a piece of land that is four times larger than the Azure Rain Province.

    As the days went on and messengers were sent back and forth, Zhang felt extremely irritated at Tian Lan¡¯s stubbornness in regards to the four conditions that were set.

    But as the five forts neared competition things began to matter less because once the forts were done, Zhang would be able to keep the Azure Rain Army in check and move forward with his invasion of the Southern Region.

 Chapter 158: Resonance

    As the days past on the five forts began to take shape, tall reinforced wooden walls were erected and many small cabins were laid out inside. Guard towers were connected to the walls and the trenches with dozens of wooden spikes laid out inside them have turned into water filled moats thanks to the help of one of the princesses of Aurora.

    Although a few finishing touches were needed, the forts could be considered fully functional as countless soldiers could be seen atop its walls.

    It was only after the five forts were finished and numerous refusals from Zhang did one of Lord Tian Lan¡¯s messengers finally arrive to inform Zhang that the fourth condition would be optional.

    ¡°I still don''t like this person¡­¡± Lingqi said with a snort after Tian Lan¡¯s messenger arrived.

    As the old saying goes, one should not teach others to beat their wives but one especially should not teach others to leave their wives.

    As Lingqi and the other beauties saw it, Tian Alan was still deserving of their retribution for what he attempted to do. If their husband brought up the fact that he had fallen for yet another girl and had to marry her then at the very least the beauties would consider it, however for someone else to try to separate them was an unspeakable sin that needed to be punished.

    ¡°A virtuous person should pay no heed to scoundrels.¡± Ling said with a laugh as she saw how riled up Lingqi was.

    After a quick word to some of his generals, Zhang, the beauties and a small unit comprised entirely of their elite guard began to move toward the Azure Tower with Tian Lan¡¯s messenger as their guide.

    To ensure the safety of their regular soldiers and to show a bit of sincerity while also abiding by Tian Lan¡¯s wish for him to come personally, Zhang only brought the beauties and a small force of soldiers with him.

    Although if he had left without them, the beauties would have more than likely snuck out of camp and tailed him anyway so rather than having him stalk him, Zhang opted to have them by his side where he could keep a watchful eye on them while being able to enjoy their company.

    ¡°I bet you would have happy to get rid of us and marry that lord¡¯s daughter.¡± Yuying teased as the group traveled through the forest within their magical carriage while two hundred elite guard rode beside them on towering war stallions.

    ¡°How could I ever think that.¡± Zhang said as he wrapped his arms around Yuying¡¯s waist.

    ¡°Dibs on the tower!¡± Ai yelled with a laugh as she landed on Zhang¡¯s back and her arms hooked around his neck.

    As uneventful as the rest of their trip to the Azure Tower was, Zhang and the beauties were able to spend some quality time with each other, joking and playing with one another to pass the time.

    Although it was possible everything was simply a trap set by Lord Tian Lan, Zhang and the beauties figured they would never know unless they went to the Azure Tower to find out.

    Best to knowingly walk into a trap while prepared for one rather leave opportunities unexplored and shooting down the possibility that Lord Tian Lan was truly surrendering.

    Thanks to being led to the tower by Lord Tian Lan¡¯s messenger, Zhang¡¯s party was able to reach the fortress at the base of the mountain where the Azure Tower was in as little as half a day.

    This was because Jiao Fu did not really have a proper map to guide him to the tower while the messengers that were sent by Lord Tian Lan knew the surrounding area like the back of their hands, from secret passes to hidden to secret routes.

    Peeking out of the windows of their carriage, Zhang and the beauties were able to take in the splendor of the massive solid stone walls and the beautiful architecture of the buildings within the fort.

    Although Jiao Fu had given them a full report regarding the layout of the fortress, Zhang and these beauties couldn''t help but be somewhat surprised when they laid eyes on the fort for the first time. It was a mystery how such a massive fortress could be built and hidden so deep within the mountains and forest.

    ¡°The number of people it would take to build a fortress of this size in a place like this¡­¡± Ling muttered as their carriage and escort of soldiers rode into the fortress.

    Unlike Jiao Fu who was received by a mixture of emotions from the common folk, Zhang, and the beauties were simply given gazes full of reverence and intrigue, such is one of the perks of being royalty.

    Normally people were in the presence of royalty, people often tried to act on their best behavior while being covered by a veil of curiosity. While in Zhang current case, when common folk was the presence of royalty from an enemy nation, they would either act violently or courteously.

    Had Aurora been weaker than the Azure Rain Province, then the people would have openly scorned Zhang. But since Aurora was the more powerful of the two, the people were forced to act on their best behaviour toward Zhang and the beauties or else risk offending someone they should not. This was especially true if their lord was going to surrender.

    By the end of the day, Zhang¡¯s escort had arrived at the top of the mountain and at the base of the Azure Tower.

    ¡°Wahhh this thing is even bigger than I thought it would be.¡± Ai said with twinkling eyes as she walked out of the carriage and gazed at the Azure Tower in its full splendor.

    ¡°Welcome!¡± A loud voice could be heard.

    As Zhang and the beauties looked toward the direction where the voice was coming from they could see a middle-aged man in an azure colored set of robes with a pair of guards standing by his side.

    ¡°You must be Lord Tian Lan.¡± Zhang said as he cupped his hand and preferred a slight bow. Although he was a prince and Lord Tian Lan was someone of a lower rank, Zhang had always acted respectfully to others based on seniority rather than social status. This was in probably l due to the influence of his memories from his previous life that Zhang acted this way since in his previous life everyone was treated roughly the same when meeting for the first time.

    ¡°No need to be so humble, Prince Zhang.¡± Lord Tian Lan said as his eyes scanned Zhang and the beauties from head to toe.

    ¡°I guess if I was in your shoes I wouldn''t think of divorcing these four either.¡± Lord Tian Lan laughed as he thought how silly he was asking Zhang to divorce the beauties and marry one of his daughters.

    ¡°Let alone a single province, I wouldn''t trade an empire for them.¡± Zhang said with a laugh while secretly trying to improve his image to the beauties even further.

    ¡°Now to see if this worked or not.¡± Zhang thought as he looked at his wives from the corner of his eye.

    While Lingqi and Yuying looked rather impressed, Ling seemed to see through his ploy while Ai was preoccupied with looking the Azure Tower.

    You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

    ¡°Yang, Ying, the two of you should return to your rooms.¡± Lord Tian Lan said with a laugh as he looked at two beautiful young women who looked identical to one another.

    ¡°Twins¡­.¡± Zhang thought as he laid eyes on Tian Lang¡¯s daughters. Although when compared to the beauties one by one, Tian Lan¡¯s daughters Tian Yang and Tian Ying were rather lacking. If they were presented together as a set of twins they''d be only a tiny bit less beautiful as the beauties.

    ¡°Maybe if I told him I would be willing to marry both of them as my concubines anyway¡­¡± Zhang thought, however, this thought was soon extinguished as he saw the look on the beauties faces.

    ¡°Let''s move to more pressing matters.¡± Zhang said with a cough.

    ¡°Yes, of course, we can discuss proposal gifts inside. I have a small banquet prepared already.¡± Lord Tian Alan said with a smile as he gestured toward the Azure Tower as he saw the beauties eyeing Zhang.

    After walking up dozens of stone steps and entering the tower, Zhang felt a sudden jolt emit from the Underworld Heart that was lodged in his chest. Unbeknownst to everyone else besides Ai who showed a hint of a reaction, a wave of essence was sent out from the Underworld Heart.

    This wave of essence bounced off of the walls of the tower as it traveled upward.

    Not knowing what was occurring and not wanting to cause a scene, Zhang stayed silent and continued to follow behind Tian Lan.

    ¡°Were your ancestors the ones to build this magnificent tower?¡± Zhang asked as Tian Lan led the group through a beautifully decorated hallway.

    ¡°If only they did, your highness. Hundreds of years ago when my family took control of this province when it was simply uncharted territory, they found this tower.  Legends said that when my ancestors saw the tower, it and the fortress below was actually said to be floating in the sky. However, from the time they saw it and the time it took for them to arrive where the tower was, the tower was not long levitating in the skies. Perhaps it was an optical illusion of sorts but till this day we are still not sure because even after hundreds of years this tower is still filled with mysteries that have yet to be solved. All I know is that although they couldn''t figure out why the tower appeared to be floating in the sky, my ancestors did find a white colored book on the top floor. The book did not have a title and strangely enough, no one had been able to open it.¡± Lord Tian Lan said.

    ¡°White colored book that can''t be opened¡­¡± Zhang thought as he recalled another book that couldn''t be opened. A book that told the originals of the Azure Dragon.

    ¡°Where is this book now?¡± Zhang asked, believing that there was a chance that the book that Lord Tian Lan¡¯s ancestors found was actually the second part of the story of the Azure Dragon.

    ¡°About fifty years ago, our Azure Rain Province was invaded by the Shadow Hex Province. My grandfather along with fifty thousand elite soldiers rode out to repel the enemy, however after a bloody battle my grandfather was captured and his interspatial ring was taken.¡± Lord Tian Lan said with a sigh.

    ¡°So the book should be in the Shadow Hex Province.¡± Zhang thought.

    ¡°Now that the Shadow Hex Province¡¯s Dark Legion has been defeated, there may be a day when the sacred book resurfaces again.¡± Lord Tian Lan said.

    Moments later the group was led into a large hall where a banquet was already laid out and ready to be eaten.

    As the banquet began, Zhang began to confirm Lord Tian Lan¡¯s intentions of surrendering. Zhang found out Lord Tian Lan¡¯s true intentioned behind poisoning all of the water sources and burning all of the cities and villages in the province.

    In part, it was to show the Southern Alliance that the Azure Rain Province was still loyal while also testing Zhang¡¯s forces. Lord Tian Lan also wished to see if Zhang was resourceful enough to make it through the few minor obstacles that he had set up.

    After some more talking it turns out that Lord Tian Lan also did not actually wish to marry his daughters off to Zhang at all, rather his fourth condition was actually another test.

    If Zhang chose to leave his wives for the sake of obtaining the Azure Rain Province, then that shows that Zhang is a heartless person who lacked loyalty.

    ¡°A person without a heart and isn''t even loyal to their spouses is not someone I could trust to ensure the safety of my family and my people.¡± Lord Tian Lan said as he gulped a cup of wine.

    If Zhang was willing to sacrifice his wives to gain the province then he would be more than willing to sacrifice the people of the Azure Rain Province if there was a need for it, and that was not something Lord Tian Lan was willing to allow.

    Once Lord Tian Lan and Zhang¡¯s intentions were both made clear, the Azure Rain Province officially surrendered and was added to the Aurora Kingdom.

    Although no major plans were put into motion it was decided that after a thorough inspection of the fortress it was decided that Zhang¡¯s army would leave a small number of people in the five forts while the majority of the army would move into the fort.

    This way they would be able to recuperate from their march through the Azure Rain Province for some time without worrying about possible enemy attacks until they began to march south once more.

    ¡°If you have anything you need feel free to roll me, your highness.¡± Lord Tian Lan said before he had some servants escort Zhang, the beauties and their soldiers to lodgings.

    While being lead to his room, Zhang felt a sudden jolt come from the Underworld Heart once more. This time, the pulse of essence emitted from the Underworld Heart felt oddly different than the pulse before because this time it was not only Zhang who felt it.

    ¡°What was that?¡± Yuying said as she felt the pulse of essence.

    ¡°I don''t know.¡± Zhang said as another pulse of essence was emitted from the Underworld Heart. Before long a dozen or so pulses of essence was sent throughout the Azure Tower.

    Up above the clouds at the very top of the Azure Tower was a silver colored ring that wrapped out of the exterior of the tower. As the dozen or so pulses of essence traveled out from the Underworld Heart and up the tower, countless runes began to appear on the silver colored ring.

    Before long the entire ring glowed as it releases brilliant white light that pierced through the clouds.

    The dazzling white light emitted from the silver ring drew the attention of all those in the surrounding areas as if it was some divine miracle.

    While everyone was captivated by the light, the ground suddenly shook and something unbelievable occurred.

 Chapter 159: Azure Tower

    While the captivating light being emitted from the silver ring pierced through the clouds and filled the dark night with its luminous glow, the ground beneath the fortress began to shake and rumble.

    Soon curiosity and intrigue turned to fear and anxiety as the trembling of the ground became more evident.

    Tents began to topple over while people fell onto the ground and chaos ensued.

    Surprisingly enough the Azure Tower stood motionless as if it was built to withstand the movement of the ground. Much like the Azure Tower, the stone buildings that covered the mountain from top to bottom and walls of the fortress at the base of the mountain did not move at all.

    As the light emitted from the silver ring began to get brighter and brighter and as the ground continued to shake, even more, the people of the Azure Rain Province all fell to the ground as they felt a shift in the force of gravity around then.

    Although the Azure Tower was not moving at all, Zhang and everyone within it knew something was happening. While the Underworld Heart continued to send out pulses of essence, a countless number of runes appeared on the walls and floors of the tower.

    As seconds turned to minutes the ground stopped trembling and another phenomenon occurred. Large cracks began to appear on the earth around the fortress forming what appeared to be a circle.

    In a turn of unexpected events, the base of the mountain began to disconnect from the vast forest that encircled it.

    ¡°Wha-what is happening.¡± A few soldiers clad in azure colored armor yelled as the forest that they had vigilantly watched for weeks began to drift further and further away from them.

    Within the five forts that Zhang¡¯s forces were camped in, all of the soldiers and general were wide awake and watching the skies with intrigue and confusion.

    ¡°Princess¡­¡± Guan Yu muttered as he saw something unimaginable happen. The Azure Tower and the entire mountain it was built on top of could be seen slowly rising into the sky and above the clouds.

    Flabbergasted by the turn of events, Zhang¡¯s soldiers did not know what to think nor what to do as they gazed upward.

    Once the mountain levitated above all of the tops of all of the other mountains in the area, thousands of beautiful azure colored buildings that had been hidden deep below the earth¡¯s surface could be seen.

    The legends were true! The legends were true!¡± Lord Tian Lan yelled joyfully as he stood out on a balcony on the Azure Tower while looking down at the mountains below.

    ¡°The Heart is resonating with something.¡± Zhang said as the Underworld Heart continued to send out pulses of essence.

    After a few moments, Zhang was greeted by yet another surprise. The silver colored ring began to send out its own pulses of essence which traveled throughout what could now only be called a Sky Fortress.

    With gleaming eyes, Zhang charged up the stairs of the Azure Tower to track down the originals of the pulse of energy that was just released.

    ¡°To resonate with the heart means that it has to be one of the legendary treasures!¡± Zhang screamed with excitement in his mind.

    If simply possessing the Underworld Heart and the Abyssal Cape had granted him such unbelievable powers, if Zhang managed to obtain a third legendary treasure then his powers would obviously increase even further.

    Minutes later after sprinting at full speed up the tower, Zhang laid eyes on the silver colored ring a hint of disappointment appeared on his face.

    ¡°There wasn''t any rings apart of the set of seven heavenly treasures¡­¡± Zhang mumbled with a somewhat disappointed voice.

    ¡°Well, nothing to be unhappy about.¡± Zhang thought as a grin quickly appeared on his face once again. Sometimes when reality falls a bit short of one¡¯s expectations, disappointment tends to overshadow something that should be celebrated, however if one simply let go of all previous expectations then there is nothing to be disappointed about.

    ¡°I should try to bind it with my blood.¡± He also thought as he withdrew a small dagger from his interspatial ring and pricked his finger.

    Seconds later Zhang drop of blood shot through the air and splashed into the massive silver colored ring that was now levitating over the Azure Tower.

    In an instant, the spot where the blood drop touched the silver ring, began to emote a blood red glow which seen spread to the rest of the ring. The now blood red ring began to shrink and soon was the same size as any other ring.

    The moment the beauties and a few other people made it to the top of the Azure Tower they saw the blood red ring fly toward Zhang and slid onto his finger.

    Unknown to them, once the ring slid onto Zhang¡¯s finger, dozens of images flooded into his mind. These were not memories but rather they were instructions on how to move the Sky Fortress and information about all of its secrets.

    There was even a map of the entire fortress also included in one of the dozen or so images that appeared in Zhang¡¯s mind. It turns out that the part of the Azure Tower that was visible above ground was not all.

    ¡°So the tower extends underground and branches off like a tree.¡± Zhang mumbled with intrigue once he memorized the map of the entire Sky Fortress.

    With a single thought, Zhang made the fortress levitate even higher into the air as he tried to figure out the extent of his control over the fortress.

    ¡°Alright how do I land this thing¡­¡± Zhang thought after manically laughing for a few moments.

    Soon enough the Sky Fortress landed back in the huge crater that it had left when it rose to the sky, and only the cracks on the ground remained as proof that the fortress had moved.

    ¡°Let me try!¡± Ai yelled with sparkling eyes as she saw how Zhang was manipulating the Sky Fortress.

    ¡°Maybe tomorrow after all of our soldiers are on board.¡± Zhang said with a laugh as he walked over to where the beauties were.

    ¡°With a fortress that can fly into the sky, we can rain down poison from above and send all of those who stand in our way to the underworld.¡± Lingqi said with maddened eyes.

    ¡°Calm down! Lingqi!¡± Yuying said as she shook Lingqi a bit as Lingqi¡¯s mind drifted to a bad place.

    ¡°Or we can fly across the land, raining down medicine and curing all those in need.¡± Lingqi said with a sigh.

    Due to dealing with both poison and medicine, it is simple to say that Lingqi tended to be torn between two worlds.

    Although the excitement that the Sky Fortress gave to everyone would not fade anytime soon, after meeting with Lord Tian Lan again to discuss what had occurred, Zhang and the beauties were once again led to their room to rest after a long eventful day.

    Since the ring had already been bounded by Zhang¡¯s blood and there was no way anyone present in the fortress could take it from him, Lord Tian Lan did not develop any insidious ideas.

    If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    Even if Lord Tian Lan had developed ill intentions and wished to steal the Sky Fortress, while possessing enough power it to overpower Zhang, he still wouldn''t be able to take the fortress away from Zhang.

    This was because the entire Sky Fortress was under Zhang¡¯s control, and it was obvious that a fortress that was the size of a mountain and could magically fly would of course have hidden defense mechanisms.

    ¡°To think that there would be a Sky Fortress in the warring states region.¡± Yuying said as she laid beside Zhang and the other beauties atop a large bed prepared for them.

    ¡°So this isn''t the only one?¡± Ling asked, somewhat intrigued.

    ¡°Of course, the world is vast and there are plenty of things out there. Although this Sky Fortress may seem mystical and awe-inspiring to some, to others it may appear simple and boring.¡± Yuying said.

    ¡°Although I have to admit I have only seen a small number of these things in the Underworld and none of them could be compared to this one, I''m sure that in the world of the living where they would be more practical, there are bound to be ones that we couldn''t even compare this one to. If not within the Wulin continent, then perhaps elsewhere.¡± She also said.

    ¡°Also since essence cores are more abundant in the world of the living, more sky forts could be built.¡± Yuying added.

    ¡°Essence cores?¡± Ai asked.

    ¡°Essence cores are basically essence stones, however, they are thousands of times larger and over time have developed the ability to produce essence and replenish themselves.¡± Yuying explained.

    ¡°If not for essence cores and the various inscriptions inscribed in the tower then the amount of essence m needed to make this entire mountain fly would be way out of our league. Then there''s powering the water in the underground water springs that are also probably generated thanks to the essence cores.¡±

    Since the Underworld under the complete control of the Yama and did not have any large bodies of water, there was plenty of land and no real need for Sky Fortresses.

    On the other hand, the world of the living was mostly covered in water and littered with countless opposing forces so a Sky Fortress would certainly have more uses.

    After some more talking and some quality time within the bedchamber, Zhang and the beauties went to sleep so they could wake up early in the morning to relocate their soldiers.

    With the Sky Fortress within their control, the need to travel by foot was thus eliminated and their armies would be able to travel many times faster.

    Thus the following day, hundreds of thousands of soldiers were picked up by the Sky Fortress. Using magically powered platforms that descended down from the Sky Fortress all of Zhang¡¯s soldiers were lifted into dozens of hangers.

    These hangers lined the bottom area of the Sky Fortress that had been hidden deep beneath the earth''s surface.

    Although the fact that the mountain that the Azure Tower was built on was a part of the Sky Fortress meant that all of the work Zhang¡¯s men placed into constructing the five forts were in vain, there was not a hint of complaint as everyone made their way on board.

    Once the Sky Fortress was activated a second time by Zhang, ten smaller azure colored towers rose upward from the ground while five towers pierced out from the underside of the fortress.

    Simply said the Sky Fortress resembled a massive island covered with stone buildings that levitated in the air with eleven dazzling azure colored towers in a circular formation rising toward the sky while five inverted towers gazed down at the ground.

    Of course depending on Zhang¡¯s will, the architecture of the Sky Fortress can be rearranged.

    ¡°Have our ballistae units¡¯ position at the hangers.¡± Zhang said as he told one of his soldiers to relay his commands. With the ballistae currently being the strongest weapons available to Zhang¡¯s army, if they are positioned in the Sky Fortress¡¯s hanger along with thousands of archers, then Zhang¡¯s forces could rain down death from above onto their enemies.

    ¡°Now should we continue south or head northward to help out allies?¡± Ling asked her husband since their army is now extremely mobile so turning back and helping ally forces was now possible.

    ¡°We should continue south, if we manage to occupy the provinces at the southern tip then we can sandwich the other provinces from two sides.¡± Zhang replied to Ling.

    With a goal in mind and their soldiers all aboard the Sky Fortress, Zhang began to navigate southward once more, at faster speeds than before.

    ==================================

    As the Sky Fortress flew for two days and two nights it exited the borders of the Azure Rain Province and entered into the Twisted Bog Province.

    What would have normally taken months If Zhang¡¯s forces had traveled by foot due to being forced to cross through a vast swamp filled with obstacles only took two days thanks to the Sky Fortress.

    Normally crossing through swamps would have caused an army the size of Zhang¡¯s to suffer countless casualties. But thankfully they were blessed with the gift of air travel and did not have to overcome the swamp full of dangers that had awaited them.

    As the Sky Fortress flew through the Twisted Bog Province, countless black flags with the image of a golden dragon fluttered in the wind.

    Ignoring the various villages and cities to save the strength of his soldiers, Zhang had the Sky Fortress head directly toward Twisted Bog City.

    Since the Sky Fortress was traveling through the sky, no messengers who traveled by foot were able to reach Twisted Bog City before Zhang arrived. That is to say that they saw the Sky Fortress at all, if the sky was covered by clouds then there was no way for those on the ground to even spot the Sky Fortress due to how high it flew above the ground.

    ¡°We have arrived at our destination! All forces prepare to attack or disembark!¡± Zhang¡¯s voice echoed throughout the Sky Fortress it began to descend upon Twisted Bog City.

    ¡°Citizens of Twisted Bog City, in the name of his highness, Prince Zhou Zhang, surrender or prepare for battle.¡± A voice sounded out from the sky and echoed down throughout the city below.

    As the fortress came into view the soldiers of Twisted Bog City scrambled to assemble while the civilians fell into panic. There were even some who fell to their knees and began to kowtow as they thought the heavens were punishing them.

    Since walls were no longer an issue and a siege was not needed, with the number of soldiers at Zhang¡¯s command it was only a matter of time before the city fell.

    Without the need to use their ballistae or arrows, Zhang¡¯s soldiers were lowered directly into the provincial lord¡¯s mansion where they were able to quickly overwhelm the defending soldiers and capture the province''s lord.

 Chapter 160: The Skies

    Make sure to take part in the survey o_o you don''t have to make an account to vote o_o if anything just commenting on the other post is fine too.

    =============================================================================================

    As Zhang¡¯s soldiers disembarked from the Sky Fortress, hundreds of Wraith Spiders began to lower themselves down also. Much to the disbelief of the city¡¯s defenders, the city walls, and provincial lord¡¯s mansion were quickly occupied before a proper defense could even be established.

    By the time Zhang and the beauties landed on the ground, the province¡¯s lord was bound in chains and the provincial lord¡¯s mansion was completely captured. In fact, most of the city had already been captured also and only small pockets of resistance remained.

    ¡°Damn thieves!¡± The lord of the Twisted Bog Province said as he spat toward the ground in front of where Zhang and the beauties stood.

    ¡°Insolence!¡± One of Zhang¡¯s soldiers said as the back of his hand smashed into the face of the province¡¯s lord.

    ¡°Stand down.¡± Zhang said toward the soldier.

    ¡°Yes my lord.¡± The soldier said as he stepped back to allow Zhang to speak.

    ¡°Lord Chu Zhihao, I presume.¡± Zhang said as he recalled the names of the dozens of provincial lords in the Southern Region.

    ¡°Do what you wish to me, I have no need for small talk.¡± Lord Chu Zhihao said spitefully.

    ¡°Cut their ropes.¡± Zhang said with a smile disregarding the way Lord Chi Zhihao was acting.

    ¡°Alright I¡¯ll skip the small talk and get straight to the point, for the most part, the occupation of the city had mostly been bloodless and since I would like to avoid killing people unless necessary, so how about pledging your allegiance and then ordering the rest of the province to stand down.¡± Zhang said as he squatted down toward so he was at eye-level with Lord Chi Zhihao.

    ¡°Over my dead body!¡± Chi Zhihao roared as he lunged toward Zhang. However, in an instant, he was restrained by two soldiers clad in black armor.

    ¡°Detain him and have his second in command brought here¡­¡± Zhang said with a sigh.

    ¡°Sometimes there are people who just can¡¯t be convinced or bribed¡­¡± Zhang thought as his soldiers took Chi Zhihao to a platform that would take them up to the Sky Fortress.

    ¡°What about them? My lord.¡± One of Zhang¡¯s soldiers asked as he pointed toward Chi Zhihao¡¯s family members.

    ¡°Take them up and give them some lodgings¡­ They will be allowed to leave once the province is under our complete control.¡± Zhang said.

    Since convincing Chi Zhihao to surrender didn¡¯t seem to be an option, Zhang decided to move on to his second in command. If that did not work then he could move onto the third in command and so on. Once a fairly influential person within the province joined Zhang then establishing control of the rest of the province would be easy.

    After establishing control and restructuring the province by replacing key officials with people who are loyal to him, Zhang would allow the provincial lord and his family to be set free, with a sum of money so they could live the rest of their lives worry free. By then even if they wanted to oppose him they would be powerless to do so. Then again Yuying could fiddle with their minds a bit, but Zhang decided only to do that under extreme circumstances.

    Before long the man deemed to be the Twisted Bog Province¡¯s second in command was brought in front of Zhang.

    Unlike his master, the provincial lord¡¯s second in command was fairly easy to persuade and readily joined Zhang in exchange for becoming the province¡¯s new lord.

    Soon enough, dozens of messengers departed from the city and told the various city lords and government officials that the province was now under the rule of Aurora.

    Since time was of the essence, after Yuying did some mind probing and after fifty thousand soldiers were stationed within the city, the Sky Fortress flew onward to its next target.

    Flying day and night, the fortress soon reached its next target after only roughly five days of travel. Much like what happened in the Twisted Bog Province, Zhang¡¯s soldiers descended from the skies and quickly took control of the city in a but a few hours.

    This time, however, the lord of the province willingly surrendered in the hopes of retaining his position as a provincial lord. After using the Sky Fortress to capture another province, Zhang decided, this time, his forces would maintain their position and let news of what had happened spread to other cities before moving forward.

    Although this may become a doubled edged sword, in the long run, Zhang decided that it would serve to hasten the conclusion of the war. Once the other provinces learn of the Sky Fortress, they would either surrender knowing there was no chance of countering the forces or Aurora or make preparations to attempt to attack the fortress.

    ¡°My lord, what if information about this fortress reaches the ears of one of the large kingdoms or worst yet one of the two empires. If they send level ten mages or saints, then our soldiers would be slaughtered and we would have no way to stop them from taking the fortress.¡± Guan Yu said to Zhang when he decided to halt their advance.

    ¡°If it¡¯s only a saint or two, with my current level of cultivation coupled with the defenses of the fortress, I¡¯m confident we can hold them off.¡± Zhang said as he recalled the various defensive spell formations and inscriptions that the fortress had.

    ¡°If needed, I can ask father to loan us a few helpers.¡± Yuying said as she traced the jade pendant that hung from her waist. This, of course, was the pendant given to her on her wedding day and had the power to activate the Samsara Gate which would allow people to travel to and from the Underworld.

    Of course under normal circumstances, she would never think of using it to ask her father for help nor would he lend her any if dire situations came up then the Yama would be forced to act to save his beloved daughter.

    So without much fear of having the fortress stolen from them by stronger cultivators, after roughly two weeks Zhang was one the move once again.

    Soon after whenever he arrived at the capital of a province and whenever the people within the capital of a province saw Zhang approaching, countless white flags would be raised into the sky.

    ¡°When one domino falls many others fall with it.¡± Ling would occasionally say as the number of cities and provinces that surrendered to them increased.

    Of course, there were provinces that chose to try to resist and had catapults and ballistae bolts fired toward the Sky Fortress, however, their weapons either failed to reach or were not strong enough to leave even a scratch on one of the five towers that stuck out at the bottom of the fortress.

    For the most part, the conquest of the Southern Region was no longer a daunting task, rather it became a fairly easy objective as Zhang¡¯s island in the sky flew through the region pretty much unhindered.

    Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!

    This was until they found themselves in a particular province referred to as the Golden Peak Province. This province was made up entirely of mountains and possessed very little flat land, with its cities being built on the side of mountains or within cast caverns that opened up on the face of steep cliffs.

    Although the geographic positions of this province¡¯s cities would prove to be an issue for Zhang, there was even a bigger problem at hand. The Golden Peak Army, although small when compared to the armies of the other provinces, possessed a very unique army amidst their ranks.

    This army comprised of no more than one hundred and fifty thousand men but possessed more than enough power to perhaps defeat every other army in the Warring States Region combined. With that being said if one were to add up all of the armies within the Warring States Region then there would be well over a few million soldiers.

    However contrary to what one may think when imagining an army that could defeat all of the other armies in the Warring States Region combined, the Golden Wing Army did not possess any soldiers over the seventh rank of cultivatio and their general was only a middle-aged man who had barely reached the eighth rank.

    But they did possess something that no other province did, an army of flying demonic beasts. Everyone within the Golden Wing Army was paired with a level seven demonic beasts called Golden Winged Eagles, hence the name of their army and partially the name of the province itself. These eagles were as large as horses and possessed razor sharp talons that could rip through steel like it was tofu.

    With large high level flying demonic beasts on their side, the Golden Wing Army could easily wipe out any landlocked army or naval fleet within the Warring States Region who opposed them, however even with such enough power to sweep across the land, the lords of the Golden Peak Province have never set foot out of their lands nor have they entered into direct conflict with any other province.

    Of course, information about the Golden Wing Army was only known by a few southern provinces that bordered the Golden Peak Province and had basically become like a myth everywhere else, it was not until the Sky Fortress was surrounded did Zhang know of this impressive army.

    ¡°Brother! Brother! I want one of those! I want to fly onto of one too!¡± Ai yelled in an excited tone as she spotted the thousands of Golden Winged Eagles that were currently flying toward the Sky Fortress.

    Just like Ai, Zhang¡¯s eyes also glittered as he caught sight of the eagles.

    ¡°If they joined me then not only will I have an aerial fortress; I¡¯ll even have an aerial army!¡± Zhang thought excitedly.

    With the fortress alone he wasn¡¯t confident in being able to deal the kingdoms that bordered the Warring States Region. As Zhang saw things, although it did not take much time at all to lower his soldiers down to the ground using the dozens of platforms apart of the fortress, if he met with a highly organized army the size that some kingdoms possessed, his men would be easily outnumbered and subdued when the platform landed.

    But if he had an army like the Golden Wing Army, then Zhang would be able to cover his soldiers being unloaded from the platforms of the Sky Fortress. Such an army would also only serve to add to his army¡¯s overall military might.

    ¡°You two can spend as much time as you like taming flying demonic beasts after we repel them.¡± Lingqi laughed as she saw how much Zhang and Ai currently resembled two children who just caught sight of a shiny new toy.

    ¡°Ri-right.¡± Zhang laughed as he scratched the back of his head.

    ¡°All archers and ballistae units prepare to fire! All civilians fall back to the underground sanctuary. We are under attack; I repeat we are under attack.¡± Zhang said as his voice projected throughout the fortress thanks to the magical voice amplifiers installed everywhere.

    Once orders were given, Zhang walked out from the room he was in and jumped off one of the four balconies that circled the top most floor of the Azure Tower. After jumping off the balcony Zhang landed on top of a flying platform that began to lift him upward toward the roof of the tower, but not before Ling also jumped off the balcony and landed beside him.

    At the very tip of the Azure Tower was a massive diamond shaped crystal that glistened under the sun¡¯s rays, this, of course, was one of the Sky Fortress¡¯s essence cores.

    ¡°Just put your hand on it and draw on its power, I¡¯ve already binded a drop of your blood to it so that the core¡¯s defensive mechanisms won¡¯t activate on you.¡± Zhang said toward Ling as they both sped toward the essence core.

    Unlike the Underworld Heart which can draw an unlimited supply of essence from the area around it but was limited to its user¡¯s storage capacity, the essence core created its own essence at a fairly quick rate and possessed massive storage capacity. The only downsides it possessed is that it had a limit to how much essence it could store, which could not be expanded like a human¡¯s or was not infinite like the Dragon Heart Necklace storage capacity and that its rate of essence regeneration isn¡¯t as quick as the rate that the Underworld Heart absorbed essence at. Then there was also the fact regarding its massive size so it can¡¯t be stored on a person¡¯s body.

    So although they could not be compared to the Dragon Heart Necklace in terms of storage capacity nor could it be compared to the Underworld Heart¡¯s essence channeling rate, essence cores are without a doubt very usefully because it contained lesser versions of the two treasure¡¯s abilities but combined into one.

    One may wonder why didn¡¯t Zhang simply funnel essence absorbed from the Underworld Heart into the Dragon Heart Necklace, well actually he did, but he was normally unwilling to tap into the store of essence in the Dragon Heart Necklace and saved it only for life-threatening situations.

    Thus, the essence core served as an alternative for when Zhang wished to use or strengthen his techniques that require more essence than his body could store.

    Placing their hands onto the essence core, Zhang and Ling began unleashing their techniques on the incoming army of demonic birds being ridden by soldiers in golden colored armor.

    Pointing one of his hands outward while keeping the other on the essence core, Zhang began to unleash massive lightning bolts the size of which no one has ever seen before. Ling on the other hand began to draw out moisture from the atmosphere and the surrounding clouds to create a hail of sharp shards of ice.

    In mere moments, dozens of Golden Winged Eagles fell to the sky after being pelted by ice or shocked by lightning. Of course, since the eagles were level seven demonic beasts that were big enough to be ridden by people, they would obviously be fairly resilient and would not die so easily. But they would certainly sustain heavy injuries while their riders who are humans would without a doubt meet their end due to falling to the ground from such heights.

 Chapter 161: Aerial Skirmish

    While Zhang and Ling continued to unleash lightning and ice across the sky, their soldiers released countless arrows and ballistae bolts into the air.

    Sadly, the arrows shot toward the Golden Wind Eagles proved to be rather useless and were simply deflected. This was because the feathers of the Golden Winged Eagles were as hard as iron and thus impervious to regular arrows.

    However, despite not being affected by regular arrows, the massive ballista bolts the size of spears proved to be very effective. But there were simply too many eagles and too few ballistae to do very much damage.

    Since Zhang and Ling could only do so much, the Golden Wing Army soon descended upon the fortress at blinding speeds. With their eyes set on Zhang¡¯s ballistae, only weapons under the disposal of Zhang¡¯s soldiers that could harm them, thousands of Eagles swarmed the Sky Fortresses hangers.

    Alone the Golden Winged Eagles were already monstrous opponents, but since they had mounted riders armed with pikes and bows, their battle potential was much more devastating. Mixed into their ranks were also low-level mages who could unleash a fury of attacks from the sky and fly away unharmed.

    It was obvious that Zhang¡¯s army was currently at an absolute disadvantage and if it were not for Zhang and Ling, they would have little to no means of defeating the Golden Winged Army.

    ¡°Turtle formations and retreat!¡± Some of Zhang¡¯s captains commanded as they tried to fend off the onslaught of razor sharp talons and a vast array of attacks being sent flying toward their men.

    Seeing that they had no part to play in this battle, Zhang¡¯s commanders, ordered for their men to retreat to defendable locations to minimize their casualties.

    Even with the Sky Fortress on their side Zhang¡¯s forces were still at an overwhelming disadvantage so one could only imagine how much more deadly the Golden Wing Army would be when facing a landlocked army on an open plain.

    Seeing his men being picked off one by one by the massive eagles, while still tapping into the essence core Zhang began to activate his Abyssal Cape.

    As the cape that appeared to be a doorway into an endless abyss fluttered in the wind, Zhang¡¯s shadow expanded and began spread from the spot under his feet until it covered the majority of the land on the upper side of the fortress.

    Once the fortress was cloaked in shadows, thousands upon thousands of terrifying screech rang into everyone¡¯s ears. Soon enough countless black colored eagles and winged snakes rose out from the shadows and up into the skies.

    Much to the horror of the Golden Winged Army, an army of Abyssal Eagles practically identical to the Golden Wing Eagled and massive winged snakes appeared out of nowhere, ascended into the sky and charged straight toward them.

    As a clash of talons and claws began in the skies, the soldiers of the Golden Winged Army unlike their companions, began to panic. Since this could be counted as the first time in its history that the Golden Wing Army had to face an opposing force in the skies.

    ¡°How could there be such a large force of flying demonic beasts besides ours in the Warring States Region!¡± A soldier atop one of the massive eagles said as anxiety filled his mind.

    ¡°Prepare to engage the enemy! It doesn''t matter how they amassed such a number of flying demonic beasts because the skies belong to us! As like as we stay within the area ruled by the sacred bird no one can challenge us!¡± Another soldier of the Golden Wing Army roared as he lifted his spear up into the air. However, moments later this very same soldier found himself in dire straits as three Abyssal Eagles surrounded him.

    Since they were trained to use their aerial advantage and take out opposing enemies who were stuck on foot, the soldiers of the Golden Wing Army were at a loss at what to do when Zhang¡¯s Abyssal Beasts closed in on them.

    But since the Abyssal Beasts did not really possess much intelligence nor durability, they were rather lacking when compared to the Golden Winged Eagles that were bred and trained for war. But what they lacked, the Abyssal Beasts made up for in numbers.

    It was simple to say that for everyone Golden Winged Eagle there were roughly three or four Abyssal Beasts.

    ¡°Sis do you think I can catch one of them?¡± Ai asked as she stood beside Lingqi and Yuying, looking up into the sky.

    ¡°One hundred gold coins says you can¡¯t.¡± Lingqi teased.

    ¡°You don''t know until you try.¡± Yuying laughed as she saw Ai gripping onto her black whip.

    While Ai, Lingqi, and Yuying were watching the battle unfold, Zhang noticed that the soldiers of the Golden Wing Army were quickly forming aerial formations while regaining their composure.

    After the initial clash with the Abyssal Beasts, they began to realize that despite being outnumbered and despite how terrifying the swarm of Abyssal Beasts appeared to be, they weren''t much of a problem.

    That isn''t to say the Golden Wing Army was not suffering any damage at all. Although they did not lose a large portion of their forces, roughly about ten thousand riders were lost while more the six or seven thousand Golden Winged Eagles were shot out of the sky by either Zhang, Ling or one of the many Abyssal Beasts flying around.

    As the battle heated up, the rate at which riders of the Golden Wing Army were falling from the skies began to increase despite the fact that the number of Abyssal Beasts were dwindling. This was because as the Eagles swooped through the sky, they would get shot be sticky blobs of spider webbing, which would tangle their wings and cause the eagles to lost the ability to stay in the air.

    Yuying¡¯s horde of Wraith Spiders could be seen unleashing barrage after barrage of their webbing into the skies, further adding to the casualties of the Golden Wing Army.

    But of course, the arrival of the Wraith Spider did not change much because the sheer difference in numbers between the two groups of demonic beasts. Eventually, some of the Wraith Spider were even attacked by the Eagles that swooped down from above.

    ¡°Shit¡­¡± Yuying cursed as she saw some of her spiders being hooked by the claws of some of the eagles and being lifted into the air.

    However much to her delight, the spiders were able to break free of the eagle¡¯s grasp by injecting them with venom then jumping back onto the Sky Fortress.

    ¡°Guess I¡¯ll have to use some of the fortress¡¯s defensive mechanisms.¡± Zhang thought as he saw the tide of battle go unchanged and continued in the favor of the Golden Wing Army.

    Soon enough the silver ring on his finger began to emit a blood red glow. Moments later the Sky Fortress¡¯s sixteen azure colored towers began to light up and countless runes and inscriptions began to appear on their exterior.

    Sensing something was wrong, the Golden-Winged Eagles screeched and flew upward into the air to create distance between themselves and the Sky Fortress. Much to the distress of the soldiers riding atop these massive birds of prey a terrifying aura fluctuated in the air as the fifteen midsized essence cores positioned at the tower of the small azure colored towers began to resonate and send out beams of pure essence toward each other and the fortress¡¯s main essence core where Zhang and Ling were standing.

    If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    With quick movements Zhang hooked his arm around Ling¡¯s waist and hoisted her over his shoulder as he made his way off the roof of the main tower just before the rays of essence from the ten mini towers on the upper half of the fortress connected with the main essence core while the small azure towers at the underside of the fortress connected with each other.

    Before long the rays of essence that were being shot out from the towers began to split apart and form a net around the entire sky fortress. This, of course, was not before a pitch black whip lashed out into the sky and wrapped the leg of one of the eagles, dragging it and its rider toward the Sky Fortress.

    Looking toward the fortress Ai could be seen with her whip in hand, reeling in her catch with twinkling eyes.

    Just as the eagle caught by Ai crashed into the ground, as the entire fortress was encased in a massive sphere made of essence. Once the sphere was formed none of the Golden Winged Eagles nor their riders dared to move in.

    The essence given off by the sphere alone made the hairs on everyone''s body stand and their senses to scream. Radiating pure essence, it was without a doubt that anything that touched that sphere would be either repelled or burnt to ashes depending on its characteristics and of course no one was willing to find out nor could they because the skies were still filled with Abyssal Beasts although their numbers had greatly dwindled compared to before.

    So with the sphere constructed of essence up, Zhang began to move the Sky Fortress. Since the force field could not be kept active for a long time he decided his best course of action would to temporarily retreat.

    ¡°I''ll be back with countermeasures.¡± Zhang mumbled as the fortress moved through the sky.

    Since their objective was to conquer the Southern Region, allowing such a powerful force to remain wouldn''t be a wise thing to do at all.

    As the massive Sky Fortress retreated, the Golden-Winged Army followed closely behind until the fortress flew over a range of mountains that marked the border of the Golden Peak Province.

    ¡°My lord, a total of twenty thousand of our men are unaccounted for while another five thousand are under medical care.¡± Guan Yu reported to Zhang as they departed from the Golden Peak Province.

    ¡°Tsk¡­ To think the confrontation only lasted no more than two hours¡­¡± Zhang clicked his tongue once he found how many soldiers he lost.

    ¡°Also a total of six hundred enemy demonic beasts and five hundred eighty enemy riders have been captured upon crash landing into the fortress or by the princess''s spiders. My men also report that although the Golden Winged Eagles acted fairly calm when placed in captivity, they have begun to act strangely after we departed from the Golden Peak Province.¡± Guan Yu also said.

    ¡°I guess they didn''t get off without suffering any damage either.¡± Zhang said. If one actually thought about it, the Golden-Winged Army had suffered a greater loss than Zhang¡¯s army.

    Normal soldiers and elite soldiers could be easily replaced whereas tamed demonic beasts trained for battle was not. Especially since the Golden Winged Eagles were fairly high-level demonic beasts.

    ¡°Brother! Look!¡± Ai¡¯s voice could be heard coming from outside as it echoed up to the highest floor of the Azure Tower, where Zhang was.

    Walking out onto a balcony and looking downward, Zhang could see Ai, Lingqi, and Yuying standing on a platform that was lifting them up toward where he and Ling were.

    In Ai¡¯s hand was her signature black whip and surprisingly it was still attached to the Golden Winged Eagle that she had caught earlier. The poor bird was helplessly flapping its wings and trying to escape but to no avail due to Ai¡¯s monstrous strength. Its rider was also nowhere to be seen either.

    Zhang couldn''t help but laugh at the sight of the massive eagle trying to flee away from Ai, since if she was compared to the eagle in terms of size, it would be easily twice if not three times her size.

    Once the platform Ai, Lingqi, and Yuying were on arrived at the balcony where Zhang and Ling were, Little White who had not taken part in the battle due to its inability to fly, licked its lips as it spotted the Golden Wing Eagle.

    ¡°Brother look at what I caught!¡± Ai said happily as she jumped off the platform and onto the balcony. Perhaps it was due to jumping onto the balcony or perhaps it was because an act of heaven, Ai lost grip of her whip and the eagle on the other end of the line spun in the air and broke loose.

    Immediately realizing her blunder, Ai¡¯s face sank and a frown appeared on it. However, the eagle did not get very far because from within Ling¡¯s embrace, Little White shot forward and changed into its maximize size.

    An instant later Little White¡¯s claws sank into the Golden Winged Eagle¡¯s wing and sending them both plummeting toward the ground.

    ¡°It''s okay were able to catch a few hundred of them.¡± Zhang said with a laugh as he patted Ai on the shoulder.

    After Ai¡¯s moon took another one hundred and eighty-degree spin back to a cheerful one, Zhang and his wives headed toward where all of the capture Golden Winged Eagles and captured enemy riders were being held.

    Walking to the base of the main Azure Tower, Zhang activated a hidden mechanism in the floor that caused a section of it to begin to lower into the ground. Moments later Zhang, the beauties, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei and a few of their guards descended into the depths of the Sky Fortress.

    Deep within the Sky Fortress, where the sun doesn''t shine were hundreds of cells filled with men and beasts.

    For the most part, all of the soldiers captured were heavily injured while the eagles were all tangled in spider webbing or had broken wings. However, there was something very peculiar about all of Zhang¡¯s captives, regardless of man or beast they all gazed or faced the direction where the Golden Peak Province was.

    Although the eagles simply looked toward the direction where the Golden Peak Province was, the soldiers were also chanting something in a low inaudible tone. These soldiers were so lost within their chanting that they did not even notice Zhang, the beauties and their entourage passing by.

    ¡°By the will of the divine ruler of all that reside in the south, the chosen who guard the sacred land that rises above the sea will be blessed upon the lord¡¯s rebirth.¡± Zhang heard as the soldiers chanting thanks to his heightened sense of hearing.

 Chapter 162: Power

    Bit of a transition chapter

    =====================================================================

    Interesting!¡± Yuying said as she withdrew her hand from the forehead of one of the captured Golden Wing Army soldiers.

    ¡°Sis, what is so interesting?¡± Ai asked with a curious expression on her face.

    ¡°The chant that all of these men have been endlessly repeating seem to be some sort of mind fortifying incantation. Which means if I try to forcefully read their minds it would shatter and not only would they go insane, we wouldn''t be able to extract any information either.¡± Yuying explained.

    ¡°If only my cultivation is at the level that it was at before¡­¡± She said with a sigh.

    In almost an instant later, Yuying had a sudden spark of inspiration and walked out of the cell that the soldiers were then headed toward a cage were one of the Golden Winged Eagles were being held.

    Since this particular eagle was wrapped in spider webbing and couldn¡¯t even move an inch of its body, Yuying quickly moved in and placed her hand on its forehead. In no time at all countless runes began to appear on the eagle¡¯s body.

    Minutes later after extracting the information she needed from the eagle, Yuying withdrew her hand and a slight smile appeared on her face.

    ¡°Sis, did you find anything?¡± Ai asked, with a curious expression still on her face.

    ¡°Unlike the minds of the soldiers, the minds of this bird wasn''t able to repel me.¡± Yuying said with a grin as she began to share the information she had extracted with the others.

    ¡°Although I couldn''t father much, there was one set of memories that seemed very important to the eagle. A depiction carved within a massive altar room.¡± She also said.

    Thus, Yuying began to interpret the carving that was in the eagle¡¯s memories.

    From what she could gather, many hundreds of years ago when the first groups of settlers were still exploring what would today be called the Southern Region, long after the fall of the Sai Empire, one of these many groups stumbled upon a massive cavern filled with gold and jewels. Mixed in with the sea treasure was also an unusual egg that appeared to be made solid gold covered in strange black colored symbols placed high up on a golden altar.

    Much to the horror of the settlers, before they even tried to transport their newly found riches terrifying screeches echoed into the cavern causing them to quake in their boots. When it came time to investigate what was happening outside of the cavern, the settlers found that the skies were pitch black and filled with hundreds of thousands of birds.

    Seeing the sheer number of predatory birds in the sky, the settlers knew there was no way for them to transport the entire hoard of treasure so it was decided that each of them would be allowed one sack of treasure. While most of the settlers stuffed as much gold as they could into their sack, there was one who had his eyes on the golden egg.

    Scrambling across a sea of gold and jewels the young man made his way toward the golden egg. The moment he made it to the top of the altar and touched the golden egg, the young man¡¯s mind was flooded with dozen images and a message.

    ¡°By the will of the divine ruler of all that reside in the south, the chosen who guard the sacred land that rises above the sea will be blessed upon the lord¡¯s rebirth.¡±

    The young man was also gifted with a mark of fire on his hand from where he touched the egg. From the images that flooded into his mind, the young man knew that the mark of fire would allow him to work alongside the guardians of the mountain, the golden-winged eagles. He also knew that he and his descendants were destined to watch over and nourish the egg until the day it hatched. Thus marked the beginning of the Golden Peak Province.

    ¡°An egg that is guarded by an entire province and an army of demonic beasts.¡± Zhang said as his eyes glinted.

    ¡°No wonder despite having such terrifying military capabilities, the lords of the Golden Peak Province never leave their borders.¡± Ling said.

    ¡°Although we know why they won¡¯t leave the province, we still don¡¯t know of a way to beat them.¡± Lingqi said, snapping everyone back into reality.

    ¡°My lord, if we were somehow able to destroy that golden egg then wouldn¡¯t the eagles stop working with the soldiers of the Golden Wing Army? Since they would no longer have a common objective to defend.¡± Guan Yu suggested.

    ¡°Or better yet if we steal the egg then maybe we can gain control over those birds.¡± Zhang Fei added.

    ¡°I forgot to mention but from what I could make out of the eagle¡¯s memories, I think there is a saint level expert who resides in the Golden Peak Province.¡± Yuying said.

    ¡°Saint!?¡± Guan Yu and Zhang Fei both said asked in unison.

    ¡°There shouldn¡¯t be any saints here in the Warring States Region¡­¡± Guan Yu said.

    ¡°If there is a saint then we must strengthen our forces so we can deal with them since the fortress is only able to defend us from saints and does not possess enough power to defeats saints with the size of its current essence core.¡± Zhang said.

    ¡°Follow me.¡± Zhang said softly as he headed back toward the platform that took them to the lower levels of the fortress.

    ¡°I was going to have us do this after we finished the invasion but since we are fairly ahead of the other armies of Aurora and are in need of power we might as well do it now.¡± He said as everyone followed him onto the platform.

    ¡°Brother, what are we doing?¡± Ai asked curiously.

    ¡°I¡¯ll show you in a bit.¡± Zhang replied with a grin.

    Soon after the platform brought them back to the base level of the Azure Tower and after they arrived in a room with a large table in the center, with a wave of his hand Zhang laid out a map weaved out of golden silk.

    This was the map that had the ability to sense the Dragon¡¯s Vein that appeared on the earth¡¯s surface.

    ¡°Now that we have a fast mode of transportation, we can arrive at these veins before they disperse.¡± Zhang said with a smile as the map displayed a few active veins.

    With the sky fortress at their control, Zhang and the beauties could do something that perhaps no one has been able to do before and absorb the essence of multiple pockets of the dragon¡¯s vein.

    Soon after Zhang had a look at the golden map the sky fortress changed its course and headed toward the nearest active dragon¡¯s vein. Which only took but a day¡¯s travel by air to reach.

    Much like the first active dragon¡¯s vein, the one that Zhang and the beauties arrived at this time was also located on the face of a steep cliff and also had hundreds of essence stones to be harvested. But sadly unlike the previous trip, this time only Ai experienced a break through in her cultivation.

    If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.

    So after two days of absorbing the dragon¡¯s vein, Zhang, and the beauties disembarked on the Sky Fortress once more toward another location on the golden map, then, of course, another and another.

    It was not until locating and absorbing a total of seven pockets of essence from the dragon¡¯s vein did Zhang and the beauties reach the ninth level of cultivation where they all felt an unworldly change occur within their bodies. The essence stored within their bodies began to crystallize and condense into something that resembled an essence stone. Perhaps there had already been crystallized essence within their bodies, however, it was only after reaching the ninth level of cultivation did they since it.

    Despite having been at different levels before due to the amount of essence needed to break into the tenth level Lingqi and Ai were able to catch up to Zhang, Yuying, and Ling.

    But of course just because they broke through to the ninth level of cultivation it did not mean that Zhang and the beauties would cease looking for more dragon¡¯s veins to absorb.

    Realizing that the higher level cultivators they had on their side the easier it would be for them to overcome their enemies, Zhang eventually allowed Little White, Silky and their horde of Wraith Spiders to also have an opportunity to absorb essence from the dragon¡¯s vein. Soon enough Zhang¡¯s generals and the elite guard were also included.

    But since they were still pressed on time and it was impractical to have hundreds of thousands of people absorbing a single vein at a time, Zhang¡¯s normal soldiers were not permitted to take part. That is not to say that they will not be given opportunities to do so in the future.

    So as the days turned into weeks, and as a few dragon¡¯s veins turned into a couple dozen, Zhang and the beauties managed to reach the tenth level of cultivation while Little White and Silky reached the nine. Zhang¡¯s generals, many of the elite guard and all of the Wraith Spiders were all at the seventh and eighth level.

    Once they reached the tenth level of cultivation, Zhang, and his wives began to undergo yet another change. The crystallized piece of essence within their bodies were steadily growing larger and larger.

    Although Zhang already had the ability to sense things in the area around him, upon reaching the tenth level he found that the area in which he could sense doubled, allowing him to scan an area with the radius of a few miles away from him. The beauties also developed the ability to sense their surroundings but not to the degree that could be compared to Zhang¡¯s.

    ¡°This is usually referred to as divine sense.¡± Yuying explained.

    Sadly, before they could step into sainthood, the golden map stopped picking up dragon¡¯s veins.  Perhaps it was because they had been abusing the map¡¯s ability a tad too much or perhaps it¡¯s because there were no more veins within the area that could currently be picked up by the map, but Zhang and the beauties had exhausted all of the cultivable veins in the area.

    So without any more veins to absorb, they began to cultivate using the massive amount of essence stones that they had managed to collect. But alas even after using up all of their essence stones, none of them were able to break through into saints.

    ¡°As we are now we won¡¯t be able to last even a second in front of that saint that resides in the Golden Peak Province¡­¡± Zhang said with a sigh.

    Although Zhang did not really have to deal with the Golden Peak Province since they are dead set on guarding the golden egg and probably will not interfere in the war nor leave their borders, he felt that if he left them alone and allowed them more time they would become a bigger issue to deal with later.

    ¡°I guess I¡¯ll have to use it¡­¡± Zhang thought as he proceeded to head for his private chambers and bolt the door after giving out orders for no one to disturb him for the next few days.

    ¡°It''s better for one of us to break through then none of us.¡± He said as he took off the Dragon Heart Necklace that had hung from his neck. With a single thought, Zhang unleashed the massive store of essence that he had been painstakingly collecting for a long time.

    As a mass of essence that was comprised out of thousands if not tens of thousands of souls swirled around Zhang, he slowly began to cultivate. While his mind purely focused on absorbing and refining this mass of essence Zhang slowly began to lose track of time as minutes turned into hours and hours turned into days.

    Unlike the natural essence given off by the Dragon¡¯s Veins, the essence within Zhang¡¯s necklace mainly comprised of the essence gathered from the souls of those burned by the black dragon¡¯s flame or that of those who died in battle. This meant that it would take much longer to refine into one¡¯s body.

    It only after ten days did Zhang manage to absorb all of the that he had stored away in the Dragon Heart Necklace.

    As Zhang took in the last bits of essence floating in the air something strange began to occur. Outside of the Sky Fortress, a sea of black clouds had formed and thunder crackled down from above. At the same time, Zhang¡¯s body began to undergo a miraculous change.

    Zhang felt the crystalized essence that had formed in his body break apart and disperse throughout his body causing him unbelievable pain. It was as if his entire body was breaking down and being rebuilt at the same time.

    Once a few hours passed a ray of light pierced through the sea of black clouds outside and magically pierced through the walls of the Azure Tower and shone directly on Zhang. It was as if the heavens itself was bestowing Zhang with power.

    Sensing an undescribed energy filling the room, Zhang tried to absorb as much as he could as he remembered Yuying¡¯s words.

    ¡°When you''re undergoing your breakthrough to sainthood and when the heavenly light descends be sure to absorb as much of the heavenly energy as you can. The more you manage to absorb the stronger you¡¯ll be when compared to other saints. Since the heavenly energy will meld with your body and further enhance your ability to connect to the great flow of essence.¡± Yuying¡¯s words repeated in Zhang¡¯s mind.

    Unlike regular cultivators, saints no longer stored essence within their bodies and solely relied on essence in the air and apart of nature. So the more heavenly energy one managed to absorb and the more connected one is connected to the great flow of essence, the stronger one will be as a saint.

    ¡°No wonder! No wonder the difference between a saint and a level ten practitioner is so large.¡± Zhang laughed as he felt his body rebuilding itself and connecting with the great flow as he took in as much heavenly energy as he could.

 Chapter 163: Saints

    While Zhang busily absorbed in as much heavenly energy as he could, a wave of disturbance had actually sweeper across an area that took up nearly half of the Wulin Continent.

    Hundreds of people who were scattered throughout the land in all sorts of places looked in the direction where Zhang currently was.

    Some of them were meditating deep in the wilderness, others were sitting in the middle of luxurious looking courtyards, a few were in the middle of conversing with their peers, and a few were even begging for money at the corner of a busy street, but they all stopped what they were doing as smile crept onto their faces.

    ¡°Someone is ascending!¡± Many of these people said as they jump off the ground and sped through the sky.

    As these individuals sped through the sky, a few of them had their smiles replaced by frowns as they ran into each other while others formed groups and headed toward the Warring States Region.

    ¡°Fuck off old man Liu! You''re not going to stop me from taking that heavenly energy!¡± An individual who looked like a child cursed as an elderly looking man dressed in rags.

    ¡°If you want heavenly energy why don''t you try taking it from me?!¡± The elderly man dressed in rags laughed as he waved his hand and caused a fighting powerful gale of wind blow against the youth.

    ¡°Damn it! Quit getting in my way or else that wretched bird worshipper will get to there first!¡± The youth roared as he was blown away.

    ¡°We¡¯ve all been through the first Ascension and have all been hunted so why must we all hunt others when they are ascending. Rather shouldn''t we work together and reach enlightenment?¡± The elderly man said with a sigh before disappearing behind some clouds.

    ¡°It''s because we were hunted during our ascension that we must hunt down those ascending to steal their heavenly energy before their power stabilizes! The youth yelled in rage.

    ¡°As saints of the Wulin continent, we should help one another not kill other! Our true enemy will come soon enough!¡± The elderly man¡¯s voice could be heard.

    Unlike Zhang who was undergoing his ascension in the Warring States Region which is practically void of saints, most of the other states have all had their ascensions interrupted and some of the heavenly energy that they were gifted by the heavens stolen.

    There were those who lost their lives during and after their ascensions.

    While the saints across the continent that sensed Zhang¡¯s ascension began to gather, one of the only saint level experts located within the Warring States Region sped out from the Golden Peak Province atop a fierce looking black colored hawk.

    ¡°If I offer the heavenly energy to the divine lord then it''ll only serve to hasten his awakening.¡± The man atop the black colored hawk said.

    Elsewhere within the Warring States Region, within a place where people come to pay for entertainment and companionship, a very beautiful young woman looked toward the direction where Zhang was and smiled. This young woman, of course, was none other than the mistress of the Wolfden Brothel, Yue Lang.

    ¡°I hope his ascension goes well.¡± Yue Lang said with a smile.

    Besides the saint who resided within the Golden Peak Province and Yue Lang, there was actually three other people located not too far from the Warring States Region who sensed about Zhang¡¯s ascension.

    Deep within the valley where the members of the Order of the Blue Moon resided, within a large palace a man that could only be described as skin and bones opened his eyes for the fraction of a second before closing his eyes once again. Not too far from the palace within the order of the blue moon¡¯s experiment hall familiar man who was named Meng Liu looked up toward the sky with rage in his eyes.

    ¡°You thieves I''ll get you back for what you stole from me when I open the reaper¡¯s coffin and use those saint level undead to hunt you all down and steal your heavenly energy to finish my ascension¡­¡± Old man Meng Liu said angrily.

    Lastly, there was a strange looking man dressed in blue robes who was walking on the surface of the ocean off the eastern coast of the Warring States Region, but unlike the others, he simply ignored Zhang¡¯s ascension and continued doing what he was doing before.

    Despite so many experts knowing about and heading toward him, Zhang did not have a clue and simply continued absorbing as much heavenly energy as possible.

    But simply because Zhang did not know did not mean that his wives did not. Yuying of all people definitely knew what was to come when someone was undergoing their ascension.

    ¡°Just absorb as much heavenly energy as you can, dear, I''ll make sure to keep those hungry wolves away. These inscriptions should hold out for a few days if no one too strong arrives. Once your heavenly energy stabilizes few will dare to attack us.¡± Yuying said as she drew a few inscriptions onto the ground.

    If someone was looking down from the main Azure Tower they would be able to see a massive ring of inscriptions being laid down by Yuying and the elite guard who she had taken as her apprentices.

    Ever since Zhang began absorbing essence from the Dragon Heart Necklace, Yuying, and her apprentices had been working day and mighty laying down protective inscriptions to ensure that no one would interfere with Zhang¡¯s ascension.

    By allowing Zhang to absorb as much heavenly energy as he could during his ascension, Yuying was also guaranteeing herself and the other beauties the opportunity to absorb as much heavenly energy as they could when they ascend.

    Simply because if Zhang is uninterrupted he would be fairly strong compared to most saints and with Zhang around who would dare to bully his lovely wives.

    As Yuying drew the last few inscriptions into the ground, completing the massive array, all of the inscriptions began to glow.

    In an instant later the entire fortress was enveloped in a bubble much like the protective barrier that Zhang had activated during their confrontation with the Golden Wing Army.

    Drawing essence from the essence cores, Yuying had replicated the Sky Fortress¡¯s protective barrier, since it was impossible to activate the protective barrier without disrupting Zhang.

    ¡°Everyone retreat into the sanctuary! The enemy is here!¡± Yuying¡¯s voice could be heard throughout the fortress as a man stop a black colored hawk came into view.

    ¡°Surrender and I, Niao Feng, will spare your lives!¡± The saint of the Golden Peak Province said.

    ¡°We have nothing for you here, leave!¡± Yuying¡¯s angry voice could be heard.

    ¡°Insolent child, you dare to give me orders when I''m offering you a path to salvation?¡± Niao Feng said angrily as he waved his hand and golden colored flames began to wrap around his body before gathering in his hand and condensing into the shape of a spear.

    ¡°A mere saint who has yet to understand the true path of cultivation thinks he can act haughty in front of me because my cultivation is temporary lacking?¡± Yuying laughed as Niao Fang¡¯s spear of fire shot out from his hand.

    Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

    Much to Niao Feng¡¯s amazement his spear of fire was actually repelled and sent flying back toward him by Yuying¡¯s force field.

    With a yawn, Yuying waved her hand and made a comfy looking chair appear beside her. As if she was attending a theater show, Yuying sat down on her comfy chair and began sipping from a cup of tea.

    Seeing what Yuying was doing only served to envoys Niao Feng¡¯s rage causing thousands of spears of fires to condense in the air and shot forward at the force field.

    ¡°It seems the taught info has paid off. Thank you for helping me power my force field.¡± Yuying laughed as she snapped her fingers and in mere seconds the force field changed from a blueish color to an eerie green color.

    Unlike before when the force field repealed Niao Feng¡¯s spear of fire, it absorbed the spears of fire and then appear more sturdy than before.

    ¡°Damn I need to think of a way to break this force field quickly before those other saints arrive¡­¡± Niao Feng said as he continued.

    Within the Azure Tower, within Zhang¡¯s chest, the Underworld Heart was sending pulses of its energy throughout Zhang¡¯s body aiding him in stabilizing the heavenly energy that he was absorbing. Although Zhang had no knowledge of this, the Underworld Heart had been helping him and the beauties stabilize the foundation of their cultivation every time they underwent a breakthrough.

    ¡°Since Yuying said the more heavenly energy I absorb the better, maybe if I try to store as much as I can away in the Dragon Heart Necklace.¡± Zhang said as he thought about storing away as much heavenly energy as he could while absorbing as much of it as he could.

    However contrary to what Zhang thought the moment he tried to store away heavenly energy into the Dragon Heart Necklace, the necklace began to glow and float into the air. Rather than storing away the heavenly energy the Dragon Heart Necklace began to absorb it, much to Zhang¡¯s amazement.

    ¡°I¡¯ll figure things out later¡­¡± Zhang muttered as he confused on absorbing more heavenly energy before the flow ceased. Soon he lost track of time once more and minutes once more turned into hours.

    Back outside, Yuying¡¯s force field looked many times more intricate than before as intricate patterns began to appear on it. Despite attempting a few dozen times and many hours passing, Niao Feng was still unable to break through Yuying¡¯s barrier.

    ¡°Damn how can such a strange inscription array exist¡­¡± Niao Feng complained as he ran out of ideas on how to bypass the barrier.

    As time ticked away, more saint level experts began to appear. There were actually some who were not saints but were brought along by their saint level masters. The sky was soon filled with saints from all around the continent.

    Along with the saints came countless mysterious looking demonic beasts that are used at mounts and many mystical flying magical contraptions. Although many of these saints arrived atop demonic beasts and flying chariots and carriages, others arrived riding puffy clouds while others say atop small miniature islands.

    While most of them simply stood motionless in the air and kept an eye on the situation and waiting for a moment to act, there were a few unruly characters who could not contain themselves.

    ¡°Anyone who dares stand in my way will be crushed!¡± A bald middle-aged man who was dressed in a monk¡¯s robe roared as a fist constructed of essence was formed and sent flying toward Yuying¡¯s barrier.

    ¡°Stop!¡± Niao Feng yelled, but to no avail as the bald middle aged man¡¯s fist of essence crashed into Yuying¡¯s barrier, adding to its power.

    ¡°Thank you, Mr. Baldie!¡± Yuying¡¯s cheerful voice could be heard causing the many experts there to chuckle at the bald man much to his dislike.

    ¡°If you¡¯re a man then face me instead of hiding behind this barrier!¡± The bald man roar!¡±

    ¡°We''ll actually I''m a woman!¡± Yuying laughed as she puffed her chest causing more laughs to fill the air as the other saints and their disciples couldn¡¯t help but hold back their laughter.

    ¡°Old Seng, have you secluded yourself from the world so long that you''ve forgotten what a woman looks like?¡± A man in long white robes with a dozen or two level ten mages floating behind him in a flying chariot laughed.

    ¡°Fuck off you brat! When I became a saint you were still sucking on your mother''s breasts, you have no right to laugh at me.¡± The bald man roared.

    ¡°It doesn''t matter if you became a saint before me or not l, the only thing that only matters is that I am stronger than you and will reach my second ascension before you.¡± The man in long white robes laugh as the wind around him began to swirl and form into thousands of lances, much like Niao Fang¡¯s spears made of fire.

    With a flick of his hand and without knowing what Yuying¡¯s barrier did, the man in white robes sent thousands of lances made of the wind toward the Sky Fortress.

    ¡°Imbeciles! Your attacks are only serving to strengthen that barrier!¡± Niao Feng yelled as he was at the ends of his wits.

    As the saints began to bicker amongst themselves, Yuying sat back down on her comfy seat and began to drink her tea once again. She even had snacks, atop a small table dozens of different snacks were laid out for her to enjoy.

    Actually, she was not alone because not too long before the saints arrived Ai got rather bored hiding out within the tower so she pulled up a comfy seat beside Yuying. Soon after, Ling and Lingqi joined them also.

    ¡°Sis, how will we get away with all of these people around.¡± Ai asked.

    ¡°Should I begin concocting something?¡± Lingqi asked.

    Ling simply stayed silent and enjoyed nibbling on an almond cookie and drank some tea.

    ¡°Once brother finishes his ascension I have a way for us to get away. But for now let''s enjoy the show.¡± Yuying said with a smile as she looked up at the sky where a few saints were up in each other''s faces and ready to kill one another.

    Ling, Ai and Lingqi watched with intrigue as the saints began to unleash various techniques and attacks at each other. Unlike Yuying, it was the first time these three have ever seen saints and they were ever so intrigued since they hoped to one day be saints also.

    Little White curled up in Ling¡¯s arms as her gentle hand brushed through its cost of silky fur while the sky was filled with a dazzling array of attacks.

    Sword aura¡¯s, dragon''s constructed of the wind, icy thorns, and an endless amount of other types of attacks were put on full display for the beauties to watch.

    ¡°Hmmm, that technique is pretty interesting.¡± Ling said as she began to take notes while watching a few water saints fighting.

    it seemed as if some the saints totally forgot about the reason why they had come to the Warring States Region in the first place as they engaged in battle with one another.

    Of course, there were many who did remember their goal and had their eyes locked onto the sky fortress.

 Chapter 164: Interruption

    ¡°Master why doesn''t anyone intercep the heavenly energy before it reaches the person ascending.¡± A disciple of one of the saints asked as he stood atop a flying demonic beast.

    ¡°Only an inexperienced idiot would attempt that¡­ If you do not siphon the heavenly energy directly from the one ascending or be in extremely close proximity stealing the heavenly energy will invoke the wrath of the heavens, then not only will it cease granting heavenly energy but it''ll also rain down a sea of lightning that can even turn weak saints into ash.¡± A saint dressed in red robes said to his disciple.

    ¡°Just sit still and enjoy the show, for now, only those lesser tier saints and full saints are fighting, none of the high saints will bother to act until at least the ascension has taken placed for an entire day and is about to finish.¡± The saint dressed entirely in red also said.

    ¡°Junior brother just sit tight, if your lucky master may grant you the heavenly energy and allow you to breakthrough and become a half saint. That way even if your ascension is interrupted midway you''ll undoubtedly become a full saint.¡± A young man who appeared to be a saint but also appeared not to be one said with a smile.

    Amongst the thousand or two people present there were actually a number of individuals who were like the young man who appeared to be a saint but was not.

    Within the Azure Tower, the Dragon Heart Necklace had ceased absorbing heavenly energy for some time now however it was still levitating in the air and emitting a strange glow while Zhang was still engrossed in cultivating.

    A steady amount of heavenly energy continued to flow into the room as Zhang continued to take in as much of it as he could. If other people were allowed in the room and began absorbing heavenly energy also then the amount Zhang could take in would be halved, meaning at best he would be able to become a lesser saint. But if there were two more people in the room then at best he could become a half saint. Thankfully when the Dragon Heart Necklace was absorbing the heavenly energy it had only taken a minuscule amount that wouldn¡¯t have too much effect on Zhang overall.

    So as the high saints and their disciples sat patiently and while the rest of the saints bickered with one another outside, the wheels of time continued to spin. Soon enough the first day of Zhang¡¯s ascension ended and the second day began.

    Like the previous day, the lesser saints and full saints continued to battle each other without showing any signs of fatigue. Although the lesser saints were lacking when compared to the full saints, many of them had banded together and engaged in two on one or three on one battles. It actually appeared as if some of these saints had arrived solely to kill their peers instead of to interfere with Zhang¡¯s ascension believe it or not.

    In the wake of their battle, mountains were cut to pieces, forests were burned to ash, clouds were dispersed and the terrain was changed. Luckily the Sky Fortress was hovering above an area within any inhabitants or else the countless lives would have been needlessly lost.

    Once roughly half of the second day of Zhang¡¯s ascension had gone by, a few of the high saints began to move.

    ¡°The ascension should be nearing completion, now is the best time to steal that new fellow¡¯s heavenly energy.¡± A high saint with long flowing white hair and droopy eyebrows said as he waved his hand and a sword appeared in midair.

    ¡°When the ascension is nearing completion is when the most heavenly energy can be extracted from the new saint. Watch closely as these old foxed begin to use their techniques, maybe you¡¯ll be able to learn a thing or two.¡± A beautiful woman who appeared to be in her twenties that was a full saint who had come solely to watch said to her disciple who was a level ten mage.

    ¡°Couldn¡¯t they simply wait until the ascension is finished and then kill that newly ascended saint?¡± The disciple asked with a curious look on his face.

    ¡°If a saint is allowed to finish his or her ascension and give a few days to stabilize their heavenly energy, although you can kill them and attempt to plunder the heavenly energy the amount that can be extracted would only amount to a portion of what you can get while the ascension is taking place. This is because once it is stabilized the heavenly energy melds with the saint¡¯s body allowing him or her to connect directly to the great flow of essence. Also once a saint¡¯s heavenly energy is stabilized and a fight breaks out, there was a chance that new saint would escape. So these old foxes tend to disrupt the ascension before it completes.¡± The woman also explained to her disciple.

    ¡°Master if high saints always gather and either plunder the heavenly energy for themselves or help their disciples become half saints then how were you able to become a full saint?¡± The curious disciple asked.

    ¡°Simple, your master¡¯s ascension took place during the time when the continent was being invaded by thousands of enemy saints seeking to expand the scope of their power. During such a time people were too busy fighting for their lives than trying to snatch power from a fledgling. Also, your master received a bit of help from a kind elderly man, who should be on his way right now.¡± The woman laughed.

    While the female saint was talking to her disciple, the high saint with droopy eyebrows began to make his move to interrupt Zhang¡¯s ascension.

    ¡°Where is the sacrifice?¡± The high saint asked one of his disciples who rather than replying tossed a middle-aged man who appeared to only be at the third level of cultivation toward his master.

    ¡°Ple-please spare me!¡± The middle-aged man who when compared to all of the saints present was no stronger than an ant plead. But his pleas fell on deaf ears as he was tossed through the sky and into the translucent ray of heavenly energy that was channeling toward Zhang.

    In a flash before the man could even utter a single cry he was turned into ash and the flow of heavenly energy began to fluctuate. The black clouds in the air also began to unleash heaven¡¯s wrath and rain down an abundance of lightning from above.

    ¡°NOT ON MY WATCH!¡± Yuying¡¯s voice rang into everyone¡¯s ear as her barrier disappeared and a blinding ray of light shot out from the main Azure Tower.

    Much to everyone¡¯s surprise, the moment the ray of light from the Azure Tower touched the receding ray of heavenly energy, it actually began to cease fluctuating and begin to channel toward Zhang once more.

    ¡°That barrier is down, move in!¡± A lesser saint cried as he ceased fighting his opponent and charged toward the Sky Fortress.

    Soon enough hundreds of lesser saints, full saints, and some higher saints sped toward the Azure Tower where Zhang was finishing up his ascension.

    ¡°All forces attack!¡± Ling¡¯s voice could be heard as hundreds of mithril tipped ballista bolts shot into the air. Although they were probably not enough to slay a saint, the mithril tips of the ballista bolts would definitely serve as hindrances as they pierced through the air.

    This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

    Accompanying the ballista bolts were hundreds of spider webs being rapidly shot into the air by the horde of Wraith Spiders. Although it was comparable to using an egg to combat a charging chariot, Zhang¡¯s soldiers and the Wraith Spiders were giving their all so their master could complete his ascension.

    ¡°Unless!¡± A saint roared as he sent an energy palm toward a group of Zhang¡¯s soldiers who were busily reloading a ballista. Soon after a mixture of screams could be heard as Zhang¡¯s men began to frantically attempt to avoid the incoming attack that would without a doubt take their lives.

    Scurrying in all directions Zhang¡¯s men were able to avoid sharing the same fate as the ballista that was left in pieces on the ground. But of course, Zhang¡¯s men did not lose heart almost instantly sped toward another ballista and began to help reload it, while others began to draw their bows and fire arrows into the sky.

    ¡°Go a deal with those ants¡­ They''re starting to become annoying¡± An enraged saint bellowed to his disciples as a mithril tipped ballista bolt that nearly impaled him.

    ¡°We¡¯ll deal with them right away, master.¡± A dozen of his disciples who were level ten warriors and mages said as they stopped flying toward the Azure Tower and splintered off atop their mounts.

    As massive cranes and fiery hawks descended upon the soldiers of Aurora, countless casualties and numerous deaths became imminent.

    ¡°Any who try to bring harm to his highness must get through us first!¡± A thousand voices rang out in unison as Zhang¡¯s elite guard charged out from the Azure Tower with weapons in hand.

    Much like shadows, Yuying¡¯s apprentices moved rushed toward the level ten warriors and mages with amazing grace and speed. Although normally a level eight warrior or mage would find it hard pressed to face against their level ten counterparts, the elite guard held an absolute advantage thanks to their numbers and nearly flawless teamwork which was put on display as a battle of epic proportions began.

    ¡°The princess said that those who get injured are to instantly retreat to the tower!¡± One of Yuying¡¯s apprentices said, reminding everyone that they are expected to put their lives in priority when facing these opponents.

    While Zhang¡¯s forces were putting their lives on the line, the high saints closed in on the Azure Tower but to their surprise, an extremely powerful gale of wind pushed against them and prevented them from moving forward.

    ¡°It¡¯s him!¡± One of the high saints yelled as creased appeared on his brow.

    ¡°Damn that beggar, always getting in my way.¡± Another high saint cursed.

    ¡°Old man Dan Jin stop interfering!¡± Yet another high saint yelled as an elderly man dressed in rags descended from the sky.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you all stop picking on the younglings then? Perhaps you can do me a favor and fight each other so I don¡¯t have to keep making these trips.¡± The elderly man who was dressed in rags said with a sigh.

    With a wave of his hand, old man Dan Jin made a wall of wind spiral around the Azure Tower thus creating a protective barrier around it.

    ¡°Anyone who wishes you thinks they can get through us then they are welcome to try.¡± Old man Dan Jin said as five figures shot out of the sky and stood around the Azure Tower. One of these figures being the female saint that had been talking to her disciple earlier.

    ¡°It looks like I don¡¯t have to call for help just yet.¡± Yuying mumbled as she released her grip on the jade pendant that hung by her waist that can open the samsara gate and connect to the Underworld.

    Much to Yuying¡¯s joy someone else was taking up the task of protecting Zhang making it so that she did not have to call for aid from the Underworld. Since it was impossible to constantly call for help from the Underworld, Yuying had to save these opportunities for only when there was no other alternative.

    ¡°Old man Dan Jin if you do not get out of our way then we will not hold back.¡± The high saint with droopy eyebrows said.

    ¡°Try me.¡± Old man Dan Jin said as he waved his hand and a beautiful looking jade cane appeared in his hand.

    Since old man Dan Jin had appeared and halted the advance of the high saints, the rest of the saints were given an opportunity to catch up and soon the Azure Tower was surrounded from all sides by preying eyes.

    Of course, not all of the saints were gathered around the Azure Tower, there were a few lesser saints who gave up on attempting to steal Zhang¡¯s heavenly energy and simply contented themselves with causing death and destruction.

    But before too much death and destruction could be spread, the ray of heavenly energy descended down from above ceased and a frightening roar reverberated in the air. A roar so frightening that everyone ceased what they were doing and all eyes focused on the Azure Tower.

    As all gazes were focused on the tower, Zhang could be seen floating out from a balcony and into the sky.

    ¡°How could this be¡­ How could his powers stabilize so quickly!¡± A saint yelled in disbelief as Zhang floated atop the Azure Tower while radiating power.

    As numerous experts were shocked by Zhang¡¯s sudden appearance but of course how could anyone possibly know that Zhang possessed the Underworld Heart and that it helped him stabilize his newfound power.

    ¡°I thank you seniors your help.¡± Zhang said to old man Jin Dan and his allies with a polite bow.

    ¡°No need to be so polite, as a senior looking out for my juniors is something that should be done.¡± Old man Jin Dan said with a smile.

    ¡°As for the other seniors, my heavenly energy has been stabilized and since I have nothing else to offer you all I would like to kindly ask all of you to leave.¡± Zhang said with a smile as he lowered himself down to where the essence core of the sky fortress was and activated its barrier.

    In a flash, all of the level ten warriors and mages were pushed out while the lesser saints felt an unbearable force press down on their bodies.

    ¡°Since there¡¯s nothing left to watch, I¡¯ll be on my way. Congratulations on being a full saint...¡± A lesser saint said as he flew out of the barrier and away before some of the full saints and higher saints set their eyes on hunting the lesser saints.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be on our way also, but if you ever need any help you can find me in the Lunar Kingdom past the Lunar Mountains.¡± Old Man Jin Dan said as he bid Zhang farewell and flew away, but stopped not too far away to keep an eye on things.

    ¡°Tsk¡­¡± A high saint said as he clicked his tongue and flew out of the barrier.

    One by one the lesser saints, full saints and some high saints began to depart as their prey was no more.

 Chapter 165: Demands

    Typo in last chapter regarding Zhang''s elite guard being level 9, fixed to level 8 :D

    ==========================================================

    Once the subject of interest was no longer worth their effort, all of the high saints gathered up their disciples and departed. Since all of the high saints departed, Old man Dan Jin also left. However, unlike the high saints who had little to gain from attacking Zhang, a pair full saints and some lesser saints chose to stick around despite the possibility of being attacked.

    ¡°Junior brother, I must congratulate you on becoming a full saint from your first ascension since not many around these parts get such a luxury.¡± A full saint with a crooked grin and a battle ax in hand said.

    ¡°I was simply lucky that¡¯s all.¡± Zhang replied with neither a positive or negative emotions behind his words.

    ¡°Since junior brother is so lucky, you probably won¡¯t mind sharing a bit of what you have with someone less fortunate than yourself would you?¡± The full saint with a crooked grin said as a few lesser saints gathered behind him.

    ¡°They¡¯re thinking of ganging up on me¡­Damn pack of wolves...¡± Zhang thought as his brows began to crease.

    ¡°Master Xue Huo if we¡¯re going to share things then if it is possible I would like for you to grant me that one.¡± A lesser saint said as he pointed his finger toward Ling as he gazed upon her with lecherous eyes, causing Little White who was walking around her to growl.

    ¡°I would like that one if you would be as kind enough to grant her to me, master Xue Huo.¡± Another lesser saint said while licking his lips as he pointed toward Lingqi who was helping patch up a wounded soldier.

    ¡°Then I would like her.¡± Yet another less saint said pointing toward Ai who glared back at him before picking up a spear sized ballista bolt and hurtling it into the air.

    ¡°Since all of the others have been picked, if you can please grant me that one.¡± A fourth lesser saint said as he pointed toward Yuying.

    ¡°Since I have no interest in them you''re free to decide who gets what.¡± The full Saint referred to as Master Xue Huo said with a smile as if everything''s present was his to give away to his followers.

    ¡°I believe you have all mistaken on something because it seems like you all think I¡¯m someone who can be easily bully¡­ Let alone sharing my things with you, I¡¯ve yet to even demand reparations for my injured and dead soldiers¡­¡± Zhang said in an angry tone.

    ¡°Don¡¯t act so cheeky you brat, just because you were lucky enough to complete your ascension uninterrupted does not mean your unbeatable. The likes of you cannot be compared to our master.¡± The lesser saint who had looked at Ling with lecherous eyes barked.

    ¡°Little brother if you''re willing to hand over those four lovely ladies, this magnificent fortress, those demonic beasts, and all of your soldiers who have reached the eight level of cultivation, we can be on our way and no longer cause you any more trouble.¡± The full saint with a crooked grin named Xue Huo said as he eyed Zhang¡¯s wives, soldiers, and pets while playing with his battle ax.

    ¡°If you give me all of your interspatial rings, kowtow to me three times each while calling me daddy I¡¯ll let you leave with your lives¡­¡± Zhang replied.

    ¡°Brother Xue Huo it seems this one needs a light beating before he realizes his place.¡± Another full saint said as he stood atop a puffy cloud.

    At the end of his patience and without saying a word Zhang disappeared in a flash after turning off the fortress¡¯s barrier and reappearing an instant later and plunging his hand through a lesser saint¡¯s chest. As his hand slid out of his first victim¡¯s chest covered in blood and gore, Zhang tossed the man¡¯s corpse toward Yuying in a single motion before disappearing once again.

    Knowing what Zhang wanted her to do Yuying grabbed the lesser saint¡¯s body before it hit the ground and sped toward where Lingqi was. The moment she arrived beside Lingqi, Yuying pressed her hand onto the ground causing thousands of runes to appear on her hand and flow into the stone floor beneath her.

    In no time at all an inscription array was constructed and golden blobs of heavenly energy began to be extracted from the dead lesser saint¡¯s corpse and began floating into the air.

    ¡°Absorb this and don''t worry about being attacked, I''ve already made a miniature version of the barrier from before around you.¡± Yuying said as a red colored bubble formed and encased Lingqi without it as she began to absorb the blobs of floating heavenly energy.

    In the meantime, in the skies battle broke out between Zhang, a pair of full saints and their lesser saint underlings. Well, actually it was just Zhang and the lesser saints who were battling while the two full saints were simply observing.

    Unleashing his full arsenal, Zhang¡¯s Dragon Talon throwing knives, Voracious Eater chained daggers and dozens of other weapons danced about and circled the air as they launched themselves at his enemies.

    ¡°You think these toys can harm us?¡± A lesser saint laughed as a ring of fire formed around his body and melted a few beautiful golden swords that Zhang had found on one of his treasure hunts.

    ¡°Maybe those can¡¯t but these can!¡± Zhang roared as the ten Dragon Talon knives all sped toward the lesser saint, pierced through his ring of fire and embedded themselves into his body.

    Unlike all of Zhang¡¯s weapons, these throwing knives were said to be made from the parts of a dragon, making them very resilient and high tier weapons.

    Despite being impaled by the ten throwing knives the lesser saint was not dead and actually released a roar filled with rage as he charged toward Zhang with his sword in hand.

    Of course, this lesser saint was not alone because in a fraction of a second two more lesser saints also charged at Zhang while swinging their swords.

    Moments later three swords all aiming for Zhang slashed downward from three different directions.

    Slightly hopping backward in midair Zhang was able to avoid the first slash that sliced downward and was inches away from touching his nose, while using the using his two Mirage Viper Tooth swords to block the other two attacked that came from both his sides.

    But that was not the end of things as a fourth sword lunged forward at Zhang from his rear, to which he was able to dodge after launching himself forward while slashing the legs of the two lesser saints to his right and left, severing them.

    As if leaping through the air, Zhang pounced on the lesser saint that had nearly slashed his face. Much like how the mirage viper that his swords used to be a part of would have done, Zhang stabbed both of his swords into his opponent¡¯s chest as he kneed the man in the stomach.

    Although everything took much time to describe, all of it happened in mere seconds that showed the intensity of the battle that was happening.

    Stolen novel; please report.

    As the three lesser saints watched their comrade being slain in front of them without enough time to aid him. A spear sized ballista bolt pierced through the air and brushed one of the lesser saints, leaving a thin streak of blood running down his cheek.

    Looking downward, Ai could be seen venting her anger and throwing ballista bolts into the sky.

    ¡°Damn slut you dare¡­¡± A lesser saint said as he wiped off the blood on his cheek as he turned his body toward Ai.

    ¡°Fuck off!¡± Zhang¡¯s voice rang into the lesser saint''s ear as he felt a piercing pain that originated from his back that ran through his chest. Looking down he could see a long slightly curved blade slick with blood poking out of his chest.

    Before long this lesser saint¡¯s corpse was tossed down toward Yuying much like with his two comrades. Like before Yuying created two inscription arrays for Ai and Ling to absorb the heavenly energy being dispersed from the corpses of the two lesser saints.

    Normally lesser saints and even full saints would be like flies over ripe fruit when heavenly energy is on the line, however when the two full saints who were observing the battle recognized Yuying¡¯s red barrier they did not bother attempting to disrupt the beauties, while the lesser saints were too preoccupied with Zhang to do anything.

    ¡°How is this guy so strong¡­ Even if he¡¯s a full saint, how is he beating us so easily.¡± A lesser saint complained as it seemed like Zhang was one-sidedly controlling the flow of the battle.

    Actually, if one was to compare Zhang and the group of eight or so remaining lesser saints, in terms of experience and technique they vastly outstripped him. While in terms of power, as a full Saint Zhang was far superior to them if they were to fight individually, however from beginning to start there were about a dozen lesser Saint.

    So how was Zhang able to kill them one after the other? The answer is actually quite simple. Although it may sound ridiculous but these lesser saints were losing because they had more experience and knew more techniques then Zhang.

    Since they knew more, they thought more while being less willing to act risky. To the lesser saints who had dozens if not hundreds of years of battle experience, every movement Zhang made had a reason and dozens of possibilities that turned into countless different scenarios in their minds.

    If he was showing an opening then it was for a reason, if he did this or that there was a reason. However, in actuality due to Zhang¡¯s lack of proper training in the higher levels of combat, he simply fought with all he had, with his instincts and with the sword skills that he was taught by his two teachers one of which was someone who never break through the sixth level of cultivation while the other lacked enough time to properly show him the proper path of a cultivator.

    So while Zhang acted somewhat recklessly, and while the lesser saints thought too much about the situation, Zhang was able together the better of them.

    ¡°Think fast!¡± Zhang yelled as a bolt of lightning shot out from his hand and began to branch off.

    ¡°Surround him!¡± A lesser Saint bellowed to his comrades as he used his sword to redirect Zhang¡¯s lightning bolt. But much to his misfortune as the lightning bolt was being redirected, Zhang appeared before the lesser saint and left a large gash across the man¡¯s neck.

    Much like when he was fighting amidst large groups of enemy soldiers, Zhang tried to create large showy moves that distracted his enemies when he could and move in for the kill with precise and swift movements.

    ¡°Brother Xue Huo it seems like it¡¯s time for us to intervene.¡± The other full saint said as he saw how quickly Zhang was killing his underlings.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Xue Huo said he gripped his battle ax tightly in his hand.

    Seeing that the two full saints were finally joining the fray, Zhang performed a series of graceful movements and sped his way toward the Sky Fortress¡¯s main essence core. Before anyone could figure out what he was going to do, Zhang¡¯s hand pressed against the essence core and the fortress¡¯s barrier was reactivated and an extremely powerful gravitational force soon enveloped the lesser saints causing their movements to slightly slow.

    ¡°Maybe if I used maximum power for a bit.¡± Zhang said as the gravitational force exerted by the barrier increased exponentially.

    The lesser saints soon found themselves unable to move while the full saints found themselves slowly being weakened.

    ¡°Now that things are a bit more, fair I''ll play with you guys a bit more.¡± Zhang said with an evil grin as he shot back into the air and began to wildly slash at the weakened lesser saints.

    ¡°You can have my interspatial ring! I''ll even kowtow while calling you daddy!¡± A lesser saint said moments before Zhang decapitated him.

    Soon enough all of the lesser saints fell from the sky and Zhang set his eyes on his two remaining opponents.

    ¡°Flee!¡± Xue Huo yelled to the other full saint as he felt that he was now at a disadvantage when facing against Zhang.

    ¡°If I was the one who controlled this fortress¡­¡± He also said as he tried to escape.

    ¡°Come to my place, kill my men, try to take my wives and my pets and think you can just leave like that?¡± Zhang¡¯s voice rang through the air as he charged after Xue Huo.

    ¡°Younger brother, it seems you have mistaken because I did not kill any of your men nor did I want your wives or pets.¡± The other full saint beside Xue Huo said in a hurried voice.

    ¡°Then why don¡¯t you stay a bit longer brother Xue Huo, allow me to show you a bit of hospitality. But first, let me kill this bastard Xue Huo!¡± Zhang said as dozens of bolts of lightning crackled through the air.

    ¡°Tsk¡­¡± Xue Huo clicked his tongue as he cut apart a few of the bolts of lightning while evading the rest then waving his hand and creating dozens of blades of wind that cut through the air and headed toward Zhang.

    ¡°Damn¡­¡± Zhang cursed as he tried his best to evade the razor sharp blades of wind. Despite his attempts to evade, the sleeve of Zhang¡¯s robe was shredded while dozens of cuts were left on his body leaving streaks of blood. Much to Zhang¡¯s discomfort a large gash was left on the side of his stomach but due to the nature of the situation, he did not stop his pursuit and continued to charge toward Xue Huo.

    ¡°Peng Yu stop watching and help me!¡± Xue Huo yelled to the other full saint as Zhang closed in on him with fiery eyes.

    ¡°You¡¯re on your own! As long as we are in this barrier we are at a disadvantage against him!¡± The full saint named Peng Yu retorted unhappily.

    ¡°You think you can leave the barrier but you forget that this fortress can move.¡± Zhang inwardly laughed as he made the Sky Fortress move moments before his two opponents made it out.

 Chapter 166: Black Droplet

    If there are any errors please help me point them out :D  wish you all a great day/night

    ======================================================

    As the Sky Fortress moved and prevented the two full saints from leaving the boundary of its barrier, Zhang closed in on them with red lightning coiling around his two swords.

    ¡°Die!¡± Xue Huo roared as he spun and slashed at Zhang with a sweep of his ax.

    Much to his surprise, two large abyssal vipers shot out from the inner side of Zhang¡¯s cape with their jaws that were large enough to swallow a small sized dog unhinged.

    As the snakes extended out from the darkness one of them latched onto Xue Huo¡¯s battle ax while the other bit into his arm.

    ¡°Pests¡­¡± Xue Huo said as afflicted his wrist and performed a backhanded sweep with his ax, cutting off the heads of the two Abyssal Vipers.

    But of course, the vipers were simply distractions as Zhang appeared beside Xue Huo and slashed downward with one of his swords while stabbing forward with the other. Despite being able to avoid being stabbed, Xue Huo¡¯s arm was left with a deep gaping wound that revealed cut muscle and bone.

    ¡°If only I had a stronger weapon¡­¡± Zhang sighed as he found out his sword wasn''t able to cut through Xue Huo¡¯s bone.

    ¡°Brother Xue Huo I wish you luck.¡± The other full saint said as he neared the barrier and sent a fury of sword auras cutting through the air creating an exit through the barrier. But before he could exit the barrier, a bolt of red lightning pierced through the air and wrapped around his arm, charring it beyond recognition. Biting his lip and gripping his charred arm, the full saint sped through the opening in the barrier.

    After nearly having his arm cut off Xue Huo had retreated a small distance from Zhang and began to focus his powers on mending his wound, giving Zhang the opportunity to attack the other remaining saint.

    ¡°Tsk¡­ He got away¡­¡± Zhang thought as he watched the barrier reseal itself and the other full saint flee.

    Outside of the barrier let along two full saints, Zhang would have his hands full with a single full saint so he did not attempt to pursue and focused his attention solely on Xue Huo whose arm was completely mended after a minute or so.

    ¡°Now we can fight one on one uninterrupted.¡± Zhang said as his cape fluttered in the air and dozens of Abyssal Beasts began to be released from the darkness.

    ¡°One on one it is then.¡± Xue Huo said as he tossed his battle axe and ripped off his robes revealing bulging muscles. Moments later a pair of metallic gloves appear and slid onto his hands before Xue Huo posed with his two arms raised.

    ¡°Boxing?¡± Zhang mumbled as he used the Underworld Heart to retrieve dozens of mithril tipped ballista bolts from the ground along with his ten Dragon Talon thriving knives. Remembering how powerful a boxer could be when they closed in on their opponent, Zhang decided he would use the ballista bolts to maintain a suitable distance between himself and Xue Huo on top of relying on the Abyssal Beasts to provide distractions.

    ¡°Fist of the angry Buddha!¡± Xue Huo roared as he began to release a golden colored aura while launching dozens of fists created out of essence at Zhang. Much to Zhang¡¯s surprise these fists made out of essence would randomly explode and expand, making it difficult to figure out a proper way to deal with them.

    ¡°Lightning god¡¯s fury!¡± Zhang yelled as he shot a red colored thunderbolt through the air.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that just one of brother¡¯s regular red lightning bolts?¡± Ai asked as she watched Zhang¡¯s battle. Not too long ago she had absorbed all of the heavenly energy released by the dead lesser saint and had nothing else to do.

    Regarding Ai¡¯s question, Zhang¡¯s red lightning bolt was in fact no different than all of the lightning bolts that he had been using this entire time. However, seeing as his opponent had a cool name for his technique, Zhang figured it would only be proper to yell out something also.

    While Ai was watching, the red lightning bolt snaked from one fist of essence to the next causing a series of small eye-catching explosion.

    ¡°Lightning dragon¡¯s rage!¡± Zhang yelled as he shot a regular red colored lightning bolt toward Xue Huo.

    Utterly confused by what Zhang was yelling out, Xue Huo stopped his technique and began to dodge instead.

    ¡°Art of yelling random things, success¡­¡± Zhang laughed as he flicked his wrist and made the dozens of mithril tipped ballista bolts and Dragon Talon throwing knives pierce through the air.

    As Zhang¡¯s weapons danced and weaved through the air around Xue Huo it eventually became impossible for him to dodge. At first, Xue Huo was able to evade but as the weapons began to perform unpredictable turns and such he had to repel them using his fists. But soon enough Xue Huo¡¯s body was littered with wounds, a few ballista bolts were even sticking out of his back.

    However, these were all superficial wounds that seemed to heal in no time at all.

    ¡°Eat this!¡± Xue Huo roared as a pulse of essence was released from his body sending all of the weapons under Zhang¡¯s control to be sent flying away. In a blink of an eye, he appeared in front of Zhang and his first shot forth at blinding speeds.

    A shattering sound could be heard as his fist shattered Zhang¡¯s twin swords as and smashed into his chest, sending him flying into the Sky Fortress¡¯s barrier. Luckily inches before crashing into his own barrier, Zhang was able to use the silver ring that controls the fortress to open up a small hole in the barrier.

    Thankfully despite packing a lot of power Xue Huo¡¯s attack was not enough to kill Zhang, that is to say, it still dealt substantial damage.

    After a split second, Zhang charged back into the barrier to confront Xue Huo once again, but much to his discomfort he was greeted by yet another one fist packed with power.

    This time instead of flying toward the barrier, Zhang was sent crashing into one of the many stone buildings that lined the Sky Fortress. As he was getting up from under a pile of rubble, Zhang¡¯s Dragon Heart Necklace began to glow and a black colored droplet flew out of it and into the air.

    Unlike the golden drop of essence, the Necklace had given to him in the Underworld that granted him the use of the dragon¡¯s black flames, this droplet was pitch black and seemed to bend the space around it.

    ¡°No, thank you for waking me up. I''ve been asleep for a while or I guess I''ve been dead for a while?¡± Zhang thought as he recalled the voice that came from the pendant many years ago. Perhaps this pendant was not the same pendant as before and the voice inside it had died off long ago, Zhang did not know. But what he did know was if the black droplet floating in front of him it would give him strength.

    You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

    Plucking the droplet out from the air and placing it inside his mouth, Zhang swallowed the thing with a single gallop.

    Maybe it was because he already had control of the black flames, but a fragment of memory flowed into his mind as a smile crept onto Zhang¡¯s face.

    In a few breaths, a pulse of essence emanated from Zhang¡¯s body causing hundreds of weapons that were laying on the ground to shoot upward toward Xue Huo who was able to unleash some sort of technique down at Zhang.

    Once the storm of weapons swirled around Xue Huo, he unleashed a massive fist made of condensed essence down at Zhang before deflecting defending himself.

    Suddenly something totally unexpected occurred, as Xue Huo tried to repel Zhang¡¯s weapons he felt a sudden pulse of essence fluctuate through the air and a thin black slit appeared in front of him and in a flash a sword¡¯s blade shot out of it and pierced into his chest as a bolt of lightning shot upward from the ground and colliding with the massive first made of essence causing a huge explosion.

    Looking down to where Zhang was lying, he could be seen gripping the hilt of a sword whose blade was nowhere in sight.

    ¡°Interesting!¡± Zhang yelled as he tried out the ability that the black droplet had granted him. Unlike the golden droplet that gave him the power of the black flame that could burn away essence, the black droplet granted him the power to influence and slightly manipulate space within a small area of a couple hundred feet. Basically, the black droplet granted Zhang the ability to cut through space and open tiny portals through it within a small area.

    Although such an ability would naturally seem powerful, in actuality when facing against full saints or high saints it wasn¡¯t an ability that can be used over and over again because once the trick is figured out it wouldn¡¯t be as effective as before.

    ¡°Now to finish him.¡± Zhang thought as his sword slid out of Xue Huo¡¯s chest and out of the black slit cut in space. Soon after a bolt of lightning streaked upward followed by an eerie black fire the size of a person¡¯s head.

    Stunned by being stabbed through the chest, Xue Huo failed to dodge both the lightning bolt and the black flame.

    ¡°To think that even burning my heavenly energy and unleashing my body enhancement techniques would only amount to so much¡­¡± Xue Huo muttered as he fell from the sky, heavily injured.

    Once Xue Huo was laying on the ground Zhang sped over him and with a single slash severed his head from his body. Normally he would at least try to extract some information before killing an opponent, but considering the many possible tricks that Xue Huo could have up his sleeve Zhang felt the need to end his life and absorb his heavenly energy as soon as possible.

    Since there was always the possibility of the other full saint returning. Had it not been for the sudden appearance of the black droplet and his new strange ability then Zhang would have more than likely be beaten to a pulp and killed despite the Sky Fortress¡¯s barrier applying pressure on Xue Huo.

    So if he didn¡¯t catch Xue Huo off guard and had Xue Huo went all out with Zhang then he would have sadly lost, showing that Zhang was lacking when compared to peers. That is to say that when compared to the other full saints and lesser saints, the group that stayed behind to rob Zhang were not very powerful or else they would not have stuck around for scraps.

    ¡°Next time I won¡¯t leave it to luck.¡± Zhang said as he began to absorb the blobs of heavenly energy that was being released from Xue Huo¡¯s body.

    A bit later, once all of the beauties had finished absorbing the heavenly energy of the lesser saints while Zhang had finished absorbing Xue Huo¡¯s heavenly energy, they began to give out medical treatment to the injured soldiers and assess the casualties that was caused.

    ¡°Considering that it was saints and their disciples who we were going up against, a loss of fifty thousand soldiers is not much¡­¡± Guan Yu said with a strained voice.

    ¡°Those bastards weren¡¯t even serious¡­¡± Zhang Fei complained with a sigh.

    ¡°Uncle Guan if you can see to it that all of the injured are taken cared of and to assure all of the civilians that they are now safe.¡± Lingqi said politely.

    Soon as the moon rose and dozens of different matters were dealt with and after Zhang and the beauties retreated to their chambers, the group of husband and wives began to look through the interspatial rings that they looted off the corpses of the dead saints.

    Since even lesser saints were highly regarded, every interspatial ring was filled with a large variety of treasures that could be said to be impossible to acquire within the Warring States Region.

    ¡°This one has a few million gold coins, a wide variety of medical herbs, some unique looking weapons and a bunch of other things.¡± Ai said as she checked the contents of a yellow colored ring.

    ¡°This one also has a few million gold coins, a bunch of demonic beast parts, some books and strange pills.¡± Ling said as she held a purple colored ring.

    ¡°There''s a few thousand essence stones, hundreds of manuals, thousands of pills, and many other things in this ring.¡± Zhang said as he held up Xue Huo¡¯s interspatial ring, a black and white interspatial ring.

    ¡°If I can get the medical herbs and pills, I¡¯d like to study them and see if I can remake them or possibly use the herbs to try out a few recipes I¡¯ve found but have never been able to find the proper ingredients to make.¡± Lingqi said with a smile as she claimed the medical herbs and pills.

    ¡°Brother you can have the gold.¡± Ai laughed.

    ¡°Let¡¯s sort through the books and see if there are some techniques and cultivation methods we can learn.¡± Ling suggested.

    ¡°I call dibs on those corpses. I can use them to create some high-level undead.¡± Yuying said with a devious smile. Although she couldn¡¯t make saint level undead with the corpse, she could definitely make level ten or nine undead with them when considering her knowledge about the occult.

    ¡°So how do you four feel after absorbing the heavenly energy?¡± Zhang asked, with a curious look as wondered if the beauties became half saints or not. Rather the thought of becoming a half saint fairly intrigued him causing quite a few questions to pop up in his head.

    ¡°I feel the same.¡± Ai said with a shrug.

    ¡°Me too.¡± The other beauties said in unison.

    Moments later Zhang and the beauties began to split up the loot they acquired.

 Chapter 167: Spoils

    Plagued with finals so this chapter is about a hundred words shorter than usual T_T hope to see you folks soon lol but for now I''m so tired.

    ============================================================================================

    Once the spoils were split, Lingqi ended up with a small hill of valuable herbs, plants, pills and ancient concocting recipes that most people only dreamed of having a portion of. From flowers and fruits that only appeared every thousand or so years to rare demonic beast parts that could be used to treat countless illnesses. Much to her delight, Lingqi now had enough ingredients to try out dozens of recipes that she had always wanted to try but never had the proper supplies to do so.

    As for Ling, she was given the bulk of all of the cultivation and technique manuals. Regardless of the contents of the manual, Ling would study it and try to locate recurrent information that can link one technique to another. From this, she would be able to possibly create a technique of her own, much like the technique she was able to come up with after examining a manual about light magic.

    Of course, Zhang and the other beauties were also able to get a few cultivation and technique manuals of their own that were to their tastes. Zhang choose a few body strengthening techniques and a few manuals that taught about close quarters combat, Ai chose a few manuals that enhanced his body, with one of them a movement technique that would allow her to drastically increase her speed for a short period of time, Lingqi picked a strange technique that could only be trained by poison users, Yuying whose techniques mainly revolved around undead and inscriptions, picked a few body enhancement techniques like Ai feeling it could come in handy.

    Overall despite losing thousands of soldiers, it could be said that after his ascension, Zhang had an extremely large harvest since not only did he and the beauties obtain quite a bit of heavenly energy, they also obtained a fortune in goods that they normally would not be able to get in the Warring States Region. Well perhaps once the land is unified and its borders completely explored and mapped such treasures me appear, but for now as it is the Warring States Region is not a place that many high cultivators can be accommodated unless one relied on the Dragon¡¯s Vein like Zhang.

    Besides medical resources, various manuals, vast amounts of gold and riches, there was also an abundance of magical treasures and weapons that were forged from the parts of high-ranking demonic beasts, unique materials and had been gathered from the all over the continent.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be taking these.¡± Zhang said with a grin as he picked up a pair of beautiful swords that looked as if they were crafted out from the most delicate jade that could be found and were so thin that they seemed like they would crumble upon clashing a single time with another object. But of course, it was without a doubt that they swords were not for mere decoration because by simply holding them one could tell that thousands upon thousands of lives had been claimed by it.

    ¡°Ai, you should take these.¡± Zhang said as he picked thin shirt constructed entirely of thousands of nearly transparent scales. Having dealt with the scales of various demonic beasts before, Zhang could tell that whatever beast was slain to make this shirt, it was a high-level one and would definitely provide his wife with adequate protection.

    ¡°This one would be perfect for you.¡± Zhang said picking out another shirt made of demonic beast scales for Lingqi.

    Compared to their armor constructed from mirage viper scales, it was obvious that the cache in front of them contained much higher level equipment that would not only increase their combat capabilities but also ensure their safety.

    Soon enough, Zhang and the beauties were all reequipped with new armor and better weapons. Although Ai still chose to have the Queen of the Night whip as her main weapon, she was now armed with a beautiful short sword that dangled from her waist. On top of getting a new weapon, Ai also received a transparent ring that gave her the ability to summon a small puffy cloud to ride on. Meanwhile, Ling was now equipped with a magical necklace that had the ability to produce water from essence, meaning that no matter what environment she was in as long as she had this necklace Ling would have a means to defend herself.

    In Lingqi¡¯s case, on top of obtaining a technique that revolved around poison, she also obtained a new pill cauldron and a pair of white gloves that were so thin they appeared to be transparent. These gloves could be said to be a treasure sought after by all doctors or those who studied the field of medicine because they contained the ability to remove poison from a person¡¯s body. Of course, this did not mean that there was no need to fear poison any longer since the world is vast and filled with mysterious poisons that cannot be extract nor cured. Nonetheless. Lingqi was now much better equipped to deal with situations that needed her to display her medical skill.

    While in Yuying¡¯s case instead of picking out new weapons, after selecting a few manuals she disappeared to a secluded location on the Sky Fortress and began working on creating undead monsters out of the corpses of the dead saints. As excited as she was, Yuying couldn¡¯t even sleep unless she at least got started on her experiments.

    So as Zhang was counting the astronomical sum of riches they just got, Yuying could be seen in a large room where the only source of light are a few candles and a couple small windows that allowed moonlight to flow inside.

    ¡°Place them over there.¡± Yuying said to a few soldiers, who were helping her transport the corpses of the dead saints, as she pointed toward a few empty beds located in a far off corner of the room.

    Before the soldiers were finished moving the corpses, hundreds of beautiful young women who were all Yuying¡¯s apprentices filed into the room, drawing a lot of attention from Yuying¡¯s helpers. Although it was not the first time these men saw the female elite guard, it was still quite a spectacle to see them all together in one room. Since the beauties were their lord¡¯s women and were princesses, none of the soldiers dared to look, however, the female elite guard who were Yuying¡¯s apprentices were a different story, prompting many lovesick stares.

    With her apprentices present and abundant help from a large group of soldiers, Yuying was going to turn one of the many empty halls within the Sky Fortress into a place where she can carry out various experiments and train new disciples.

    The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.Inscription arrays were laid out on the ground, furniture was brought in, and all sorts of other things were being done. Although Yuying wasn¡¯t exactly sure what to do with the bodies of the dead saints yet, she knew that she needed to have a properly equipped and prepared facility for when she did figure out what to do.

    ¡°Han Shan, should I reanimate their bodies after patching them up or should I make a chimera?¡± Yuying asked one of her apprentices who was standing beside her.

    ¡°Master, if I remember correctly we don¡¯t have all of the necessary materials to create a chimera.¡± Yuying¡¯s apprentice named Han Shan replied respectfully.

    ¡°We would need some time to gather what we need but the outcome of doing so would result in a stronger undead than a simply reanimated corpse. However, I¡¯m not exactly sure what kind of a chimera should be made.¡± Yuying said with a sigh.

    ¡°If it¡¯s your wish, master, we can gather an abundance of demonic beasts for you to choose from.¡± Han Shan said.

    ¡°We can always use some of those Eagles being held in the lower levels, but just they alone won''t be enough.¡± Yuying said before setting her thoughts aside and giving out directions on how to set up the experiment hall.

    Unlike Lingqi¡¯s medical hall that was filled with shelves full of medicinal herbs and possessed thousands of books in regards to various diseases, Yuying¡¯s experiment hall had dozens of inscription arrays laid out on the ground and many cages lined against the walls. Of course, she wasn¡¯t going to experiment on humans like those in the Order of the Blue Moon, but without a doubt, the layout of her experiment hall was similar to theirs.

    As Yuying focused most of her attention on getting the experiment hall up and running, time flew by and days passed as if they were a passing breeze.

    Much to Zhang¡¯s surprise upon the Sky Fortress¡¯s return to the Golden Peak Province after a mere fifteen days after his ascension, he was greeted by a veil of silence. Even when using his divine sense to scan the area Zhang could not find a single person.

    Little did Zhang know, news of his ascension and the appearance of a saint within the Aurora Kingdom had spread far and wide prompting many of the southern lords to surrender or abandon their people and head to sea with as much wealth as they could gather. Of the few who refused to submit, the lord of the Shadow Hex Province was one of the first to flee and with him the book that contained the second half of the Azure Dragon¡¯s tale.

    Surprisingly roughly ten days after Zhang¡¯s Ascension messengers representing the northern lords of the Warring States Region rode toward Aurora with signed scrolls of surrender.

    As the northern lords saw it, if they surrendered to Aurora they would receive the protection of a saint level expert instead of confronting one or being dragged into war like the southern lords. Also, it was without a doubt that if they took the initiative to surrender, judging by what they¡¯ve heard about Zhang, the northern lords would not suffer much loss.

    Unlike the south, the north was much more united and unanimous in their decision to surrender since they were more likely to gain than suffer any losses.

    Much like a dream over the Warring States Region was united under a single banner in just about a month or two following Zhang¡¯s arrival at the Golden Peak Province. For the first time in thousands of years, the region plagued with war could be said to be war free.

    Emissaries from various kingdoms came one after the other in order to establish a positive connection as a date was selected for the Kingdom of Aurora to be established as one of the few empires within the Wulin Continent.

    ¡°Brother, look! Look! What¡¯s that!?¡± Ai yelled excitedly as she spotted a procession entering into what would soon become Aurora¡¯s imperial city. What would have been a newly constructed Aurora City was currently being remodeled to become an imperial city while an even larger capital city was being constructed around it.

    ¡°Those are Frost Horn Elephants.¡± Yuying said as looked at a pair of elephants whose tusks appeared to be made of ice while Ai was pointing at excitedly.

    Currently, the two of them along with the other two beauties were on the second floor of a large building that overlooked the would be imperial city¡¯s main gate.

    ¡°Do you want one as a pet?¡± Zhang said with a grin as he appeared beside Ai.

    ¡°Can I?¡± Ai asked with a laugh.

    ¡°Silly girl.¡± Ling laughed as she also arrived out on the balcony where everyone was.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be sure to ask the owner of those elephants to sell one to me at tonight¡¯s banquet.¡± Zhang laughed.

    ¡°Another one? That¡¯s the tenth on this week...¡± Lingqi said with a sigh.

    As emissaries and other dignitaries kept arriving and celebrations regarding the creation of the Aurora Empire continued, Zhang and the beauties were forced to attend an almost never-ending series of parties and banquets.

    ¡°Fighting the war was easier and more enjoyable than attending all of these gatherings.¡± Ai said with a frown.

    ¡°Do you know when mother and father will be arriving?¡± Lingqi asked with a smile as she was very much looking forward to learning more from Zhang¡¯s mother.

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure if they can because the Heilong Kingdom is currently on high alert due to sightings of the Siwang Empire¡¯s naval fleet. I hear that they were last spotted heading south before disappearing.¡± Zhang said as he gazed up into the sky where the Sky Fortress was currently hovering above the imperial city, showing off Aurora¡¯s might.

    After Lord Tian Lan and his people were unloaded back in the Azure Mist Province with a sizable sum of money to being the process of constructing the province that they destroyed, Zhang and the beauties now have the entire fortress in the sky for their use.

    A large variety of plans were to be executed not too long after the celebrations concluded in order to use the Sky Fortress to its full potential. Besides plans for the Sky Fortress, Zhang also had many plans in regards to managing the empire that would be implemented once things settled.

    So for a while it wouldn¡¯t be much of an understatement to say that Zhang and the beauties will be heads over heels in work and responsibilities.

    But of course, there was nothing that our heroes could not tackle if they put their minds to it as shown by the unbelievable feat of uniting the Warring States Region and in Zhang¡¯s case becoming a saint before reaching the age of twenty-five.

 Chapter 168: Lanyu

    While the lands ruled by Aurora was filled to the brim with a festive mood and beautiful decorations lined every street corner, that was not true for other places. Under the gaze of the watchful moon and cradled by the gentle waves of the sea, hundreds of ships littered the water¡¯s surface. Where they are headed no one knows but one thing that is certain is that despite sailing together out in the lonely sea these ships did not serve a single master as four or five different symbols and images could be seen fluttering in the gentle breeze.

    These ships, of course, belonged to the various provincial lords that had fled the Warring States Region before it¡¯s unification. Since they had left long before any of the forces of Aurora arrived and did not leave a single trace as to where they were headed, they were able to escape from Zhang¡¯s grasp despite the amazing speeds that the Sky Fortress could move at.

    Atop a large ship that stood out amongst the rest, a small round table was set atop the ship¡¯s upper deck. If one looked closely than six men with varying ages and appearances could be seen sitting underneath the moonlight as dozens of torches danced and flickered not too far from them.

    ¡°How much longer until we reach the Lanyu Continent?¡± One of the men at the table asked as a few beautiful young women dressed in skimpy outfits exited a door that led to the lower decks and began dancing.

    ¡°There¡¯s no need to rush since revenge is a dish best served cold.¡± Another man at the table said as he sipped a cup of wine.

    ¡°The thought of those smug bastards enjoying their days leisurely as we have to flee, makes my blood boil.¡± The man that spoke first sputtered as his brows furrowed.

    ¡°If the Lanyu Empire is willing to lend us their aid then let alone the Southern Region, the entire Warring States Region and perhaps a few of its neighboring kingdoms will be ours for the taking.¡± A third individual said.

    ¡°Judging by the pace that we are moving, it should take a few more months to a year before we reach the Lanyu Continent so there is no need to work yourself up now.¡± Someone else at the table spoke.

    ¡°I must thank you brother, Niao Feng, for lending us the use of your Golden Winged Eagles.¡± Someone said to Niao Feng who had been sitting in silence and sipping a cup of wine.

    ¡°No need to thank me, since you''re willing to loan me a few of my ships and guide us to the Lanyu Continent to ask for aid, it¡¯s only natural that I lend a helping hand.¡± Niao Feng said with a slight smile.

    After failing to steal Zhang¡¯s heavenly energy and witnessing Zhang ¡®s battle with Xue Huo and the lesser saints, Niao Feng had ordered his men to quickly pack their things and fled the Golden Peak Province to ensure the safety of the sacred egg that his family has been guarding for countless years. But with no destination in mind and no other form of transport besides the Golden Winged Eagles, Niao Feng, and his people did not know where to go.

    That was when they found themselves in the Shadow Hex Province restocking on various supplies and as one thing led to another, Niao Feng and his people found themselves headed toward the Lanyu Continent along with a few other forces led by other fleeing provincial lords.

    At first, Niao Feng was fairly surprised as to how the lord of the Shadow Hex Province knew the location of the Lanyu Continent when there was little to no communication between the two landmasses and what little communication that did occur was amongst various traveling saints who roamed the open sea and the endless land. But after he committed to joining their trip, Niao Feng had lent out the strength of his Golden Winged Eagles and had them pull the ships during the day, thus increasing the fleet¡¯s speed drastically making it so that by the time Zhang¡¯s Sky Fortress reached the Shadow Hex Province there was not a single trace of their departure.

    ¡°Do you think they¡¯ll take up our cause? Considering the people, we will have to convince to aid us are saints.¡± Someone said.

    ¡°It should almost be exactly a thousand years and some odd years since the last time anyone from the Lanyu Continent appeared on the lands of our Wulin Continent and if I recall my clan¡¯s ancestral text correctly the event that prompted the saints of the Lanyu Continent to attack is nearing. If we play our cards right they might allow us to govern over the lands they conquer and since the two continents are a considerable distance apart from each other we won¡¯t have to answer to anyone.¡± The previous lord of the Shadow Hex Province said with a grin.

    ¡°A thousand years ago? Wasn¡¯t that around the time the Heilong Kingdom was founded after some great calamity occurred?¡± Someone asked.

    ¡°The calamity that resulted in the creation of the Heilong Kingdom is directly related to the invasion of the saints of the Lanyu Continent. That year hundreds upon hundreds of thousands of people perished and countless saints fell from the sky. Niao Feng said with a sigh.

    ========================================================================

    While Niao Feng and the other various lords that fled the Warring States Region continued heading toward a new mysterious land and while the Siwang Empire¡¯s naval fleet also disappeared without a trace, the war-ravaged land that now belonged to the Aurora Empire was undergoing a miraculous change.

    A few months after the empire was established, thanks to his knowledge of his past life, Zhang enacted a series of changes throughout the far reaches of the Aurora Empire.

    One by one, schools and various educational institutions popped up across the land under Zhang¡¯s guidance. Since the children stood for Aurora¡¯s future, Zhang decided to try to develop as many talents as possible and to use schools as a gathering place to do so.

    Normally in other places only the wealthy or middle class could afford to pay for private tutors or send their children to boarding schools while the only chance given to poor people at a proper education would go be lucky enough to be admitted into a sect.

    However now that educational institutes were set up and funded by the government, everyone can get an equal chance at receiving an education. On a top of becoming educated for free, the students at all of these schools would also receive a chance to be selected to attend Aurora¡¯s Imperial Institute.

    Much like the Heilong Kingdom¡¯s Royal Academy, the Imperial Institute was established to help Aurora cultivate more high-level mages and warriors.

    Unlike the Royal Academy, however, the Imperial Institute accepted an unlimited number of talented students that all came from the various schools within the empire. Each and every student selected would be given an opportunity to board the empire¡¯s greatest symbol of power, Zhang¡¯s Sky Fortress, where they would stay for a number of years to further their understanding of cultivation, military strategy, and a number of other various arts.

    Among those admitted into the Imperial Institute, a few would be granted the opportunity to become direct disciples of Aurora¡¯s princesses.

    Surprisingly enough half a few months after all of the schools were constructed and operational, tens of thousands of students were selected and sent to the Sky Fortress.  Contrary to Zhang¡¯s usual hoarding of gold and riches, he spent lavishly to accommodate the students of the Imperial Institute.

    Besides changes in the education system, Zhang also sent out thousands of teams to properly survey the land. For many years the empire was divided and lots of lands that was once known to be filled with important resources were left shrouded in mystery and inaccessible.

    You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

    But now that survey teams were sent out, the empire would be properly mapped and explored, giving those governing over the land a better understanding of what resources they had to work with.

    As reports came back to the capital from the various teams spread out across the empire, dozens of veins of gold, silver, and various other minerals were found. A number of rare herbs were also being steadily sent back toward the capital as the various teams explored regions that have barely been laid eyes upon by humans.

    Of course much to Lingqi¡¯s delight, she would be the first to have a look at and pick what she wounded from these stashes of rare herbs.

    At Zhang¡¯s orders, rare books were to be sent to the capital for safe keeping because of the knowledge that could be lost if these books were to be destroyed or lost. Little did anyone know, Zhang was actually gathering books so that he can use his newly invented printing press to produce copies of them.

    Although he had thought about releasing the printing press to the public, he decided not to because of the economic impact it would have on a portion of the population who worked as scribes and made a living off copying books by hand.

    Perhaps over time he would introduce this wonderful invention to the world but for now too many changes at once only served to unhinge and cause the people to be uneasy.

    So for now instead of supplying everyone with inexpensive massed produced copies of text, Zhang provided every school with an adequate library for its students to use. But of course, no library in the Aurora Empire could compare to the one that was amassed in the Imperial Institute.

    Much to Ling¡¯s delight, the number of books that Zhang managed to collect quickly outnumbered the ones gathered within the Heilong Kingdom¡¯s Royal Academy.

    Zhang also introduced various agricultural innovations that would help increase the yield of crops produced in the Southern Region that is now being governed by the Liu Clan from what was the Dark Sea Province, who was being over watched by Zhuge Liang and Sima Yi.

    ¡°Have the teleportation platforms been set up yet?¡± Zhang asked from behind a desk covered in various documents.

    ¡°My lord construction has begun roughly a month ago and most of the platforms should have been finished by now.¡± A soldier replied to Zhang.

    Besides various reforms and establishing hundreds of schools, Zhang also ordered for the construction of teleportation arrays to be built across the empire. Based on designs used by the Dark Legion and with a bit of tweaking from Yuying, countless teleportation arrays were quickly built for the exclusive use of the government. Since traveling by foot or by horse would take many months, making the transportation of food from one end of the empire to the other impractically, Zhang needed a better way to supply reallocate resources.

    Thankfully after their master abandoned them, the former forces of the Dark Legion were easily persuaded to join under Zhang¡¯s banner. After which they¡¯ve help train Zhang¡¯s soldiers on how to use spell formations and also have shared the blueprints on how to construct the teleportation arrays.

    ¡°Good, have the excess crops sent to the Northern Region after encasing them in ice.¡± Zhang said as he tried to redistribute the abundant food supply of the Southern Region to the Northern Region that was lacking food but had plenty raw materials.

    ¡°I''ll send word to the Transport Core and General Hei Ang right away my lord.¡± A soldier said before exiting the Azure Tower where Zhang had been spending most of his time. Once outside the soldier mounted a massive Golden Winged Eagle that had its mind rewired by Yuying and flew into the sky before descending toward the capital below and fly out of the city toward a midsized fortress.

    ¡°Ai, do you want to go for a walk?¡± Zhang asked after the soldier departed while looking toward a table not too far some his desk where Ai was sitting and enjoying a wide variety of snacks laid out in front of her.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Ai said with an excited expression.

    Although Zhang did not act as the headmaster of the Imperial Institute nor did he take over managing the empire from Jian Wei he was still fairly busy while the other beauties were all caught up in doing their own thing, leaving Ai without anyone to spend time with for a large part of the day.

    ¡°Once the empire¡¯s borders are reinforced and the army is restructured, we can spend all the time we want together.¡± Zhang said with a laugh as he and his beautiful wife descended the steps of the Azure Tower arm in arm.

    After our lovely couple descended from the tower that pierced into the sky and began to walk about the newly constructed school campus, countless students could be seen roaming the grounds with arm fulls of scrolls and merry smiles on their faces.

    ¡°Your highnesses.¡± A few students said as they spotted Zhang and Ai, bowing politely to show their respect.

    ¡°You guys best be on your way or else you¡¯ll be late to class.¡± Zhang said with a smile.

    ¡°If you late sis you¡¯ll get a mouthful from sis.¡± Ai said with a laugh as she looked at a young girl who was dressed in black robes, symbolizing that she was one of Yuying¡¯s disciples.

    Once the school was started, three factions had emerged within it. Those who wore black robes with a red sash around their waists were Yuying¡¯s students who studied the dark arts, those with white robes and green sashes were Lingqi¡¯s students who studied medicine and poisons, those with white robes and blue sashes were Ling¡¯s students who studied a large variety of things that included by were not limited to war strategy and literature.

    Of course, there were hundreds of other teachers and educators in the institute, since occasionally Zhang¡¯s generals would try teaching the students a thing or two about this or that, even Sima Yi had given a lecture or two when he was in the capital. But for the most part, student would identify themselves with one of the three beauties.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go see how the smiths are doing.¡± Zhang said to Ai as they headed toward a massive furnace that could be seen spewing black smoke into the air.

    After Zhang recruited the best blacksmiths within the empire to work in the Sky Fortress, creating various weapons and instruments that he drew up blueprints for, a few of the institute¡¯s students took an interest to blacksmithing so a thus it was also added to the curriculum.

    As Zhang and Ai entered the institute¡¯s Inferno Smelting Hall they saw hundreds of students hard at work trying to craft swords and armor. Thanks to a bit of shared knowledge from Yuying and a few books that Zhang managed to gather, the students here were also being taught how to use inscriptions on their creations to create lesser magical items.

    ¡°This is a going to be a good one.¡± Zhang said as he watched a student pound away at a rod of iron until it flattened into the shape of a sword.

    ¡°Thank you for the praise your highness.¡± The student replied cheerfully with a smile despite the sweat that ran down his brow.

    For the most part, Zhang¡¯s attempt as running the academy came with many rewards as he was able to see the cheerful smiles on the faces of those who would otherwise not have a chance of bettering themselves simply because they could not afford to.

    Although there were no graduates from the school yet, it was certain that whoever graduated from the Imperial Institute would not find themselves without countless job offers.

 Chapter 169: Field Trip

    After watching the students crafting weapons and armor in the smelting hall, Zhang and Ai made their way to a place called the Beast Kennel where hundreds of demonic beasts were being kept.

    Hoping to develop an army like the Golden Wing Army, Zhang began to gather as many demonic beasts as he could to research what kinds of demonic beasts would be best suited to be paired with a human partner on a large scale such as an army. However due to the lack of demonic beasts in the Warring States Region, Zhang could not gather any demonic beasts that would be able to grow past the sixth level of cultivation.

    As Zhang and Ai walked through the Beast Kennel and they peered into the dozens of pens where hundreds of demonic beasts could be seen, many students could also be spotted. These students would one day become Aurora¡¯s beast tamers and experts in regards to demonic beasts.

    ¡°Your highnesses.¡± A student who appeared to be only twelve years old said as he bowed while hugging a small demonic beast that looked like a wolf with fiery red fur in his arms.

    ¡°Little Pan, how many times must I remind you to call me big sis.¡± Ai said as she patted the boy on the head.

    While the other beauties were taking in disciples and teaching classes, Ai spent a lot of her free time within the Beast Kennel with many students taking care of demonic beasts. Of course like in all previous cases the demonic beasts, big or small, were all incredibly wary of her presence.

    Contrary to her efforts, Ai failed to really get to any of the demonic beasts in the kennel, however, she did succeed in befriending many of the younger disciples of the Imperial Institute who interested in taking care of demonic beasts.

    ¡°Then, big sis have you come today to watch the feeding of the Hellfire Wolves?¡± The boy Ai referred to as Little Pan said with a smile as he patted the

    ¡°Maybe tomorrow.¡± Ai replied with a smile before bidding the boy goodbye and proceeding to accompany Zhang.

    After an hour or two of walking through the kennel and observing the students interact with various demonic beasts, Ai waved her hand and made a small puffy cloud form for her and Zhang to use to move to their next destination.

    ¡°It should be sunset soon.¡± Zhang said as he sat on a puffy cloud with Ai sitting in his lap.

    ¡°It should be.¡± Ai said with a grin as the puffy cloud they sat on flew toward the eastern side of the Sky Fortress.

    Before long the sun that loomed above within the sky could be seen making its way beneath the horizon as Zhang and Ai enjoyed a lovely moment together.

    While the sun was setting its last rays of light shone onto the imperial capital and casting a veil of beauty and a romantic air into the hearts of all those who were gifted with such a view.

    Like many say it''s the little moments in life that fly by in a heartbeat that often bring about the greatest amount of pleasure and joy, as is proven by Zhang and Ai¡¯s time gazing at the sunset. Only in such moments can we truly forget about the world around us and its worrisome struggles so that we can focus the entirety on our living companions.

    Much to the envy of the other beauties every day while lessons were being taught, Zhang would make time to go watch the sunset with Ai. Of course, it wasn''t as if the other beauties were being neglected because at night he would enjoy star gazing with Ling, in the morning watching the sun rise with Yuying, and at other times during the day compare medical notes with Lingqi.

    In actuality, the beauties had made a pact amongst themselves and divided up Zhang¡¯s day without his knowledge.

    Overall despite not knowing about the pact between the beauties and being as busy as he was, Zhang tried to make time for the beauties because if anything he still considered them a blessing that the heavens had bestowed upon him. Where else would one find such beautiful yet powerful women in a world where most women are expected to only master the skills of sewing, raising children and depending on their husbands. But that is not to say that all women are like this because it''s never accurate to group people together.

    ¡°We can keep doing this every day right?¡± Ai asked while in her husband¡¯s embrace as the last rays of warmth from the sun enveloped her.

    ¡°It''s a promise.¡± Zhang replied with a smile as he stuck out his pinky finger to which Ai locked her pinky finger with. Before long their lips touched and time seemed to stand still.

    ¡°Hey, you kid! What are you doing up there!¡± A voice belonging to a certain middle-aged man echoed into Zhang and Ai¡¯s ears.

    Looking down a middle-aged man dressed in golden robes, that were fitting for an emperor, and was surrounded by sturdy looking guards came into view.

    ¡°Uncle!¡± Ai yelled as she made the puffy cloud underneath her descend toward the ground toward the emperor of the Aurora Empire, Jian Wei.

    ¡°The mighty emperor of the Aurora Empire is forgoing his duties to interrupt an intimate moment between a husband and his wife? What will people say when they hear of this.¡± Zhang said jokingly with a laugh as he clasped his hand and greeted Jian Wei.

    ¡°What will people say when they hear of the prince and future emperor of the Aurora Empire, forgoing his duties to the people and spending intimate time with his beautiful wife?¡± Jian Wei replied with a laugh as he walked beside Zhang and patted his shoulder.

    ¡°Between the two of us though if you need any more of those pills I''ll have someone send you a few batches.¡± Jian Wei whispered into Zhang¡¯s ear.

    ¡°What was that?¡± Ai asked with a curious look on her face.

    ¡°I was asking him if he was treating my favorite foster daughter with enough love or not.¡± Jian Wei said as he placed his hand on the top of her head and ruffled her hair as if he was looking at a child.

    ¡°If you can another batch or two would come in handy. The girls need as much help as they can get.¡± Zhang whispered into Jian Wei¡¯s ear with a laugh.

    ¡°Don''t work yourself too hard, although that fruit you gave me has added a few more years to my stay in the realm of the living, the people do need someone to take care of them once I''m gone.¡± Jian Wei laughed while referring to the Eternity Fruit that Zhang gave him.

    ¡°Your highness! Your highness! I knew this would be where you ran off to!¡± A group of middle-aged men wearing the robes of government officials could be seen running toward Jian Wei.

    ¡°Damn they found me already.¡± Jian Wei cursed as his advisers and ministers came into view.

    ¡°Your majesty it seems you have duties to attend to.¡± Zhang said as he glanced at Ai who made a puffy cloud appear once more.

    ¡°Take me with you!¡± Jian Wei yelled as Zhang and Ai made their escape while the various ministers and advisers surrounded Jian Wei.

    Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.

    As things are, Jian Wei as the founding emperor of the Aurora Empire was left with an overwhelming workload that would drive most people insane. New government divisions needed to be established to help with the reconstruction of the war-torn lands, a working tax system needed to be put in place, checks and balances needed to be placed upon the various provincial lord''s that governed over the empire¡¯s land, borders needed to be reinforced, and not counting his diplomatic responsibilities, there were countless other things that called for Jian Wei¡¯s attention.

    Of course, once everything was put into place and the empire was efficiently operating, Jian Wei could live out the rest of his life in leisure while being one of the most powerful and influential people on the continent.

    So as Jian Wei was dragged away by his advisors and ministers, Zhang and Ai flew off while their soft chuckles were drowned out by the howling wind.

    ¡°I think it''s time for dinner.¡± Ai said as the puffy cloud she was sitting on drifted across the sky toward the Imperial Institute¡¯s mess hall.

    Perhaps it became an unspoken custom but every night Zhang and the beauties would gather at the mess hall to dine with the institute''s students.

    This unspoken custom had actually started because of the numerous invitations that were sent by the institute¡¯s male populous asking the beauties out on dates. Promoting Zhang to publicly dine with his wives to show that they were taken.

    Ironically despite how well known Zhang and the beauties are, when the Imperial Institute first opened, many students did not recognize them. Perhaps it was because of the weird rumors that had been floating around about their appearances or maybe because they were the same age as some of the institute¡¯s students, whatever the reason, while the Zhang was asked out by a majority of the institute''s female population, his wives were asked out by the institute''s male population.

    So in the end as a public display that by Zhang to tell others the beauties were his and for the beauties to tell everyone that Zhang has been laid claim to, they all started eating dinner in the mess hall together with the institute¡¯s students. But despite their public display of both their statuses and affection for each other, Zhang would often get challenged to duels by the students with the love of beauties at stake, of course, the opposite was true also as the beauties would occasionally receive challenges also.

    However, for the most part, it was just mostly Zhang because as things were seen, there was no need to challenge the beauties because if anything Zhang could just marry more wives.

    ¡°What took you guys so long?¡± Three voices could be heard in unison as Zhang and Ai hopped off their fluffy ride and began to ascend the steps that lead into the mess hall.

    ¡°How was class?¡± Zhang asked with a laugh as he looked toward Yuying, Ling, and Lingqi who were dressed in robes that showed they were teachers within the Imperial Institute.

    ¡°One of my students made the corpse she reanimated blow up and got stuff on everyone in class.¡± Yuying said with eyes brimming with excitement.

    ¡°One on my students was able to decipher a mid-grade technique that hasn''t been practiced for hundreds of years.¡± Ling said with eyes that were equally brimming with excitement.

    ¡°Teaching in itself is learning, today thanks to a student of mine I was able to come up with a new method to graft plants.¡± Lingqi said with a smile.

    ¡°Have you guys told the students about our little field trip?¡± Zhang asked with a smile.

    ¡°Of course.¡± Lingqi, Yuying, and Ling said in unison.

    Since Zhang had now assembled a considerable force under his command, he felt it was time to finally retrieve that treasure that his master Xin Tao had discovered countless years ago. The treasure that included a vast amount of magical items, reservoirs of liquid mithril, untold riches and most importantly one of the seven heavenly treasures, the Rising Moon Sword.

    Of course, Zhang¡¯s students did not know about the treasure and were simply told they would go on a trip to hunt and capture demonic beasts. An outrageous secret such as the location of a massive treasure that many could only dream of seeing and a heavenly treasure that was among one of the few most sought after items within the continent was not something to be told to any of Zhang¡¯s trusted general''s or advisers, let alone mere students.

    ¡°I also made sure to tell them that anyone who manages to capture either the most or strongest demonic beast would receive a reward.¡± Lingqi said as she and the rest of the group made their way into the mess hall.

    ¡°I made sure to tell my students that also.¡± Ling and Yuying said one after the other as they arrived at a large round table on the second floor of the mess hall and seated themselves.

    ¡°Although it''s been countless years since master had been to that place since no news of the Rising Moon Sword being found has surfaced, I think it''s safe to say no one has found out where the treasure is.¡± Zhang as he sat down.

    Considering the amount of time that Xin Tao had been dead, the memory that he imprinted into Zhang¡¯s mind could be totally wrong when compared to the current reality. Before the location of the treasure was within a forest filled with demonic beasts, however now a city could possibly be built near it. However, the only way to find out was to go to the location and see.

    So with a mixture of excitement and curiosity in the air, the mess hall was filled the voices of countless students who sat on the first floor. Whereas most of the students sat on the first floor, the institute¡¯s faculty and a select few students who scored top marks were able to sit on the second floor with Zhang and the beauties.

    Soon after Zhang and his wives were seated, a vast array of delicious looking dishes were brought out and set atop their table and thus their meal began.

    ¡°Brother try some of this.¡± Ai said with a smile as she picked up some food with her chopsticks and placed it in Zhang¡¯s bowl, much to the despair and heartbreak of her many admirers.

    Afterward, a few more hearts were broken as the other beauties also placed some food into their husband¡¯s bowl. But of course, no one dared to say or do anything because the few that did during the first few days the institute opened had been taught a lesson by Zhang they would remember for quite some time.

    If a fifteen laps around the institute''s campus every day for a month was not bad enough, various professors and educators who were hoping to gain Zhang¡¯s favor doubled the amount of homework these individuals received. So for a month or two those who dared to cause Zhang trouble experienced what could only be described as torture.

 Chapter 170: Council of Saints

    :d Comments? Thoughts?

    ==========================================================================

    Three days after Jian Wei has managed to sneak away from his ministers and advisors and found his way onto the Sky Fortress through one of the teleportation arrays located within the imperial city, the citizens who lived in the Aurora Empire¡¯s capital watched in awe as the massive city that floated in the sky began to move and roughly a month and a half later it was floating over its destination, a location just south of from the Lunar Mountains and the land governed by sects.

    Unlike the memory that Xin Tao shared with Zhang, from the sky gazing down on the Beast¡¯s Nirvana, dozens of ruins could be seen poking out of the forest¡¯s canopy. Broken towers and fragmented walls came into view, showing signs of past human settlements after Xin Tao and the group of saints that accompanied him had found this place.

    ¡°Keep the cloud creation arrays up for the remainder of our stay and send out scouts to survey the surrounding area before we disembark.¡± Zhang said to one of his soldiers as he gazed down into a circular mirror that showed him the landscape below.

    ¡°I¡¯ll pass down the orders right away my lord.¡± The soldier said as he departed from the room.

    Hoping to make his fortress in the sky less noticeable, Zhang with a bit of expertise from Yuying had dozens of arrays that drew power from the essence core installed to generate clouds that cloaked the bottom of the fortress.

    After Zhang¡¯s orders were given out, hundreds of Golden Winged Eagles flew outward and across the vast sky as their riders clad in black armor that gleamed underneath the sun¡¯s rays looked for signs of people and beasts.

    Equipped with telescopes that were invented and mass produced by Zhang, the riders atop the Golden Winged Eagles that appeared like moving specks from the ground were able to scan the terrain underneath them. Despite riding Golden Winged Eagles, these men were not the former soldiers of the Golden Wing Army, rather these were Zhang''s handpicked soldiers who are the first of Aurora¡¯s Imperial Winged Legion.

    If everything goes according to Zhang¡¯s plans, then after a few years the Winged Legion would become a force to be wrecked with upon the battlefield.

    ¡°Let we practiced, boys.¡± A soldier who appeared to be the commanding officer of the Winged Legion said as he gave hand signals to the other riders who were atop Golden Winged Eagles. Following their commander¡¯s hand signals, the hundreds of men who made up the Winged Legion split apart in all directions.

    As the members of the Winged Legion fanned out, combed the air and tried to peer through the canopy of the forest, they spotted a total of ten small pummels of smoke snaking upward into the sky roughly twenty miles away from the Sky Fortress. From what Zhang¡¯s scouts could make out, these towers of smoke belonged to newly lit campfires. Through the gaps in the canopy, many white tents could be seen and countless more people were spotted.

    ¡°What is a lot like you doing here? Judging from the looks on your faces you''re not from soldiers from any of the holy kingdoms.¡± A voice rang into every member of the Winged Legion within the area above the tents and pummels of smoke.

    Looking toward the source of the voice, a man who looked neither young nor old with black hair but white colored eyebrows could be seen standing atop a levitating sword.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you know that know that by the decree of the Council of Heavenly Saints that no kingdom ruled by mortals nor its armies are supposed to come within a thousand miles of the Lunar Mountains without an escort?¡± The man with white eyebrows said in a stern and mocking voice as if he was talking to nothing more than pests.

    ¡°My lord, we apologize if we have caused you any inconvenience, we¡¯ll be on our way.¡± The commander of the Winged Legion said as he shot a red colored flare into the sky, signaling for his subordinates to retreat.

    ¡°As an elder of the Lunar Sect it would be beneath me to kill you, however, you''re trespassing and breaking the rules set by the Council of Heavenly Saints cannot go unpunished. Surrender all of your demonic beasts to me and you may leave with your lives.¡± The man with white eyebrows said as he eyed the majestic Golden Winged Eagles that Zhang¡¯s soldiers were riding.

    ¡°I apologize, your lordship, but these eagles are not ours to give.¡± The commander of the Winged Legion said, realizing the man¡¯s intentions after seeing his greed filled eyes.

    As far as the values of demonic beasts went flying demonic beasts especially tamed ones were very much sought after and could fetch a premium price at auctions and that was for lower leveled ones, let alone the level seven Golden Winged Eagles that were trained for war.

    ¡°Then don¡¯t resent me for not giving you a warning.¡± The white eyebrow man said as the sword underneath his feet began to chase toward the fleeing soldiers of the Winged Legion.

    In the Sky Tower, a frown appeared on Zhang¡¯s face as he saw the red flare being shot into the sky.

    ¡°Brother, it seems there are people here to play with.¡± Ai said as she looked at the red flare that was slowly fading away while releasing her divine sense and scanning the area. After absorbing the heavenly energy of the lesser saints, Ai, Ling, Lingqi and Yuying found that the area that could be covered by their divine sense had increased to roughly fifty miles.

    At first, they had refrained from using their divine sense because they wished to be stealthy. Since if there were high-level cultivators in the surrounding area they would be alerted.

    ¡°A level ten cultivator is chasing after our people. There is also a camp with a couple hundred to a thousand people with a few of them being level ten while the rest range from levels five to seven.¡± Ai said as she looked in the direction where the Winged Legion was being chased.

    ¡°Let¡¯s have the students and some of our soldiers disembark and begin the field trip while we deal with these unexpected guests after enjoying a little show.¡± Zhang said as the silver ring on his finger began to glow in a bloody red color and the Sky Fortress began to move.

    While the Sky Fortress was moving toward a small mountain, a puffy cloud with five passengers floated out from the Azure Tower and headed for where the Winged Legion was.

    Although the man with white eyebrows was extremely fast atop his flying sword, the Winged Legion put their skills on display as the dozens of aerial maneuvers taught to them by Zhang were used.

    Much to the white eyebrow man¡¯s dismay, he could not catch up to his targets no matter how much he tried because whenever he got close they could somehow manage to slip out of his grasp. To make things worse he felt a pulse move through his entire body, alerting him that someone just used their divine sense to scan the area.

    ¡°They have a level ten cultivator with them? Whoever is with them should only be a rogue cultivator or else they could know about the decree but I should call for help to be sure in case there is more than one level ten cultivator.¡± The man thought as he waved his hand and a sound transmission device appeared in his hand. Before long, a dozen or so swords carrying a mixture of men and women shot into the sky from the camp hidden beneath the forest¡¯s canopy.

    The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

    ¡°Tian Kong, I¡¯m here go and join the others back at the fort.¡± Zhang¡¯s voice could be heard in the mind of all of the soldiers of the Winged Legion whose panicked stricken expression, due to the appearance of dozens of hostiles whom they knew they were no match for, were relieved upon hearing their master¡¯s voice and reassurance.

    ¡°Seniors, if you could place spare my man and me for our ignorance.¡± Zhang¡¯s voice said as the puffy cloud beneath his feet sped through the sky and placed him and the beauties in front of the paths of those who were pursuing his men.

    ¡°The crime of breaking a degree set by the council is punishable by death. As I¡¯ve told your men, no kingdom ruled by mortals nor its armies are supposed to come within a thousand miles of the Lunar Mountains without an escort. However, I was generous enough to let them go with a mere warning but to think you backwater rogues have the gall to think my mercy could be exploited.¡± The white eyebrow man said with a dignified voice.

    ¡°As things are there are only five of us but about twenty of them and he probably thinks that we are all mere saints like them. So he thinks we can be threatened and taken advantage of. However, if I just kill them all I might stir up unwanted attention and trouble from whatever sect they are from.¡± Zhang thought as he eyed the white eyebrow man and his colleagues who were all dressed in matching light blue robes.

    ¡°Again, I apologize for any inconveniences that we may have caused you but those demonic beasts are not mine to give as they belong to my master.¡± Zhang said as he cooked up a plan in his head. Since his men were in armor clearly showing they are soldiers and being without an escort Zhang could not deny the fact that he did in fact break whatever decree was setup and upheld within these lands.

    ¡°Whoever your master is we do not care, what we do care about is that you¡¯ve broken a sacred degree set by the Council of Saints. If we were to report you not only you and your men but your entire kingdom would incur the wrath of the council. On top of things, if you do not compensate us for wasting our time then you¡¯ll make enemies of our Lunar Sect.¡± The white eyebrow man said with a greedy smile as a few of his colleagues jeered him on while looking at the beauties with lecherous eyes. A few others who were also the white eyebrow man¡¯s colleagues looked at him with contempt but did not voice their opinions and tried to uphold a united front.

    ¡°It seems my master, Dan Jin, is not as important as he says he is.¡± Zhang said with a dry laugh as he said the name of the elderly man who dressed like a beggar.

    ¡°Da-Dan Jin? Ma-master Dan Jin? He couldn¡¯t possibly mean that Dan Jin?¡± One of the level ten cultivators of the Lunar Sect stuttered as he tried to speak.

    ¡°I knew someone who dressed like a beggar and claimed he was a saint wasn¡¯t someone to be trusted¡­ I can¡¯t believe I was tricked so easily.¡± Zhang said as he pretended facepalm himself.

    ¡°Uncle Dan Jin lied to us? Couldn¡¯t be, he even taught me a few high-level wind techniques. Honey, he also loaned us these eagles to come visit him how could he possibly be lying, how can a regular beggar have so many demonic beasts to loan?¡± Ling said as she played along with Zhang¡¯s lie.

    ¡°Beggar, wind¡­ Dan Jin¡­¡± The white eyebrow man said with as his thoughts began to scramble together.

    ¡°Eight Brother, I think he may be talking about that Dan Jin, the reason why no one dares to offend any of the beggars in the Lunar Kingdom¡­¡± A man who appeared to be in his thirties said in a whisper to the white eyebrow man.

    ¡°Seniors, although I may have been lied to, those demonic beasts really don¡¯t belong to me so I can¡¯t give them to you but perhaps once I have a word with their owner and explain the situation I can hand them over? If you would give me a few days to go find him. Also to prove my intentions are real I¡¯ll leave my men, my wives and the demonic beasts in your care until I come back.¡± Zhang said with a sharp gaze.

    ¡°Explain to their owner? You mean explain to master Dan Jin? No need for that, I think we may have had a little misunderstanding.¡± The white eyebrow man said with a dry laugh as he realized the consequences that may occur if Zhang really did bring back Dan Jin after explaining to him the situation.

    ¡°If master Dan Jin finds out we tried to extort demonic beasts from his disciples on top of threatening them, then our lives are forfeit. Not even the sect leader and the grand elders are willing to face him¡± One of the white eyebrow man¡¯s colleagues said as he imagined invoking the wrath of someone that even saints were afraid of.

    ¡°If it¡¯s a misunderstanding then I¡¯ll be on my way since I have a group of students awaiting my supervision. I hope that if we do run into each other during the remainder of our stay here we can all sit down for a few cups of wine.¡± Zhang said with a smile as he looked at Ai who with a wave of her hand made the puffy cloud that they were standing atop of move.

    ¡°Might I get your name so next time I meet Master Dan Jin I can mention meeting his disciple.¡± The white eyebrow man said trying to prove Zhang¡¯s identity.

    ¡°My name is Zhou Zhang.¡± Zhang replied without a moment''s hesitation, knowing fully well the opposite party would try to find out if he was old man Dan Jin¡¯s disciple or not.

    ¡°Then I bid you farewell Brother Zhou Zhang, if we do have the pleasure of running into each other during the remainder of our stays here then I''ll be sure to invite you to sit down to drink a few cups of wine.¡± The white eyebrow man said before departing with his colleagues.

    Shortly after their little confrontation and when Zhang¡¯s group and the group of level ten cultivators were out of each other¡¯s hearing range they both began to talk amongst themselves.

    ¡°Tell our disciples if they run into anyone else in the forest during the training exercise then try to avoid conflict.¡± The white eyebrow man said as he foresaw possible conflicts arising after hearing Zhang mention something about students.

    Of course, Zhang said basically the same thing to the beauties also since figured more conflicts could possibly arise amongst his students and the white eyebrow man¡¯s group.

    ¡°We also have to be careful and make are there are no prying eyes when we pinpoint the entrance to the hoard of treasure.¡± Zhang reminded his wives with a smile as he laid down upon the puffy cloud controlled by Ai.

    Like the softest and most comfortable bed to ever exist, the puffy cloud provided Zhang with endless joy as he was surrounded by beautiful women who also began laying down on the cloud and looking up in the vast sky.

 Chapter 171: Turtles

    Disheartened by his failed plot to get the readers to make a glossary iEndWorlds sat in a corner awaiting the end of time.

    ==============================================================================

    ¡°Couldn''t we have just killed them?¡± Lingqi asked with a yawn as she laid beside her husband atop a fluffy cloud that was taking its time returning to where the students and soldiers of Aurora were.

    ¡°We could have but then that would only draw more attention to this area and cause more people to come here. Before we find out if the treasure is still here or not it would be best to keep a low profile.¡± Zhang said as he poked Lingqi on the cheek.

    If they killed the group of level ten cultivators then they would have to kill everyone within the camp as well, which of course would prompt the Lunar Sect to send people to investigate the disappearance of their people. This would then result in the situation possibly spiraling out of control.

    There was also the option of forgoing the whole charade and revealing his status as a saint, however upon hearing about some council of saints, Zhang felt that it would only serve to inconvenience him if reveals his status.

    But of all the reasons that prompted Zhang from hiding his power, there was one highly impractically one and that was the fact that he wished to see the looks on those people¡¯s faces after they find out that he is a saint.

    Before long Zhang and the beauties arrived at where their students were setting up camp. For the most part, only a few hundred of their soldiers were stationed on the ground to supervise the students while the rest were given time off and allowed to stay within the Sky Fortress which Zhang had moved elsewhere so it would not be discovered so easily.

    After disembarking from the Sky Fortress, the thousands of students of the Imperial Institute could be seen busily pitching their tents.

    ¡°They have much to learn.¡± Zhang said with a smile as he and the beauties made their way through untidy rows of crudely pitched tents.

    ¡°If I remember correctly that tent you pitched when we were making our way through the Dragon¡¯s Maw, wasn''t so perfect either.¡± Yuying said with a laugh as she teased Zhang.

    ¡°That was so I could avoid pitching a large tent. How else would my plan to obtain two beauties succeed?¡± Zhang laughed as a devious smile appeared on his face.

    ¡°You rascal.¡± Yuying said as she lightly punched Zhang on the shoulder.

    After a few hours and a lot of help from Zhang¡¯s soldiers, the students of the Imperial Institute were able to erect a fairly sturdy camp that came equipped with a small fence that encircled its entire perimeter.

    The thousands of students of the institute had also split up into smaller groups that numbered somewhere from four to ten people each. These groups of students would have to accomplish a series of tasks that were devised to test their ingenuity and resourcefulness. Tasks such as identifying ten different types of herbs a day and turning them into one of the institute¡¯s faculty, capturing demonic beasts, scavenging the corpses of demonic beasts, locating and retrieving rare materials, etc. At the end of the field trip after Zhang and the beauties had hopefully retrieved the hidden treasure, a rewarding ceremony would take place and the students would be rewarded based on what they managed to accomplish.

    Of course for the duration of the field trip before the reward ceremony, the safety of the students is one of Zhang¡¯s highest priorities so despite being challenged to accomplish difficult tasks, the students are kept under constant surveillance by the elite guard who had dispersed into the forest upon disembarking the Sky Fortress.

    The day after the camp was pitched and the students broke up into teams, they began to disperse into the forest with eager faces brimming with excitement. For many, if not all of these students, this would be the first time they would get to experience such a trip so their hopes and dreams went wild while competitiveness and adventurous feelings skyrocketed.

    ¡°Look at all of these plants!¡± One of Lingqi¡¯s students wearing white and green robes said with brightened eyes as he and his group of friends began collecting the large bounty presented to them by the forest.

    ¡°Th-that¡¯s a Devil Fanged Clover!¡± Another one of Lingqi¡¯s students yelled as they spotted a beautiful flower with four red leaves that were shaped like curving fangs.

    ¡°Stop! Don¡¯t touch it! According to Master Lingqi, Devil Fanged Clovers are extremely dangerous because they are usually¡­¡±  Yet another one of Lingqi¡¯s student tried to say but before she could finish her sentence, her teammate already pounced upon the Devil Fanged Clover and moments later a deafening screech made its way into everyone¡¯s ears as the earth began to rumble.

    ¡°Devil Fanged Clovers highly resemble a plant that grows on the head of a demonic beast called a Blood Fang Rat that tends to burrow by trees¡­.¡± The female student said with a sigh at her teammate''s blunder.

    Moments later the ground beneath their feet ceased shaking and a red colored rat the size of a bear stared down upon this group comprised of Lingqi¡¯s students.

    This red colored rat had a mouth filled with curved fangs and blood-red eyes that screamed danger. Its arms were armed with grotesque looking claws that were covered in dirt.

    ¡°Everyone stay calm and don''t make any sudden movements. If we coordinate attacks, we can defeat it.¡± A member of the group said as he pulled out a clear vial that was filled with a green colored liquid.

    Before long the Blood Fang Rat charged forward while brandishing its vast array of sharp weapons.

    To the rat¡¯s surprise, it was bombarded by a dozen vials filled with a mixture of poisons that inflicted a wide range of symptoms on it.

    Its vision was taken away by a cloud of pink mist that made its eyes feel like they were set ablaze while it''s limbs felt numb due to a green liquid that splashed onto its fur. While patches of its skin were slowly melting away and revealing white bone that is normally hidden behind a layer of flesh.

    Normally even seasoned soldiers would avoid confronting a demonic beast of the fourth level of cultivation like the Blood Fang Rat due to the difference in power between a human and a beast, however, thanks to the training the students received from the institute they were able to hold their own.

    Clearly at a disadvantage, the Blood Fang Rat fell into a maddened state and began to attack with

    unrestrainable fury. Blinded by anger the rat unleashed random attacks in all directions without any pattern, causing trees to fall and boulders to be smashed.

    But despite its show of strength the rat soon fell victim to the poisons the students used.

    ¡°Let¡¯s bring this back to camp before heading out again.¡± The female student that tried to warn her teammate about the Blood Fanged Rat suggested.

    This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    Like this group, most of the groups of students who were dispersed through the forest found themselves face to face with the many predators that lurked in this place where few people tread.

    While most were able to manage and come out victorious when facing the beasts of the forest in battle there were a few who found themselves in dire straits due to their lack of preparation or lack of strength. These students, of course, would be saved by the elite guard who either helped them deliver the few final blows to their enemy or aid them in escaping.

    True to the nature of the trip, all of the students were able to gain real battle experience that would not only serve to help them grow but would one day add to the strength of the empire when it is in need of their strength.

    ¡°They''re doing well.¡± Zhang said with a wide grin on his face as he watched the students bring their harvests back to camp before eagerly heading back into the woods.

    Of course, there were a few who were somewhat shaken due to their near death experiences, but after a bit coaching, a little encouragement paired with hands-on teaching from Zhang and the beauties, these students were back up and about in little to no time.

    Accompanying some of the students, Zhang, and the beauties even got the opportunity to show off a few their skills much to the awe of their audience.

    While their masters were out and about, Little White and the horde of Wraith Spiders roamed the forest by themselves, ready to fill their stomachs.

    Unlike the Wraith Spiders who worked in groups to quickly subdue and secure prey, Little White was actually able to use its miniature form to lure other demonic beasts into attacking it. Of course, those unfortunate enough to attack Little White would then find themselves cut to ribbons and used as food in a matter of seconds.

    Much to the despair of the demonic beasts that lived in the forest they were not only being hunted by the institute¡¯s students, Little White, the Wraith Spiders, Zhang and the beauties, but also Golden Winged Eagles that Zhang allowed to roam free and the various demonic beasts that had paired up with students.

    Despite the large number of demonic beasts that were being hunted, not even a fraction of those that called the forest home were killed. That goes to show the pure volume of demonic beasts that lived in this area.

    ¡°If I remember correctly it should be somewhere around here.¡± Zhang said as he and the beauties walked through the dense forest after breaking off from their group of students.

    ¡°Sense it''s been hundreds of thousands of years, the ground must have shifted quite a bit.¡± Yuying said as she failed to spot any caves that lead to an outrageous hoard of treasure.

    ¡°Shhhh.¡± Ai hushed everyone as she pointed toward a group of people that were moving on the opposite side of a bush not too far from where they were.

    ¡°Remember to be careful, the eighth elder told us to keep an eye out for that other group and monitor them until he is able to determine if they are related to master Dan Jin or not.¡± A man who happened to be a level six cultivator said to his companions whose cultivation a ranged from levels five to seven.

    ¡°What if they spot us?¡± Someone asked.

    ¡°They wouldn''t dare do anything to us with so many elders around. I heard they only have five level, ten cultivators, while we have nearly twenty elders on our side.¡± The first man to speak said with a face full of confidence.

    ¡°On top of the elders here, if anything were to happen to us the grand elders and maybe even the sect master will arrive to teach them a lesson. I doubt they would be willing to offend our sect even if we do cause them some trouble.¡± The man also added.

    ¡°I heard from one of the senior brothers, that they spotted some pretty girls apart of that other group. Maybe if we have a little luck on our side we might get to have a bit of fun.¡± Another man said with a lecherous grin.

    ¡°That look filled with blind confidence¡­¡± Zhang mumbled with an irritated look on his face upon hearing what these men were talking about. Since his students were the future of his empire, Zhang, of course, would try to prevent and eating push any and all harm that could possibly befall them.

    ¡°Should I go give them a beating?¡± Ai asked as she saw her husband''s irritated face.

    ¡°No need I just came up with something.¡± Zhang said as a devious grin replaced his irritated one.

    In a flash, his shadow extended and hundreds of turtles the size of dogs began to rise out from the dark depths.

    As the disciples of the Lunar Sect were talking amongst themselves, a legion of turtles slowly moved out from the forest¡¯s underbrush. At first, there was only one turtle but one soon turned to two and two soon turned to a dozen.

    ¡°What the fuck? Why are there turtles here?¡± One of the Lunar Sect¡¯s disciples questioned as turtles continued to appear and encircle them.

    Before they knew it there was no longer any path of escape and became scared out of their wits as the dog sized turtles showed off their power by biting large chunks of wood out of dozens of trees causing them to topple over.

    ¡°What kind of sick joke is this?¡± Someone mumbled as all of the trees around them fell over and the turtles all began to stare at them with blank expressions. As if some whacked nightmare had come to life, this group of disciples from the Lunar Sect found themselves in an odd situation surrounded by dog-sized turtles that would snap at them if they were to even move an inch. Ironically, the turtles moved at the pace of a snail but when the group of Lunar Sect disciples tried to flee they could become as fast as lightning.

    ¡°Draw your swords, men! We¡¯ll force our way out!¡± A cry echoed through the forest as blades gleamed under the sun¡¯s rays. However, an instant later the once perfect blades were shattered and previously intact robes were torn by the jaws of the Abyssal Turtles and the disciples of the Lunar Sect were left in their undergarments.

    After ascending and becoming a saint although the Abyssal Beasts Zhang could create could not contend with saints they were more than enough to deal with most people who were at the tenth level of cultivation or under. Meaning if Zhang wanted to then the turtles would be more than capable of killing all of the disciples of the Lunar Sect within the forest let alone this group of individuals.

    But since his priority was still obtaining the Rising Moon Sword and the vast pools of liquid mithril, Zhang decided to spare them for the time being since the elite guard would prevent any of the students from being in harm''s way.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Zhang said with a chuckle as he and the beauties peered through a bush and saw how stricken with fear the men surrounded by turtles were.

 Chapter 172: Dragon Blood Lily

    Donate to me $1000000 within 5 minutes and ther will be another chapter muahahahaha jk lol

    ==============================================================================

    While the disciples of the Lunar Sect were surrounded by turtles and scared out of their wits, Zhang withdrew his golden map that could sense dragon veins out from his interspatial ring. Since the map also had the ability to send out a pulse of essence and then depict its surrounding, he was going to use it to try to find the location of all of the caves and possible entrances into the place where the treasure he was seeking could be.

    With the map held up in one hand and a bit of essence flowing into it, the golden map began to do its job and the outline of the surrounding area began to appear. Before long a dozen or so entrances into subterranean caves could be seen on the map.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go wait here for a bit.¡± Zhang said as his shadow expanded against and the abyssal cape fluttered as a dozen or so black colored rabbits emerged and scurried away.

    Since checking every single cave would take some time and ordering his soldiers to do so would draw unnecessary attention that could possibly lead to someone else finding the treasure, Zhang decided to use inconspicuous looking abyssal rabbits to do the job.

    As Zhang and his wives made themselves comfy while the abyssal rabbits surveyed the caves, the students of the Imperial Institute continued to hunt down the forest¡¯s bounty and bring them back to camp.

    Dozens of demonic beasts could be seen being transported by groups of students who were covered in light wounds but had joyful expressions on their faces. Perhaps it is the thrill of the hunt, the joy of achieving success with friends or simply the nature of the field trip, but as their experience and achievements stacked up most if not all of the students were filled with glee.

    In what was the Warring States Region, demonic beasts were considered a rarity since they mostly stayed out of sight, but here even beasts who were only at the first or second level of cultivation were brimming with confidence and always ready for a fight.

    Since the demonic beasts were relatively weak but were willing to fight, the students were able to gain valuable combat experience that they could never do so elsewhere without placing themselves in danger.

    Through dozens of fights, the students were able to slowly grasp how to position themselves, coordinate with each other, pinpoint the weaknesses of their opponent and last but not least learn to effectively utilize their knowledge, skill and power.

    But there, of course, were students who encountered demonic beasts in the fifth and sixth level of cultivation that they currently could not deal with. Such encounters though dangerous were not fruitless because through these run-ins the students would develop an extremely important skill that would allow them to survive and avoid most dangers that they come across.

    They would develop the ability to gauge an opponent and know to flee when encountering a stronger foe. Since blind confidence and inaccurate gauging of an opponent¡¯s power usually led to defeat or death, the skill of reading an opponent and the skill of running away would definitely come in handy and be the difference between life or death.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go Little Hong.¡± A familiar looking boy who Ai had referred to as Little Pan could be seen moving through the forest with a group of students and their demonic beast companions.

    Of all of the groups of students, this group was comprised entirely of the Aurora Empire¡¯s future beast tamers and their demonic beasts.

    ¡°Little Brother Pan, remember that our objective is not to hunt demonic beasts like the other groups, we are here to capture them alive so don''t forget to use those talismans that teacher gave us.¡± A young girl said with a smile as the group quickened its pace.

    For the most part, the students of the Imperial Institute either picked missions that had something to do with gathering medicinal herbs and plants, slaying demonic beasts or gathering rare materials, but this particular group decided to challenge a mission that many others probably would not dare to attempt.

    They decided to capture demonic beasts to add to the Beast Pen and were given talismans created by Yuying to do so. These talismans would place whatever demonic beast they are stuck to under a deep trace so they could be transported back to camp. Although it may seem like a walk in the park to capture demonic beasts with the talismans in their possession, this was not true because for the talismans to work the students had to stick them onto their prey, which is diffidently not an easy task.

    If one thought about it fighting, killing and fleeing were totally different from capturing because of the students dealt too much damage their prey would die but if they didn''t deal enough damage they run the risk of their prey escaping or possibly harming them. So as this group consisting of the few brave souls who dared to attempt a mission that most others steered clear of, they stumbled upon their first opponent.

    Underneath a massive apple tree, the students spotted a large shimmering suit of green scales that basked in the sun¡¯s warmth.

    ¡°That''s a level five Emerald Scale Viper. Those things can grow to be a few hundred feet and become large enough to swallow entire horses.¡± A boy in his teens with red colored hair and a scimitar in his hand whispered to the rest of the group.

    ¡°It seems to be sleeping, you guys think we can stick the talisman on it before it wakes up?¡± Little Pan asked.

    ¡°Let''s move on but be careful since the strongest person in our group is only a level fix it''ll be considerably harder to beat if it manages to catch us off guard.¡± A tall boy in his teens with blue hair and a blue colored fox by his side said.

    ¡°Frost, you keep an eye on my alright?¡± The boy said to his blue colored fox that replied with a nod before they group began to move in with talismans in hand.

    In a flash, the group of a dozen or so students dispersed and formed a large circle around the tree that the snake was coiled around before they began to close in on it.

    ¡°Fall back! It''s awake!¡± Little Pan yelled as the Emerald Scale Viper¡¯s eyes sprang open and it bares its fangs.

    Before anyone could do a thing the Emerald Scale Viper uncoiled itself and launched into the air at unbelievable speeds.

    Luckily for the group of students before it can skew any of them with its fangs, Little Pan¡¯s red colored wolf be his side named Little Hong opened its mouth and unleashed a torrent of flame.

    Despite only currently being a level four Hellfire Wolf, Little Hong violent flames was able to make the Emerald Scale Viper alter its trajectory in midair and crash into a large tree causing the tree to topple over due to sheer force.

    Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

    Although it was able to dodge Little Hong¡¯s fiery blaze, scorch marks and traces of light burns could be seen all over the Emerald Scale Viper¡¯s body

    ¡°Frost, attack!¡± The boy with blue hair yelled. Answering his call, the blue colored fox by his side made dozens of fist-sized icicles form in the air and shoot toward the large snake that was preparing to attack once again.

    Before long the students and their demonic beasts began to unleash barrage after barrage of attacks upon the Emerald Scale Viper. As it was being pelted by attacked the viper couldn''t even find an opportunity to strike back. Although it was superior in power there were simply too many attacks coming toward it for the viper to do anything besides trying to defend.

    Like a ghost, one of the students seemed to merge with the shadows and disappear without leaving a single trace before appearing behind the viper with a talisman in hand.

    Noticing a presence emerge behind it the viper turned its head back and spat a mouthful of its deadly poison, liquefying a small tree nearby.

    Luckily for the student, she had merged back with the shadows and moved elsewhere or else she would have been turned into a puddle of gore.

    ¡°Activate!¡± The girl yelled as she extended her hand and stuck a talisman onto the viper causing countless runes to appear on its body and making it spasm before being knocked out cold.

    With cheers and faces full of grins they students began to attach ropes to the viper and drag it back to camp with the help of their demonic beasts.

    In the meantime, while the students dragged back their prize toward camp, Zhang could be seen sitting crossed leg on the forest floor. As he received information from the abyssal rabbits that were sent to investigate the caves one after the other a frown appeared on his face before being replaced with a slight smile a second later.

    ¡°Did you find it, brother?¡± Ai asked as she saw the smile on Zhang¡¯s face.

    ¡°None of the caves are the right one but for our troubles, I''ve found a reward.¡± Zhang said as he gestured for the beauties to follow him.

    ¡°What did you find?¡± Ai asked with a curious look on her face.

    ¡°A small treasure trove.¡± Zhang replied with a smile as he waved his hand and made the trees and wines in front of him bend and twist to create an open path.

    Full of intrigue the beauties followed closely behind their husband as the sun began its descent and the day neared its end.

    A while later after Zhang and his wives entered a small cave whose entrance opened up in the middle of the ground. After a thirty feet drop the group found themselves in a large chambered filled with blood red colored flowers that gave an otherworldly feeling to those that gazed at them.

    ¡°Dragon Blood Lilies.¡± Lingqi murmured as she landed and caught sight of the beautiful flowers.

    ¡°If I recall correctly from that book you lent me, these flowers don''t grow where the light of the heavens can reach them.¡± Zhang said as he recalled a passage from a book Lingqi had loaned him.

    ¡°The flower that is said to have spawned from the blood of the dragon god, the flower that is struck by the wrath of the heavens when light shines upon it. The flower that grants those who consume it the power to escape detection for twenty-four hours. These are also dozens of ancient advanced level magical pills that use them as a base material.¡± Lingqi said while a faint smile as she bent down and plucked one of the many beautiful flowers that littered the ground.

    ¡°These are pretty.¡± Ai said as she picked a few of the Dragon Blood Lilies. Before long everyone in the group began to collect the lilies one after the other.

    Although they could not find the entrance to the treasure they came here to seek, Zhang and the beauties stumbled on yet another treasure that many people would kill for. Thus for the following days, as the students continued to gain experience fighting demonic beasts and roaming the forest, Zhang continued to scout out one area of the forest before heading to the next.

    Sadly, no signs of what they sought after could be found but of course, there were other harvests that were collected. Dozens of different demonic beast dens were captured by Zhang and added to the Beast Pen while various many other treasures were found. Much to his delight

    Zhang¡¯s interspatial ring along with those held by his wives slowly filled up with many unique and rare treasures.

    But Zhang and the beauties were not alone since the students were able to retrieve and find treasures for themselves, treasures such as rare herbs, demonic beast cores, demonic beasts and a large variety of other things. Demonic beasts captured using Yuying¡¯s talismans were quickly imprinted with Yuying¡¯s mind control magic and partnered up with the students who used them to capture more demonic beasts.

    Overall the trip had resulted in a tremendous increase in the battle potential for Zhang¡¯s forces, however despite how calm and great things currently were, the people of the Lunar Sect were still on the prowl and occasionally could be seen throughout the forest.

    ¡°Damn it why won''t these dumb turtles leave!¡± A disciple of the Lunar Sect cried as he and his comrades were stuck in the same spot for days while being surrounded by hundreds of dog-sized turtles.

    As cultivators they wouldn''t die anytime soon from lack of food or water but it was evident that they were straining themselves as shown by their sunken eyes and how frail they appeared.

    ¡°Why hasn''t anyone come to help us yet?¡± Another man cried. Little did he know, the rest of the people of the Lunar Sect had actually begun avoiding the area he was currently being in due to frequent attacks by the abyssal turtles.

    Although the turtles didn''t really harm anyone after a few runs ins with them the people of the Lunar Sect began to avoid the area. Labeled as dark shadows that could not be identified the turtles caused a stir of commotion within the camp of the Lunar Sect.

    It was only after a total of ten days did the abyssal turtles begin to suddenly disperse and meld back into the shadows did these disciples of the Lunar Sect manage to return to their camp with only their undergarments and heads filled with questions.

    Upon telling others what happened to them, the group that was surrounded by turtles were ridiculed and laughed at because generally turtle demonic beasts are extremely weak in terms of cultivation unless they had grown to monstrous sizes after living for countless years. So a dog-sized turtle demonic beast would at the most be comparable to a level two cultivator.

    That is to show the power that the Abyssal Cape controlled was truly marvelous and mysterious as it was able to create abyssal beasts that fit Zhang¡¯s needs who were not constrained by the level limits that real demonic beasts had. Perhaps the only downside to the caps power was that it''s creations lacked a soul, intelligence, were very fragile and would disappear after some time.

 Chapter 173: Geologists?

    Been somewhat busy due to work and life but here is a second chapter for you folks. Happy early fourth of july and wish you all a safe and happy day.

    Also the flower that I posted in the previous chapter is called a Spider Lily, looks nice don''t it?

    ==============================================================================

    After combing through the woods for two weeks and exploring the vast majority of the land to no avail, Zhang began to change his method of searching.

    Instead of blindly releasing abyssal beasts into whatever caves that appeared on the golden map, he decided it was time to do some geological field work.

    ¡°If I can figure out what direction the ground has shifted over the last hundred thousand years and at what rate I can pinpoint the location where the treasure is, since there''s a chance that due to the shifting of tectonic plates the entrance could be buried underneath the ground.¡± Zhang explained to the beauties.

    ¡°Let''s head to one of the caves that run underground them.¡± Yuying suggested.

    ¡°From there we would be able to see the layers of sediment more easily. Through the cracks in the layers, we can figure out what direction the land has been moving in.¡± Ling added.

    It was safe to say that it was thanks to Zhang¡¯s memories from his past life that he knew a decent amount of knowledge regarding geology, but for Ling and Yuying to know of it just goes to show how well learned and vast their knowledge was.

    Soon afterward the group headed toward an underground cave not too far from camp and began studying the walls of exposed sediment. Of course, Ai would care less about sediment and minerals so she instead could be seen playing with Little White who looked extra plump due to the large amounts of meat that it had consumed ever since being unleashed upon the unsuspecting animals of the forest.

    Once a few hours of fieldwork had passed and after Zhang, Yuying and Ling compared their findings they concluded that the forest was placed atop an area where there was an intersection of four tectonic plates. In certain parts the plates would collide with each other and go upward creating mountains and hills while in other parts, one land mass would go underneath the other.

    Through these findings, they concluded that the entrance to the hoard of treasure has more than likely become buried underground and had moved northward near the location where the people of the Lunar Sect were camped.

    As fate had it the treasure that Zhang was seeking was right under his feet but out of his grasp.

    ¡°Should we kill them all?¡± Ai questioned as Zhang and the others were trying to figure out what to do because the area they needed to excavate was so close to the camp belonging to the Lunar Sect.

    Since the entrance to the treasure is not buried deep underground, there wasn''t much fear of it being discovered by other but the fact that they had come all this way and leaving without collecting the treasure also rubbed them the wrong way.

    ¡°Couldn''t we just wait until they left?¡± Ling asked.

    ¡°We don''t know why they are here and how long they are staying. What if they are here to establish a settlement or outpost?¡± Yuying said.

    ¡°If we are killing them and don''t want to leave any traces of our involvement I can always whip up a brew of poison. The students had found an abundant supply of herbs for me to work with.¡± Lingqi said.

    ¡°One problem after the other¡­¡± Zhang muttered as he gazed down at a large map that his soldiers had compiled of the surrounding lands.

    ¡°We can kill them but if that causes more people to come before we excavated the land and collected the treasure then we run the risk of losing our prize.¡± Zhang said. Since neither he nor his wives fully understood the power and connections of the Lunar Sect, they couldn''t act rashly.

    For all, they know the Lunar Sect could have a few high saints and dozens of full saints at its disposal. There was also the chance that the council of saints, who seem to govern the lands north of the Lunar Mountains, could intervene.

    If it was a fight against a full saint or two then Zhang was more than confident of victory, however, if it was a group of them or a high saint then he could only hope to fight to a standstill and sustain his life.

    ¡°Demonic beast attack? Scare them away with some scary looking monsters.¡± Ai suggested with a devious grin.

    ¡°Flash flood?¡± Ling suggested with an equally devious grin.

    While Zhang and the beauties were still deciding what to do, the elders of the Lunar Sect could also be seen gathering in a large tent placed in the middle of their very own camp.

    ¡°Reports from our sources have confirmed that Master Dan Jin has no known disciples.¡± An elder of the Lunar Sect said.

    ¡°I knew it! Let''s go kill them and claim our prizes before they flee.¡± The eighth elder of the Lunar Sect said as he slammed his hand onto a round table located in the middle of the tent.

    ¡°Calm down, Eighth Brother. You shouldn''t act too rashly, considering how eccentric Master Dan Jin is don''t you think it''s odd that someone who didn''t know about the rules set by the Council of Saints to know his name? Think about it, even many people who live in Lunar City and see Master Dan Jin on a daily basis don''t know that he is a saint. How can some bumpkin know of his name and even dare to claim to be his disciple?¡± A female elder of the Lunar Sect said, trying to prevent conflict against Zhang when there simply was not enough info on him.

    ¡°Hmph, you are over thinking things. If we don''t act soon then they will leave, think about how many essence stones we can trade does demonic beasts for. According to eyewitness accounts from the disciples we sent out to keep way over them, besides those eagles, it appears they have hundreds of other demonic beasts also.¡± The Eighth Elder said with greedy eyes.

    ¡°Have you no shame? Greedily lusting over wealth that does not belong to you. What''s the difference between you and a plain old bandit if you go through with what you''re saying now?¡± A man with a head filled with white hair who had an air of righteousness around him said.

    ¡°Tenth Brother, I bid you remember that when we left the sect on this training exercise our sect master had specifically put me in charge. So if I were you I would hold my tongue.¡± The Eighth Elder sneered, causing not only the Tenth Elder but a number of others present to look back at him with faces filled with disdain.

    ¡°Hmph, if you lot want to tarnish our sects name then count me out.¡± The Tenth Elder said before storming out of the tent with a few people following behind him.

    ¡°Don''t mind that self-righteous bastard, with all of the essence stones we will gain our sect will be able to rise above the other sect within the Lunar Kingdom and reign supreme.¡± The Eighth Elder laughed.

    This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

    ¡°Assemble the disciples, we will show these country bumpkins what it means to not know one''s place.¡± He added before the other elders present departed and began gather their disciples.

    Soon enough half of the camp was assembled and awaited orders. If compared to the students of the Imperial Institute, the disciples of the Lunar Sect were much stronger as hundreds of level eight cultivators were mixed into their ranks that were filled with countless level six through seven cultivators. Even with only half of the disciples in the camp gathered, the sheer number of high level cultivators present was able to show off the power of the Lunar Sect.

    Even with the elite guard included, Zhang¡¯s forces did not have as many high level cultivators as the group assembled in the Lunar Sect¡¯s camp.

    ¡°My disciples, for today we shall go on a training exercise the likes of which none of you have taken part of before. Today we will show the might of our Lunar Sect to the fools that dare to look down upon us. Today we will bring glory to the sect by striking the fools that not only broke the rules set by the Council of Heavenly Saints but ignored my warnings and saw my show of mercy as an act of cowardice.¡± The Eighth Elder said, rallying his disciples and the disciples of the other elders who were on his side while the elders who were against him and their disciples stood watching from afar with looks of disdain present on their faces.

    Like most sects there are both good and bad people, both the intelligent and the fools, simply said the Eighth Elder and his followers were mostly comprised of blind fools who were prone to causing problems for others, while those that followed the Tenth Elder were the righteous and peaceful folk who focused most of their attention toward furthering their cultivation.

    Soon enough four thousand or so disciples of the Lunar Sect charged into the woods and headed toward Zhang¡¯s camp with ill intentions. However, things did not go as smoothly for them as one might think for a force consisting of so many high level cultivators.

    As they soon found out, the forest near the location of Zhang¡¯s camp was filled with hidden traps of all shapes and sizes. Pitfalls, tripwires, and a large variety of other trips littered the forest, much to the inconvenience of some of the disciples of the Lunar Sect who found them in a world of pain. There were also attacks from the Elite Guard who had been hiding in the forest to keep watch over the Lunar Sect¡¯s camp.

    ¡°It seems they¡¯ve made the decision for us.¡± Zhang said as his shadow expanded and the head of a massive serpent began to rise beneath his feet, lifting him into the air.

    ¡°Don¡¯t kill too many of them, we do need people to excavate the land.¡± Yuying said with a smile.

    In a flash Zhang could be seen unleashing his wrath down from the sky in the form of dozens upon dozens of red colored lightning bolts and the deafening roar of his mount.

    ¡°Attack! Kill him!¡± The Eighth Elder of the Lunar Sect roared as he jumped into the air and atop of his sword which began piercing through the sky. Joining him were a total of eight other level ten cultivators who began unleashing a storm of attacks at Zhang.

    ¡°A pest who do not know his own limits, relying on magical treasures.¡± The Eighth Elder mocked as he thought that Zhang¡¯s current powers were the result of some magical treasure that allowed him to unleash a fury of lightning bolts.

    ¡°Who¡¯s the pest?¡± Zhang said as he released a suffocating aura that caused the very air to quiver, an aura that only a saint could possess.

    In the blink of an eye, the elders of the Lunar Sect realized their horrid mistake as they began to recognize the dreadful pressure released by a saint level expert.

    ¡°Ma-master¡­ Please spare us. We didn¡¯t know any better.¡± An elder of the Lunar Sect plead.

    In next to no time at all, every single disciple of the Lunar Sect and every single elder stopped moving and either feel to their knees or stood in silence atop their levitating swords.

    ¡°Please forgive these fools for their stupidity.¡± A voice rang into Zhang¡¯s ear as a dozen people atop flying swords shot into the sky from the Lunar Sect¡¯s camp.

    The Tenth Elder of the Lunar Sect soon appeared in front of a group of elders that tried to attack Zhang¡¯s camp and began to plead for mercy.

    ¡°Very well since I¡¯m feeling lenient today, I¡¯ll spare your lives. However, I require you sign a contract with me, in which you agree to work an entire year¡¯s worth of hard labor for me without pay. Of course, if you do turn down my show of mercy or ask for help then consider your lives all forfeit.¡± Zhang said with an evil grin as he continued to release a suffocating pressure upon everyone present.

    ¡°If that is all you require then we are here to serve.¡± The Tenth Elder said as he bowed while glaring at the Eighth Elder with hateful eyes.

    ¡°Good, if I¡¯m happy with your work then I might even let you all leave early.¡± Zhang said, marking the beginning of his exploitation of the disciples of the Lunar Sect. Although he probably wouldn''t need any more than a few weeks or a month or two¡¯s worth of time to uncover the entrance into the treasure trove, he figured by forcing them into agreeing to slaving away for him for a year and then letting them go after a few months he would be able to at least cancel out some of their negative feelings about him with the sense of gratitude for allowing them to leave ahead of schedule.

    As for the people that may come looking for them, Zhang figured he could force them into helping him excavate the land also. Since things had gotten to the point where he would have to otherwise kill them all because not only did they try to attack his people but they also could cause him a string of problems if they were allowed to leave. So for the time being Zhang decided to keep them all under his watch and perhaps as his hostages if the need to do so surfaced.

    ¡°Alright then let¡¯s get things started.¡± Zhang said in a merry tune. Thus by the end of the day, Zhang¡¯s people were relocated to the camp of the Lunar Sect and the excavation project began.

    Sadly, the Lunar Sect did not have any disciples who were high level earth mages who would bend the soil and minerals in the ground to their will, so the excavation would mostly have to be done by hand. But this did not really bother Zhang nor the beauties a slight bit at all because they were simply exploiting free labor. So once the excavation began, low level earth mages moved one large stone after the other, water mages would channel water into holes and create mud that they would then move away through water magic while wind mages lived gravel and stones up into the air as fire mages were forced to do everything by hand.

 Chapter 174: Pill of Rebirth

    Happy 4th of July to those in US. Also where everyone go T_T no comments T_T lol

    Don''t know why other thread was locked but i''m going to repost and see how this goes o_o

    =========================================================================================

    ¡°To think elders of a prestigious sect like us would be stuck here moving gravel¡­¡± The Eighth Elder of the Lunar Sect complained as he could be seen carrying a large woven basket while his once pure white robes were stained with dirt and grime.

    ¡°Shut up¡­ This is all your fault to begin with. Had you not thoughtlessly offended a saint level master then none of us would be forced to do this. Just play along and finish things so we can continue our search for the ingredients to concoct the pill of rebirth...¡± The Tenth Elder said as he glared at the one who caused the current situation.

    ¡°Hey you there! Quit bickering and get back to work.¡± Ai could be seen yelling from atop a platform with a few disciples of the Lunar Sect fanning her while a few others were holding trays brimming with fruit as Yuying sat not too far from her. Since Ai is already a princess, she was comparable to an empress who was gazing down upon her subjects. But of course like usual there wasn''t much of a serious demeanor surrounding her, instead, she was filled with dorkiness and silliness.

    ¡°Damn brat¡­ Thinks she can order me around¡­¡± The Eighth Elder mumbled before continuing to carrying earth and gravel out of the massive hole that was dug out of the ground by the thousands of disciples of the Lunar Sect.

    Although only a few days had passed, thanks to the hard work of the disciples of the Lunar Sect, a massive amount of soiled had been moved.

    ¡°Who did you just call a brat?¡± Ai¡¯s voice could be heard once more.

    ¡°No one, your highness.¡± The Eighth Elder replied after being startled for half a second.

    ¡°Damn how can that brat have such good hearing.¡± He thought, not daring to speak again due to not wanting to invoke Ai¡¯s wrath which in turn would invoke Zhang¡¯s wrath.

    ¡°How is my earring so good?¡± Ai¡¯s voice once more echoed down from the platform she was on.

    ¡°What the¡­¡± The Eighth Elder though with a startled expression on his face before scurrying off and continuing what he was doing before without bothering to complain like he had done moments ago.

    In the meantime, both Ai and Yuying burst into laughter as they saw the confused and startled look on the Lunar Sect¡¯s Eighth Elder¡¯s face.

    ¡°Sis how did you know what he was thinking?¡± Ai asked with a curious face as she looked toward Yuying.

    ¡°It is obvious that someone who regards themselves as a mighty elder of a great sect would inwardly mock us and complain when forced to do menial tasks like shovel dirt. But did you see the expression he was making?¡± Yuying chuckled.

    So as the students of the Imperial Institute continued their adventures in the vast forest filled with demonic beasts, the disciples of the Lunar Sect continued to work hours on end either carrying out stone and dirt or digging away through the ground underneath them.

    But for the most part besides the forced manual labor, Zhang treated them fairly well, giving them a thirty-minute break after every four hours of work and three meals a day. Besides this he also provided the disciples of the Lunar Sect with something most employers did not, motivation.

    How did he do this you ask? Simply said every few hours Zhang would unleash his powers as a saint and send a suffocating pressure sweeping throughout the forest. This was to remind the disciples of Lunar Sect to not slack off not get any funny ideas because they were under Zhang¡¯s constant watch and that he could slaughter them all at any waking moment if they disobeyed him.

    ¡°It¡¯s time for lunch!¡± Hundreds of Zhang¡¯s soldiers yelled as countless pots filled with food were carted into the massive crater that had been dug into the ground. Along with the pots were thousands of plates, bowls, pairs of chopsticks and spoons that formed small hills atop the wagons they were being transported in.

    As if it had become a routine for them, the proud members of the mighty Lunar Sect stopped what they were doing, dropping shovels, axes, and baskets to form many neat and tidy lines. Before long everyone was given their share of food and water, which they quickly consumed while sitting on the ground resting.

    ¡°They are working quicker than I expected.¡± Zhang said as he gazed downward into the crater with Ling and Lingqi by his side.

    ¡°They''ll be glad to be allowed to leave in a few days then.¡± Ling chuckled.

    ¡°What did you expect? They''re all fairly high level cultivators, I''m amazed that we haven''t found the entrance to the cave yet.¡± Lingqi said with a grin.

    ¡°Shouldn''t be too long until the side of the of the mountain, that the cave cut into, is revealed. From there it''ll take next to no time until the cave is unearthed. Then comes our final problem.¡± Zhang said.

    ¡°Final problem? You mean keep all of those people quiet until we collect our spoils?¡± Lingqi asked.

    ¡°You could either kill them all or let them all leave by the actual entrance into the cave is found.¡± Ling suggested.

    ¡°If we kill them then our enmity with their sect will come irreversible, but if we let them go then they might stir trouble before we can get what we came here for. Since liquid mithril isn''t the easiest substance to transport, even with interspatial rings.¡± Zhang said with a sigh.

    ¡°I guess we can just have them go dig somewhere else once the side of the mountain is unearthed and then have our people find the entrance to the cave.¡± Zhang decided.

    Like the past few days, after finishing their meal the disciples and elders of the Lunar Sect began to dig away at the ground once again until the sun faded beneath the horizon and they were allowed to rest for the remainder of the day.

    As far as slaves were treated, it could be said that Zhang was only slightly exploiting this group of people and they were by no means being treated like slaves. If the group had to be class then it would be more accurate to call them, volunteers, of course, that''s if no one pays attention to the part where they were forced or unwilling coerced into working.

    ================================

    Across the Lunar Mountains and at the far corner of a city that sprawled over countless miles of land, a palace like a place with the words Lunar Sect hung above of its gates could be seen by hundreds of people who were walking along a busy street.

    This palace-like place, of course, is the main headquarters of the Lunar Sect, one of the few places in Lunar City that few people dared to stir trouble at.

    Through the awe-inspiring gates of the Lunar Sect¡¯s countless people could be seen, with defined features and dignified presences these people were the students of the Lunar Sect, well the ones who had not been forced into hard labor.

    The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

    Mixed into these students who were moving around the grounds of the Lunar Sect¡¯s headquarters were dozens of intimidating looking figures, some more intimidating than others, who were all headed toward a large hall that had a distinct looking pillars shaped like crescent moons.

    Within this hall at the far end of a long row of chairs were a throne constructed old of some sort of black colored metal that gave off a captivating red colored sheen. As hundreds of people of all shapes and sizes filed into the hall, some with feminine poise and others with heroic demeanor began to one by one fill in the vacant seats that line the center wake way of the hall.

    Once the hall was filled with people and was covered in a babble of mixed voices, a young looking boy who appeared to be no more than fifteen years of age enter with a team of beautiful maidens who followed closely behind him. The instant everyone caught sight of this boy, who looked so out of place amongst a room filled with people who could only be called cultivation experts in their own right, they all fell to their knees and uttered two words.

    ¡°Sect Master Wang Dao!¡±

    Only once the sect master of the Lunar Sect sat atop his metallic throne did he begin to speak.

    ¡°All of you rise.¡± He said in a voice that one could not possibly link to that of a child¡¯s.

    ¡°I''ve called you all here today to discuss the matter regarding some missing disciples and elders. Ni Liu, tell everyone what happened.¡± Sect Master Wang Dao said in a tone that seemed to lack emotion.

    ¡°Roughly ten days ago, we lost contact with a group of elders who were leading a small group of disciples on a training exercise south of the Lunar Mountains. As you all know when an elder is leading students into the outside world he or she is required to report back to the sect headquarters every three days.¡± A middle-aged man dressed in white robes embroidered with a moon and a star on either side said as he appeared beside Sect Master Wang Dao.

    ¡°South of the Lunar Mountains? What were they doing south of the Lunar Mountains? To my knowledge, we do not have any training grounds anywhere south of the Lunar Mountains.¡± A beautiful woman with an ample chest, Snow White hair and velvet pupils who were mixed into the crowd asked.

    ¡°Elder Hong Xue, it must be because you were a disciple from a branch sect and have not been an elder for too long that you don''t know about the gathering of the ingredients to create the pill of rebirth that happens once every century.¡± A young man with lightning bolt shaped earrings dangling from his ears said.

    ¡°Pill of rebirth?¡± Elder Hong Xue asked.

    ¡°The pill that is presented to our mighty sect master every century to further his longevity so he could continue to lead us to greatness.¡± Someone mixed into the crowd said.

    ¡°Enough! Let Grand Elder Yin Ying finish his report!¡± An intimidating figure sitting on one of the seats that lined the center of the hall said.

    ¡°As Grand Elder Du Zhao said, allow me to finish my report before any of you elder or any of the other grand elders speak.¡± Elder Yin Ying who was standing beside Sect Master Wang Dao said.

    ¡°The last report we received had requested information regarding Master Dan Jin, asking if he had any disciples. From the information that we managed to gather, they must have run into problems with someone who claimed to be Master Dan Jin¡¯s disciple and got in over their heads.¡± Elder Yin Ying said, concluding his report.

    ¡°Seeing as the disappearance of those elders and disciples could mean a delay in the creation of the pill of rebirth, I suggest that we mobilize a unit comprising solely of elders and grand elders to see to it that whatever situation that had befallen our people is taken care of.¡± Elder Hong Xue said, voicing her opinion.

    ¡°Mobilizing a force that includes grand elders? Do you know the possible consequences that may befall the sect if even one of our saint level grand elders is lost? What do you think the Sun Hall Sect or the other sects of the city will do if We lost any of our grand elders?¡± The man with lightning bolt shaped earring said.

    ¡°Although I understand where you are coming from, do you really think that we grand elders could be so easily done in? Since this matter pertains to the harvesting of ingredients to create the pill of rebirth for our sect master I, Du Zhao, volunteer to lead.¡± Grand Elder Du Zhao said.

    It was not until quite a bit more bicker took place did the master of the Lunar Sect speak once more and task Grand Elder Du Zhao, a total of two other grand elders and a hundred elders who will be leading a total of two thousand inner sect disciples who were all level seven or eight to collect the ingredients to concoct the pill of rebirth and investigate the disappearance of the sect¡¯s disciples. Of course, they would have to move out during the dead of night as to not alert the other sects that were in the city.

    This is simply because the three largest sects in the city which included the Lunar Sect did not get along with each other. Each of them had been trying to outdo the other for years, trying to gain complete control of the city over the other sects.

    Although the three sects were currently in a deadlock amongst themselves, with every passing century the master of the Lunar Sect gains a bit more strength over the other sect masters in the city. This is because every hundred years, he sends out his disciples to collect a rare herb that can be used to concoct a pill that allows his body¡¯s aging process to regress.

    Meaning every hundred years as the other sect masters grow older and weaker, Sect Master Wang Dao would grow younger and more youthful.

    One may wonder why don''t the other sects also concoct pills of rebirth, but the answer is simple, it is because none of them know the recipe needed to concoct one.

    So perhaps if the ingredients needed to make the pill of rebirth weren''t so rare then all of the grand elders of the Lunar Sect would be given some also, further quickening the increase in strength between the Lunar Sect and the other two sects.

    Little did Zhang or the people of the Lunar Sect knew, Zhang and the beauties had actually gotten their hands on what the Lunar Sect was seeking on their trip to the forest. Within Zhang¡¯s interspatial ring were quite a few Dragon Blood Lilies that were the base material needed to make pills of rebirth.

    Considering only the Lunar Sect possessed the recipe for this pill, not even Lingqi knew of this miraculous pill that let alone many men but countless women would kill for.

    A pill that could reverse the flow of time on a person¡¯s body. Although saints are considered immortals who can live on endlessly by constantly absorbing essence from the great flow, their bodies still aged at a rate that wouldn''t be very noticeable to regular people.

    There was also the fact that many Saint level experts had only managed to break through and attain ascension after hundreds of years, so they would look very old. So female saints, in particular, had always sought after things that could help them reclaim their lost beauty. For some power and prestige meant everything but for others, beauty was not something they were willing to give up either.

 Chapter 175: What Remains

    Really busy with work but managed a chapter today: D Also 100 comments and I¡¯ll try to write another chapter tomorrow >: D

    ======================================================================

    After the grand elders, elders and disciples of the Lunar Sect secretly departed from Lunar City, in the dead of night they took to the skies atop flying swords, and war chariots with flaming spiked wheels pulled by black winged horses who gave off deathly air as their wings fluttered under the night sky.

    ¡°Everyone we will arrive at our destination within ten days, so for now save your strength and rest because there is a possibility that we have to enter into combat the moment we arrive.¡± Grand Elder Du Zhao said as he stood within a beautiful looking flying chariot that looked a dozen times grander than the other chariots.

    As the forces of the Lunar Sect continued on their journey past the Lunar Mountains and as they days passed, the crater that was being dug for Zhang had not only doubled in size but also was no longer the only crater that could be seen in the forest.

    Once a considerable amount of earth was moved, Zhang commanded his volunteers from the Lunar Sect to begin digging elsewhere. Since no one dared to question him, Zhang didn''t even need to come up with an excuse as to why he had them start digging somewhere else.

    Once everyone had been sent off and there were no longer any outsiders present, hundreds of abyssal beasts of various shapes appeared as thousands of Zhang¡¯s soldiers put down their swords and spears for shovels and picks.

    For the most part since most, if not all of Zhang¡¯s soldiers could be classed as warrior type cultivators, they were considerably fit and in shape compared to the people of the Lunar Sect who were comprised mostly of mages. So in terms of digging and manual labor, Zhang¡¯s soldiers were a tiny bit faster than the volunteers from the Lunar Sect.

    Roughly three days later, as a few of Zhang¡¯s soldiers were busily digging away at the earth underneath them, the ground began to give away and spew a torrent of green smoke into the air.

    As the ground open up into a fairly large pit it caused a few unsuspecting soldiers to fall into it while being enveloped by sickly looking green clouds.

    Luckily for them, before they came crashing down into a wall of solid stone, thanks to a river of water quickly fleeing into the pit and catching them mid-fall. However, these men were not out of the woods yet because once the water embracing them lifted them out of the cavemen it was evident through the sickly green colored skin on their faces that they were poisoned.

    ¡°Move aside! Let me have a look at them.¡± Lingqi¡¯s voice could be heard as she forced her way through a wall of men that was slowing forming around the group of men who were pulled out of the pit.

    ¡°Green colored skin, slight fever, excessive sweating, red colored blisters¡­ Hell¡¯s Horn poison¡­¡± Lingqi said as she withdrew a pair of transparent gloves from her interspatial ring.

    Once the gloves slipped onto her hands and touched the skin of the ill soldiers, green colored liquid began to flow out from their pores and gathered to form a small blob of water that floated wherever the gloves moved.

    Before long Lingqi had withdrawn a substantial amount of poison out of the bodies of the soldiers and placed them under the care of their comrades as she deposited the poison into various bottles.

    ¡°To my knowledge, all of the people who had discovered this cave had died at the hands of their comrades, so where did this poison come from?¡± Zhang muttered as he looked into the dark abyss that had opened up in the ground.

    ¡°They must have released the poison as they were dying to prevent anyone else from entering the cave. Considering this poison is still lingering after hundreds of thousands of years, I could only imagine how much more deadly it was when it was first released. Luckily with the passage of time, the poison shouldn''t be too effective against those at the eighth level of cultivation of high.¡± Lingqi said as she swirled the contents of the bottle of poison she had collected.

    ¡°All members of the elite guard are to accompany me while all other forces are to return to the forest and all students are to be accounted for.¡± Zhang commanded since he wanted to collect the riches within the pit and leave as soon as possible before anything could go wrong.

    ¡°Yes my lord.¡± All of the soldiers present said in unison as they ceased all activities and began to pack up everything.

    ¡°Then let''s go, riches await is.¡± Zhang said with a laugh as he leaped into the pit with an adventurous look on his face. Aside from the riches and magical treasures within the cave that were calling him, Zhang was also after the things that his master and the other dead saints had left behind after dying.

    Although pills and other organic things would have become useless by now, various high level talismans and magical items would have definitely withstood the test of time.

    Like a speeding arrow, Zhang shot downward into the dark pit but moments before crashing into the ground his body began to levitate and gently landed.

    ¡°This is the best part of being a saint.¡± He chuckled. As one of the fundamental differences between saints, the ability to naturally fly by oneself, was a thing Zhang loved best about becoming a saint.

    A moment after Zhang landed the beauties joined him by riding Ai¡¯s fluffy cloud, then came the elite guard who descended one by one using ropes.

    Soon enough countless torches were lit and illuminated Zhang¡¯s surroundings, revealing a large cavern and the mouth of a single tunnel.

    Although faint clouds of green poison gas could be seen floating around, the group paid no it no mind and headed into the dark tunnel.

    As a grim reminder of what had occurred here before many thousands of years ago, only after a few steps, Zhang spotted a pair of skeletons lying on the ground. One of them with a sword still lodged into its rib cage while the other heads dagger stuck into its eye socket.

    The most noticeable feature on these skeletons were, however, the jade-like luster that the bones possessed. Like the whitest and clearest jade, the bones of the two saints sparkled under the light emitted from the torches held by Zhang¡¯s soldiers.

    ¡°I''ll be taking these.¡± Yuying said as she began taking apart the skeleton of the saints and depositing them away u to her interspatial ring.

    Once Yuying was done, Zhang waved his hand and deposited a series of random things left behind on the ground which included a sword with a metallic blue colored blade, a dagger with flames etched into its blade, two oddly new looking robes and two interspatial rings that were to be inspected later.

    Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.

    After storing away their finds, the group continued deeper into the tunnel where they found, even more, trances of the battle that had occurred here countless years ago.

    Deep cuts could be seen etched into the walls of the tunnel while scorch marks and dozens of other indications of magic attacks stuck out like a sore thumb.

    ¡°To think after so long, signs of their fight still remain.¡± Ling said with a hint of awe in her voice as her hand traced some of the sword marks that were left on the tunnel wall.

    Besides lots of traces of an intense battle, even more, human remains began to show up in the form of jade-like skeletons that appeared one after the other, not too far from each other.

    Although Zhang and the beauties were quick to collect the bones and treasures that laid about on the ground, they kept an eye out for the remains of a certain person in particular. Since his master¡¯s remains were mixed in with the remains of the other saints, and since Zhang did not want to be disrespectful to the man who practically gave him a new lease on life, he was going to give Xin Tao¡¯s remains a grand burial unlike the remains of the other saints.

    With the elite guard following closely behind them, Zhang and the beauties made their way to the end of the tunnel and into a room brightly lit by hundreds of luminous crystals that embedded the walls and ceiling. The light from these crystals were further amplified by rivers of liquid silver and gold that flowed through mountains of treasure.

    Marvelous looking items such as hairpins and bangles the likes of which the beauties did not own, beautifully decorated armor that looked like they were made simply for display and were too delicate to be worn but gave off mystical auras littered the floor. Simply said the treasure trove within Xin Tao¡¯s memories that he shared with Zhang could not even be considered a fraction of what was here.

    ¡°I want this and that. That one too!¡± Ai said in an excited voice as she spotted a unique looking battle dress that had a pair of dragons etched on to it. The dragon''s looked lifelike as their eyes made of sapphires seemed to draw in the very soul of all who stare at them.

    ¡°Some of you stay back and guard the entrance if anyone comes in then kill them if necessary. Also, use the interspatial rings laying around to gather up the treasure.¡± Zhang said as he commanded a few hundred of his elite guard to watch over the tunnel as he and the rest of the group moved forward.

    While making sure to not fall into the rivers and pools of gold and silver, Zhang, the beauties and their guards made their way to the treasure chamber. They soon came upon an area where dozens of pools filled a metallic blackish green liquid.

    ¡°Liquid mithril.¡± Zhang said with a grin on his face because order his soldiers to collect the liquid mithril into caskets. Since liquids weren''t especially easy to store away into an interspatial ring, all of the liquid mithril had to be put away into casks and barrels before being stored away.

    There was so much treasure that even with a few hundred people hard at work it would probably take a few hours before everything was safely stored away into interspatial rings.

    So while his soldiers were doing the hard work, Zhang, and the beauties continued deeper into the chamber in search of the Falling Moon Sword. To which they caught sight of after walking for roughly twenty minutes and after stumbling upon a dozen or so more skeletons belonging to dead saints.

    Atop an alter the sword with a crystal like blade could be seen while the remains of a dozen or so saints littered the floor. Of these dozen or so skeletons, there was one that seemed to call to Zhang, drawing his attention away from the others.

    As his alerted were focused on this skeleton, spotted a small jade medallion on that ground that had the word Xin carved into it. Once he saw this medallion, Zhang was fairly sure that this skeleton belonged to his master. A flood of memories sprang into his mind as Zhang recalled the time he spent with Xin Tao, the things he learned and the knowledge he obtained.

    With a wave of his hand and while using the powers of the Underworld Heart, Zhang¡¯s essence enveloped the massive treasure chamber as he manipulated a river of gold and a river of silver to rise into the air and flow toward him. In an awe-inspiring flash, the gold and silver melded together in the air and spiraled about as crystals made of essence were slowly being condensed.

    Before anyone could say anything, an extravagant coffin made of gold, silver and crystal formed and the remains of Zhang¡¯s master, Xin Tao, was deposited into it. Befitting of an emperor to be¡¯s master, Xin Toa¡¯s remains were now encased in a coffin that was fit for a king. Zhang had lined the side of the coffin with images of the memories that he had shared with his master and decorated the coffin magnificently and beautifully.

    After three kowtows, Zhang stored the coffin away into his interspatial ring and refocused his vision onto the mythical sword that he had come to claim.

    Soon enough he began to ascend the steps of the altar and as he neared one of the most sought after swords in existence Zhang felt as if he had walked into an entirely different world. His entire suit of armor down to his strands of hair seemed to have become a dozen times lighter, causing Zhang to feel as if he had become weightless. A few moments later Zhang¡¯s feet began to levitate off the ground as he body began to raise into the air.

    ¡°Brother! Now¡¯s not the time to be showing off your flying powers.¡± Ai said with puffed cheeks as she mistook the situation as one of the few instances where Zhang was showing off his ability to fly.

    ¡°It¡¯s not me.¡± Zhang said as he did not know whether to laugh or cry as he felt as if he was swimming through the air.

    To make things even weirder the Underworld Heart that¡¯s lodged inside of Zhang¡¯s chest began to send out a pulse of its purplish essence which emanated throughout the cave¡¯s chambers. Once the pulse of essence from the Underworld Heart reached the Rising Moon Sword, it too began to emanate pulses of essence.

    But unlike the pulse of essence released from the Underworld Heart, the pulse sent out from the Rising Moon Sword seemed to eat away at the weight of everything it touched as everything and everyone in the chamber began to levitate into the air. Gold coins floated through the air as globs of liquid gold, silver and mithril bounced about while Zhang¡¯s soldiers all rose off of the ground.

    Much to everyone¡¯s confusion, a large grin could be seen on Ai¡¯s face as she began to swim through the air toward where Zhang was.

 Chapter 176: Rising Moon

    Disappointed T_T no 100 comments :( but here >_> hopefully we can get 100 on this one

    =========================================================================

    The transparent crystal-like blade of the Rising Moon Sword glinted as it continued to send out pulses of essence that seemed to steal away all of the weight belonging to everyone and everything present.

    As if she was drawn to the shining sword, Ai could be seen swimming through the air weightlessly.

    ¡°It''s so shiny.¡± She muttered as her gets twinkled for a second before she shook her head and had a confused expression on her face.

    Not noticing Ai, Zhang swam toward the Rising Moon Sword while reaching out with his hand.

    ¡°Whatever is happening, this sword is the cause of it.¡± He mumbled as the tips of his fingers were centimeters away from the sword¡¯s hilt. However, before his hand could wrap around the treasured sword, Zhang felt the weight of the world pressing down upon him once more, causing him and everything one else to fall toward the ground. Following Zhang, the beauties and their swords were a rain of gold coins and various precious items.

    Before anyone could get up however something else occurred, instead of being weightless, they all felt as if they had become twice maybe three times heavier.

    As it felt like the weight of a mountain was bearing down on them and squeezing the air out of their lungs, Zhang¡¯s power exploded as he pushed himself up from the ground and began to slowly inch toward the sword.

    ¡°The cape that brings nightmares into reality, the heart that grants its user with the ability to control the substance of life and now the sword that can manipulate the weight of the world.¡± Zhang chuckled as felt the gravity in the room continuing to increase.

    Luckily for everyone else before the situation got out of hand and caused any injuries, Zhang¡¯s hand gripped the hilt of the Rising Moon Sword and lifted it into the air while injecting it with his essence. In a flash, the gravity in the room returned to normal and everyone slowly pushed themselves up.

    ¡°Let''s do that again!¡± Ai said in a cheerful voice as it seemed like she regained her regular attitude and composure.

    ¡°Now that we have the sword let''s quickly collect the treasure and leave.¡± Ling said as she patted the dust off her dress.

    ¡°I''ll let you play with it later.¡± Zhang said as he deposited the sword into his interspatial ring while his soldiers resumed their task of collecting the treasures littering the cavern floor.

    While Zhang¡¯s people were busy working, time flew by like a breeze and the sun outside had already disappeared as the moon rose into the night sky.

    Beneath the moon''s embrace, hundreds of flying war chariots and magical beasts could be seen moving through the sky, leaving streaks through the clouds that they passed.

    ¡°Grand Elder Du Zhao after flying nonstop for six days we should be nearing the location where our people had last been heard from.¡± A man who appeared to be neither a saint nor a level ten cultivator said politely.

    ¡°Alright, have everyone take an Essence Supplement Pill and be ready to engage any hostiles that may appear.¡± Grand Elder Du Zhao said as his eyes scanned the surrounding skies.

    Although they had originally planned to arrive at their destination after ten days of travel, due to orders from Grand Elder Du Zhao the people of the Lunar Sect were forced to fly for five days and five nights¡¯ street while using Essence Supplement Pills to replenish their strength.

    Since they avoided all of the major roads and territory controlled by various forces, the group led by Grand Elder Du Zhao were able to move very quickly without being delayed. Also as a force comprised of two peak level full saints, a few lower class full saints, a dozen or so lesser saints and hundreds of level eight through ten cultivators, there were few who dared to provoke them.

    ¡°Grand Elder Du Zhao! The scouts that we¡¯ve sent ahead have reported spotting a large crater that appears to have been dug not too long ago. Not too far from it is a larger crater and there seem to be people in it. From the reaction of our Soul bound Jade Slips, it appears our people are there.¡± A disciple of the sect reported after bowing and while clasping his hands.

    Without saying a single word, Grand Elder Du Zhao made his flying chariot soar through the sky and toward the smaller crater where Zhang had sent his volunteers to dig.

    Down on the ground, Zhang¡¯s group of volunteers could be seen with confused faces as they were wondering when the usual carts filled with food were coming. Since Zhang had basically confiscated all of their supplies, magical items, and medical pills, the volunteers were somewhat reliant on the food provided to them.

    That being said if they were not forced to dig all day then they would be more than capable of living off the forest that was teaming with demonic beasts and other sources of food.

    ¡°Where are today''s rations¡­¡± The Eighth Elder of the Lunar Sect grumbled while sitting atop a flat rock.

    ¡°To think members of a sect such as ours has been reduced to such a sorry state.¡± A loud and intimidating voice causing every one of the forced volunteers to look into the sky as they felt an overbearing pressure descend upon them.

    ¡°Grand Elder Du Zhao!¡± All of elders and disciples of the Lunar Sect on the ground said as they fell to their knees and bowed in reverence. Although there were two grand elders present, the other grand elder referred to by the name of Grand Elder Hua Xiong did not make himself known by releasing his powers and chose to stay in the background mixed in with the hundreds of elders and students who filled the sky.

    As grand elders bother Du Zhao and Hua Xiong was highly respected within the Lunar Sect so the sight of thousands of disciples paying their respects to them was nothing new nor an odd sight at all.

    ¡°All of you raise and tell me what happen.¡± Elder Du Zhao¡¯s voice rang through the air.

    ¡°Your excellency, we were forced into servitude by a rogue saint level cultivator.¡± The Eighth Elder cried as looked up into the air while still on his knees.

    ¡°A rogue saint? Didn''t you tell them that you''re a part of the Lunar Sect?¡± Grand Elder Du Zhao said as he and those in the sky began to descend.

    ¡°We did my lord, but they opposite party merely laughed and mocked us. He also stole all of our belonging and forced us to dig away at the ground for days.¡± The Eighth Elder said while trying to portray Zhang as the villain and aggressor by leaving out parts of the story.

    ¡°Although our sect is not the strongest in the land, a single roadie Saint dares to not give us face?¡± Grand Elder Du Zhao roared in an enraged voice before anyone else could rectify what actually happened.

    You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

    ¡°Where is he?!¡± Grand Elder Du Zhao asked.

    ¡°I don''t know my lord.¡± The Eighth Elder said hurriedly as he began to prostrate on the ground once again.

    ¡°The lot of you go find this rogue saint!¡± Grand Elder Du Zhao said. Since most saints south of the Lunar Mountains were mere lesser saints and those who weren''t would certainly know about and not dare to cause trouble for the Lunar Sect, Du Zhao has concluded that Zhang was certainly a newly ascended lesser Saint who did not know who he was messing with.

    Upon Grand Elder Du Zhao¡¯s words, all of the forces under his command took to the skies once again in search of Zhang and his people, leaving only those who were forced into labor and the two grand elders behind.

    Without saying anything and with an unhappy expression still on his face, Grand Elder Du Zhao waved his hands and made a hill of swords and a hill of bottles filled with medical pills appear.

    ¡°Arm yourselves and prepare for battle¡­¡± He said in a stern voice that made it so none of those present dared to talk.

    While the elders and disciples of the Lunar Sect scoured the sky in search of any traces of Zhang, deep underneath the surface of the earth, the elite guard was finishing up their tasks and turning in interspatial rings filled with treasure to their master.

    ¡°I''ll check what''s in these once we depart from this place.¡± Zhang said with a chuckle as he looked out over the empty chamber that had been filled to the brim with riches not too long ago.

    With all of the treasures that had been in the cavern collected, Zhang and the rest of the group began to make their departure and head back toward the surface unaware of what was occurring outside.

    As the group passed through the tunnel that they came in through and made their way out of the pit that had opened up in the ground, Zhang felt dozens of divine sense radiating throughout the area.

    ¡°Go back down and stay there until it is safe to leave, I''ll go lead them somewhere else.¡± Zhang said in a low tone as he shot out toward the sky, leaving behind the beauties and the elite guard.

    As Zhang emerged from the pit and pierced through the air, he could see that the sky was swarming with people who from his guesses were hostiles.

    ¡°It''s him!¡± A loud voice could be heard as the Eighth Elder of the Lunar Sect could be seen atop a flying sword high up in the sky.

    ¡°Kow tow a hundred times and swear to be a servant of my Lunar Sect for a hundred years or you''ll be granted death.¡± An intimidating voice echoed through the air.

    Looking up Zhang could see an elderly looking man whose hair was entirely snow white besides their very tips which were slightly red. This elderly man¡¯s eyes gave off an intense amount of bloodlust that would make most people¡¯s spines shiver.

    ¡°Senior, perhaps there''s some sort of misunderstanding between us Seeing that this is the first time we''ve met.¡± Zhang said politely. Although the Sky Fortress and most of his people had been safely sent away, his wives and the elite guard were still on the ground, so as he saw it if he could avoid a confrontation then he wouldn''t have to place the lives of those close to him in danger.

    But if it came to it Zhang was fairly certain he would be able to hold his own against even a high saint now that he possessed the Rising Moon Sword.

    ¡°Playing dumb now that you''re outnumbered?¡± The Eighth Elder of the Lunar Sect mocked.

    ¡°Insolent¡­¡± Zhang muttered as he used the Underworld Heart to condense the essence around him into a sword made entirely out of crystal. An instant later the crystal sword shot into the air and before anyone could react the Eighth Elder uttered a heart-wrenching wail as his right arm was severed and fell to the ground. After completing its task, the crystal sword disintegrated and disappeared leaving everyone present either in awe or shocked.

    ¡°You dare!¡± Grand Elder Du Zhao roared.

    ¡°I dare? Have you not taught your people how to be respectful?¡± Zhang sneered, showing that he did not fear Du Zhao in the least which cause a chain of reactions amongst all of the disciples and elders of the Lunar Sect.

    Since they simply saw Zhang as a regular full saint, all of the other Saint level cultivators present were left with confused looks on their faces.

    ¡°This kid is either super strong or super retarded.¡± They all thought.

    With so many level ten cultivators, and lesser and full saints present, the people of the Lunar Sect were fairly confident in their ability to kill someone such as Zhang.

    ¡°I think the one that needs compensation here is me¡­ Your sect elders had the gall to attack me while your disciples dared to try to assault my students.¡± Zhang said with creases on his brow and in an unhappy tone.

    Seeing the demeanor of Grand Elder Du Zhao, Zhang knew that if he did not act haughty and overbearing he would be stepped on. From the demands that were made he could tell that Grand Elder Du Zhao was someone who would ask for a mile if he was given an inch, someone who you should never show your weak side to or else he would crush you beneath his feet for the rest of eternity.

    If Zhang acted subserviently and tried to negotiate then Du Zhao would only take his kind personality as weakness and thus demand more from him, however, if he acted the opposite of that then they may be able to reach a common ground and avoid engaging in battle with each other.

    ¡°Co-compensate you?¡± Grand Elder Du Zhao was so angry that he had to squeeze the words out of himself. As an elder of a prestigious most of the time, the people he spoke to wouldn''t even dare to look at him in the eye, let alone demand compensation from him.

    ¡°I demand a thousand essence stones per each person I had to feed for the last couple days, also since those flying war chariots look so interesting I demand you give me a hundred of those also.¡± Zhang said casually.

    ¡°One thousand essence stones a person? A hundred war chariots?¡± The Eighth Elder said with a shocked expression on his face. Considering there were a few thousand mouths that Zhang had to feed, they would need to collect at least a few million essence stones if they were to comply with his demands and that is not counting the cost of a hundred expensive fly chariots that the Lunar Sect only possessed a few hundred of.

    ¡°He''s crazy¡­ No other way to explain it. Grand Elder Du Zhao is going to go ballistic...¡± The Eighth Elder and everyone else who was present thought.

    ¡°However if you call my grandpa ten times while kowtowing then we can consider bygones as bygones.¡± Zhang said with a laugh, which stunned everyone even more than before.

    ¡°Yu-yu-you¡­¡± Grand Elder Du Zhao stuttered from rage.

 Chapter 177: Compensation?

    >:D I would say there were close to 50 comments between the two sites i post on so welp thanks folks lol :D

    =============================================================================

    With glaring eyes and a face brimming with anger, Grand Elder Du Zhao looked ready to either have steam burst out from his ears or rip Zhang to shreds. As all of the members of the Lunar Sect looked in anticipation for what they thought was about to happen, a sudden laugh echoed into everyone¡¯s ears, shattering the silence that had enveloped the land.

    Looking toward the direction where the laughing originated from, the usually quiet and distant Grand Elder Hua Xiong could be seen with a bright smile on his face. Beside Grand Elder Hua Xiong was the Tenth Elder of the Lunar Sect, who looked at the Eighth Elder with a face full of contempt.

    Unlike Grand Elder Du Zhao appeared elderly but was filled with a fiery spirit, Grand Elder Hua Xiong appeared youthful but avoided most of the happenings of the sect and solely focused on furthering his own strength which in another perspective was his way of helping the sect in the long run.

    ¡°Old Zhao, it appears that we¡¯ve mistaken about our young friend here. Zhen Xiang has told me what really happened and the fault lies entirely with our people.¡± Grand Elder Hua Xiong said with a smile as he looked at the Tenth Elder who was standing beside him.

    ¡°It was our people who attacked first your excellency. Had young master Zhang possessed any ill will then with his strength he could have slain all of us if he wanted to. I regret not reporting this earlier but everything just happened too fast and I was somewhat lost in the moment.¡± The Tenth Elder whose name is Zhen Xiang said in a respectful tone as he bowed and clasped his hands.

    ¡°No need to beat yourself up Xiang, we all know how old Zhao gets when he hears that someone has bullied our sect members.¡± Grand Elder Hua Xiong said as he patted Elder Zhen Xiang¡¯s shoulder and proceeded to walk toward where Grand Elder Du Zhao was.

    ¡°If what Brother Hua Xiong and Zhen Xiang said is true then you lied to me¡­ While the rest of you knew the truth but hid it from me¡­¡± Grand Elder Du Zhao said in an unpleased voice as he eyed the Eight Elder and every one of the disciples and elders who were a part of Zhang¡¯s group of volunteers.

    ¡°Your excellency I wouldn¡¯t dare!¡± The Eight Elder yelled as he fell to his knees.

    ¡°Old Zhao quit making a fuss and giving others a bad impression of us.¡± Grand Elder Hua Xiong said as he reminded Grand Elder Du Zhao that they were in Zhang¡¯s presence and were making a terrible impression.

    While the two grand elders of the Lunar Sect were talking amongst themselves, Zhang closely observed them. From the way they spoke to each other, their gestures, mannerisms and a dozen other things, he could tell that of the two grand elders, Grand Elder Hua Xiong was the stronger of the two. Although no one else noticed this, it was clear to Zhang that Grand Elder Du Zhao treated Grand Elder Hua Xiong with a bit of reserve mixed with a tiny bit of fear.

    Since the two of them did not especially appear to be close friends and from the fact that Grand Elder Hua Xiong did not address Grand Elder Du Zhao by his title or in a polite tone that suggested they were equals but rather by the equivalent of a pet name, it was clear that Grand Elder Hua Xiong was the stronger of the two.

    Although this was simply a conclusion that Zhang came to on his own after minimal interactions with the two grand elders, he felt that his observations should be on point and that it would be best to deal with Grand Elder Hua Xiong who is not only in his opinion stronger than Grand Elder Du Zhao but easier going then Grand Elder Du Zhao. Also if his observations were true, even if he tried to deal with Grand Elder Du Zhao, if Grand Elder Hua Xiong did not agree that his attempts would end in failure anyway.

    ¡°If I may interrupt, I would like to retract my previous statement about calling me grandpa and go back to asking for material compensation instead.¡± Zhang said with a crooked grin while rubbing his hands together much like the merchants that one might spot on a street corner selling imitation goods while trying to pass them off as real goods.

    ¡°What?!¡± Grand Elder Du Zhao flared as he glared at Zhang.

    ¡°A thousand essence stones each and a hundred flying chariots is out of the question but I can give you ten thousand essence stones and two flying chariots instead.¡± Grand Elder Hua Xiong said in a sincere tone.

    ¡°Ten thousand essence stones and two flying chariots¡­ The chariots alone cost a total of forty thousand essence stones¡­¡± The Eighth Elder mumbled as he heard Hua Xiong¡¯s words.

    ¡°If that''s all you can give then I won''t be the sort of person to try to exhort others. I''ll consider us even once I receive the compensation.¡± Zhang said quickly since he hadn''t really expected to get anything at all. He was simply trying to change the situation so that he appeared to be the one who suffered a loss.

    Without saying another word Grand Elder Hua Xiong took waved his hand and made an interspatial ring appear in his palm. In a flash, the interspatial ring shot through the air and was grasped by Zhang who deposited it into his interspatial ring without bothering to check its contents.

    Throughout the entire time that this transaction took place, all of the elders and disciples of the Lunar Sect stood utterly speechless and dumbfounded as they could not possibly fathom why Grand Elder Hua Xiong would even give Zhang anything. As for Grand Elder Du Zhao, unlike the others he did not appear very stunned at all and his previously angry expression was now gone, leaving him with a cold gaze that he usually had.

    ¡°If you ever visit the Lunar Kingdom please do stop by to visit.¡± Grand Elder Hua Xiong said in a kind tone, inviting Zhang to visit the Lunar Sect before gesturing for the rest of the forces of the Lunar Sect to begin their departure.

    ¡°If I ever get the opportunity I will be sure to visit.¡± Zhang said with a smile, thankful that he did not have to fight and endanger the beauties. Such an outcome could be said to be entirely unexpected but a most welcomed one for Zhang, since he not only received a large sum of essence stones he also received two flying magical items for free.

    So with a grin Zhang made his way back to the pit where the beauties and his people were.

    ¡°It''s safe to go now.¡± He bellowed down into the pit.

    Up above in the sky the forces of the Lunar Sect could be could be seen flying away with two figures leading the way.

    ¡°Brother Hua Xiong why did you give that kid all of those essence stones and even two of our chariots.¡± Grand Elder Du Zhao said to Grand Elder Hua Xiong as they flew a fair distance away from the rest of their group.

    This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

    ¡°Zhao you need to learn to control that temper of yours, one day it''ll end up costing you your life. Tell me what would have come from us battling against a saint of unknown origins who claimed to be a disciple of old man Dan Jin? Let''s say we do kill him then we would simply be mocked for bullying a junior. But if he were to kill even one of us or a few of the sect¡¯s elders, then inadvertently we would have caused our sect to suffer a loss in battle potential. Since he did not inflict any harm on our people there is no need to fight.¡± Grand Elder Hua Xiong said to Grand Elder Du Zhao as if he was reprimanding a younger brother.

    ¡°As things are, at least we are able to avoid conflict with him and maybe one day in the future it will pay off. As someone who is two hundred years older than you let me remind you that not all issues must be resolved by violence, only the short sighted instantly resort to killing and slaughtering. The wise plan and set up for the future, only killing when there is no other option. So if a little bit of wealth can build us a bridge that could be used in the future then it is a worthy investment that could end up yielding endless benefits.¡± Grand Elder Hua Xiong added.

    ¡°I''ll make sure to reflect on this once we return to the headquarters.¡± Grand Elder Du Zhao said.

    ¡°Now let''s go search for the ingredients for the Pill of Rebirth and then return to the headquarters.¡± Grand Elder Hua Xiong said.

    Having found their missing disciples and elders, the highest priority left to these two grand elders, of course, was to collect ingredients for the Pill of Rebirth for their sect master. As something that will help them stand above all of the other sects within the Lunar Kingdom, the sooner they collected the ingredients for pill and returned to their sect headquarters the better.

    However, before the forces of the Lunar Sect could even begin their search for the ingredients for the pill, something unexpected occurred.

    All of a suddenly thousands of blades made of essence slashed through the sky, cutting through clouds and spaces before smashing into hundreds of the Lunar Sect¡¯s disciples before anything could be done to stop them.

    ¡°I knew we should have killed that bastard!¡± Grand Elder Du Zhao roared in rage as he witnessed hundreds of his disciples being cut to bits and pieces by the blades of essence. It wasn''t because the attacker was so strong that they could not stop the blades of essence, but it was because their forces were too thinly spread that the two grand elders could not shield everybody in time.

    ¡°You bastard come out of here! I''ll skin you alive!¡± Grand Elder Du Zhao roared while Grand Elder Hua Xiong¡¯s eyes scanned the surrounding area.

    Before long from behind a large cloud, hundreds if not thousands of people dressed in dark red robes could be seen. Much like the disciples and elders of the Lunar Sect, many of these people in red robes were atop of flying chariots or flying demonic beasts. But that was not all because from behind the same cloud another group of people appeared. These people were all dressed in white robes that had brown trim.

    ¡°Sun Hall Sect¡­ Earthly Palace Sect¡­¡± Grand Elder Hua Xiong muttered as his brows furrowed.

    ¡°You!!!¡± Grand Elder Du Zhao roared as he finally realized that it wasn''t Zhang who attacked his disciples but rather it was the H people from the Sun Hall Sect and Earthly Palace Sect.

    ¡°My my if it isn''t Du Zhao and Hua Xiong, here I thought we might run into some bigger fish.¡± A man dressed in red robes who a scar shaped like flames on his right cheek laughed.

    ¡°I apologize for accidentally attacking you, I was just having my disciples practice their sword techniques on some clouds.¡± A bald man dressed in white robes said with a snicker.

    ¡°Enough of the small talk, how did you know we were here!? This couldn''t possibly be a coincidence!¡± Grand Elder Du Zhao said as a lance appeared his hands while a bow appeared in Grand Elder Hua Xiong¡¯s hands.

    ¡°What could you possibly mean? I was simply on a little stroll with a few of my disciples.¡± The man with the flame shaped scar said causing Du Zhao and Hua Xiong to glare at him with displeased faces.

    ¡°Let''s say a little birdy told me.¡± The bald man from the Earthly Palace Sect said.

    ¡°I guess since you''re both going to die anyway there''s no point in keeping secrets.¡± The man with flame shaped scar laughed.

    ¡°There aren''t too many secrets out there that a few essence stones or some torturing can''t pry.¡± The man added.

    ¡°Like the man said, enough small talk. Everyone attack!¡± The bald headed man yelled as he brandished a long sword in his hand and slashed at the air creating dozens of crescent energy blades that were aimed toward an area in the skill filled with disciples belonging to the Lunar Sect.

    ¡°As you wish, Grand Elder Wu Guo!¡± All of the people dressed in white said in unison as they began to unleash a fury of attacks.

    ¡°Also leave no living witnesses.¡± The man with the flame shaped scar commanded.

    ¡°As you command, Grand Elder Huo Yan!¡± All of the people dressed in red said as they joined their white-clothed counterparts.

    While their people began to attack, the two grand elders of the Earthly Palace and Sun Hall Sects along with a dozen or so of other experts began a standoff with Grand Elder Du Zhao, Grand Elder Hua Xiong and a group of their experts. Since in a battle between experts even a single mistake could mean certain death, the two groups simply stood waiting for their opponents to move first as to observe and spot possibly openings.

    In the meantime, the disciples and various low-level elders of the Lunar Sect were vastly outnumbered as they combined might of the Sun Hall and Earthly Palace sect fell upon them. As the nearly one-sided battle continued and escalated, even people who were not remotely involved at all were alert, these people, of course, were Zhang, the beauties and the elite guard who were not too far away.

    ¡°Brother look there''s a fight happening up there.¡± Ai said as she pointed to the sky after rising out from the pit that cut deep into the ground atop a fluffy cloud.

    ¡°Let¡¯s get out of here before things get out of hand.¡± Yuying said as she saw how furiously the two sides were fighting.

    But of course sometimes, there are things that are unavoidable as a small group consisting of members of the Sun Hall Sect began to descend toward Zhang¡¯s group from the sky with weapons in hand.

 Chapter 178: Ah, My Back!!

    A bit longer then regular chapter :D if any errors please help me by pointing them out. Thank you.

    =============================================================================

    ¡°Be gone¡­ I will not be dragged into your fight.¡± Zhang¡¯s voice reverberated through the air as he unleashed his powers and exerted a heavy pressure across the area around him choking and compressing upon the group of men dressed in red robes that were charging toward him and the beauties.

    As the pressure that Zhang released enveloped them the disciples of the Sun Hall Sect stopped in their tracks and stood motionless in the air. Realizing that Zhang was, in fact, a saint and upon having an unbelievable amount of force pressing at them from all sides, they knew that they were absolutely no match for Zhang.

    ¡°It seems our sources were wrong and there''s actually one more saint than expected, not that it matters since the addition of a single small fry doesn''t mean a thing when we¡¯ve brought twice the number of people they have.¡± Grand Elder Huo Yan of the Sun Hall Sect snickered as he waved his hand and signaled for a few lesser saints and a full Saint to descend toward where Zhang was.

    ¡°I''ll handle them, everyone else head toward where the fortress and stay a safe distance away from the fighting.¡± Zhang said as his gazed shifted from each one of the beauties and to the faces of some of the elite guard. As things were it was likely impossible for them to avoid being dragged into the battle so the best option for Zhang was to have his people and his wives leave so if needed he could escape on his own without having to be slowed down by moving in a large group of people.

    ¡°Come back soon or else I won''t save any leftovers for you to eat.¡± Ai said before following the others who had begun to move according to Zhang¡¯s orders.

    ¡°Collect their corpses for me, although we won''t get much heavenly energy from the lesser saints absorbing a few full saints may allow us to break through.¡± Yuying said as she tossed the Ruler¡¯s Domain Ring to Zhang so he could store away the corpses of the saints that he manages to slay.

    As the beauties and elite guard began to depart, Zhang launched himself through the air and toward the group of saints that were aiming to attack him.

    A total of twelve lesser saints and a full saint descended and surrounded Zhang from all sides once they met in midair.

    Since trying to talk his way out of the current situation wasn''t an option, with a thought he condensed two crystal blades using the power of the Underworld Heart and rushed toward the nearest lesser saint while extruding an intense amount of bloodlust that caused all of his opponents to be taken back.

    Although Zhang lacked the fundamental basics that were taught to every disciple of a sect, although the number of techniques he knew could be counted with the number of fingers that a person possesses, what he did have was a vast amount of combat experience and an immeasurable amount of bloodlust that most people apart of sects did not.

    As members of prestigious sects there was no real reason to engage in mass slaughter or fight to the bitter end time and time again, but as a general of an army who had carved out an empire from the ashes and corpses of hundreds of thousands of enemies, Zhang¡¯s hands were stained red by the blood of the countless people who fell to his blade.

    ¡°Thank you for your belongings.¡± Zhang said in a merry tune as arrived behind a lesser saint and plunged his twin swords into the man¡¯s back. As the delicate looking crystal blades pierced through the lesser saint¡¯s body, with a twist of his hands Zhang not only bisected his victim¡¯s body into two but also decapitated the man before anyone could intervene.

    With his kill secured, Zhang activated the power of the Ruler¡¯s Domain and in a flash deposited the fallen saint¡¯s body away before speeding toward another enemy.

    Realizing how powerful Zhang was the saints of the Sun Hall Sect backed off and created some distance between themselves and Zhang while falling into formation.

    Simultaneously they all pointed their swords at Zhang and lashed out with purplish colored flames in the shape of fierce lions. As the purplish lion shaped flames charged through the sky and toward Zhang, his cape that acted as a gate into the abyss fluttered and began to expand.

    Before long the cape wrapped around Zhang¡¯s entire body as dozens of Abyssal Eagles shot out from the darkness and collided with the purplish lion shapes flames.

    Once the Abyssal beasts collided with the flames, they were instantly returned to the shadows while also scattering the purplish flames causing hundreds of fist sizes flames to shower down from the sky before dissipating.

    ¡°Initiate the Heaven Scorcher Formation!¡± Someone yelled, prompting the members of the Sun Hall Sect that were surrounding Zhang to fill the sky with fire.

    Eleven torrents of flame shot into the heavens and the toward the earth as Zhang found himself within a ring of scorching flames. The combined heat generated by the saints apart of the formation burned away the air and ignited a sea of fire on the ground that threatened to turn Zhang into ashes.

    ¡°I guess now would be the best time to use that technique since they don''t have vision on me any longer due to the walls of fire.¡± Zhang though as eleven slits through space appeared around him.

    Employing the second ability granted to him by the Dragon Heart Necklace, Zhang plunged his swords into the eleven slits that cut through space one after the other.

    ¡°As you can see like that small fry there, you all will fall one after the other.¡± Grand Elder Huo Yan of the Sun Hall Sect said in a snicker as he watched the dancing flames conjured by his subordinates.

    While smiles appeared on all of the faces of the saints of the Sun Hall Sect and Earthly Palace Sect, scowls appeared on the faces of the saints of the Lunar Sect.

    Being in the desperate situation they were, seeing a possible ally fall was rather disheartening.

    ¡°I didn''t practically like him but dragging an innocent bystander into our battle leaves a bad taste in my mouth.¡± Grand Elder Du Zhao said with a sigh.

    ¡°Looks could be deceiving, what appears to be defeat may actually be a victory.¡± Grand Elder Hua Xiong said as the torrent of flames that shot into the heavens began to dwindle.

    As the towering flames evaporated, the group of eleven saints from the Sun Hall Sect could be seen levitating in midair before their bodies slumped downward and they began to fall out of the skies.

    But before any of them crashed onto the ground, small portals opened up underneath them and deposited their corpses into the Ruler¡¯s Domain.

    Flabbergasted everyone had a face filled with shock besides Grand Elder Hua Xiong.

    ¡°Since I was involuntarily dragged into their battle, I might as well make them compensate my wasted time.¡± Zhang said as his gaze was focused on the chaotic battle taking place between the disciples of the three sects.

    Hundreds of demonic beasts, flying war chariots, and countless attacks littered the sky but all Zhang saw were thousands of money bags that were ripe for the picking.

    With money signs in his eyes, Zhang shot through the air with his weapons ready to strike down everyone in his path.

    ¡°Little friend, ten thousand essence stones and ten war chariots along with anything you manage to collect off of the enemies you kill of you agree to help us.¡± Grand Elder Hua Xiong said with a smile.

    ¡°Deal!¡± Zhang¡¯s voice could be heard as hundreds of thousands of arrows instantaneously were withdrew from his interspatial ring and appeared in the air.

    ¡°Since I was going to kill them all anyway.¡± Zhang thought as a wicked grin crept onto his face before he waved his hand and made a sea of arrows pierce through the sky.

    Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.

    As the arrows screamed across the air blocking out the sun, the disciples of the three sects all ceased what they were doing and either fled or tried to shield themselves. Seeing that all of their disciples may end up dead the saints of the Sun Hall and Earthly Palace sect had the entirety of their attention stolen, giving the saints of the Lunar Sect an opportunity to turn things around.

    ¡°Although they too were worried about their disciples, since Zhang¡¯s attack was on such a massive scale, Grand Elder Hua Xiong had secretly used his divine sense to reassure them not to worry.

    So while some of the saints who were from the Sun Hall or Earthly Palace tried to break off and save their disciples, they found themselves instead being bombarded by attacks from the Lunar Sect.

    Sword auras constructed out of essence, blades of wind, shards of ice and a wide variety of other attacks were employed as the saints of the Lunar Sect went on the offensive. Despite being outnumbered two to one, if their task was only to stall for time then the saints of the Lunar Sect were more than capable of doing so.

    Left without means to aid their disciples without possibly risking their own lives, the saints of the two sects were forced to watch as the hundreds of thousands of arrows under Zhang¡¯s control descend.

    As the arrows rained downward, the disciples of the Lunar Sect found themselves relatively safe as none of them were hit by any arrows. In the meantime, the disciples of the other two sects were literally pelted.

    Try to flee as they might, the area encompassed by Zhang¡¯s attack was too large and the speed of the arrows which were boosted by the power of a saint was too fast. So besides the powerful, the brave souls who stood their ground and repelled the arrows and the lucky few, all of the people in the Sun Hall Sect and Heavenly Palace sect who tried to flee was run through by hundreds of arrows and a few mithril tipped ballista bolts mixed in for good measure.

    ¡°Although the storm of arrows ended, I''m only getting started.¡± Zhang said as the Abyssal Cape encompassed him and the area around him in a ball of darkness.

    Seeing this pitch black ball everyone began to trembling with fear.

    ¡°Wa-wa-what is that.¡± A few people cried, regardless if they were Zhang¡¯s targets of not.

    As if replying to their questions, the pitch black ball began to emit a deafening babble of screams, roars, and screeches that echoes all the way to the heavens. Adding to everyone¡¯s terror and disbelief were hundreds if not thousands of gleaming blood red eyes that seemed to gaze into one¡¯s very soul.

    ¡°Everyone flee!¡± A disciple of the Heavenly Palace screamed, but to no avail, because a living nightmare began before anyone could even move.

    Beasts, ghouls, ghosts, demons, and horror of all shapes and sizes began to fly out from the darkness and attack everyone but the members of the Lunar Sect.

    Bodies and limbs were torn and ripped to shreds as blood began to rain down on the burning forest below. Although thousands of people had died no bodies fell to the ground, this was because they were collected into the Ruler¡¯s Domain much like the bodies of the saints that Zhang had slain.

    As disciples of prestigious sects, everyone was in possession of valuable cultivation resources and rare magical treasures, being who he is, Zhang, of course, would not let any of these spoils slip out of his hands.

    ¡°Hahaha, it seems we won''t be the ones to suffer a loss today but rather it will be you!¡± Grand Elder Du Zhao laughed as he dropped the lifeless corpse of a lesser saint, whose skull was crushed, into the ground.

    ¡°If you think killing some of our disciples means that you''ll avoid death then you''ve sadly mistaken.¡± A grand elder of the Heavenly Palace sect roared as he led a group of saints toward Grand Elder Du Zhao with bloodshot eyes.

    ¡°Twerp! Kill off all of their disciples and help me take the heads of these bastards and let alone ten thousand essence stones, I''ll give you twenty thousand essence stones.¡± Grand Elder Du Zhao said in a merry tune as if he forgot about his interactions with Zhang prior to being ambushed.

    ¡°Thirty thousand and you got a deal!¡± Zhang replied.

    ¡°What the?! You accepted my senior brother¡¯s offer of only ten thousand stones but not my offer of twenty thousand?¡± Du Zhao said with a puzzled face.

    ¡°I sort of used up a bit too much of my strength so if I were to continue helping you guys I might put my life at risk. Ah, my back it hurts...¡± Zhang said as he pretended that he was suffering from back pain.

    ¡°Twenty-five thousand¡­¡± Grand Elder Du Zhao said with a sigh.

    ¡°Owe my wrist¡­ I think only forty thousand essence stones would suffice now.¡± Zhang said as he rubbed his left wrist.

    ¡°I''ll give you fifty thousand essence stone and forgive you for killing our disciples if you kill all of the people from the Lunar Sect!¡± Grand Elder Huo Yan of the Sun Hall Sect said as he tossed an interspatial ring at Zhang.

    ¡°Hmmm, fifty thousand essence stones¡­¡± Zhang said as he stored away the ring.

    ¡°I''ll take this fifty thousand as payment to cancel my deal with him.¡± Zhang said as he looked at Grand Elder Hua Xiong with a smile.

    ¡°I bid you all a good day and it was a pleasure doing business with you all.¡± Zhang said as he began to fly away now that no one was really trying to attack him any longer after seeing his display of power.

    ¡°Little friend before you go I have a few words of advice for you. If he has enough essence stones to simply give you fifty thousand stones without batting an eye, then I''m sure you can get much more if you robbed him.¡± Grand Elder Hua Xiong said with a smile.

    ¡°Your right!¡± Zhang said with twinkling eyes.

    ¡°Then the same goes for them!¡± Grand Elder Huo Yan of the Sun Hall Sect said.

    ¡°There isn''t anything for him to gain from us.¡± Grand Elder Hua Xiong said with a laugh as he took off the golden colored interspatial he wore on his finger and tossed it to Zhang. Following his example soon all of the saints of the Lunar Sect gave Zhang their interspatial rings.

    After storing away, a dozen interspatial rings Zhang was left with a wide grin on his face as he imagined all of the loot he had just acquired, however, what he didn''t know was that most of the time when saints from the Lunar Sect went out into the ousted world they would leave most of their belongings within the sect.

    ¡°I''ll even make things easier for you to decide. Activate the Lunar Singularity Sphere Formation!¡± Grand Elder Hua Xiong said as he lifted his hand into the air and released a pulse of essence.

    Alone this pulse of essence did not amount to much but while no one was paying attention, a few of the other saints of the Lunar Sect had actually repositioned themselves and created a large ring around the saints of the Sun Hall and Earthly Palace.

    As the saints of the Lunar Sect released pulses of essence and activated their spell formation, a silver colored transparent sphere slowly formed and enveloped them and the saints of the other sect. Within the sphere, all of the saints other than those of the Lunar Sect were being bombarded but thousands upon thousands of pulses of essence that would travel through their bodies and assault their innards.

    But they did not sustain too much damage before the saints of the Sun Hall and Earthly Palace banded together to create a defensive spell formation that the pulses could not break through.

    ¡°Decide quickly we won''t be able to hold on for long.¡± Grand Elder Hua Xiong yellowed toward Zhang.

 Chapter 179: Late For Dinner

    Hey folks heres a chapter for you all :D. No chapter yesterday because somehow the bone on one of my toes popped out of the joint :/ you can imagine how much I panicked when i noticed it lol. Also for those who read Ascending the Heavens, I''ll try to have a chapter of it out in a few days :D.

    Wish you all a great day/night and good luck to those out hunting pokemon lol.

    If any errors point them out thanks.

    =============================================================================

    Now that a deadlock between the two forces had begun, as someone who was not in the spell formation everyone was at Zhang''s mercy and seeing that the saints of the Lunar Sect already gave him all of their interspatial rings only the saints from the other two sects had anything worth taking.

    Noticing the expression on Zhang¡¯s face although they were initially reluctant to all of the saints of the Sun Hall and Earthly Palace took off their interspatial rings and tossed them at Zhang before refocusing their efforts on resisting the power of the Lunar Sect¡¯s Lunar Singularity Sphere Formation.

    ¡°What should I do¡­¡± Zhang mumbled as he hugged an arm full of interspatial rings while be at a loss regarding what he should do.

    ¡°I guess since I have to kill one side or the other or risk being labeled as an enemy by both sides, I might as well kill the side that dragged me into this situation even though I didn''t want any part of it.¡± Zhang thought before he came to a conclusion and waved his hand withdrawing hundreds of ballista bolts that size of spears.

    ¡°Kill them! Kill them!¡± The saints of the Sun Hall and Earthly Palace yelled as cold sweat dropped down from their brows.

    ¡°No, kill them!¡± Grand Elder Du Zhao and all of the saints of the Lunar Sect yelled.

    Within a heartbeat later the hundreds of =ballista bolts pierced through the air at unbelievable speeds toward the saints of the Sun Hall and Earthly Palace sects. Terrified expressions soon crept onto all of their faces as they saw death speeding toward them.

    Who were they? They were saints, beings who ascended beyond the realm of normal humans, beings who transcended the limitations that bogged down most cultivators. Even the lesser saints were individuals brimming with pride and aloofness, but like everyone else when faced with the prospect of death they too trembled.

    ¡°You bastard!¡± A few of them cried as they saw the ballista bolts flying through the air and toward them. But alas due to the Lunar Singularity Formation set up by the saints of the Lunar Sect there wasn¡¯t anywhere to go, if they left the protective barrier that they erected then they would be bombarded by pulses of essence that would cause them immense damage, but if they didn¡¯t try to escape then they would be impaled by hundreds of ballista bolts the size of spears.

    ¡®Strengthen the barrier!¡± Grand Elder Huo Yan of the Sun Hall Sect roared as the ballista bolts closed in. However, what he failed to realize was that everyone single ballista bolt tip was made out of mithril and mithril was one of the very few things in the world that was able to pierce through magical barriers and the like as if they were constructed out of paper.

    Whereas ballista bolts tipped with regular metals would have simply bounced off the barrier constructed by saints, the mithril tipped ones passed through undeterred. By then it was too late to react and the saints within the barrier found themselves impaled by hundreds of spear sized ballista bolts.

    For something that took only but an instant for Zhang to pull off, seemed like an eternity for the saints of the Lunar Sect. As each waking second passed, their powers were continually sapped by their own spell formation so while Zhang was dealing with their enemies, a few of the lesser saints fainted due to over exhaustion of their powers and mental fatigue.

    Before anyone of them could do a thing the lesser saints were sent on their merry way to meet Zhang¡¯s father in law, the Yama. As for the few full saints that were present, Zhang purposely avoided their vitals and preserved their lives while inflicting a decent amount of damage upon them.

    ¡°Senior¡­ Maybe it¡¯s because of something I ate but my stomach really hurts, so I¡¯ll be leaving the rest to you. Since it¡¯s getting late and my wives are waiting for me to come home for dinner I will be taking my leave now.¡± Zhang said with an awkward smile on his face.

    Due to being a full saint himself and also thanks to the condition provided to him by the Lunar Sect, everyone had basically become sitting ducks and were all at his mercy but with that being said although he was more than capable of killing every one of the Sun Hall and Earthly Palace¡¯s saints Zhang did not because of a few reasons.

    One of which being that he wished to leave the Lunar Sect a bit of face, meaning if he a name nobody killed all of the saints of the Sun Hall Sect and Earthly Palace Sect present then wouldn''t the Lunar Sect become a laughing stock? As Zhang is certainly aware of and has experienced firsthand, rumors tend to blow out of proportion, it''s one thing if he were exempted from the rumors but if somehow everyone starts claiming that he single handed killed all of those saints without an ounce of help and after the grand elders of the Lunar Sect begged him to help them, then without a doubt even if Grand Elders Hua Xiong and Du Zhao don''t get angry surely the other grand elders or perhaps the sect master of the Lunar Sect was.

    So by only killing the small fish while only injuring the big fish and leaving them at the mercy of the saints of the Lunar Sect, Zhang would ensure that he wouldn''t be tarnishing or inadvertently shaming the Lunar Sect in the long run. Sometimes good intentions spawn ill feelings.

    ¡°Since I didn''t really accomplish what you asked of me I will return some of these to you also.¡± Zhang said as he waved his hand and made a number of interspatial rings shoot through the sky and toward Grand Elder Hua Xiong before flying off in a hurry.

    Although he very much wanted to keep all of the spoils that he managed to obtain, Zhang knew there was a time to be greedy and a time not to be. If giving up on some wealth that wasn¡¯t his, to begin with, would help him establish a good and healthy relationship with a prestigious sect such as the Lunar Sect then, by all means, he would not burn such a bridge.

    As he watched Zhang fly away Grand Elder Hua Xiong couldn''t help but shake his head before shifting his gaze back toward the remaining full saints of the Earthly Palace and Sun Hall Sects who were steadily having their insides liquefied by the Lunar Singularity Formation. As a spell formation, this technique was an extremely powerful one but also a flawed one.

    Although the Lunar Singularity formation allowed the saints of the Lunar Sect to suppress a group of saints that doubled their numbers for a short amount of time, they were left utterly defenseless and we''re open to attack by those, not in the formation. Meaning this technique could and is a double edged sword for its users.

    Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.

    Since they were able to suppress a group double their size, after the number of enemies had dwindled drastically the saints of the Lunar Sect were able to shatter the barrier that was erected to stop the pulses of essence they were releasing. Once the barrier was shattered the surviving saints inside the formation were bombarded by thousands of pulses of essence that had bounced back and forth throughout the duration of the spell formation.

    ¡°I need to get out of here quick before more problems start popping up.¡± Zhang said with a sigh as he sped through the air.

    ¡°Little friend! Wait!¡± A voice rang into Zhang¡¯s ear prompting him to look back to see Grand Elder Hua Xiong tailing him.

    ¡°Senior I really must be going now.¡± Zhang said with a wary smile.

    ¡°Little friend I have a proposition for you! Seeing as you have now made enemies of the Sun Hall Sect and Earthly Palace Sect due to us I was hoping to invite you to become an elder within the Lunar Sect. I''m sure with your talent the sect master would quickly promote you to be a grand elder. I also promise that since you''ve practically saved my life no one would dare to bully or berate you.¡± Grand Elder Hua Xiong said with a sincere look on his face.

    ¡°Become an elder of a sect that can send out dozens of saints to do its bidding¡­¡± Zhang mumbled until a sudden thought popped up in his head.

    ¡°If they are all dead they how would I have made enemies out of their sects? I do believe that you wouldn''t go around spreading drawings of me.¡± Zhang said with mixed expressions on his face. A part of him was confused, a part of him was unhappy because he thought that Grand Elder Hua Xiong was possibly secretly threatening him, while another part of him was intrigued to find out the truth.

    ¡°You don''t know?¡± Grand Elder Hua Xiong asked and looked at Zhang as if he was looking at someone who was clueless about the world.

    ¡°Know what?¡± Zhang asked.

    ¡°Let me explain¡­ Every disciple, every elder and every grand elder of the Lunar Sect, Sun Hall Sect, Earthly Palace Sect and the hundreds of other sects that live north of the Lunar Mountains all bind themselves with a piece of Soul Jade. These soul jades would be kept within their sect headquarters and would alert their sects if they met their demise when going outside.

    If it was only that then you would have nothing to worry, but there is a certain inscription pattern that is usually added to the soul stones of saints to transmit the last few moments of their life back to their sect.

    ¡°Damn¡­¡± Zhang said in a low tone as he realized that two prestigious sects know that he was the one to kill a dozen of their lesser saints and injure a group of their full saints.

    ¡°So for your own safety I recommend that you join our sect. As long as the Sun Hall Sect and Earthly Palace Sect don''t go all out and send all of their forces, now with a number of their respective saints gone our Lunar Sect would surely be able to hold our own against them.¡± Grand Elder Hua Xiong said with a hint of excitement in his tone, showing how happy he was about the death of the saints of the other two sects.

    ¡°I would love to but I believe that I''m fairly safe even if I don''t join because those two sects have other problems to worry about.¡± Zhang said with a laugh as he concluded that he was perfectly safe as long as the Lunar Sect remained.

    Since the other two sects would obviously have to deal with the Lunar Sect who had been their long time enemy before going after him.

    ¡°Take this and come visit me if you ever decide to go sightseeing across the other side of the Lunar Mountains or if you run into any problems. As long as you have that and go to any of the branch sects of the Lunar Sect they¡¯ll help you to their utmost ability.¡± Grand Elder Hua Xiong said as he tossed a blue colored metal badge toward Zhang who plucked it out of the air and deposited it into his interspatial ring.

    Moments later Grand Elder Du Zhao could be seen flying through the sky before stopping beside Grand Elder Hua Xiong while Zhang departed.

    ¡°Let¡¯s hurry back to the sect, a lot of things will happen because of the events that transpired here. We must return to the sect and inform the sect master.¡± Grand Elder Hua Xiong said to Grand Elder Du Zhao.

    ¡°What about the ingredients for the Pills of Rebirth?¡± Grand Elder Du Zhao asked.

    ¡°Leave the disciples and a few elders to search for them, we have more pressing matters to attend to. The power scale of Lunar City will be shifting in our favor and a lot of people will not be too happy about that, so we have to head back and prepare for the worst.¡± Grand Elder Hua Xiong said as he began to fly away.

    As things currently were, the Lunar Sect was now the strongest sect within Lunar City however due to this movement in the scale of power within the city there was a chance that the other sects banning together.

    The combined might of the Sun Hall Sect and Heavenly Palace Sect alone would be able to overpower the Lunar Sect if an all-out battle was to occur, so if all of the sects within the city banded together then the Lunar Sect would definitely be at a disadvantage. So the sooner Grand Elder Hua Xiong and Grand Elder Du Zhao returned to their sect headquarters the higher the chances of a solution to this possible problem could be devised.

    ¡°Zhao, send out teams of our disciples and have them try to recruit as many rogue lesser saints and full saints as they can, however, do not go to the west, those people are still in control of the Siwang Empire¡­ Also have them find out where that Zhang fellow is from, if possible I would like to try to recruit him again later.¡± Grand Elder Hua Xiong said to Grand Elder Du Zhao.

    While the two grand elders talked amongst themselves, Zhang had flown quite a distance away as he headed toward where the Sky Fortress was

    ¡°Maybe one day I''ll visit the Lunar Kingdom to see how wonderful a place teeming with saints is. But not before they all safety breakthrough.¡± Zhang said referring to the beauties.

    If the four beauties were all allowed to safely break through then as a group of five full saints Zhang and his wives could be able to roam the land without worry.

    ¡°Perhaps it won''t be too long until the day I visit since I managed to get so many essence stones it shouldn''t be too long before they break through either.¡± Zhang mumbled with a chuckle.

    ¡°Now to get back before Ai eats all of the food and there aren¡¯t any leftovers.¡± Zhang thought with a laugh as he recalled what his lovely wife had said before about not leaving him any dinner if he didn¡¯t come back in time.

 Chapter 180: Growing Together

    By the time Zhang reached his fortress hidden within the clouds, the moon, and the stars had completely taken over the sky. With clouds completely covering its bottom half and the moon and stars providing a backdrop, the Sky Fortress appeared like an otherworldly kingdom that had come from a distant star.

    Flying directly to the tallest tower in the center of this kingdom of the sky, Zhang entered the top floor of the Azure Tower where a table full of delicious looking good could be seen.

    Upon landing on the balcony and walking into the room our young prince found himself at the mercy of four lovely tigresses. Immediately after entering the room Zhang was pounced on and fell onto the floor as the scent of flowers flowed into his nostrils.

    ¡°What took you so long mister?¡± Yuying said with a grin.

    ¡°Was out collecting gifts for my lovely wives.¡± Zhang said with a laugh as he slipped the Ruler¡¯s Domain Ring off of his finger and held it up toward Yuying while still being pressed on the floor by the beauties.

    After a barrage of playful laughs and a few gentle kisses, Zhang and the beauties skipped dinner to inspect the contents of the interspatial rings that Zhang managed to obtain.

    As one interspatial ring after the other was emptied and its contents poured. Before long a pile of essence stones stacking up to form a mound that took up half of the room could be seen. Considering how large the top most floor of the Azure Tower was one could only imagine how many hundreds of thousands of essence stones Zhang had acquired.

    Besides essence stones, there were also hundreds of weapons of all shapes and sizes littering the floor, thousands of various manuals that contained information about things such as cultivation techniques, lost history, pill concocting formulae, and a countless number of other topics.

    There were also hundreds of bottles of pills that of course were either medicine meant to cure illness or poisons meant to claim lives.

    ¡°I almost forgot due to so many things happening ¡­¡± Zhang mumbled as he waved his hand and in an instant, the entire top floor of the Azure Tower was flooded by a sea of gold and hundreds of magical items. This, of course, was a part of the treasure that was claimed in the cave.

    ¡°Alright with this many essence stones and along with the heavenly energy within those corpses of the lesser saints I''m sure that all four of you can break through.¡± Zhang said with a smile.

    ¡°But first, we have to find somewhere safe so that no one can bother us.¡± He added as he recalled all of the saints that came to hinder his ascension.

    ¡°How about somewhere out at sea? If we go far away enough from the land, then I think we will be alright.¡± Ling suggested.

    ¡°Maybe¡­¡± Yuying murmured in a low tone to herself as she seemed to recall something, however, she did not speak and kept to herself.

    ¡°Then we can go to the beach afterward.¡± Ai said with twinkling eyes.

    Seeing the excited look on Ai¡¯s face Zhang couldn''t help but break out into laughter. It was just like her to blurt whatever came to mind even when considering the importance of the discussion currently taking place. But perhaps it is because of this that Ai is considered the purest one out of the group of four beauties.

    Never with an ulterior motive, never scheming and never really with a care in the world she remains aloof and unbound by the chains that tether everyone to the ground.

    ¡°Okay, we will go to the beach after you all breakthrough.¡± Zhang said as he stuck his pinky finger out toward Ai who moments later hooked it with her own pinky finger.

    After promising with Ai to take her to the beach, with a wave of his hand Zhang stored away all of the thousands upon thousands of essence stones and began dispersing the rest of his harvest with his wives.

    The sea of gold coins was equally divide into six shares, one share for Zhang and each of the beauties with the sixth share being for the Imperial Institute¡¯s expense fund. Since Zhang wanted to keep the Imperial Institute an independent entity within the Aurora Empire, he had decided to personally fund it himself.

    This was mainly due to the possibility of someone possibly using their wealth and influence to drag the institute into some politically struggle within the empire, this thought alone made Zhang unhappy. Since the main purpose of creating the institute was to create a force that would be able to ensure the longevity of the empire that he had worked hard to help create.

    Zhang believed that in times of need even when he wasn''t around perhaps due to death or some other reason, the Imperial institute would forever remain a symbol of security and the empire¡¯s might. For that to happen the institute must remain free of all influences, so that it can remain completely to the empire.

    After the gold was divided up, Zhang and the beauties began to pick out a few magical weapons to use as rewards for their students who had completed the challenges set for them during their field trip.

    In the end a large number of interspatial rings, which Zhang managed to obtain thousands of due to the fact that every disciple of the Sun Hall Sect and Earthly Palace Sect owning an interspatial ring, a few sets of magical armor, a few dozen magical weapons and a large quantity of pills were picked out as rewards.

    ¡°I bet you they''ll be surprised when they see the rewards, considering how lacking our lands are in cultivation materials, high level equipment and magical items.¡± Yuying said with a smile as she held a small dagger that gave off a faint amount of killing intent, showing that the number of lives that it has claimed so far is not a small one

    ¡°Eventually when the empire¡¯s domains are completely mapped out hopefully cultivation resources won''t be so scarce.¡± Zhang replied.

    After spending a bit more time picking out prizes for the students of the Imperial Institute Zhang and the beauties retreated back to their chambers and went to the land of dreams with brimming smiles on their faces.

    Like a passing breeze, morning soon arrived and all of Zhang¡¯s soldiers, and all of the teachers and students of the institute were assembled around the Azure Tower.

    With teachers standing around the tower facing their students atop a stage that circled the tower and hundreds of thousands of soldiers standing in neat rows behind the students, it was a sight to behold as Zhang and the beauties made their way out of the Azure Tower.

    ¡°As the future of the Aurora Empire, I applaud your achievements that many of you managed to accomplish during the duration of our little field trip. Thanks to your efforts, a large amount of medical supplies and pill concocting ingredients have been supplied to the Pill Division, a large number additional demonic beasts have been added to the Beast Den and lots of rare materials have been given to the Inferno Smelting Hall.¡± Zhang said in a loud tone that reached everyone''s ears despite how large an area the audience occupied.

    This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    ¡°As a reward for your efforts, every student will be given ten Cultivation Condensing Pills that will help you solidify your cultivation base and set you up to quickly break through.¡± Zhang said as he waved his hand and made thousands of red colored pills shoot through the sky and into the hands of every single one of the Institute''s students, using the power of the Underworld Heart of course.

    ¡°Now on to those who have put themselves a step above their peers. As your names are called please head toward the stage.¡± Zhang said as the teachers and professors of the institute including Yuying, Lingqi and Ling began calling out names of various students.

    Once nearly a thousand names were called out and many familiar faces arrived on the stage began to speak again.

    ¡°Now for those of you who have shown that you have what it takes to be exemplary examples for your peers, I give you the chance to pick out your very own rewards. Choose wisely because you will only be able to pick one reward.¡± Zhang said as he waved his hand and made a long rack of weapons containing hundreds of weapons, a huge bookshelf filled with hundreds of books and another large shelf lined with armor.

    ¡°Attack, defense, and intelligence, what will they pick.¡± Zhang wondered as the students began making their choices as the rest of the student body watched with mixed emotions. Adoring eyes, envious eyes, worshipping eyes and a mixture of others were all focused on the stage as the thousand or so students on it began to inspect the weapons, armor, and books that Zhang had left out for them.

    While some students choose from the wide array of weapons and armor, other browsed the vast collection of books that were left on the large shelf, but regardless of what they were doing all of the students had brimming smiles on their faces for they knew with certainty that the items laid out in front of them could only be considered valuable treasures that would otherwise be near impossible to obtain due to the scarcity of things in the empire. So for many of the students present it was the first time that they were able to see such a large number things related to cultivation.

    Even after the Aurora Empire was established, most magical treasures, high-grade weapons, cultivation manuals and other things of the like were kept out of the hands of the populous and either kept in the imperial treasury or sent to Zhang.

    Soon after all of the students had picked their rewards and were instructed to leave, Zhang began calling up every one of the institute¡¯s instructors.

    ¡°As the instructors of the institute who have to guide the future of our empire, none of you should be lacking in terms of cultivation either. Regardless if the subject that you teach has anything to do with cultivation or not.¡± Zhang said as he made all of the instructors of the Imperial Institute pick out a few technique and cultivation materials along with various pills that would help them break through.

    ¡°We will do our best not to disappoint you, your highness.¡± All of the institute¡¯s instructors said in unison as they bowed and began to depart.

    Since his current objective was to elevate his forces as much as possible, although it costed a fortune, Zhang even provided every single one of his soldiers with cultivation pills on top of having the elite guard teach them a few of the spell formations that he obtained from the interspatial rings of the saints that he had run into near the Lunar Mountains.

    ¡°Continue to grow stronger, continue to strive to reach the top and one day all of the land under heaven will be ours! For the empire!!!¡± Zhang said in a loud voice to the sea of soldiers standing in front of him, trigger an endless amount of cheers from the men who act as the swords and shields of Aurora.

    ¡°For the empire!!!¡±

    ¡°Long live his highness!!¡± Hundreds of thousands of soldiers began chanting.

    Perhaps if given enough time Zhang would have an army of level ten warriors or perhaps even saints under his command, if things reached that point then without a doubt he could conquer the entire continent and unite it under one single banner but before that time comes he had to establish a force strong enough to defend his empire against the many neighboring kingdoms that lined its northern border.

    Although the Aurora Empire wasn¡¯t extremely wealthy yet he was certain that after a few years with all of the policies and technological advancements that he helped implement the empire would grow extremely rich and become a juicy looking piece of meat that its neighbors will seek to claim for themselves.

    Despite saying that he wanted them to become strong so that he could conquer the continent or to defend against foreign invaders, a part of Zhang simply wished that these men would be strong enough so that he does not have to leave them behind as he continues to grow stronger.

    Many of the soldiers present had followed Zhang for what seemed like an eternity, from the time that he had only been a commander of a few thousand men to the time when he conquered his first province and finally to the time when the empire was creating. Through thick and thin they were extremely loyal and had basically become his brothers. Unlike any other prince or general, Zhang had remembered the names of most if not all of his soldiers, which goes to show how much he cared about them. In a time and age where most generals treated their men like fodder, he was one of the few exceptions.

    After distributing cultivation resources to his people Zhang and the beauties returned to the topmost floor of the Azure Tower where they proceeded to gaze out into the vast sky ahead of them as the Sky Fortress flew south-east over a large mountain range and toward the open sea.

    ¡°To the beach!¡± Ai¡¯s voice could be heard echoing out of the Azure Tower as the sun began to set.

    ¡°To the beach!!¡± Yuying, Ling and Lingqi¡¯s voices soon followed as Zhang¡¯s laughter was soon added also.

    Peering into the Azure Tower, Zhang and the beauties could be seen sitting atop a comfy looking cushioned couch and looking out of the balcony at the sunset enjoying each other¡¯s company.

    ================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================

    ¡°Oh shit¡­ I forgot¡­¡± Zhang soon yelled.

    ¡°What?¡± The beauties said in unison as they gazed at their husband with curious looks.

    ¡°I forgot to go capture that Charizard that was not too far from here!¡± Zhang cried.

 Chapter 181: Seagull

    As streaks of lightning snaked across the sky as roars of thunder echoed about and an endless veil of rain poured down from about a large fishing vessel bobbled underneath a sea of dark clouds above and atop a sea of raging waves.

    ¡°Hoist the sails!¡± A man with a bushy beard and crooked teeth roared as the pouring rain soaked his clothes.

    ¡°Aye, captain!¡± A young man said as he and a small army of others began to untie dozens of knots and ropes.

    ¡°Curse our horrid luck, where did this storm come from?¡± A middle-aged man complained as he walked beside the man with a bushy beard.

    ¡°Ca-ca-captain! What is that!!¡± A few sailors scream at the top of their lung as their voices were muffled by the clapping of thunder in the background.

    ¡°What is it lads! Calm down!¡± The ship''s captain roared as he thought that his men were panicking due to their lack of experience regarding storms, however, that was until the sight of a massive flying island could be seen.

    With each flash of lightning, this island would be visible for a fraction of a second before disappearing again, out of sight like a phantom mirage.

    Beside the mirage-like island, a tiny white cloud could be seen levitating near the water¡¯s surface.  Atop this tiny white cloud that seemed so out of place was a group of five silhouettes.

    The strangest thing regarding this cloud and the people riding it was that the entire area around them appeared to be a part of another world. Thousands of droplets of rain could be seen bouncing off an invisible sphere while the water near the cloud looked as calm and still as the water of some landlocked pond.

    Suddenly a loud and cheerful voice drifted into their ears.

    ¡°I caught one!¡± A gentle female voice could be heard despite the raging storm that was taking place.

    ¡°A siren! It''s a fabled siren! Plug your ears or else they''ll lure you to your deaths!¡± The ship¡¯s captain yelled. Perhaps it was due to his long voyage at sea or his vast experience causing him to jump to conclusions but before long the captain had all of his men tie themselves to the shop and plug their ears.

    A short distance away from the ship atop the white cloud, Zhang and the beauties could be seen with fishing rods in hand.

    ¡°I caught something! I caught something!¡± Ai yelled out in pure joy as she finally managed to hook something after sitting still for about an hour. For those that know Ai, and how energetic she was the thought of her sitting still in one place was obviously unbelievable, however, she was so intrigued with fishing that she managed to still herself. But the moment that she felt a nibble on her line, her excitement exploded as she yelled in glee.

    ¡°Pull it in! Pull it in!¡± Yuying said as she too became caught up in the moment.

    Surprisingly enough despite Ai¡¯s tremendous amount of brute strength whatever beast was hooked to her line managed to put up a battle and elude capture.

    ¡°Brother! I can''t see, then stupid clouds are making it hard to see!¡± Ai complained as she gripped onto her fishing rod.

    Upon hearing Ai¡¯s complaint, with a thought and a wave of his hand Zhang made the Rising Moon Sword appear. Grasping it in one hand and waving it casually about Zhang caused a massive hole to puncture through the clouds and allowed the rays of the sun to shine down from above.

    Over the past few days, Zhang had begun to extensively train and tried to push to see the limits of the swords power. Much to his surprise the power that it had exerted on him within the cave where he found it was only the top of the iceberg.

    ¡°It''s come up! I can see it!¡± Ai said with glee as a massive shark shot out of the water.

    ¡°It''s a demonic beast called a Drill Fang Shark.¡± Ling said as she caught sight of the Sharks drill like rows of teeth.

    As Ai¡¯s fishing line lifted the huge shark into the air it began to thrash about and try to free itself but since the fishing line was Wraith Spider silk, the shark¡¯s fate was sealed.

    ¡°Alright let''s go back now and have shark fin soup for dinner.¡± Lingqi said with a laugh. Before long the fluffy white cloud that they were sitting atop of behind to soar through the sky and disappear from sight while the sailors aboard the ship not too far from them could be seen with stupefied expressions on their faces.

    ¡°Flying shark¡­ I''ve heard tales of sharks flying when there are tornadoes or something but never like this¡­¡± One of the sailors said.

    ¡°We¡¯re saved! The storm stopped! Praise the heavens!!¡± Another sailor yelled excitedly as he fell to his knees and began bowing repeatedly upon the ground, soon enough the other sailors and even the captain joined him.

    Thus began tales of flying sharks mythical sirens and flying islands off the coast of the Aurora Empire.

    It had been roughly a week since Zhang and the beauties headed out to sea so that the beauties could attempt to ascend  to sainthood undisturbed. Although they were in a hurry to move as far away from land as possible, boredom soon took over so Zhang and the beauties attempted to try to find things to do to kill time.

    ¡°Crossing off fishing for sharks off the list.¡± Zhang said with a laugh as he held up a long piece of paper with a list of things to do at sea.

    With the shark still stick to their fishing line, Zhang and the beauties flew into the clouds and into the Sky Fortress which was cloaked by one of Yuying¡¯s magical arrays.

    ¡°I need to figure out a way to make it is lightning doesn''t disrupt the cloaking array¡­¡± Yuying said with a sigh as they landed on one of the balconies of the Azure Tower where a few guards clad in pitch black armor were stationed.

    ¡°Your highnesses.¡± The guards said in unison as they saluted Zhang and the beauties.

    ¡°At ease.¡± Zhang said before entering the tower with the beauties in tow.

    ¡°Can you please have someone cook that for me?¡± Ai said to one of the guards in a lovable tone.

    ¡°I will have it brought to the kitchen right away, princess.¡± The guard said as he and a group of his comrades circled the shark that was on the last leg of its life, gaping for airs.

    In a flash, the shark was impaled by a dozen spears and skewed, before being lifted up onto a floating platform and transported away.

    As the days continued on, the Sky Fortress continued flying further and further away from the Wulin Continent until Zhang entered uncharted territory.

    ¡°I think we are far enough from land. It''s time to get started.¡± Zhang said as the Sky Fortress was now a few hundred thousand miles away from the Wulin Continent, prompting the beauties to enter into the inner sanctuary of the fortress and begin absorbing heavenly energy emitted from some of the corpses of the lesser saints and large amounts of essence stones.

    If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

    ¡°If anything happens and gets out of hand, open the Samsara Gate. Although I would prefer not to go back there and we might be stuck there for a while it would still be better than being sent there unwillingly.¡± Yuying said to Zhang as she handed him the Jade pendant that she had received on their wedding day. Although in the end, they would still end up in the Underworld, if Zhang and the beauties were killed they would suffer a drop in cultivation, lose all of their belongings and suffer through the pain of dying which was not a very pleasant feeling.

    ¡°I''m sure everything will be fine.¡± Zhang said with a smile as he sat down in front of the inner sanctuary cross-legged and with his arms folded Zhang began to refine and began to absorb a large amount of heavenly energy from the corpses of a dozen or so corpses belonging to lesser saints also.

    At first, he thought that the amount of heavenly energy he was receiving wouldn''t prompt any huge changes, but Zhang soon found his power elevated to that of a peak level full Saint. So when paired with his three legendary treasures he certainly would be able to fight on par with a lower level higher saint.

    As the beauties worked hard to break through, Zhang had all of his soldiers and all of the people of the Imperial Institute stay on high alert in case enemies appear. Hundreds of thousands of soldiers were soon patrolling the sky fortress while being fully clad in armor, the elite guard and Winged Legion were up and about while the students and teachers of the academy were also keeping their eyes peeled.

    Within the sanctuary, the beauties quickly absorbed all of the heavenly energy from the bodies of the lesser saints as they felt they were nearing a breakthrough for bottleneck and reaching ascension.

    ¡°Use the stones.¡± Yuying said as she waved her hand and made a large pile of essence stones form in front of her. In a fluid motion, she quickly picked up one of the essence stones after the other and began absorbing them as quickly as she could.

    ¡°Let''s hope that everything proceeds smoothly¡­¡± Yuying mumbled in a low tone as beads of sweat dripped down her forehead toward her perfectly shaped eyebrows.

    Following her example, the other beauties soon began absorbing as many essence stones as they could also after finishing absorbing the heavenly energy from the corpses of the lesser saints.

    Minutes turned to hours and hours became days as the beauties endlessly absorbed massive amounts of essence stones.

    As the essence revolved throughout their channels and changed their bodies, the beauties continued to inch toward ascension.

    Suddenly a piercing ray of divine light pierced through the Sky Fortress and shone onto Ling who had now been absorbing essence stones for days.

    ¡°I did it! I finally did it!¡± Ling broke out in laughter as she felt the pure heavenly energy flowing into her body. Unlike the heavenly energy from the corpses that seemed stale and lifeless, the heavenly energy that she had been granted by the heavens was packed with an indescribable feeling that uplifted her very soul while causing her to brim with confidence.

    The feeling where one felt as if they could take on the world alone if they had to.

    ¡°I can''t fall behind.¡± Lingqi said as she saw Ling ascending.

    Thousands of miles away from where Zhang and the beauties were, an ordinary looking seagull could be seen floating atop the ocean¡¯s surface while gazing toward the direction where the Sky Fortress was until it suddenly shot downward into the water.

    Soon enough it was obvious that this seagull was not an ordinary one as it dove deeper and deeper into the depths where no ordinary seagull could possibly ever travel. Attributing to the strangeness of this seagull was the fact that none of the ocean¡¯s predators dared to approach it, sharks would flee, various water type demonic beasts would cower and move out of its way whenever it neared.

    In a flash, the seagull had dived a thousand miles underneath the sea¡¯s surface. Upon seeing a massive mountain that rose out from the sea floor, the seagull¡¯s speed doubled causing it to appear like a blur.

    Oddly the seagull continued moving at full speed and did not show any signs of stopping as he torpedoed toward the rock face of the undersea mountain. However instead of crashing into the mountain the seagull flew into it, revealing the face of the mountain to be nothing more than an illusion.

    After speeding through the illusionary face of the mountain the seagull could be seen moving through a massive sea cave that was filled with colorful glowing coral and an abundance of small glowing fish.

    Following the trail of luminous coral and fish the seagull soon arrived at its destination, a massive underwater city made entirely out of coral. In terms of size this underwater city was double the size of the Aurora Empire¡¯s imperial city and in term of grandeur Aurora¡¯s Imperial City could not even be remotely compared to this one. Thousands upon thousands of buildings made purely out of different colored coral made this city mesmerizing to all those lucky enough to see it.

    As the seagull soared through the water and through a thin membrane that covered the entire city, it wings began to flutter as it shook off all of the water that was weighing it down. The seagull continued its journey, flying across the city where countless people could be seen walking the streets until it reached a massive building made entirely out of golden colored coral.

    Upon reaching a balcony that stuck out on one side of the building the seagull¡¯s body began glowing as it¡¯s limbs began to elongate and morph. Moments later the seagull was no more and a dashing young man with three white feathers sticking to his silky long hair could be seen.

    After a brief pause, the man who had been a seagull moments ago began walking down a large corridor, wherever he went strange looking people who appeared to be half animal and half human could be seen.

    ¡°General Niao Wang!¡± Dozens of people with scaly skin clad in red armor made of coral said wherever the man went.

    Soon he reached a pair of massive gates that were lined with huge pearls the size of a person¡¯s head and with a gentle push he stepped inside.

    ¡°Your highness, there is a disturbance above the water¡¯s surface. Someone is ascending, most likely a human.¡± The man who was a seagull named Niao Wang said as he dropped to one knee and saluted.

    ¡°Prepare the Flying Fish Cavalry and the Shrimp Legion! Alert the other generals and our champions, we are going on a hunt.¡± A hulking figure with a pair of long horns sticking out of his forehead said.

    ¡°As you wish my lord.¡± Niao Wang said in a polite tone.

 Chapter 182: Blood Coral Cove

    Here is my patreon if anyone wishes to make a pledge: https://www.patreon.com/iEndWorlds</a>

    Here is my chatango if anyone wants to pop in to talk: iendworlds.chatango.com

    Special Thanks to: Gault for pointing out errors to me on chatango, and to the proofers who are helping me look at the older chapters.

    Wish you all a great rest of the day and hope you like this arc o_o, always wanted to a water world arc lol.

    Niao Wang is not to be confused with Niao Fang

    Niao Wang= Seagull

    Niao Fang= Saint from the Golden Peak Province.

    Just wanted to make that clear :D will try to keep names not too common like this one sorry folks :D

    Mantis Shrimp

    Flying Fish ( the ones in the story have mouths like sword fish though.)

    ================================================================

    While Zhang faithfully sat crossed legged in front of the stone gates that led into the Sky Fortress¡¯s inner sanctuary where the beauties were attempting to break through their bottleneck, the depths of the sea was filled with activity. Countless horse sized fish equipped with bug-like wings and countless more massive shrimp shot through the water with armed riders clinging onto their backs. Mixed in with the horde of sea creatures and their riders were dozens of intimidating figures who extruded an intimidating aura.

    Like arrows soaring through the sky, this army from the depths pierced through the water at unbelievable speeds. In a flash, they shot out of the water¡¯s surface in an amazing display of splashing water and glittering scales as sunlight shone down from above.

    ¡°Let us remind the land dwellers why they fear the seas! Ahahahahaha!¡± A man clad in bright red colored scale armor roared as he lifted his spear into the air.

    ¡°This way!¡± Niao Wang said as he morphed into a seagull and began leading the army of the sea in the direction where Zhang and the beauties were.

    As the army of the sea continued to near their destination and Zhang¡¯s location, high up in the sky and deep within the Sky Fortress, Zhang¡¯s eyes suddenly opened as he pushed himself up from the ground with an emotionless look on his face and with unhurried steps made his way through the large corridor that led outside while his hands with behind his back.

    ¡°I wonder who¡¯s coming this time.¡± Zhang mumbled in a low tone as he traced the wall beside him with one of his hands.

    Although the beauties were rather preoccupied and did not know about the approaching force of sea dwellers, Zhang was not the only one preparing to intercept the sea army. Out on the exterior of the Sky Fortress, every single one of the towers containing an essence core began sending out beacons of red light which acted as signals to Zhang¡¯s armies and the members of the Imperial Institute.

    Before long hundreds of thousands of soldiers clad in black armor that was giving off a mysterious green sheen could be seen hurriedly making preparations for the arrivals of the incoming force.

    Thousands of ballistae were brought out and loaded while hundreds of Golden Winged Eagles that were now outfitted with razor-sharp metallic talons and armor took to the skies with their riders brandishing bows and spears in hand.

    ¡°Brace yourselves men, for today we will show the might of the armies of Aurora! Be it man, beast or even a saint we will show them that we will not be trifled with, without putting up a fight!  We will show our lord that his faith is not misplaced!¡± The commanders of Zhang¡¯s army roared at the tops of their lungs.

    ¡°All inner branch students who are levels seven or high are to report to the defense towers while the rest of you are to go and guard the inner sanctuary!¡± The teachers and professors of the Imperial Institute said as they directed their students.

    Soon enough a large portion of the institute''s students along with a large group of soldiers marched off to the Inner Sanctuary while other groups of students made their way to the various towers positioned around the fortress. Along with the students were also countless different demonic beasts of all shapes and sizes.

    After his ascension and the needless loss of thousands soldiers, Zhang, hoping to not send his men into a one-sided battle that would certainly lead them to their deaths, had given specific orders for every soldier who had yet reached the sixth level of cultivation and every student who had yet reached the seventh level of cultivation to hole up in the interior of the Sky Fortress.

    So currently only roughly half of Zhang¡¯s forces were assembled outside but even with half of Zhang¡¯s forces assembled, hundreds of thousands of people could still be seen.

    ¡°Scatter and report back any signs of enemies!¡± One of the captains of the Winged Legion said prompting the riders of the hundreds of Winged Eagles to split up and flew in all directions.

    After fleeing from the elders of the Lunar Sect and gaining a lot of firsthand experience, every member of the Winged Legion was now much more precise in their maneuvers and were much more vigilant of their surroundings than before so before long they caught sight of the army of the sea.

    ¡°Report back to base that we have a large force of fish and shrimp speeding right for us.¡± A member of the Winged Legion said, but he was somewhat flabbergasted by what he had said soon after.

    ¡°Look at what we have here.¡± A voice rang into everyone''s ears as they caught sight of a normal looking seagull soaring up toward them.

    ¡°Scramble!¡± A captain of the Wing Legion commanded. Soon after all of the Golden Winged Eagles present back to perform different maneuvers and break apart from one another.

    ¡°That won''t help you.¡± Niao Wang who was in his bird form said as dozens of gales of wind were formed and crashed into the members of the Winged Legion, knocking them off their mounts and plummeting toward the sea where countless horrors were awaiting.

    ¡°Come down to papa!¡± Many riders of the winged fish and mantis shrimp said as bloodlust was extruded from their bodies.

    However, to their surprise, the members of the Winged Legion began tugging on a series of cords and cables that were sticking out of armor and in no time at all wings extended out of the back of their armor.

    Then came along a gentle breeze that lifted them up into the air before their winged partners swooped along and retrieved them.

    ¡°I''m glad his highness had the people from the Inferno Smithing Hall make these for us or else we would have been dead meat.¡± A member of the Winged Legion said as he pulled a wire that caused the winged that extended out from the back portion of his armor to fold away.

    ¡°Flying Fish Cavalry are you waiting for his highness to go up there and capture them himself? Go and show them that just because we come from the depths of the sea that we are able to soar in the skies also! First battalion with me!¡± A rider atop a large red colored flying fish three times the size of all the other flying fish roared, signaling for a late group of flying fish and their riders to dive into the water to moments later shoot out into the sky.

    With their lance-like skull structure, the flying fish break through the air and unfolded their wings, using the wind to glide into the skies.

    Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

    ¡°Deploy lightning talismans and ready your weapons!¡± The captain of the Winged Legion said as he and his men unleashed a storm of lightning into the incoming, not fish riders.

    ¡°You think lighting at this level can stop us? Dream on! The scales of these fish are made of condensed essence that can nullify most attacks without even leaving a scratch.¡± A fish rider said mockingly as he closed in on one of the riders of the Winged Legion. But contrary to what he thought would happen, the fish rider was soon knocked into a daze.

    One by one Zhang¡¯s soldiers brandished pitch black spears that gave off an eerie green colored sheen, in a flash, these spears pierced through the tough scales of the flying no fish as if they were not there at all causing blood to rain down from above.

    Once their spears impaled the flying fish, their winged partners would also lash out with sharp metallic talons that also gave off an eerie green awe.

    ¡°What the¡­¡± Niao Wang said as he fluttered his wings and shoot forth at one of the riders of the Winged Legion. With a sudden flash of light enveloping him, Niao Wang morphed into the form of a human and with a blade made of wind lopped off the arm of one of Zhang¡¯s soldiers while grabbing hold of the man''s spear. Afterward, in a single fluid motion, Niao Wang sent the man and his Golden Winged Eagle smashing into the waves with a single kick.

    ¡°Interesting¡­. This weapon has a tiny hint of mithril in it. Not enough to be considered a threat to saints but for level seven beasts like the Flying Fish, these would be sufficient to bypass their defense¡­¡± Niao Wang said as he snapped the spear and stored away its tip.

    ¡°One mustn''t take what does not belong to one¡¯s self, nor should one try to kill the subordinates of another without reason nor cause.¡± Zhang¡¯s voice boomed through the air as he could be seen levitating inches off the water¡¯s surface.

    On Zhang¡¯s right side was a large Golden Winged Eagle with a broken wing where bone could be seen sticking out and on his left side was the soldier who had his arm cut off.

    In no time at all Zhang unleashed the power of the Underworld Heart and healed both the soldier who lost his arm and the Golden Winged Eagle.

    ¡°Tha-tha-thank you your highness.¡± The soldier said as seawater dripped off of his soaking wet garments and beads of sweat formed on his brow.

    ¡°You and the others head back to the fortress. Tell then I should be able to handle things and but to prep the five-layer defense that Princess Yuying had set up just in case.¡± Zhang said with a smile.

    After Zhang¡¯s ascension, Yuying, and her disciples had deployed four more inscription arrays around the Sky Fortress that would allow it to absorb the attacks of enemies to create a barrier, meaning if the enemy¡¯s forces did not consist of a high saint or two then there was nothing to really worry about.

    ¡°It has been bugging me for a bit so I guess it''s time to make some things clear¡­¡± Zhang mumbled as he waved his hand and made the Rising Moon Sword appear in his hand. Zhang figured now that he has a good grasp of its power it would simply be a waste to not use it.

    ¡°First off, fish belong in the water.¡± He said calmly as he swung the legendary sword at the air. All of a sudden thousands of flying fish and their riders who were gliding through the air and using the wind to stay in the skies felt an unbearable pressure wrap pushing down onto them. Before anyone knew it all of the flying fish came crashing down into the sea.

    ¡°Secondly, please don''t change back into a seagull because people would laugh at me for bullying a bird.¡± Zhang said as he tried to contain his laughter.

    ¡°Ignorant human, I am Niao Wang, champion of the sea and supreme general to the ruler of the Blood Coral Cove, ranked among the twenty strongest forces under the waves, Lord Shen Yu! State your name so when the sea-folk sing of my victory they will know of the opponent that I had defeated.¡± Niao Wang said in a prideful and confident tone ignoring the fact that Zhang had just sent hundreds of his subordinates crashing into the waves.

    ¡°Look at that puny human shaking in his boots. He must have used up quite a bit of his power to knock those flying fish riders down.¡± A few of the riders atop flying fish and mantis shrimp laughed.

    ¡°I don''t know about those guys riding the fish and shrimp but I''m sure their saint level experts are divine beasts. This will be interesting.¡± Zhang thought as he saw that the aura that Niao Wang, Shen Yu and the other saint level sea dwellers were giving off were closer to that of a demonic beast than a human.

    Suddenly a massive shadow crept through the sky and blocked out the sun causing all of the sea people to look up in confusion. In its full glory, the massive Sky Fortress loomed miles above the sea in the air.

    ¡°I can sense it! The source of the ascension is up there! My general and champions kill him and collect the heavenly energy for me.¡± A man with two horns protruding from his forehead said when surpassingly another ray of heavenly energy descended.

    ¡°Hahaha, the heavens truly have blessed me today, for there is not one person going through ascension but two! To think something that rarely happens every hundreds or so years is occurring in pairs.¡± Lord Shen Yu of the Blood Coral Cove said in a laughing tone. But to further everyone''s amazement, another day of heavenly energy descended and then yet another, in an event that could be said to have never been witnessed before, a total of four ascensions was happening at the same time.

    Had Zhang and the beauties stayed within the Wulin Continent then all of the saints there would have gone mad at the amount of heavenly energy being released. But luckily out here in the vastness of the sea only Shen Yu and his subordinates had sensed the ascension of the beauties and had come to interfere.

    ¡°I''m sorry but that''s not something you can take.¡± Zhang said as he saw Shen Yu eyeing the four massive pillars of radiating heavenly energy descending down from the far reaches of the sky.

    With a snap of his fingers, Zhang activated the five barriers that Yuying had laid down, causing five nearly transparent bubbles or envelope the Sky Fortress and overlap one another in succession.

    ¡°Attack! Kill him and offer this island and everything on it to Lord Shen Yu!¡± An intimidating man with eight tentacles protruding from his back roared and he flew out from the sea while brandishing a massive scimitar with a coral handle.

    ¡°Octopus?¡± Zhang mumbled as his eyes twinkled before he disappeared in a flash and appeared in front of the man with eight tentacles.

    ¡°If I recall correctly, an octopus has a total of three hearts. I wonder if it''s true even after they''ve become saints.¡± Zhang said as a crazed expression appeared on his face.

    Before the man with tentacles could react, Zhang¡¯s hand pierced through his muscular chest and tore out a still beating heart causing the man to cough up a mouth full of blood.

    ¡°That¡¯s one heart, let''s see if there are two more.¡± Zhang said with a crazed expression still on his face as he tossed the man¡¯s heart into the sea and extended his hand once more.

    Much to the man¡¯s dismay, Zhang¡¯s hand soon retracted once again with another one of his beating hearts in its grasp.

    ¡°No-no more, I only have one more, please don''t.¡± The man plead as he flew backward while blood dropped out of the corner of his mouth.

    By now a scowl had appeared on Lord Shen Yu¡¯s face.

    ¡°Damn he must have been hiding his powers¡­¡± Lord Shen Yu cursed as he realized that Zhang was not a lesser Saint like he and his subordinates had thought earlier.

 Chapter 183: Killer Move

    As Zhang watched the man with eight tentacles protruding from his back flee, he tightened his grip on the beating heart in his hand and crushed to bits before dropping it into the churning waters below.

    By now all of the hundreds of thousands of fish and shrimp riders were left shaken to their very core.

    Who was the man with eight tentacles protruding from his back? He was one of the dozens of champions of the Blood Coral Cove, to these mere foot soldiers he was an undefeatable existence who could kill hundreds of them with a wave of his hand. But in front of Zhang, the once mighty champion was like a mere child who couldn''t even put up an ounce of resistance.

    ¡°Surround him and attack together! He''s no mere lesser saint!¡± Lord Shen Yu roared to his subordinates. From his vast accumulation of experience, he could tell that Zhang would be a tough opponent, however, the allure of heavenly energy from four simultaneous ascensions and the haughty pride of a ruler of the sea was too great for him to have his forces retreat.

    ¡°My lord no need to get worked up, we will tear him to bits and pieces in no time. Just because he beat Chu Shou with easy doesn''t mean he can survive our combined might.¡± A man whose right arm was a massive crab claw said as he looked at the man with eight tentacles protruding from his back with disdain, clearly showing that the man named Chu Shou fairly weak within their ranks.

    Before long a force comprised of thirty lesser saints with many different unique features surrounded Zhang from all directions while baring their claws, fangs, tentacles, and weapons.

    ¡°Crab, seahorse, starfish, shark, fish, stingray, errrr sea snail?¡± Zhang said with an intrigued look on his face as he tried to identify what kind of divine beasts all of these lesser saints originated from.

    ¡°Flying Fish Cavalry water lotus formation! Support the generals and champions!¡± Lord Shen Yu roared.

    Soon enough the hundreds of thousands of flying fish sped through the water and created dozens of rings below where Zhang was levitating, each ring larger than the other.

    ¡°Interesting.¡± Zhang mumbled as the thirty lesser saints shot higher into the sky while hundreds of thousands of blasts water were shot at him by the Flying Fish Cavalry.¡±

    Once a Flying Fish unleashed a high-speed blast of water from its mouth it would dive into the sea to refill its water supply, as every single Flying Fish did this Zhang was allowed to witness a simply beautiful aquatic water show. Of course, this wasn''t a water show for the weak hearted because each blast of water was more than enough to puncture a hole through the hull of a large ship and even saints would find themselves in a pinch if hit with enough of these.

    As the hundreds of thousands of flying fish sent barrage after barrage of water blasts at Zhang and the thirty lesser saints that flew higher into the sky began to unleash their very own attack, Zhang remained oddly calm.

    ¡°Since you lot are the first people that I''m going to use this sword on, I won''t be holding back.¡± He said as his eyes widened and a smile crept onto his face.

    In a flash, the Rising Moon Sword in Zhang¡¯s hand unleashed a single burst of essence that shot out in all directions, and much to everyone''s disbelief the countless water blasts seemed to lose all of their momenta and fall sharply into the ocean.

    As a few unlucky flying fish riders would soon find out, the once light balls of water that they had been shooting toward Zhang were now comparable to iron cannon balls that were capable of crushing bone and ending lives.

    Once the barrage of water blasts was dealt with, Zhang¡¯s cape fluttered and thirty-pitch black colored eagles with blood red eyes screeched as they intercepted the attacks of the thirty lesser saints.

    After he nullified all of the incoming attacking, Zhang shot up into the air and the Rising Moon Sword unleashed another pulse of essence which caused a female lesser saint with a beautiful figure and a starfish sticking to her hair to be pulled toward him.

    Although the female saint tried to resist the pull of gravity, the crushing force of thousands of pounds was simply too powerful to go against. After a few breaths, the female¡¯s shoulder was pierced by the crystalline blade of the Rising Moon Sword before Zhang flicked his wrist and sent her smashing into the water.

    Of course, her comrades had tried to help her but as they tried to close in on Zhang a powerful force repulsed them showing the difference in power between them and Zhang.

    ¡°Now who''s next¡­¡± Zhang said in a loud tone so that everyone present could hear causing their hearts to tremble and cold sweat to form on their brows. Upon seeing how easily their comrade was dealt with and not knowing whether or not she was alive, the twenty-nine remaining lesser saints felt a hint of hesitation grip them.

    ¡°All of you on me! Attack!¡± Niao Wang¡¯s voice entered the ears of the twenty-nine saints as a massive shadow flew through the air and directly act Zhang.

    Niao Wang was no longer in his human form or in the form of a regular looking seagull, instead, he was now a towering figure whose wingspan stretched fifty feet from one end to the other.

    Following his example, the twenty-nine lesser saints morphed into their original forms also, showing off a wide variety of different colored and oddly shaped scales, feathers, and fangs.

    ¡°Singularity!¡± Zhang yelled as he pointed the top of his sword into the sky. In an instant, a tiny black speck appeared in the sky and unleashed an overbearing suction force on all of the saints causing them to stop in their tracks.

    Barely able to resist the suction force all of the lesser saints began to struggle while Niao Fang became locked in combat with Zhang.

    Thanks to the heavenly treasures in his possession and a large amount of heavenly energy that he had extracted from the corpses of the lesser saints from the Sun Hall and Earthly Palace sects, Zhang¡¯s strength was now easily comparable to a peak level full saint or perhaps a low-level high saint.

    Simply said, lesser saints were now considered small fish or cannon fodder in front of our prince of Aurora. As for full saints, if they were lucky they would be evenly matched with Zhang when he didn''t employ the powers of his treasures, but if they were unlucky he would be more than capable of toying with them until he lost interest.

    While the twenty-nine lesser saints watched, Niao Wang flapped his massive wings and unleashed dozens of blades of wind and shot countless blasts of condensed air at Zhang who displayed the awe-inspiring power of the Abyssal Cape again and again. Thousands of winged Abyssal Beasts stretched their wings as they intercepted all of Niao Wang¡¯s attacks or tried to claw at him with their pitch black talons.

    But like usual the Abyssal Beasts could only serve as distractions or shields when Zhang was fighting someone who possessed around the same amount of strength he did. So despite so many Abyssal Beasts attacking Niao Wang he received little no damage at all.

    If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    However, it was obvious that Zhang was not fighting him at full strength and intentionally drawing out their battle.

    ¡°As their master shouldn''t you join in also?¡± Zhang said as he looked at Lord Shen Yu who was sitting atop a throne of coral located on the head of a large white colored whale whose body was covered in wounds that showed it had gone through countless battles.

    ¡°If you insist then this king will show you why your kind fears the oceans and seas.¡± Lord Shen Yu said as he stood up and flew through the air while brandishing a large trident made of blood red colored coral.

    As another full saint joined the fray, Zhang waved his hand and withdrew a sword made lted entirely out of mithril from his interspatial ring and grabbed it out of the air.

    Shen Yu gave off a deafening roar as ten huge columns of water shot up from the sea and flooded into the air causing thousands upon thousands of droplets of water to shower down from the sky, creating a beautiful spectacle as sunlight struck the droplets.

    Once the columns of water rose into the sky they morphed into the shape of ten raging dragons who snapped at Zhang with their massive jaws.

    Following up his master''s display of power, Niao Wang caused the wing to howl and twist into the shape of ten dragon''s made entirely out of wind. As the ten water dragon''s shot upward and the ten barely visible wind dragon''s shoot downward, Zhang would soon be sandwiched in between.

    ¡°Singularity!¡± Zhang yelled as he pointed his sword sideward and created another black speck that began to pull in the air and water around it.

    ¡°Singularity!¡± Zhang yelled once more as he pointed the top of his sword elsewhere, however as a third singularity was formed, the first one faded away and released the twenty-nine lesser saints from its grasp.

    As the two new black specks formed they began to exert their suction force upon the incoming water and wind dragons. In an instant all of the water dragons were turned into a spiraling whirlpool while the wind dragons were turned into a tornado before fading away with the singularities.

    Using his previous technique as cover Zhang had made his way down to where Shen Yu was the two of them began a dance of blades. Although perhaps due to the fact that he is a divine beast and a full Saint but surprisingly Shen Yu was able to slightly overpower Zhang in terms of speed and brute strength.

    ¡°Feel my might, human!¡± Shen Yu roared as he smashed the side of his trident downward aiming to crush Zhang¡¯s skull.

    However, the instant before the trident impacted Zhang¡¯s head he was able to quickly use the Rising Moon sword¡¯s power to change the pull of gravity around himself, causing Shen Yu¡¯s trident to be pushed upward while Shen Yu himself was pushed backward a few steps.

    ¡°Singularity.¡± Zhang said as a black speck with incredible suction force appeared inches away from Shen Yu.

    ¡°You think this cheap parlor trick is enough to defeat this king?¡± Shen Yu laughed mockingly as his body began to morph and grow ever so larger. From his back, a massive shell began to form as his figure soon changed to that of a massive sea turtle with the head similar to that of a dragon''s. After morphing, Shen Yu¡¯s body stretched miles and gave off an ancient suffocating aura that not just any beast or person could possess.

    ¡°So you''re a Dragon Horn Turtle, if legends are true then those horns of yours could be used to make wonderful weapons while that shell of yours could be used to make wonderful armor.¡± Zhang said with twinkling eyes as the now massive turtle levitating in front of him while disregarding what could be called a miniature black hole that was created in front of him.

    ¡°Feel my wrath, human!¡± Lord Shen Yu roared as his massive jaws widened, sending globs of saliva and pieces of dead fish flying toward Zhang.

    ¡°You win! I give up! That breath of yours is a weapon in itself.¡± Zhang said as he tried not to gag.

    Angered by Zhang¡¯s words the massive turtle¡¯s dragon-like head shot out of its shell and closed tightly shut, trapping Zhang inside.

    I''ve never smelled anything worse than this¡­ Even when I have to pick up after Little White it doesn''t smell as bad as this.¡± Zhang complained as he found himself in the dark confines of the massive turtle¡¯s mouth.

    ¡°But since this is the only way for me to kill it with my current strength I have to bite my tongue and get things done¡­¡± He sighed as he landed on the turtle¡¯s tongue.

    ¡°Now let''s get started¡­¡± He said as he began making his way down the turtle''s throat.

    Outside thirty-two saints who were now in their human forms were levitating in the air in front of Shen Yu with looks of pure joy on their faces as hundreds of thousands of flying fish and mantis shrimp riders cheered and applauded.

    ¡°Long live the king of the Blood Coral Cove! Long live his majesty King Shen Yu!¡± The riders all chanted in a unison while their mounts joined the chorus by kicking and splashing the water.

    ¡°Seize the island in the sky for me! Bring to me the ascending and offer me their heavenly energy!¡± Shen Yu roared as he gazed down on his subjects while giving off the presence of a mighty ruler.

    Like they had done before, hundreds of thousands of flying fish riders dove underwater and then launched themselves into the sky while the mantis shrimp began climbing on each other¡¯s backs and creating a staircase to the Sky Fortress.

    In the meantime, thirty-two saints fly upward in succession in an attempt to capture the beauties. But of course, the five layered barrier that Yuying had set up was still in place so entry to the Sky Fortress was obviously blocked.

    ¡°Attack! We will destroy all that hinders our lord¡¯s path!¡± Niao Wang yelled as he made a dozen tornadoes appear around him and smash into the barrier.

    But like all who had attacked Yuying¡¯s barrier before him, all of the essence in his attack was absorbed. However not knowing what was happening Niao Wang and the other saints continued to unleash an onslaught of attacks against the barrier.

    Soon after the hundreds of thousands of fish and shrimp riders joined the saints with their coral bows and barbed spears.

    Knowing the unique features of the barriers and having complete trust in their lord, Zhang¡¯s soldiers stood watch from within the barrier patiently with loaded ballistae, nocked bows and glistening blades made with hints of mithril in them.

    Although deep inside they were afraid, none of the soldiers of Aurora showed any trace of fear as they stood guard, ready to fight to the bitter end if they were needed to.

 Chapter 184: Turtle

    Deep within a place where none should tread, Zhang made his way through the bowels of Shen Yu the Dragon Horned Turtle with only a small flickering flame that floating beside him to light the way.

    Under normal circumstances, be they a saint or not regular people would have already died due to the heavy miasma floating around within Shen Yu¡¯s body, however luckily for Zhang one of his lovely wives is a master in the art of poison so he had an abundance of medical pills that counteracted countless poisons at his disposal.

    ¡°If only I knew the anatomy of a turtle better¡­Where is this damn thing¡¯s heart...¡± Zhang mumbled as he walked near saliva drenched walls. Due to Shen Yu¡¯s size and his lack of understanding regarding a turtle¡¯s anatomy, Zhang was still making his way to its stomach despite having walked for roughly half an hour, showing how large Shen Yu was.

    Since he was fairly certain the five layered barrier would last for roughly two days Zhang wasn''t in that much of a hurry.

    ¡°A trip through the body of a massive turtle will be a good story to tell others while drinking.¡± Zhang chuckled as he continued walking into the dark depths.

    Roughly half an hour later he found himself standing in front of a large lake of smelly green liquid that was undoubted stomach acid.

    The closer Zhang got to the pool of acid, the more half eaten animals, ships, and other things he saw, there were even remains of humans scattered about.

    ¡°I''ll get started here. Although it probably won''t die from this I''ll use the opportunity to make it feel miserable.¡± Zhang mumbled as he waved his hand and made hundreds of barrels of oil appear all around him.

    With another wave of his hand, while employing the power of the Underworld Heart, Zhang caused all of the barrels of oil around him to break apart and spill their contents everywhere. With a thought, he began to levitate off the air in preparation for what was going to happen next.

    Then with a snap of his fingers, he ignited a flickering flame on the tip of his index finger and with a flick of his wrist he made the tiny flame embrace the black colored oil. In a flash, all of the oil spilled within the turtle¡¯s stomach ignite.

    ¡°Now to get out of here.¡± Zhang mumbled as he flew toward a wall of flesh and flashed at it until a large hole opened up out of Shen Yu¡¯s stomach.

    Outside, Shen Yu suddenly felt a fiery blaze in his stomach and bellowed in pain as he quickly dove into the sea and gulped large mouthfuls of seawater. But considering how long it took Zhang to reach Shen Yu¡¯s stomach, still plagued with unbearable pain for quite some time before the sea water made its way to his stomach. But that was when he experienced a sharper pain, the pain caused when seawater touched the open wound on the side of his stomach.

    ¡°Master what''s wrong?¡± Niao Wang asked with a hint of worry in his tone.

    ¡°My stomach¡­ It hurts!¡± Shen Yu grumbled as he surfaced from underneath the waves.

    ¡°That bastard must be putting up a final struggle, he should be dead soon¡­quickly break those barriers...¡± Shen Yu said with a sigh.

    Little did he know, Zhang was currently standing in front of a massive beating heart wide-eyed with his sword in hand and a devious smile plastered on his face.

    ¡°I''m sure Lingqi can make something out of this so I shouldn''t cut it up too bad.¡± Zhang mumbled as he waved his hand and created a dozen massive heavy swords using the power of the Underworld Heart.

    With a flick of his wrist, he made those massive heavy swords cut through the air and stab into Shen Yu¡¯s huge heart that size of a small house.

    ¡°Gahhhh!!¡± Shen Yu¡¯s roar echoed into the heavens as he felt immense pain. In a flash, he closed his eyes and used his powers to investigate what was happening to the horrors that were happening inside his own body.

    ¡°Human scum!¡± Shen Yu roared much to the confusion of his subordinates. As his rage was unleashed along with his power, Shen Yu caused a powerful wall of essence to travel throughout his body in an attempt to either kill or send Zhang outside.

    ¡°Too late¡­ Now that I''m inside, the end is beginning.¡± Zhang said in a low town as he was sent smashing into a wall of flesh with a smile on his face.

    ¡°Niao Wang! Go and stop him!  Even if you can''t kill him, get him out of my body! If it''s only this much damage if I consume my cultivation base, I can sustain my life for the time being and then use the heavenly energy to heal myself.¡± Shen Yu said as he opened his massive jaws and ordered Niao Wang to go inside and stop Zhang while rivers of blood streamed out into the sea dying it red.

    In a few moments Niao Wang and five lesser saints flew into Shen Yu¡¯s jaws as the other lesser saints tried their best to shatter Yuying¡¯s barriers since if Shen Yu was able to access the abundant flow of heavenly energy being granted to the beauties then let alone healing his injuries he would also be able to break through and become a high saint with enough power to cause Zhang a major headache.

    After leaving Shen Yu¡¯s heart seriously damaged, Zhang made his way to one major organ after the other by drilling his way through wall after wall of flesh using the massive heavy swords he made using the Underworld Heart. Whenever he went Shen Yu¡¯s body was turned into a bloody mess as astronomical amounts of damage was being dealt.

    ¡°I have to find his demonic core or else this turtle will be able to sustain itself for quite a while¡­¡± Zhang said as he continued to roam Shen Yu¡¯s fortress-like body.

    If Zhang had attacked Shen Yu on the outside where he could use his solid shell as a shield then the battle would have more than likely drawn out for days, however now that he was on the inside it was only a matter of perhaps minutes before he ran into the ancient turtle¡¯s demonic core and cause it to meet its end.

    ¡°Well, that was rather quick!¡± Zhang said with a hint of amazement in his voice as he saw a massive blood colored crystal the size of a house lodged in a wall of flesh after only traveling for about ten minutes.

    With gleaming eyes and sticky fingers, Zhang closed in on Shen Yu¡¯s demonic core but before he could pry it out of the wall of flesh it was lodged in, Niao Wang and the five lesser saints that followed him blocked Zhang¡¯s path with weapons ready to strike.

    ¡°Scoundrel! You dare use such an underhanded method to harm his highness!¡± Niao Wang yelled with bulging veins visible on his brows.

    ¡°Yes, I have and will continue doing so.¡± Zhang said with a devious expression as he made his massive heavy swords dance about and slash at Shen Yu¡¯s insides.

    ¡°Why you¡­¡± Niao Wang roared as he rushed toward Zhang upon hearing Shen Yu¡¯s pained groans.

    If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

    ¡°Careful now or else you''ll harm your boss.¡± Zhang said as he evaded Niao Wang¡¯s blade causing it to stab into a wall of flesh.

    While he was perfectly dodging Niao Wang¡¯s attacks Zhang made sure to leave a trail of destruction in Shen Yu¡¯s body.

    As the battle drew on the five lesser saints joined in as well although their expressions showed they were somewhat reluctant to do so.

    Since Zhang held an overwhelming advantage over Niao Wang even after the lesser saints joined the fray they were unable to stop him from continuing to do what he was doing. But of course, it wasn''t a walk in the park for Zhang because regardless of having an advantage or not if he made a mistake or two then it could possibly still cost him his life.

    ¡°It would be wise to finish these six off and then take my time dealing with the turtle instead of running around like this.¡± He thought after a few minutes of engaging in combat with Niao Wang.

    In an instant, the Rising Moon Sword¡¯s power was activated and of the five lesser saints, two of them felt their bodies being grasped by an invisible force that hindered their movements to a near standstill.

    ¡°Two down, four to go.¡± Zhang mumbled as he used the Underworld Heart¡¯s power to condense a dozen spears out of the essence in the air and made them impale two who immobilized lesser saints.

    After dealing with two opponents in next to no time at all Zhang set his sights on a lesser saint who had a giant crab claw as an arm.

    Stabbing his sword into thin air and through a small slit through space Zhang took the life of his third opponent before anyone even realized it. Only after the man with a crab claw as an arm slumped over a blood gushed out of a sword wound that was left behind on his forehead did anyone even figure out he had been killed.

    ¡°Singularity!¡± Zhang yelled as he used his new signature move, causing one unsuspecting saint to be pinned in place taking him completely out of the battle.

    ¡°Help me!¡± The lesser saint trapped by Zhang¡¯s technique cried but was completely ignored as Niao Wang completely concentrated on trying to attack Zhang and the other lesser saint was too afraid to even approach.

    While in midair Zhang withdrew ten beautifully crafted swords made entirely out of mithril and with a thought sent them flying into the trapped lesser saint, thus ending his life.

    With only two opponents remaining Zhang doubled his efforts and charged straight toward Niao Wang, unleashing a dance of slashes and cuts. Although his attacks seemed random on the service, a few of them were actually precision cuts that were cut through space causing quite a few wounds to appear on Niao Wang¡¯s body.

    Perhaps it was due to his beastly origins but as the number of wounds on his body continued to accumulate, Niao Wang fell further and further into rage until he finally snapped and forgot about the fact that he was in Shen Yu¡¯s body. In a moment of pure rage, he morphed into his original beastly form and unleashed a small storm of blades made of win in all directions.

    Although these blades of wind only dealt superficial damage to Shen Yu, Zhang was able to use this opportunity in Niao Wang¡¯s lapse of judgment to move in for the kill. Due to Niao Wang¡¯s erratic movements, he could not use his technique that cut through space but with a thought Zhang was able to condense thousands of arrowheads using the Underworld Heart¡¯s power.

    Soon enough the thousands of crystal like arrowheads shot forth toward Niao Wang, since the arrowheads were so small compared to Niao Wang¡¯s massive size and there were so many of them while there was so little space to evade, Niao Wang¡¯s body was riddled by thousands of arrowheads. Despite being struck with so many arrowheads Niao Wang only suffered minor injuries that didn''t really affect him at all.

    ¡°The show begins and so it ends.¡± Zhang said softly as he snapped his fingers causing the thousands of arrowheads to explode one after the other.

    After finishing off Niao Wang, the last lesser saint was not even worth mentioning as Zhang disposed of him in no time at all and began wreaking havoc with Shen Yu¡¯s body once again.

    As time passed, Zhang¡¯s handy work soon became evident as Shen Yu thrashed about while writhing in pain.

    ¡°Gahhh! What are those bastards doing!¡± Shen Yu roared angrily as he continued to feel extreme amounts of pain.

    Suddenly Shen Yu unleashed an earth shattering roar as what could only be described as a sea of blood gushed out of his eyes, nose, and mouth, further painting the sea below red.

    Seeing the massive amount of blood that their master was spewing, all of the remaining lesser saints, flying fish and mantis shrimp riders ceased their futile attempts at breaching Yuying¡¯s barrier and looked at Shen Yu with frightening expression.

    They stood breathless as Shen Yu¡¯s body seemed to lose all of its strength and began to fall from the sky. Like a meteor, once Shen Yu¡¯s body fell into the water¡¯s surface it¡¯s weight alone generated massive waves that rose dozens of feet into the air. Mere seconds before the massive turtle sank beneath the waves, Zhang could be seen flying out of its mouth.

    ¡°I¡¯m free!!! The air is so fresh! And the stars are so breathtaking!¡± Zhang yelled in a cheerful tone, shattering the previously suspenseful atmosphere.

    ¡°Ah, I almost forgot, there was a bunch of seafood attempting to capture my wives. Since I¡¯ve already killed that turtle I might as well kill all of his friends too.¡± He said as he peeked at the army of fish and shrimp riders and the twenty-six lesser saints hovering in the sky.

    Regardless of Zhang¡¯s joking demeanor, the sea dwellers could not help but feel an immense sense of fear as they heard his words. After watching their master who was what they considered a top level expert fall into the sea and Zhang flying out of his mouth, it was clear that Zhang had killed their master, which meant without a doubt Zhang was currently the strongest person present and was more than capable to kill everyone.

    ¡°My lord please spare us!!!¡± Countless frightened voices filled the air.

    ¡°I¡¯m willing to pledge my eternal loyalty to you my lord!¡± One of the lesser saints quickly said in an attempt to at avoiding death.

    ¡°Pledge your eternal loyalty to me?¡± Zhang said as he eyed the lesser saint with a blank look on his face.

    ¡°I¡¯m willing to pledge my eternal loyalty to you also my lord.¡± Another lesser saint who was the first of many said as he kneeled on one knee in midair with his hands clasped together respectfully.

 Chapter 185: Pill Testers

    ¡°Hmmm, what would I possibly stand to gain besides more mouths to feed if I take you all in?¡± Zhang asked, interested to see what these sea dwellers would say.

    ¡°My lord, you would stand to gain an army specializing in aquatic battles, although I''m sure someone of your caliber could raise an army of millions with a single call I believe there are few forces out there within a hundred thousand miles of the Blood Coral Cove that can best our soldiers in a battle in open waters.¡± The female saint with a star fish sticking to her hair said humbly.

    ¡°They would make a great addition to the Aurora Navy.¡± Zhang thought as a long silence swept over his surroundings.

    ¡°My lord if you allow us to be of service to you, not only would you become the new ruler of the Blood Coral Cove and all of the seas and islands within one hundred thousand miles of it, all of the riches and treasures accumulated by that turtle over the past five hundred years would, of course, be yours also.¡± The woman said, hoping to appeal to Zhang. If he did not want more underlines then hopefully he would want territory or perhaps wealth, if he didn''t want any of the three then she could consider her fate and the fate of the rest of the sea dwells present forfeit.

    ¡°Five hundred years¡¯ worth of treasure¡­ One hundred thousand miles of ocean filled with islands that most likely are filled with treasure¡­¡± Zhang thought while keeping a cold face which served to filled the sea dwellers with dread and anxiousness. How were they supposed to know that Zhang was someone whose heart would begin to beat rapidly at the mere mention of treasure?

    Although by now the amount of riches and treasure that Zhang had accumulated already reached an astronomical number, he was still always on the lookout for more.

    ¡°Seeing as you are all sincere in your words and gestures I suppose that I could take you all under my wing.¡± Zhang said in an audible voice that reached the ears of everyone present.

    Instantly almost as if a giant weight had been lifted from their shoulders all of the sea dwellers felt a sense of relief sweep over them.

    ¡°My lord then shall we show you the way to the Blood Coral Cove?¡± Another lesser saint asked.

    ¡°No, not yet there are pressing matters that need my attention.¡± Zhang said as he looked up into the sky toward the four columns of heavenly energy descending through the Azure Tower and into the Sky Fortress¡¯s inner sanctuary.

    ¡°You two will accompany me while the rest of you are to return to the place you refer to as the Blood Coral Cove. After my wives finish their ascension I¡¯ll go have a look at my new territory.¡± Zhang commanded to his new subordinates as he flew into the air toward the Sky Fortress with two lesser saints in tow while the rest of the sea dwellers began diving into the dark depths of the sea.

    ¡°I almost forgot, have them fish up that giant turtle¡¯s corpse for me also.¡± Zhang said to the lesser saints who were about to descend beneath the waves.

    ¡°We will have it ready for you when you visit the Blood Coral Cove, my lord.¡± A lesser saint said before he disappeared beneath the water¡¯s surface.

    Despite only becoming Zhang¡¯s subordinates for mere minutes, the lesser saints and those below them were more than willing to go out of their way to please their new master.

    As the old saying go, the weak flock to the strong and most forms of loyalty were comparable to a castle made of sand, likely to crumble within a heartbeat.

    Although not all of the lesser saints and their subordinates were pleased to lose Shen Yu as their master, they were extremely happy with the fact that their lives were spared.

    Perhaps some may judge these sea dwellers to be cowards who lacked a backbone and whose allegiance bent with the blowing wind, but they should be reminded of the fact that these people were in fact not people or human at all.

    While the lesser saints were all divine beasts, the Flying Fish and Mantis Shrimp riders could trace their heritage back to the descendants of divine beasts who had departed from the land and made their way into the sea.

    With his two new underlings flying beside him, Zhang opened a small hole in the five layered barriers and flew directly into the Sky Fortress.

    ¡°We will stand guard here until their ascension is complete. Please make yourselves comfortable.¡± Zhang said with a warm smile.

    ¡°If you wish my lord we shall patiently wait.¡± The female saint with a starfish stuck to her hair said.

    ¡°I almost forgot¡­ Both of you take these and heal your wounds. They should be effective even if you''re a saint.¡± Zhang said as he produced two blue colored Restoration Pills from his interspatial ring. Since these two were the ones to sustained the most damage out of all of the saints he has spared, with one having been stabbed in the shoulder while the other had two of his three hearts ripped out of his chest.

    ¡°Tha-thank you my lord.¡± The woman and man with eight tentacles protruding from his back named Chu Shou said at the same time. However, after receiving the pills gifted to them by Zhang a hint of hesitation would be seen as they looked down at the two blue colored pills.

    From the look on their faces it was obvious they were afraid that instead of giving them medical pulls, Zhang was giving them some sort of poison. Dozens of different scenarios and horrific scenes began to race through their heads as they stared at the blue colored pills in their palms.

    They believed that due to the current circumstances if they did not consume these pills then they would be disobeying their new master which would possibly invoke his wrath. However, if they did consume these pills then there was a high chance of being poisoned.

    ¡°If I wanted to kill you then you wouldn''t be standing here.¡± Zhang said with a laugh as he saw the look on their faces. Although he couldn''t really blame them because he did ripe put two of the man¡¯s three hearts and stabbed the woman in the shoulder before kicking into the sea.

    ¡°We wouldn''t dare think that you would poison us, my lord.¡± Chu Shou said, however, his facial expressions said otherwise. But as Zhang¡¯s gaze locked into Chu Shou and the woman with a star wish stuck to her hair, they gave each other a glance before tossing the blue colored pills into their mouths and gulping them down.

    In the next instant, an explosive force began to make its way throughout their bodies and cause their wounds to heal in an instant. Of course these pills were not some kind of miracle pill, so they merely mended superficial wounds and a small fraction of the internal wounds that were sustained.

    Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.

    ¡°To think these pills are that effective.¡± Zhang thought as he eyed his two new subordinates. Originally these pills were a part of a large batch of a few hundred pills that he managed to retrieve from the interspatial ring belonging to the grand elder of the Sun Hall Sect.

    Although Lingqi could tell that it was a medical pill she wasn''t exactly completely sure how effective they were. Thus these two lesser saints more or less served as guinea pigs.

    ¡°Thank you, my lord, for sharing your grace with us despite having been enemies not too long ago. To think you would gift us with such treasures simply makes me marvel at your kindness.¡± Chu Shou said politely as his impression of Zhang increased exponentially.

    ¡°No need to worry, it only took me and my wife a year to track down all of the ingredients needed to make those pills.¡± Zhang said casually while trying to make himself appear to be an amiable and compassionate master who was willing to share with his subordinates. By doing so he was hoping to inspire more loyalty in his new subordinates. Usually since if a master is willing to share the fruits of his harvest with his subordinates they would be more willing to lay down their lives for him.

    ¡°Alright now your wounds are healed I have another gift for you.¡± Zhang said while he sat cross-legged in front of the massive gate that led into the Inner Sanctuary. With a wave of his hand, he made five corpses belonging to the four lesser saints that he had killed earlier appear on the ground.

    ¡°You may refine their heavenly energy and use it to strengthen yourselves.¡± Zhang said with a smile.

    ¡°My lord we definitely cannot! How can mere servants such as ourselves dare to take something so precious?¡± The female saint in a hurried voice. Considering there were only two ways to obtaining heavenly energy, the fact that Zhang was sharing five corpses worth of heavenly energy with them, these two lesser saints were left utterly stunned and felt as if they were dreaming. How could there possibly be a master willing to grant his new subordinates such precious medicine and to top things off heavenly energy.

    ¡°Say no more and simply show me your gratitude in the form of loyalty so that I won''t have to regret what I''m doing in the future.¡± Zhang said with a smile, instead of wanting to listen to their words of gratitude he wanted those feelings to bottle up within them and manifest in the form of loyalty.

    ¡°Yes my lord.¡± The two lesser saints said. As they sat on beside side of Zhang, wife smiles could be seen on their faces as they began refining the heavenly energy seeping out of the corpses of their former comrades.

    Despite serving under the same lord there wasn''t much of a sense of comradery amongst Shen Yu¡¯s subordinates so there wasn''t even a hint of hesitation evident when Chu Shou and the female Saint began the refinement process.

    While Zhang sat guard in front of the Inner Sanctuary, deep beneath the waves news of Shen Yu¡¯s death had begun to spread at what could only be considered an alarming rate. One after the other the various lords of the ocean were alerted of what had happened.

    Little did Zhang know the small splashes he made in the open sea were making big waves as a mixture of different emotions arose from the various rulers of the waves. Regardless of how they received news of Shen Yu¡¯s death, the lords of the sea each reacted to this news in a different way. While some laughed at Shen Yu¡¯s incompetence, others were alarmed and displeased about the change of ownership of the Blood Coral Cove. Overall the various forces that governed the seas were caught in a frenzy of activity.

    Although most of the rulers of the sea weren''t going to have much to do with Zhang directly, it was only a matter of time before the ones who ruled territory close to the Blood Coral Cover acted.

    Now that Shen Yu was no more, past alliances he had set in place to maintain peace were void. There was also the fact that now that Shen Yu, Niao Wang and the five other lesser saints who were slain by Zhang were dead, the other lords of the sea believed that the Blood Coral Cove had lost a large portion of its fighting force.

    To them, it would be a perfect opportunity to conqueror and add the Blood Coral Cover to their domain.

    But things for now things meant for the future have yet to happen so thus Zhang was still seated in front of the Inner Sanctuary.

    After Zhang lost track of time as he sat meditating for countless hours, a pair of gentle hands awoke him.

    ¡°Did you wait long?¡± Yuying¡¯s voice drifted into Zhang¡¯s ears as he felt a pair of well-shaped hills press against his back.

    ¡°A few days isn''t much.¡± Zhang said with a laugh as he turned his head around and engaged in some intimate lip locking.

    ¡°Ahem¡­¡± A pair of voices suddenly disrupted Zhang and Yuying private world. Not too far from this, our lovely couple was a pair of lesser saints with awkward looks on their faces.

    ¡°How are the others coming along?¡± Zhang asked after a few awkward coughs.

    Although they were only his subordinates and could have simply ordered them to leave, Zhang still felt the situation was rather awkward and uncomfortable.

    ¡°They should be finishing up soon.¡± Yuying said with a grin as she continued hugging Zhang¡¯s neck while propping her chin atop his head.

    ¡°Who are those two?¡± She asked in a whisper with a curious look on her face while somewhat trying to make the previous situation less awkward by pretending to be oblivious to Zhang¡¯s new subordinates despite having looked at them in the eye for a split second after being disrupted.

    ¡°Let''s wait for the others and I''ll tell you all at the same time.¡± Zhang said with a laugh.

    ¡°This is my wife, her words and commanders should be weighed with the same authority as mine.¡± Zhang said.

    ¡°Yes my lord. Greetings madam, we are at your service.¡± The two lesser saints said in unison. Even without Zhang¡¯s words, from the difference in power between them and Yuying who was new a full saint, Chu Shou and his female comrade wouldn''t have dared to disobey her anyway.

    ¡°Once everyone¡¯s ascensions are completed and you two have a bit of rest we can go to the Blood Coral Cove.

    ¡°We''ve had our share of rest meditating beside you for the past two days my lord, if you wish to visit the Blood Coral Cove then we can guide you there whenever you please.¡± Chu Shou said in a respectful tone.

    ¡°Then we shall depart once the madams complete their ascension we can leave right away.¡± Zhang said with a smile.

 Chapter 186: Into the Sea!

    Hi folks, I apologize for the lack of constant updates lately. Don¡¯t want to tell you all excuses but well after school ended and summer began for me I¡¯ve been somewhat plagued with work. (8 AM to 8 or 9 pm¡­ sometimes maybe longer.) Depending on the day I''ll have to just work constantly with only a few breaks here and there so there really isnt much time to write.\. Then comes the part where my body sort of aches everywhere and I need to go to a chiropractor or something lol. I¡¯ll continue to try to write whenever I can and to the best of my ability so bear with me.

    My chat: iendworlds.chatango.com

    My Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/iEndWorlds</a>

    =================================================================================================

    Shortly after Yuying finished her ascension, Ling and Lingqi followed suit, while heavenly energy continued to descend for Ai.

    Strangely enough despite beginning at roughly the same time, Ai¡¯s ascension did not only take a few minutes or a few hours longer than the other beauties but continued on for days. As one day turned into two days and two days turned into three days, Ai continued to stay in a trance like state while absorbing in vast amounts of heavenly energy without uttering a single word or consuming a single ounce of food or water.

    Normally at most a person¡¯s ascension would last around three days at most, however, Ai¡¯s ascension lasted a total of six days before the magnificent rays that pierced through the sky began to fade away.

    Although the Heavenly Energy ceased descending, Ai continued to sit in a meditative pose without any signs of awakening. Knowing better than to disturb Ai before and while her powers stabilize, Zhang and the other beauties along with their two lesser saint subordinates patiently waited and found means to kill time.

    While Zhang tried to learn more about the sea and the Blood Coral Cove, Yuying, Ling and Lingqi each resided in their own chambers to solidify their newfound powers since they were not blessed with the powers of the Underworld Heart like their husband.

    After a few conversations, Zhang learned that after traveling a few hundred thousands of miles east of the coast of Aurora, he was currently in what is called the ¡°Chaotic Sea.¡± Within the Chaotic Sea were twenty major forces and dozens if not hundreds of lesser forces who governed the waves and countless islands.

    ¡°Considering that someone mentioned that the forces of the Blood Coral Cove was ranked amongst the top twenty strongest forces of the sea, who is ranked first?¡± Zhang asked curiously as he tried to gauge the power of his newly claimed territory and subordinates.

    ¡°Hai Xing, since I rarely take part in discussions regarding other forces I think it would be best if you explained things to our lord.¡± Chu Shou said to the female saint with a starfish sticking to her hair.

    ¡°To be exact, the forces of the Blood Coral Cove was ranked twentieth in power when compared to the other major forces. However now that Shen Yu, Niao Wang and a few of the other lesser saints have been replaced by our new lord and the madams, I would say our current powers are comparable to the forces of the Aqua Serpent Grotto.¡± Hai Xing said.

    ¡°They are ranked sixteenth in terms of power.¡± Hai Xing added.

    ¡°Which force is ranked first Zhang questioned with a curious look on his face.

    ¡°That would be the forces of the Dragon God Palace. However, despite being the number one power under the sea, due to the kind nature of their master, the Dragon God Palace is on friendly terms with all of the other powers and seeks to ensure peace throughout the sea.¡± Hai Xing replied.

    ¡°Like the Dragon God Palace, the forces of the Celestial Mermaid Bay that is ranked fifth in power is also openly friendly.¡± Hai Xing added.

    ¡°Are there any forces who are openly hostile then?¡± Zhang asked.

    ¡°Of course, my lord, like in all places there are the good and the bad. In regards to relationships with our Blood Coral Cove, the forces of Starry Sea Sect and the forces of the Golden Pearl Sect are the ones we have to look out for. Although our precious lord, Shen Yu, tried to avoid conflict with the other forces as much as possible, due to how close their territory is to ours a lot of conflicts often arises.¡± Hai Xing reported to Zhang.

    ¡°Over the past hundred years, thrived each attacked us quite a few number of times. Luckily neither of them are willing to work together and since they possessed roughly the same amount of powers as we did, we were able to repel them.¡± Chu Shou said as he recalled the bloody battles that he had taken part in.

    ¡°I''m sure that they''ll show up eventually since news tends to travel extremely fast beneath the waves.¡± Hai Xing said with a spiteful tone, showing that she did not very much like the Golden Pearl sect and Starry Sea Sect.

    ¡°Like all matters in life, if they are fated to be then all we can do is wait for them to happen.¡± Zhang said despite having torn out his page from the Book of Fate, which effectively unbound him from the path originally set for him.

    ¡°It is as you say my lord.¡± Chu Shou and Hai Xing said respectfully as they began discussing the power structure of the forces of the sea to Zhang. As the conversation drew on, Hai Xing withdrew a large map from her interspatial ring which depicted the domains of the various forces under the sea. Showing Zhang that the domain of the Blood Coral Cove contained dozens of populated islands.

    ¡°Although these islands are in our territory we do not directly govern or influence them, rather they are more liken to indirect vassal states that offer us tribute once a year to show their allegiance. Besides occasionally trading and offering them out protection there isn''t much done to these islands.¡± Hai Xing explained to Zhang, as he tried to grasp the power structure of his new domain.

    ¡°What about these islands right here and which force rules over this fraction of the sea here?¡± Zhang asked.

    ¡°These islands are uninhabited and thus fall under our direct rule. That part of the map is governed by the Starry Sea Sect my lord.¡± Hai Xing said.

    ¡°I was thinking of setting up teleportation platforms and allow for easy travel from the continent to here. But that would mean we would have to set up platforms within the territory of the Starry Sea Sect and on a few of these inhabited islands.¡± Zhang said as he traced his finger in a straight line across Hai Xing¡¯s map.

    ¡°As long as we give the word, the inhabitants and rulers of these islands would be more than willing to allow you to do as you please my lord. However, the Starry Sea Sect will be an entirely different matter.¡± Chu Shou said.

    ¡°Brother! Let¡¯s go! Let¡¯s go! Big sis told me that you¡¯re all waiting. I can¡¯t wait to go either.¡± Ai¡¯s cheerful voice could be heard as the sound of swinging doors echoed across the room that Zhang was in.

    ¡°It seems our discussion will have to continue another time.¡± Zhang said with a smile as he turned toward where Ai was standing.

    ¡°You sure took your time.¡± Zhang said as he walked up toward his adorable wife and ruffled up her hair.

    ¡°Don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about, let¡¯s go!¡± Ai said as she grabbed Zhang¡¯s hand and led him out of the door where the other three beauties could be seen with smiles and grins on their faces.

    The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

    ¡°Please allow me to lead the way for you my lord and your madams.¡± Chu Shou said as he performed a half bow.

    Before long after leaving instructions to their subordinates, Zhang, and the beauties were led out of the Azure Tower and away from the Sky Fortress to the ever-moving surface of the sea where Chu Shou withdrew a transparent sphere from his interspatial ring.

    ¡°This is for your use my lord.¡± Chu Shou said as he handed Zhang the sphere which suddenly began glowing and emitting a bubble-like sphere. In next to no time at all the sphere had grown gigantic and enveloped Zhang and the beauties within it.

    ¡°Lead the way.¡± Zhang said as he held the sphere given to him by Chu Shou in one hand and held Ling¡¯s hand in the other.

    ¡°I wonder what sort of techniques and magic I will be able to learn there.¡± Ling said in a low tone as her eyes twinkled. Considering the Blood Coral Cove was a force that ruled over a vast area of ocean, it was obvious they would have a large number of water related techniques and skills for her to learn.

    As Ling continued to fantasize about the wondrous techniques she could learn, the bubble that she and the others were in began to sink into the waves as Chu Shou and Hai Xing dove into the water.

    In a heartbeat, Zhang and the beauties departed from one world and entered into another one, a cold world of water and beasts.

    Descending into the dark depths where countless beasts reside, Ai could be seen looking in awe as schools of fish swam by. The dazzling sight of light reflecting off the scales of thousands of colorful fish coupled by their dance-like maneuvers around the bubble that the group was standing in made everything seem mystical.

    With sparkling eyes mesmerized by beautiful landscape and creatures of the deep sea, the beauties could all be seen with broad smiles on their faces.

    ¡°They never had anything like this near the City of the Dead.¡± Yuying said as she gazed into the aquatic world around her.

    Despite not showing it, Zhang was equally as dazzled as his wives and couldn''t take his eyes off the beauty that the sea had to offer.

    ¡°That one there is similar to the one I caught not too long ago.¡± Ai said as she pointed at a massive shark that was speeding through the water and toward the bubble she was in.

    However, before the shark could even get remotely close, a pulse of essence traveled through the water and smashed into it, sending it hurtling away.

    As Zhang and the beauties were distracted by the scenery and creatures around them, they soon arrived at a massive undersea mountain.

    ¡°Brother, watch out or else we are going to crash into the mountain. If the bubble pops, I''m my a very good swimmer.¡± Ai said as she tugged onto Zhang¡¯s sleeve.

    ¡°It''s okay I''ll make sure to have Little White help you swim up.¡± Ling said with a laugh as she rubbed her face against the little furry feline that was hanging onto her shoulder.

    ¡°Or we can each take a deep breath and share oxygen through our mouths.¡± Zhang suggested with a laugh.

    ¡°Or you can try to fly up.¡± Yuying said with a laugh.

    In a flash Chu Shou, Hai Xing and the transparent bubble carrying Zhang and the beauties flew through the face of sea mountain and into a dazzling cave filled with glowing coral and fish.

    Before long Zhang and the beauties were out of the sea cave and caught the sight of a marvelous undersea city made entirely out of coral.

    The moment they arrived, hundreds of thousands of mantis shrimp and flying fish shot out from the city, creating to neat rows and a path for Zhang and the beauties to follow.

    After a path was created, all of the riders of the flying fish and mantis shrimp saluted Zhang by raising their weapons up toward the sky.

    ¡°It seems they called in ahead.¡± Zhang thought as he spotted a team of lesser saints flew out of the city.

    From the looks of anticipation and excitement on the faces of the approaching lesser saints, Zhang could tell that Chu Shou and Hai Xing had been keeping in contact with them.

    ¡°More than likely they know about the fact that I had given those two a share of heavenly energy. Hopefully, this will make them more willing to submit to my will in the hopes of gaining rewards.¡± Zhang thought as the group of lesser saints gathered and bowed in front of him before turning around to lead him into the city of coral.

    Perhaps it was due to Shen Yu¡¯s attitude as a ruler, perhaps maybe due to the fact that the people of the sea adores the strong and disdained the weak or perhaps it was entirely due to something else but Zhang and the beauties received a surprisingly warm welcome from the people that lived in the Blood Coral Cove.

    ¡°These people look so normal.¡± Ai said as she saw how humanlike the citizens of the city appeared, contrary to his expectations of a city brimming with oddly look individuals that possessed mixed matched parts of aquatic creatures.

    True to what Zhang learned from the two lesser saints that accompanied back to the Flying Fortress, for the most part, the regular citizens of the Blood Coral Cove looked extremely close to that of a regular human. Unlike the soldiers who had some features that belonged to other species, the only fundamental difference between a regular citizen and a land dweller was the fact that they could hold their breath underwater for a much longer time.

    Zhang was told that this was mainly because of the thinning of bloodlines that occurred as the descendants of the original sea dwellers intermingled with humans. Originally all of the sea dwellers were the children of Divine Beasts and possessed many beast like qualities in both their appearance and physical abilities.

    As one generation passed onto to the next, bloodlines began to thin resulting in the sea dwellers of today. That is to say, there aren''t clans who solely we''d within their clan to try to prevent their bloodlines from thinning.

    Out of the general population, one out of every twenty or so citizens of the Blood Coral Cove would possess a heretical trait passed down from their ancestors. These individuals, of course, would be recruited into the Blood Coral Cove¡¯s Blood Scale Army due to their superior combat capabilities.

    However due to this a class system was created and set amongst the population of sea dwellers, where those who possess inherited traits or were divine beasts were placed at the top while those who closely resembled humans were placed at the bottom Of course regardless of features saints were also placed at the top of the totem pole. This in a way made it so most sea dwellers looked down on humans who resided on land.

    ¡°Perhaps it''s because I am not like the previous rulers who resembled Divine Beasts that the common people are so welcoming.¡± Zhang thought as he noticed that besides the soldiers of the Blood Scale Army who had seen his abilities, most if not all of the citizens of the city who possessed hereditary traits from their divine beast ancestors were giving him and the beauties looks of scorn.

    ¡°Since the empire doesn''t really need me at its reins and since I have plenty of time to kill I''ll stick around for a while and have some fun.¡± Zhang said in his kind as he thought about personally governing the Blood Coral Cove.

 Chapter 187: Conspiracy

    If any errors please help me by pointing them out.

    ===============================================================================

    Moments after entering the massive air bubble that enveloped the Blood Coral Cove, Zhang and the beauties were given a ride on a beautifully decorated platform that was placed atop a huge crab the size of a house. This platform was outfitted with five thrones made of blood red coral while the crab it was placed atop of was armed with gigantic claws that made many people cower.

    Atop the massive crab Zhang and the beauties continued to move toward the center of the Blood Coral Cove, while Little White could be seen occasionally licking its lips as an abundance of large fish could be spotted being sold in various stores that lined the streets.

    ¡°My lord we have prepared a large banquet in your honor and have arranged for all of the various experts and influential figures of the city to be present to welcome your arrival.¡± Chu Shou said respectfully as he stood beside the platform where Zhang and the beauties were.

    ¡°I''ll have to warn you that although we of the Blood Scale Army have pledged our allegiance to you after witnessing your power, I¡¯m certain that there will be a few individuals and forces within the Blood Coral Cove that might not look too kindly to, forgive me for saying it, a mere human ruling over us.¡± Chu Shou said in a near whisper.

    ¡°Things will be interesting, to say the least.¡± Zhang said with a chuckle.

    Rather than worrying about the political problems that came with adding the Blood Coral Cove to his territory, Zhang would much rather focus his attention instead toward thinking about the vast treasure that he was going to soon obtain.

    Since most treasures that came from the sea could be sold for extravagant amounts of gold and silver Zhang could only imagine how much of a fortune Shen Yu was able to accumulate over the last five hundred years. Simply thinking of adding such a horde of treasure to his very own stash made Zhang¡¯s mouth water.

    ¡°Human scum leave our city at once!¡± A voice rang out from the crowd, shattering Zhang¡¯s fantasy about the endless riches of the Blood Coral Cove and bringing him back to reality.

    As a frown appeared on his face, Zhang looked into the distance to see a young man dressed in light blue robes shouting at him. If one examined more closely they would be able to see a set of gills on this young man¡¯s neck along with fins protruding from his arms and back.

    ¡°The champions and generals of the Red Scale Army must have eaten shit for dinner because how could they give our city to a mere human! As proud citizens of the Blood Coral Cove, is it not blasphemy to let a mere human who does not have an ounce of the blood of our ancestors running through his veins rule over us? Won¡¯t the other descendants of the sea attack our lands once they find out that we sold our souls to a lowly human?!¡± The young man said as he picked up a brown ball of goop with unknown origins from the ground and lobbed it at Zhang and the beauties.

    The young man¡¯s word, strangely enough, caused an unforeseeable stir in the crowd gathered on the streets. Despite not being too happy due to the class system set in place, the people of the Blood Coral Cove, even those without hereditary traits were rather proud of their origins and the young man¡¯s words only served to cast Zhang out as an outsider.

    ¡°Yea! Why should we let an outsider rule over us? Down with the land walker!¡± A few voiced mixed into the crowd roared, trying to incite a mob.

    After being flung out of the young man¡¯s hands and flying through the air toward Zhang the blob of goop with unknown origins was instantly blocked and sent splattering onto the ground before it even came close to Zhang thanks to the powers of the Underworld Heart, but the intent of the young man alone was enough to make Zhang¡¯s blood boil.

    Before long a few dozen or so individuals joined the young man and began throwing things from within the crowd toward Zhang and the beauties, however, none of them dared to stand out like the young man did.

    ¡°Insolent!¡± Chu Shou roared as a sword appeared in his hand. However, before Chu Shou could do a thing, Zhang disappeared and appeared in front of the young man in a flash.

    Seeing how fast Zhang appeared in front of him the young man was startled and stumbled a few steps backward while his compatriots ceased their actions and watched in shock.

    ¡°All of you kneel¡­¡± Zhang said in a soft voice was the Rising Moon Sword appeared in his hand and its tip was pointed at the young man.

    s

    ¡°It appears those trouble makers Chu Shou mentioned are already acting. Although I¡¯m somewhat torn on whether to deal with them or simply take the treasure and leave, if they want a show then I might as will give them something to remember me by before I decide my next move...¡± Zhang thought as he sensed a few lesser saints and three full saints who were not a part of the Blood Scale Army watching the current situation from nearby locations.

    In a flash, the Rising Moon Sword¡¯s powers were unleashed and an unbearable weight descended onto the shoulders of everyone present, saints, mortals, men, women, children alike, everyone was caught off guard and fell to their knees.

    Obviously, Zhang made sure to lessen the force of gravity exerted on the regular civilians by the Rising Moon Sword so that no one was harmed. He also made sure to limit the area that the Rising Moon Sword¡¯s powers were acting upon to make the saints watching believe that he wasn''t too powerful.

    The young man and other people who tried to throw excrement at him, on the other hand, were pressed onto the ground by a fairly powerful force of gravity. Of course, his wives and the saints and soldiers who had already sworn loyalty to him were spared.

    ¡°I can assure you that I am no mere human and that I am not unworthy.¡± Zhang said in a loud voice that rang into everyone¡¯s ears while giving off the impression of someone who had a completely unbearable personality.

    ¡°Pssst, how much did they give you to give you enough guts to do what you did?¡± Zhang said in a whisper that only the young man could hear.

    ¡°Wha-what are you talking about?¡± The young man squeezed out of his lungs as he felt the weight of hundreds of pounds pressing him down onto the ground making it difficult to talk.

    ¡°No need to pretend, since your strength could only be considered average and of that of a regular foot soldier in the Blood Scale Army you would at best be a mere servant for one of those who wish to oppose me. So unless they are threatening your family or gave you a massive amount of wealth I doubt you would have the guts to do what you just did. Of course, there''s always option number three and four where you turn out to be an idiot who doesn''t know his own limits nor how to hold his tongue or you''re one of those people who are willing to die for their countrymen. But I believe it should between options one and two or both.¡± Zhang said in a whisper to the young man while everyone else was too busy being pressed down by the power of the Rising Moon Sword to listen.

    This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you''re talking about.¡± The young man said in a low tone.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about them hearing, just tell me the truth.¡± Zhang whispered as a smile crept onto his face as he used the Underworld Heart¡¯s power to create a sphere of crystallized essence around himself and the young man, making it impossible for anyone to listen to their conversation.

    ¡°Th-they said if I did this for them they would release my elderly parents, wife, and children and give them a sizeable sum of wealth to live out the rest of their days.¡± The young man said as he gasped for air.

    ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± Zhang asked.

    ¡°Han Shui¡­¡± The young man said.

    ¡°Han Shui, how about I save your parents, wife, and children for you?¡± Zhang said in a low tone.

    ¡°Really?¡± Han Shui asked as he felt the force of gravity that was pressing onto him fade away.

    ¡°If you''re able to put up a little act and lead me to them then I assure you that not only will I free them for you I¡¯ll even give you something for your troubles.¡± Zhang said as he waved his hand releasing not only the sphere that kept others from listening to his conversation with Han Shui, but also the force of gravity pressing down on everyone else.

    ¡°Since I don¡¯t want to smear this joyous day with the blood of a scoundrel such as yourself, bygone!¡± Zhang said as his leg lashed out and impacted Han Shui, sending him flying to the far end of the street and crashing into a cart filled with sacks of flour.

    What no one else noticed was that Zhang¡¯s leg actually lightly touched Han Shui and it was, in fact, the power of the Rising Moon Sword that had made Han Shui appear to have been kicked into the air.

    ¡°Th-this won¡¯t be the last you hear of me, you mere human!¡± Han Shui said after coughing a dozen times due to being covered from head to toe in flour. After uttering a few other remarks and receiving a snarl from Zhang, Han Shui departed from the scene while pretending that his leg was injured and he had to limp.

    Seeing Han Shui leave, the few people who were trying to incite a riot like him quickly scattered to the winds and left.

    ¡°Everyone, although I can''t promise you that I will be the greatest ruler or perhaps even an effective one, but what I can promise you is that I will be a ruler who cares about his people.¡± Zhang said as he appeared beside his wives and atop the gigantic crab once again, prompting the parade to continue.

    ¡°A conspiracy I tell you.¡± Ai said in a very low tone to Yuying who couldn''t help but chuckle.

    ¡°A show also.¡± Lingqi said with a laugh as she could tell that Zhang was up to something.

    Seeing that the show had ended once their people departed, the various saints who had plotted to start a riot against Zhang began to leave, each with a different impression of him.

    ¡°He must have used some sort of trick to kill both of those fools Shen Yu and Niao Wang.¡± These saints thought as they each began heading back to their different residences, some to prepare to attend the banquet held in Zhang¡¯s honor and others to meet with the people they had ordered to cause trouble for Zhang.

    In the meantime, Zhang was using his divine sense to monitor Han Shui¡¯s movements, tracking him all the way to a large manor located toward the center of the aquatic city but not before combing through a series of back alleys and entering an underground tunnel.

    Upon entering the large manor, Han Shui was instantly surrounded by a group of armored guards who were all at the eighth level of cultivation and possessed hereditary traits passed down from their divine beast ancestors.

    ¡°You did good, kid.¡± A middle-aged man with a small snake coiled around his arm said as he walked out into the courtyard where Han Shui was.

    ¡°Milord if you would please release my family, I have no need for anything else.¡± Han Shui pled as he fell to his knees.

    ¡°Of course, since you''ve done what I''ve asked I will do as I promised and reunite you with your family.¡± The middle-aged man said as he clapped his hands, signaling for a group of guards to bring out Han Shui¡¯s family.

    As Han Shui saw his elderly parents, his lovely wife and his young children, the young man who dared to throw excrement at Zhang broke out in tears.

    In a heartwarming show, the family sped toward each other and huddled up closely in the middle of the courtyard as tears stream down from their faces. Days ago their only worry was making enough money to feed themselves but today the possibility of death was looking down onto them.

    ¡°The lot of you can take your time reuniting in the underworld.¡± The middle-aged man said as his people withdrew their swords from their sheaths.

    ¡°Make it quick I have to go attend that silly banquet and then make preparations to deal with that human.¡± The middle-aged man added.

    ¡°Your attendance won''t be needed at tonight''s banquet.¡± A voice rang into everyone¡¯s ear as blinding flashes of lightning rained down from above and as earth-shattering booms followed.

    In a flash, all of the armor guards surrounding Han Shui turned into pools of gore as their body parts were scattered across the courtyard.

    Looking toward the direction where the voice originated from, Zhang could be seen standing atop one of the mansion¡¯s rooftops with smoke being emitted from his fingertips.

    ¡°A mere lesser saint dares to cause me trouble?¡± Zhang said as a bolt of red colored lightning shot out from his fingertips and causing a dozen stone tiles on the ground to turn to powder.

    ¡°How could this be! How could attacks that possess so much destructive power not give off even a hint of the essence packed inside of them!¡± The middle-aged man yelled in disbelief.

    ¡°Since I have to make sure no one else knows about what is happening here, I made sure to contain the power of my attacks. While my wife made sure to erect an invisible barrier around this place.¡± Zhang said as he charged through the air toward the middle-aged man with a strange looking talisman in hand.

    ¡°Suppress!¡± An angelic voice crept into the middle-aged man¡¯s ears as Yuying appeared in front of him without even being sensed.

    In but an instant after her finger tapped this lesser saint¡¯s forehead, countless runes began appearing throughout his body.

    The sea of runes twisted and churned across the man¡¯s body while giving off an eerie green glow which would give anyone who saw it to feel their skin crawl.

 Chapter 188: Painting

    After a gentle tap from Yuying¡¯s finger, the middle-aged man¡¯s body appeared as if it did not possess a single ounce of strength and slumped over into the ground, creating single thump sound.

    ¡°Seal!¡± Yuying¡¯s voice could be heard as the runes on the middle-aged man¡¯s body rearranged themselves to resemble chains.

    ¡°Even though he''s only a lesser saint it''ll take a bit of time before I can rewire his memories and thoughts, so, for now, I''ll make it so that people can still sense his powers when they use their divine sense but he himself won''t be able to use any of it.¡± Yuying said she began working her dark magic on the middle-aged man.

    ¡°As long as it gets done before the banquet, we will need him to be present or else those other saints will suspect that something is wrong. Also, I thought I was going to be the one to do it...¡± Zhang said with a sigh as he stored away the strange looking talisman he had in his hand and proceeded to retrieve the middle-aged man¡¯s interspatial ring.

    Although it would it would have been much better for Zhang to simply allow for the middle aged man to kill Han Shui and then deal with him along with the other unruly saints at the banquet, it would have been contradictory to his nature and gone against his beliefs.

    Like usual if he could help someone then Zhang would go out of his way to do so even if it hindered his plans a tiny bit.

    ¡°Thank you, my lord! Thank you! Han Shui¡¯s voice could be heard.

    Looking back, he could see the previously defiant looking young man tapping the ground with his forehead as he performed one kow tow after the other.

    ¡°I only did it for I could take all of his treasure.¡± Zhang said with a grin.

    ¡°Here take this and leave before you get yourselves dragged into more problems.¡± Zhang said with a laugh as a tossed a small bag of money he had retrieved from the middle-aged man¡¯s interspatial ring.

    ¡°Thank you, my lord, if it wasn¡¯t for you then that sick bastard would have made me watch my family die right in front of my eyes¡­¡± Han Shui said as recalled the horrifying rumors about the lesser saint in question.

    Tales of making birth brothers killing each other and stories of women forced to watch their children being torn to shreds by various demonic beasts flooded into Han Shui¡¯s mind.

    ¡°First one to the treasure gets to keep it!¡± Ai¡¯s voice could be heard as a pulse of divine sense swept through the mansion. In a flash, Ai dashed straight past Zhang at unbelievable speeds and disappeared into a path set between two building.

    ¡°Silly girl.¡± Lingqi said with a laugh as waved her hand and tossed a dozen or so purple colored pills at various rooftops within the confines of the mansion.

    Upon impacting the rooftops these pills released an explosion of purplish colored dust that made everyone they came in contact with feel extremely drowsy and tired, so tired and drowsy that they almost instantly fell asleep.

    ¡°I''ll go see what kind of herbs they have laying around you want to go have a look too?¡± Lingqi asked Ling who was petting a little fur ball curled up in her lap while the two of them could be seen sitting atop the roof of a building not too far from where Yuying was working.

    ¡°Sure.¡± Ling replied as the two of them hopped off the roof of the building.

    ¡°This way.¡± Lingqi said as she took in a deep breath and located the faint scent of herbs in the air.

    While Lingqi, Ling, and Little White tried to locate the place where all of the herbs in the mansion were kept, Zhang could be seen bidding farewell to Han Shui then proceeding to trial Ai as a raced began between the two of them.

    It was not until roughly an hour later did they gather back within the mansion¡¯s main courtyard.

    ¡°Was there a lot of treasure?¡± Ling asked Zhang as she saw that he wasn''t brimming with excitement like he usually was when he had just claimed a large amount of treasure.

    ¡°Any herbs, rare medicines or lost medical recipes?¡± Ai asked as she saw that Lingqi did not possess the usually glinting eyes that she normally had after finding a stash of rare herbs.

    ¡°All I found was a small stash of gold not worth mentioning, a few decent sized pearls and a riped piece of a painting¡­ Although there were traces of there had been at least a thousand times more gold and dozens of other things left behind in treasury.¡± Zhang said in a somewhat dejected tone. Had it not been for the fact that the ripped fraction of a paint been placed on a high pedistal and looked overly importanted, Zhang would have not even bothered to collect it.

    ¡°Although there were a few herbs that are said to only grow underwater I wasn¡¯t able to find much...¡± Lingqi said in an equally dejected tone as her husband.

    ¡°Since there¡¯s nothing left to do here let¡¯s tie up all of the people in the mansion and head back to the Blood Coral Castle before anyone notices we are gone.¡± Ling suggested as she looked to see if Yuying was finished rewiring the mind of the lesser saint.

    ¡°I finished up over here so we can leave whenever the rest of you are ready.¡± Yuying said as she walked toward where Zhang and the other beauties were standing with a new servant trailing closely behind her.

    ¡°Also it turns out that this fellow here had actually traded his vast fortune for the small piece of a painting that is currently floating about in your Interspatial ring, sweetheart. Most of your precious herbs were also traded for it too.¡± Yuying added with a grin as she saw the dejected looks on Zhang and Lingqi¡¯s faces.

    ¡°Apparently, it''s part of a set of eight pieces and is said to lead to hold some legendary secrets.¡± She also said, causing Zhang¡¯s eyes to brighten and an adventurous smile to appear on his face.

    ¡°Treasure!¡± Zhang thought as his eyes twinkled.

    ¡°But we can worry about that later since we have a banquet to attend. You also need to go store away that treasure in the Blood Coral Castle that had been accumulating for five hundred years also.¡± Yuying said as she knew Zhang¡¯s mind was beginning to drift into a wild fantasy.

    ¡°Okay let''s go.¡± Zhang said in a cheerful tone.

    ¡°Meet us at the banquet and avoid talking too much to anyone else. But try to act normal and not make anyone suspicious of you until the main event happens.¡± Yuying said to the middle-aged man who she had just worked her magic on.

    ¡°Yes, master.¡± The middle-aged man said in a respectful tone as Zhang and the beauties departed the mansion after suppressing their aura and covering their faces.

    In little to no time at all, Zhang and the beauties were able to blend into the large crowds prowling the city streets as they made their way to a massive castle made entirely out of blood red colored coral.

    Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

    Making their way to a shabby looking shack, Zhang and the beauties entered a small side room where they opened a hatch hidden beneath a few stone slabs.

    Using a hidden tunnel that ran underneath the city streets the group quickly their way into the Blood Coral Castle.

    As they walked deeper into it, the tunnel often branched off and led to a wide variety of different places within the city, the group ascended a flight of stairs that led to a large room where two silhouettes could be seen sitting cross-legged in front of a pair of screen doors.

    ¡°My lord and madams your back, I hope everything went well.¡± Chu Shou and Hai Xing¡¯s voices could be heard in unison.

    ¡°Have any of our guests arrived yet?¡± Zhang asked,

    ¡°Not yet my lord, however, a portion of Shen Yu¡¯s shell has been harvested and the key required to open the treasury vault along with his interspatial ring has also been retrieved from his corpse. The horns and the rest of the shell will be processed and brought to you later.¡± Chu Shou said as he presented a golden colored interspatial ring to Zhang.

    ¡°Take these and share the heavenly energy amongst yourselves and the others. Although there isn¡¯t much left it¡¯s better than nothing.¡± Zhang said as he waved his hands and made a small pile of a dozen or so jade like bones appeared on the ground. These of course were a few of bones belonging to the saints who had died fighting over the Rising Moon Sword countless years ago.

    ¡°Thank you, my lord, I¡¯ll make sure to disperse them evenly, I¡¯m sure the others will be extremely excited once they catch a glimpse of these.¡± Chu Shou said in a delighted tone as he saw the traces of heavenly energy that remained at the core of these jade like bones.

    ¡°Remind them that as long as they remain loyal to me then there will be plenty of heavenly energy to refine in the future.¡± Zhang said with a chuckle.

    ¡°We surely will, my lord.¡± Hai Xing said as a broad smile could be seen on her face.

    ¡°If you¡¯ll excuse us, we have to change into a fresh set of clothes and prepare for the banquet. You know how long us women can take when picking out clothing.¡± Lingqi said with a laugh as she signaled for Chu Shou and Hai Xing to leave as she figured Zhang would want to inspect the contents within Shen Yu¡¯s interspatial ring.

    Soon after their subordinates departed and the screen doors leading into their room was tightly shut once more, Zhang bounded the golden colored interspatial ring to himself and emptied its contents onto the floor.

    ¡°This is more like it!¡± Zhang said as a large stack of shield sized plates belonging to a certain Dragon Horn Turtle, a pile of pearls as large as a person¡¯s head and a large variety of weapons, cultivation material, books, and other things appeared on the ground.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be taking a few of these to make some skin cream.¡± Lingqi said as she picked out a few massive pearls and stored them away into her interspatial ring.

    ¡°Skin cream? The stuff that you put on yourself to make your skin silky smooth and snowy white?¡± Ling and Yuying asked in unison as their eyes brightened.

    ¡°I can give you two a batch if you want.¡± Lingqi replied with a grin.

    ¡°Considering the fact that we are already sharing a husband, sharing some skin cream made of pearls couldn''t be considered a big deal.¡± Lingqi said with a laugh as she picked up a few more pearls and stored them into her interspatial ring.

    ¡°Me too?¡± Ai asked.

    ¡°Yes, you too.¡± Lingqi answered.

    After examining the items laid out before them one after the other, the group began preparing for the banquet.

    Although Zhang was able to finish changing into new garments with no assistance and in little to no time at all, his wives took roughly thirty minutes to pick out their outfits, thirty minutes to help each other put on their outfits, and thirty minutes to choose and put on makeup.

    Miraculously they managed to be ready just as first few guests attending arrived.

    Wearing extravagant dresses that emphasized their figures and radiated their delicate features, the beauties effortlessly drew the attention of all who arrived at the banquet. Regardless whether they were mortals, saints, men or women, all eyes were glued onto Ling, Yuying, Ai, and Lingqi.

    Besides the lesser saints who has already sworn allegiance to Zhang, a total of twenty lesser saints had arrived while four full saints along with their disciples and various attendants were said to be on their way.

    Regardless of their intentions anyone who was somebody within the Blood Coral Cove was present or will be present at the banquet.

    ¡°I''m sure if all of these saints join under my banner then my forces would be comparable to a decent sized sect.¡± Zhang though as he gauged the strength of everyone present.

    With simple handshakes and a few words of greeting, Zhang personally greeted and was introduced to all of the important figures of the Blood Coral Cove, while some had eager faces and gave Zhang a very warm welcome others acted cold and distant.

    Before long while he was still walking around to greet guests, Zhang looked into the sky with a grin plastered on his face. Up in the air, a flying chariot decorated with carvings of dragons came into view.

    Manning the chariot was a lesser saint whose skin seemed to shift from one shade to other, similar to an ability that some octopi possess. Behind this lesser saint was a young looking man radiating with power who had a pair of horns similar to those that Shen Yu possesses.

    ¡°That is Lord Long Feng, within the Blood Coral Cove, his prestige and powers are the highest. Hailing from a clan that can trace their lineage back to a grand elder within the Dragon God Palace, no one knows the limits of his powers nor does any dare to find out. There are rumors that state the only reason as to why Shen Yu had ruled over the Blood Coral Cove for so long was because Lord Long Feng was focused entirely on cultivating and allowed him to.¡± Hai Xing whispered into Zhang¡¯s ear as the Lord Long Feng¡¯s flying chariot landed in the middle of the courtyard.

    The simple act of landing a flying chariot in the middle of a courtyard where a banquet was taking place instead of entering through the front door like everyone else could clearly show that Lord Long Feng was a haughty character who obviously did not place Zhang in his eye.

    ¡°Connections to the Dragon God Palace¡­ If he thinks something like that can allow him to act unruly in front of me then he will soon find out otherwise.¡± Zhang thought as Lord Long Feng who looked no older than him stepped off from the flying chariot and was soon surrounded by a sea of people all of whom were trying to curry favor or building connections.

 Chapter 189: Banquet Crashers

    Keep up the suggestions and comments on the other post about the current arc :D I''m reading them all and taking note and using some of them in the story :), cough cough Anglerfish >_>

    =============================================================================

    Shortly after Lord Long Feng arrived another flying chariot could be seen cutting through the sky. This time, the chariot was decorated with carvings of toads and a chubby looking middle-aged man whose face was covered in warts could be seen manning the chariot while what appeared to be a beautiful young woman dressed in a colorful robes stood beside him.

    ¡°That is Lord Chan Chu, in terms of power he is slightly inferior when compared to Shen Yu however due to the fact that his true form is that of a Violet Eye Toad he is an adversary that few would dare to face in direct combat.¡± Hai Xing said in a low tone.

    ¡°Violet Eye toad? That¡¯s funny since his eyes aren''t even violet.¡± Zhang said with a chuckle.

    ¡°My lord it appeared you''re looking at the wrong person. If you look closely to the person on the right.¡± Hai Xing said.

    ¡°To the right?¡± Zhang mumbled as he shifted his gaze to the beautiful young woman beside the ugly man manning the chariot.

    ¡°You mean that is...¡± Zhang whispered to Hai Xing in a low tone.

    ¡°Yes you''re not mistaken, Lord Chan Chu often pretends to be a young woman when going outside¡­Something about women being easier to get close to when they believe they are in the presence of their own kind. He has a reputation for courting many of the city¡¯s beauties thanks to his unusual methods.¡± Hai Xing said in a way that made it seem like Lord Chan Chu¡¯s antics were very well known within the city while also having a very disgusted expression on her face.

    ¡°So that''s a man¡­¡± Zhang thought as Lord Chan Chu¡¯s chariot landed.

    ¡°I''ll make sure to keep Ling, Ai, Yuying and Lingqi away from him¡­ To think there was a way to court women by pretending to be a woman.¡± Zhang also thought as he felt a powerful aura entering through the castle¡¯s main gates.

    Looking in the direction of the main gates, Zhang spotted an extremely beautiful young woman who could be comparable to the beauties. Standing beside her was an elderly woman with a hunched back and a broad smile plastered on her face. Oddly enough while the young woman did not give off even a hint of her power, simply laying eyes on this elderly woman made a shiver run down Zhang¡¯s spine, telling him that this woman could mean trouble. But he knew for certain that between the elderly woman and the beautiful young woman, he had to keep an eye out on the younger woman.

    ¡°That''s Madam Diao Yi, of the three remaining full saints within the city she is the trickiest to deal with since not much is known about her besides the fact that her true form is that of a Nightmare Angler Fisher. That there is her attendant, I''m not familiar with her name nor her origins though.¡± Hai Xing said to Zhang while gesturing at the elderly woman first and then pointing at the beautiful young woman.

    After a brief introduction of Madam Diao Yu from Hai Xing, Zhang made his way back to the table where the beauties were seat while Chu Shou and Hai Xing made their ways to a large stage set in a corner of the courtyard.

    ¡°Since our all of our esteemed guests have arrived, let the festivities commence!¡± Chu Shou said as he clapped his hands and teams of maids filed into the courtyard with trays of food in hand while a wide variety of large shells were brought into the stage by musicians. Before long a symphony of music began emitting from the shells.

    While Lord Chan Chu made his way to where Zhang and the beauties were currently seated, Lord Long Feng and Madam Diao Yi strangely closed in on the middle-aged lesser saint who had been made into Yuying¡¯s faithful servant earlier in the day.

    ¡°Xiao Haishi, a source of mine told me that you''ve gotten your hands on something that someone of your caliber shouldn''t have laid hands on.¡± Madam Diao Yi said as she sat beside Yuying¡¯s new faithful servant who sat silently without uttering a single word at all.

    ¡°If you value your life you''ll turn over the piece of the painting that you got your slimy hands on.¡± Madam Diao Yi said in an unhappy tone despite having a smile still plastered on her face as Xiao Haishi continues to remain silent.

    ¡°Madam, you think the likes of you is fit to possess something that the Dragon God Palace wishes to acquire?¡± Lord Long Feng said after sipping a cup of wine.

    ¡°Showing your true colors now it seems.¡± Madam Diao Yi said as she looked at Lord Long Feng from the corner of her wrinkled eyes.

    ¡°True colors? When have I ever tried to pretend to be something or someone that I am not? Simply because I reside here does not mean my loyalties aren''t directed toward the Dragon God Palace. Even Shen Yu knew of this when he was alive.¡± Lord Long Feng replied with a snort.

    ¡°Madam since we''ve been acquainted for a very long time I''ll give you a word of warning, despite maintaining a neutral stance amongst the forces of the sea, the Dragon God Palace¡¯s ancestral master had issued an edict stating that all who have relations to the palace are to scour the sea and obtain all of the pieces of the Ascending Beauty Painting. He specifically stated that we can use any means at our disposal and as long as we retrieve the piece of the painting then the palace will offer us it''s backing.¡± Lord Long Feng also said.

    ¡°I apologize to the both of you but the piece of the painting is no longer in my possession.¡± Xiao Haishi said in a cold emotionless voice.

    ¡°No longer in your possession? Lies will do you no good little sea lion.¡± Madam Diao Yu said.

    ¡°Lord Chan Chu was a step ahead of the rest of you. Forgive me for saying this but he told me to tell you both that a mere lizard and a stupid lantern fish shouldn''t even attempt to compete with him.¡± Xiao Haishi said while a few tables away, Yuying could be seen making a series of simple hand signs while Ling who was seated beside her was talking to Lord Chan Chu.

    While Lord Long Feng and Madam Diao Yu had been talking to Yuying¡¯s new servant, Lord Chan Chu had intruded upon Zhang¡¯s table and began trying to converse with the beauties one after the other.

    Despite Zhang¡¯s efforts to get him away from the beauties, Lord Chan Chu insisted on staying at the table and continued to try to talk to the beauties. As this man who was as beautiful as a young maiden continued to try to talk to her, be it with no ill intentions or not. Yuying¡¯s patience was soon expended. So when she saw Lord Long Feng and Madam Diao Yu arrive at Xiao Haishi¡¯s table and listened to their conversation through secret means, a glint had appeared in her eyes.

    Using a simple incantation Yuying activated her binding on Xiao Haishi and made him voice her thoughts, which of course was definitely going to stir trouble for Lord Chan Chu while also making it so that no one would suspect her husband of obtaining the piece of the painting.

    ¡°Now to sit back and watch the show.¡± Yuying thought as Lord Long Feng and Madam Diao Yu both stared at Lord Chan Chu with fiery eyes as they both go up from their seats.

    This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.

    ¡°Chan Chu you damn crossdresser, hand it over to me right now!!¡± Lord Long Feng roared as his hand slapped down onto a table beside him, causing it to split into two halves. In an instant, all of the chatter in the courtyard ceased and all eyes were focused toward either Zhang¡¯s table or the table where Lord Long Feng stood.

    ¡°Stupid lantern fish¡­ How dare you¡­ Wretched toad you¡­¡± Madam Qiao Yu¡¯s attendant said as she appeared out from nowhere.

    Confused and having no idea what was going on, Lord Chan Chu who was actually starting to having a fairly engaging conversation with Ai, looked at his two peers with a silly look on his face.

    ¡°Old Long if it''s that young maid from your mansion that you fancy so much that you''re talking about I already returned her home! I can''t assure you she won''t come looking for me later but for now, she''s safely back in your manor.  As for you Granny Diao please don''t give me that look I have never called you a lantern fish in front of anyone else¡­ Sure I''ve called you that in private a few times but I''m sure I''m not the only one.¡± Lord Chan Chu said while an innocent looking expression was present on his face.

    Upon hearing what Lord Chan Chu said, Zhang couldn''t help but chuckle a bit.

    ¡°This one is a strange one. Besides being armed with toxic skin he''s also equipped with a sharp tongue.¡± Zhang thought with a chuckle as his impression of Lord Chan Chu increased a tiny bit.

    ¡°Quit playing dumb and hand over the Ascending Beauty Painting!¡± Lord Long Feng said in an angry voice.

    ¡°Ascending Beauty Painting? I have many naked beauty paintings at home if you want one, however, I''ve never heard of any Ascending Beauty Paintings.¡± Lord Chan Chu said with a laugh which in turn caused Zhang to chuckle some more.

    ¡°If it''s paintings of naked beauties you want Lord Long Feng, I have a small collection of my own. Although it''s sort of a private collection and not one to be shared.¡± Zhang said with a chuckle, prompting the faces of four beauties beside him to glow bright red.

    ¡°Don''t tell other people about those!¡± Lingqi, Yuying, and Ling said as she pinched Zhang in succession one after the other.

    ¡°Silence! I don''t care if you''re the new ruler of the Blood Coral Cove, this matter doesn''t involve you!¡± Lord Long Feng said in an enraged voice.

    ¡°Now, now, Old Long, that''s no way to talk to the city¡¯s new host.¡± Lord Chan Chu said as he winked at Zhang.

    ¡°Enough of this! Little road hand over the painting or else you''ll regret it.¡± Madam Diao Yu as her brows furrowed.

    ¡°Granny even you¡¯re interested in naked beauty paintings? If that''s what you''re into then I''m willing to share a bit of my collection with you, as long as you keep any self-portraits of yourself to yourself. Don''t get me wrong I''m sure you were a beauty to behold back in the day but as you are now I don''t want to see what''s beneath those robes.¡± Lord Chan Chu said, causing all of the other people attending the banquet to chuckle.

    With each laugh that entered her ear, Madam Diao Yu¡¯s rage began to bellow as her veins began to bulge. As Lord Chan Chu continued to poke fun at her, Madam Diao Yu who always had a smile present on her face could no longer keep up her facade.

    ¡°Long Feng, help me kill this insolent brat and I promise that the painting will be yours.¡± Madam Diao Yu said as a fan made of jade appeared in her hand.

    ¡°Deal!¡± Lord Long Feng said as a spear made of black colored metal appeared in his hand.

    ¡°Simply because I gave you a little bit of face and not reprimanded you for your insolence you think that you can act unruly here? The lot of you settle down!¡± Zhang said as he enveloped the entire courtyard with an unbearable pressure that caused everyone¡¯s hairs to tingle and stand on end.

    Although the argument had spawned in part from due to Yuying¡¯s actions and he could have simply remained silent and allowed for the three saints to slaughter themselves, Zhang figured regardless of the outcome he would somehow be dragged into the situation anyway so better to try to stop things before they got out of hand then to allow a huge mess to occur.

    There was also the fact that Long Feng and Diao Yu were not even giving him a hint of face, which normally Zhang didn''t really care about but due to being the new ruler of the Blood Coral Cove he had to establish his dominance in front of other or else how will he command the absolute obedience of his new subordinates.

    ¡°Hmph, a mere human demanding face from a divine beast? How laughable of you to try to order me around!¡± Lord Long Feng laughed as green colored scales began to appear on his skin while his nails turned into sharp looking claws.

    In an instant, he unleashed his powers also and releases a terrifying pressure that clashed with Zhang¡¯s.

    ¡°Acting haughty and prideful while only possessing the traits of a mere low tier Green Scaled Dragon? That''s what is truly laughable. Realistically speaking green colored dragons are more closely related to lizards than dragons.¡± Yuying said mockingly as a sea of green colored fog appeared around her ankles while her pressure joined Zhang''s and clashed with Long Feng¡¯s.

    ¡°Don''t you dare talk badly about my brother.¡± Ai said as a pressure as stronger than Zhang¡¯s was released, causing a few of the people present who were lacking in cultivation to faint.

    It was an undisputed fact that in terms of raw power Ai was the strongest within the group while Yuying possessed the most knowledge and Ling possessed what could be called the highest intelligent. As for Lingqi none could compare to her in regards to medical knowledge.

    With combined might of the pressure released by Zhang, Yuying, and Ai, Lord Long Feng instantly found himself at a disadvantage as he felt a suffocating force envelope him, making his sense dull and his movements sluggish.

    ¡°Let me join in too!¡± Lord Chan Chu said with a gleeful tone as his pressure also erupted and pressed on Lord Long Feng causing the green scaled man to cough up a mouth full of blood.

    ¡°If the lot of you thinks that you can beat me by simply ganging up then you¡¯ve made a terrible mistake.¡± Lord Long Feng said as he produced a red colored pill from his interspatial ring and placed it into his mouth. In next to no time at all the pressure he was emitting increased tenfold while his body began to morph, the color of his pupils turned into a magnificent golden color much like Ai¡¯s, limbs began to bulge and grow larger while a spiked tail began to poke out of his robes.

    ¡°What an interesting pill.¡± Lingqi said as Lord Long Feng who had only inherited a minuscule amount of genuine dragon blood from his ancestors was only able to grow a few green colored scales and some sharp crawls is now giving off an oppressive aura, the aura of a true dragon. Of course with everything being said and done, sadly Lord Long Feng¡¯s ancestor was only a Green Scaled Dragon so the aura and pressure that he was giving off couldn¡¯t even be compared to a fraction of the powers that the Azure Dragon that Zhang and the beauties had seen in the Book of Beginnings.

 Chapter 190: Dragon Fire

    As Lord Long Feng¡¯s frame grew massive in size and while countless spikes grew out of his back and tore his robes to shreds, Madam Diao Yu¡¯s body also underwent changes.

    Her usually neat rows of teeth that provided her with a near perfect smile became jagged and sharp while her legs began melding together as her arms turned into fins. I''m but an I stand the previously kind looking granny turned into a gigantic demonic looking fish.

    ¡°Although I don''t know what pill he just consumed but normally in situations such as this as long as we avoid being injured the effects of the pill should run out in no time at all.¡± Zhang said in a confident voice since there is no such thing as a pill that can permanently increase one¡¯s power tenfold.

    ¡°You think the lot of you can avoid death before the Bloodline Tempering Pill¡¯s effects expire? What foolish thoughts.¡± Lord Long Feng¡¯s voice reverberated throughout the city as his massive frame looked down from above while the air in his large palms began to condense and form into two spiraling orbs.

    In an awe-inspiring display of might, the two spiraling orbs of wind launched out of Lord Long Feng¡¯s palms and spiraled around one another as they sucked in everything around them.

    As all of the guests of the banquet fled and while Zhang¡¯s attention was focused toward the sky, a second battle had already begun on the ground. A group of lesser saints numbering roughly sixty individuals had stormed into the Blood Coral Castle and engaged in deadly combat with the group of twenty lesser saints who had sworn their allegiance to Zhang and a group of twenty other lesser saints who were merely attending the banquet.

    A storm of blades and spells danced about from one corner of the courtyard to the other before spreading throughout the castle. Although Zhang¡¯s lesser saint subordinates were somewhat outnumbered, thankfully they had received boosts of heavenly energy not too long ago and were able to hold their own against the group of assailants who were obviously either subordinates of Lord Long Feng or Madam Diao Yu.

    Despite being locked in an intense battle with one another, the lesser saints all ceased what they were doing as a massive black fireball scorched the sky above them.

    Moments before Lord Long Feng¡¯s spheres of condensed wind could impact the ground, two flickering balls black fire formed in Zhang¡¯s hands and shot upward. Ascending through the air the two puffs of black fire looked as if they could be extinguished in but a fleeting moment by the fierce gales of wind, however, the opposite happened.

    The instead of being extinguished by the powerful wind, the instant the black flames touched the orbs of wind, using the essence packed into Lord Long Feng¡¯s own attack, in an instant the black flames consumed the orbs of wind and turned them into orbs of fire.

    ¡°Ascend!¡± Zhang said as he pointed his finger to the sky, making two massive orbs of black fire fly toward Lord Long Feng.

    ¡°Regardless of what kind of trickery you employ, it will all be for naught in front of the flames of a true dragon!!¡± Lord Long Feng roared a tiny flickering crimson colored flame appeared on the tip of his tongue. Using the tiny crimson colored dragon flame as a catalyst, and the surrounding wind and air as fuel, Lord Long Feng unleashed a ball of flame that was so large that undoubtedly scorch every inch of the Blood Coral Castle.

    ¡°Condense!¡± Zhang roared as the two spiraling orbs of black fire under his command fused in midair and smashed into Lord Long Feng¡¯s attack.

    ¡°Extinguish.¡± Zhang said as he snapped his fingers, in the fraction of a second Lord Long Feng¡¯s second attack was also swallowed up by the Soul Devouring flame and disappeared without leaving a single trace of its existence.

    ¡°My lord! The barrier! You have to be careful or else you¡¯ll destroy the barrier and the city will be destroyed by the sea!¡± Chu Shou¡¯s frantic voice rang into Zhang¡¯s ears.

    Previously after witnessing Zhang¡¯s power first hand, Chu Shou had held his new master in high regard, however after seeing the power of the Soul Devouring flame of the Black Dragon he couldn¡¯t help but laugh at himself for thinking he had seen most of Zhang¡¯s trump cards.

    In fact, he was so taken back by the power of the black flames, Chu Shou felt he had to warn Zhang about the possibility of destroying the barrier erected around the Blood Coral Cove to keep the seawater out. If Zhang was to accidentally destroy the barrier, then the city itself would instantly be submerged by water and crushed by the frightening force of the sea.

    Although most of the population of the Blood Coral Cove would escape unharmed, a massive amount of damage would be dealt to the city itself and a string of problems would arise afterward.

    ¡°I¡¯ll make sure to avoid hitting the barrier.¡± Zhang said with a grin.

    ¡°Sweetheart I¡¯m going to go help out our friends over there.¡± Yuying said while looking toward a group of lesser saints who had used the moment when everyone¡¯s attention was drawn to the skies as an opportunity to attack Zhang¡¯s subordinates.

    ¡°Wait for me, sis!¡± Ai said as her Queen of the Night whip appeared in her hands while she raced after Yuying.

    ¡°I might as well do something to help.¡± Lingqi said as she and Ling also joined the fray.

    In a flash, Ai descended upon the pair of lesser saints and smashed them into the ground with pure brute strength from a single lash of her whip. In the meantime, Lingqi dashed about through the battlefield and arrived behind a lesser saint who was about to deliver the finishing blow to his opponent.

    ¡°Now to put my skills to the test.¡± She said as she tapped the lesser saint on the shoulder before he could finish his opponent or turn back to stop her. In but a few breaths the veins on the poor man¡¯s shoulder began to turn blackish as his arm tingled causing his sword to fall onto the ground.

    ¡°Wha-what is happening¡­¡± The lesser saint said in a stutter as he felt as if his entire body was being pricked by needles.

    ¡°It seems my poisons are still not potent enough to deal with even lesser saints¡­ If he was paying attention or was a full saint then this wouldn¡¯t have worked¡­¡± Lingqi said coldly as a short sword appeared in her hand and pierced into the neck of the lesser saint.

    ¡°You guys be careful.¡± Zhang murmured as he leaped into the air and flew upward.

    As one who hails from a clan deeply connected to the Dragon God Palace, the strongest force within the western seas, normally Lord Long Feng was an aloof individual who prided himself on being a descendant and possessing the unique traits of a mighty dragon, never once showing signs of fear in the face of an enemy. However, after witnessing the Soul Devouring Flames that did not even give off an ounce of pressure nor aura dispel his two powerful attacks he couldn''t help but tremble slightly/

    ¡°My current strength should be comparable to that of a high saint¡­ How could he stop my attacks with so little effort¡­¡± Lord Long Feng thought as Zhang could be seen levitating in the air not too far away while the beauties were putting their powers on full display.

    Ai could be seen continuing to lashing out with her whip, while Lingqi could be seen testing out her poisons by tossing small vials filled with strange substances at people. Ling and Yuying could also be seen employing various techniques and spells.

    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

    ¡°Old Long, why don¡¯t you cease this unprovoked charade and we can all go back to talking about naked beauties and drinking wine. Can¡¯t we solve things civilly with some good old fashion talking?¡± Lord Chan Chu¡¯s voice could be heard as he could be seen flying up toward where Zhang was.

    ¡°Laughable, if you would hand over the painting in the first place then things wouldn¡¯t have gotten to this point.¡± Lord Long Feng said with a sneer.

    ¡°How many times must I tell you I don¡¯t have whatever it is that you want.¡± Lord Chan Chu said with a sigh.

    ¡°Long Feng, please take a step back to think things through. Have you thought that there is a possibility that he truly doesn''t have the painting?¡± Zhang asked.

    ¡°Yea! Are you sure that I really have the painting that you''re talking about? What if it was granny who got her hands on it and is simply playing the two of us against each other. Speaking of which, where did granny run off to?¡± Lord Chan Chu said trying to change the person under suspicion from himself to Madam Diao Yu.

    ¡°It couldn¡¯t be¡­¡± Lord Long Feng thought as Zhang and Lord Chan Chu¡¯s words began to sink in.

    Further adding to fuel to the fire was the fact that after morphing to her original form, Madam Diao Yu had actually disappeared and could no longer be seen anywhere.

    ¡°I wonder where she went. Considering the size of her true form she should be really easy to spot.¡± Zhang said as he scanned around the battlefield below.

    ¡°Psst, my good brother. Psst, Zhang how do you want to deal with the lizard.¡± Lord Chan Chu whispered to Zhang as Lord Long Feng was scanning the ground for Madam Diao Yu.

    ¡°As far as I know Old Long is only a minor character within the Dragon God Palace so even if you or I kill him he won''t be missed.¡± Lord Chan Chu added.

    ¡°Then, by all means, go ahead.¡± Zhang said with a smile as he gestured for Lord Chan Chu to go deal with Lord Long Feng when suddenly a huge commotion occurred on the ground causing a massive amount of hysteria.

    A pair of lesser saints had cornered Madam Diao Yu¡¯s maid but suddenly what appeared to be endless rows of sharp teeth began protruding from the ground.

    With horrified looks on their faces, the two lesser saints found themselves trapped within a cage of sharp teeth as the head of a massive anglerfish, Madam Diao Yu, swam up from the earth.

    ¡°The maid is the lure¡­¡± Zhang mumbled as he came to a realization. The reason he had not sensed anything from the maid was because she was nothing more than a puppet, a lure used to bait people into positions where Madam Diao Yu can easily deal with them.

    ¡°Long Feng do not be deceived, they are trying to stall for time! Kill them before the effects of your pull run out!¡± Madam Diao Yu¡¯s voice could be heard moments before her massive jaws filled with teeth sank back down into the ground.

    ¡°Oh god¡­ So when I was trying to court on her maid I was actually courting Madam Diao Yu? Forgive me Brother Zhang but I need to find a place to vomit a bit.¡± Lord Chan Chu as the faces of the goddess like young maid was changed to that of the elderly granny.

    ¡°Hand over the painting!¡± Lord Long Feng roared as he sped through the sky and bared his jaws at Lord Chan Chu.

    ¡°Old Long I wouldn''t do that if I were you. Let me remind you that even if my toxins don''t instantly kill you, you''ll experience hell and then met your end eventually after a few days.¡± Lord Chan Chu said as droplets purplish sweat became visible on his right arm while jumping back alongside Zhang as Lord Long Feng¡¯s jaws snapped shut.

    ¡°Singularity!¡± Zhang said as he pointed the Rising Moon Sword Lord Long Feng and made six small spheres appear in the air.

    Under Zhang¡¯s manipulation, four of the spheres circled around Lord Long Feng while the other two levitated below and above him.

    With a single thought, Zhang made it so instead of emitting a strong absorption force the spheres began repelling everything around them which in turn created an invisible box made out of gravity around Lord Long Feng.

    Like a caged beast Lord Long Feng tried to break free however the power of a heavenly treasure such as the Rising Moon Sword was not some plaything thus all of his attempt became futile.

    ¡°Now do I kill him or do I let him go¡­ Although he thinks that Chan Chu has the piece of the painting and it''s impossible for him to trace anything to me, I could always use some armor made out of dragon scales.¡± Zhang contemplated as he twirled the Rising Moon Sword in his hand.

    In the meantime, back on the ground, the beauties were gaining a fearful reputation for themselves.

    ¡°Sis I''ll hold him for you.¡± Ai said as her whip wrapped around the tail a lesser saint who had morphed into the form of a stingray.

    Once Ai¡¯s whip latched onto him the lesser saint began to thrash about however before he could break free, Yuying appeared beside him from within a cloud of eerie green mist.

    ¡°It''s been awhile since I could do this, let''s hope my skills aren''t too rusty.¡± Yuying said in a low tone as she stuck a black talisman onto the gigantic stingray in front of her as she began employing a technique that she had perfected when she was still living in the Underworld.

    Like usual countless mysterious runes began appearing throughout the lesser saint¡¯s body until finally there was not an inch left uncovered.

    ¡°Enslave!!¡± Yuying said as all of the runes on the stingray''s body began lighting up.

    Unlike usually however once the runes on the lesser saint¡¯s body lit up, his body seemed as if it was being sucked into the black colored talisman that Yuying had stuck onto him. In next to no time at all, the lesser saint¡¯s interspatial ring fell onto the ground along with a previously blank talisman that now had the depiction of a monstrous stingray on it.

    ¡°Don''t worry I''ll let you out for some fresh air when your services are needed.¡± Yuying said with a smile as she picked up the talisman and interspatial ring from the ground and deposited both of them away.

    ¡°Ai help me collect some more of them.¡± She said as she set her eyes on a lesser saint who had changed into the form of a powerful looking sea snake.

    ¡°Help me out with this lantern fish first!¡± Lingqi¡¯s voice could be heard as Yuying and Ai were racing toward their next target.

    Looking in the direction where Lingqi¡¯s voice originated from, Madam Diao Yu¡¯s lure could be seen locked in combat while the tips of hundreds of rows of teeth could be seen poking up from the ground.

    ¡°The two of you will make great additions to my collection of lures. Ahahahaha, simply imagining the number of fools who would willing jump into my jaws for a chance with the two of you makes my mouth water.¡± Madam Diao Yu¡¯s voice could be heard as after her jaws rose up from underneath the ground and surrounded both Lingqi and Ling.

    ¡°Thankfully we are fighting in a place where I don''t need to worry about running out of water.¡± Ling said as streams of water seeped through the barrier covering the Blood Coral Cove and large amounts of fluid from the spilled bottles of wine and jars of water within the castle gathered around her.

 Chapter 191: Silly Fishy

    The water swirling around Ling and Lingqi formed the image of a massive blossoming lotus as thousands of Madam Diao Yu¡¯s razor sharp teeth which were slick with the blood of the few unlucky souls that had previously fallen prey to her.

    ¡°Rise!¡± Ling commanded, creating a column of water to form underneath her feet. As Madam Diao Yu¡¯s gigantic jaws began to close the lotus with Ling and Lingqi standing at its center began to rise into the air.

    ¡°Overflow and freeze!¡± Ling said as she flicked her wrist and made the petals of the massive water lotus fold outward and created what resembled waterfalls above Madam Diao Yu before freezing over. Despite taking a bit of time describe, Ling and Madam Diao Yu¡¯s movements occurred but in a flash.

    Soon enough a layer of completely frozen ice encased most of Madam Diao Yu¡¯s head. But of course as a sea dweller ice and water attacks obviously wouldn''t have too much of an effect on Madam Diao Yu since after only being frozen for but a few seconds the layer of ice shattered into thousands of fragments.

    Upon seeing how ineffective her attacks where Ling clicked her tongue before moving away to safety atop her column of water.

    ¡°Come back here my lovely new lures, there¡¯s nowhere for you to run.¡± Madam Diao Yu¡¯s voice echoed through the air as her massive head sank back into the ground when suddenly her puppet maid appeared and blocked Ling and Lingqi¡¯s path in midair.

    With a single thought, Ling made the column of water beneath her feet split into two allowing her and Lingqi to shoot past Madam Diao Yu¡¯s puppet.

    ¡°Not so fast my lovelies.¡± Madam Diao Yu¡¯s voice could be heard from the lips of her beautiful puppet as three silhouettes appeared and encircled the two fleeing beauties.

    Seeing as they had nowhere to flee, Ling made the two water columns that she and Lingqi were standing on combine together once again.

    ¡°Although these lures aren''t as pretty as the two of you, you should know that I don''t just add anyone to my collection.¡± Madam Diao Yu¡¯s voice could be heard from four different bodies which made the hairs on Ling and Lingqi¡¯s body stand on end.

    ¡°This is too creepy¡­ Even by the standard of things we''ve come across¡­¡± Lingqi said with a shiver as she looked into the lifeless eyes of Madam Diao Yu¡¯s lures and imagined herself in their place.

    ¡°I have to agree with you on this one.¡± Ling said.

    ¡°It''ll only hurt for a second.¡± Madam Diao Yu¡¯s puppets said as rows of teeth once more punctured out of the earth and rose into the air.

    ¡°Silly fishy, go find a something better to do with your time and stop trying to ruin other people¡¯s lives!¡± Ai¡¯s voice could be heard as Madam Diao Yu felt a powerful force smash into the side of her head while the sound of cracking bone ringed in her ears.

    Coincidentally Ai was somehow standing a measly few feet away from where Madam Diao Yu had emerged without being detected. Thus when Madam Diao Yu¡¯s main body emerged from the earth, using her otherworldly brute strength Ai performed a series of kicks which sent Madam Diao Yu flying out of the ground and smashing into one of the castle¡¯s wall.

    ¡°You''ll be added to my collection of lures also. Resistance is futile, they all struggle but only a single mistake is all it takes.¡± Madam Diao Yu¡¯s puppets said in a low agitated tone as they appeared in front of her, preparing to engage the beauties in battle.

    ¡°Or perhaps you''ll be added to my collection!¡± Yuying said as she clapped her hands together and made thousands upon thousands of bones to appear all around her.

    These, of course, we''re the bones collected during her expedition through the former Rainbow Rock Province. However, what was different about these bones since their last appearance was that a portion of them now possessed intricate looking carvings of runes on them. There were also a few bones that appeared to be made of a jade-like material that belongs to deceased saints mixed in as well.

    With a snap of her fingers, Yuying initiated a storm of bones.

    As the bones pierced through the air and closes in on Madam Diao Yu and her four puppets, Madam Diao Yu¡¯s eyes began glowing as four tethers connecting her puppets to her became visible.

    In but, a fraction of a second, hundreds of silhouettes appeared in from of Madam Diao Yu.

    ¡°Madam how could you!? One or two perhaps even four beautiful fish from the sea isn¡¯t much but this is simply outrageous! Without a doubt, you''re an enemy to all men and we''ll women too...¡± Lord Chan Chu said as he saw the hundreds of beautiful women who were a part of Madam Diao Yu¡¯s collection.

    Despite voicing his thoughts to Madam Diao Yu, Lord Chan Chu¡¯s words fell on deaf ears as the sound of hundreds of thousands of bones cutting through the air through the sky made it impossible to hear.

    The hundreds of puppets all brandished weapons and swung wildly at Yuying¡¯s bones. But regardless of their efforts and the number of bones, they succeeded in destroying, Madam Diao Yu and her puppets found themselves riddled by bones.

    ¡°Activate!¡± Yuying said as she performed a series of hand signs and then began reciting a strange incantation in a low tone.

    With each passing word Yuying uttered and hand sign, she performed the runes carved onto some of the bones began to glow. The glowing bones then began vibrating and in a dazzling display of power, they began exploding one after the other in succession.

    With her puppets left tattered and heavily damaged while her main body sustained serious but not life threatening wounds, Madam Diao Yu was left shaken to her very core as her body began sinking into the ground beneath her.

    Perhaps if Madam Diao Yu¡¯s true form not been an anglerfish and was a different kind of fish, one with protective scales then Yuying¡¯s attack wouldn''t have done as much damage as it did. But due to the soft nature of an anglerfish¡¯s body, many cute and open wounds could be seen all over her massive body.

    ¡°Now that I think about it I don''t want something so ugly in my collection.¡± Yuying said with a sneer as she could be seen standing beside the other three beauties. Alone they would have had their hands full when facing a tricky adversary such as the madam, however, as a group of four full saints, the beauties were a force to be reckoned with.

    ¡°Kill me, and when the forces of the Starry Sky Sect arrive in a few days they''ll have your heads. However, spare me and I can ensure that you''ll be able to leave with your lives.¡± Madam Diao Yu said as half of her body sank beneath the earth.

    ¡°Threatening my wives means death, regardless of who your backer is.¡± Zhang¡¯s voice could be heard as hundreds of spears pierced through the air and stuck themselves into Madam Diao Yu¡¯s body.

    Of course, these spears alone weren''t enough to kill a divine beast who is a full saint, so following soon after a storm of red lightning rained down from above. Using the spears are makeshift lightning rods, Zhang caused thousands of volts of lightning to travel through Madam Diao Yu¡¯s body.

    Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

    As the lightning descended, every single fight within the Blood Coral Castle ceased and everyone watched in awe and horror as Madam Diao Yu¡¯s body shook uncontrollably while being burned to a char.

    Seeing an excellent opportunity to distribute some misleading information and possibly gain a new ally, Yuying bent down, placed her hand on the ground and made a trail of runes appear on the ground.

    Before anyone could see it, the trail of runes reached Madam Diao Yu¡¯s burning body and transcribed itself onto her. Normally the process would have taken quite some time due to the fact that Madam Diao Yu is a full saint and was individually stronger than Yuying. However, due to her heavy injuries and being on the verge of death, Yuying was able to quickly take over her mind.

    ¡°Heed my words you wretched fools, once the Starry Sky Sect arrives they will skin you all alive! I am certain of it! They will surely avenge me for giving them a piece of the Ascending Beauty Painting! Now that the Blood Coral Cove had lost a huge portion of its forces, it will stand no chance!¡± Madam Diao Yu said in a loud voice while secretly being under Yuying¡¯s control moments before her body turned to char and eventually ash.

    Upon hearing the words that left Madam Diao Yu¡¯s mouth filled with thousands of jagged teeth, Lord Long Feng, who was still stuck in an invisible box contracted of the force of reversed gravity, opened his eyes in shock.

    ¡°You wretched whore! You plotted against me! How dare you!¡± Lord Long Feng roared in rage believing that Madam Diao Yu had used Xiao Haishi to trick him into fighting Lord Chan Chu and Zhang.

    Despite feeling his innards boil, Lord Long Feng wasn''t able to do much because the effect of the Bloodline Tempering Pill that he had consumed had expired and left him rather powerless.

    Although after shrinking back to his regular size, Lord Long Feng wasn''t as constructed as before he still couldn''t break free so all he could do was curse at the top of his lung.

    ¡°Long Feng, seeing at you were tricked and were unknowingly used in a plot orchestrated by Madam Diao Yu and the Starry Sky Sect, I''m willing to free you if you promise to behave yourself and not act as unruly as you did before.¡± Zhang said as he looked toward Lord Long Feng with a smile before waving his hand and dispelling the repulsing singularities that had bound Lord Long Feng.

    Despite not having any evidence whether Madam Diao Yu was under Yuying¡¯s control or not at the moment, Zhang followed his gut feelings and perfectly pulled off what Yuying was hoping to accomplish, which was hopefully resolving their current problems with Lord Long Feng and perhaps use his connections to the Dragon God Palace to stop the incoming forces of the Starry Sea Sect.

    Upon being released from his makeshift prison, Lord Long Feng descended onto the ground where eighteen lesser saints instantly gathered around him, creating a protective wall around their master. Of the sixty lesser saints who had assaulted the Blood Coral Castle, only roughly thirty were remaining while the rest of them had been slain.

    Following Lord Long Feng¡¯s example, Lord Chan Chu and Zhang both descended onto the ground where they were also surrounded by their subordinates.

    ¡°You guys moved in too quick¡­ We are supposed to stand over there with them...¡± Lord Chan Chu said to a group of eight lesser saints and a few dozen level ten cultivators while pointing to where Zhang¡¯s forces were standing. While an unhappy look on his face, Lord Chan Chu, and his entourage slowly made their way over to where Zhang¡¯s people were standing.

    ¡°Oh looky what we have here! Old Long come sit and have a drink.¡± Lord Chan Chu said as he picked up an intact bottle of wine and picked up a fallen over chair from the ground and walked forward toward Lord Long Feng¡¯s group.

    ¡°Pour me a cup also.¡± Zhang said as he was caught in Lord Chan Chu¡¯s pace.

    With a deep sigh, Lord Long Feng soon pulled up a chair and joined Zhang and Lord Chan Chu.

    ¡°Old Long, I must say you have to apologize for ruining the banquet. It was such a great opportunity for me to meet the beautiful daughters of the other important people in the city.¡± Lord Chan Chu said as he shook his head and gulped down a cup of wine.

    After Lord Chan Chu¡¯s a long silence filled the courtyard until Lord Long Feng spoke.

    ¡°Young fellow, I apologize for ruining your banquet and for the needless battle that had occurred.¡± Lord Long Feng said with a deep sigh as he had come to completely believe that everything was a setup by Madam Diao Yu.

    ¡°No need to feel too down, besides some broken tables and shattered plates, for the most part, I didn¡¯t really suffer any losses...¡± Zhang said with an apologetic look on his face as he glanced back to the group of lesser saints who serve under him. For the most part all of the lesser saints who serve Zhang were free of any fatal injuries and only suffered light wounds thanks to the small power up they had received prior to the battle and in part thanks to the beauties who had roamed the battlefield drawing all of the enemy¡¯s attention to themselves.

    ¡°Regardless, I feel terrible for doing what I did. However, I cannot say that I would have acted any differently because the mission of collecting the pieces of the Ascending Beauty Painting was handed down directly from the Emperor of the palace himself.¡± Lord Long Feng said.

    ¡°Mind telling us what this Ascending Beauty Painting that you''re talking is? What makes it so important and how come I¡¯ve never seen or heard about it¡­¡± Lord Chan Chu said with a curious look on his face.

    ¡°Yea what¡¯s so important about this painting?¡± Ai said as she appeared behind Zhang, wrapping her arms around his neck and resting her head on his shoulder.

    ¡°The reason you haven¡¯t heard about it is probably because you¡¯ve only been around for a few hundred years and wasn¡¯t around a thousand years ago when the painting had surfaced.¡± Lord Long Feng said to Lord Chan Chu.

    ¡°Well on with it, tell us a story Old Long.¡± Lord Chan Chu said as he crossed his legs, causing him to appear like a child ready to listen to a fairy tale being told by a storyteller.

    ¡°Do tell.¡± Zhang added as his curiosity was peaked.

    ¡°Roughly a little over a thousand years ago.¡± Lord Long Feng said after gulping down a cup of wine.

    ========================================================================

    If you liked this story then please rate it. Just click this link</a>, scroll down, click the stars, and then hit submit. You don''t need to type anything and every single vote really helps!

 Cover Page/ Story Art?

    Hi folks how are you doing today? Hope all is well and life is treating you right, if it isn''t then we''ll there''s always a tomorrow o___o and if there isn''t a tomorrow then enjoy today to its fullest.

    So I''ve been meaning to hire an artist to draw a cover page for the story or just something cool as a visual aid and was hoping for some input.

    Was envisioning the Black Dragon laying in some ruins or something with the Dragon Heart Necklace hanging from one of its claws.

    I found a really really good artist on fiverr, will link some of his work below. He hasn''t given me a price quote yet so idk if I can afford to hire him but we will see. (Perhaps I''ll start a donation campaign or something lol because last time I talked to this mangaka I know and he was quoting me like $200-300 bucks T___T, although I''m sure this one won''t be that expensive idk lol)

    So for now give me some thoughts? Ideas? Or maybe we can get a professionally done map o__o or something else. (I will find time to update map and do a bunch of other things like updating ATH when work slows down a bit)

    Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

    There are boobs, you have been warned lol

 Chapter 192: Abandoned Son

    "Roughly one thousand years ago someone painted this pretty sweet painting, the end."

    Lol

    Please give me some ideas on the cover page post: D If you saw what the pics I posted of some of that artist¡¯s work, and get any cool ideas we could possibly use for the story please comment: D

    Also, I tried to quote speech within a quote and I¡¯m totally not sure how that¡¯s supposed to be done but ¡°¡± for main speech ¡®¡¯ for speech within a speech.

    Lastly if any errors please help me point them out :d

    ===============================================

    ¡°Roughly a little over a thousand years ago the appearance of the Ascending Beauty Painting had helped ushered in the peace that you see today. Although to some what we have here can''t be called peace but when compared to the many millennia of being enveloped with fear and not knowing if today was your last day or not, what we have now is peace.¡± Lord Long Feng said as he recalled a time when the sea was as divided and chaotic as the Warring States Region had been.

    ¡°You''re talking about the end of the fifteen thousand years of darkness? The war that lasted five hundred years and caused the waters near the ruins of the Sea Beast Sect to be dyed red with blood until this day?¡± Lord Chan Chu asked as his eyes lightened.

    ¡°Shhhhh, let him continue¡­¡± Ai said as she gave lord Chan Chu an unhappy look.

    ¡°Yes I''m talking about the war against the Sea Beast Sect that had once ruled over the entire Western Ocean. However, what I''m about to tell you is something only those within the Dragon God Palace and a few other influential figures know about.¡± Lord Long Feng said.

    ¡°After fifteen thousand years of being ruled under one banner, a banner of tyranny, dead and hatred, the people of the sea grew wary and set out to right that which was wrong.

    Heroes, opportunity seekers and all manners of people took up arms in an attempt to overthrow the Sea Beast Sect. But of course over the fifteen thousand years of the rule, the Sea Beast Sect had accumulated endless riches, trained countless soldiers and experts, and gathered all manners of treasures for their use, but most importantly was the fact that the ruler of their sect was extremely powerful. He was so powerful that he had reached a realm of true immortality and had become a Deity.

    Unlike us who still age, although at an extremely slow rate, the ruler of the Sea Beast Sect did not age, did not fall ill and was immortal both in body and soul. Even if his body was turned to ash or blown to bits he his soul would continue to live on in the mortal plane and he would be able to regenerate his body.

    So realistically for those attempting to break free of the Sea Beast Sect¡¯s rule was set up for failure. But nonetheless, everyone was given hope by a single man. The son of the Sea Beast Sect¡¯s ruler, Long Shijie, the man who had been casted out of the Sea Beast Sect by his own father at an early age.¡± Lord Long Feng spoke slowly and in an audible tone, drawing in the ears of all the people present. Even some of the guests who had fled earlier had returned and pulled up chairs to listen in on the story.

    ¡°Long Shijie the son of the master of the Sea Beast Sect? What?!  You can''t be talking about Lord Long Shijie, the founder of the Dragon God Palace!¡± Lord Chan Chu said in a loud tone with a face full of astonishment.

    ¡°Shhhhh, let him continue¡­.¡± Ai and Ling said while shushing Lord Chan Chu.

    ¡°Born without the ability to talk nor hear nor see and weaker than average soul, Long Shijie was seen as an omen, someone destined for failure and was snatched from his mother''s arms and abandoned. ¡®A son who cannot hear cannot be taught, a son who cannot see cannot be shown the path I wish him to follow, a son who cannot speak cannot rule nor command those underneath him. Most importantly with an inferior soul even if all of his defects were fixed, teaching him to cultivate would only waste my time. A son destined for failure is a son I will never acknowledge.¡¯ Long Shijie¡¯s father said as he left his own son to die on a deserted island.¡± Lord Long Feng.

    ¡°How cruel¡­¡± Lingqi muttered as she remembered her own father who had all but abandoned her after her mother¡¯s death and her accident.

    ¡°But as fate had planned after being left on the deserted island for days without any type of nourishment and on the brink of death a miraculous event occurred. As Long Shijie laid on top of a bed of grainy sand, crying without a voice, while loomed above waiting for his timely death and the beginning of their meal, Long Shijie¡¯s body underwent a miraculous change.

    His skin turned to scales, his teeth and nails sharpened and became claws while his body morphed into that of an infant dragon¡¯s.

    Some say it was because the dormant instincts passed down to him by his ancestors has awoken when faced with death, other say it was a miracle caused by the heavens, but regardless of what happened, Long Shijie took the form of his ancestors and began to take in the essence of the world and replenish himself.¡± Lord Long Feng said in a pride tone, as he spoke about his ancestor.

    ¡°Truly a miracle.¡± Zhang said with a smile as he began to enjoy the story Lord Long Feng was telling.

    ¡°As his hunger was satisfied by the essence gathering toward him, while his body kept him from harm''s way, and his instincts guided him, the wheels of time continued to turn on Long Shijie as minutes turned to hours, hours to days, days to weeks and months and months into years.

    In a heartbeat, nine years passed by and Long Shijie continued to survive. Although he couldn''t see with his eyes, he could sense the movements of even the tiniest of ants thanks to an innate ability he had received from his cursed father and ancestors. Although he couldn''t hear, he could feel even the slightest of changes in the wind with his skin, since he lived alone there was no need to speak and lastly the power of Long Shijie¡¯s soul did not matter since after his dormant powers awoken he was blessed with abnormal strength, the brute strength of a dragon.

    Shifting between the form of a something resembling the mixture of a dragon and a human to the form a small child, Long Shijie lived out his days alone, with the earth offering him a mother¡¯s warm embrace at night while the sun and stars watched over him in place of the father who abandoned him.

    But like I''ve said before, fate had other plans for him and his stay on the deserted island, couldn''t have ended any sooner.¡± Lord Long Feng before pausing to drink a sip of wine.

    ¡°How does he get off the island? Does he swim? Does someone find him? Why do you keep pausing!?¡± Ai complained.

    ¡°Please stop pausing so much.¡± Zhang said as he gave Ai a wink, triggering Lord Long Feng to sigh before beginning to tell the story once more.

    ¡°On a day where the sun looked down from above and clouds were nowhere in sight, a fleet of human merchant ships transporting a famed doctor docked onto the deserted island in an attempt to replenish their water and food supplies.

    As the humans disembarked from their ships and pitched their tents, Long Shijie became aware of their presence on his island. Acting more like a beast than a person, Long Shijie walked into the human encampment in an attempt get them to scare them away from his territory.

    This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

    Storming into a field of tents, Long Shijie rampaged and trumped upon everything in sight without uttering a single sound.

    But compared to these seasoned merchants who roamed the vast sea and survived rough storms, Long Shijie, who was only a child nine years of age, lacked experience and was quickly surrounded and slowly overwhelmed.

    Attacked by hundreds of people with little to no means of escaped, Long Shijie exhausted his powers and reverted to the form of a small child, much to the amazement of the merchants and the famed doctor who was at the scene.

    Laying on the cold ground that he slept atop of for the last nine years and awaiting death, a set of voices that Long Shijie failed to hear coupled with the embrace of a pair child sized hands came to his rescue just as his body gave way and he became unconscious.

    This would be his first encounter with who many people would call the most important people within Long Shijie¡¯s life, the people who would ultimately send Long Shijie¡¯s life spiraling into greatness.

    Perhaps it was due to the innocence and fearlessness of a child, but the son of the merchant fleet¡¯s owner and the young female apprentice of the renowned doctor the fleet was transporting had run before Long Shijie preventing the hundreds of bloodthirsty spears and swords present from impaling him.¡± Lord Long Feng continued to speak as everyone was drawn in by the fascinating tale of Long Shijie.

    ¡®Father said that adults shouldn¡¯t pick on children!¡¯ The merchant fleet owner¡¯s son cried while the renowned doctor¡¯s apprentice began healing Long Shijie, however, her medical skills were rather lacking since she was only nine years of age so after things settled and after much begging, the renowned doctor himself healed Long Shijie.

    ¡®There is no such thing as a bad child, just one that has yet to be properly taught.¡¯ The doctor said as he healed Long Shjie¡¯s wounds.

    ¡®Master from the looks of it, he was born blind, deaf and mute, right? I could also sense that his soul force is rather lacking.¡± The doctor¡¯s apprentice asked as she saw her teacher examine Long Shijie.

    ¡®Little Leng Yue, have you ever heard of the saying, heaven often scorns perfection? Sometimes when a being is too perfect, heaven often weighs them down with horrid circumstances and life altering disabilities. If I were to tell you if this child here was free of all his disabilities, he would be able to surpass my cultivation before he reaches the age of one hundred would you believe me?¡± The doctor spoke to his student in a soft voice.

    ¡®Surpass you? Master, how could this possibly be? Papa and mama told me that no one besides that monster that lives in the sea is your match.¡± The young girl named Leng Yue replied in full sincerity.

    ¡®Besides the innate abilities that you saw earlier, all of his essence channels are also triple the size of a regular practitioner''s, so if not weighed down by all of his disabilities and properly taught, he could certainly surpass me.¡¯ The doctor said with a laugh.

    ¡®I bet you that he wouldn¡¯t be able to surpass you, master. Master, I bet that even if you used that treasure you told me to never tell anyone about to heal his soul, he wouldn¡¯t be able to surpass you in a hundred years, not even in a thousand.¡¯ Leng Yue said while puffing her face.

    ¡®Now now, Little Leng Yue, you know better than to try to trick master into using his treasure to save your little friend here.¡± The doctor laughed¡¯

    ¡®But master didn¡¯t you tell me that saving people is our duty?¡¯ Leng Yue said as she looked at her master with watery eyes.

    ¡®I must say you¡¯ve been playing with that merchant boy too much since I only recall passing down my medical skills to you.¡¯ The doctor said as he patted his apprentice on the top of her head before turning his attention to Long Shijie who was lying unconscious on a bed.

    ¡®I guess people wouldn¡¯t call me Medical Sage Fu Yuan anymore if I saw someone I could help and turn a blind eye.¡¯ The doctor chuckled as he waved his and made a long silver needle, the first of many, appear in the air and fall into his grasp.¡±

    ¡°Wait! Did you just say Medical Sage Fu Yuan? The man is said to be able to cure any disease with a single touch?¡± Lingqi yelled, interrupting Lord Long Feng¡¯s story as she heard the name of her idol.

    ¡°Shhhhh, let him continue¡­.¡± Lord Chan Chu said to Lingqi moment before having one of the legs of his chair was snapped by a kick and a hmph from Ai.

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m talking about that Medical Sage Fu Yuan. I¡¯m going to continue the story now if you guys could stop interrupting. It¡¯s a long story and I¡¯m only going to tell it once. If I hadn¡¯t ruined the banquet, then I wouldn¡¯t be sharing this tale with any of you at all...¡± Lord Long Feng said while Lingqi could be seen sparkling eyes full of curiosity and excitement.

    ¡°With the silver needle in hand, Medical Sage Fu Yuan began healing Long Shijie or his disabilities. As time went on, one needle turned to a hundred and a hundred needles soon became a thousand. With skillful hands, Medical Safe Fu Yuan stick a needle into every single one of Long Shijie¡¯s meridians, acupuncture points, and essence points.

    Once all of the needles were in place, Medical Sage Fu Yuan began injecting his essence into Long Shijie¡¯s body. Channeling his essence into the place were Long Shijie¡¯s hearing system was, the Medical sage began constructing what was never given to the young boy, eardrums, and the works. For someone called a Medical Sage, such a daunting task as granting someone the gift of hearing was finished in but a mere half an hour, before he proceeded to work on giving Long Shijie the gift of speech.

    ¡®After I construct vocal cords, I¡¯ll be working on restoring his eyes. Leng Yue remember to watch properly and try to take note of what I¡¯m doing because one day I¡¯ll be handing my title over to you.¡± Medical Sage Fu Yuan said with a laugh as Leng Yue watched him with curious eyes.

    Hours later as Medical Safe Fu Yuan continued his handy work, Long Shijie¡¯s white colored irises were changed to a beautiful icy blue as the gift of vision was granted to him.

    ¡®Now that I¡¯m done fixing his physical disabilities, let¡¯s have a go at fixing that weakened soul of his.¡¯ The Medical Sage said as he retrieved an ancient looking jar from his interspatial ring.

    ========================================================================

    If you liked this story then please rate it. Just click this link</a>, scroll down, click the stars, and then hit submit. You don''t need to type anything and every single vote really helps!

 Chapter 193: Dragon God Palace

    Heya folks been a few days since last post :(. Been so tired of work and real life that I''ve been getting bad headaches and couldn¡¯t write, also my wrist started hurting again T__T. Also although it only helped make things worse, I started playing Minecraft and my god o_o building a dungeon sponged up so much time o_o.

    Welp here¡¯s a new chapter for you all to read, I originally planned to make the thing about Long Shijie span another chapter or two but figured I shouldn''t so welp lol.

    7 more chapters til we hit 200 :D wooo

    ================================================================================¡°After withdrawing the ancient looking jar from his interspatial ring, Medical Sage Fu Yuan began injecting his essence into it causing the intricate carvings on the jar to glow faintly.

    Moments later the ancient looking jar¡¯s lid opened and revealed a dazzling ball of seven colored fire kept within it.¡± Lord Long Feng said as he looked toward Zhang.

    ¡°Have you ever heard about the Legendary Seven Heavenly Treasures?¡± Lord Long Feng asked.

    ¡°Heavenly treasures?¡± Zhang replied with a smile and a cough while trying to avoid direct eye contact with Lord Long Feng.

    ¡°What are these heavenly treasures you speak of?¡± Yuying asked, with a smile while tilting her head, pretending to be clueless.

    ¡°Yea what are you talking about?¡± Ai joined in before beginning to whistle.

    ¡°The Falling Sun Sword, Rising Moon Sword, Star Shooter Bow, Endless Abyss Cape, Eternal Flame, Heaven''s Lost Armor and Underworld Heart? No need to kid with this old man, I''m certain from the looks on your faces that you know of them and are simply trying to pull a fast one over me.¡± Lord Long Feng said as he thought Zhang and the beauties were messing with him.

    ¡°Oh, those heavenly treasures! Darling you know, those treasured that are said to possess the power to start and end empires.¡± Lingqi said with a smile.

    ¡°Ah, you''re talking about those things.¡± Zhang said as he looked at Lord Long Feng.

    ¡°So what about the heavenly treasures?¡± Ling asked Lord Long Feng with an expression of intrigue on her face.

    ¡°Have you heard about the Heavenly Treasure called the Eternal Flame? Some also call it the Fire of Creation.¡± Lord Long Feng asked.

    ¡°I''ve heard about it but don''t remember anything about it being called the Fire of Creation.¡± Zhang replied was a curious look his face.

    ¡°The fire with the power to create and mend souls, the fire that the Medical Sage would use to heal Long Shijie.¡± Lord Long Feng said with a smile.

    ¡°Interesting, a fire that possesses powers opposite of the Soul Devouring Flames that I possess.¡± Zhang thought.

    ¡°Honey I''m getting rather tired, and we''ve had a long day also so how about asking Lord Long Feng to finish up his story so we can go get some rest. There are also other matters to attend to tomorrow.¡± Ling whispered into Zhang''s ear with a yawn.

    ¡°Now that you mention it I¡¯m also a bit tired.¡± Yuying added.

    ¡°Lord Long Feng, it seems my madams are getting rather tired so if you could sum up the rest of the story for us so we can get some rest. If Madam Diao Yu¡¯s words were true, then Starry Sea Sect should be on its way and without good intention. They may also have a piece of that painting we''ve been speaking about also.¡± Zhang said with a smile.

    ¡°Alright, I''ll sum the story up for you. Also, fright not, I will also contact the Palace headquarters to see if they can come and defuse the situation. Although with your powers I¡¯m sure you''ll be able to hold your own against the likes of the Starry Sea Sect.¡± Lord Long Feng said.

    ¡°Basically, the Medical Sage uses the Eternal Flame to heal along Shijie¡¯s soul. But after doing so he made sure to seal all of along Shijie¡¯s power before taking him as his second disciple. Over the next two years, Long Shijie would slowly regain his humanity and learn to coexist with other people. He would also grow especially close to the other two children who were also a part of the voyage, with one of them becoming his sworn brother and the other eventually becoming his wife many years later. In a breeze thirty years of happiness would be granted to Long Shijie before the horrible war occurring under the sea would eventually spread to the thousands of islands in the Western Ocean and cause Long Shijie¡¯s wife to be heavily injured while his sworn brother to die, prompting him to join the fight against the Sea Beast Sect.¡± Lord Long Feng said quickly.

    ¡°Where was the Medical Sage during the attack? Wasn''t the Medical Sage as strong as the master of the Sea Beast Sect?¡± Lingqi asked.

    ¡°I believe the Medical Sage was either traveling the world or went into isolated training and couldn''t be present. I believe that¡± Lord Long Feng said.

    ¡°Well although his wife didn''t die, rage-filled Long Shijie¡¯s heart causing his sealed off powers to be unleashed as he fled his home with his injuries wife in hand. Once his powers were unsealed, he became a force to be reckoned with.

    But with his powers alone, Long Shijie wasn''t able to defeat the powerful experts of the Sea Beast Sect and hundreds of years of bitter fighting ensued. Although he was able to protect his wife and eventually become a father of two sons and a daughter, the blood flowing through the sea continued to be dyed red as slaughter continued all around him.

    You could imagine how fighting the same war for decades could cause someone to become wary, but as things were the Sea Beast Sect was activity going out and killing all who did not submit to them.

    It was not until stumbling on a fleet of tattered warships did the tides of war change. This fleet of ships had come from nowhere and was filled with the remains of dead humans and hundreds of saints. The only sign of identification of where these ships had come from where the words, ¡®Dragon God Palace.¡¯

    ¡°Dragon God Palace?¡± Zhang asked.

    ¡°Dragon God Palace¡­ What a neat name.¡± Ai said after hearing the Lord Long Feng and Zhang mention the Dragon God Palace.

    ¡°Yes, the name of today¡¯s Dragon God Palace came from this fleet of ships.¡± Lord Long Feng said.

    ¡°I thought the name Dragon God Palace had come to be because the masters of the Palace being descendants of dragons.¡± Zhang said.

    ¡°In part, but mostly because how stumbling on this fleet of shops had helped bring an end to the Sea Beast Sect. Also because it was said that Long Shijie was terrible at naming things that he decided to just use the name Dragon God Palace. It was also in his intentions to perhaps have our Dragon God Palace become a branch of the true Dragon God Palace if he ever ran into them. But after so many years of nothing I would say that the true Dragon God Palace is no longer around and that our found had stumbled on that fleet of ghost ships by fate.¡± Lord Long Feng said before continuing his story.

    ¡°On one of the ships apart of this tattered fleet void of life, Long Shijie stumbled upon a vast amount of elixirs, magical weapons and most importantly a painting of an otherworldly beauty, which appeared somewhat strange because all of the other ships had appeared to have been ransacked already.

    Upon entering the room, Long Shijie noticed that the area around the painting had essence a hundred times thicker the normal. Meaning if one cultivated in the presence of the painting then they''re powers would grow a hundred times.

    Using the painting, Long Shijie was able to increase his powers exponentially and thus defeat the Master of the Sea Beast Sect, his own father, and bring peace to the Western Sea.  Although Long Shijie didn''t end up killing his father, a breakable seal was placed upon him.

    The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    After bringing peace to the seas, Long Shijie founded the Dragon God Palace in honor of the previous owners of the Ascending Beauty Painting.

    Then after leading the Dragon God Palace for a few years, Long Shijie grew tired of the frightened looks he would receive from those around him. Wishing to not become like his father, he sealed away a part of his cultivation and hid it in a magical treasure kept in a secret location. He then imprinted directions leading to that secret location on the Ascending Beauty Painting and split it into eight parts after sealing away its essence condensing abilities. Afterward, the eight pieces of the painting were scattered across the sea.

    Once he finished doing all of this, Long Shijie disappeared along with his wife and left one of his sons in charge.¡± Lord Long Feng said quickly.

    ¡°So the Dragon God Palace is hoping to retrieve all eight pieces of the painting, use it to find Long Shijie¡¯s sealed away powers and unseal the painting¡¯s powers?¡± Zhang asked with a look of intrigue as he thought about how power someone could become if they obtained Long Shijie¡¯s power and unlocked the painting¡¯s ability.

    ¡°The paintings had all but been forgotten about until a few years ago when the piece kept in the Dragon God Palace¡¯s treasure began emitting a peculiar aura. It seemed something triggered a reaction from the pieces of the painting and hoping to find out what, the lord of the Palace was hoping to gather all of the pieces together once again. But since new travels fast under the sea, it didn''t take long for various experts to join in the search for the painting.¡± Lord Long Feng said with a sigh.

    ¡°Well if I happen to find a piece I''ll be sure to turn it into the Dragon God Palace or else I''ll end up attracting trouble to myself.¡± Zhang said with a laugh.

    ¡°You''ll definitely get something for your troubles if you do. On top of that, you won''t have to worry about people causing you trouble.¡± Lord Long Feng said with a laugh.

    Soon after some more small talk between Zhang and Lord Long Feng, it was decided that another banquet would be held the following day and that all of the corpses of the lesser saints who were Lord Long Feng¡¯s subordinates would be returned to him. While the corpses of Madam Diao Yu and her subordinates were split up amongst Zhang and his subordinates in the form of rewards.

    Since heavenly energy from the corpses of lesser saints now only gave him a tiny boost in power, Zhang decided that powering up his subordinates and the beauties would be a wiser idea for the time being. He also saved a few corpses for his generals staying in Aurora, Zhang knew that loyal people who had been through life and death with him such as Gan Ning, Sima Yi, And Xi Ning needed to be rewarded the most so he was planning on helping them break through and become saints once he returned home.

    ¡°My lord, now that all of the guests are leaving and there isn¡¯t anything that requires your immediate attention, would you like to go have a look at cove¡¯s treasury? Not too long ago some of our soldiers were able to retrieve the missing vault key. And would you like to have a look at the medical store rooms, madam?¡± Chu Shou said respectfully as Zhang and the beauties watched the last of the banquet¡¯s guests leave.

    ¡°Lead the way.¡± Zhang said with a bright smile.

    ¡°I¡¯ll go have a look after I accompany our handsome treasure hunter to the vault.¡± Lingqi said with a chuckle.

    While Chu Shou and the rest of his lesser saint subordinates leading the way, Zhang, and his wives made their way through the Blood Coral Castle where countless maids, butlers and servants could be seen tidying up the aftermath of the battle that had occurred not too long ago.

    ¡°As our forces are, how do you guys think they compare to the incoming forces of the Starry Sea Sect?¡± Zhang asked the lesser saints who were walking in two neat rows beside him.

    ¡°My lord, today with the death of Madam Diao Yu and her subordinates, coupled with the deaths of Shen Yu, Niao Wang and all of the other saints thus far, the power of the Blood Coral Cove had been reduced by roughly sixty percent. This is of course not counting Lord Long Feng¡¯s forces since it has always been known that his loyalties are toward the Dragon God Palace and would only act if he was given orders to.¡± Hai Xing said respectfully.

    ¡°But if we add in the addition fighting power we have thanks to you my lord and your madams, our fighting power wouldn¡¯t have fallen at all. Rather it has increased thanks to the addition of two full saints. So since it is highly unlikely that the Starry Sea Sect would send out all of their experts, we should be able to hold our own without much worry. In fact, if any of the other forces ranked twenty to fifteen were to attempt to attack us individually we should be completely fine because none of them have a high saint expert amongst their ranks while you my lord was able to defeat Lord Long Feng despite his power being on par with a high saint¡¯s.¡± Hai Xing added as she assessed the situation and fighting power of the Blood Coral Cove.

    ¡°Since it¡¯s highly unlikely that they know about the madams being full saints, they will most likely come ill prepared.¡± Chu Shou said.

    ¡°Then I guess things will be fun and beneficial.¡± Zhang said with a chuckle.

    ¡°Don''t have too much fun now, we have to get those teleportation platforms in working order soon and connect this place to the empire.¡± Ling said, reminding Zhang of something he had to do soon.

    ¡°I should have the Sky Fortress fly back home in a few days so the students and soldiers have something to do.¡± Zhang said as began thinking about the Aurora Empire¡¯s Army.

    Although his soldiers weren''t really needed for border patrol or anything, keeping them at sea for too long would be a real waste of their talents and the manpower they can provide for the various things that are happening back in the Aurora Empire.

    After the various armies under the command of the many provinces in the Warring States Region were united and reorganized, an army numbering roughly eight million soldiers. While four million were stationed on the Northern Frontier and a million were left to patrol and guard the coasts of the empire while trying to maintain stable sea routes for trade, the remaining three million were dispersed throughout the empire to maintain stability or for large building projects.

    Before leaving Zhang had asked Jian Wei to begin the construction of a network of canals and roads that would help commoners, who did not have access to the empire¡¯s teleportation platforms, trade easier.

    He also had laid out plans for a series of massive inverted towers to be built. These towers would drill down deep into ground and tap into the power of the Dragon''s Vein.

    Overall a lot of things were occurring and although Zhang¡¯s soldiers weren''t necessarily needed, they would be of use if they returned the empire.

    But realistically speaking the number of soldiers that Zhang took with him didn''t even account for more than a percent or two of the Aurora Amy.

    ¡°My lord, this way.¡± Chu Shou¡¯s voice entered Zhang¡¯s ears after he zoned out.

    ========================================================================

    If you liked this story then please rate it. Just click this link</a>, scroll down, click the stars, and then hit submit. You don''t need to type anything and every single vote really helps!

 Chapter 194: Shenanigans

    I said I would be on Hiatus but welp :/ the things I do for you folks lol. See ya next week :/ if I don''t end up popping in again :/

    Also Thank You Nyx for popping in a proofing lol

    -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Zhang, the beauties and their entourage of lesser saints walked through the beautifully decorated halls of the Blood Coral Castle. Walking atop a pathway that at first appeared to be made of white marble, however upon closer inspection, one would notice that these tiles were actually  made with the dust of grounded pearl which added a dazzling sheen to them.

    Artworks made of gold, silver and many other materials depicting various legendary sea creatures could be seen hanging on the walls and used as centerpieces. While massive columns made of white jade that was decorated by spiraling dragons, lilies and lotuses made of red pearls and gold caught the eyes of everyone who walked passed them.

    In terms of extravagantness, the Aurora Empire¡¯s Imperial City couldn''t even be compared to the Blood Coral Castle to the point where some may call it gaudy. But of course this would be coming from the perspective of a land dweller; because for those who resided in the sea, things such as pearls and other things that are rare on land could be found in troves within the vast sea.

    This would be especially true when Zhang and the beauties laid eyes on a magnificent pair of gates with two lifelike dragons poking out of it. Each scale on the bodies of these two dragons that were coiled together were made from rare blue gems called Azurites while their talons were made of black colored obsidian.

    ¡°These dragons are missing eyes.¡± Ai mentioned as she noticed despite the exquisite work and detail placed upon these dragon carvings, they had empty eye sockets.

    ¡°That¡¯s where the keys probably go, silly.¡± Yuying said with a chuckle as she nudged Ai¡¯s shoulder gently.

    ¡°My lord and madams, would you like to do the honors?¡± Chu Shou said holding a simple looking mid-sized box in front of Zhang.

    ¡°Only with these can you open the treasure vault. Perhaps it is fate that there are five of you and five keys are needed to open the vault.¡± Chu Shou said with a smile as he opened the box in his hands revealing five black colored pearls with many runes etched on them.

    In a flash, Zhang and each of the beauties picked up a black colored pearl. While the beauties placed a pearl into the empty eye sockets of the dragons, Zhang placed the pearl in his hand into an empty socket in the center of the two gates.

    The instant all five pearls were placed in their designated locations, the runes on black colored pearls began to emit a golden glow which eventually envelop the entire pearls and turned them from black to a golden color.

    ¡°The pearls became like the eyes of a real dragon, gold in color and mesmerizing to behold.¡± Hai Xing said with a smile.

    While the pearls began to glow, the two dragon carvings seemed to come to life as their scales  possessed captivating luster that they hadn''t had before and while their opened jaws began to hum.

    ¡°You may proceed now, my lord and madams.¡± Chu Shou said respectfully as he gestured his hands toward the two gates.

    ¡°Let''s go.¡± Yuying said as she walked forward, miraculously walking straight through the shut gates, a look of amazement to appear on Chu Shou¡¯s face.

    ¡°Ho-how did you know that you could simply walk through the gates like that¡­¡± Chu Shou muttered but was ignored.

    ¡°Wahhhh!¡± Ai yelled as she proceeded to walk back and forth through the gates.

    ¡°Ai let''s go, you can play with the gates later.¡± Zhang called with a chuckle, despite being inwardly amazed.

    ¡°I need to learn how to lay down transcription arrays one day.¡± Ling mumbled as she walked through the gate in a dignified manner without showing much emotion putting up a front and pretending to not be amazed by the fact that Yuying had just walked through the solid looking gates.; however, her eyes were filled with intrigue which betrayed her dignified look.

    Somewhat disregarding Zhang, Ai was about to continue her shenanigans but was stopped by Lingqi who karate chopped her head lightly and playfully dragged her forward by the collar.

    Despite Ai¡¯s comedic display, none of the lesser saints present dared to laugh or judge her because they knew fully well that she could easily kill any one of them if she wished. As an old wise man had once said, a gentle beast is still a deadly beast.

    Meaning, although Ai is normally very gentle and innocent, often acting very childish, she was in the end still a full saint and is more than capable of killing a lesser saint if she was enraged. In fact, she was stronger than Lingqi, Yuying, Ling and perhaps even Zhang if he didn''t have all his treasures.

    Soon after Zhang and the beauties entered the Blood Coral Castle¡¯s treasure vault half of their entourage followed suit while the other half stood on guard outside.

    Rather than a regular looking treasure vault brimming with treasures, the inside of the Blood Coral Castle was entirely different. Crystal clear streams were flowing over beds of diamonds, trees of coral decorated with fruits made out of rubies, sapphires, emeralds and many other precious stones glittered under an artificial sky with a miniature sun shining upon the treasures.

    Along a winding pathway, many different and unique treasures were combined into this one of a kind garden under the sea.

    ¡°Shen Yu had personally overseen the construction of this garden of treasure. Ever since its construction, every artifact that is has been added into the vault had been seamlessly integrated into the garden. Rather than a place to store his riches, Shen Yu turned the vault into a please to ease his mind. Even a full Saint would find it difficult to break down those gates.¡± Chu Shou narratedsaid as he walked up behind Zhang.

    ¡°This is an interesting way to display one''s wealth.¡± Zhang said as he tried to spot the various treasures that were hidden within the garden.

    ¡°It would take around twenty thirty or perhaps thirty minutes at most for me to disable the inscription array laid out on those gates.¡± Yuying said in a low tone that only Zhang was able to hear, perhaps Ai would have heard also if she wasn''t running about.

    ¡°Brother look! Look! This thing here looks like the fruits that we had eaten. The ones you dug up from that one tree.¡± Ai exclaimed as she held an apple shaped diamond in her hands.

    ¡°Well, you can''t eat this one. Let''s go have a look around.¡± Zhang said with a chuckle as he linked arms with Ling and Yuying while Ai led the way energetically as Lingqi walked closely to his side also.

    ¡°The rest of you may leave and begin refining the heavenly energy in those bodies.¡± Zhang said to Chu Shou and Hai Xing who replied with a respectful nod before leaving filing out of the treasure vault with all of the other lesser saints.

    Strangely enough, as he was walking through this garden of treasures, despite the initial temptations of dismantling it and storing all of the loot away into his interspatial ring, Zhang was enveloped by a feeling of tranquility. Perhaps it was due to the calm atmosphere created by the artificial sky and the otherworldly view. He did not feel the urge to hoard away all the riches in the vault.

    Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    ¡°Damn this is strange¡­¡± Zhang thought in his mind as watched Ai and the other beauties played around and splashed each other with water from one of the streams brimming with diamonds.

    ¡°Well¡­ this isn''t bad I guess, at least he didn''t have a pool of gold coins or something to swim in because it would cause someone a lot of pain if they tried to.¡± Zhang thought with a chuckle as he thought how silly it would be to attempt to swim in a pool of gold coins.

    Sprinkling droplets of crystal clear water sparkled in the air under the warm light of the artificial sun and splashed into the silk dresses wrapped around the bodies of the four beauties. The cloth that was meant to shield their bodies from preying eyes now created a steamy atmosphere.

    ¡°Not showing anything at all but making one want to see what''s beneath. Glad I told those guys to leave or else I would have to blind them all.¡± Zhang mumbled as he stood watching over the beauties, happy that his subordinates weren''t around.

    ¡°What are you doing standing there blanking out for?¡± Ling¡¯s voice coupled with the laughter of the other beauties sounded as a jet of water blasted toward Zhang.

    ¡°Oh no, you don¡¯t!¡± Zhang laughed as he attempted to dodge the blast of water heading straight for him by side stepping. However, his efforts were thwarted when the torrent of water suddenly split into four and began spiraling about in the air.

    Coming from four different directions and different angles, the torrents of water made it nearly impossible evade.

    ¡°You won''t get me today.¡± Zhang chuckled as a circle of fire erupted from his feet forming a protective wall around him evaporating all the water that Ling had directed at toward him creating a blanket of steam that covered the surrounding area.

    However, the instant the wall of flames around him dispersed, before Zhang could even say a silly remark or utter a laugh, a pair of gentle hands could be felt on his back. Then Zhang found himself being launched into the air and into the stream of water that the beauties had been playing in.

    Once the steam cleared, Zhang could see Ai making a silly face and sticking her tongue out at him.

    ¡°You have to pay attention more instead of showing off, silly.¡± Ai said with a cheerful tone.

    ¡°I would have noticed  if you weren''t so sneaky.¡± Zhang replied with a chuckle after being blasted by a jet of water.

    ¡°Are you sure you would have noticed?¡± Ling could be heard.

    ¡°I''m sure you''ll notice this, though.¡± Lingqi¡¯s voice drifted into Zhang¡¯s ear as he felt a pair of soft mounds pressed against his back as a pair of hands embraced him.

    ¡°As aggressive as always, aren''t we.¡± Zhang said to Lingqi as a gentle breeze left her lips and blew against his ear playfully.

    ¡°Can be more aggressive if you like.¡± Lingqi whispered in a low seductive tone that made Zhang¡¯s hairs tingle on end.

    ¡°Hey you! What are you doing there!¡± Yuying¡¯s protested as Lingqi¡¯s hands began to wonder about.

    ¡°Trying to get ahead of the game.¡± Lingqi replied as the sash tying Zhang¡¯s robes together came loose.

    ¡°Oh no, you don''t!¡± Ling yelled as the water beneath her feet propelled her forward and in an instant, she appeared in front of her husband as she pressed her lips onto his, much to Lingqi¡¯s protest and the astonishment of the other beauties.

    Caught in the moment, Zhang¡¯s arms pulled Ling¡¯s delicate frame closer toward him as a passionate kiss ensued.

    Minutes later when Zhang and Ling¡¯s lips finally departed from one another, Lingqi moved in for the kill and continued where Ling and Zhang had left off.

    Soon Ling and Lingqi had already moved in, the other two beauties would definitely not be content with being left out so they too soon engaged in some passionate kissing.

    Without the need to say much, one thing lead to another and the record of another battle was added to the chronicles of the Bed Chamber Wars.

    ========================================================================

    The following day, Zhang had the entire Blood Scale Army and all of his new lesser saint subordinates assembled before him in the castle¡¯s main courtyard. Although he had called for another banquet to be held, since Madam Diao Yu and Lord Long Feng had basically destroyed the first one, Zhang was not going to personally attend the second banquet. Rather, the four beauties would serve as his representatives while he spent his time learning more about his new subordinates in order to place accordingly for the arrival of the Starry Sea Sect.

    He wished to learn of the various battle formations, tactics, and abilities that the soldiers possessed while accurately gauging the powers of the lesser saints who now followed him.

    So for the majority of the day, Zhang made the soldiers of the Blood Scale Army run dozens of drills and mock battles while his lesser saint subordinates were ordered to spar with one another to put their skills and powers on display.

    Eager to show off their skills in the hopes of obtaining Zhang¡¯s recognition and perhaps a reward in the form of heavenly energy., Tthe lesser saints battled each other intensely, exchanging countless attacks and techniques with each other, however, before the sparring matches got too heated and dangerous, Zhang would order them to stop.

    This was because if Zhang¡¯s subordinates ended up killing each other in sparring matches, then that would only serve to lower the battle potential under his command.

    Since his regular soldiers would have suffered needless casualties, Zhang had sent them and the students and staff of the Imperial Academy back to Aurora aboard the Sky Fortress. Zhang also left them with instructions to begin the construction of Teleportation platforms near the western coast of Aurora.

    Although he had no intentions of taking over the entire Western Sea, but since the Blood, Coral Cove was now a part of his territory, and as some may say being as greedy as he is, Zhang would definitely not want to simply give the Blood Coral Cove away unless he absolutely had to.

    ¡°My lord, a few saints who reside in the cove along with some rogue saints who live within the outer borders of our territory, wish to have an audience with you.¡± Chu Shou said to Zhang who was busy spectating the Blood Scale Army and the sparring matches between the lesser saints.

    ¡°Tell them I''ll be with them shortly.¡± Zhang replied as he sent the four beauties a message through his divine sense.

    Although he wasn''t exactly sure of the intentions of these saints who wished for an audience with him, he had a hunch and figured it would only be proper to have his wife present.

 Dragons Soul Chapter 195: A Show

    o_o A chapter for today? :D and maybe tomorrow ($50 or 100 commets between the two sites i post on >:D and i''ll make sure there is one tomrrow lol)

    =============================================================================================

    Within a large hall located in a secluded area within the Blood Coral Castle, a group consisting of roughly twenty-five saints and two hundred level ten cultivators could be seen seated at dozens of tables scattered throughout the hall.

    Despite so many people present, there was an utter silence and not a single sound was made.

    With a heavy atmosphere that caused many to feel suffocated, everyone simply sat at their respective tables and waited patiently for Zhang''s arrival while eyeing the other people present.

    Although most of the people that had gathered here had lived relatively secluded lives and focused the majority of their attention towards cultivation, after news of Zhang¡¯s fight with Lord Long Feng had spread, they had flocked to the Blood Coral Castle with their disciples in tow.

    ¡°When is he arriving? Is this the proper way for a host to treat his guests? How long must I wait here!¡± An impatient saint complained with a haughty tone after waiting roughly an hour for Zhang.

    ¡°Shut up! Weaklings like you have no right to act so haughtily here!¡± A voice rang out from a far corner of the hall.

    ¡°Who the fuck dare to say that!?¡± The impatient saint roared as he turned his head and glared at the direction where the voice came from.

    ¡°A mere rabbit that doesn''t know his own limits and dares to act so unruly in a den full of lions.¡± Another voice rang into everyone''s ear from another corner of the room.

    Before long a barrage of ridicule had been directed at the impatient saint causing his veins to bulge and his face to turn crimson.

    ¡°You bunch of fools want a piece of me?!¡± The impatient saint roared as the pressure of a full Saint enveloped the entire hall.

    ¡°Do you think you''re the only full saint here?¡± One of the people who rebuked the impatient Saint earlier said as a pressure of another full saint enveloped the room.

    With a snort, the impatient saint smashed his hand into the table that he was seated causing the four sturdy table legs to shatter. Then with a kick, he sent the marble table top soaring through the air forcing a large portion of the people within the hall to avoid being hit.

    As the crowd parted, a small hand stretched out and caught the heavy table top out from the air and smashed it onto the ground.

    Soon enough all eyes were focused on the impatient saint and a child-sized saint who had caught the table top moments ago.

    ¡°Let me show you the true power of a full saint!¡± The child sized saint roared as he charged through the crowd with a dozen level ten cultivators following closely behind him.

    ¡°Let me, your daddy, teach this brat, who looks like should be at home being breastfed, a lesson.¡± The impatient Saint said haughtily as he charged forward with a group of level ten cultivators in tow.

    Before long, the two full saints and their disciples clashed in the center of the hall, smashing tables, destroying floor tiles and causing a mess of things. But of course they were not alone, moments after the two groups began fighting, many of the other people present began joining in due to one reason or the other.

    ¡°Darling, shouldn¡¯t we stop them?¡± Lingqi asked Zhang.

    ¡°Brother! Let me join in too! Let me join in too! I''ll show those people a thing or two.¡± Ai said energetically as she proceeded to playfully jab at the air with one hand.

    ¡°Shhhhh, remember you have to stay extra quiet or else they''ll know we are up here.¡± Yuying said as she pressed her finger onto Ai¡¯s lips before peering back down through a small hole where one of the roof tiles had been.

    ¡°Let''s watch the show for a bit longer since the main event had just started.¡± Zhang said with a laugh.

    Roughly half an hour earlier, Zhang and the beauties had actually arrived at the gathering hall unnoticed and sneaked to the roof where they proceeded to snoop on the people waiting inside.

    If you would consider their personalities, it wouldn¡¯t seem strange that Zhang and the beauties decided to snoop around and watch their guests from the roof instead.

    Due to a mixture of cautiousness, childishness and inquisitiveness, Zhang and the beauties wanted to watch their guests for a moment to see what the purpose of their visit was.

    ¡°Sis, which one of those two do you think will win?¡± Ai asked pointing at a pair of lesser saints who were locked in a battle of blades. It was obvious from their movements that these two lesser saints had spent the majority of their lives honing their sword skills. Every swing and every slash they performed was well planned and had a meaning behind it.

    ¡°Although the slimmer one wielding two longswords appears to be faster than the muscular one with the scimitar, I think that the muscular man will win.¡± Yuying replied.

    ¡°Really? Isn''t the muscular man already covered in wounds?¡± Ling asked, with an interested look on her face.

    ¡°If you look closer, all of his wounds are shallow. Which means that despite landing many blows, the lesser saint wielding the dual swords isn''t dealing any serious damage at all. So it would only be a matter of time before the muscular man lands an attack, and the tides of battle will shift in his favor.¡± Yuying explained.

    ¡°You forgot to take regard of their stamina. It''s obvious that the muscular man is expending more stamina and essence in his attacks than the slimmer one. So it''ll only be a matter of time before he tired himself out and fall to the mercy of his opponent. Also, I can tell that the two swords that he uses are actually coated with a slow acting poison that will significantly slow its victim¡¯s movements.¡± Lingqi remarked.

    ¡°You''re both wrong.¡± Zhang intervened with a chuckle.

    ¡°Both of us?¡± Yuying and Lingqi said at the same time.

    ¡°Although both of your observations are correct, you forgot that this isn''t a one on one match. So regardless of which one of them is left standing, in the end, once they have both used up their tricks and their strength, they''ll both lose.¡± Zhang said with a laugh.

    ¡°Brother, if you say it that way, then who do you think will be the winner?¡± Ai asked.

    ¡°No need to ask brother because it''s obvious that she will be the winner.¡± Ling said as she pointed toward a beautiful woman who appeared to be in her mid-thirties.

    ¡°I agree, of all the people present, if we go by darling¡¯s definition of victory then she would be the one to win obviously.¡± Lingqi said with a chuckle.

    ¡°Incorrect also.¡± Zhang said with a silly grin plastered across his face that was soon returned by Ai as she realized what he was thinking.

    In an instant, all of the other beauties also figured out their husband¡¯s thoughts, and they all broke out into laughter.

    Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

    ¡°Sweetheart, it''s obvious that none of them is a match for you.¡± Yuying said while wiping the tear that had formed in the corner of her eye and while restraining the urge to laugh.

    From Zhang¡¯s words, it was obvious to his wives that he meant that: in the end, he would be the one to be on top. This thought alone wouldn''t have prompted so much laughter from the beauties, but when paired with the silly look he was making; they couldn''t hold themselves burst into laughter.

    ¡°Look at that guy, he''s using five bows at the same time.¡± Ai said as she pointed toward a lesser saint with eight tentacles sticking out of his back like Chu Shou. Amazingly enough, besides holding a bow and an arrow in his hands, he used his tentacles to wield the four other bows as well.

    As the battle in the hall grew more intense, a variety of skills, techniques and abilities were put on display for Zhang and the beauties to watch. For them, the show happening before their eyes was invaluable because of all the insight they were gaining.

    Besides Yuying who already was already knowledgeble regarding cultivation arts and the like, Zhang, Ling, Lingqi and Ai were rather lacking.

    Grew up in a small city where the strongest cultivator was a mere level six warrior, Zhang¡¯s knowledge regarding cultivation was as shallow as could be. Due to his lack of proper guidance and education, even with the time he had spent with Xin Tao during their stay in the depths of hell, Zhang still didn¡¯t acquire proper training and schooling.

    In Ling¡¯s case, despite being admitted into the Heilong Kingdom¡¯s Royal Academy, she only received  book smarts. Although learning from the Royal Academy would set her ahead of Zhang, Ling only possessed superficial or basic knowledge regarding cultivation, compared to a disciple of a sect which has a master to impart his personal experience she obtained her knowledge from an academy ran by continent¡¯s weakest kingdom with a little more than a thousand year''s worth of history. Despite having many books, the Royal Academy severely lacked proper teachers.

    As for Lingqi¡¯s case, she hadn¡¯t even focused on cultivation at all rather, she used all of her free time to learn about poisons and medical techniques. This, of course, wasn¡¯t a bad thing, but in terms of knowledge regarding cultivation, she was even more lacking than Zhang.

    Lastly, there was Ai, who possesses the least amount of knowledge with regards to techniques, cultivation arts and other essentials that a cultivator should be well versed in. Since most of her life was a lost memory, Ai had to learn everything from the beginning. But due to her personality and free spirit, she wouldn¡¯t be caught dead with a book hence the reason why she solely relies on her otherworldly brute strength.

    Some may wonder why can¡¯t Zhang, Ai, Ling and Lingqi simply learn from Yuying? The answer to that question would be simple, learning from Yuying would do the group no good. Although she could and would be more than happy to teach them, what would be the use of having five people with similar skillsets forming a group? Since Yuying¡¯s knowledge was mostly based on inscriptions, necromancery, and the occult there wasn¡¯t much she could teach Zhang and the other beauties. She simply didn¡¯t have knowledge regarding their skillsets.

    So with everything aside, the fight occurring in the hall was a perfect opportunity for Zhang, Ling, Ai and Lingqi to learn from other cultivators. Although these bits and pieces of knowledge they got from watching these cultivators in action wouldn¡¯t have any major effects individually, a knowledge that was collected would obviously become useful in the long run.

    ¡°I think it¡¯s time to go stop them or else we might have to deal with a few corpses.¡± Zhang said with a laugh as he pushed himself up.

    ¡°Yea that guy over there is trying to off that other guy¡¯s finger¡­¡± Ai said as she cringed a bit imagining how it would feel if someone bit off her own finger. It was one thing to be killed, or injured by a technique or cut by a sword, but to have your fingers bit off by someone was a tad extreme.

    ¡°Alright let''s go in.¡± Ling said as she hopped off the roof of the gathering hall alongside Zhang.

    Following suit, Lingqi, Yuying, and Ai also hopped off the hall¡¯s roof.

    An instant later an oppressive pressure that caused everyone in the gathering hall to cease all of their activities.

    As everyone held their breaths the gates leading into the gathering hall emitted a loud banging sound and swung open, smashing into the walls they were hinged to before crashing down into the ground.

    ¡°Who dares to act unruly in my castle!¡± Ai¡¯s voice echoed throughout the hall, while the pressure that had previously swept into the hall increased exponentially, causing a shiver to run down everyone¡¯s spine.

    Thanks to the light flooding in from the outside, no one was able to see how the struggle currently happening on Ai¡¯s face as she tried to prevent herself from breaking out in laughter.

    ¡°You¡¯re doing good just a few more lines.¡± Yuying said to Ai through her divine sense.

    ¡°What are you all doing? Is this how you greet your hosts? By wrecking their furniture? Kneel!¡± Ai said in a haughty tone.

    ¡°You heard my sister! Kneel!¡± Lingqi said in a loud tone while adding her pressure to Ai¡¯s, prompting a majority of the level ten cultivators and a number of lesser saints to begin to bend their knees.

    ¡°Now now, no need to be so rude to our guests.¡± Zhang said as his arms reached out toward Ai.

    Seeing that Ai was moments away from bursting out in laughter, Zhang''s arms wrapped around her waist as he pulled her in and snuggled her, providing her with the perfect opportunity to release the laughter that she was trying to hold in.

    Soon enough Ai and Lingqi¡¯s pressure disappeared without a trace while their laughter filled the hall.

    Although the overbearing pressure that suppressed everyone in the hall had completely disappeared, but the fear that crept into their minds was intensified greatly.

    ¡°Master, how is it possible that someone could tame two lionesses like those.¡± A level ten cultivators asked his master.

    ¡°One could only imagine how powerful a man would need to be to stand above women like them.¡± The level ten cultivators master replied in a low tone since it was the norm for most men to be

    stronger than their wives.

    Although it wasn¡¯t rare for there to be couples who were equal in terms of power on land, in the sea where power meant everything and love and compassion had lesser meaning, the husband was often much stronger than his spouse.

    So if Zhang followed the norm, then he would have had to be vastly stronger than a full saint, since his wives who are thought to be weaker than their husband, are all full saints. How else would he be able to control the beauties?

 Chapter 196: Schemers

    Thank you Nyx for Proofing despite a busy life.

    My Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/iendworlds</a> (If anyone wants to sponsor)

    My Chat: iendworlds.chatango.com ( If anyone wants to talk)

    About 20 comments total last chapter :0 lets try for more this time :D

    =============================================================================================

    While Ai¡¯s laughter continued to fill the hall and while all sorts of thoughts were running through the minds of the saints and their disciples, Zhang spoke once more with the same broad smile on his face.

    ¡°First, I would like to welcome you all to our castle.¡± Zhang said with a smile as his gaze swept across the room.

    ¡°It took you long enough to arrive¡­¡± The impatient saint said with a snort in an unhappy tone.

    ¡°Secondly, I would like to kindly ask all of you to empty your pockets and take off your interspatial rings.¡± Zhang said with a smile and glinting eyes.

    ¡°Wha¡­ what?!¡± All of the people in the hall exclaimed in surprise with confused looks on their faces.

    ¡°All of the furniture and things displayed in this hall are valuable antiques and irreplaceable. Normally, if someone has broken even a single vase in this room they will have their arms and legs cut off. However, since you''re all my guests I can''t possibly harm a single hair on your bodies right? So all I will ask for is a bit of compensation for all the things you''ve broken. Although I would be more than willing to let you all off the hook, sadly, my wives probably won''t.¡± Zhang said as he looked at the broken items on the ground and inwardly chuckled.

    After Zhang spoke, a series of complaints filled the hall as no one was willing to hand over their interspatial rings.

    ¡°Antiques? My lord, surely you''re kidding. Even if these things are antiques, they couldn''t possibly be worth all the contents of our interspatial rings.

    ¡°Darling! This one here is my favorite vase and someone broke it.¡± Lingqi cried like a spoiled child as she glared at the people in the hall, causing the lost silence to return.

    ¡°You! Yes, you there! The one with the funny looking face!¡± Ai yelled as she pointed into the crowd randomly causing everyone to look around in confusion.

    ¡°You there with the funny face! You are the one that broke my sister¡¯s favorite vase, aren¡¯t you? Step over here before I snap your legs.¡± Ai said in a haughty tone as she continued to point into the crowd, where few people walked forward gritting their teeth.

    ¡°It seems our little skit earlier was a success.¡± Zhang thought with a chuckle as his plot to exploit all the wealth of these saints and their disciples was going well according to plan.

    ¡°Madam, I came here with the intention to offer my utmost sincere assistance.  If it''ll appease your anger, then a few worldly possessions are something I am willing to give up.¡± A lesser saint said in a respectful tone as he presented his interspatial ring as well as his disciples to Ai.

    ¡°We as well.¡± Another group of lesser saints and their disciples called as they also offered their interspatial rings.

    ¡°Offer us your services? If that is so, then we can forget about what happened earlier. Since it''s improper l to take things from one¡¯s subordinates.¡± Yuying said in a gentle tone.

    ¡°Sister, don''t you agree?¡± Yuying said as she looked at Ai.

    ¡°I guess breaking the legs of my own subordinate wouldn''t do me any good.¡± Ai said after a moment of silence with a pouting face.

    ¡°My favorite table! How could someone do this to my favorite table!¡± Lingqi yelled as she could be seen looking at a shattered wooden table.

    ¡°Which one of you broke my sister¡¯s favorite table! It¡¯s you, isn¡¯t it!¡± Ai said as she pointed into the crowd once again.

    It was obvious that some of the guests who arrived had come to cause trouble. Zhang and the beauties were just using this opportunity to sort through and extort those with ill intentions.

    It was obvious that those who came to cause trouble wouldn''t even think about handing over their belongings for a few broken tables and smashed vases; while those who came to seek shelter under Zhang¡¯s wing would be more than willing to give up their belongings to get on his good side.

    Like what happened earlier, a few lesser saints and their disciples stepped forward and offered their interspatial rings which Zhang and the beauties would turn down.

    Clearly seeing Zhang¡¯s intention, soon enough the room was clearly divided into three groups: those who came to swear allegiance, those who came to challenge Zhang for dominance, the troublemakers and those who came just to pry but was frightened by Ai and Lingqi¡¯s action and ended up offering their interspatial rings.

    ¡°Honey, it looks like those people don''t want to pay for the things they broke¡­unlike these honored guests here who have enough manners to compensate us.¡± Ling said as she glanced at the group of so-called troublemakers causing an eerie chill drift into the room.

    ¡°Hmph! Just because the lot of you are full saints you think you can try to rob us blind without anyone daring to speak up? If you have the guts, then fight me one on one! Unlike those weaklings that had come to ride your coattails, I came here to show everyone that a mere human is not fit to rule the Blood Coral Cove. I, Nai Fan, will be the one to lead the forces of Blood Coral Cove against the Starry Sea Sect!¡± The impatient saint that had started the brawl in the gathering hall spoke out in an angry tone.

    ¡°Like that buffoon over there, I¡¯ve also come to challenge you to a duel, and it will be I, Xiao Gong, who will lead the forces of Blood Coral Cove!¡± The child-sized saint who was battling the impatient saint earlier said in a loud and dignified tone, while the rest of those who opposed Zhang stood in silence and simply glared at Zhang and the beauties.

    ¡°Why you¡­¡± Nai Fan growled.

    ¡°Let¡¯s say that I am indeed unworthy of ruling the Blood Coral Cove; if so then who among you is worthy?¡± Zhang asked with a smile.

    ¡°Obviously, only I am the worthy one to govern the cove after Shen Yue¡¯s demise.¡± Xiao Gong said proudly.

    ¡°A midget like you? The only thing I can see you ruling over is a little sandbox.¡± Nai Fan sneered at the child sized saint.

    ¡°How about you two decide first which one of you is worthy to be the next ruler of Blood Coral Cove; thereafter, we can have a little chat. I¡¯ll even hold your interspatial rings for you, so neither of you have to worry about the other person using too many weapons or anything.¡± Zhang said with a grin.

    ¡°You think we are foolish to fall for your attempt? You, reaping benefits without soiling your own hands?¡± Xiao Gong said with a laugh.

    ¡°Fight me, kid! Since only one of us is worthy of becoming the next ruler, we might as well settle things here and now!¡± Nai Fan said causing the Xiao Gong to face palm himself and sigh while causing Zhang and the beauties to chuckle slightly.

    ¡°How did an idiot like this ever manage to successfully become a full saint¡­¡± Xiao Gong said with a sigh.

    ¡°I never said anything about fighting.¡± Zhang said.

    Stolen story; please report.

    ¡°Hmph! Only someone with immense strength is fit to lead, so if we don''t fight then how else would we prove our strength.¡± Nai Fan said in a domineering tone.

    ¡°Wrong! Only when one is truly powerful can they solve their problems without using their strength.¡± Zhang said.

    ¡°Solving one¡¯s problems without using one¡¯s powers? What rubbish, what¡¯s the point of furthering one¡¯s cultivation if not to use one¡¯s power.¡± Nai Fan said haughtily.

    ¡°What? Are you afraid that you''d lose to me even if we don''t use our strength?¡± Zhang said, attempting to taunt the impatient saint.

    ¡°Anything you can do without using your strength I can accomplish ten times better without using my powers.¡± Nai Fan said.

    ¡°Is that so?¡± Zhang asked.

    ¡°Absolutely!¡± Nai Fan said with a proud look on his face.

    ¡°Then I offer the both of you and everyone standing behind you a challenge if anyone of you can beat me in a contest where we will see who can accomplish three mundane tasks the best. If any of you can accomplish any two of these three tasks better than me then I will give up the entire Blood Coral Cove and allow the lot of you to decide its next ruler.¡± Zhang said as he inwardly laughed.

    ¡°But in the off chance I win then you willingly serve under me as slaves, on top of giving me all of your interspatial rings.¡± Zhang said with a grin.

    ¡°Giving you our interspatial rings is alright but to become your slaves?¡± Nai Fan complained.

    ¡°It is only right because it''ll be all of you against me and I stand to lose the entire Blood Coral Cove.¡± Zhang said.

    ¡°The entire Blood Coral Cove is worth such a gamble; I agree to compete.¡± Xiao Gong said, prompting everyone else who opposed Zhang to agree also.

    ¡°Good, now I can rob the lot of you without any room to complain and gain a few more lackeys.¡± Zhang though inwardly as the grin plastered on his face widened and stretched from ear to hear.

    Although Zhang and the beauties could have killed anyone of the people within the gathering hall, be it with little effort or not, they believed it would be much more beneficial for them to add to the number of saints under their command than to needlessly stain their hands with more blood.

    To Zhang, the more saints under his wing meant the more saints he could use to battle the forces of the Starry Sea Sect and the more saints he could use in his future attempt to conquer more of the Wulin continent.

    Some may wonder why Zhang and the beauties were bothering to attempt to turn people who are clearly opposing them into their subordinates, but the answer is quite straightforward. Since it would take some time before his trusted officers back in Aurora could even come close to becoming saints, with or without Zhang¡¯s help, waiting on them on them would mean there would be more time for Zhang¡¯s enemies to prepare.

    Thus it would be much less efficient to gather and use subordinates who were already saints to further their plans.

    ¡°Since the forces of the Starry Sea Sect are only a matter of days away from arriving next here, the contest will begin in the next thirty minutes and before any of you jump to conclusions I will not be the one to decide what events we will be competing in. Rather I''ll ask Lord Long Feng if he would be willing to choose the events we will be competing in. While a panel of judges will be selected at random, I hope that all of you will find these arrangement fair?¡± Zhang said and to his surprise found no objections.

    Before long, everyone filed out of the gathering hall and into the Blood Coral Castle¡¯s main courtyard where a massive banquet was still taking place.

    After announcing the contest along with a small summary of what had occurred earlier, Zhang asked for volunteers to be judges. Within no time at all the entire city was in an uproar as everyone flocked to the Blood Coral Castle.

    In one way or another, this could be seen as Zhang¡¯s last obstacle to truly ruling over the cove. If he comes out victorious then there would be no one left to challenge his rule.

    As people continued to gather in droves, a makeshift stage was assembled in front of the castle¡¯s main gates. Atop this stage, Zhang and the beauties sat together on the magnificent throne Zhang had taken from the ruins of the Sai Empire¡¯s capital city, while those contending against him stood on the opposite end of the stage in one large group.

    ¡°Let the contest of mundane tasks begin!¡± Lord Long Feng¡¯s voice echoed through the air as the gates of the Blood Coral Castle opened and rows of maids and butlers filed out while pushing various pieces of equipment.

    ¡°Brother, do you know what the first contest will be?¡± Ai asked while sitting on the arm of the golden throne as her gaze shifted from the rows of servants to Zhang.

    ¡°No idea but I''m sure it''ll be interesting. I''m also confident the judges will give me fairly high marks.¡± Zhang said with a chuckle as he glanced at Yuying who had a devious smile plastered on her face.

    ¡°All set will activate the inscriptions if needed.¡± Yuying relayed to Zhang through her divine sense.

    ¡°Since this is a contest of mundane tasks, for our first match, Lord Zhou Zhang and the rest of the contestants will be competing with their skills in the culinary arts. In other words, our panel of judges will be able to taste the delicacies that these various experts will be cooking up for them.¡± Lord Long Feng said with a hearty laugh while the crowd gathered around the stage became dumbstruck.

    ¡°A cooking contest?¡± A few people mixed into the crowd murmured.

    ¡°Lord Long Feng, please don''t kid with us.¡± Xiao Gong said.

    ¡°A cooking contest! Interesting! Old Long you sure know your stuff. This is going to be good since that kid there probably still has his mother cooking for him.¡± Lord Chan Chu¡¯s voice could be heard from the crowd, prompting a scowl to appear on Xiao Gong¡¯s face and laughter from a majority of the crowd.

    Like always, Lord Chan Chu''s tongue was as sharp as ever and as toxic as the lethal poison that could be released from his pores. Although he was nowhere as strong as Lord Long Feng or the deceased Madam Diao Yu, Lord Chan Chu struck fear into the hearts of many who resided in the Blood Coral Cove. With his sharp tongue, and ruthless words that could shred most people''s dignity to bits, most people who dared offend Lord Chan Chu found themselves tossed into a storm of gossip and ill rumors.

    ===============================================================================

    If you liked this story then please rate it. Just click this link</a>, scroll down, click the stars, and then hit submit. You don''t need to type anything and every single vote really helps!

 Chapter 197: Explosive

    Been so busy at work that I¡¯ve had little time to write, but managed a chapter :D hope you guys like it.

    My Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/iendworlds</a> (If anyone wants to sponsor)

    My Chat: iendworlds.chatango.com ( If anyone wants to talk)

    =====================================================================

    While a storm of protest whipped up due to the contest, the four beauties couldn¡¯t contain themselves as their laughter echoed into the air.

    ¡°A cooking contest? Did you hear that? Honey?¡± Ling said with a laugh as she wiped a tear from the corner of her eye.

    ¡°These guys won¡¯t know what¡¯s going to hit them if it¡¯s a cooking contest.¡± Lingqi said as she laughed heartily while hugging her stomach.

    ¡°For fairness purposes, all contestants please pick a station of your liking. Also, I would like to remind you that any who do not wish to participate will have to win both of the other two events or else they will have no right to challenge Lord Zhou Zhang for ownership of the Blood Coral Cove and whatever other conditions that were also set l.¡± Lord Long Feng said, prompting many people to scurry to one of the many cooking stations that had been brought out by the Blood Coral Castle¡¯s servants.

    ¡°If I compete I''ll make a laughingstock of myself, but if I don''t then the chances of losing and becoming that brat¡¯s slave will be ever so high¡­¡± Nai Fan mumbled after clicking his tongue.

    ¡°Idiot, if none of us have any idea how to cook then it''s obvious he doesn''t have any idea how to do so either.¡± Xiao Gong said in a loud voice with a snicker as his gaze shifted from Nai Fan and Zhang, neither of whom had picked a station yet.

    Upon hearing Xiao Gong¡¯s voice, a smile appeared on Nai Fan¡¯s face as he leaped into the air and landed behind a fully equipped cooking station. Not long after, Zhang stood up from his seat, leaving the warmth that was given off by the beauties and casually walked to one of the many stations.

    ¡°Every contestant will be provided with ingredients to cook whatever dish they wish to and will receive a score of one to ten from our panel of randomly selected judges. Contestants are free to use any and all methods at their disposal as long as cultivation techniques.¡± Lord Long Feng announced as a massive platform that was being lifted by a hundred people could be seen making its way through the castle gates.

    Atop this platform were mounds of various fruits, vegetables, nuts, meats, and spices that offered endless possibilities and combinations. From rare treats to everyday ingredients, the abundance of food made everyone¡¯s mouth water.

    ¡°You all have an hour to prepare your dishes! The first match begins!¡± Lord Long Feng said as the massive platform was dropped into the ground and accompanied by a loud rumbling sound.

    An instant later all of the various contestants, most of whom had no idea how to cook, raced toward the platform at blinding speeds.

    ¡°I may not know a thing when it comes to cooking but obviously, the more delicious looking ingredients will result in a delicious tasting dish!¡± Nai Fan laughed as he was the first to arrive at the platform.

    ¡°Fools, it doesn''t matter how great one¡¯s ingredients or cooking skills are, as long as you''re the only one to turn in a dish.¡± Xiao Gong laughed as he arrived beside the massive platform that took the strength of a hundred people to carry and reached out with his hands.

    ¡°Even without using my cultivation, a simple task as this is nothing.¡± Xiao Gong laughed as he proceeded to lift up the platform.

    Surprisingly enough, Xiao Gong¡¯s tiny frame began to grow ever so larger. Moments later with a body covered in scales and a body towering fifteen feet above everyone else, Xiao Gong flicked his wrists and flipped the entire platform over.

    Soon Xiao Gong¡¯s laughter echoed across the Blood Coral Cove, the few contestants who were atop the platform scrambled to grab whatever ingredients they could, while those nearby, who realized Xiao Gong¡¯s intentions charged in.

    In a matter of breaths, the massive platform slammed onto the ground, causing the ground to rumble and shake, while smashing most of the things that had laid on top of it to mush while the audience watched with gaping jaws.

    ¡°Cheater!¡± Ai¡¯s voice could be heard, protesting what Xiao Gong had done.

    ¡°Cheating? Fool! When did Lord Long Feng state that I couldn''t do what I just did? As long as we do not use our cultivation base, magical treasures of techniques then everything else is fair game. Partially reverting to my true form isn''t cheating in anyway.¡± Xiao Gong laughed as his body began to shrink back into the form of a child.

    Only once Xiao Gong had reverted back to the form of a child and began heading back to his station did everyone notice the arm full of ingredients in his arms.

    ¡°Who are you calling a fool?! If you have the guts come back here and I''ll beat, you to a bloody pulp! Hmph!¡± Ai¡¯s yelling could be heard before the other beauties managed to calm her down.

    ¡°You guys best grab what you can and toss something together.¡± Zhang laughed toward the other contestants as he arrived beside the flipped over the platform and picked up a few ingredients casually and headed back to his own station after looking toward where the beauties were and winking.

    Upon seeing Zhang scavenge what ingredients he could off the ground, the other contestants swarmed and tried to do the same. But due to the scarcity of things left behind after Xiao Gong flipped over the platform, a massive brawl soon broke out.

    Instead of cutting vegetables or tenderizing meat, the contestants used their kitchen knives and fists to attack each other in order to secure ingredients.

    While the brawl continued to escalate and grow out of proportion, the few people who did manage to obtain enough ingredients to cook up something could be seen busy at work.

    ¡°You slow poke, do you even know how to use that knife in your hands?! What''s the point of picking out the best ingredients if you can''t even properly prepare them!¡± Lord Cha Chu said as he pointed and laughed at Nai Fan who was having trouble using his kitchen knives.

    ¡°Cutting with these punt knives will take forever¡­¡± Nai Fan complained about a snort as he flipped his hand and a large heavy looking scimitar fell into his grasp.

    With the scimitar now in hand, Nai Fan slapped the table in front of him, sending the dozens of ingredients into the air where they were diced to bits and pieces in an otherworldly display of swordsmanship.

    ¡°Look at that scimitar and that superb swordsmanship! I wish I could cut up vegetables as good as you. Then again only an idiot would even consider using a scimitar when cooking.¡± Lord Chan Chu¡¯s laughter could be heard as it made its way into Nai Fan¡¯s ears, prompting Nai Fan¡¯s face to turn scarlet red while the audience began to snicker.

    ¡°This weapon has claimed the lives of hundreds upon hundreds of people, after this contest, I don''t mind quenching its thirst with the blood of a few loudmouth scoundrels.¡± Nai Fan said as he stabbed his scimitar into the ground, prompting the crowd to be instilled in silence.

    Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

    As the silence ensued and the attempts at cooking continued, a mixture of fragrances soon wafted into the air and into the nostrils of all those presents. While some of these fragrances were mouthwatering while others made people¡¯s stomachs churn in disgust.

    ¡°I could only imagine what will happen when those poor judges have to taste those plates of poison.¡± Ling said as she shook her head while fanning the air in front of her nose with her hand.

    ¡°Plates of poison¡­¡± Lingqi began to mumble upon hearing Ling¡¯s words as a devious glint appeared in her eyes.

    Before long, the beauties could be seen huddled up and whispering to one another while occasionally snickering at the busy contestants.

    Without knowing a hint of what the beauties were up to, Zhang could be seen diligently mincing meat, chopping vegetables, and baking bread, with a brimming smile on his face.

    ¡°Cooking isn¡¯t all that hard, if you know a few of the basics.¡± Zhang thought as he squirted a bit of oil onto a hot pan and began frying a meat patty.

    ¡°A dash of salt, a hint of pepper and a bunch of other seasonings will make even foulest of things can taste good.¡± Zhang chuckled as he eyed the other contestants. Of all the people present, it could be said that Zhang was undoubtedly the best and most experienced cook, with his memories of dozens of recipes from his past life and countless nights spent cooking for his beautiful wives, Zhang was brimming with experience in regards to the culinary arts.

    Unlike most of the other cultivators participating in the contest, Zhang did not focus all of his attention on cultivating, instead he divided his time up and did various activities with the beauties. From cooking, studying the arts and a wide variety of other activities, Zhang, and the beauties did them all, when they were not cultivating.

    ¡°Don¡¯t think you''re the only one who knows how to cook! I was a professional chef for twenty years before I poured all of my efforts into cultivating. Compared to me, everyone here is an amateur.¡± A level ten cultivator laughed as he could be seen holding a large wok over a blazing fire.

    ¡°I¡¯ll show you all what it means to be a true chef.¡± The level ten cultivator continued to say as a mouthwatering aroma began to be emitted from the wok in his hand.

    Ignoring the level ten cultivator and with a smile on his face, while a joyful whistling tune was emitting from his mouth, Zhang¡¯s attention was entirely focused on the fiery pan and sizzling meat patty in front of him, leaving him obvious and blind to an unusual event occurring around him.

    While everyone''s attention was focused on the contest, a small trail of unreadable runes had snaked off of Yuying¡¯s arm and onto the ground where it snaked about and split apart into dozens of directions.

    Like silent predators, the trails of runes quickly made their way across the ground unnoticed and in an instant later latched onto their intended prey.

    ¡°Return.¡± Yuying mumbled, prompting her newly enslaved pets to flutter their wings and speed through the air toward her. In a flash, a group consisting of a dozen or so flies and mosquitos assembled on the ground in front of Yuying.

    As the squadron of fleas and mosquitos lined up in neat rows, a trail of unnoticeable droplets of blackish colored liquid could be seen dripping onto the ground from Lingqi¡¯s index finger.

    In no time at all the squadron of bugs swarmed around the droplets of black liquid before taking off back into the air.

    ¡°This won''t kill anyone will it?¡± Yuying whisperer led to Lingqi in a nearly inaudible tone.

    ¡°Stomach aches, and explosive you know what, nowhere as deadly as my usual stuff.¡± Lingqi replied in a soft tone.

    While the busy contestants continued to focus all of their attention on completing their dishes for the judges, under the control of Yuying and covered in poison from Lingqi, a squadron of flies and mosquitos roamed about and infected everything they touched.

    Although most of the contestants did not notice the flies and mosquitos, full saints like Zhang, Nai Fan and Xiao Gong and most of the lesser saint contestants were, of course, able to with little effort. Despite not knowing about the poison covering the bodies of these insects, most of those who noticed them were quick to dispose of them for sanitary reasons and by doing so preventing their dishes from being laced with poison. Of course, Zhang didn¡¯t need to bother with the flies and mosquitoes since they left him alone.

    After moving all over the place, the flies and mosquitos all congregated at the station of the level ten cultivator who had been a chef for twenty years before flying off and disappearing out of sight just as the judging part of the cooking contest began.

    ¡°I call this a hamburger, one of  man¡¯s most addictive and delicious creations. Simply pick it up and take a bite.¡± Zhang said with a grin as he presented the three judges that arrived at his station with perfectly cooked and seasoned ground beef clamped in between fresh vegetables and two sesame buns.

    Needless to say, this was the first time any of these judges or had heard of the term, hamburger, but without much questioning, they quickly picked the hamburgers and bit into the juicy meat patties.

    ¡°Delicious¡­¡± The three judges mumbled before giving Zhang perfect marks and moving on to the next station where they were greeted by a level nine cultivator who presented them with a plate of charred bits that he referred to as fried pork chops.

    Although somewhat reluctantly to do so, the judges tasted the supposedly fried pork chops and to their surprise, they found themselves at the mercy of Lingqi¡¯s poison. Moments after ingesting the charred bits, the three judges instantly ran off to the nearest outhouse and were replaced by a new panel of judges.

    Surprisingly enough the next set of judges were soon met with the same fate as the first set of judges and also charged to the nearest outhouse while hugging their stomachs.

    After witnessing what had happened to the previous judges, the new judges arrived at Nai Fan¡¯s station where presented to them three plates of sunny side up eggs with a side of rice and boiled vegetables.

    ¡°It isn¡¯t much but it¡¯s food.¡± Nai Fan muttered in a grumpy voice.

    ¡°It¡¯s kind of bland but it''s edible and no one has been sent to the outhouse.¡± One of the judges said with a smile as he and the other judges proceeded to give Nai Fan ninety out of a hundred possible points which caused a slight grin to appear on Nai Fan¡¯s face.

    ===============================================================================

    If you liked this story then please rate it. Just click this link</a>, scroll down, click the stars, and then hit submit. You don''t need to type anything and every single vote really helps!

 Chapter 198: Free For All

    Surprise, surprise o_o

    It''s 2 am, got home from work 2 hours ago, managed to finish up this chapter for you all. Hope you enjoy o_o. Comments and such are most welcomed!

    ==============================================================================

    After Nai Fan and Xiao Gong¡¯s dishes were judged and the panel of judges were replaced a few times, the contest was officially canceled due to lack of public support because it had become a health hazard for all those picked to be judges.

    ¡°Sis I think your poison worked a bit too well.¡± Ai said in a whisper to Lingqi.

    ¡°Perhaps¡­ We went a little overboard¡­¡± Yuying said in a soft tone.

    While the beauties were busy talking amongst themselves, Zhang could be seen face to face with Nai Fan and Xiao Gong, who both had unhappy looks plastered on their faces.

    ¡°That was a complete waste of time¡­ We should have settled things with our fists from the beginning.¡± Nai Fan complained.

    ¡°I agree¡­¡± Xiao Gong added.

    ¡°If that is what you want then I''m all for it.¡± Zhang said with a smile as he waved his hand and ignited a ring of fire not too far from where Nai Fan, Xiao Gong and the other contestants of the cooking contest were standing.

    Although Zhang had hoped to avoid fighting and resolve things in a more civil and perhaps comical way that would allow everyone to persevere their strength for the arrival of the forces of the Starry Sea Sect.

    ¡°Anyone who wishes to challenge me is free to enter the ring. You''re all free to use all of your skills and techniques as long as you do not damage the city or fall out of the ring.¡± Zhang said as he walked into the flickering ring of fire with his arms behind his back.

    ¡°Also if you dare to enter the ring then you will have to stake your interspatial ring and allegiance.¡± Zhang added in a soft and low tone.

    ¡°Everyone move in at the same time! Even if we can''t instantly defeat him, with our numbers we can tire him out for Lord Nai Fan and Lord Xiao Gong to finish him.¡± A lesser Saint said as he charged into the fiery rings with a hand full of level ten cultivators.

    Before long more lesser saints and level ten cultivators stormed toward the ring as Nai Fan and Xiao Gong stood with ugly expressions on their faces.

    ¡°Hmph, to think they believe doing something like this will help us in any way¡­¡± Nai Fan said.

    ¡°It''ll only tarnish our reputations without giving us any added benefits¡­ Like hell, I''ll let that happen¡­¡± Xiao Gong said as he began moving toward the fiery ring.

    Standing in the center of the ring armed with the Falling Moon Sword, Zhang had a wide grin present on his face.

    ¡°In the end, I guess this is the best way to resolve matters like this.¡± He said with a chuckle as his first group of opponents stepped into the ring with weapons draw.

    In an instant, blades slashed through the air, fists swung with full force, and spells and techniques were unleashed in a blinding array of attacks all aimed at Zhang.

    ¡°Let me remind you, anyone who gets knocked out of here owes me their interspatial ring and allegiance.¡± Zhang said before the world seemed to slow down around him.

    As the blades wielded by a group of level ten cultivators swung down at Zhang, they appeared to slow to a crawl as he effortlessly evaded them all in a fluid motion.

    Regardless of how many times the level ten cultivators lashed out with their weapons, they failed to even catch the helm of Zhang¡¯s robes before he sent them flying out of the ring.

    Despite having the Falling Moon Sword in Hand, Zhang did not use it and simply performed one kick after the other to deal with the opponents charging at him.

    Simply said, for the most part, Zhang felt that none of the people who entered the ring thus far were worthy of being struck by his legendary sword.

    Regardless of whether or not they were fools who did not know their limits or brave souls who dares to challenge someone way out of their league, the difference in power between a level ten cultivator and any saint level expert was too vast, so much that some would call Zhang a bully if he used his weapon.

    Of course in a real life or death battle no one would dare to utter a word about bullying the weak, but since this was a friendly sparring match, coupled with the fact that all of the losers were going to be his future subordinates, Zhang had to maintain a proper image.

    ¡°All do you scram!¡± Xiao Gong and Nai Fan¡¯s thundering voices could be heard as one of Zhang¡¯s kicks sent another level ten cultivator flying out of the ring.

    As a burst of power swept across the fiery ring and the crowd that stood watch a short distance away, all of the level ten cultivators, be they inside the ring or not were all sent flying into the air.

    ¡°Now this is more like it!¡± Zhang said excitedly as two fires ignited within his eyes.

    Moments after all of the level ten cultivators were sent flying away, the lesser saints remaining within the ring were left utterly confused as Nai Fan and Xiao Gong entered the ring and began attacking them.

    ¡°Lord Nai Fan what are you doing? We are on your side!¡± A lesser saint cried as a palm strike landed on his abdomen and sent him smashing into the ground outside of the ring.

    ¡°The lot of you will only serve as nuisances in our fight, so all of you scram!¡± Xiao Gong roared as a long spear made purely of white jade, with a distinctive looking tiger head carved near its tip, appeared in his hands.

    After hearing Xiao Gong¡¯s words, one after the other, the lesser saints who know what was good for them, began exiting the ring on their own accord.

    Before long only Zhang, Nai Fan, and Xiao Gong remained in the ring, standing at the tips of an invisible triangle, staring at each other in long silence.

    ¡°Go beat them up, darling!¡± Lingqi¡¯s voice coupled with the voices of the other beauties could be heard, shattering the instilled silence with their cheers.

    As the beauties continued cheering their husband on and the crowd watched on anxiously in intrigue, an intense battle ignited.

    Instead of a two on one battle like most expected, a three-way struggle began as Xiao Gong¡¯s spear snaked about through the air and lashed out at both Zhang and Nai Fan. In the meantime, Nai Fan¡¯s scimitar unleashed dozens of blades of essence that gave off low hum before leaving deep gashes on the ground after cutting into Zhang and Xiao Gong¡¯s after images.

    ¡°Gravity¡­¡± Zhang muttered in a low tone as he activated the Rising Moon Sword¡¯s power and unleashed a suppressive pressure on both Nai Fan and Xiao Gong, subtly slowing down their movements.

    ¡°Increase!¡± Zhang said as he suddenly quickened his movements and charged toward Xiao Gong, who hadn''t really been affected by the Rising Moon Sword¡¯s power very much at all suddenly felt an unbearable weight press down on his shoulders and made his scalp tingle.

    However, before Zhang managed to come within striking distance, Xiao Gong uttered an ear piercing roar as his body began to grow massive in size. In a fraction of a second, Xiao Gong¡¯s childlike frame morphed into that of a giant¡¯s, causing the white colored jade spear in his hand to look like nothing more than a beautifully decorated toothpick.

    This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    ¡°Frostfang Spears! Expand and impale!¡± Xiao Gong said as a second spear identical to the spear already in his hand appear and grew massive in size.

    ¡°Shit¡­¡± Zhang cursed as he leaped backward, avoiding Xiao Gong¡¯s two tree sized spears.

    ¡°Dodging is futile!¡± Xiao Gong laughed as the tiger heads carved on the Jade spears seemed to come to life and two pure white beams of energy were shot at both Zhang and Nai Fan.

    Much to Zhang¡¯s surprise, the air began to chill as he felt his spine shiver while a thin layer of frost began forming on the soil beneath his feet and snowflakes started to form and fall from the moisture-saturated air.

    From the effect that the beams of energy had on the surrounding area alone, Zhang knew for a fact that if he allowed beams of energy to even slightly touch his body then the consequences would be dire.

    As the beams of icy energy closed in, Zhang¡¯s Abyssal Cape fluttered despite there being no wind and two serpentine shadows shoot out from the darkness at blinding speeds.

    With their maws wide open and fangs barred, two Abyssal Serpents intercepted Xiao Gong¡¯s attack resulting in a burst of glittering ice dust and shadowy specks.

    Using the shimmering ice dust and shadowy specks as cover, Zhang appeared in front of Xiao Gong and unleashed a storm of sword strikes.

    One after the other, Zhang¡¯s sword strikes were met with Xiao Gong¡¯s spears thrusts before Nai Fan appeared out of thin air and joined the fray, swinging his scimitar wildly unleashing blades of sword energy everywhere.

    Slowly but surely the battle between Zhang, Nai Fan and Xiao Gong continued to intensify and escalated to the point where Yuying let out a sigh and erected a three layered barrier around them.

    Only once Yuying¡¯s barrier was erected and after it had managed to block a few of either Zhang¡¯s, Nai Fan¡¯s or Xiao Gong¡¯s attacks did those spectating feel more at easy. Had it not been for Yuying then perhaps a portion of the crowd would have gotten injured or had already fled the scene due to the fear of being caught in the crossfire.

    ¡°Singularity!¡± Zhang roared as a powerful suction force appeared in the form of a small black speck in front of him just as Xiao Gong¡¯s icy spear shot out toward him.

    With the tip of Xiao Gong¡¯s spear lodged into the singularity, Zhang quickly moved to the side and slashed downward, leaving a long streak of blood across the scales on Xiao Gong¡¯s massive arm. As a small river of blood gushed out of Xiao Gong¡¯s arm, a bellowing cry accompanied it along with a thrust from his other spear.

    ¡°He¡¯s not your only opponent!¡± Nai Fan¡¯s voice could be heard as Zhang¡¯s sense began to tingle, prompting him to leap backward and land not too far away.

    ¡°How did he get so close without being picked up by my divine sense???¡± Zhang questioned in his mind as he narrowly evaded Nai Fan¡¯s sword strike that created what could only be described as a small ravine in the ground.

    Before Zhang could even come close to fathoming an answer for his question, Nai Fan appeared beside him and slashed sideward across the air at blinding speeds.

    Left without even a moment to consider his options, Zhang acted solely upon his instincts, propelling himself up into the air by creating an Abyssal Serpent. Acting as both a stepping stone and a body double for Zhang, the Abyssal Serpent was soon cut into two and faded away into nothingness after appearing for only a fraction of a second.

    However, Zhang was not out of the woods yet, because an instant later Nai Fan appeared beside him once more while Xiao Gong¡¯s spear could be seen being thrusted through the air also.

    ¡°Singularity! Repel!!¡± Zhang said as a black speck appeared and intercepted Xiao Gong¡¯s spear while a pulse of energy was released from the Rising Moon Sword, pushing Nai Fan away.

    Much to the awe of the audience, a dozen Abyssal Eagles spawned from the shadow of Zhang¡¯s cape and swarmed around Xiao Gong while Zhang charged after Nai Fan while standing atop an Abyssal Eagle that was considerably larger than the rest.

    Closing in upon Nai Fan, Zhang quickly realized that his speed was severely lacking. After being pushed away by the power of the Rising Moon Sword and as Zhang closed in, Nai Fan managed to still himself in my air and disappear into thin air, leaving but a flickering afterimage that quickly faded away.

    Unlike his battle with Lord Long Feng, where Zhang was able to fully utilize the powers of his heavenly treasures, Nai Fan and Xiao Gong constantly attempted to deliver damage to both him and each other, preventing Zhang from gaining proper breathing room.

    If he focused his attention fully on Nai Fan then Xiao Gong would move in for the kill and vice versa for if he focused his attention on Xiao Gong rather than Nai Fan, making it difficult for Zhang to do anything besides dodging and occasionally attempting to attack.

    ¡°I wonder what his true form is, he''s moving so fast¡­¡± Zhang thought as he watched Nai Fan moved about from one location to the next, leaving behind dozens of after imagines in his wake.

    ¡°Think fast!¡± Nai Fan¡¯s laughter echoed into Zhang¡¯s ear the sound of a blade slicing through the air followed suit.

    ¡°Buzz off you pest!¡± Xiao Gong¡¯s roar also soon flowed into Zhang¡¯s ear as an icy beam of energy was shot at Nai Fan whose blade was inches away from touching Zhang.

    Although Zhang would have evaded Nai Fan¡¯s attack one way or another, the fact that it was due to Xiao Gong¡¯s intervention that ruined a seemingly perfect opportunity to secure victory, Nai Fan¡¯s rhythm was shattered and he was left utterly stunned after nearly being turned into a popsicle.

    Zhang was soon also on the receiving end of one of Xiao Gong¡¯s icy beams, but of course, unlike Nai Fan, he was properly prepared and a wall of Abyssal Beasts spawned from the dark depths and shielded him from harm while creating a black mist of shadowy particles upon being their destruction.

    Without uttering a single word and with a single though Zhang made seven thin sized slits through space appear and form a circle around Xiao Gong¡¯s massive body. Then in a flash, the gleaming crystalline blade of the Rising Moon Sword shot forth and pierced through the thick layer of scales covering Xiao Gong¡¯s body.

    Before long, seven geysers of gushing blood erupted and slashed onto the icy ground as Xiao Gong bellowed in pain from Zhang¡¯s attack.

    ¡°Go home and cry to your mother!¡± Nai Fan¡¯s voice could be heard as a massive scaly leg shot out from the black mist created from the destruction of Zhang¡¯s Abyssal Beasts and kicked Xiao Gong out of the fiery ring.

    <hr />

    13eastlord</a> First reader to appear read this chapter lol

 Chapter 199: Sea of Stars

    Just got home, managed to finish this chapter while at work :D, will try my best to write some more tonight and hopefully finish up tomorrow :D. Also I know I''ve been promosing a release of AScending the Heavens to some of you, so I''ll also try to finish the chapter I''m working on for that also. Lots of good ideas for Ascending that I hope to write on but just so little time :(. Hopefully once school starts and I don''t have to work as much I''ll be able to write more ::)

    Wish you all a safe day/night.

    ===============================================================================

    ¡°No!!!¡± Xiao Gong roared as he found himself flying through the air all the while gazing at the fiery ring that was becoming ever so more further away from him. Before long a loud rumble reverberated across the Blood Coral Cove once Xiao Gong crashed into the castle walls where he began to watch Nai Fan and Zhang continue their fight, disbelief in his eyes and rampant thoughts storming in his mind as his body began to shrink back to that of a child¡¯s.

    Inside the fiery ring the black cloud that shrouded Zhang¡¯s vision had partially dissipated, showing bits and pieces of Nai Fan¡¯s now massive body that was previously kept out of sight.

    ¡°No wonder he was so fast¡­ His true form is a sailfish!¡± Ling¡¯s voice could be heard as massive sail-like fins on Nai Fan¡¯s back and arms.

    While the audience and the beauties had their eyes glued on the fiery ring and the last two remaining combatants inside, the black colored most completely faded away as Zhang and Nai Fan stood motionless.

    With Xiao Gong out of the equation, neither Zhang nor Nai Fan were willing to be the first to act, since even a minor mistake on any of their parts could propel out of proportion and result in utter defeat.

    Nai Fan¡¯s impatience that he had shown in the gathering hall had disappeared without a trace, leaving him with only a silent and deadly soul-piercing stare.

    ¡°Surrender and I''ll let you become the person with the fourth most authority in the cove, after Chu Shou and Hai Xing.¡± Zhang said with a smile.

    ¡°How laughable, to be ranked underneath a pair of lesser saints.¡± Nai Fan replied with a loud laugh.

    ¡°Rankings are not by power but by seniority. If anything you may end up being ranked below him.¡± Zhang laughed as he pointed at Xiao Gong who in returned had an astonished look on his face.

    ¡°Him? How about you surrender and I¡¯ll make you my right-hand man, once I become ruler of the cover.¡± Nai Fan said as his gaze shifted to Xiao Gong.

    As Nai Fan¡¯s gaze shifted for a fraction of a second, Zhang sprang into action and unleashed a horde of monstrous creatures from his fluttering Abyssal Cape.

    Like a raging storm, the Abyssal Beasts that were released from the dark depths fluttered across the sky, or snaked and stampeded across the land as they all charged toward Nai Fan.

    ¡°These monsters are but mere pests and can¡¯t do a thing to me, so there is no need to continue to summon them.¡± Nai Fan said with a snort as he swung his scimitar sideward, slaying a dozen Abyssal Beasts with ease.

    ¡°Pests make for great distractions don¡¯t they?¡± Zhang said with a laugh as he appeared behind Nai Fan in a flash, slashing downward with the Rising Moon Sword and Mirage Viper Sword.

    ¡°In terms of speed you''re still too lacking to think that you can pull off such a move on me.¡± Nai Fan laughed as he disappeared in a flash and appeared behind Zhang moments before Zhang¡¯s attack was able to cut into with skin and flesh.

    Although Nai Fan had appeared behind Zhang and his blade was cutting through the air, on route to chopping off Zhang¡¯s head, Zhang actually had a bright smile on his face.

    ¡°Rift¡­¡± Zhang mumbled silently as a tiny slit in space appeared mere centimeters away from his neck.

    Much to Nai Fan¡¯s surprise, once his blade was mere seconds away from cleanly slicing off Zhang¡¯s head, it completely disappeared and a piercing pain could be felt on the side of his stomach.

    ¡°Although it takes quite a bit of essence and mental concentration to maintain these rifts, they sure are handy.¡± Zhang said as he released his technique, causing a section of Nai Fan¡¯s scimitar to be neatly snipped off, causing a fraction of it to fall onto the ground.

    Nai Fan¡¯s scales soon became slick with blood while his expression was that of utter disbelief.

    ¡°What kind of technique was that¡­¡± Nai Fan along with everyone in watching from audience mumbled while the beauties had pleased expressions on their faces.

    Seeing Nai Fan was still in somewhat of a daze, Zhang charged forth and appeared beside his target at lightning speeds.

    ¡°Singularity!¡± Zhang cried as Nai Fan was knocked out of his dazed state brought back to reality.

    Before long, Zhang conjured up five more singularities and was able to box Nai Fan in, much like what he had done to Lord Long Feng.

    Had Nai Fan Ren completely alert then with his speed he would have been able to easily move away before Zhang even managed to get close, however he wasn''t and thus was imprisoned.

    ¡°Regardless of how quick he can move and how strong his physique is; I doubt he can break free of that.¡± Yuying said, with full confidence in Zhang¡¯s ability.

    ¡°Surrender?¡± Zhang asked with a smile as he snapped his fingers and made his cage of gravity slowly move toward the ride of the fiery ring.

    As silence fill the air, and Nai Fan refused to speak, the prison constructed of gravity slowly moved out of the fiery ring and the victim of the free for all match was decided.

    Due to a mix of emotion welling up in their hearts, the majority of the crowd stayed silent and the only cheers audible were from the beauties and the lesser saints who had offered their services to Zhang.

    To the regular people, Zhang was still considered a foreigner and a fearful on at that, while Nai Fan and Xiao Gong, were viewed as their own. One hand there was Zhang who although was not a sea dweller, could relate to the majority of the commoners in the Blood Coral Cove.  While on the other end there was Nai Fan and Xiao Gong who were sea dwellers who have inherited traits, which of course puts them on the top of the totem pole in the sea, in terms of respect and prestige.

    Torn between the new that had stormed into their lives and the old that had been ingrained upon them through countless generations, the majority of the people of the Blood Coral Cove did not know whether to be happy or be sad at the outcome of the battle.

    ¡°I hereby declare that although the Blood Coral Cove will still be under my rule, I will establish a council consisting of those elected by the people to help me govern and rule. As someone that has only made his first steps into a new world, I will be needing lots of advising and help. So I humbly ask for Lord Nai Fan and Lord Xiao Gong to be a part of the council.¡± Zhang said with a smile.

    Like usual, Zhang¡¯s plans often spiraled out of control but like always regardless of what happened, he would figure out some way to gain an advantage. In this case, once an opportunity to help gear the will of the people presented itself, Zhang was quick to take it. Before he had been a ruler only in name and had little support from the people, however now that he was going to establish a council of sea dwellers to act as advisors, it would be certain that his imagine would improve.

    Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

    ¡°Three cheers for our new lord!¡± Chu Shou said as the soldiers of the Blood Scale Army who were ordered to remain silent began to applaud and cheer.

    Like a wise man once said, most people wish to be a part of the whole, sheep who follow the flock, and would believe and do anything to belong to the whole.

    So once the Blood Scale Army cheered, the previously silent civilians soon joined in.

    While endless cheers reverberated throughout the city, Nai Fan, Xiao Gong and their disciples and followers could be seen making their way back toward the fiery ring where Zhang was still standing.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go¡­¡± Ling motioned to the other beauties as she noticed the group of people moving closer to Zhang.

    In a heartbeat, the beauties and all of Zhang¡¯s lesser saint subordinates gathered and assembled behind him as Nai Fan and Xiao Gong¡¯s group stood not too far away.

    As the two groups stood in silence, the jubilant audience that had been cheering nonstop was soon also shrouded in a veil of silence once more.

    ¡°I accept your invitation to join the governing council.¡± Xiao Gong said while performing a slight bow with clasped hands, dispelling the eerie silent atmosphere that had just reemerged.

    Soon afterward Nai Fan, like Xiao Gong, joined Zhang¡¯s advisory council while also swearing his allegiance to Zhang.

    Thus all of the major force in the Blood Coral Cove fell under Zhang¡¯s control and preparations for when the forces of the Starry Sea Sect¡¯s arrival began. Without having to worry about inner struggles within the cove, Zhang could now focus all of his attention on preparing a proper defensive and offensive plan.

    Although he still didn¡¯t know how powerful the enemy¡¯s forces would be, at least Zhang now knew what he had at his disposal in terms of manpower and subordinates.

    After the free for all battle concluded, and Zhang¡¯s dominance was instilled, a calm peace enveloped the Blood Coral Cove.

    But of course like in most instances, peace would be but a fleeting moment.

    However, the people of the cover were nonetheless grateful that no internal struggles occurred and the cove was free of strife.

    Once the people had witnessed the abilities of those who took part in the free for all battle, their worries about the assault force sent by the Starry Sea Sect was also somewhat quelled also.

    It was obvious that if Zhang and all of the experts in the territory of the Blood Coral Cove combined their efforts they would become a force to be reckoned with.

    ==============================

    ¡°Brother, look at this! What a weird looking thing.¡± Ai said as she bent over to examine an odd looking creature that was being sold at a fish stall.

    ¡°That''s a blobfish, silly girl.¡± Yuying said as she arrived beside Ai.

    ¡°Wait a second, how did you know that was a blobfish? You''ve been to the sea as many times as she has.¡± Zhang said in a teasing tone and with a chuckle.

    ¡°I''ll have you know, I read up on all of the local fish that live in the waters around the cove.¡± Yuying replied in a proud voice with a silly grin on her face.

    Since the forces of the Starry Sea Sect were still about a day¡¯s travel away, Zhang and the beauties decided to roam about and explore the Blood Coral Cove in an attempt to kill time.

    With all of the necessary preparations ready and a large force of fighters assembled, there wasn''t much left for them to do.

    So for the majority of the day, Zhang and the beauties visited various tourist attractions, restaurants and the homes of the influential people living in the Blood Coral Cove.

    ================================

    While the people of the Blood Coral Cove, with Zhang and the beauties included, were cozy and tucked under their sheets, up above the sea where moon¡¯s rays were shining down from above and the twisting waves continued to move back and forth, countless silhouettes were visible.

    As the moon and stars were reflected off the water¡¯s surface, a frenzy of activity was occurring.

    From the dark depths of the sea, many miles away from the Blood Coral Cove, countless dots of light could be seen ascending to the water¡¯s surface.

    In an otherworldly display of beauty hundreds of thousands of massive glowing jellyfish seen rose to the surface.

    Like the twinkling stars, these jellyfish illuminated the dark waves in the dead of night.

    Atop the waves and atop the massive jellyfish, thousands of human shaped silhouettes stood motionless as the moon continued to shower down its light from above.

    ¡°How much longer until we arrive at our destination.¡± Voice belonging to a young man could as the sound of the shifting tides could be heard in the background.

    ¡°Holy Son Shan Li, we will arrive at the Blood Coral Cove in roughly a day¡¯s time.¡± A voice belonging to a middle-aged man could be heard quickly replying.

    ¡°What about our supposed allies?¡± Holy Son Shan Li¡¯s voice could be heard once more.

    ¡°The forces of the Golden Pearl Sect should be on their way as well and are more than likely to arrive shortly after we do. I believe they''ve also sent Holy Son Hui Ying.¡± The voice belonging to a middle-aged man replied.

    ¡°Hui Ying¡­ That bastard will be there? Knowing him it would be best us to not engage the forces of the Blood Coral Cove right away. If anything he would come at the very end and attack us after we finish off the Blood Coral Cove¡­ I''m sure he will try to snatch the Ascending Beauty painting from us also. I will not fail my trial by fire because of that bastard...¡± Holy Son Shan Li said in an unhappy tone.

    ¡°As you say Holy Son, it would be best for us to set up an encirclement and hold off on attacking until they arrive. Although the sect master told us that we have nothing to worry and they will fully cooperate with us but I still believe we should act with caution.¡± The voice belonging to a middle-aged man said.

    ¡°Have the Behemoth Jellies deploy an electrical field upon arrival. Besides the fact that those bastards from the Golden Pearl Sect can''t be trusted, we''ve received conflicting reports from our spies in the Blood Coral Cove. Without an accurate gauge of their forces, it would only cause us unnecessary casualties.¡± Holy Son Shan Li said.

    ¡°I''ll also have our people stay on the lookout for the piece of the Ascending Beauty painting, we can''t possibly allow that to fall into anyone else¡¯s hand.¡±

    ¡°Alright let''s find an island and allow the disciples and elders to rest for the up for the last leg of the trip.¡± Holy Son Shan Li said as the jellyfish underneath his feet began to sink back under the waves.

 Chapter 200: Heavenly Net

    CHAPTER 200!!!!!!!!!! WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO Took nearly a year? October will be a year but wow 200 chapters lol.

    Thank you guys for reading and sticking with me thus far :)

    <iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

    =================================================================================

    In the early hours of what could be called the beginning of the day in the dark depths of the sea, when the blood red colored coral that made up the Blood Coral Cove began to shimmer and glow, a frenzy of activity could be seen.

    Civilians who lived in the cove and those who resided in its outskirts had all congregated and were busy making their way into the Blood Coral Castle, while soldiers and those of able body were now clad in armor and equipped with weapons.

    With traces of fear and anxiety on their faces, the civilians of the cove marched forward with their belongings in hand and their families by their side. Helplessly the common folk could only pray that the flames of war do not flood into the city and engulf them in agony and despair.

    ¡°Everyone please stay in calm and orderly lines! The enemy has been sighted roughly a hundred miles away from the cove and will arrive here in roughly a quarter of a day¡¯s time. But everything will be alright. Remember it''s highly unlikely the enemy will even make it past the ten layered Separation Barrier, so there''s nothing to fear and all of this is just a precaution!¡± Chu Shou could be seen directing the people of the Blood Coral Cove, alongside the soldiers of the Blood Scale Army.

    ¡°We¡¯ll make sure to make them run home with their tails between their legs!¡± Zhang¡¯s voice could be heard as it rang in everyone''s ears, echoing throughout the city, from the tallest tower in the Blood Coral Castle.

    ¡°Have confidence and we shall overcome all obstacles and a brighter future will be born. After my lord engages the enemy in battle, not only will we defeat them but we shall also make them pay! This is not the first time they''ve attacked us but surely it will be the last!!!¡± Yuying¡¯s confident voice soon followed Zhang¡¯s.

    Upon hearing Chu Shou¡¯s, Zhang¡¯s and most importantly Yuying¡¯s words, the feeling of fear was steadily replaced by a sense of security and the looks of despair gradually changed, becoming full of confidence.

    ¡°Brother, shouldn''t we go beat up those guys before they get here?¡± Ai asked as her head rested on Zhang''s lap while her body was draped in beautiful white colored scale armor.

    ¡°No need, I''ve already sent Hai Xing and Nai Fan to begin the first stages of our offensive plan. Also since we don''t know the full extent of their forces I wouldn''t dare risk putting my lovely wives in danger.¡± Zhang replied as his hand gently stroked Ai¡¯s silky hair.

    ¡°If you say so¡­¡± Ai replied while sticking out her tongue as Zhang and while the other beauties who were sitting nearby chuckled.

    ¡°Hmph, you better keep yourself out of danger also then, darling.¡± Lingqi said while sticking her tongue out at Zhang like Ai had done.

    ¡°It''s only fair that we don''t have to worry about you also.¡± Ling said in a stern voice as she wrapped her arms around Zhang¡¯s neck and rested her chin atop his head.

    With the words of the beauties tugging on his heartstrings, Zhang could only smile and laugh while feeling a bit remorseful for making them worry about him.

    But of course there is always danger lurking in the shadows and the best way to protect oneself, one¡¯s loved ones and one¡¯s way of life is to climb to the top and hold absolute power.

    Only once one made it to the pinnacle of power could a cultivator live a worry free life.

    While Zhang and the beauties stayed in each other''s company and the people of the Blood Coral Cove continued to flock into the Blood Coral Castle, the forces of the Starry Sea Sect slowly drew nearer and nearer.

    As the Starry Sea Sect and their swarm of jellyfish made their way toward the Blood Coral Cove, death followed suite.

    Be it intentional or not, anything that were ever so slightly touched by long tentacles of the massive jellyfish quickly met their end.

    Thus as the thousands upon thousands of jellyfish crossed the ocean, the remains of countless fish and sea creatures drifted to the surface. As beautiful and mysterious as they appeared, the Starry Sea Sect¡¯s mounts were extremely deadly.

    Leading this swarm was a nearly transparent jellyfish that was nearly three times larger than the rest and atop of it sat a young man who appeared to be no older than twenty years of age who extruded and air of arrogance and pride, beside him was an older middle aged gentleman who possessed dignified features.

    ¡°Holy Son Shan Li, our scouts have reported that the Blood Coral Cove is only but a few miles ahead.¡± The middle-aged man said politely to the young man sitting not too far in front of him.

    ¡°What of the forces of the Golden Pearl Sect? Have we received any reports regarding their location?¡± Holy Son Shan Li said as his gaze continued to focus on the scenery and landscape in front of him.

    ¡°We¡¯ve yet to receive any reports of their location and our emissaries whom we left in their care haven''t been answering their communication jades either. But we know for certain they are still alive because their jade slips are still intact.¡± The middle-aged man said as he held up a pair of thin jade slips with names engraved onto them.

    ¡°Hmph, keep a close eye on the emissaries they sent to accompany us¡­ If they appear to be up to something, then get rid of them.¡± Holy Son Shan Li said in an unhappy tone.

    ¡°Prepare a blank jade slip for me and a messenger also. Depending on that bastard Hui Ying¡¯s actions we may have to change our plans. But first, we have to test.¡± Shan Li said as a dozen different scenarios played out in his mind.

    ¡°You couldn''t possibly mean¡­ Wouldn''t Sect Master Shan Jiang be angry if we do that?¡± The middle-aged man said.

    ¡°Uncle Lu, as long we I give a proper explanation and our sect doesn''t suffer any losses but receives many gains then father won''t be angry at all. Also, I only said that we could possibly do that, nothing is set in stone yet.¡± Holy Son Shan Li said as the gigantic mountain that covered the Blood Coral Cove with hidden in came into sight from afar.

    ¡°Full speed ahead! Make preparations for the Heavenly Net to be deployed as soon as we are within range.¡± Holy Son Shan Li commanded, prompting the swarm Behemoth Jellyfish to hasten their speed and propel themselves through the water, using their tentacles as propellers.

    Like speeding arrows, the hundreds of thousands of jellyfish jetted through the water at unbelievable speeds before splintering off in all directions.

    In a flash and with utmost coordination, all of the Behemoth Jellyfish interlocked their long tentacles with each other and this formed a massive net that stretched dozens of miles and encasing the entire Blood Coral Cove within it.

    Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.

    ¡°Prepare to activate the Heavenly Net!¡± Holy Son Shan Li roared as he could be seen still standing atop his jellyfish that is now located exactly at the center top of the dome-shaped net.

    Following Holy Son Shan Li¡¯s command, the countless thousands of rider that had dismounted their jellyfish mere moments ago began chanting in unison while pressing their hands against their mounts and channeling their essence into them.

    As more and more essence was channeled into the Behemoth Jellyfish and the inaudible chanting of the riders continued, mysterious patterns began appearing on the bodies of both the riders and the jellyfish.

    Before long, the bodies of jellyfish and their riders became wrapped in electricity, which in electrocuted all of the fish that happened to find themselves swimming near the living net.

    ¡°Now that the Heavenly Net has been casted if you could please set up a minor separation barrier, so that we don¡¯t have to resurface for air.¡± Holy Son Shan Li said.

    ¡°As you wish¡± The middle-aged man that was referred to as Uncle Lu said respectfully as he stood not too far from Shan Li.

    Although the sea dwellers could breathe underwater for quite some time, they would eventually have to surface so by creating a separation field and filling it with air, the forces of the Starry Sea Sect wouldn¡¯t have to swim to the surface.

    ¡°Also no one is to activate the net¡¯s secondary power, under any circumstance, unless I give the command.¡± Holy Son Shan Li said.

    ¡°Of course, the Heavenly Lightning can only be used a set number of times before the net is dispelled, so using it needlessly would be a waste. It would also be very taxing on our disciples and could do more harm than good.¡± Uncle Lu said before hopping off Holy Son Shan Li¡¯s jellyfish and landing atop the sea floor.

    After landing on the ground, Uncle Lu retrieved a transparent sphere from his interspatial ring that looked similar to the sphere Zhang had used to travel to the Blood Coral Cove.

    ¡°Activate!¡± Uncle Lu said as he objected a large amount of essence into the transparent sphere. Moments later the transparent sphere began to glow and release pulses of essence into the water. As the pulses of essence were continually generated, the seawater was slowly pushed away and a bubble was thus created.

    ¡°Air...¡± Uncle Lu added as the transparent sphere in his hand continued to glow and the bubble it created continued to expand and push away the seawater. Since enough space to house hundreds of thousands of people were needed, it took quite some time and essence from Uncle Lu before the bubble ceased growing.

    Once the separation field was complete the disciples of the Starry Sea Sect began moving in and setting up their camp. Soon enough tents, campfires, cooking stoves, and a variety of other essentials were brought out from interspatial rings and were deployed with due haste and perhaps it was due to how hurriedly everything was done did the people of the Starry Sea Sect fail to spot the prying eyes of a certain group of people who were observing.

    Within one of the many caves that littered the massive mountain that the Blood Coral Cove was hidden in, Zhang and the beauties along with a hand full of lesser saints had silently watched the forces of the Starry Sea Sect.

    ¡°My lord, please give us the order to attack. As long as we focus our attacks then we can break out of the encirclement and slaughter them with ease.¡± A lesser saint said in a respectful tone to Zhang while his hands were clasped.

    ¡°Brother, after this I to keep one of those as a pet. They look so squishy.¡± Ai said in a soft voice to Zhang as they both stared at the net of jellyfish covering the Blood Coral Cove.

    ¡°Sure.¡± Zhang replied with a chuckle, somewhat ignoring the lesser saint that had spoken to him.

    ¡°We will attack when the time is right, there is no need to be in a hurry. When it comes to large scale battles like this, my sweetheart is very knowledgeable.¡± Yuying said before the lesser saint who had been ignored was able to speak again.

    True to Yuying¡¯s words, compared to most high cultivators, such as saints, Zhang was extremely well-versed in large scale battles, having acted as the commander of a standing army where tactics and strategy played a much larger role than brute force.

    Since most cultivators rarely engaged in large scale battles and focused most of their time furthering their cultivation while only ever battling in small sized skirmishes, to them, using strategies and tactics in battle was a foreign matter, since most battles amongst large groups of high cultivators mostly ended resulting in large brawls, where strategy and tactics played minor roles.

    In such battles, the side with the strongest cultivator or the most cultivators would obviously win. While in battles that occurred between regular armies, tactics, strategies and morale played a huge role, allowing small armies to devastate enemies that doubled or maybe even triple their numbers. Thus thanks to his experience leading the armies of Aurora, Zhang was extremely well versed in utilizing strategies and tactics in battle.

    ¡°We won¡¯t act until we receive word from Hai Xing and Nai Fan or unless the enemy attacks us first. If we charge out like idiots and overestimate ourselves there are only two possible outcomes, we either achieve a victory while suffering heavy casualties or suffer utter defeat.¡± Zhang said in a calm demeanor while his piercing gaze looked past the net of jellyfish and toward the camp of the Starry Sea Sect.

    Surprisingly enough as Zhang continued to gaze at the enemy camp, more so importantly at the holy son of the Starry Sea Sect, Shan Li, Holy Son Shan Li could be seen gazing right back at him, both men with smiles plastered on their faces.

    Like two beasts of prey, Zhang, and Holy Son Shan Li eyed each other for a fraction of a second before their gazes shifted elsewhere.

    ¡°It seems things will be interesting. It appears a worthy opponent might have appeared.¡± Zhang and Holy Son Shan Li both said simultaneously to themselves.

    ¡°What will be interesting? Who?¡± Ai asked curiously as she poked her husband¡¯s cheek playfully.

    ¡°You¡¯ll see soon enough¡­ Let¡¯s head back and wait for news from Hai Xing and Nai Fan. Then the fun will begin.¡± Zhang said with a laugh as he stood up from the rock he was sitting atop of and proceeded to walk into the cave that led back into the Blood Coral Cove while gesturing for his wives and subordinates to follow.

    ¡°If you say so, brother.¡± Ai said as she pushed herself up from the rock she was sitting on and made her way to Zhang¡¯s side, like the other beauties.

    Of course, Zhang¡¯s new subordinates were still rather anxious but there wasn¡¯t much else they could do so they too silently got up from their seats and followed behind their new master and his madams.

 Chapter 201: Awe Stricken

    At the darkest hour of the night, under the shining rays of the moon and the sea of stars looming up above and while the howling wind raced above the shifting waves, an ingenious plot was currently underway.

    Upon a tiny island that could only be referred to as a speck when looking at a map of the Eastern Sea, dozens of silhouettes could be seen standing within the shadows, before the silhouettes were four massive pillars that had countless runes and carvings etched into them.

    ¡°Is everything ready on the other side?¡± A familiar voice belonging to a man with a large blade resting on his shoulders asked in an impatient tone.

    ¡°Hmph, just our lord had said at the start of the mission, you''re so impatient¡­ Lord Nai Fan just like our lord had mentioned, I believe you should work on being more patient.¡± The voice belonging to a woman could be heard.

    ¡°Hai Xing, just because you''re officially the third in command of the cove doesn¡¯t mean you can speak to me in such a haughty way¡­ If I wanted to I could squeeze the life out of you with little effort¡­¡± Nai Fan grumbled in a low and angry tone.

    ¡°If you did that then not only would you disappoint our lord but the people of the cove would be outraged. Also after this upcoming battle, I should have enough heavenly energy to become a full saint also.¡± Hai Xing replied calmly without the slightest hint of fear in her tone.

    ¡°Now that the pillars are set in place and our progress has been reported back, all we have to do is wait for our forces to mobilize, they should be here any minute now. So no need to grumble...¡±  Hai Xing added as her eyes scanned the four pillars that had been erected not too long ago, just as she was about to look away the runes and carvings on the four pillars began to light up one by one.

    Before long, after all of the runes on the four pillars were completely lit, four beams of light shot out from the tops of the pillars toward the ground into a still pool of water.

    ¡°See? They¡¯re here.¡± Hai Xing said with a laugh as the point where the four intersecting beams met began to widen and expand. In no time at all, the pool of water whose outer ring touched each of the four pillars began to glow and release a mystifying blue ray of light into the night sky.

    As the still pool of water was engulfed in radiating light, the scenery reflected on its surface began to change and the moon and stars that were previously visible were no more. Rather is now revealed the vision of a place that could not be found anyone on the speck of an island or the skies above it, it now reflected the scenery of a place located in the deep depths of the sea called the Blood Coral Cove.

    Seconds soon turned into minutes as Hai Xing and Nai Fan, along with the owners of the dozen or so silhouettes that accompanied them stood watching motionlessly watching the mirror on the ground as its surface began to ripple and fluctuate.

    As the surface of the pond like ring continued to ripple, a delicate looking hand suddenly rose up and gripped onto the ground on the other side of the edge of the pool. In the moments that followed, an astoundingly beautiful young woman slowly pulled herself up and onto the ground.

    ¡°Madams.¡± Hai Xing said as she slightly bowed once the beautiful young woman rose to her feet while three other beautiful young women were making their way out of the pool of water.

    ¡°Sis, hurry up and let¡¯s get going.¡± The first beauty to make her way out of the pond said in an anxious tone to another beauty who possessed long crimson hair.

    ¡°Ai, hold your horses, we still have to wait for the soldiers to cross.¡± Yuying said with a laugh.

    ¡°We also have to dry our clothes first; I hate how crossing through these makeshift teleportation platforms makes our clothes soaking wet.¡± Lingqi said as she could be seen fiddling with her soaking wet garments.

    ¡°Here I¡¯ll give you all a hand.¡± Ling said with a laugh as she waved her hand and made countless droplets of water levitate into the air and gather into a large orb.

    ¡°If only darling was here, he would have been in for quite the show.¡± Lingqi said with a chuckle, prompting the other beauties to break out into laughter that was soon to be silenced out by the sound of countless individuals surfacing and making their way out of the pond that the beauties had come out of moments ago.

    One by one, countless soldiers clad in red scale armor and unique individuals who were all lesser saints or their disciples made their way onto the island through the teleportation panel, before assembling in neat and tidy rows.

    Back down in the depths of the sea within the Heavenly Net constructed of thousands upon thousands of jellyfish, Zhang could be seen making his way through the water as many thousands of gigantic flying fish and their mounted riders followed closely behind him, with weapons ready and fierce expressions on their face.

    ¡°Everyone! Follow closely behind me and don¡¯t fall behind!¡± Zhang¡¯s voice rang into the minds of the soldiers a part of the Flying Fish Legion as they charged toward the Heavenly Net.

    With the Rising Moon Sword in hand, Zhang increased his speed exponentially as he and his soldiers neared the electrical net of jellyfish.

    Of course, Zhang and his men did not go unnoticed as Holy Son Shan Li could be seen watching them from the other side of the Heavenly Net with a cold demeanor plastered on his face.

    Without uttering a single word, Holy Son Shan Li lifted his hand and released a thin ray of essence from his fingertips and within a flicker of a moment, the ray of essence shot into one of the thousands of jellyfish that construct the net.

    ¡°Shan Li, the holy son of the Starry Sea Sect, sends greetings to the new lord and perhaps the last lord of the Blood Coral Cove.¡± Holy Son Shan Li said as his voice was transmitted directly into Zhang¡¯s head their divine sense.

    ¡°Zhou Zhang, the new lord of the Blood Coral Cove, greets Holy Son Shan Li.¡± Zhang said with a laugh as he replied to Shan Li through his divine sense while directing the tip of his sword toward one of the Behemoth Jellyfish.

    ¡°My father asked me to personally deliver this gift to you.¡± Holy Son Shan Li replied as the pulsing electricity on the bodies of the thousands of jellyfish began to concentrate and a massive lightning bolt was soon shot through the water, toward Zhang and his soldiers.

    Answering Holy Son Shan Li¡¯s attack, Zhang unleashed a massive bolt of red lightning from the tip of his fingers, which pierced through the water at blinding speeds. In a flash, the two lightning bolts collided with one another, however, how could an attack by a single person without preparation compare to one that was fueled by the power of Holy Son Shan Li and the hundreds of thousands of Behemoth working alongside him.

    Thus the moment the two lightning bolts collided, Zhang¡¯s was swallowed up while Shan Li¡¯s continued to shoot through the waves.

    ¡°I should have figured¡­¡± Zhang thought reached his hand into his robes and pulled out the Dragon Heart Necklace and used a bit of his essence to send it propelling through the water.

    This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

    At first Holy Son Shan Li¡¯s expression was utterly void of excitement and his eyes were filled with boredom after Zhang¡¯s lightning bolt was swallowed up, however, the following few moments would be forever engraved into his heart as one of the most unbelievable events that he had ever witnessed.

    The almighty Heavenly Lightning bolt, powered by hundreds of thousands of Behemoth Jellyfish who are level seven or eight demonic beasts, an attack so powerful that it could wipe out a large group of lesser saints or heavily injuring a small group of full saints without leaving a single trace of their existence, upon touching the Dragon Heart Necklace, disappeared in the dullest of manners.

    There wasn¡¯t an explosion, nor was there a blinding flash or awe inspiring sight to behold, the Dragon Heart Necklace simply absorbed the Heavenly Lightning attack and added it to the massive store of essence that Zhang had been accumulating.

    ¡°I guess it worked.¡± Zhang thought as he arrived beside the Dragon Heart Necklace and grabbed onto to it before returning it to its rightful place within his robes.

    Completely awestricken, Holy Son Shan Li stared at Zhang with wide eyes belonging to a person who could simply not bring themselves to believing what they had just witnessed. In all of his time within the Starry Sea Sect, Holy Son Shan Li had been told time and time again, that even the experts of the Dragon God Palace would find themselves unable to stop the Heavenly Lightning attack without suffering heavy damage.

    However, without suffering even the slightest hint of a setback, without even having his garments slightly ruined or even the tips of his hair partially singed, Zhang was able to stop the Heavenly Lightning attack.

    It was not until Zhang had made his way directly in front of the net and materialized a dozen swords out of thin air through the use of the Underworld Heart, did Holy Son Shan Li finally snap back to his senses, but by then it was too late.

    With a motion of his wrist, directed the dozen or so swords he had materialized to plunged into a Behemoth Jellyfish fish. Once embedded into the swords were bodies of the jellyfish, they began to spin and drill deeper and deeper until twelve large holes were left behind.

    ¡°Repel!¡± Zhang yelled in his mind as a black speck was formed by the Rising Moon Sword within one of the gaping holes left in the Behemoth Jellyfish and soon enough a powerful repulsion began to act, ripping the jellyfish apart while pushing away its counterparts, opening a hole in the Heavenly Net.

    Despite taking some time to describe, the time it took Zhang to stop the Heavenly a lightning attack and the time it took him to punch a hole in the Heavenly Net, took but a minute or two.

    With a sizable entrance opened within the Heavenly Net, Zhang made his way through, with his army of Flying Fish Riders in tow.

    ¡°A miscalculation¡­ It was just a miscalculation¡­ He must have had some kind of one-time use treasure. I¡¯m sure of it! This is only the beginning! Rather than being a setback, this may help me further my plans¡­¡± Holy Son Shan Li thought as he tried to straighten his thoughts and rationalize what had just happened.

    ¡°Reset form the Heavenly Net! Prepare to engage the enemy while limiting our casualties as much as possible! The Golden Pearl Sect have yet to arrive and join the fray so we cannot over extend ourselves!¡± Holy Son Shan Li commanded while transmitting his thoughts into the minds of his subordinates.

    Due to his cautious nature, despite being told that the Golden Pearl Sect would fully cooperate with him upon their arrival, Holy Son Shan Li could not bring himself to not plan for any treachery that could occur once they arrive.

    Failing his trial by fire would certainly cause him setbacks, however, the thought of foolishly mustering all of the forces available to him and fighting with Zhang¡¯s forces to the death while giving his all, only to possibly have the people of the Golden Pearl Sect benefit made Holy Son Shan Li¡¯s insides boil.

    ¡°If it¡¯s that bastard, Hui Ying, I¡¯m certain he will try to pull some tricks¡­¡± Holy Son Shan Li thought as lightning began to form and wrap around his arms.

    After dozens of conflicts with the Golden Pearl Sect, Holy Son Shan Li knew how crafty Holy Son Hui Ying was and was certain that even if their two sects had formally set a pact and combined their efforts to rid themselves of the Blood Coral Cove, his counterpart, Holy Son Hui Ying definitely could not be trusted.

    ¡°I have to get a good gauge of this man¡¯s personality before I try to plan any more moves.¡± Holy Son Shan Li thought as he sped through the water to engage Zhang with his army of disciples following behind him.

    As the two forces charged at each other at full speed, Holy Son Shan Li withdrew a silver whistle from his interspatial ring and brought it to his lips. An instant an inaudible high pitch sound was released from the whistle, and an instant after that, the thousands of Jellyfish who formed the Heavenly Net retracted from one another and began to swarm.

    Using his silver whistle to command the swarm of Behemoth Jellyfish, Holy Son Shan Li directed them to charge at Zhang and the soldiers of the Blood Scale Army.

    Soon enough Zhang and his men found themselves sandwiched in between an army of disciples of the Starry Sea Sect from the front and the swarm of Behemoth Jellyfish from the rear.

    ¡°Two of us can play that game.¡± Zhang thought as he withdrew a jade slip from his interspatial ring and crumbled it to bits before a massive brawl broke out between the two sides.

    Although Zhang¡¯s Flying Fish Legion normally held the advantage thanks to their speed, they found themselves in a terrible situation due to the long and poisonous arms of the jellyfish. If they simply swam blindly then they risk the chance of being tangled in the legs of the jellyfish.

    Merely touching any of the jellyfish would be able to render Zhang¡¯s soldiers incapacitated and at the mercy of their enemies, furthermore, if the duration was long enough they could find themselves paying a one-way trip to the Yama, thus Zhang¡¯s soldiers had to be extremely cautious when fighting.

    ===============================================================================

    If you liked this story then please rate it. Just click this link</a>, scroll down, click the stars, and then hit submit. You don''t need to type anything and every single vote really helps!

    COMMENT AND I WILL DEDICATE NEXT CHAPTER TO YOU!!!!!!!!!

    My Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/iendworlds</a> (If anyone wants to sponsor)

    My Chat: iendworlds.chatango.com ( If anyone wants to talk)

 Chapter 202: Fear

    ¡°Let''s begin! Ready the nets! Lingqi is everything ready on your side?¡± Yuying spoke in a loud voice as the jade slip in her hand crumbled to bits.

    ¡°The muscle relaxant is ready, I made sure to decrease its potency so it doesn''t do too much harm to our people.¡± Lingqi said with a smile as she stood beside dozens of large clay pots.

    ¡°You''re also sure it won''t linger in the water after our uses for it are done?¡± Ling asked.

    ¡°It should disperse after a few hours, depending on how strong the water currents are. It shouldn''t be too bad.¡± Lingqi replied as her hand patted one of the clay pots brimming with poison.

    ¡°Alright let''s go! I can''t wait to go catch myself one of those squishy looking jellyfish!¡± Ai said excitedly with twinkling eyes.

    ¡°Yea let¡¯s go!¡± Nai Fan said with a face equally filled with excitement as Ai¡¯s.

    ¡°I''ll race you there!¡± Ai said as she took a deep breath a dove into the ocean, where a transparent orb tucked in her robes began to glow and a nearly invisible air bubble was formed around her body.

    ¡°Race me?¡± Nai Fan laughed as he dove into the waters after Ai.

    Surprisingly enough once Nai Fan was in the water, Ai was nowhere in sight and before he could catch sight of her, the other beauties and the soldiers of the Blood Scale Army also dove into the water.

    Riding atop their massive Mantis Shrimp mounts, the soldiers of the Blood Scale Army hoisted large nets behind them as they descended into the depths.

    While the beauties and the Mantis Shrimp Legion made descended, the battle between the Flying Fish Legion and the forces of the Starry Sea Sect had come to a standstill.

    Although the Behemoth Jellyfish had held a clear advantage at the beginning of the battle, they could not properly use it before the Flying Fish Legion took up defensive formations.

    Speeding through the water in a spiraling motion while spray jets of water out of their mouths while swimming in a large group, the Flying Fish Legion was able to create an underwater typhoon.

    Thanks to this typhoon, none of the Behemoth Jellyfish nor their riders were willing to move in and engage in battle.

    Despite knowing for certain that they could easily cause severe damage to the Flying Fish Legion and dispel the typhoon, no one was willing to do is because it was without a doubt that whoever was brave enough to charge in first would be sent on a quick trip to hell.

    Thus no one was willing to sacrifice themselves so a stand still between the two armies ensued. Of course, Zhang and Holy Son Shan Li were not a part of this standstill and could be seen locked in a breathtaking battle.

    Worthy of being the Holy Son of a sect that ruled over a vast expanse of the Western Sea, Shan Li had a wide variety of skills and treasures at his disposal. Although his treasures couldn''t compare to Zhang¡¯s, in terms of skills and technique Holy Son Shan Li was somewhat superior, allowing him to avoid being one-sidedly bullied by Zhang.

    ¡°Lord Zhou Zhang, if you submit and have over the piece of the Ascending Beauty then I will be on my merry way.¡± Holy Son Shan Li said to Zhang through his divine sense.

    ¡°What are you talking about? I originally come from the Wulin continent and don''t have a clue of what you¡¯re talking about. I can''t possibly hand over something I do not have.¡± Zhang replied, will feigning ignorance.

    ¡°I advise you to not try to fool me since doing so would only draw out our conflict and would only result in a third party benefiting.¡± Holy Son Shan Li said.

    ¡°A third party?¡± Zhang asked with a hint of confusion in his tone.

    ¡°Yea, the forces of the Golden Pearl Sect are currently on their way here and I''ll have you know their Holy Son Hui Ying is a traitorous bastard who will wait until the last minute and swoop in for all of the benefits.¡± Holy Son Shan Li said.

    ¡°I take it you aren''t too fond of that fellow.¡± Zhang said with a laugh as he slashed at Holy Son Shan Li with the Rising Moon Sword. While using the Rising Moon Sword as a distraction, Zhang withdrew a short sword from his interspatial and stabbed forward, managing to leave a long superficial gash on Holy Son Shan Li¡¯s arm.

    ¡°Regardless if there is another incoming force or not, I simply have to finish you off and then deal with them.¡± Zhang said as he caught sight of Ai who was shooting through the water like a speeding arrow.

    ¡°I''m here!¡± Ai¡¯s cheerful voice echoed into Zhang¡¯s mind as a massive black colored vine whipped through the water. This vine, of course, was the Black Thorn Whip made of the Queen of the Night demon flower.

    As the thorny black colored whip lashed through the water, the disciples of the Starry Sea Sect in its path began to flee with terrified expressions on their faces.

    As if fighting possibly to the death wasn''t frightening enough, the thought of possibly getting crushed by Ai¡¯s whip only helped to ramp up the amount of stress they were currently experiencing.

    Luckily for the soldiers of the Flying Fish Legion, they had broken off from the enemy or else they too would have been in the path of Ai¡¯s attack.

    ¡°Thankfully that thing is somewhat slow.¡± A few of the disciples of the Starry Sea Sect thought. However, they soon retracted their words, once the Black Thorn Whip actually split apart into three.

    With gleaming eyes, Ai began to exert her otherworldly strength and rotated her wrist that was gripping onto the Black Thorn Whip. In a flash Ai¡¯s whip turned into an underwater typhoon, causing the disciples of the Starry Sea Sect to be spun around and around.

    ¡°Uncle Lu! Stop her!¡± Holy Son Shan Li said through his divine sense, upon seeing what was happening to some of his subordinates.

    ¡°Right away.¡± Uncle Lu who had been observing Zhang and Shan Li¡¯s battle, replied as he sped toward Ai.

    Seeing Uncle Lu aiming to attack Ai, Zhang tried to intervene but was blocked by a curtain of lightning conjured by Holy Son Shan Li.

    Despite biting his tongue and charging straight into the curtain of lightning, Zhang simply ended up injuring himself and was unable to arrive by Ai¡¯s side before Uncle Lu did.

    ¡°Triple Barb Strike!¡± Uncle Lu roared as he arrived beside Ai while gripping onto a weird looking trident in his hand and brimming with killing intent.

    ¡°Get out of my way!¡± Zhang roared as two balls of black fire ignited beside him and shot at Holy Son Shan Li, who continued to try to hinder Zhang¡¯s movements by conjuring up curtains of lightning.

    However, as once as he was able to sense the frightening nature of Zhang¡¯s Soul Devouring Flames, Holy Son Shan Li ceased his attempts of hindering Zhang and used the utmost of his abilities to evade.

    But of course like in most cases when two experts engage in battle, only a fraction of a second is needed to determine a victor, so even though, Zhang¡¯s black fire was able to frighten off Holy Son Shan Li, it was deemed to be impossible for him to intervene and stop Uncle Lu¡¯s attack in time.

    So while cursing himself and praying nothing happens to his lovely wife, Zhang could only watch as Uncle Lu¡¯s trident pierced through the water and neared Ai¡¯s delicate neck.

    Inch by inch, the barbed trident moved ever closer to Ai¡¯s neck, threatening to pierce through her jade like skin and more than likely end her life. However, when the trident was a fraction of a centimeter away from impaling Ai, a frightening roar reverberated into everyone¡¯s mind causing.

    You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

    ¡°Go Away!¡± Ai¡¯s voice could be heard, ringing into the minds of every friend and foe present, while a darkened expression was visible on her face, an expression which could normally never be seen on Ai¡¯s face.

    Under normal circumstances Uncle Lu, who possessed the powers of a full saint on top of being the descendant of a mythological beast that most people call an Aquatic Qilin, would have already ended Ai¡¯s life and claimed her head as his trophy, but instead upon hearing her voice ringing in his mind while feeling her immense aura, a frightening change occurred throughout his body.

    ¡°What is she¡­¡± Uncle Le thought as he could feel every fiber of his being screaming for him to get as far away as Ai as possible. The ancestral blood that he was so proud of was actually signaling for him to flee from the frail and delicate-looking young woman who stood in front of him, utterly stunning Uncle Lu.

    Perhaps it was because he wasn¡¯t as close as Uncle Lu or because he is her husband, Zhang wasn¡¯t really dazed like everyone else, rather he found the perfect opportunity to come to Ai¡¯s aid, regardless of whether she needed it or not.

    But like his previous attempt, Zhang was not able to arrive by Ai¡¯s side before someone else beat him to it. In a flash, a powerful water current wrapped around Ai¡¯s body and pushed her upward while a massive net pulled by gigantic Mantis Shrimp descended down toward the depths of the sea.

    ¡°Looks like we made it just in time.¡± Lingqi¡¯s said as her voice was transmitted into Zhang¡¯s mind.

    Caught off guard, the forces of the Starry Sea Sect soon found themselves like fish in a barrel as the shadow dozens of massive nets that Zhang had prepared loomed over their heads.

    ¡°Cut the net! Use your swords!¡± Holy Son Shan Li yelled as he commanded his subordinates to draw their weapons. However, all was for naught since the nets were all made entirely of silk that originated from Yuying¡¯s horde of Wraith Spiders.

    So with few options at their disposal, a large number of disciples of the Starry Sea Sect found themselves tangled in the nets and unable to escape. What made things worse for them was soon after the nets descended, a greenish colored goo snaked about in the water and numbed the muscles and weakened everyone it touched.

    In the blink of an eye, the tide of battle which had gone stagnant with neither side claiming superiority was completely overtaken by Zhang¡¯s forces. The previously defensive Flying Fish Legion scattered in all directions with spears and swords in hand, hoping to slay as many enemies as possible.

    ¡°That bastard¡­ To actually think he was able to move half of his army out of the cove without alerting us¡­ Since all of our attention was focused on the enemies in front of us, they were able to swoop in from above without anyone noticing before it was too late¡­¡± Holy Son Shan Li mumbled to himself as he began to piece together Zhang¡¯s ploy. Although he was somewhat unhappy due to being blindsided by Zhang, Holy Son Shan Li couldn¡¯t help but feel a hint of respect for his foe.

    ¡°All forces prepare to retreat!¡± Holy Son Shan Li said to all of his subordinates as he transmitted some commands to his personal Behemoth Jellyfish, who was double the size of all of the other behemoth Jellyfish.

    Upon receiving its master¡¯s command, Holy Son Shan Li¡¯s Behemoth Jellyfish began to link arms with its brethren. Once a dozen or so other jellyfish had gathered, Holy Son Shan Li appeared and pressed his hand onto them.

    ¡°Heavenly Lightning!¡± He roared as a large bolt of lightning as thick as a person shot toward the net that held thousands of his subordinates captive. One after the other, Holy Son Shan Li shot a hole into everyone single net that Zhang had prepared.

    ¡°Retreat!¡± Holy Son Shan Li commanded once the bolt of lightning struck the silk net and burnt a large hole in it, the lightning bolt also turned a few of the disciples of the Starry Sea Sect into char, however, their deaths would allow for thousands of others to escape.

    ¡°You think you can escape on my watch?¡± Zhang¡¯s voice resounded in Holy Son Shan Li¡¯s mind as he could be seen standing beside the beauties while his saint level subordinates were busy engaging the saint level members of the Starry Sea Sect.

    ¡°Besting you in battle in my current condition would be out of the question, however, if I wish to escape I doubt you can stop me! Although I¡¯ve used a bit of my strength to free my subordinates, I still have a few cards to play.¡± Holy Son Shan Li said in a confident tone as he proceeded to move toward his retreating forces.

    True to Shan Li¡¯s words, it was without a doubt that he still had a few hidden techniques and treasures that he had been saving. He had yet to even reveal his true form so obviously, he was still holding back and unwilling to fight Zhang with his all.

    ¡°Brother, it seems we underestimated them quite a bit. I didn¡¯t think they''d be able to break out of the nets so quickly.¡± Yuying said to Zhang as she looked at the torn silk nets that her Wraith Spiders had weaved.

    ¡°I also didn¡¯t expect the jellyfish to be immune to my poison¡­¡± Lingqi added as she watched the Behemoth Jellyfish swooping in and grabbing their riders and swimming away.

    ¡°We also forgot to factor in something else.¡± Zhang said as he looked downward at the seafloor. Like Zhang, Holy Son Shan Li could also be seen gazing toward the seafloor.

    ¡°I knew it¡­ That bastard Hui Ying¡­¡± Holy Son Shan Li cursed as he saw the muddy seafloor began to come to life.

    ¡°All forces! Disengage!¡± Zhang commanded as he saw what appeared to be giant clams rising up from the ground. Before long countless giant clams the size of houses came into view.

    ¡°Shan Li, are you perhaps trying to flee from the battle? To think the holy son of the Starry Sea Sect was no more than a coward. It seems that it¡¯s up to me to finish up this battle.¡± A haughty voice entered Shan Li¡¯s mind, prompting his brows to crease and a scowl to appear on his face.

    =======================================================================

    Chapter Dedicated to these folks who commented: D

    Sapassde

    DementedFlame

    Rickytan

    Treyon

    Roflburn

    RyuZu

    Mjkj

    McLovin

    Devilsadvocate6

    Ailurophobian

    WiraTL

    Xzasard

    MR

    Wethenorth

    DD Drgnblu

    Will dedicate next chapter to whoever comments on this chapter lol

 Chapter 203: Demonic Pearl Array

    As Zhang and Shan Li¡¯s respective forces withdrew and attempted to regroup, the forces of the Golden Pearl Sect came into full view, emerging from the sea floor.

    With beautifully colored shells and their massive size, the countless giant clams captivated everyone on the battlefield. But the most captivating of them all was a clam whose shell was a solid golden color.

    ¡°Shan Li! It''s been a long time since we''ve last met.¡± A voice echoed across the waters as the giant golden shelled clam opened up, revealing a chubby looking young man who was wearing a pair of golden colored pearl earrings, standing within it.

    ¡°Hui Ying! I''d rather fight with my head held high and retreat knowing that I did not have to pull some kind of petty trick to achieve victory, instead of hiding away in the dirt like you!¡± Holy Son Shan Li¡¯s voice brimming with rage reverberated into everyone¡¯s minds, showing the hatred and sustain he held for Holy Son Hui Ying.

    ¡°Laughable! The victor is the who determines what''s written in the history books! Regardless of whether or not I use the dirtiest of means, as long as I am the one to come out on top then everyone else will only be remembered as my stepping stones.¡± Hui Ying said with a laugh as all of the clams beside the clan he was standing in began to open up and thousands upon thousands of people shot out into the water.

    ¡°He must have been here the entire time since the Chimera Maxima Clams that the Golden Pearl Sect uses for battle are known to be extremely slow.¡± Uncle Lu said as he arrived beside Holy Son Shan Li, after managing to overcome the fear that had been instilled in him by Ai.

    ¡°I knew that bastard would be up to something!¡± Shan Li continued to curse as he eyed Hui Ying¡¯s forces while accessing the number of his subordinates under his command who were still able to fight.

    ¡°Shan Li! Let''s put aside our differences for now and combine our forces to put an end to the Blood Coral Cove! My people have already managed to complete the preparations needed to activate the Demonic Pearl Tribulation array, with our combined forces we can obtain victory with ease.¡± Hui Yong said in a confident tone.

    ¡°Dem¡­ Demonic Pearl Tribulation? Work together? You actually have the gall to bring up such a thing? You, who waited until after my subordinates exhausted themselves, to finally crawl out of the hole you¡¯ve been hiding in¡­ Atop of having laid down such a heinous array.¡± Shan Li said to Hui Ying with a face full of scorn as he recalled his master¡¯s teachings in regards to the Golden Pearl Sect¡¯s Demonic Pearl Tribulation array, an array that can drain all of the essence in the atmosphere and a large portion of the essence from the bodies of anyone who is caught within it. But of course that was not the deadliest factor of the Demonic Pearl Tribulation array, it was actually the fact that the people of the Golden Pearl Sect were not affected by the array at all. Meaning while everyone was considerably weaker than normal, the members of the Golden Pearl Sect would be at their full potential.

    ¡°To think he would actually have that array setup without anyone noticing¡­ If we get caught in it then we would be done for¡­ Unless you are willing to use that¡­¡± Uncle Lu said to Shan Li through his divine sense.

    ¡°Shan Li, I¡¯m sure you''re not as petty as to purposely abandon your trial by fire to spite me. If you''re going to leave then I should activate the array and give you a show to watch.¡± Hui Ying said in a taunting manner as a glint could be seen from his eyes while Shan Li glared back at him.

    After seeing the infuriated look on Shan Li¡¯s face, Hui Ying was just about to speak again in order to provoke his counterpart even more, however before he could do so a small curved dagger shot through the water and embedded itself into the clam he was standing atop of.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you two are talking about but I hate to be ignored.¡± Zhang¡¯s voice could be heard in both Shan Li¡¯s and Hui Ying¡¯s minds, seizing their attention that had been focused on each other.

    Once their attention was redirected at Zhang, two entirely different thoughts ran through the minds of the two respective Holy Sons. While Hui Ying glared as Zhang with scorn, Shan Li remembered his initial thoughts before the battle had begun and the jade slip he had prepared to give to Zhang.

    In an instant, Zhang received two entirely different messages sent via divine sense.

    ¡°Hand over the Ascending Beauty Painting and the rest of your valuables or else I won¡¯t leave a single trace of the Blood Coral Cove behind!¡± Hui Ying said in a haughty tone.

    ¡°Lord Zhou Zhang! I know I did not come here with the best of intentions, however, due to the current situation I suggest we cooperate with each other. I not sure if you''ve heard of the Demonic Pearl array or not, but I can I can tell you that it''s not something either of us want to be trapped inside of.¡± Shan Li said in a respectful demeanor.

    ¡°Cooperate? With you? How can I be certain that the two of you aren''t trying to lure me into a trap?¡± Zhang asked, despite being certain that there was some sort of irreconcilable enmity between Shan Li and Hui Ying.

    ¡°I had initially intended to offer to cooperate with you, hence the reason as to why I haven''t been fighting to the utmost of my abilities. As things are now, if we don''t cooperate, it''ll only be a matter of which one of us falls first.¡± Shan Li said, trying to convince Zhang to work with him.

    ¡°Regardless of whether we work together or not in confident that I''ll be able to get out of this situation unharmed. Any moment now, my reinforcements from the Dragon God Palace will arrive and by then I doubt the likes of the Golden Pearl Sect will be much of a threat. So as I see it, there isn''t much I can gain by working with you, rather it could end up jeopardizing my own wellbeing and the safety of my wives and subordinates.¡± Zhang replied with a bluff since he had actually never received word from the Dragon God Palace after Lord Long Feng relayed for assistance.

    So in actuality, there was a fifty percent chance that the Dragon God Palace won''t arrive at all. However, like in most instances, regardless of the situation, Zhang would always try his best to obtain some sort of benefit.

    Upon hearing Zhang¡¯s words, a storm of thoughts raced through Shan Li¡¯s mind as he tried to figure out a way to entice Zhang into working with him.

    ¡°Cooperate with me, annihilate Hui Ying¡¯s forces and together we can invade the territory controlled by the Golden Pearl Sect! With their expeditionary forces gone, they won''t have enough available resources to hinder us! In certain we can take at the very least half of their territory. We can also split everything equally.¡± Shan Li said to Zhang Suddenly after a brief pause.

    ¡°Half of their territory... I''ll get seventy percent of whatever we manage to acquire and you can have the rest.¡± Zhang replied with a grin. He actually had been hoping that Shan Li would offer up some kind of magical item or treasure, however, the thought of receiving a vast amount of territory from the Golden Pearl Sect was equally enticing, rather it was much more enticing.

    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    But regardless of how enticing anything is, upon seeing the hint of desperation in Shan Li¡¯s tone and mannerisms, Zhang, of course, would attempt to exhort him for more.

    ¡°Deal! Being able to keep my life and thirty percent of something is better than nothing.¡± Shan Li said, signaling the beginning of an alliance with Zhang.

    Also despite the number of exchanges that occurred between Zhang and Shan Li, not much time had actually passed by at all.

    ¡°Just so I¡¯m sure we are in the same boat, you begin.¡± Zhang said as he grinned at Shan Li who regained a bit of his composure after completing his deal with Zhang.

    ¡°Hui Ying! What are you waiting for! Let¡¯s finish our task so we can report back to our masters!¡± Shan Li said to Hui Ying as lighting began to appear and wrap around his arm.

    ¡°Let¡¯s begin then.¡± Hui Ying replied with a smile while a small black colored pearl appeared in the center of his fist while glance toward one of the elders of the Golden Pearl Sect who also happened to have a small black colored pearl in his hand, obviously in preparation of activating the Demonic Pearl Array.

    ¡°Prepare to die!¡± Shan Li¡¯s roar echoed into the minds of everyone who was present as he glared at Zhang while a sizable ball of lightning had formed in his palm, causing the water around him to boil.

    ¡°You prepare to die also!¡± Zhang¡¯s roar soon followed Shan Li¡¯s as a ball of red colored lightning formed in his hand.

    Seeing Zhang and Shan Li preparing to slaughter one another, Hui Ying¡¯s eyes turned into crescent moons filled with glee. His joy was soon propelled to the fullest as Zhang unleashed a torrent of red colored lightning toward Shan Li, however, his glee was short lived because an instant later instead of attacking Zhang, Shan Li turned one hundred eighty degrees and unleashed the ball of lightning in his palm downward.

    It was only once Shan Li unleashed his attack did Hui Ying realize that he was actually standing directly below Shan Li and in turn directly in the line of fire from Zhang¡¯s attack.

    ¡°Activate the array!¡± Hui Ying commanded as the shell of the massive Maxima Clam he stood in slammed shut moments before Zhang and Shan Li¡¯s attacks arrived. With a loud bang that shook the seafloor, Zhang and Shan Li¡¯s attacks stirred up a curtain of sand and musk that shrouded all visibility.

    ¡°Kill those bastards from the Golden Pearl Sect! Leave none of them alive! We are cooperating with the forces of the Blood Coral Cove now!¡± Shan Li roared.

    ¡°All forces! Attack! No one from the Golden Pearl Sect is to remain alive!¡± Zhang ordered as he stored away the Rising Moon Sword and withdrew his Sky Piercer Halberd.

    A massive storm of attacks was released toward the seafloor seconds after Zhang and Shan Li gave the command to their subordinates. One after the other, techniques and special abilities were used in rapid succession by the forces of the Blood Coral Cove and the Starry Sea Sect.

    ¡°Brother! Can I go now? Can I?¡± Ai asked Zhang in an excited tone through her divine sense as the dust kicked up by the countless attacks launched at the seafloor began to settle. Contrary to the dark expression that had been on her face during Uncle Lu¡¯s attempt to attack her, Ai had returned to her usual cheerful self and seemed to have no reconciliation of what had happened.

    ¡°Not yet, let¡¯s wait a bit more and then you can go show them who¡¯s boss.¡± Zhang replied with a grin as his eyes were continually focused on the clearing curtain of debris. Had they not in separate air bubbles, Zhang would have normally ruffled up Ai¡¯s hair in a playful manner like he often did.

    Slowly but surely the dust clouds subsided and to everyone¡¯s surprise, there wasn¡¯t even a single scratch on the shells of the massive Chimera Maxima Clams. Further adding to everyone¡¯s dismay, a total of thirty-six columns of black colored light began to come into view.

    Soon enough a sinister aura seeped into everyone¡¯s core and caused shivers to run down their spines.

    One after the other the thirty-six columns of light began to fan out and connect with each other until a massive ring shaped wall of black light was erected.

    ¡°Damn¡­ This array is so large¡­ To think I even thought about having everyone attempt to fly out of it.¡± Zhang thought as he eyed looked at the wall of black colored light, located tens of miles away.

    Just as Zhang finished his thought, thousands upon thousands of white colored runes began to appear on the walls of light.

    ¡°I¡¯m feeling a bit woozy¡­¡± Ling said as she felt the essence in her body suddenly drop while the essence around her seemed to have disappeared.

    Of course, Ling was not the only one to feel the effects of the Demonic Pearl Array, soon after Ling¡¯s comment, the other beauties also felt extremely drained. Zhang, however, appeared to experience no differences in his body or powers at all.

    Perhaps it was due to the Underworld Heart lodged in his chest where his heart was supposed to be or the Dragon Heart Necklace, but Zhang was actually unaffected by the Demonic Pearl Array.

    ¡°All disciples of the Golden Pearl Sect and all elders present, I Holy Son Hui Ying, order you all to attack! Leave no one alive!¡± Hui Ying commanded as the shell of all of the massive Chimera Maxima Clams began to open and dozens of waves of attacks shot out of them.

    ¡°Blood Scale Army! Defensive formations!¡± Zhang commanded and in result, almost immediately after his commands were given, all of Zhang''s subordinates assembled while the entire Flying Fish of the Flying Fish Legion congregated and formed a giant ball as they swam in perfect synchronization while every Mantis Shrimp in the Mantis Shrimp Cavalry linked claws and formed a large wall of solid shell that wrapped around the ball of flying fish.

    ¡°Ice Prison!¡± Ling said in her mind as a protective layer of ice formed in a ball shape in front of the Mantis Shrimp.

    Thus in next to no time at all, three protective layers were formed in front of Zhang, the beauties, and their subordinates to negate any damage that could be received due to the incoming attacks of the Golden Pearl Sect.

    In the meantime, much like Zhang, Shan Li had ordered his subordinates to fall into defensive formations, which consisted of being encased behind a wall of Behemoth Jellyfish.

    ========================================================================

    Chapter dedicated to these folks who commented in last chapter o_o

    Manan1106

    Hall_stein

    Rickytan

    Edwarus

    Lazytophat

    Deraxus

    sapassde

    RyuZu

    bradyman50

    James650

    Tarry

    Mjkj

    Cbfarrar

    Mahesvera

    ShadowWalker23

    Roflburn

    Ailurophobian

    Insanemooncake

    Drgnblu

    WiraTL

    Much longer list than last time lol

    Will dedicate next chapter to whomever comments o_o

 Chapter 204: Golden Pearl

    My Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/iendworlds</a> (If anyone wants to sponsor)

    My Chat: iendworlds.chatango.com (If anyone wants to talk)

    Heya folks :D this chapter is a tiny bit longer then the others, enjoy :D

    ===============================================

    As countless rays of blinding light, uncountable blades made up essence and an unfathomable number of techniques rose up from the seafloor toward the ice barrier Ling had erected and the wall of Behemoth Jelly fish not too far away, Zhang reached out his hand and placed it on Ling¡¯s shoulder.

    Soon a tingling warmth entered her body and began to spread. From the tips of her toes to the ends of her silky long hair, Ling felt a nearly exhaustible amount of essence enter her body.

    With the essence transferred into her by Zhang, Ling performed the technique she had just used not long ago to create the icy shell that was created to block the incoming attack of the Golden Pearl Sect.

    ¡°Ice Prison!¡± Ling recited once again in her mind as the thin layer of ice began to thicken exponentially into a solid wall moments before a constant barrage of attacks impacted.

    As attacks smashed into the ice barrier in succession, the sound of cracking ice soon made its way into everyone''s ears. A short while later countless thin cracks began to become visible as the barrage of attacks continued on without an end in sight.

    Not in a much better situation then Zhang and the beauties, Shan Li¡¯s forces were also hit by one attack after the other. As resilient and durable as the Behemoth Jellyfish were, they began to disturb heavy injuries as the onslaught of attacks continued.

    In the meantime, Zhang was busily empowering the beauties and his Saint level subordinates with the essence aired away within the Dragon Heart Necklace. Although the Demonic Pearl Array had sapped away the essence of everything within it, it could not even steal away a tiny ounce of the essence stored away in the Dragon Heart Necklace.

    Since Zhang constantly kept the flow of essence between the outside world, the Underworld Heart, and the Dragon Heart Necklace in a constant flow from one to the next, it was practically impossible for the Demonic Pearl to affect him.

    How could an array deployed by saints compare to heavenly treasures that are powerful enough to create and destroy empires?

    ¡°Let''s end things before they pull any more hidden tricks.¡± Zhang relayed to the beauties and his subordinates after negating the effects of the Demonic Pearl Array by sending constant streams of essence into their bodies.

    ¡°Continue attacking! Once that barrier crumbles they''ll be at our mercy!¡± Holy Son Hui Ying said with eyes brimming with excitement and a gleeful tone as the small cracks on Ling¡¯s barrier branched out and grew larger in size.

    As Hui Ying¡¯s eyes remained glued on Ling''s icy barrier and the wall of Behemoth Jellyfish, filled with anticipation, the icy shell suddenly bursted into thousands of fragments.

    ¡°Double your efforts! Kill them all!¡± Holy Son Hui Ying commanded as a blinding beam shot out from the tips of his fingers.

    ¡°Catastrophe''s Descent.¡± Zhang mumbled in his mind as he unleashed his original technique. Thousands of mithril tipped javelins shot through the icy curtain made up of Ling¡¯s shattered barrier. True to the nature of mithril, all of the attacks comprised of essence directed at Zhang and the beauties were absorbed as the storm of javelins made its way toward the sea floor.

    Following up on Zhang¡¯s attack, Ling directed the countless scattered shards of ice floating in the water to speed toward the sea floor.

    Seeing Zhang and Ling¡¯s incoming counter attack, Holy Son Hui Ying cursed his horrid luck and instantly ordered for the Chimera Maxima Clams to close their shells.

    By a stroke of luck, the massive clams all managed to close their shells tightly shut a fraction of a second before Zhang and Ling¡¯s barrage of mithril and ice impacted.

    Sadly, due to the soft nature of mithril and the lack of penetrative power of the ice shards, little to no damage was dealt to the shells at all.

    However, a wide grin was still plastered on Zhang¡¯s attack even after seeing that his attack has little effect.

    ¡°He who waits will be rewarded.¡± Zhang thought as he remained on route and flew toward the seafloor.

    ¡°Shan Li! Have your men attack!¡± Zhang commanded Holy Son Shan Li through his divine sense while also commanding his subordinates to attack. He also had the beauties and his saint level subordinates who had charged toward the sea floor with him gather together.

    With a single thought, Zhang made all of his javelins smelted out of mithril fly back toward him and form a hollow ball in which he, the beauties and their subordinates hid inside.

    ¡°Everyone attack!¡± Holy Son Shan Li ordered despite thinking everything would be futile due to the powerful defense that the Chimera Maxima Clams possessed.

    Since the Chimera Maxima Clams possessed little to no combat ability at all, their defense was absolute and unyielding.

    True to Holy Son Shan Li¡¯s thoughts, despite being pummeled by countless thousands of attacks from both the forces of the Blood Coral Cove and the Starry Sea Sect, only minor and faint scratches could be seen on the shells of the massive clams.

    ¡°Try as you may, none of your attacks will ever be able to penetrate the shells of these clams! Not when it takes high saints a total of four hours to do so.¡± Holy Son Hui Ying laughed mockingly as the shell of the clam was in slowly opened after the barrage of attacks directed toward it ceased.

    ¡°I don''t need to penetrate the shell of the clans to get to you. All I need is to be able to see you.¡± Zhang said as the ball of mithril that he was hidden in disappeared and a small slit in space opened up directly in front of Holy Son Hui Ying moments after his clam opened up.

    ¡°Like I said, those who wait will be rewarded.¡± Zhang mumbled as he plunged the Sky Piercer Halberd grilled in his hand into the spatial slit.

    In a flash, Zhang¡¯s halberd shot out of the spatial slit and toward Holy Son Hui Ying¡¯s neck.

    ¡°Shit¡­¡± Holy Son Hui Ying cursed as the Sky Piercer Halberd was on its way to claiming his life.

    As his eyes were locked onto the gleaming halberd, time seemed to slow to a crawl. Although his mind screamed for his body to move, it simply could not work as quickly as his mind.

    Moments later a large amount of blood spewed out of Hui Ying¡¯s body and dyed the surrounding waters a crimson red color.

    With gaping jaws and eyes filled with disbelief, all of the members of the Golden Pearl Sect watched as a small cloud of blood formed around of Hui Ying¡¯s body, covering it from their gazes.

    On the other hand, the members of the Blood Coral Cove and Starry Sea Sect cheered with all of their might and were brimming with excitement and relief.

    ¡°Quickly! Seize his corpse and retrieve the Demonic Pearl so we can deactivate this accursed array!¡± Holy Son Shan Li said to his subordinates.

    However contrary to what everyone believed or were attempting to do, Zhang simply stood in place with an unhappy frown plastered across his face.

    ¡°Ling¡­¡± Zhang murmured as he placed his hand on her shoulder without having to say another word before she realized his intention and began to work her magic.

    With a wave of her hand, Ling¡¯s essence was released from her body and used to disperse the cloud of blood around Holy Son Hui Ying.

    Upon the dispersion of the cloud of blood, a deafening roar rang into everyone¡¯s minds.

    ¡°You bastard! How dare you! How dare you! I''ll kill you! I''ll kill your wives! I''ll kill all of your kin!¡± Holy Son Hui Ying¡¯s voice could be heard as everyone caught sight of him. Although Zhang¡¯s attack did not take away his life, Holy Son Hui Ying was left with a long gash on the side of his face that opened up a hole in his cheek.

    This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

    ¡°Kill who?¡± Zhang said in a calm demeanor as he opened up another spatial slit and plunged his halberd inside once again. Once the cloud of blood blocking his vision was dispersed, Zhang was able to employ his technique once again.

    Having witnessed and experienced Zhang¡¯s technique first hand, Holy Son Hui Ying instantly evaded as quickly as he could, sparing himself from being run through by Zhang¡¯s halberd another time.

    ¡°It appears he needs to be able to see me to employ his technique. If not, then he would have made sure I was dead.¡± Holy Son Hui Ying thought as he transmitted a thought to his pet giant Chimera Maxima Clam, ordering it to shut its shell and shield him from Zhang¡¯s preying eyes.

    However, before the shell of the clam could close shut, a total of ten black colored specks formed and each released a powerful repulsive force, making it impossible for the clam to enter its absolute defensive form.

    On top of conjuring ten singularities, Zhang also made a spatial slit open up in front of Holy Son Hui Ying and once again stabbed his halberd into it.

    ¡°I won¡¯t fall for the same trick once!¡± Holy Son Hui Ying said as he evaded Zhang¡¯s attack, only to have yet another spatial slit appear in the location where he moved to. One after the other Zhang created a total of five spatial slits that appeared in succession. After each one of Holy Son Hui Ying¡¯s attempts to dodge, the damage he received from Zhang¡¯s attack would increase.

    At first, the blade of Zhang¡¯s halberd that went through the spatial slit didn¡¯t even manage to catch the hem of Holy Son Hui Ying¡¯s robes, however by the third spatial slit Zhang was able to draw blood once again. By the fifth spatial slit, Holy Son Hui Ying could be seen bellowing in pain as his arm was severed from his body.

    Of course, the members of the Golden Pearl Sect were not simply going to watch as their sect¡¯s Holy Son met his demise so before long all of their saint level experts shot through the water toward where Zhang was.

    ¡°Anyone who dares to come closer will be sent on a one-way trip to hell!¡± Nai Fan roared as he stood towering beside Zhang in his original gigantic form while Xiao Gong stood not too far away. There were also the beauties and all of Zhang¡¯s lesser saint subordinates who surrounded him from all sides, warding off any attacker who dared to come near.

    Thus, undistracted, Zhang continued his attempt at Holy Son Hui Ying¡¯s life as a massive brawl broke out around him.

    ¡°Time to end things.¡± Zhang thought as he charged through the sea full of people battling one another at full speed.

    Although it wasn¡¯t evident to anyone else, after opening so many spatial slits, Zhang was experiencing a tremendous amount of mental fatigue so since Holy Son Hui Ying was already on his last leg, Zhang decided to move in closer to deliver a finishing blow.

    Having lost a large amount of blood after having his arm severed by Zhang, Holy Son Hui Ying hastily withdrew a red colored bottle from his interspatial ring and gulped down a hand full of red colored pills.

    After consuming a dozen or so of these pills, blood stopped seeping out of Hui Ying¡¯s open wound and miraculously it appeared as if his missing arm was slowly but steadily growing back.

    ¡°To think I would be forced to consume so many of the Blood Pearl Dans that master gave me¡­¡± Hui Ying complained as his pain riddled body slowly began to mend itself.

    ¡°You should save those for people who are still apart of the living instead of wasting them on yourself when you''ve already got one foot in your grave.¡± Zhang said, shatter Holy Son Hui Ying¡¯s brief moment of peace.

    Without uttering even, a slight reply, Holy Son Hui Ying sped through the water in an attempt to get away from Zhang. Weaving through the chaotic battlefield so Zhang could not get a clear visual of him, Hui Ying¡¯s face was now had the definition of fear written across it. Although his physical injuries were healed, Hui Ying wasn¡¯t in any condition to fight Zhang thus his only path to survival was to flee.

    ¡°Damn it¡­ Maybe I should have cooperated with that guy after all¡­¡± Hui Ying mumbled as he thought about how differently the current events could have played out if he listened to his master¡¯s words and fully cooperated with Shan Li.

    While Zhang chased after Holy Son Hui Ying, the Blood Scale Army and the disciples of the Starry Sea Sect suffered massive casualties due to the effects of the Demonic Pearl Array.

    At first, the two forces were relatively equal due to the numerical disparity between them, with Zhang and Shan Li¡¯s subordinates outnumbering Hui Ying¡¯s people two to one. However, as the battle drew on, the lack of essence in their bodies and in the surrounding area made it difficult to keep up with the forces of the Golden Pearl Sect.

    To practitioners, essence represented the very fiber of their power, building blocks that allow them to defy common sense, strengthen their bodies, alter and manipulate the elements.

    So when one side could not channel enough essence, while the other side could, a huge disadvantage would surely appear for the side that could not channel enough essence.

    ¡°I need to kill him before the number of casualties get any higher¡­¡± Zhang thought as he witnessed the members of the Blood Scale Army losing their lives or being heavily injured one after the other as they struggled to defeat the disciples of the Golden Pearl Sect.

    However as much as Zhang wanted to slay Hui Ying, there were simply too many people around obstructing him.

    ¡°Sweetheart, I''ll help you catch him.¡± Yuying¡¯s voice could be heard in Zhang¡¯s mind as he noticed a thick green colored fog rolling in across the seafloor.

    In the following few moments, hundreds of thousands of bones that had been stored in Yuying¡¯s interspatial ring shot through the water and while countless more were rising up from the seafloor.

    The countless bones swept through the sea, weaving through the everyone and everything in its way as it chased after Hui Ying.

    ¡°What kind of technique is this!¡± Hui Ying yelled in his mind as he saw the thousands of bones closing in on him from all sides.

    As Yuying¡¯s waves of bones came closer and closer, Hui Ying soon found himself completely surrounded from all four sides.

    ¡°You think this can stop me?!¡± Hui Ying roared in a somewhat panicking tone as a golden colored pearl appeared in his hand and released a blinding radiant glow.

    ¡°It¡¯s not meant to stop you.¡± Zhang¡¯s voice could be heard as he shot out from behind the wall of bones that surrounded Hui Ying. In but a flicker, Zhang¡¯s sword entered through Hui Ying¡¯s chest, pierced through his heart and came out through his back. On top of stabbing Hui Ying in the heart, as a precaution Zhang even went as far as igniting the Rising Moon Sword that was not lodged in Hui Ying¡¯s body with Soul Devouring fire. Thus the Holy Son of the Golden Pearl Sect met his end before he could make use of the treasure he had just withdrawn from his interspatial ring.

    ========================================================================

    If you liked this story, then please rate it. Just click this link, scroll down, click the stars, and then hit submit. You don''t need to type anything and every single vote really helps!

    Chapter dedicated to those who commented on the last chapter:

    Andrewswings

    Jamman2105

    Mjkj

    bradyman50

    RyuZu

    Sanguin

    Sapassde

    Edwarus

    Serendipity_lord

    James650

    star11262

    Drgnblu

    Ailurophobian

    Morgana FitzAlan-Howard

    Christopher Waite

    WiraTL

    Special thanks to my patrons on patreon who have been donating to me:

    Myles <3

    Davis <3

    Spaceghost69 <3

    Kratal <3

    Robert <3

    Will also dedicate next chapter to whomever comments on this chapter.

 Great News!!!!!!!

    Hello folks,

    Great News!!!! There will be a new chapter tonight for sure! Dragon''s Soul will also be available on amazon for the kindle in a few days!! I''m planning to have chapters 1-93 for the first volume :D. Will mention it when I have the story uploaded to amazon :D. Please show some support >:D.

    Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.

    More great news, school starts in 10 days! Which means much much much much more time to write! Hopefully I''ll be going back to writing 1-2 chapters of Ds a day and 1 chapter of Ascending a day :D

    Wish you all the best and thank you for sticking with me and the story.

 Chapter 205: Negotiations

    A little late but I made the chapter a little longer :D.

    Also if you didn''t read the Great News!! Post then I''ll have you know Dragon''s Soul will be avaliable on Amazon soon for the Kindle!!

    =================================================================================

    With the Rising Moon Sword still piercing through Holy Son Hui Ying¡¯s limp corpse, Zhang reached out his hand and retrieved the glowing golden colored pearl that was still being tightly grasped upon.

    ¡°I''ll store this away first and inspect it when I have some time on my hands.¡± Zhang thought as he flipped his hand and made the glowing golden pearl disappear.

    ¡°Now to see about that black colored Pearl that activated the array¡­¡± Zhang mumbled in his mind as his divine sense swept across Hui Ying¡¯s corpse.

    However, before Zhang could locate where the black colored pearl on Hui Ying¡¯s body, the columns of light that made up the Demonic Pearl Array, began to flicker and before long disappeared without leaving a single trace of their existence.

    Seeing that the array had disappeared, Zhang shrugged his shoulders before storing away Hui Ying¡¯s corpse into his interspatial ring.

    ¡°You fiend!! Return the sacred Golden Pearl!¡± The voice of an elderly man rang into Zhang¡¯s mind before he could rejoin the battlefield.

    In a flicker of a second, the owner of the voice appeared not too far from Zhang with an ancient looking staff in hand.

    ¡°Interesting¡­ I just killed their Holy Son but he seems angrier about the fact that I got my hands on that Golden Pearl instead.¡± Zhang thought looked at the elderly man who had just appeared.

    ¡°The likes of you think you have the right to fight with my lord?¡± Nai Fan and Xiao Gong¡¯s voices reverberated into everyone¡¯s minds as they appeared beside the elderly full saint with their weapons in hand.

    Caught by surprise, the elderly full saint soon found himself impaled by Xiao Gong¡¯s icy dragon spear and bisected by Nai Fan¡¯s scimitar.

    ¡°You two can split whatever he has amongst yourselves after you deal with those guys.¡± Zhang said to Nai Fan and Xiao Gong with a grin on his face as he pointed toward an incoming group consisting of three of full saints with angry expressions on their faces.

    While leaving Nai Fan and Xiao Gong to deal with the last remaining full saints that had arrived with Hui Ying, Zhang arrived in front of an unsuspecting lesser saint who was busy dismembering low-level members of the Blood Scale Army with his sword.

    Before the lesser saint elder could even attempt to flee, Zhang stabbed into the man¡¯s stomach with the Rising Moon Sword while performing a slash across the man¡¯s throat with his curved sword made out of a Mirage Viper¡¯s fang.

    Like death itself, Zhang soon arrived beside his next victim and with a twist of his wrist and a bit of strength, he cleanly sliced off the head of another lesser saint.

    ¡°Kill them all!¡± Holy Son Shan Li roared as he could feel his connection to the great flow of essence being restored.

    As equality was restored to the battlefield, the coalition force made up of Zhang and Shan Li¡¯s subordinates began to one-sidedly slaughter the remains of the Golden Pearl Sect.

    The previously bitter rivals had set aside their differences and now pointed their blades and anger at a common enemy.

    Although the coalition had suffered numerous casualties, the numbers they boasted still gave them an absolute advantage over their foes.

    With their Holy Son slain, remaining full saints locked in a bitter battle with Xiao Gong and Nai Fan, and the lesser saints being hunted down one after the last by Zhang, the disciples of the Golden Pearl Sect quickly fell into disarray.

    While some steeled themselves and continued to fight on, a large portion of the disciples of the Golden Pearl Sect began to flee toward the giant Chimera Maxima Clams waiting atop the seafloor.

    However, those fleeing toward the Chimera Clams were intercepted by a beautiful young woman with long flowing red hair, who had countless thousands of eerie looking bones floating about around her.

    ¡°You think you can come and go as you please? Hmph!¡± Yuying¡¯s voice reverberated throughout the minds of everyone present.

    ¡°Please have mercy!¡± A level seven cultivator said as he continued to fly toward the seafloor, hoping that he would be spared.

    ¡°Coward¡­¡± Yuying muttered before a wave of bones collided into the man¡¯s body, scraping off all of his flesh, leaving only his bones for later use.

    Quickly realizing that charging toward the seafloor would only mean going head to head with a powerful full saint, the disciples of the Golden Pearl Sect quickly changed their course and tried to flee in a different direction.

    But sadly before they could get far, their path was blocked by a murky cloud of green ooze. Anyone who wasn''t an idiot could obviously tell that this green colored ooze was unnatural and clearly poisonous.

    ¡°Anyone who can make it pass my cloud of poison alive will be allowed to leave.¡± Lingqi¡¯s voice could be heard, prompting many of the fleeing disciples of the Golden Pearl Sect to curse.

    ¡°Damn¡­ If we turn back no then all that awaits is death, might as well test out our luck.¡± A young level nine cultivator said as he charged into the green colored ooze, disappearing from sight.

    Before long a handful of brave souls charged after him causing a smile to appear on Lingqi¡¯s face.

    ¡°Like darling said, we should always seek to add to our subordinates and in the end, only the brave, loyal and unyielding should be given mercy.¡± Lingqi thought as she continued to see if anyone else dared to enter the field of green colored ooze.

    Those that were brave enough to charge into the green colored ooze soon found themselves overcome by weariness and eventually sapped of strength, causing them to fall unconscious.

    Elsewhere in the battlefield, Ling, Yuying and Ai were also selecting individuals from the Golden Pearl Sect to given amnesty to. Since the battle had caused them to expend quite a few number of soldiers, it was only right to find substitutes.

    Thus the battle drew on for a few more hours before reaching its climax after Zhang had slain the last lesser saint level member of the Golden Pearl Sect and proceeded to help Xiao Gong and Nai Fan battle the three full saints that they had been battling against.

    With the addition of Zhang, Nai Fan and Xiao Gong were quickly able to overcome the last experts of the Golden Pearl Sect, sending them on a one-way trip to the Underworld.

    Once all of the Saint level experts were eliminated, and the bulk of their forces had dwindled into nothingness, the remnants of the Golden Pearl Sect dropped their weapons and surrendered.

    ¡°Brother what are we going to do about those.¡± Ai asked as she pointed toward the massive clams sitting quietly at the seafloor.

    Due to their lack of mobility and offensive power, none of the Chimera Maxima Clams received any damage at all.

    ¡°I don''t know¡­ We don''t really have any uses for them and I''m not entirely sure we can make them follow our orders.¡± Zhang said as his gaze looked past the countless soldiers who were cleaning up the aftermath of the battle.

    ¡°I don''t think I can use any of my techniques on them either.¡± Yuying said as she shook her head.

    ¡°Well, we can¡¯t exactly leave them here.¡± Ling interjected.

    ¡°We can cook them!¡± Ai suddenly said with gleaming eyes.

    The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    ¡°I have a better idea.¡± Zhang said as a thought popped into his head. After signaling for the beauties to follow him, Zhang headed toward where Holy Son Shan Li and the forces of the Starry Sea Sect were.

    After the battle had concluded, Zhang had asked Holy Son Shan Li and all of the members of the Starry Sea Sect to retreat a total of five miles away from the vicinity of Blood Coral Cove, as a show of good faith.

    If they had not complied with Zhang¡¯s request, then the battle would have resumed once again and blood would continue to be spilled into the vast sea.

    Thus with the beauties in tow, Zhang soon arrived in a separation field that had been set up not too long ago, where they were instantly greeted by the full saint referred to as Uncle Lu and a team of lesser saints who followed closely behind him.

    ¡°Welcome, Lord Zhou Zhang.¡± Uncle Lu said respectfully.

    Having witnessed Zhang¡¯s battle prowess, it was obvious that Uncle Lu was trying his best as to not offend or provoke Zhang in any way. There was also the fact that the Starry Sea Sect¡¯s forces had suffered much greater casualties than the forces of the Blood Coral Cove, so if a battle were to ensue once more then they would be in dire straits unless reinforcements arrived.

    ¡°Mister Lu, I would like to have a word with your sect¡¯s Holy Son.¡± Zhang said in a respectful manner.

    ¡°Please refer to me as Uncle Lu like everyone else.¡± Uncle Lu said with a smile as he directed Zhang to follow him. Walking side by side with Uncle Lu, Zhang, and the beauties attracted the eyes of everyone around them.

    Since it was usually customary to send a messenger and set a meeting place in neutral territory instead of arriving in person, Zhang and the beauties were able to pique the interest of all of the members of the Starry Sea Sect present.

    Unknown to them, dozens of rumors were soon sparked and was passed on from from one person to the next.

    ¡°Those five must be extremely confident in their abilities if they''re able to stroll straight into our camp like that.¡± Someone said.

    ¡°Yea! To think they are simply walking around with an escort or any bodyguards in a camp belonging to people who were out to get them not too long ago, without even a hint of worry on their faces. What if we deployed some kind of array or trap for them?¡± Someone else said as he eyed Zhang and the beauties from afar.

    ¡°Sis, I almost forgot to remind you to let Little White out.¡± Ai said in a soft voice to Yuying as they followed behind Zhang and Uncle Lu.

    ¡°If you didn''t remind me I would have forgotten also.¡± Yuying replied with a smile as she waved her hand and activated the powers of the Ruler¡¯s Domain Ring that Zhang had given her.

    Since Little White isn''t an aquatic animal, and constantly maintaining an air bubble around its body during was highly impractical, Yuying had allowed it to roam about within the Ruler¡¯s Domain with her horde of Wraith Spiders.

    As Yuying activated the Ruler¡¯s Domain a tiny portal opened up in midair, which Little White soon fell out of before being caught by Yuying¡¯s arms.

    After a yawn, Little White leaned its head over and licked Yuying¡¯s finger before working its way out of her hands and landing onto the ground where it made its way to Ling.

    ¡°Have you slept well?¡± Ling asked Little White with a smile as it replied with a soft purr while settling itself upon her shoulder after licking her face.

    With their little furry friend joining them, the beauties and their husband were led to a large tent that was guarded by a pair an intimidating full saint and four lesser saints.

    ¡°The young master is ready to meet with you.¡± Uncle Lu said to Zhang upon reaching the tent.

    ¡°I hope I''m not intruding.¡± Zhang said as he made his way into the tent where Holy Son Shan Li could be seen seated at a square table.

    ¡°Is there something I can be of service of to you, Lord Zhou Zhang?¡± Holy Son Shan Li asked after standing up from his seat to greet Zhang.

    ¡°I was hoping to speak to you about how we are going to divide the spoils of war. Also, there is no need to refer to me as Lord Zhou Zhang. Since we seem to be the same age how about brother Zhang?¡± Zhang said with a smile as he walked up to the table where Shan Li was and seated himself.

    ¡°I couldn''t possibly call you that. As far as rank goes in our respective forces, you my lord and my father, are considered equals. As for dividing up the spoils of war, may I suggest a fifty-fifty split?¡± Holy Son Shan Li said as he began pouring tea into a cup for himself and Zhang, while the beauties conversed amongst themselves not too far away.

    Although under normal circumstances only Zhang and Shan Li should be present, while the beauties should not have come into the tent and waited outside. However, considering the beauties were all full saints and seeing as Zhang¡¯s marital relationship with the beauties was not a common one, Shan Li did not voice his opinion.

    ¡°I may be the same rank as your father, however, I''m only as old as you are so I would like to insist that you not make me feel like an old man.¡± Zhang said with a laugh as he sipped a cup of tea.

    ¡°Also I agree with your suggest of dividing the spoils of war into halves, as long as reparations are made for the unprovoked attack that had occurred before the arrival of the Golden Pearl Sect¡¯s forces.¡± Zhang added while eyeing Shan Li¡¯s facial expressions.

    ¡°Of course reparations will be made for any losses you may have suffered due to the little tussle that had occurred between our subordinates.¡± Shan Li replied quickly after grasping Zhang''s Intentions.

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll get straight to the point then.¡± Zhang said as he glanced at the beauties who responded by headed toward the table where he and Shan Li were currently seated.

    ¡°We would like for you to hand over the ownership of these islands.¡± Ling said as she arrived beside Zhang and placed a large map on the table while the other beauties moved everything on it aside.

    ¡°Of course since I¡¯m not one to take advantage of others, in exchange for those islands I¡¯ll give to you all of those giant clams that the Golden Pearl Sect had brought with them and instead of only thirty percent of whatever territories we manage to take from them you can have sixty percent.¡± Zhang said.

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid I¡¯d have to ask my father for permission before I could make sure a decision. But with the terms you¡¯ve offered, I¡¯m sure father would be more than willing to consider giving up those islands.¡± Shan Li said as his eyes brightened upon hearing Zhang¡¯s terms.

    From his perspective, the islands that Ling had pointed out held little to no value at all, whereas the Chimera Maxima Clams and sixty percent of any territory they manage to steal from the Golden Pearl Sect was a very worthwhile offer.

    What Shan Li didn¡¯t know was that Zhang needed these islands and a few islands under the control of the Golden Pearl Sect to set up enough Teleportation Arrays to connect the Blood Coral Cove to the Aurora Empire.

    Overall Zhang wasn¡¯t really interested in gaining more territory out at sea and simply wanted to secure what he already had and the best way to do that was to link the Blood Coral Cove to Aurora via Teleportation Arrays.

    By doing so not only would he be able to establish a highly profitable trade route, but he would also be able to bolster his forces if the Aurora Empire or Blood Coral Cove was to ever be attacked.

 Chapter 206: Shifting Tides

    Dragon¡¯s Soul is now officially available for the kindle on Amazon at https://amzn.com/B01M0KEGUI</a> up to chapter 91. Thank you, you guy and gals for your support and I probably would have stopped writing by now if it wasn¡¯t for you all. As a special thanks aside from this chapter, I will also be posting two more chapters, possibly three.

    ===============================================================================

    After a long conversation between Zhang and Holy Son Shan Li in regards to the destruction of the Golden Pearl Sect, a pact was signed and news was sent back to the Starry Sea Sect¡¯s headquarters.

    Despite failing his trial by fire, Shan Li was not punished, rather he would be rewarded upon returning home thanks to the fact that he and Zhang had wiped out a large portion of the Golden Pearl Sect¡¯s forces.

    In other words, he made up for his failure through success.

    Of course, Zhang still kept his guard up in regards to the matter of the Ascending Beauty Painting. Although he had made sure to tell Shan Li quite a few times that he did not have the painting in his possession, Zhang knew deep down that the pact between their two forces was only temporary.

    Once the Golden Pearl Sect was out of the picture and there wasn''t a mutual enemy anymore, he was certain that the Starry Sea Sect would attempt to get rid of him also.

    Thus Zhang had arrived at a crossroads, he could either prepare to annihilate the Starry Sea Sect before they could do him in or he could try to his utmost ability to befriend them and make their pact a lasting one.

    ¡°Regardless of what path I choose, I can only hope that in the end, they remain by my side, safe and sound.¡± Zhang thought as he glanced over at the beauties, who were currently sleeping soundly on a large bed, from his desk.

    ¡°If I play my cards right I might be able to also get my hands on another piece of that painting. If it really does possess the powers that the legend states, then I''ll be able to grow exponentially strong and then no one will be able to threaten my love being.¡± Zhang also thought as his hand stroked the back of a certain fur ball that was curled up in his lap.

    With a mind full of thoughts, worries, and dreams, Zhang sat quietly while petting Little White as he tried to plot the best possible route for the beauties and himself to take. A path that would not only ensure their safety but also help them grow strong.

    Since in but a dozen or so hours, a coalition force made up of the forces of the Blood Coral Cove and Starry Sea Sect would set out and begin to occupy various settlements, islands, and cities within the territory of the Golden Pearl Sect, Zhang had to plan accordingly.

    His biggest concern was the fact that the Golden Pearl Sect had a high saint amongst their ranks. Although Shan Li had promised that the Starry Sea Sect would send a high saint of their own, Zhang was still unsure of how things would play out.

    ¡°I have to figure a way to deter them from possibly turning their blades at me after they deal with the Golden Pearl Sect.¡± Zhang thought as one plan after the other began to take form in his mind.

    ¡°If only the Dragon God Palace had sent reinforcements, if they did then I could use them to keep the Starry Sea Sect from attacking me¡­¡± Zhang thought after a long silence as he suddenly thought about Lord Long Feng, who had not taken part in the battle that had occurred earlier in the day.

    ¡°In the end, neither he nor the Dragon God Palace can be trusted either¡­ In the end, everyone is only looking out for themselves.¡± Zhang concluded as a new day began and the night came to an end. Of course, since he was currently located within the Blood Coral Castle, deep underneath the churning waves above, there was no rising sun or setting moon.

    With the start of a new day, the forces of the Blood Coral Cove and Starry Sea Sect began to amass outside of the city with their respective leaders leading them.

    Together, Zhang and Shan Li headed toward the territories controlled by the Golden Pearl Sect with eyes filled with anticipation and hearts brimming with fire.

    These two young men were out to carve a path covered in blood. On one hand, Shan Li was hoping to prove himself to his master who was also his father, Zhang was hoping to solidify his power amongst the forces who governed the seas.

    With countless possibilities ahead of them, Zhang, the beauties and Shan Li sped away from the Blood Coral Cove.

    In an instant a few days soon passed by and as the coalition continued to near the outer ring of the Golden Pearl Sect¡¯s influence, news of Holy Son Hui Ying¡¯s death had been spread far and wide.

    Atop of Hui Ying¡¯s death, every respective force had also been alerted of the annihilation of nearly half of the Golden Pearl Sect¡¯s forces at the hand of Zhang and Shan Li.

    While many were taken aback by how quickly things had transpired ever since Zhang had become the new ruler of the Blood Coral Cove, others were filled with a mixture of newfound respect, intrigue, fear, and anticipation.

    It was the first time in countless years that one of the top twenty forces that governed the sea could possibly disappear.

    For some, after hundreds of years of peace and boredom, something interesting was finally occurring, while for others the thought of being dethroned sent a shiver down their spines. But nonetheless, no one was more caught up in the current situation then the Golden Pearl Sect.

    At first when receiving news of Hui Ying¡¯s death along with the deaths of all of the Saint level experts and many disciples that had accompanied him, when their Soul Bound Jade Slips shattered, the leaders of the Golden Pearl Sect were still able to keep calm.

    It was because they had thought that the Blood Coral Cove must have suffered many more casualties and losses then they had. So even if they lost nearly half of their combat power, as long as they maintained their alliance with the Starry Sea Sect, no one would dare to cause them trouble.

    However, upon learning about what had actually happened, a frenzy of hysteria swept through their ranks. From the proud and prestigious sect master to the grandest of elders all the day to the most insignificant of disciples, everyone apart of the Golden Pearl Sect was shaken to their very core.

    Due to Hui Ying''s failed plot, not only was the Blood Coral Cove not burnt to ashes and swept away by the raging waves of the sea, but it had joined forces with the Starry Sea Sect.

    ¡°That little bastard didn''t listen to my warning and not only ended up dying but dragged us into such a horrid state¡­¡± The master of the Golden Pearl Sect cursed as a stream of reports began arriving about the coalition force that was inbound.

    These reports soon turned into devastating news as Zhang and Shan Li arrived at a small out of the way outpost located in the far reaches of the Golden Pearl Sect¡¯s influence. An outpost located on an island that many called, Razor Clam Island.

    Geographically, Razor Clam Island was located not too far from a chain of islands on the very rim of the territory controlled by the Golden Pearl Sect.

    Stolen novel; please report.

    Despite how far and out of the way, Razor Clam Island was from the Golden Pearl Sect¡¯s headquarters and any of its large cities or strategical locations, it held a hidden importance that few other places held.

    ================================

    ¡°All forces prepare to move in and occupy the island!¡± Shan Li said as the moon shone down from above, revealing hundreds of thousands of faces that had been hidden within the waves.

    ¡°Have some of your men take the east and I''ll have some mine take the west. Let''s avoid having to spill blood if we can. Whoever can make it inside without alerting by the enemy of their presence until they are able to subdue the person in charge of it will get ownership of this chain of islands.¡± Zhang said to Shan Li as his head poked out of the water¡¯s surface while his gaze was focused upon a fortress that occupied that entire circumference of Razor Clam Island.

    With a nod from Shan Li, two small teams were formed and made their way onto the shores of the island, unbeknownst to its inhabitants.

    Despite the hundreds of guards atop the walls, luminous torches and the bright rays of the moon, like formless apparitions, the members of the coalition force were able to avoid detection as they headed toward the fortress.

    ¡°Honey, if you''ll do the honors.¡± Zhang whispered to Ling who replied with a nod before channeling the essence around her and manipulating the seawater around the island and turning it into a dense tsunami of fog that instantly cloaked the entire island.

    Many may wonder why Zhang, the beauties m and Shan Li were going through all of the trouble of being stealthy when they could easily storm into the fortress directly with little resistance. But the answer was obvious, by sneaking in and neutralizing whoever was in control of the fortress, they would thus avoid having to kill a large portion or all of the island''s inhabitants.

    Since in the end, they would still need people to man the fortress after it falls under their control. If they were to kill all of the island¡¯s inhabitants then they would have to leave behind a number of their subordinates to occupy it, rather than forcing the inhabitants into submission and having to only leave a few people behind to look over them.

    As the wall of fog blocked all vision and blinded all of the fortress¡¯s guards, Zhang, and the beauties along with a group of their subordinates leaped onto the top of the fortress walls.

    Sneaking past the guards, maids and staff that worked within the fortress, without leaving a single trace of their presence, Zhang and all those who had come with him, quickly honed in on the location of the strongest cultivator within the fortress.

    ¡°Only a lesser saint, a small group of level ten cultivators, a dozen or so level six cultivators, and the rest are commoners.¡± Yuying said in a whisper as she and the others arrived in front of a large hall in the center of the fortress.

    ¡°Brother so if I catch him first then this island is mine?¡± Ai asked jokingly as she began to roll up her long sleeves.

    ¡°If you can catch him then you can have this island. I''m not sure what you''d do with it but sure.¡± Zhang said softly with a chuckle as he imagined what it would be like to live on an island governed by Ai.

    ¡°An island of randomness.¡± Zhang thought as he and the beauties proceeded to peer into the hall through a thin gap between a pair of large gates.

    The inside of the hall was an extravagant view, littered with golden furniture, marble floors, and art embedded with beautiful gems.

    There was also a middle-aged man sitting on a silver throne, roughly ten level ten cultivators split into two rows standing beside the middle-aged man, two rows of level six cultivators dressed in matching attire standing guard along the walls of the hall before them was a large group of young women and men bound by ropes and chains.

    ¡°Lord Cheng Huang, it seems, this time, the shipment of slaves we received is brimming with ripe bids for the picking.¡± One of the level ten cultivators who was dressed in long flowing robes said as he kicked his lips while eyeing a few of the young women bound by ropes.

    ¡°Those islanders sure know how to pick them.¡± Another level ten cultivator said with a hearty laugh.

    ¡°My lord, shall we send these women to your chambers? As for the men, shall send have them sent to the Essence Stone Mines?¡± Yet another level ten cultivator said.

    Upon hearing the words that came out of the mouths of these level ten cultivators, Zhang¡¯s eyes gleamed with interest.

    ¡°Essence Stone Mines? Could they mean, Dragon Vein vents?¡± Zhang wondered as he recalled the time he harvested thousands of essence stones from the various Dragon¡¯s Veins scattered throughout the warring states region.

    With still gleaming eyes, Zhang signaled to Ai had an equally excited look on her face.

    ¡°Each of you can pick one of your likings, as for the men, send them to the mines. This year the tribute we have to send to the main sect will be double what we had sent last year due to the death of Holy Son Hui Ying and the loss of so many of our sect¡¯s main forces. So afterward go and round up a few more able men from the villages because even with this group we will still be short-handed down there. Make sure to keep an eye out for those things also...¡± The lesser Saint referred to as Lord Cheng Huang said as his eyes scanned the faces of each of the young women who were bound before him.

    ¡°Also double the number of guards, although I doubt those bastards from the Blood Coral Cove and Starry Sea Sect will come here but if they do I want to be alerted.¡± Lord Cheng Huang added.

    ¡°Thank you, for your grace my lord. We will be sure to carry out your orders as quickly as possible.¡± All of the level ten cultivators said in unison as they proceeded to all toward the group of tied up men and women with a lecherous gaze.

    Seeing the looks and gestures the level ten cultivators were making, many of the young women became utterly fear stricken. However, none of them attempted to scream for help or break free of their bindings because regardless of whatever they did, there was nowhere for them to go.

    The surrounding islands were all under the control of Lord Cheng Huang, and the Golden Pearl Sect. Also to begin with all of the people present today bound in chains and rope had been offered to Lord Cheng by their respective villages.

    Thus without anywhere to go, everyone gritted their teeth, swallowed their anger and resigned to their fates.

    However, a certain event would unfold in the not too distant future that would change the lives of every single person on Razor Clam Island and the surrounding islands forever.

    Before any of the lecherous level, ten cultivators who were treated like gods by the islanders could even trace their hands through the hair of the ping maidens tied up in front of them, a deafening bang rang into their ears.

 Chapter 207: Into the Mines!

    Dragon¡¯s Soul is now officially available for the kindle on Amazon at https://amzn.com/B01M0KEGUI</a> up to chapter 91. Thank you, you guy and gals for your support and I probably would have stopped writing by now if it wasn¡¯t for you all.

    =============================================================================

    Utilizing her insane brute strength, Ai kicked the two large gates, sending them flying through the air, embedding them into the wall behind Lord Cheng Huang¡¯s silver throne and leaving deep indentations in them.

    ¡°Hand over all your valuables or I''ll have to beat you to a pulp!¡± Ai said while entering the hall in a domineering manner.

    ¡°Ai, we aren''t here to rob them.¡± Yuying said in a soft voice with a chuckle as she and the rest of the group entered the hall behind Ai.

    ¡°Actually we are.¡± Zhang said with a laugh as he walked alongside Yuying.

    ¡°Wh-who are you people!? How dare did you get in here and how dare you show such insolence to Lord Cheng Huang? Do you not know that within a thousand miles from this place, everything is our lord¡¯s domain!?¡± A level ten cultivator spoke in a loud and haughty tone, contrary to the frightened look on Lord Cheng Huang¡¯s face.

    This was mainly because level ten cultivators, did not possess divine sense and thus could not gauge the power difference between themselves and their adversaries.

    Attributing to the haughtiness of these level ten cultivators was the fact that it was extremely rare for anyone stronger than Lord Cheng Huang to visit the island. After the years of bullying and harassing the powerless villagers that lived in the surrounding villages, these level ten cultivators slowly became absorbed in a self-made fantasy where no one on Razor Clam Island or any of the surrounding ones can challenge their power.

    However apart of the group of level ten cultivators were a few quick-witted people who had noticed the fact that their lord had not spoken a single word and had an unusual expression on his face. Realizing there was something amiss they chose to remain silent and not utter a single word.

    In Lord Cheng Huang¡¯s case, it was obvious to him who Zhang and the beauties are thanks to the various reports that had arrived from the Golden Pearl Sect¡¯s headquarters. Even if he didn''t know who they were, when a lesser Saint was in the presence of five full saints and a handful of other lesser saints, it was obvious to act subserviently of they wished to keep their livelihood.

    ¡°Lord Cheng Huang?¡± Ling asked with a curious expression on her face while her furry little companion, Little White, could be seen sitting on all fours on her slender shoulder.

    ¡°Lord Cheng Huang, lord of Razor Clam Island! Designated by the almighty Golden Pearl sect to be the ruler of all the waters within five thousand miles of this island! A man who has achieved sainthood!¡± One of the level ten cultivators boasted, oblivious to the pained expression on his master¡¯s face and before Lord Cheng Huang could stop him.

    ¡°A saint!? I''m extremely sorry for my wife¡¯s rude demeanor.¡± Zhang said as he walked up beside Ai with an apologetic expression on his face, prompting the other beauties to cover their mouths with their hands in an attempt to stop themselves from bursting into laughter.

    ¡°If you have realized your stupidity then kneel! Guards! Detain all of them! All the men are to be sent to the mines while the women are to be sent to our lord¡¯s chambers!¡± The level ten cultivator said with his head held high and a lecherous look in his eyes as he glanced from one beauty to the next, obviously with bad intentions.

    Despite the long back and forth between the two groups, only buy a few instances had passed.

    ¡°M-m-my lords! Please forgive these fools for being blind and unable to see your greatness.¡± Lord Cheng Huang cried as he pushed himself out of his silver throne and hurriedly walked toward Zhang¡¯s group with wobbly legs.

    ¡°Please forgive their insolence! Please forgive their insolence!¡± Lord Cheng Huang cried as his legs gave out and his body stumbled onto the ground.

    Much to the confusion of the guards and many of the level ten cultivators, their almighty lord who ruled with an iron fist was actually on his hands and knees, begging for forgiveness.

    Of course, the few who were quick witted level ten cultivators and a few of the guards were to catch on and soon joined Lord Cheng Huang.  While the dull-witted who had acted haughtily at Zhang and the beauties continued to stare blankly into the space in front of them as they tried to process the current situation.

    ¡°What might you be talking about, Lord Cheng Huang. If I did anything to offend you then please forgive me for my lack of worldly experience.¡± Zhang said with a grin as he walked up toward Lord Cheng Huang who was groveling on the ground.

    ¡°My lord please don''t kid with this old man. If there is anything you need me to do, then please just say the word.¡± Lord Cheng Huang said hastily.

    ¡°What we want? Darling, what do we want?¡± Lingqi asked as she arrived beside Zhang and pulled his arm into her embrace while her head leaned onto his shoulder.

    ¡°Yes my lords, please just tell me what you want and I''ll be happy to hand it over.¡± Lord Cheng Huang said frantically.

    ¡°We will be taking this island.¡± Zhang said in a firm tone.

    ¡°Actually we will be taking all of the surrounding islands also.¡± He added after a slight pause.

    ¡°You scoundrel, you want these islands?¡± A level ten cultivator who was the last to realize the current situation roared.

    ¡°These islands? M-m-my lord, these islands aren''t mine to give. They belong to the sect and I''m simply governing them as the sect¡¯s representative. If I give away what does not belong to me, after being entrusted to guard this place, then the sect will have my head.¡± Lord Cheng Huang said in a tone made up of a mixture of respect and fear.

    ¡°I never asked for permission.¡± Zhang said with a smile as he proceeded to activate the Abyssal Cape¡¯s power, causing two silhouettes to shoot out from his shadow and charge across the room.

    In but an instant, all of the level ten cultivators who had spoken out of turn were reduced to puddles of blood and bits of flesh as a pair of Abyssal Voracious Eaters appeared beside Lord Cheng Huang¡¯s throne.

    With their talons slick with blood and sharp fangs gleaming from torch light, the Voracious Eaters made all of the bound villagers, guards, and level ten cultivators cower in fear. A few of the weak hearted even fainted after releasing terrified screams.

    Surprisingly enough, Little White hopped off of Ling¡¯s shoulder and made its way over to where the Voracious eaters were and morphed into its originally massive size.

    With a roar, Little White playfully pounced onto one of the Abyssal Voracious Eaters who both, in turn, dispersed into a curtain of black colored particles.

    ¡°Little White come back here. I''ll find someone to play with you in a bit.¡± Ling said softly, prompting Little White to slowly make its way back toward her while also adding a layer of fear in the hearts of all of the spectators present.

    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

    For a pair of beasts who could take down two pairs of level ten cultivators in a flicker of a second to both be turned into nothingness with little to no effort at all, meant that Little White was overwhelmingly powerful. Well, at least that was what everyone who didn''t know any better believed.

    ¡°Ho-how can a level nine demonic beast¡­¡± Lord Cheng Huang murmured as he was confused due to Little White¡¯s level of cultivation.

    ¡°Brother Zhou Zhang, there is no need to waste time with their like, I took the liberty of subduing all of the people in the fortress already. As we speak, our forces should be heading toward the smaller islands to capture anyone of whom that are a part of the Golden Pearl Sect and establish our control.¡± Shan Li¡¯s voice could be heard.

    ¡°You work quick.¡± Zhang said with a laugh as he looked back toward the hall¡¯s entrance where Shan Li could be seen leaning on where the hinges of gates were.

    ¡°So what will it be? You have two options available to you. You can either pledge allegiance to us and change your ways or you can remain loyal and take a one-way trip to a place where not too many people come back from. The same option goes to the rest of you.¡± Yuying said as she gazed down at Lord Cheng Huang who appeared to be in a daze.

    ¡°Sis, no third option?¡± Ling asked with a chuckle.

    ¡°We have plenty of lesser saints at our beck and call now, no point in wasting my efforts on another one.¡± Yuying replied in a bored tone which in an instant later sparked a frenzy of responses to her question, believing that time was ticking against them and that Yuying would soon lose interest and grant them all death.

    ¡°If those are the only two paths left for me, then I choose death. Betraying those who have given me everything I have is not something I¡¯m willing to do.¡± Lord Cheng Huang said after mustering all of the remaining courage in himself.

    One after the other, the guards and level ten cultivators in the hall scrambled to gather in front of Yuying to announce their allegiance. Of course, there were a few who did not move a single inch from where they were standing. They were either unwilling to betray their principles, turn their backs on the Golden Pearl Sect or were simply too dazed to do anything.

    After it was evident that no one else would step forward, Yuying looked at Lingqi who casually waved her hand and released a storm of needles into the air. Much like what had happened when Zhang unleashed the power of the Abyssal Cape, in an instant everyone who was had been busy pledging their allegiance tumbled onto the ground lifelessly.

    ¡°Sometimes being too quick to surrender isn¡¯t a good thing. However, you guys shouldn¡¯t have killed those guards¡­ We need them to you know, man the fortress.¡± Ling said as she shook her head after looking down at the scattered corpses.

    ¡°You can remain loyal to the Golden Pearl Sect, however, once we¡¯ve scattered it to the four winds then you are welcome to come join us. Of course, you can¡¯t have any more slaves and you¡¯ll have to make it up to the villagers whom you have wronged, but I don¡¯t think such a task would be too hard for a lesser saint to accomplish.¡± Zhang said with a smile as he began walking over to where Shan Li was, with the beauties quickly assembling beside him.

    ¡°Detain him and every single one of the other members of the Golden Pearl Sect, clean up this mess, and see to it that those villagers are returned home.¡± Zhang said with a yawn as a small group of lesser saints, and a large group of soldiers from the Blood Scale Army marched into the hall.

    After leaving the hall, Zhang and the beauties found a bedroom to rest in for the night while their subordinates and Shan Li¡¯s subordinates broke into groups and began taking turns keeping watch over the fortress after detaining all of the fortress¡¯s staff.

    ========================================================================

    Like a breeze, the night ended and the day began, with his priorities in order, Zhang directly headed toward where all of the previous occupants of the fortress were being held.

    Unlike what had happened in the prior night, where most of the guards and level ten cultivators were killed, almost all of the captives were released after successfully realigning their allegiance. Of course, Yuying had to play the same trick she had placed upon the members of the Yu Sect, but for the most part after believing they were cursed, all of the previous occupants of the fortress firmly believed that they would not betray Zhang or the beauties.

    With his first priority completed, Zhang, the beauties, and their subordinates headed toward the Essence Stone Mines located on the island. Although Zhang had asked if Shan Li wished to accompany him and the beauties, he was respectfully declined since the Starry Sea Sect also had control of an Essence Stone Mine or two and it wasn¡¯t anything new to Shan Li.

    However, he did mention that it was one of the few places a cultivator should visit to widen their understanding and further their knowledge, further piquing Zhang¡¯s interest in the Essence Stone Mine.

    After being lead to a sealed off section of the fortress where the entrance to a large cavern that cut into the ground could be seen, Zhang and the rest of the group was greeted by swarm worshiping villagers who had all been freed from slavery the previous night.

    Numbering easily in the thousands, every single one of the villagers were filled with joy and happiness as they caught sight of their liberators.

    ¡°Thank you! Thank you! Thanking for freeing us from that hell hole!¡± Countless voices chanted over and over as Zhang and the beauties continued walking toward the entrance of the Essence Stone Mine.

    ¡°I have a feeling this mine will be different from those pockets of the dragon vein that we had harvested.¡± Zhang said as he and the beauties arrived at the mouth of the mine.

    ¡°My lord, I¡¯ve already sent down a few teams of people to stand guard and map investigate the layout of the mine so you can enter whenever you wish, without worry. I also prepared a few squads of soldiers to follow behind is in case they are needed.¡± Chu Shou said after a bow while clasping his hands.

    ¡°Good, then let¡¯s go in.¡± Zhang said as he made his first steps into the Essence Stone Mine.

    ¡°Your holiness don''t go! Don''t go in there! Those things are down there!¡± A few of the villagers cried, however, their words fell on deaf ears because their voices were muffled by the enormous babbling crowd.

    Although the entrance of the mine appears like any other cave or mine, the instant Zhang and the beauties walked a short distance into the mine, they were able to feel the essence concentration in the air begin to increase ever so slightly.

    Despite the lack of essence stones thus far, Zhang and the beauties continued to walk deeper and deeper into the mine.

    And the deeper they went, the higher the essence density in the air was.

 Chapter 208: Stone Men

    Dragon¡¯s Soul is now officially available for the kindle on Amazon at https://amzn.com/B01M0KEGUI</a> up to chapter 91. Thank you, you guy and gals for your support and I probably would have stopped writing by now if it wasn¡¯t for you all.

    ============================================================================

    Hundreds of soldiers clad in red colored scale armor stood motionlessly along the corridors of the Essence Stone Mine, standing but a few feet from one another, silently saluting Zhang and the beauties as they walked pass.

    ¡°The essence concentration that we absorbed from the Dragon¡¯s Vein can''t even makeup but a fraction of the concentration here.¡± Ling said as she and the others continued deeper into the mine.

    Curled up in Ling¡¯s arm¡¯s Little White could be seen silently absorbing the essence around it, in an attempt to further its cultivation.

    ¡°Too bad we already ascended or else this would be a great place to cultivate.¡± Yuying added as she noticed what Little White was doing.

    ¡°With such a great environment to cultivate, it makes me wonder why there aren''t any more saints residing here.¡± Lingqi questioned.

    ¡°You right, considering that we haven''t even reached the deepest parts of the mine yet, it''s odd that there aren''t a lot of Saint level experts residing here.¡± Ling said.

    ¡°Also with this high of a concentration of essence, shouldn''t the miners who work down here have much higher cultivations?¡± Lingqi asked.

    ¡°Perhaps there used to be a higher population of saints here but they went elsewhere. We did wipe out nearly half of their forces. If I recall correctly number of lesser saints that they lost were easily numbered in the tens or dozens. As for the miners, maybe they aren''t allowed to stay down here too long, since if they get too strong it would be hard to maintain control over them.¡± Zhang said as he recalled rewarding his subordinates with Heavenly Energy from the corpses of the slain lesser saints of the Golden Pearl Sect while keeping the corpses of the full saints to himself and the beauties.

    ¡°Yea, we sure did a number on them.¡± Ai said with a laughed as she walked slightly ahead of the group with brisk steps, showing how excited she was to explore the mines.

    After taking another hundred or so steps and passing dozens of openings that splintered off from their path, Zhang and the beauties arrived at a large chamber. At the center of this chamber was a large opening that descended deeper into the mines.

    Along with a spiraling staircase that was cut out of the ground, there were also four platforms that led to four large wooden lifts that dangled from the chamber¡¯s ceiling.

    ¡°My lord, a few teams have already descended and are awaiting your arrival. However due to how vast these mines are we are still waiting for more men to be sent down. Sadly, the villagers refuse to step foot back down here so we are left without proper guides.¡± A soldier said as he walked up and saluted Zhang who replied with a nod before making his way onto one of the four lifts with the beauties in tow while Chu Shou, Hai Xing and a few other lesser saints filed into the adjacent.

    As for the remaining lifts, they were quickly filled with soldiers from the Blood Scale Army.

    Once everyone was inside the lifts, a lever was pulled and dozens of ropes, and mechanisms were put into motion causing the lifts to begin to descending into the depths of the mines one by one.

    Since there was only so much space on the lifts, a large number of soldiers who had accompanied Zhang and the beauties had to descend using the staircase.

    As these soldiers began marching downward, they quickly walked past their counterparts who stood along the walls of the spiraling staircase holding flickering torches.

    ¡°This shaft opens up quite a bit.¡± Ling commented as the surrounding walls widened.

    ¡°Luckily we have a lot of soldiers at hand. Or else it would take who knows how long to found our way around this place.¡± Lingqi joked.

    Before long, the lifts arrived at their destination and Zhang and the beauties disembarked to find themselves in what appeared to be another world.

    Hundreds of wooden mine carts could be seen filled to the brim with sparkling crystals, countless miles of tracks could be seen laid out on the ground and evidence left behind by a massive workforce was scattered everywhere.

    ¡°My lord, due to the sheer size of this mine system, we decided it would be best to await your arrival instead of spreading ourselves thin and getting lost.¡± A soldier said the moment Zhang and the beauties arrived.

    ¡°That''s fine.¡± Zhang said as he proceeded to pat the soldier on the shoulder before his gaze wandered about once again, examining the surrounding area.

    ¡°There''s no way the villagers that were gathered around the mine entrance could have done all of this by themselves.¡± Ling pointed out after examining the vastness of the cavern they were in and the number of pathways cut into the walls.

    ¡°It doesn''t look like any of this was done by magic either.¡± Lingqi said.

    ¡°Chu Shou, have more of our men come down here and begin excavating as many essence stones are they can. We will use this mine to bolster our forces in preparation for future confrontations with the forces of the Golden Pearl Sect.¡± Zhang said.

    Unlike most sect''s and forces who preferred to empower a few select individuals with all of their resources, Zhang wanted to increase the bulk of his power.

    In his opinion, having a thousand level ten cultivators at his beck and call would be much more useful than having ten lesser saints.

    Of course, there are many out there would beg to differ, but none of their opinions truly mattered to him.

    ¡°My lord, what about the forces of the Starry Sea Sect? Surely since we are working together with them, they''ll expect a portion of the essence stones that we excavate from here.¡± Chu Shou asked, reminding Zhang of Shan Li and the forces of the Starry Sea Sect that were also currently encamped within the fortress.

    ¡°Between me and you, give them twenty percent and tell them we are giving them fifty percent. If they ask for more then I''ll handle things with their holy son. For now, we need to maintain a lasting relationship with them but in the future, we may end up becoming bitter enemies once again.¡± Zhang said with a devious grin on his face.

    ¡°As you command my lord.¡± Chu Shou said with glinting eyes while rubbing his hands together.

    Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

    Suddenly the ground began to rumble and quake, causing many of Zhang¡¯s soldiers to stumble onto the ground.

    Up above within a well-guarded area of the fortress, in a place filled with prison cells, Lord Cheng Huang could be seen sitting crossed legged until the ground began to shake.

    ¡°They¡¯re here!¡± He said as he shifted his gaze toward the ground.

    Elsewhere on the island, hundreds of miners began wailing and releasing blood-curdling cries.

    ¡°They¡¯re coming! They¡¯re coming!¡± Many of the seasoned miners cried with panicked expressions on their faces.

    ¡°What¡¯s coming?!¡± Nai Fan asked as he grabbed a miner by the collar after coming to ensure the mine doesn''t collapse with his new master still inside it.

    ¡°The demons! Th-th-the living statues! The face stealing statues!¡± The miner cried.

    Back down in the mines, a strange event began to occur. As the ground continued to shake, Zhang and the beauties found themselves face to face with an unforeseen enemy.

    Caught by surprise, Zhang¡¯s soldiers who were scattered throughout the mine¡¯s tunnels were assaulted all simultaneously attacked.

    From the dark caverns, stony walls embedded with countless essence stones and rocky floor, countless humanoid limbs appeared.

    Arms of stone reached out and attempted to drag the unsuspecting into the ground while claws tipped with crystals lashed out and sliced through the scale armor that Zhang¡¯s soldiers wore.

    While a tiny fraction of the soldiers met an unjust end, most of them were able to overcome their brief moment of panic and draw their weapons.

    Swords were swung, fists were used and whatever else that was laying around was this used to fend this unknown enemy.

    Much to their surprise, Zhang¡¯s soldiers found that the limbs made of stone and crystal were easily destroyed. However, unlike conventional enemies, the stone arms and claws quickly regenerated and even grew torsos and other body parts, causing them to look ever more so humanlike.

    ¡°Prepare to engage the enemy! Whatever these things are, we will crush them!¡± Zhang roared as the Rising Moon Sword and Mirage Viper Fang Blade appeared in his hands.

    ¡°Attack the stone men!¡± A soldier roared as he led a squad of soldiers into battle.

    After using his divine sense to scout out the power level of the stone enemies in front of him and after having witnessed a few of his soldiers successfully smashing a stone hand to pieces, Zhang charged forward at full speed.

    With a flick of his wrist and a twist of his arm in a single fluid motion, Zhang dismembered a dozen or so of the stone men in an instant. But of course, much to Zhang¡¯s dismay, a dozen or so more stone men soon rose out from the ground in next to no time at all.

    ¡°Form up ranks! If we don''t they''ll just tear everyone out!¡± Chu Shou commanded, seeing if he did not take charge, the soldiers of the Blood Scale Army would over extend themselves and unnecessary casualties would occur.

    While the soldiers came together, the beauties began to put on a display of their power. Ai lashed out with her black whip, Lingqi tossed vials of corrosive poison, Ling sliced the stone men to bit with blades of water, while Little White dashed about and used its claws and fangs, as Yuying employed her dark arts to summon a green colored mist.

    As the green colored mist swept across the ground a small army of the dead was raised. Further adding to the spectacle was the fact that there were actually a few skeletons encased in the stone men. So as they were awakened from their normally eternal slumber, a few of the undead broke out from within the stone men.

    Besides the army of the undead, Yuying also activated the powers of the Ruler¡¯s Domain and unleashed her swarm of Wraith Spider.

    As a frightening reminder of Yuying¡¯s might in battles that solely relied on numbers, the army of the undead and the swarm of Wraith Spiders quickly decimated the stone men.

    It got to the point where the stone men would be crushed before they could even push themselves out from the ground.

    ¡°All units! Quickly head for the surface!¡± Yuying commanded.

    However, before any of the soldiers or their superiors could respond to Yuying¡¯s instructions, the rumbling ground grew still and the stone men that had already formed ceased to move and those that had yet to spawn no longer attempted to.

    As quickly as they appeared, the stone men disappeared just as quickly, leaving behind a shrouded mystery, awaiting Zhang and the beauties to solve.

    ¡°Have all of our saint level experts and a large portion of our forces come down here immediately! Order our men to keep quiet about what happened down here. I also want all of the previous occupants of this fortress gathered and kept under close watch. Avoid allowing the people of the Starry Sea Sect from getting too close to them.¡± Zhang commanded after the ordeal was over.

    ¡°Also have the miners questioned, I want to know what we are dealing with. As much information as possible.¡± Zhang added.

    Perhaps it was due to the mysteriousness of the stone men, but Zhang had become very intrigued and wished to possess them and for him to do that he would have to prevent the people of the Starry Sea Sect from interfering in any way or manner.

    ¡°As you command my lord.¡± Chu Shou said as he levitated into the air and shot up the lift shaft, heading toward the surface to carry out Zhang¡¯s orders before any news of what had occurred was spread.

    ¡°As for now all of you are to set up defensive parameters in preparation for an enemy assault.¡± Zhang said to the soldiers and other lesser saints who remained behind with him.

    Quickly responding to Zhang¡¯s commands, the soldiers of the Blood Scale Army started gathering the scattered mine carts and began constructing a makeshift wall. The lesser saints began to employ their magic to remold the ground in an attempt to prevent the stone men from raising up from it.

    ¡°Silky, you and the others go and make web nets over there and there.¡± Yuying commanded as she patted Silky.

    After staying within the Ruler¡¯s Domain for extended periods of time and being fed ample food, Silk had grown tremendous in size. Although it was still smaller than the regular Wraith Spiders, Silky was now roughly the size of a very large dog. One of their dogs that were slightly larger than their human masters.

 Chapter 208.5: Imperial Court

    <hr />

    Dragon¡¯s Soul is now officially available for the kindle on Amazon at https://amzn.com/B01M0KEGUI up to chapter 91</a>.

    One of you guys asked if I could do a half chapter about what is going on back at home while Zhang and the beauties are away and here it is. 3,500 words: D I may do a few more half chapters later.

    Thank you to you guys who have bought the book on amazon: D hopefully I¡¯ll sell enough books to hire a pro artist to make a paint for us.

    ============================================================================

    While Zhang and the beauties were swept up by one event after the other which ended up propelling them into an unexpected adventure at sea, countless events occurred back on land. Many thousands of miles away from Razor Clam Island, from the Blood Coral Cove and from the Chaotic Eastern Sea, back on the Wulin Continent, an eerie peace had swept across the land. Like the calm before a mighty storm, strife and conflict disappeared without a trace.

    The most peaceful of places was actually the southern region of the continent, the lands of the of Aurora Empire. After its unification, the Aurora Empire focused all of its attention on strengthening its borders and attempt to stabilize its interior.

    Day and night, Zhang¡¯s foster father, Jian Wei worked, to ensure that the land would not splinter back into the state that it had been before.

    ¡°The beginning of an empire is always the most important. If we build a good foundation at the start, then we won¡¯t have to worry about not having a legacy to leave behind.¡± Jian Wei would often say to his advisers when they were about to complaining about being overworked.

    Although he was not as adept at commanding an army and conquering lands as Zhang, Jian Wei was extremely gifted when it came to governing his people. Had it not been for this particular skill of his, the Aurora Province would have never grown powerful and wealthy enough to maintain its vast armies and as a result, the creation of a third empire within the Wulin Continent would have remain but a fruitless fantasy.

    That is to say, a countless number of factors had contributed to the creation of the Aurora Empire, had even one of these factors been missing then nothing would have been accomplished. If Jian Wei had not met Zhang then he would have more than likely lost his life at sea, had he not selected Zhang as his successor then there the Red Mist Province, and many of the other provinces wouldn¡¯t have fallen so easily, had Zhang not recruited Gan Ning to join his ranks then Jian Wei would have lost his life within the Beast¡¯s Gorge against the Heavenly Sword Army.

    Sometimes when he reminisced about the past, Jian Wei would often think of the what ifs and in the end he would always come to the conclusion that he had made the right choice in choosing Zhang to be his successor.

    Despite what Jian Wein believed, there were countless people who thought otherwise and often rebuked his decision.

    On one particular day, when thousands of officials had gathered from the four corners of the empire to attend the Aurora Empire¡¯s first ever Imperial Court gathering.

    From the smallest of offices to the most powerful of dukes, everyone who held a government position had left their duties to their subordinates and headed to the empire¡¯s capital.

    ¡°That kid still hasn''t come back yea¡­¡± A middle-aged man who wore golden robes with dragons embroidered onto them said while giving off a dominating aura, this man, of course, is Jian Wei, Emperor of the Aurora Empire.

    ¡°Your majesty, the generals and teachers from the Imperial Institute who had gone to said had relayed that his highness said he would return once he settled a few minor matters, so there is no need to worry about him.¡± One Jian Wei¡¯s advisors said.

    ¡°If he isn''t here then I''m sure a few good for nothing will try to cause trouble for him¡­ Although it won''t amount to much, it is still a headache for me to have to deal with it.¡± Jian Wei complained.

    ¡°Have preparations been made yet?¡± Jian Wei asked his advisor.

    ¡°Of course, your majesty all of your orders have been successfully carried out without anyone catching wind of it. Here is the information you requested.¡± An advisor responded as he offered up a golden colored scroll to Jian Wei.

    ¡°Good, since they¡¯ve all gathered in one place, hopefully, a little warning will go a long way and they stop with their foolishness.¡± Jian Wei said.

    ¡°Your majesty it is time, all of the officials have arrived and are waiting for the court to commence.¡± A soldier clad in the Aurora Army¡¯s standard white colored armor said respectfully while clasping his hand while standing in the doorway.

    ¡°Alright let''s go.¡± Jian Wei said as he stood up from the chair that he had been sitting on and began straightening his robes, only to be swarmed by a group of beautiful young maids who quickly straightened his robes for him.

    ¡°I may never get used to this¡­¡± He thought with a sigh. After becoming emperor, rather than enjoying the benefits that came with it, Jian Wei felt rather bothered by the amount of attention he was getting.

    In the early morning, beautiful women would wake him up and dress him for the day, delicious food would be brought for him to taste, not eat because it was unbecoming of an emperor to gorge himself. At first, a few of the maids even tried to spoon feed him however after ordering them not too many times, they finally stopped.

    ¡°Too much pampering isn''t a good thing, despite what one might think¡­Sometimes I envy that kid, surrounding by beautiful women who he knows loves him from their heart, free to travel the world and see its splendors. Just wait till you come back¡­ I''ll give you so much work to do you won''t see the light of day.¡± Jian Wei thought with a chuckle as the maids who had swarmed around him formed into two tidy rows by the door.

    After taking a deep breath and gently slapping his face to fully wake himself up, Jian Wei proceeded toward the door where a golden sedan chair made of gold awaited him.

    Carried by ten well-built men, surrounded by teams of veteran soldiers and followed by squads of beautiful maids, Jian We made his way toward the Imperial City¡¯s main hall, the Aurora Hall.

    As a tribute to the Aurora Empire¡¯s roots, the Aurora Hall was built in a way that whenever the midday¡¯s sun shone into it, a mesmerizing aurora would be projected onto its ceiling.

    Within this majestic hall, thousands of government officials, generals, and those in power could be seen clamoring about and conversing with one another.

    At first look everything appeared completely fine, however upon closer examination, one would notice that instead of a single group of people, there was clearly three distinct groups within the hall. Each group taking up a respective section of the hall.

    ¡°What did those bastards say?¡± One of Zhang¡¯s core generals, a certain pirate named Gan Ning said as he could be seen standing by a few other notable generals and government officials such as, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Zhang Liao, Leng Zai, Sima Yi, Zhuge Liang, Ran Kaitou, Lu Xun, Xi Ning and dozens of other famous names.

    ¡°I dare them to keep talking like that.¡± Gan Ning said as he glanced at opposite wing of the hall.

    ¡°Those ungrateful, after his highness helped conquer the warring states and unite the land, they dare say he will usurp the throne is his majesty has a male offspring¡­¡± Guan Yu complained.

    ¡°The countless enemies we slewed on the battlefield to build this empire while they sat in the comforts of their homes and they have the balls to bring up such accusations¡­They¡¯re lucky I didn''t bring too many of my men with me or else I''ll have their heads on spikes.¡± Gan Ning said angrily.

    ¡°Gan Ning, calm yourself, if you do that that then not even his highness can save you and you''ll only make things worse.¡± Sima Yi said.

    ¡°There is a due process for everything, if you act rashly then you''ll only give them the opportunity to strike. Although our side currently has control of a decent portion of the empire¡¯s military, we can''t simply go around killing people like we did on the battlefield. Also while we are in the light they are in the dark, it is hard to tell what they are up to.¡± Zhuge Liang said.

    ¡°As long as they do not directly threaten his majesty our emperor or his highness, Lord Zhou Zhang, then our best course of action is to wait.¡± Sima Yi said.

    After the unification of the Warring States Region and the creation of the empire, with even with the addition of Zhang¡¯s elite guard, the regular army under his control and the armies under the control of his trusted, generals, and other allies, Zhang had at the very most, control of roughly twenty-five percent of all of Aurora¡¯s soldiers.

    With the other seventy-five percent of the military split up between the northern lords who held roughly forty-five percent of the control over the military, and various lords who ruled lands located in what is now the center of the empire who controlled thirty percent of the military.

    ¡°As long as it is for the benefit of his highness, the southern region will offer its full support.¡± The sons of the duke of the south, Liu Shan and Liu Yuan aid in unison in a low tone.

    Currently the Imperial Court of the Aurora Empire was split into three, with one side, the so-called Emperor¡¯s Loyalists, advocating for Zhang¡¯s position and military power to be stripped, while another side, the Prince¡¯s Camp, that constant entirely of Zhang¡¯s handpicked generals, strategists and a small number of high-ranking lords, who felt stripping Zhang of his power and rank was absurd. Lastly, there was a neutral party who had other things to occupy their time with.

    Luckily for the Prince¡¯s Camp, the northern lords were a part of the neutral party or else the disparity in military power between the two warring factions would have been too great.

    This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    At first before Zhang had gone to sea, the Emperor¡¯s Loyalist group were very few in number but once he departed and once they began to openly advocate for the removal of his power, many individuals, mostly consisting of lords who ruled lands in the interior of the empire, who sought to possess the power that would be siphoned from Zhang for themselves, joined.

    ¡°As of now, since the Imperial Academy and his highness¡¯s personal army and Elite Guard have return, I''m sure for the time being they won''t be brave enough to openly act anymore.¡± Sima Yi said just the sound of someone beating a gong rang into everyone¡¯s ears.

    Before long, two rows of maids entered into the hall, leaving a trail of rose petals behind them as they proceeded forward.

    ¡°Emperor Jian Wei has arrived!¡± A loud and audible voice announced as Jian Wei made his way into the hall, while being surrounded by maids and soldiers.

    ¡°All hail his majesty, Emperor Jian Wei!¡± All of the government officials said in unison as they formed into neat and tidy rows before bowing their heads onto the marble floors.

    ¡°Let the imperial court session begin.¡± Jian Wei said in a powerful voice that emanated to the four corners of the hall.

    ¡°Your majesty, we from the Northern Region have brought a small gift as a show of our appreciation of what you¡¯ve done for us.¡± An elderly lord garbed in expensive looking robes said respectfully as he walked out from within the rows of officials and onto the center aisle of the Aurora Hall.

    ¡°Sadly the other northern lords and myself do not have much else to offer due to the lack of resources available on our lands, but I hope this pleases you, your majesty.¡± The elderly lord said after the elderly lord gestured to a young looking man who looked to be his son, a team of servants entered the hall while carrying a large platform with a statue of Jian Wei smelted entirely of gold atop of it.

    From a single glance, it was obvious that the statue was made by the best of the craftsman in the empire, every single line and detail was made with such accuracy that it looked lifelike. Besides from the details of the statue, its size was also something to marvel at, since it was so tall that it almost did not fit through the gates of the Aurora Hall, gates that were roughly twenty feet tall.

    ¡°Long live Emperor Jian Wei!¡± All of the northern lords chanted in unison as they gathered in the center aisle of the hall, prompting a wide grin to appear on Jian Wei¡¯s face.

    ¡°A splendid gift, a splendid gift. As a show of appreciation for this gift, the northern regions will be exempt from taxes for the next three years.¡± Jian Wei said with a grin.

    ¡°The southern region has also brought a small token of our appreciation for his majesty.¡± Liu Biao said as he and his two sons, Liu Shan and Liu Yuan walked into the center aisle with a group of lords who governed the southern land, a part of this group was the lord of the Azure Rain Province and his two daughters Tian Ying and Tian Yang who had been the pair of twins that had been offered to become Zhang¡¯s wives.

    ¡°We hope what we have brought pleases you, your majesty.¡± Liu Biao said as he clapped his hands and signaled for a team of men to enter into the hall. Moments later, dozens of large iron chests were carried into the Aurora Hall by large burly men.

    With another clap of his hands, Liu Biao¡¯s men opened the iron chests, revealing them to be filled to the very brim with dazzling pearls.

    ¡°We were hoping your majesty would add these pearls into the empire¡¯s treasury so if there is ever a time of need, the empire will have vast amounts of wealth at its disposal.¡± Liu Yuan said while clasping his hands.

    ¡°Good, take these chests to the treasury, we will consider this as the taxes that were to be collected from the southern region for the next three years also.¡± Jian Wei said with a smile.

    After the southern lords and northern lords, many other lords stepped forward to offer Jian Wei gifts. One such lord was Sima Yi who gifted Jian Wei the pelt of a massive white tiger.

    ¡°I gift this to you, your majesty as a reminder to every one of your benevolence. An emperor who is worthy to be compared to a tiger in terms strength an emperor who watches over all of us like a caring father.¡± Sima Yi said with a smile.

    ¡°A good gift, brother Sima Yi, a gift that is most befitting of our lord. Like a tiger, there is nothing that can get between his majesty and his cubs.¡± Zhuge Liang said with a grin, as both he and Sima Yi in an attempt to remind Jian Wei not to wrong Zhang.

    ¡°I also have a gift to offer your majesty.¡± A chubby middle-aged man said as walked forward, before Sima Yi and Zhuge Liang even left the center aisle.

    ¡°My men managed to find a wondrous demonic beast egg and since I heard that crown prince Zhang and his majesty are avid collectors of demonic beasts I figured who better to give it to.¡± The chubby middle aged man said with a smirk as he signaled for a team of men to carry in a large cage into the Aurora Hall.

    ¡°This particular demonic beast egg should hatch a demonic beast called a Blood Parasite Cuckoo Bird.¡± The chubby middle aged man said with a grin as a massive egg was carried in.

    ¡°Tao Qian, I believe you had an interesting little story to tell.¡± The chubby middle-aged man said as he gestured for one of his subordinates to work over onto the center aisle.

    ¡°It can¡¯t be¡­ I thought he died in the Qilin Pass¡­¡± Ran Kaitou murmured as he laid eyes on the chubby middle-aged man¡¯s subordinate, Tao Qian, the patriarch of one of the three aristocratic families that Zhang had wiped. The same man whose family had their memories erased and were made to believe that they were Zhang¡¯s relatives.

    ¡°If you¡¯ll allow me to do so, Lord Zhi Fang, it is said that cuckoo birds are one of the wisest of animals, I would like to ask if your majesty knows why that is so?¡± Tao Qian asked in a respectful tone.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know, why?¡± Jian Wei replied.

    ¡°That is because Cuckoo birds often lay their eggs in the nests of other birds and by doing so they trick the other birds into caring for their young, sometimes resulting in the death of the offspring of the other birds. Thus, in the end, the victims of the Cuckoo bird are left raising the child of another while its own child perishes as a result.¡± Tao Qian said.

    ¡°Your majesty we humble ask you to strip Prince Zhang of his military power, along with his rank and title. Although it was because of his efforts that resulted in the unification of Warring States Region, in the end, the one chosen by the heavens to become emperor was you your majesty, and thus it is only right for your own flesh and blood to become the next emperor. But crowning him as your heir, not only are you going against heaven¡¯s will but you are also saddening your people, your majesty!¡± Lord Zhi Fang said as he kneeled onto the ground along with nearly half of the imperial court.

    ¡°For the prosperity of the empire, we also humbly ask your majesty to grace your people with an heir of your own flesh and blood. Although it may displease you, your majesty, we your loyal subjects have taken the liberty of scouring the land and gathering the most suitable of maidens who are worthy of bearing your offspring.¡± Lord Zhi Fang as two rows of extremely beautiful young women made their way into the Aurora Hall.

    Although none of them could really compare with any of the four beauties, all of these young women were very beautiful and very desirable. Upon entering the hall, these young women caused a good few of the officials present to stand very awkwardly while trying to act natural.

    ¡°Are the lot of you trying to commit treason?!¡± Jian Wei roared in rage.

    ¡°Please appease your anger, your majesty!¡± All of the officials in the hall said in unison as they all fell to their knees.

    ¡°They unexpectedly acted very quickly.¡± Sima Yi said in a whisper to Zhuge Liang.

    ¡°If only I could pick one or two out of that bunch.¡± Gan Ning who said kneeling not too far away from Sima Yi and Zhuge Liang whispered to Ran Kaitou and Leng Zai while giving them a thumbs up.

    ¡°Knowing that kid, even if I ended up with a few kids of my own, he would end up helping me take care of them once I¡¯m gone rather than trying to harm them for self-gain. I can¡¯t believe you would say such a thing about him.¡± He could say in an infuriated voice as he looked across the Aurora Hall.

    ¡°Your majesty we understand that you hold Prince Zhang in high regard, however often times more than naught, placing too much faith in someone results in heartbreak. In the end, what we and the people of this great empire wish for is an heir that is related to you, your majesty, in flesh and blood.¡± Lord Zhi Fang said.

    ¡°Is this your excuse for offering up your daughter me?¡± Jian Wei said in an angry tone as he pointed toward a beautiful young woman dressed in dazzling blue robes.

    ¡°Don¡¯t think that all of your actions go unnoticed¡­ I know that every single one of these women are related to a government official in one way or another.¡± Jian Wei said as he waved his hand and withdrew a golden colored scroll from his interspatial ring, before unfolding it and letting it roll through the center aisle of the Aurora Hall.

    ¡°Let it be known, if anyone dares speak of stripping Zhang of his military power and position again then I will not act as leniently as I did today.¡± Jian Wei announced.

    Although he could simply solve his current predicament but slaughtering everyone, Jian Wei did not feel that was the proper way for an emperor to handle things. If he solved all of his problems by simply slaughtering everyone then he could be no different from a tyrant.

 Chapter 208.6: The Unlucky Soldier

    Dragon¡¯s Soul is now officially available for the kindle on Amazon at https://amzn.com/B01M0KEGUI up to chapter 91</a>. If the link doesn¡¯t work for you then you do not live in the US. Just search Dragon¡¯s Soul: An End¡¯s Beginning and if you see my name, Tony Tran, then you have the right book. J

    One of you guys suggested that I make a chapter from the perspective of one of Zhang¡¯s soldiers, and here it is.

    =====================================================================

    ¡°Greetings, sirs, madams and anyone who would find interest in reading a tale about a soldier such as myself.¡±

    ¡°As a soldier in the Aurora Army, in a time of constant war and strife, I¡¯m not entirely sure if I will be here for a tomorrow, thus I have decided to leave behind a short chronicle about myself.¡±

    ¡°To every story, there needs to be a beginning so I will start my account with a brief mention of my childhood. At an early age in life, my parents often told me that when I grew up I would either become a soldier or street thug due to my bulky size and violent nature. I would often get into fights with the other kids who lived on the outskirts of the city, sometimes I would be the aggressor and other times they would, but more or less compared to the average child I got into too many fights.¡±

    ¡°Unlike most I did not develop a crush on any of the girls who happened to be a part of my life, I did not enjoy attending school despite how hard my parents worked to save up enough money for me to attend, I did not find joy in playing with the other children, in summary I was an outcast. I was afraid, afraid of being judged, afraid of causing my parents grief and inconveniences due to my violent tendencies.¡±

    ¡°Perhaps if I had opened up a tiny bit more and not bottle up all of my emotions, all of my hopes, my dreams, then perhaps life would have been differently. Perhaps if I was not afraid of becoming a burden, a disgrace.¡±

    ¡°My parents would often yell at me saying, Xing Yu, you should learn to control your anger and focus your mind on other things. Learn to turn the other cheek, learn to create and not destroy.  However sadly I simply could not and at the age of sixteen I enlisted and joined the Aurora City garrison.¡±

    ¡°Upon joining the garrison, a whole new world opened up to me. No one dared to snicker at my size any longer, no one dared to ridicule my parents for being simple street cleaners. The mockery that often came along with the rubbish they disposed of, ceased shortly after I donned the white armor of Aurora after I became his majesty¡¯s sword.¡±

    ¡°After joining the garrison and seeing the change in the looks that I received from those around me, the joy in the eyes of my parents who were no longer treated like garbage, I was for the first time in my life, delighted.¡±

    ¡°At that time I was sure to myself that it was the right decision to join the garrison and for the next two years, I would continue to believe this. However, after that fateful day, I would often come to question the path I chose.¡±

    ¡°On a day like any other, myself and a sizeable number of the city garrison was gathered and brought to the provincial lord¡¯s mansion and that is where I was introduced to one of the few men who would have the greatest impact on my life, Lord Jian Wei.¡±

    ¡°After being given a sizeable sum of wealth, we who were selected from the city garrison departed from Aurora on a covert mission, a mission that led us out of the Warring States Region and to the Heilong Kingdom.¡±

    ¡°For the most part, the first part of the mission went on without a cinch, we were able to safely travel to our destination without even so much as a hindrance or delay in our plans. Lord Jian Wei was able to meet with the king of the Heilong Kingdom, a gentle looking man who exuded an air of kindness, just as he had wished and we soon departed and proceeded to return home.¡±

    ¡°Unlike the first leg of our journey, it would soon come to our attention that our travel plans had been shared with unwanted parties, and as a result, we were intercepted and encircled by an enemy ambush. Despite being outnumbered by a vast number of enemies, somehow by some stroke of luck we were able to break out of the encirclement, but of course, the price we paid was a steep one.¡±

    ¡°Nearly a fourth of the men who I had called brothers for the past two years, lost their lives. Till this very day, I still have their names engraved on my heart, for if not for their sacrifice I would have long lost my tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°Quickly changing our travel plans and taking to the sea, we hoped to evade any further unwanted encounters, however, the heavens often has its own plans and we are all but simple pawns in the grand scheme of things. Perhaps it was due to a traitor who managed to mix into our ranks or by some stroke of ill-fated luck, our pursuers were soon hot on our trail.¡±

    ¡°Day and night seemed to mend together as the number of encounters with the unknown enemies stacked upon each other until our prayers were answered and a mighty storm swept away and made it impossible for anyone to track us.¡±

    ¡°And it was thanks to this storm that I would meet the second man who would have an otherworldly impact upon my life. After the storm had subsided and our pursuers out of view, we stumbled upon a small wooden raft.¡±

    ¡°Despite the urging and attempts to dissuade him to ignore the raft and continue onward with our journey by the manager of the provincial lord¡¯s mansion, Sir Yan Li, Lord Jian Wei decided to lend a helping hand to the poor souls that were adrift on the wooden raft. At first, I was also against helping them, however after catching sight of the heavenly, goddess-like pair of beauties who were on the raft, it was simple to say my views instantly changed.¡±

    ¡°Sometimes I imagine how things would have turned out if we had simply minded our own business and left the wooden raft to drift on the endless sea if Lord Jian Wei had not lent a helping hand to those three, if fate had never gifted us with that encounter. It is easy to say that it was thanks to that encounter that I myself am still alive today.¡±

    ¡°After Lord Jian Wei allowed those three onboard, many of the sailors were instantly smitten by the two otherworldly young women, but like myself, they simply admired from afar and were quick to find that their decision was the right one. For the one man who dared to come up and attempt to make those two, his own, was quickly made to gravel on the ground by the young man who accompanied them.¡±

    ¡°The young man named Zhou Zhang, the two otherworldly goddesses named Ai and Yuying, were able to quickly repay Lord Jian Wei¡¯s graces the very day they were rescued. Soon after their arrival, our pursuers appeared once again and a deadly battle was soon waged aboard our ship.¡±

    ¡°Unlike our previous encounters with the enemy, this time, they came prepared and bolstered massive numbers, allowing them to quickly overtake our men. Thus many more of my brothers in arms were slaughtered senselessly. Had it not been for the young man named, Zhang then Lord Jian Wei would have lost his life and would have been left in a water grave, I too would have perished on that fateful day. However, a miracle occurred and not only were we able to survive our ordeal but we also managed to turn the tables on our attackers and claim the lives of every last one of them.¡±

    ¡°Sadly, with myself included only a handful of us managed to survive. With saddened hearts, we looked toward the future with hope-filled gazes as we arrived before the massive sea gates of Red Mist City.¡±

    ¡°Upon entering Red Mist City, the beauty of the two maidens were soon elevated to the next level as they traded in their ragged fur outfits for silk dresses, simply said at the time I felt blessed to be alive. There was also the fact that we had stayed at the Red Mist Province¡¯s largest brothel, that also made me very happy to be alive also.¡±

    Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

    ¡°Sadly our stay was short lived and we were forced to hit the road once more, luckily the enemies, this time, did not pursue us too far. However, I would have gladly gone toe to toe with them instead of having to live through what was awaiting us in the not too distant future.¡±

    ¡°After meeting a man named Xi Ning, we were directed to a hidden passage that was supposed to be a shortcut that would allow us to pass through a twisting mountain range called the Dragon¡¯s Maw. But with my cursed luck, we actually ended up in the middle of a hive of monsters.¡±

    ¡°At first we did not know we were dealing with as one by one the people part of our party began to disappear. Much to our horror we actually stumbled upon a massive swarm of Titanic Golden Silk Spiders, two of the things I hate the most in life¡­ Something bigger than me and spiders¡­¡±

    ¡°Shortly after discovering what we were up against and chased into their nest, we located the ruins of the Sai Empire, the legendary empire that had once united the Warring States Region only to perish under mysterious circumstances. Along with the ruins, we stumbled upon a vast treasure, the likes of which most people have never laid eyes upon before.¡±

    ¡°We also happened upon the ruler of the spider swarm, the Queen Titanic Golden Silk Spider. With a massive body and extremely piousness fangs, the queen spider attacked us with all of its might. Luckily for us, Zhang, who had now become Lord Jian Wei¡¯s adoptive son, was able to fight the beast to a bitter standstill. However, like in most cases, it appeared as if fate was against us and the swarm of giant spiders moved in to protect their queen.¡±

    ¡°Before long, I found myself frantically attempting to fend off the spiders while crammed into a small room within the ruins. The swarm of spiders continued to try to force their way into the crumbling room, knocking down doors and lashing out with their limbs, however, thanks to the efforts of the young beauty named Yuying and her strange magic, we were somehow able to hold out until Zhang had arrived after slaying the queen spider. With the newly hatched queen spider in our grasp, the swarm receded back and as a result, we were able to flee to safety.¡±

    ¡°After escaping from the swarm of spiders and entering the Dragon¡¯s Maw, the rest of our journey back to Aurora was rather uneventful and I relished every minute of it, sadly the story does not end there.¡±

    ¡°Once we returned to Aurora, Lord Jian Wei was gracious enough to gift every single one of us who had accompanied him to the Heilong Kingdom and returned alive, a huge sum of wealth. We each received a portion of the vast riches found in the ruins of the Sai Empire, even those who had to perish were given a small fortune, their families, of course, were the ones to actually receive this wealth.¡±

    ¡°Despite having enough gold to live out the rest of my life without a single care, despite having enough gold to marry a beautiful wife, and enough gold to care for my parents for the rest of their lives, instead of living out my days in the mundane, I volunteered to serve under Zhang, or shall I say, Lord Zhang.¡±

    ¡°Donning armor as black as a starless night, I became a member of Lord Zhang¡¯s personal guard as he was sent to the Heilong Kingdom to represent Aurora in the Grand Tournament. However, turns took a turn for the unexpected and rather than directly heading toward the Heilong Kingdom, was took a slight detour.¡±

    ¡°Riding day and night, through the secret shortcut that cut through the Dragon¡¯s Maw, we soon returned to the Red Mist Province, this time with a small army in tow. Awaiting our return was Lord Xi Ning who had gathered a small army of his own. In the dead of night, our forces used a hidden passageway dug directly underneath the walls of Red Mist City and in a stroke of brilliance, succeeded in doing what thousands upon thousands of others had attempted to do. In a single night, a night lit by countless blazing buildings, a night where the ashes of conquest danced about so beautifully, we claimed Red Mist City and along with it the Red Mist Province.¡±

    ¡°From there we headed directly to the Heilong Kingdom, with little rest I might add, however despite feeling fatigued, every single one of us felt empowered and brimming with confidence. At that time, I felt that as long as I followed that young man, maybe perhaps one day I might see a world that was united under a single banner.¡±

    ¡°Unknowingly, at the time I slowly began to worship, Lord Zhang. To me, he slowly became a symbol, a symbol that served to remind me that there was nothing that was impossible. My worship of our young lord was only strengthened when we arrived at the Heilong Kingdom where he was able to lead us in achieving a splendid victory against the various kingdoms that had attended the tournament.¡±

    ¡°Once the tournament concluded, Lord Zhang was able to woo yet another beauty, a young maiden named Ling who happened to be the daughter of a very power minister within the Heilong Kingdom. Not lacking in beauty when compared to Lord Zhang¡¯s other women, Madam Ling quickly blended.¡±

    ¡°With other things aside, after competing in the Grand Tournament, we even managed to make a few additions to the army after we wiped out a small sect that dwelled within the borders of the Heilong Kingdom, the Yu Sect. Their leader had acted haughtily toward our young lord and soon found himself sent on a one-way trip to the underworld.¡±

    ¡°With new blood added to our ranks, we were quickly sent to the Black Wind Province to investigate the loss of communication with our longtime allies. At first, we had all figured it would be like any other trip, but much to our dismay, we found ourselves in a truly horrid situation. Surrounded by the living dead who were all infected by Heart Burrower Worms, the Black Wind Province had become a true hell on earth by the time we arrived.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll never forget the sight of our lord and his madam''s fighting against that giant abomination made of the flesh of its countless victims. Of the many things that I¡¯ve witnessed while following Lord Zhang, the giant abomination was one of the scariest, but the next beastly encounter would be in no way lacking compared to it.¡±

    ¡°Like true conquerors, after our visit to the Black Wind Province, we quickly set our sights on the Green Clover Province. With Lord Jian Wei personally leading an army, we quickly swept through the lands of the Green Clover Province, only to find out that it had already been secretly taken by the Heavenly Sword Province.¡±

    ¡°Despite having to divert troops back to defend Aurora, under Lord Zhang¡¯s supervision, we were able to breach the walls of Green Clover City without the need to siege its walls to rubble. On that day my sword was once again dyed red in the blood of our enemies, and yet another province was added to the lands of Aurora. But of course, much like what had occurred in the Black Wind Province, a terrifying demonic beast appeared. With two vicious heads armed with four poisonous fangs, a Twin headed Mirage Viper appeared only to be slain by Lord Zhang.¡±

    ¡°It was also during this time that a fourth beauty fell into Lord Zhang¡¯s embrace. Though I am quite envious of the man, I can¡¯t say that there is anyone more fitting of holding such women in their hands than him. After offering up the Green Clover Province in exchange for marriage, Madam Lingqi, along with Madams Ai, Yuying, and Ling were thus quickly wedded to Lord Zhang shortly after.¡±

    ¡°A wondrous wedding was held, in their honor as guests from all across the Warring States Region and even a few kingdoms gathered. Their wedding day was also the day that Aurora spread its wings and became a kingdom.¡±

    ¡°Although there is more to my tale, I bid you all farewell and until next time stay well.¡±

 You Guys Still Reading?

    I''ve noticed a lot of familiar names that have commented on like every chapter have disappeared o__o. Where''d you all go lol, you guy still around? O__o.

    On a side note, thanks again to all you guys who are still around and continue to support me :D. Will continue my best to keep the story going :)

    This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.

    I''m justa needy loner lol bear with me o,,,,,o

 Suggestions for Side Chapters

    Seeing as how many of you are still around ^__^, how about you guys give me some suggestions for more side chapters. I kinda really like how the soldier pov turned out lol.

    Simply comment your suggestion below and at a later date a poll with be started and people will then vote on which pov will be written. I will probably end up doing quite a few so suggest away.

    ======================

    If anyone wants to become my patron:

    https://www.patreon.com/iendworlds</a>

    This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.

    If anyone wants to get a copy of dragon''s soul for their reader/kindle:

    https://www.royalroad.com/amazon/B01M0KEGUI</a>

    If you guys can leave me a few positive reviews on Amazon it would be most welcomed.

    It was suggested that I make a Irc channel? I think that''s what''s it''s called, will look into that and replace the Chatango that I''ve been using up until now.

    Again thank you all for sticking around lol

 Discord Channel

I made a discord channel for you guys to replace the chatango o_O

    https://discord.gg/rMMkyrq</a>

    If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    Working on new chapters will see what I manage to get done tonight :)

 Chapter 209: Devil Stone

    Dragon¡¯s Soul is now officially available for the kindle on Amazon at

    Dragon''s Soul: An End''s Beginning

    https://www.royalroad.com/amazon/B01M0KEGUI</a>

    If the link doesn¡¯t work for you then you do not live in the US. Just search Dragon¡¯s Soul: An End¡¯s Beginning and if you see my name, Tony Tran, then you have the right book.

    Join the discord channel :) https://discord.gg/rMMkyrq</a>

    Vote on the poll for the next pov chapter. Vote for a top 3.

    =====================================================================================

    Upon receiving Zhang¡¯s orders from Chu Shou, all of the saint level experts from the Blood Coral Cove charged into the mines, with the exception of Xiao Gong who decided it would be best for him to stand guard at the entrance.

    ¡°My lord, we are ready to receive your commands.¡± All of the saint level experts said in unison after quickly assembling before Zhang.

    ¡°Scour the mines with your divine sense and report any abnormalities, make sure to not alert those on the surface of what we are doing down here.¡± Zhang commanded.

    ¡°Yes, my lord.¡± The saint level experts replied before speeding off in separate directions into the countless tunnels that branched out across the mine.

    ¡°Should we go too?¡± Yuying asked, Zhang while gathering around him with the other beauties.

    ¡°Come have a seat, let them do the work.¡± Zhang said with a grin as he waved his hand and made a golden throne appear beside him.

    ¡°To make things comfier.¡± Zhang also said as he waved his hand and made a few puffy looking pillows appear on the golden throne, prompting the beauties to giggle a bit before sitting down beside their husband.

    ¡°Sis, what do you think those things were?¡± Ai asked Yuying whose knowledge outstripped everyone else¡¯s.

    ¡°To be honest I''m not entirely sure, I''ve never heard of demonic beasts that would fit their description nor have I heard of any magical treasure that can manipulate the earth like that.¡± Yuying said while shaking her head.

    ¡°Strangely enough besides the essence stones embedded in their bodies, I couldn''t see any other source of essence from them at all. So I think someone or something is controlling them.¡± Zhang commented.

    ¡°Regardless of what they are or what is controlling them, they will soon fall under our control.¡± Zhang said with a face full of delight.

    The thought of being able to raise an army of stone men, or shall we call them golems very much intrigued Zhang. See as the golems appeared to be able to endlessly regenerate, they would become an extremely valuable asset when taking part in large scale wars.

    ¡°But for now all, we can do is wait.¡± Zhang said with a laugh as he pulled the beauties in closer to himself and embraced them.

    As Zhang¡¯s saint level subordinates continued to comb through the vast mine brimming with essence stones, a few of them soon found themselves lost in a labyrinth of twisting caves. Despite having the ability to use their divine sense to scan their surroundings, due to the sheer size of the mines, many of the lesser saints became hopelessly lost.

    ¡°Dammit, what is with this mine¡­ How is it so big!¡± A lesser saint cursed as he tried to find his way back to the main chamber where Zhang and the beauties were waiting. However, regardless of how many times he attempted to do so, there were simply too many tunnels, too many twisting turns and passages that it made it nearly impossible to figure out where to go.

    ¡°I¡¯ll just keep moving forward and see where that leads me¡­ If anything I¡¯ll use my powers to dig a hole all the way to the surface¡­¡± The Lesser saint mumbled before flying off into one of the three passageways in front of him.

    In the meantime, a large number of soldiers from the Blood Scale Army along with a few miners who had worked the mines had made their way down into the main chamber of the mines.

    While the soldiers had begun to set up defensive barricades and various other things that would help them in a fight against the stone men., the miners were turned over to Zhang and the beauties for interrogation.

    ¡°If you can be ever so kind enough to please tell us what happens down here. Also, you all look parched would you like something to drink? Perhaps a snack?¡± Zhang asked in a polite tone to one of the miners, without minding ranks and what not.

    ¡°M-m-my lord, we tried to warn you to stay away from the mines, away from those things, however, our words did not reach you before you made your way down here.¡± An elderly man said in a shaken voice with his hands clasped while he continually eyed his surrounding as if he was making sure nothing was going to sneak up on him.

    ¡°By those things you mean the stone men?¡± Zhang asked, to be sure that he and the miner were talking about the same thing.

    ¡°Ye-yes my lord.¡± The elderly miner replied.

    ¡°Please tell us all you know about them and currently you are safe so there no need to be so tense. Even if anything was to happen we could ensure your safety.¡± Yuying said as she stood beside Zhang.

    Upon hearing Yuying¡¯s assurance, the elderly man and the other few miners who had accompanied down into the mines were slightly relieved and no longer acted jittery.

    ¡°Those things have not always lurked these mines, it was only recently after a huge cache of essence stones had been found within one of the deeper chambers did they begin to appear.¡± The elderly miner said.

    ¡°Yea, before everything was peaceful and despite being worked to the bone, we were safe. However, after that accursed stone appeared, all hell has broken loose down here.¡± Another miner spoke.

    ¡°Stone?¡± Zhang asked, as his interest was piqued.

    ¡°Yes, the devil stone¡­ Roughly six months ago while we were excavating a new tunnel we stumbled upon a massive chamber brimming with countless essence stones and along with it a large oval shaped stone the likes of which none of us had ever seen before.¡± The elderly miner said.

    ¡°Interesting¡± Ling mumbled as she stood beside Zhang, opposite of Yuying.

    ¡°The stone was as tall as a grown man and was so large that it took the arm span of three people to fully encompass it. It was also covered in weird symbols that we could not decipher.¡±  The elderly miner said.

    ¡°From head to toe, it was covered in really odd looking markings. Seeing that we didn''t know what it was, none of us dared to move close or touch it.¡± Another miner said.

    ¡°So the stone is still where you found it?¡± Zhang asked.

    ¡°No my lord, after stumbling upon the chamber and the stone we quickly made our way back to report our findings. By the time we returned with the mine overseers, the entire chamber that was glowing with essence stones was empty.¡± The elderly miner said.

    ¡°All of the essence stones and the stone had disappeared without leaving a single trace. Thinking we were trying to weasel our way out of working, the guards gave each of us ten lashes that day¡­¡± One of the miners said as he rubbed his shoulder where a gruesome looking scar could be seen.

    ¡°All that remained in the room was a small mound of fine powder where the devil stone was.¡± The elderly miner said while he proceeded to rub his fingers together as he recalled what had happened.

    ¡°After the essence stones and the devil stone disappeared, countless strange events began to happen one after the other. Tunnels that were filled with essence stones the previous day would turn up empty the next day. Large amounts of things would go missing. Mysterious tunnels and passages began to pop up all over the place overnight.¡± The elderly miner said.

    Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

    ¡°At first overseers were thinking that we were trying to keep the essence stones to ourselves in an attempt to establish a cultivation base and overthrow them. So they enforced very strict regulations and had everyone who had a cultivation at the levels of five or higher sent away. They even doubled the number of guards down here.¡±

    ¡°However since it wasn''t us who were the ones stealing the essence stones, despite the stricter regulations and surveillance, essence stones continued to disappear. Infuriated the lord of the fortress order for a thorough sweep of the mines.¡±

    ¡°And that was when it began. As the guards drove us into the depths of the mine in search of the missing essence stones, the stone men began to appear and all hell broke loose, hundreds were injured and many were killed. Every day the stone men would appear and attack us, however, tributes needed to be made to the Golden Pearl Sect Headquarters so mining could not cease. Luckily for us, you came to our rescue, my lord.¡± The elderly miner told Zhang and the beauties with eyes filled with gratitude.

    ¡°There is no need to thank me, uncle, I just happen to pass by. Thank you for telling me everything you know; I''ll have some of my men escort you to the service shortly. As a show of my appreciation for your help and knowledge, although I''m not sure if it has any value here, please take this. You all can split this amongst yourselves and the other miners.¡± Zhang said to the elderly miner and the rest of the group standing by him, as he waved his hand and made large sacks fall on the ground.

    As the large sacks fell to the ground, the sound of metallic bits hitting one another rang into the ears of the miners. While a dozen sparkling golden coins came into view as the miners peaked at the small opening at the top of the sacks.

    ¡°We can¡¯t possibly take this my lord. You''ve done enough for us.¡± The elderly miner said.

    ¡°Saving us is enough for us to owe you our gratitude for a lifetime, my lord there is no need for this.¡± Another miner said.

    ¡°How about this, you can consider this a down payment for your services in the future.¡± Zhang said with a smile.

    ¡°Services?¡± The miners mumbled in confusion.

    ¡°Well, simply said, this mine will become essential to helping my forces grow stronger and since essence stones don¡¯t mine themselves, I was hoping all of you would help me. Of course, unlike the previous owners of the island, I will provide more than sufficient payment for your work, you¡¯d work fewer hours, and there will also be more detail towards safety.¡± Zhang said with a smile.

    ¡°We¡¯d also deal with whatever is lurking down here of course.¡± Ling said before anyone could raise any objections.

    ¡°My lord I can¡¯t speak for the others but if you rid the mines of whatever evil is lurking down here, then I¡¯m sure with the conditions you¡¯ve offered us, everyone would be more than happy to work once again. However, until we start working, I refuse to take even a single gold coin from you. You¡¯ve done us plenty as it.¡± The elderly miner said in a resolute manner.

    ¡°So be it, once we rid the mines of whatever evil is lurking about I¡¯ll have my men inform you to begin working once again. So, for now, I¡¯ll just hang onto these a bit longer.¡± Zhang said as he waved his hand and stored away the stacks of gold that he had placed on the ground.

    ¡°Escort these gentlemen back to the surface, make sure no harm is to come to them if those stone men appear once again.¡± Zhang said before a group of soldiers arrived and lead the miners away.

    ¡°We haven¡¯t visited the other islands yet, but I¡¯m sure that a sufficient number of your recourses are imported here and distributed by the Golden Pearl Sect. This is judging from the supplies they had kept in the storage rooms of course. But now since we have control of the island now, the duty of supplying the islands with resources will, of course, fall into our jurisdiction. Meaning if we wanted to have them work down here, be it for free or with pay, they would have no means of refusing.¡± Yuying stated after a quickly recalling that she had seen crates children¡¯s clothing being listed as one of the things found in the fortress¡¯s storerooms.

    ¡°We can, but in the end, someone who works for us willingly is better than someone who works for us unwillingly. What if someone came up and forced you to marry him? Wouldn¡¯t that make you unhappy?¡± Zhang said with a laugh.

    ¡°Forced to marry? Well, all I would have to do is poison him in his sleep.¡± Lingqi said with a chuckle.

    ¡°I¡¯d just have to kill myself as painlessly as possible and go home to father.¡± Yuying said as she stuck her tongue out at Zhang.

    ¡°That wouldn¡¯t happen because we have you.¡± Ling laughed.

    ¡°Sis would take care of me or I would beat them to a pulp.¡± Ai said as she punched at the air with her delicate fists before walking up beside Yuying and sticking her tongue out at Zhang.

    ¡°Cheeky as always.¡± Zhang laughed as he arrived in front of Ai and Yuying in a flash and shot his hands outward. In an instant, he had managed to gently pinch both of their tongues in a playful manner.

    With panicked expressions on their faces, Ai and Yuying tried to speak, however, only unintelligible sounds could be heard.

    ¡°Stop bullying them.¡± Ling and Lingqi said while laughing as they playfully punched Zhang.

    ¡°Alright alright.¡± Zhang laughed as Ling and Lingqi exploited his ultimate weakness, after receiving a new body through the powers of the Underworld Heart and regaining his sense of touch, Zhang found himself to be very ticklish.

    With a good laugh, Zhang and the beauties began overseeing the construction of the makeshift base and preparations being made to fight against the stone men.

    ¡°Dig a trench there and there, we will fill them with water for Mistress Ling¡¯s use.¡± A commander in the Blood Scale Army commanded as he oversaw the setup for the defensive measures.

    ¡°Commander, have some of our men begin moving into the passageways and have them mark the walls with arrows pointing back to this chamber just in case anyone happens to find themselves lost. Snap this jade slip if anything happens, I¡¯ll be back once the quakes begin once again.¡± Zhang said as he came to the realize how tricky it was to navigate the mines after doing a quick scan of it with his divine sense after the miners departed.

    ¡°As you wish my lord.¡± The commander of the Blood Scale Army said with his hands clasped after he received Zhang¡¯s jade slip.

    ¡°Hopefully no one gets too lost. Now to go back to the surface before they suspect something¡± Zhang thought as he walked toward the beauties, who then accompanied him to the surface for Xiao Gong greeted them at the mouth of the entrance to the mines.

    ¡°My lord, the holy son of the Starry Sea Sect was looking for you. He said he wished to speak to you about where next to proceed with our invasion plans and would be waiting for you in the fortress¡¯s main hall.¡± Xiao Gong reported upon seeing Zhang.

    ¡°Alright, we will head over there right away. Please stay here and make sure no one unauthorized is to go down there.¡± Zhang said to Xiao Gong who replied with a nod before seating himself back down on a chair he had placed at the entrance of the mine and yawning.

 Chapter 210: Business Idea

    Dragon¡¯s Soul is now officially available for the kindle on Amazon as

    Dragon''s Soul: An End''s Beginning

    Link: https://www.royalroad.com/amazon/B01M0KEGUI</a>

    If the link doesn¡¯t work for you then you do not live in the US. Just search Dragon¡¯s Soul: An End¡¯s Beginning and if you see my name, Tony Tran, then you have the right book.

    Join the discord channel undefined https://discord.gg/rMMkyrq</a>

    Results of the Poll:

    1st: Girl Time

    2nd: Story of the Yama

    3rd: Zhang¡¯s Parents

    4th: Imperial Court Part 2

    =====================================================================================

    With the beauties closely behind him, Zhang made his way through the fortress and toward where Shan Li was waiting.

    Upon arriving at the fortress''s main hall and entering through its massive gateway, dozens of tables and hundreds of people could be seen.

    ¡°Brother Zhang, you''ve finally arrived.¡± Shan Li¡¯s voice could be heard as he could be seen standing up from the table on the far end of the hall where he was sitting and making his way toward Zhang and the beauties.

    ¡°Please have a seat with me, we have many things to discuss.¡± Shan Li said with a laugh as he arrived in front of Zhang.

    ¡°Also how was your visit to the mines? I''m not entirely sure if this one is similar to the few I''ve visited back home, but I''m sure it was a sight to behold for someone who''s never been down one like yourselves.¡± Shan Li added with a smile as he led Zhang and the beauties back to the table where he had been sitting.

    ¡°Indeed it was a marvel to behold.¡± Zhang replied with a smile plastered on his face as he and the beauties seated themselves.

    ¡°It was beautiful down there.¡± Yuying said as she pulled her chair closer to Zhang''s and caressed his arm.

    ¡°Yea, it was so much fun down there, I had a great time fighting the sto¡­¡± Ai was saying but could not finish her sentences before Lingqi covered her mouth in a playful manner.

    ¡°Sis, you shouldn''t tell other people we do in our private time.¡± Ling said with blushed cheeks as she glanced at Shan Li, hoping to cover up Ai¡¯s blunder.

    ¡°Brother Shan Li, my subordinate mentioned that you wanted to discuss where we should head next for the invasion?¡± Zhang asked, distracting Shan Li away from the beauties.

    ¡°Ah yes, in regards to that, I was hoping to get you opinion on our next course of action. Due to our current position, there are two available paths for us to take. We can either head toward another outpost not too far from this one or we can attempt to conquer one of the Golden Pearl Sect¡¯s city¡¯s which houses one of its branch headquarters.¡± Shan Li said as he seated himself and did not question what Ai was talking about.

    ¡°If we choose to head toward the outpost, with our current forces we can easy conqueror it and move to the next outpost without requiring much time at all. While on the other hand, if we attempt to conquer the city, it could end up consuming much more time than we can afford to spend in one place. Even with nearly half of their ground forces gone if they are given enough time, then the Golden Pearl Sect will once again be a force to be reckoned with.¡± Shan Li added.

    ¡°If we take one of their major cities and branch headquarters then we can successfully secure an entire region of their territory, rather than doing so one outpost at a time.¡± Zhang said as he began pouring everyone a cup of tea.

    ¡°What city are we talking about?¡± Ling asked as she laid out a map onto the table.

    ¡°We are currently here, the outpost I was talking about is here and Gold Shell City is here, the city I was talking about.¡± Shan Li said as he pointed to where Razor Clam Island was on Ling¡¯s map and traced his finger to another small island not too far away before pointing toward a much larger island in the opposite direction.

    ¡°The outpost is roughly two days of travel from here while the city is roughly three days.¡± Shan Li added.

    ¡°Which of the two would do you think we should attack, Brother Shan Li.¡± Zhang asked, hoping to make Shan Li believe that his opinion was valued and thus help strengthen their relationship.

    As much as he wanted to suggest they split their forces and invade the territory of the Golden Pearl Sect separately, so he could spend his time catching whatever was lurking down in the mines, Zhang had to prioritize his safety and the safety of his wives first.

    This was mainly due to the fact that the Starry Sea Sect has awoken their Ancestral Sect Master, who happened to be a High Saint, to rid the world of the Golden Pearl Sect once and for all. This meant that currently of the three forces involved in the conflict, the Blood Coral Cove was the only force to lack a high saint expert.

    So as is, if their mutual enemy was successfully taken out of the picture, the fate of Zhang and the beauties would be left in the air, depending on whether or not their relationship with the Starry Sea Sect was good or not.

    ¡°Brother Zhang, I was going to suggest that we rally our current forces and take Golden Shell City. With a sizable stronghold to turn into our command center, we can take root and make the Golden Pearl Sect give up any idea of expelling us from their land.¡± Shan Li said in a somewhat excited tone.

    ¡°Then how about we do that? I agree that if we manage to root ourselves in, even if they regain their former strength, we can easily fend them off.¡± Zhang said as he sipped a cup of tea.

    ¡°That it''s settled, after another night here we will head toward Golden Shell City.¡± Shan Li said in a merry tone.

    ¡°Brother Shan Li I¡¯d also like to speak to you in regards to the ownership of this island and the ones surrounding.¡± Zhang said.

    ¡°What is there to discuss? Wasn''t it already agreed upon that these islands would fall under your governance?¡± Shan Li said as he sipped a cup of tea while eyeing Zhang, ready to listen.

    ¡°I was going to say that despite gaining ownership of these islands, I would like to share the riches that they produce, mainly the essence stones from the mines. I would like to offer up forty percent of the essence stones mined from this island''s annual to the Starry Sea Sect as a show of good faith.¡± Zhang said with a wide grin.

    ¡°If that¡¯s what you would like to do, then I am not one to object and I¡¯m sure my father and the elders of the sect will be very pleased to have gained such a generous ally.¡± Shan Li replied within a happy tone.

    Although the Starry Sea Sect already possessed a few essence stone mines of its own, the essence stones received from Zhang would definitely be put to good use so there was no need for Shan Li to object at all. Normally it would be polite to decline at least once, however, after interacting with Zhang for a few times, Shan Li believed that he understood Zhang¡¯s nature and thus accepted right away.

    But of course, the image of Zhang that was being built inside Shan Li¡¯s mind was made up of bits and pieces consisting of both facts and lies.

    The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    ¡°With this, I¡¯m sure the chances of their swords turning upon us after dealing with the Golden Pearl Sect should have reduced slightly. Sadly, I¡¯ll have to share the essence stones that we mine, however, it can¡¯t be helped...¡± Zhang thought as he continued to smile despite not being very pleased with having to share the essence stones from his mine.

    ¡°Alright enough talk regarding the invasion, how about some dinner?¡± Shan Li said as he clapped his hands and dozens of delicious looking dishes of food were brought in and placed on the tables within the halls for Zhang, the beauties, and the rest of the people present to dine on.

    Delicacies of the sea, such as sea urchins, shark fin, abalone, and much more were presented in front of Zhang and the beauties.

    ¡°Please forgive me for not being able to find anything better for you do dine on, Brother Zhang. These tiny islands only have so much to offer.¡± Shan Li said in a slightly apologetic tone.

    That was when a thought suddenly struck Zhang like a lightning bolt. If he started a seafood supplying company and imported seafood from the Blood Coral Cove back to Aurora while exporting delicacies such as bear meat, pork, beef, and chicken, he would end up making a fortune.

    ¡°Once I connect the Blood Coral Cove with the Aurora through teleportation platforms, I''ll make boatloads of money importing and exporting good.¡± Zhang thought as a crooked grin appeared on his face.

    ¡°How could I not have figured that out sooner¡­¡± Zhang thought as he came to realize that things of value on land and at sea were totally different.

    ¡°It''s okay Brother Shan Li, I''ve never been a picky eater.¡± Zhang said with a laugh as he picked up a pair of chopsticks and began to dig in.

    ================================

    After eating a few bites and conversing a bit more, Zhang had bid Shan Li a goodnight and departed. But instead of returning to their lodgings they headed in the direction where the Essence Stone mines were.

    Rather than waiting to be alerted by their subordinates, Zhang felt it would be better for him to actively help search for the thing lurking in the mines. Since he and the majority of his forces would have to move out and head toward Golden Shell City soon.

    ¡°Brother, do you think we can find it before we have to leave?¡± Ai asked with a curious look on her face while one of her fingers was pressed against her rosy cheek.

    ¡°If we don''t then we can always come back here at a later date. However, the sooner we manage to stop all of the strange happenings down there, the sooner the essence stone mining can resume. With a steady supply of essence stones, we can greatly strengthen our forces both our forces back in Aurora and in the Blood Coral Cove.¡± Zhang said to Ai as he poked her cheek with his finger playfully.

    ¡°I was also thinking we should leave Silky, Little White and all of the Wraith Spiders down there so they can further their cultivation. Since the density of essence down there is so much greater than it is normally outside.¡± Zhang added.

    ¡°I would much rather have them or the Elite Guard break through and become saints rather than anyone else.¡± Zhang stated.

    ¡°I agree; with them, we won''t have to worry about being betrayed.¡± Ling said while the other beauties nodded in agreement.

    If Silky, the Wraith Spiders, Little White and anyone from the Elite Guard were to ascend and become saints, they would still have absolute loyalty toward Zhang and the beauties. While it would be questionable if it was anyone else.

    This was mainly because Silky, Little White, and the Wraith Spiders have all had their minds imprinted by Yuying, meaning they wouldn''t ever possibly think of betraying Zhang or the beauties. Also, they¡¯ve been very well cared for and like most pets, they obviously would remain loyal to their masters.

    The same went for the Elite Guard who really possess no prior knowledge of their lives and had been trained to hold their masters in the utmost regard. If they were commanded to take their own lives, then surely without a doubt they would do so without ever so uttering a complaint or hesitating.

    Although there were many people loyal to Zhang and the beauties, it is easy to say that their loyalty cannot be considered absolute because unlike the Elite Guard and Zhang¡¯s demonic beasts, everyone else has wants, needs, and dreams that would be valued greater than anything else.

    For some love and family are their unshakeable pillars, for others it is wealth and power. In the end, there are but a handful of people out of the sea of people who are willing to offer their absolute obedience and loyalty to someone else without any ulterior motives.

    ¡°Now that we¡¯re talking about them, let''s see what those rascals are up to.¡± Yuying said as they arrived in front of the mine entrance where Xiao Gong was still sitting guard.

    ¡°Continue to do what you were doing, no need to salute.¡± Zhang said with a laugh before Xiao Gong could get up from his meditative position and greet him.

    Thus Zhang and the beauties began to descend back down into the mines once again. Unlike their first descent, there were no longer any soldiers positioned along the walls of the various tunnels, rather once in a while, they''ll spot a campfire with a group of soldiers sitting around.

    Guard stations had been set up as Zhang¡¯s soldiers had gathered and began cooking their meals.

    At first, Zhang and the beauties would tell the soldiers to continue their meals and that there was no need to salute, however eventually it became very tedious and tiresome due to the number of soldiers they came across.

    ¡°Boy, that was getting too repetitive¡­¡± Ai complained with a yawn after repeating the same words to a dozen or so groups of soldiers before stepping foot onto the lift that would take her and the rest of the group down to the lower section of the mine.

    ¡°Yea, next time let''s not do that again then.¡± Zhang said with a laugh while the beauties nodded in agreement.

    As the lift made its way downward and the creaking gears rotated while dozens of ropes tugged and pulled, Zhang and the beauties soon caught sight of the bulk of their forces who had been stationed in the mines.

    A small sized fortress had been erected and many campfires were lit while many more soldiers could be seen doing a wide variety of tasks.

    Once the lift reached the cavern floor, Ling and Yuying each pulled out a small whistle from their robes and blew on it.

    As the sounds produced by the whistles echoed through the cavern and tunnels, Little White, Silky and the Wraith spiders who had been left to freely roam the mines could be seen running at full speed toward where Ling and Yuying were.

    Over the course of a few days, Ling and Yuying had trained Little White, Silky and the Wraith Spider to respond whenever they used their whistles.

    So shortly after Ling and Yuying blew the whistles, Little White, Silky and the Wraith Spiders appeared front and center in front of its masters. Oddly yet, Zhang¡¯s pets had a guest with them.

 Chapter 211: Animal Whisperer

    Dragon¡¯s Soul is now officially available for the kindle with edits and a few added chapters on Amazon as

    Dragon''s Soul: An End''s Beginning

    Link: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01M0KE...g=r0b5d-20</a>

    If the link doesn¡¯t work for you then you do not live in the US. Just search Dragon¡¯s Soul: An End¡¯s Beginning and if you see my name, Tony Tran, then you have the right book.

    Join the discord channel undefined https://discord.gg/rMMkyrq</a>

    Results of the Poll:

    1st: Girl Time

    2nd: Story of the Yama

    3rd: Zhang¡¯s Parents

    4th: Imperial Court Part 2

    My Patreon: patreon.com/iendworlds

    Many thanks to my newest pledger, Sigurd the Wanderer and the few who had pledged before him.

    =====================================================================================

    Standing atop of Silky, beside Little White on all fours, was a second fur ball, one that Zhang and the beauties had never laid eyes upon before.

    With a short coat of fur reminiscent of the color of white sand, a fluffy tail that looked as soft as a cloud, large pointy ears, pointy whiskers and large round eyes, a peculiar animal eyed Zhang and the beauties.

    Surprisingly enough, Silky did not seem to mind having this extra passenger hanging out atop its head.

    ¡°Brother! Can we keep it? Can we?? Can we keep this little fox? Can we name it Swifty?!¡± Ai asked as her eyes brightened like a child who had just spotted a new toy.

    ¡°I wonder where I came from.¡± Ling and Lingqi said at the same time although, at the backs of their heads, a certain thought had popped up.

    ¡°You guys think this is the¡­¡± Zhang and Yuying asked at the same time.

    Ignoring what the beauties were saying, and Zhang¡¯s intrigued gaze, the furry little fox began to lick its furry paws.

    ¡°Little White, it seems you have a new friend.¡± Ling said to Little White who replied with a purr before copying its new furry friend and licking its paws.

    Before long Little White playful led tackled its new friend. The two little fur balls soon found themselves rolling about on the ground, wrestling each other.

    ¡°Hey there little fella, where did you come from?¡± Zhang asked as he crouched down in front of the two little fur balls, prompting to cease their activities and stare back at him with their large round eyes.

    With a wave of his hand, Zhang made a slab of meat appear on the ground.

    ¡°Would you like some steak?¡± Zhang asked with a laugh as he pointed to the slave of meat while gazing into the fox¡¯s intelligent eyes.

    After a slight pause and some sniffling, the fox quickly bit its teeth into the juicy looking steak that was laid out in front of it.

    ¡°Adorable¡­¡± The beauties all murmured in a low tone as they watched the fox nibble of the steak that was arguably as big as itself.

    Moments later, the fox clamped onto the steak and made its way to where Little White was and offered its new friend a nibble, in but a flash the two fur balls made the large steak disappear into their bellies.

    After finishing a hearty meal, Little White¡¯s new friend called out to Zhang in what could be called a bark before running up to him and tugging on the sleeve of his robes.

    ¡°What? You want us to follow you?¡±  Zhang asked as he tried to guess at what the little fox was trying to communicate to him.

    With a slight nod and a bark, the little fox began to lead Zhang and the rest of the group through the makeshift fortress erected by the Blood Scale Army. Walking through rows of tents and across the gazes of tens of saluting soldiers, Zhang and the beauties soon found themselves led into one of the many tunnels that led out of the massive cavern they were in.

    Curious to see where they were being led to, Zhang and the beauties followed without uttering a single word after simply glancing at each other once and nodding in agreement.

    Chasing after its friend, Little White could be seen scampering about excitedly while Silky and her swarm of Wraith Spiders followed behind Zhang and the beauties silently.

    Walking through twisting tunnels and a few splintering passageways, the furry fox acting as Zhang¡¯s tour guide led the group into a small out of the way chamber that no one would normally go into and within this chamber was a small hole in the wall.

    Asking Zhang and the beauties to stand and wait with a bark, the white sand colored fox made its way the small hole in the wall. Surprisingly enough as the fox squeezed into the small hole, a few glittering essence stones rolled out onto the ground, clearly indicating that it was brimming with essence stones.

    Before having to wait very long, the fox popped its head out of the hole with a shiny essence stone clamped in between its jaws. In a flash, it arrived in front of Zhang and gently placed the essence stone at his feet before scurrying back into its hole and returning with another essence stones clamped in its jaws.

    One by one after Zhang, the beauties were gifted an essence stone each.

    ¡°For us?¡± Zhang asked as he crouched down toward the furry fox standing on all fours in front of him while licking its paw.

    With a nod and a bark, the white sand colored fox responded to Zhang¡¯s question.

    ¡°Hey little buddy, would you like some more steak? I''ll give you a lot of steaks if you share with me some more of these.¡± Zhang said to the fox as he held up the essence stone it gave him.

    With glittering eyes filled with excitement and agile footsteps, the fox quickly sped into its den and brought out another essence stone to trade with Zhang.

    ¡°For this stone, I''ll only be able to give you this much meat.¡± Zhang said as he waved his hand and made a humongous piece of Mirage Viper meat appear on the ground.

    Seeing the piece of meat that was easily ten times larger than itself, the fox yelped in absolute joy. However, it''s joy was short lived as Zhang utilized the pepper of the Underworld Heart and made a short sword materialize in his hand.

    With a quick slash, Zhang skimmed off a minuscule piece of the Mirage Viper meat and placed it in front of the excited fox.

    ¡°Before the steak was a greeting gift, but now since we are doing business we have to be fair with each other. You can''t expect me to simply give away my precious meat for free.¡± Zhang said as he proceeded to bargain with the fox, much to the amusement of the beauties.

    Quickly understanding what Zhang was trying to say, the fox sped back into its den and after a few trips, it had accumulated a small pile of essence stones in front of Zhang.

    ¡°Hmmm, let me inspect some of these.¡± Zhang said as he began to sift through the small pile of glittering stones.

    ¡°This piece is cracked, this one here is too small, but this one is good.¡± He said as he eyed the fox who eyed him with curiosity.

    ¡°Alright, considering your Little White¡¯s friend which makes you my friend, I''ll exchange these stones for some meat for you.¡± Zhang said as he sliced off a mid-sized slab of meat the size of a person¡¯s palm and placed it in front of the fox who consumed all of it in a heartbeat.

    Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.

    ¡°If you want more meat, I''m willing to trade it for more essence stones. If not, I¡¯ll just let Little White have it all.¡± Zhang in a manner that made it appear as if he did not care whether the fox brought out more essence stones or not.

    Upon hearing what it¡¯s master was saying, Little White¡¯s eyes glinted as he began to eye the giant slab of juicy looking Mirage Viper meat laying on the ground right in front of it. Contrary to Little White¡¯s reaction, the fox sped into its den and brought out more essence stones.

    Little by little, Zhang began to squeeze the fox out of its stash of essence stones. After giving the fox roughly half of the slab of Mirage Viper meat, Zhang had actually managed to obtain all of the essence stones within the fox¡¯s den, much to its dismay since it was still wanting to eat more meat. Like most demonic beasts, regardless of their size, they all possess massive appetites.

    ¡°Since you ran out of things to trade, if you show me a few of your talents then I¡¯ll give some more meat as a reward. How about it?¡± Zhang said to the fox with a smile.

    From beginning to start, Zhang had hoped to confirm his speculations regarding the fox and had been baiting it into becoming familiar with him through food. Instantly noticing it¡¯s intelligent demeanor, Zhang figured if he did anything out of the ordinary then the fox would more than likely make an escape.

    With a bark, the fox scampered off out of the chamber he had led Zhang and the beauties to and disappeared out of sight before returning with an essence stone tightly clamped in its jaws.

    ¡°I said to show me something neat, I don¡¯t really have a need for any more essence stones. Also if you think finding essence stones is a talent only you possess then you¡¯re sadly mistaken my friend. I have countless thousands of people under my command who can find and retrieve essence stones.¡± Zhang said with a smile.

    With a bark, the fox proceeded to do the unthinkable, utterly shocking Zhang and the beauties.

    Opening its jaws and revealing rows of sharp fangs, the fox did the unthinkable. As if it was eating the softest piece of tofu ever created, the fox bit into the incredibly hard essence stone that it had just brought back.

    Of course, this was not the unthinkable part, it was the fact that the fox began consuming the bits that it had bit off from the essence stone that was so unthinkable.

    If it had simply broken apart the essence stone then a number of other demonic beasts could do so, such as Little White and even the Wraith Spiders.

    However, the thought of consuming an essence stone was utterly unthinkable, since essence stones are made through the concentration of high amounts of essence. In simpler terms, when consuming a single essence stone, one would be consuming a large amount of raw essence directly into one¡¯s body which of course is not something anyone should do because anyone eating an essence stone would soon find themselves instantly overflowing with essence, to the point where their bodies cannot handle it and explode to tiny bits. Much like what occurs when someone tries to absorb too many souls or other high essence concentration things into their body.

    After consuming the entire essence stone and being completely fine, the fox looked at Zhang while posing in a prideful manner.

    ¡°Hmph, so what? You can eat some rocks, big deal. Little White can do that too.¡± Zhang said with a bored tone as he proceeded to pick up a regular rock from the ground and toss it in front of Little White.

    ¡°Eat that and I¡¯ll give you your own slab of meat twice the size of this one.¡± Zhang said to Little White who instantly picked up the rock with its mouth and ground it to dust in between its teeth.

    ¡°See? You got any other talents?¡± Zhang said, since eating essence stones, as impressive and out of this world it was, did not confirm his speculations of the fox.

    Playing along with Zhang¡¯s provocation, the fox¡¯s fur began to stand on end as its body began to undergo a great change. It¡¯s body that was about the same size as that of a small puppy, began to grow until it was massive in size compared to regular foxes.

    ¡°Hmph, is that all you can do? Little White show it what you can do.¡± Zhang said as he glanced at Little White who morphed back to its originally massive size. Standing in close proximity, the two demonic beasts were very similar in size.

    ¡°Last chance to impress me or else I¡¯ll just give the rest of this meat to Little White and those guys over there.¡± Zhang said as he pointed at Little White and then Silky and her swarm of Wraith Spiders.

    Thus with a slightly angry growl, the fox confirmed Zhang¡¯s initial suspicions as the ground around the fox began to rumble and shake until a pair of stony claws rose up from the earth and into the air.

    ¡°Okay that¡¯s impressive, you can have all of that meat.¡± Zhang said with a smile which caught the fox by surprise.

    With gleeful eyes and which was similar to a broad grin, the fox leaped onto the large slab of meat after shrinking back to its tiny form. As it gorged itself on the Mirage Viper meat the fox released its control on the earthen limbs it has conjured, causing them to break into tiny pieces and crumble into the ground.

    ¡°Yuying, do it.¡± Zhang said to Yuying through his divine sense, signaling her to move in and do what she was best at.

    With a quick nod, Yuying pressed her hand onto the ground causing hundreds upon hundreds of glowing runes to flow from her body onto the ground the earthen cavern floor. Linking snaking chains, the runes sped across the ground and homed in on the fox who was busily consuming the massive slab of Mirage Viper meat.

    In a flash, the runes surrounded the oblivious fox and before it knew it, the runes had shot out from the ground and latched onto its body. Caught by surprise the fox soon found itself conscripted and bound by Yuying¡¯s runes.

    ¡°Struggling is meaningless.¡± Yuying said in a calm tone as she proceeded to walk up toward the fox who had tried to morph into its larger form to break free.

    Surprisingly enough, the fox once again managed to cause an earth rattling blow to Zhang and the beauties, opening its jaws, the fox bit into a chain formed by Yuying¡¯s runes, shattering it and causing the runes to fade away into nothingness.

    ¡°No way!¡± Yuying yelled as her face that was previously void of emotion was filled with a mixture of disbelief, shock, and amazement.

    After the first chain was destroyed, the fox proceeded to try to break another, however, before it could Yuying quickly moved in and appeared in front of it and extended her hand. With her finger pressed onto its forehead, Yuying began to work her magic and imprint the fox¡¯s mind like she had done to Little White, Silky and all of the Wraith Spiders.

    The fox soon ceased to struggle and attempt to break free was Yuying began to work her magic on it. Before long, Yuying pulled her hand away from the fox and wiped out a layer of sweat that had formed on her brow before turning toward Zhang and the other beauties and telling them that she had succeeded.

 Chapter 212: World Devastator Fox

    Dragon¡¯s Soul is now officially available for the kindle with edits and a few added chapters on Amazon as

    Dragon''s Soul: An End''s Beginning

    Link: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01M0KE...g=r0b5d-20</a>

    If the link doesn¡¯t work for you then you do not live in the US. Just search Dragon¡¯s Soul: An End¡¯s Beginning and if you see my name, Tony Tran, then you have the right book.

    Join the discord channel undefined https://discord.gg/rMMkyrq</a>

    Results of the Poll:

    1st: Girl Time

    2nd: Story of the Yama

    3rd: Zhang¡¯s Parents

    4th: Imperial Court Part 2

    My Patreon: patreon.com/iendworlds

    Many thanks to my newest pledger, Sigurd the Wanderer and the few who had pledged before him.

    Once again many thanks for everyone of you folks who are reading the story. Also I apologize for spamming you guys with the link to the amazon page lol.

    ==========================================================

    ¡°To think a demonic beast that''s not even a saint can break one of my inscription chains.¡± Yuying said as she sat beside Zhang and the other beauties while gazing at their horde of pets devouring large quantities of meat provided by Zhang.

    ¡°What kind of demonic beast is it?¡± Zhang asked in a curious tone.

    ¡°After combing through a tiny bit of its primordial memories, and I believe it¡¯s called a World Devastator Fox. Besides its name and a few other things that we''ve already managed to guess, I wasn¡¯t able to pick up much else. Besides the fact that it had been sealed here for a very very long time. Oddly enough, I¡¯ve never even heard of something called a World Devastator Fox in all my time in the Underworld Library.¡± Yuying stated.

    ¡°Interesting, a demonic beast that my princess of the dead doesn¡¯t know about.¡± Zhang teased with a chuckle.

    ¡°There are many things out there I don¡¯t know.¡± Yuying replied with a laugh as she playfully nudged Zhang¡¯s shoulder.

    ¡°Little Swifty come here.¡± Ai said as she could be seen with a hand full of grapes.

    ¡°When did we name it Swifty?¡± Lingqi said with a laugh as the little white sand colored fox stopped nibbling on a large piece of steak that was given to it and looked toward Ai. Moments later with a juicy half eaten steak clamped in its jaws, Swifty made its way toward Ai with due haste.

    ¡°If it responds to that name then might as well.¡± Zhang said with a chuckle as he watched the fox arrive in front of Ai and quickly finish its meal before gazing up at her while licking its paw.

    ¡°Here, try some of these.¡± Ai said kindly as she presented Swifty with a handful of plump grapes. Having lived off mostly essence stones after being unsealed, Little Swift was quick to try all of the food offered to it by Zhang and the beauties.

    ¡°Swifty, I have a proposition for you, one that you can¡¯t possibly turn down.¡± Zhang said to the little fox who was happily enjoying the new delicacy it had just been given, prompting it to look at him with curious eyes.

    ¡°We¡¯re going to be going on a little trip and decided it would be best to leave you and the other here so you guys can continue to grow stronger while we are away. If you promise me to not attack any of the miners or people in the mine again, I¡¯ll give you so much food that it would take you months to finish up.¡± Zhang said with a grin as Swifty¡¯s eyes lit up and it proceeded to yelp happily.

    ¡°Then I take it we have a deal? Since you are the strongest you¡¯ll also watch over the others?¡± Zhang asked Swifty who replied by posing in an upright and diligent manner that resembled that of a guard dog¡¯s.

    ¡°Good, then to seal the deal, here is your down payment. Be sure to share it with the others.¡± Zhang said as he utilized the power of the Underworld Heart and took control of the essence within the cavern they were currently in.

    With a quick thought and a bit of time, Zhang began to reshape the cavern to his will. Walls were pushed back, the ground was evened out and walls were erected, as he began creating lodgings for his demonic beasts. While a large chamber was created for the Wraith Spiders to live together, midsized chambers were created for Little White and Little Swifty. Rather than a place for demonic beasts to stay, Zhang had made an underground courtyard fit for a noble to live in.

    Having an eye for detail, replaced the cavern floor with stone tiles, the walls now were smooth to the touch, and there were even little carvings that marked which chamber belonged to whom.

    Once everything was shaped and made into the way Zhang wanted, he waved his hand and made an abundant supply of dry rations, food and barrels of water appear in a small storage room he had made.

    ¡°Ling if you could help me out a bit.¡± He then said was a smile to Ling who replied with a nod before waving her hand and manipulating the water in the barrels that Zhang had just withdrawn from his interspatial ring.

    Employing her magic, Ling made the water in the barrels rise up into the air and form into square shaped blocks before freezing them over.

    ¡°That way the food can be kept much longer. Of course, we¡¯ll also leave orders for supplies to be regularly sent here.¡± Zhang said after Ling finished her work.

    ¡°If you can also lend me a helping hand.¡± Zhang said as he looked at Yuying who replied with a faint smile and a shrug of her shoulders before place her hand on top of the tile floor and making countless runes appear once more.

    This time, instead of homing on Little Swift, the runes made their way onto the walls of the chamber and printed themselves onto it. After some time, all of the walls of the chamber were covered with glowing runes.

    ¡°With this, no one can bother them while they ascend. But to make sure I¡¯ll lay out a few more arrays once we get to the surface.¡± Yuying said as she patted the dust off her robes after standing up from her crouching position.

    ¡°I¡¯ll also give these essence stones back to you. Use them and quickly become a saint.¡± Zhang laughed as he petted Swifty¡¯s head gently.

    After proper arrangements were made for the demonic beasts Zhang and the beauties, left them to their own devices and headed back toward the makeshift camp that had been erected, where they then ordered for most of their forces to withdraw out of the mines.

    Then came the tedious task of locating all of their lesser saint subordinates, some of whom were hopelessly lost in the maze-like mines. Although many of them had run into the soldiers of the Blood Scale Army who had been commanded to mark the walls with arrows, there were still a few who had gone too deep into the mines and were still lost.

    ¡°We are going to get everyone sound transmission jades.¡± Zhang said with a sigh after he and the beauties managed to locate all of their lost subordinates.

    Once they managed to complete a whole list¡¯s worth of tasks, Zhang and the beauties finally departed from the mine and headed toward their chambers for the night.

    The next day, mining of the essence stone mines resumed after the miners were reassured that there would no longer be any more unexplainable events happening down in the mines. To further expand operations, Zhang personally visited the surrounding villages and began offering lavish deals to anyone who was willing to relocate to Razor Clam Island.

    A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    With the enticement of high wages, abundant supplies of food, and protection, Zhang was able to convince most of the villagers to work for the Razor Clam Fortress. Before the fortress had been solely reliant on supplies and things sent to them by the nearest branch headquarters of the Golden Pearl Sect, however now with an abundant number of workers in hand, Zhang was able to make the fortress somewhat self-sustaining.

    While the majority of the workers he employed were sent to work in the mines, a number of them were given jobs such as but were not limited to, sanitation of the fortress, fishing, farming, construction, and so on. Now even if some event were to arise that would require Zhang to cut off supplies to the fortress, its inhabitants would still be able to survive.

    Zhang also ordered for a massive construction project to begin in an attempt to solidify his control of Razor Clam island and its surrounding islands.

    ¡°Next time I come back here, I want to see bridges stemming from this island and connecting to all of the other islands. Although the majority of the people in the surrounding islands have migrated here, there is still an abundant amount of resources on the other islands that can be of use. The land on other islands can also be converted into farmland or pastures for animals to be raised now that not too many people live on them.¡± Zhang said to the elderly miner, who he had decided to appoint as the person in charge of the fortress.

    Besides the bridges that would connect the surrounding islands, Zhang had also ordered for the construction of a teleportation platform to begin, so that in the future the islands would be more connected to the Blood Coral Cove and in turn the Aurora Empire.

    After leaving behind proper instructions and orders, Zhang, the beauties, and their subordinates, along with the forces of the Starry Sea Sect departed in an awe-inspiring show of power. Dozens of saints took to the skies, while many thousands of Behemoth Jellyfish, Flying Sword Fish, and Mantis Shrimp surfaced from the dark depths where they had been awaiting their riders who one after the other dove into the shift tides as they began their trip to conquer Golden Shell City.

    While their allies and subordinates were quick to depart, Zhang and the beauties could be seen lingering at the shores of Razor Clam Island with a horde of demonic beasts surrounding them.

    ¡°You guys take good care now.¡± Yuying said as she patted Silky while Ling could be seen stroking Little White¡¯s furry coat.

    ¡°Swifty, I¡¯ll be seeing you again soon.¡± Ai said with a smile as she offered the little fox a hand full of grapes before she and the rest of the group took to the skies and the horde of demonic beasts headed back down into the mines where they will attempt to further their cultivation, but not before uttering a mixture of roars, howls, and screeches, sending their masters off.

    ========================================================================

    In a flash day turned into night, night turned into day and a few days had passed since Zhang and the beauties departed from Razor Clam island and Golden Shell City was in sight.

    True to its name, Golden Shell City¡¯s walls were entirely covered by massive golden clam shells that were embedded into solid sandstone.

    ¡°Legend has it, this city was where the Golden Pearl Sect had actually originated from. Many years ago the founder of their sect, who was demonic beast called a Sea Ruler Clam, had ascended where that city now stands, shedding a pair of massive shells in the process. Ever since then and the creation of the Golden Pearl Sect, every time a member of their sect is about to ascend, they would come here to do so and over the years many shells were added to the pair their founder left behind and that wall was thus built.¡± Shan Li said as his head and Zhang¡¯s head could be seen poking up from the ever moving waves of the sea.

    ¡°So how should we go about doing this? I''m sure by now they would have known that we are in the vicinity of their city, so we can either attempt to sneak into the city or we can openly siege it or both.¡± Zhang asked Shan Li despite already having an idea as to how to conquer the city.

    ¡°I think it would be best for us to first understand the situation within the city first before we act.¡± Shan Li replied.

    ¡°Then shall I send out some scouts and have my men try to gather a bit of information.¡± Zhang before he ordered a couple of his lesser saint subordinates to move out and collect information.

    In next to no time at all, they returned with a few guests in tow.

    With trembling bodies, shaken expressions and frightened eyes, a group consisting of three men were put into a large air bubble with Zhang and a few other people, under the surface of the ocean.

    ¡°I apologize for any inconveniences that my subordinates may have caused by bribing you here.¡± Zhang said with a smile.

    ¡°W-w-we do-do-don¡¯t know anything.¡± One of the men who wore a set of grey colored robes stuttered as he tried to talk to Zhang.

    ¡°Don''t know anything? But I haven''t started asking any questions yet? If I were to ask for your name, would you have not known that? Or perhaps if I were to ask you the date, would you not know?¡± Zhang asked.

    ¡°Now please calm down, this won''t hurt at all.¡± Zhang said as he looked at Yuying, who stood beside him, and nodded.

    Before anyone knew what was going on, Zhang envelopes the three men with his essence and kept them from moving, while Yuying arrived in front of each and every one of them in session, tapping them on the forehead once before moving on.

    ¡°Now tell us, the latest recent events that have happened within Golden Shell City.¡± Zhang said in a soft tone.

    ¡°Yesterday old man Bao¡¯s daughter gave birth to a baby boy. He looks healthy and seems to have inherited a bit of the characteristics of their ancestral bloodline.¡± The man in grey robes said in an emotional tone.

    ¡°Yesterday, Madam Zhu¡¯s pet dog was found dead, it was covered in cuts and bruises¡­ Everyone is out looking for its killer.¡± Another one of the men said blandly.

    ¡°Yesterday, I went home¡­ I saw my wife in bed with my neighbor...¡± The third man said.

    ¡°Today, Lord Yun Jiao¡¯s son is getting married, taxes have been cut in half for a month.¡± The grey robed man proceeded to say.

    ¡°Stop¡­.¡± Zhang said in a calm voice.

    ¡°Tie them up and keep them somewhere safe until everything is over¡­¡± Zhang commanded before a group of soldiers entered the air bubble he was in and took the three man away.

    ¡°Brother Zhang, shouldn''t we ask more questions before we send them off?¡± Shan Li asked Zhang with a confused look on his face.

    ¡°No need, if they are out looking for someone who murdered a dog, and celebrating a wedding, they are either crazy, really assured of their defenses or they do not know that we are nearby.¡± Zhang said with a sigh.

    ¡°All forces prepare to invade the city!¡± Yuying commanded, without waiting for either Zhang or Shan Li to give the command.

    ¡°Regardless of what the situation is, destroying cities is what we do best.¡± Ling said in a confident voice.

 Chapter 213: Golden Shells

    Leading a charge of hundreds of thousands of soldiers and demonic beasts, the beauties broke through the water''s surface and flew into the air.

    ¡°Surround the island! Lay waste to all who stand in our way!¡± Yuying commanded as she waved her hand and made countless thousands of bones soar into the sky.

    Like a symbol of death itself, the countless bones under Yuying¡¯s control soon formed into a gigantic devilish skull shaped mass with eerie glowing green flames in its hollow eye sockets.

    Joining in on Yuying¡¯s frightening display, Lingqi waved her hands and conjured a massive purplish cloud of poison that caused everything that flew into it to fall from the skies and plummet into the dark depths of the sea.

    Atop the city walls of Golden Shell City,a frenzy of activity occurred. Frightened out of their wits by the gigantic skull and the mysterious cloud of green smoke, many of the city guards dropped their weapons and ran for their lives.

    The city guards were simple residences of Golden Shell City and were not really cultivators so against Yuying and the bulk of the forces under her command, they stood no chance, so it was only normal that they fled.

    Of course not every guard fled, there were a few with commendable courage who remained. The brave few who stayed behind sounded off a series of alarms and bells that alerted the rest of the city of an enemy attack.

    ¡°Sound the alarms! Alert the masters! They''ll take care of the approaching enemy!¡± A man clad in armor roared to the guards as Yuying and Lingqi closed in while their army could be seen speeding across the open waters off the shores of Golden Shell City and spring through the sky.

    ¡°Brother, should we go in too?¡± Ai asked Zhang as they could be seen leisurely sitting atop a large puffy cloud, showing no signs of moving toward the cry at all.

    ¡°You guys go aid the mistresses and make sure to cover their blind spots.¡± Zhang said while commanding his lesser Saint level subordinates, who quickly sped across the air and toward Yuying and Lingqi after reviewing their orders.

    ¡°We will just watch from here and see how things go before we move in. If we all were to attack the city, then the big fish might flee.¡± Zhang said as he looked toward Golden Shell City intently while enveloping himself, Ling, and Ai, along with Shan Li and all of the other full Saint level experts a part of the coalition force in a veil of essence that made it hard for other to detect them from afar.

    ¡°Who dares attack the territory of the Golden Pearl Sect!¡± An ancient voice rang out from the interior of Golden Shell City, just as Zhang finished speaking and just when Yuying and Lingqi began their assault on the city walls.

    ¡°I dare!¡± Yuying roared back in response to the ancient voice as the gigantic skull comprised of countless bones under her control smashed into the city walls.

    Upon smashing into the shell encrusted city walls, the skull-shaped mass of bones lost its initial shape and turned into a tsunami of bones that swept over the tops of the city walls and the area below it.

    Following Yuying¡¯s example, Lingqi¡¯s cloud of poisonous gas made its way onto the tops of the city walls.

    ¡°Lucky for you guys, needlessly killing you all would make him unhappy.¡± Lingqi murmured as her cloud of poisonous gas enveloped the city wall and all the people on it causing them to all fall into a deep slumber.

    As the beauties assaulted the soldiers atop the walls, their soldiers and lesser saint subordinates soon caught up and joined in on the siege. Thus as the sun¡¯s warm rays shone down from above, countless rumbling footsteps charged toward Golden Shell City while the clamoring of swords and shields also filled the air.

    ¡°Assault the gates! Mantis Shrimp Cavalry advance!¡± A commander within the Blood Scale Army ordered while pointing his sword at the massive city gates off in the distance.

    ¡°Begin charging the Heavenly Lightning Array!¡± An elder within the Starry Sea Sect riding atop a Behemoth Jellyfish commanded as sparks of lightning began to pulsate across the body of water near him.

    Despite simultaneously attacking Golden Shell City at once, the forces of the Blood Coral Cove and Starry Sea Sect did not fully cooperate with each other and each had their own plans.

    Thousands of Gigantic Mantis Shrimps could soon be seen swarming around the shell encrusted city gates and attempting to smash it apart with their powerful claws, while dozens of sparks of lightning could be seen being released into the air as the forces of the Starry Sky Sect were preparing to unleash the full might of their Heavenly Lightning Array.

    This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    ¡°This is the territory of the Golden Pearl Sect! All of you SCAM!¡± A loud and murderous voice echoed out from the city as a powerful shock wave smashed into the soldiers of the Blood Scale Army and the disciples of the Starry Sea Sect, sending them tumbling on to the ground.

    ¡°The time of the Golden Pearl Sect is over! Have a taste of our Heavenly Lightning!¡± The elder of the Starry Sea Sect roared as a massive bolt of lightning many times thicker than a tree trunk snaked across the air.

    In a flash the bolt of lightning smashed into the city gates, however, little to no damage was inflicted. Moments after the lightning bolt struck, the countless shells embedded in the city gates and walls began to release a blinding golden glow.

    ¡°Madam! Be careful!¡± The teams of lesser saints Zhang had sent to watch over Yuying and Lingqi yelled as they sped through the air and took up defensive formations around the two beauties.

    The blinding golden light given off by the countless shells embedded into the city walls continued to become brighter and brighter to the point where everyone had to drop their weapons and shield their eyes or risk being blinded.

    Seeing what was happening from afar, Zhang withdrew the Rising Moon Sword from his interspatial ring and prepared to intervene if he deemed the situation had become too dangerous for Yuying and Lingqi to handle.

    ¡°All those who dare to disrespect the Golden Pearl Sect, death!!¡± The ancient voice that had been previously heard, rang into everyone¡¯s ears once again as blood-curdling yells followed suit.

    As the glowing light given off by the golden shells began to fade away and as everyone¡¯s sense of sight as gradually restored, all eyes were focused on the direction where the blood-curdling yells originated from.

    Looking upward, a gigantic mass of bones could be seen where Yuying and the group of lesser saints guarding her were and floating in front of this mass of bones was a young man in his early twenties, who was being impaled by countless spikes made of bones.

    ¡°You think I wouldn''t be prepared to defend myself if my vision was temporarily taken away?¡± Yuying said as she gripped her hand, causing the dozens of bony spikes impaling the young man to twist and turn, which in turn caused his blood-curdling screams to sound through the air once again.

    ¡°And to send a mere lesser saint is truly laughable.¡± Yuying added as she scanned the horizon in search of enemies.

    ¡°To act so haughty in front of this old man, you must have a death wish.¡± The ancient voice could be heard as a dozen silhouettes came into sight after flying out from behind a large cloud and an elderly man, garbed in expensive looking silk robes that had the image of golden shells embroidered on them, appeared.

    ¡°To act so haughty in front of this princess, especially in your current predicament, you must also have a death wish.¡± Yuying replied with a sneer.

    ¡°What do you think you can accomplish with a force consisting of only an army of puny mortals, a few measly lesser saints and a pair of full saints.¡± The elderly looking man garbed in silk robes said as he ceased the forces under Yuying and Lingqi¡¯s control.

    ¡°With only a single full saint, not even a handful of lesser saints and without an army at your command, what do you think you can do to stop us?¡± Yuying retorted as she sized up the opposing force.

    ¡°Not even a hand full?¡± The elderly full saint laughed upon hearing Yuying¡¯s reply, as many hundreds of silhouettes began to fly out from within the interior of the city.

    Before long, a total of ten full saints, a hundred or so lesser saints, tens of thousands of regular cultivators atop flying chariots and demonic beasts blocked out the horizon while countless more made their way onto the city walls.

    ¡°What was it that you were saying?¡± The elderly saint said while he looking at Yuying with a confident face. A face that belonged to someone who believed they had attained a complete victory over their opponent before the battle even began.

    ¡°We were saying, what were you hoping to accomplish with such a measly number of subordinates.¡± Zhang¡¯s voice reverberated through the air.

    Much to the elderly full saint¡¯s surprise, Zhang, Ling, Ai, Shan Li, Xiao Gong, Nai Fan, and a dozen other full saint level experts could be seen from afar, speeding toward Golden Shell City.

    As they neared the city, Zhang¡¯s group of full saints splintered off and surrounded the city from all sides.

    ¡°Anyone who values their well-being should drop their weapons and surrender! We do not wish to spill any more blood needlessly.¡± Zhang said in a loud voice as he glanced at the lesser saint who was still wincing in pain due to being impaled by Yuying¡¯s bony spikes.

    ¡°A bunch of rubbish! At my age, after countless storms and hardships, you think a bunch of brats like you can talk me or any my men into surrendering?¡± The elderly saint said although there was a trace of anxiousness appeared on his face after Zhang¡¯s sudden appearance.

    ¡°Disciples of the Golden Pearl Sect! Attack! Leave none of the invaders alive!¡± The elderly saint commanded, prompting a fury of roars and yells to sound out from the sky and the tops of the city walls.

    Unleashing powerful techniques and attacks, the many lesser saints of the Golden Pearl Sect, caused devastating casualties to the coalition. Fireballs turned hundreds into ashes, nearly invisible blades of wind severed limbs and sliced through bone, while shards of ice invaded the bodies of the unsuspecting and changed warm veins into frozen rivers.

    ¡°All units! Attack!¡± Zhang roared while still levitating in the air, clad in beautiful white colored scale armor, with a fluttering black cape that was a darker shade of black than a starless night sky.

    Majestically and appearing to not exert much very much power at all, Zhang casually pointed the Rising Moon Sword toward the city gates and made a black colored orb of highly condensed gravity, in other words, a singularity, appear at its tip.

    After a flick of his wrist, Zhang sent the seemingly harmless looking black or flying through the air and onto Golden Shell City¡¯s main gates.

    Once the singularity came in contact with the city gates, it began to buckle and quake before it began to crumble in on itself. First to give way to the powerful suction force of the singularity was the sandstone that made up the bulk of the walls, quickly crumbling to bits. Then the golden colored shells, that were able to withstand the full force of the Starry Sea Sect¡¯s Heavenly Lightning Array without suffering so much as a single scratch, began to crack.

    Small cracks branched out and became larger and larger until the golden colored shells broke into pieces that were pressed together until both of the city gates were turned into a tiny dense ball of matter.

    ¡°Move into the city! Kill everyone who resists!¡± Yuying commanded once Zhang dispelled his technique and as she waved her hand and sent the lesser saint that she had caught earlier on a one-way trip to the Underworld.

    ¡°Subdue the enemy saints! Take the wounded to the rear! No need to stand guard! We can protect ourselves.¡± Lingqi ordered the lesser saints acting as bodyguards for her and Yuying, all the while countless casualties began to occur as the saints of the Golden Pearl Sect rampaged.

    In terms of numbers, the coalition possessed more regular soldiers, demonic beasts and a few full saints, however, the Golden Pearl Sect currently had nearly double or maybe even triple the number of lesser saints. This meant that if Zhang and Shan Li¡¯s lesser saint subordinates were not careful, they would find themselves hopelessly outnumbered and possibly slaughtered.

    Luckily, Ling was present and quickly took action.

    Making thousands of water droplets rise from the ocean¡¯s surface and surrounding herself with them, Ling began to harness the power of the sun and turn it into a deadly ray of pure destruction and death.

    Flying demonic beasts were scorched and turned into falling masses of char, while a few unlucky lesser saints found themselves set ablaze and were granted a fiery death.

    Surprisingly enough, the golden shells that were embedded into the city walls were strong enough to survive the extreme heat produced by Ling¡¯s attack as it swept past them during her rampage. Besides leaving behind scorch marks on the golden shells, Ling¡¯s attack had little to no effect on them at all which served as a hidden blessing for the forces of the Golden Pearl Sect because otherwise, Ling would have burnt down their city walls, leaving them nowhere to seek cover from her wrath.

    ¡°Kill her! Support our ground forces! Prepare to activate the array!¡± The elderly full saint directed as he gripped a luminous pearl in one hand while pointing at Ling with the other.

 Chapter 214: Enemy Ploy

    Upon receiving the elderly saint¡¯s commands, a group consisting of a full Saint who had three neatly braided ponytails and ten lesser saints charged toward Ling who in turn redirected her ray of death toward them.

    ¡°Scramble! Avoid contact with that beam!¡± The full saint with three ponytails commanded, knowing it would be the end of him and his subordinates if any of them so much as touched Ling¡¯s death ray.

    ¡°She¡¯s harnessing the power of the sun, use the Ghostly Shroud technique!¡± The saint commanded after he and his men scattered in dozens of different directions and surrounded Ling from all sides.

    ¡°Protect the madam!¡± Xiao Gong¡¯s roar could be heard as the massive figure of his true form and Nai Fan¡¯s appeared and loomed over Ling.

    Now with a trusty pair of guards, Ling focused all her attention towards attacking and no longer needed to mind her surroundings. However, this was short-lived because the saints of the Golden Pearl Sect, who specialized in water magic,invoked their will on the vast waters that surrounded the island that Golden Shell City was built on and conjured a veil of mist to stop Ling from harnessing the power of the sun.

    ¡°Tch¡­¡± Ling clicked her tongue as she waved her hand and made crescent shaped blades of water and large shards of ice form around her.

    As the battle continued on, Golden Shell City which was famous for it''s unusual but oddly beautiful walls and scenic landscape was transformed into a hell on earth.

    Streams of blood began to flow into the sea, dying the shores of Golden Shell City a murky red. Hills of corpses stacked almost as high as the city walls while hundreds of Saint level experts scrambled across the sky, engaging in intense combat.

    Normally when a single saint perished, their belongings and heavenly energy would be almost instantly seized by another Saint or their remains would stir a swarm of level ten cultivators into action. But now despite there being tens of dead lesser saints scattered throughout the battlefield, no one was even remotely moved or enticed. Rather, wherever the corpse of a saint could be seen, there would be a wide perimeter around it, void of living combatants.

    At first, many of the soldiers of the Blood Coral Cove and disciples of the Starry Sea Sect and Golden Pearl Sect on the ground had swarmed when a saint had fallen from the sky. Overcome by greed and the thought of becoming a saint themselves, scores of people fought to acquire the possessions and corpses of the fallen saints, further intensifying the already daunting battle.

    Death tolls began to climb exponentially in the areas where the corpses of the saints landed, to the point where the majority of the people partaking in the battle deemed it was not worth to even try to get near them because anyone who even came remotely close to the corpses of the fallen saints instantly found themselves cut down mercilessly.

    One may wonder why none of the saint level experts had bothered to swoop down and collect their spoils of war after defeating another saint level expert, but the answer is simple, the battle taking place in the sky was dozens of times more dangerous and fierce than the one taking place on the ground.

    Countless awe inspiring attacks, techniques, aerial maneuvers and the like were currently being employed as hundreds of lesser saints and a dozen or two full saints battled for supremacy. Despite a higher intensity in the battle between saints, the casualty count was actually exponentially lower when compared to the battle below, however, an immense amount of concentration was required to remain alive.

    Unlike the combatants below, the battle between saints took a much higher mentally, for one wrong move could result in instant death and render all of the time and effort required to become a saint, meaningless.

    After demolishing the city gates, Zhang had engaged the elderly full saint, who was leading the forces of the Golden Pearl Sect, in a close quarters struggle. Although his opponent appeared to be ancient in age, Zhang found it extremely difficult to gain an upper hand.

    Perhaps it was due to a severe gap in their combat experience, but every single one of Zhang¡¯s body movements were properly read and countered, making it so that he was still unable to cause even a single scratch on his opponent despite having sparred for what seemed to be a hundred exchanges.

    ¡°You''re a thousand years too young to thank you can beat this old man in a one on one battle!¡± The elderly saint said with a laugh as he seemed to only grow stronger as his battle with Zhang continued on.

    ¡°For one as old such as yourself to be fighting a junior such as myself, shouldn¡¯t you be ashamed?¡± Zhang retorted with a mocking laugh as he swung the Rising Moon Sword while making singularities appear left and right in an attempt to seal the elderly saint¡¯s escape routes.

    ¡°A thousand years ago they called me Yu Xiang the undefeated and a thousand years later they will continue to do so, while a nameless brat like you will only be added to a long list of those who had fallen to my blade.¡± The elderly saint named Yu Xiang said as he lunged at Zhang while manipulating the moisture in the air to create tens of swords of water appear and home in on Zhang.

    ¡°Maybe you should retire now before people start calling you Yu Xiang the defeated.¡± Zhang said as his Abyssal Cape fluttered and a swarm of shadowy sparrows shot out from his shadow, smashing into the swords of water conjured by Yu Xiang and creating a curtain of droplets that scattered down onto the ground below.Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

    ¡°You whippersnapper, you dare to mock this old man¡¯s glory?¡± Yu Xiang said in a powerful voice as his speed increased exponentially, allowing him to arrive in front of Zhang in an instant while swinging his sword.

    ¡°He should be as powerful as a low tier high saint¡­¡± Zhang assessed as he used the Rising Moon Sword and Mirage Viper Fang Sword to block Yu Xiang¡¯s attack before performing a dance like footwork that allowed him to maneuver himself behind his opponent.

    ¡°I must say, though; it has been many years since I¡¯ve run into another full saint who can hold their own against me for so long. If you had not been here, then no one else on this battlefield would be powerful enough to stop this old man.¡± Yu Xiang said, praising Zhang as the two continued to exchange sword strikes.

    ¡°In terms of pure power, there¡¯s someone here who is much much stronger than me, however as a husband how can I bring myself to allow my lovely wife to fight someone as strong as you. What if she breaks a nail or has a wardrobe problem?¡± Zhang replied with a laugh as he glanced at Ai who was busily roaming the battlefield with the other beauties.

    If Ai was allowed to fight Yu Xiang, then in terms of pure power then Zhang was fairly sure she would be able to slightly over power Yu Xiang. However, she would also be put at risk and since their fight would be a fairly close one, Zhang did not want to place his wife in harm¡¯s way.

    ¡°Could you possibly be talking about that haughty little girl earlier? Although her techniques appear mysterious and foreign to me, I doubt she would be able to hold her own against me.¡± Yu Xiang retorted as he thought Zhang was referring to Yuying.

    ¡°Old man, you are sure asking a lot of questions for someone who is supposed to be adding me to his long list of slain opponents,¡± Zhang said, ignoring Yu Xiang¡¯s question.

    ¡°This old man merely acknowledges you for your strength. Had you not come here with malicious intentions then I would have surely offered a toast of wine.¡± Yu Xiang said with a slightly sincere look.

    ¡°Had your Golden Pearl Sect not come to my Blood Coral Cove with malicious intentions then maybe we wouldn¡¯t be here at all.¡± Zhang replied in an unhappy manner.

    ¡°If we did not receive that accursed letter then none of this would happen¡­¡± Yu Xiang murmured in a low tone that Zhang was unable to hear as a dozen rays of black lay shot up from various towers built at certain intervals along Golden Shell City¡¯s walls.

    ¡°Demonic Pearl Array¡­¡± Zhang mumbled as the dozen or so rays of black light began to bend and connect with each other.

    ¡°All Forces! Regroup! Regroup! Withdraw from the city! Move out before we fall prey to the effects of the Demonic Pearl Array kick in!¡± Countless voices could be heard as the various commanders of the Blood Scale Army and elders of the Starry Sea Sect, who had charged through the gates of Golden Shell City, saw the Demonic Pearl Array began to form around the city.

    ¡°Ha-ha, what made the lot of you think this was the Demonic Pearl Array?¡± Yu Xiang said after a hearty laugh as he heard Zhang mumble.

    ¡°It¡¯s not?¡± Zhang asked with a bit of curiosity, a hint of disbelief and some confusion plastered on his face.

    ¡°All disciples of the Golden Pearl Sect! Retreat! The Golden Prism Array has been activated!¡± Yu Xiang¡¯s voice reverberated throughout the battlefield as he ignored Zhang and sped toward the city.

    Seeing that something was amidst, Zhang did not pursue and simply watched as Yu Xiang departed. Soon after the black colored rays of light turned into a bright golden color and a massive semi-invisible membrane enveloped Golden Shell City, trapping some of the members of the coalition inside while keeping a few members of the Golden Pearl Sect locked outside. Before long the semitransparent membrane turned into a solid golden color which prevented those from the outside to peer in, inadvertently preventing Zhang from opening a dimensional rift inside.

    A storm of panicked cries could be heard as the people cut off from their respective forces pounded on the invisible membrane, but sadly their cries fell on deaf ears and they were all soon rounded up by either coalition force or by the Golden Pearl Sect.

    ¡°Chu Shuo and Hai Xing, the two of you go collect the corpses of all of the fallen saints. You guys may distribute some them to our saints before handing the spoils over to me. Get things done quickly before guys from the Starry Sea Sect can get their hands on them.¡± Zhang commanded as the battle came to a sudden end.

    ¡°Right away my lord.¡± Chu Shuo and Hai Xing said simultaneously with wide grins on their faces.

    After they started working under Zhang, the two of them had received an abundant amount of Heavenly Energy had gone through their hands and they were close to becoming full saints hence the reason behind their grins.

    ¡°Brother Zhang, I had just received word from our sect headquarters. It appears the Golden Shell Sect had rallied a number of other sects and are on route here. I received word to set up defensive measures in case the enemy arrives before our reinforcements.¡± Shan Li said as he descended from the sky and arrived beside Zhang who was tending to the wounded.

    ¡°So instead of waiting for us, they are coming here¡­¡± Zhang muttered as he was helping a soldier of the Blood Scale Army clean his wound.

    ¡°Our Ancestral Sect Master will arrive here with reinforcements in three days, as long as nothing happens then we will be alright.¡± Shan Li said.

    ¡°Three days¡­ Do you know how many other sects they''ve managed to rally together?¡± Zhang mumbled to himself before asking Shan Li.

    ¡°I''m not sure, however, I was told they had offered up half of their sect¡¯s base foundation to whoever would join them. They had also said that we are in possession of a piece of the Ascending Beauty Painting. So they''ll have a frightening number of experts and people at their disposal.¡± Shan Li replied with a sigh.

    ¡°To think they would give up half of their base foundation. The coming battle with the Golden Pearl Sect and their allies will be a headache¡­¡± Shan Li added.

    ¡°I''m sure they won''t be the only ones to give us a headaches. I''m certain other forces will show up to either watch the festivities or join in, either against us or with us. Especially when one considered the scale the upcoming battle will be, and the news regarding the painting.¡± Zhang said.

    ¡°A lot of the people who are in possession of the pieces of the Ascending Beauty painting will more than likely gather here after being told that we are in possession of a piece of the painting. If lots of pieces of the painting are gathered in one place, I''m sure those bastards will be coming too¡­¡± Zhang thought as though of the Dragon God Palace and how much they wanted to gather all of the pieces of the painting.

    ¡°Now that I think about it, we could have all been played by them¡­¡± Zhang thought.

    ¡°Brother Shan Li, it may be a bit late for me to ask, but why did you attack my Blood Coral Cove? Was it because of Madam Diao Yu?¡± Zhang asked, hoping to confirm his speculations.

    ¡°Madam Diao Yu? Of course not, although we had done contact with her and she had sent us a transmission about you possibly being in possession of a piece of the Ascending Beauty Painting. Without much proof to back her words, we weren''t going to act on pure speculation.¡± Shan Li replied.

    ¡°But in the end, you guys did end up attacking the cove.¡± Zhang said.

    ¡°That was because the Golden Pearl Sect had arrived and offered us an alliance. They had also said they their sources could confirm that you have a piece of the painting in your possession.¡± Shan Li recalled.

    ¡°Everything is going according to their plan¡­¡± Zhang thought as creases appeared on his brow.

    ¡°By putting us together by using the Ascending Beauty Painting as bait, they only needed to wait until more people who are in possession of the painting gathered and then once piece was in the same area, they would only have to wait until we all slaughtered ourselves and then move in and collect the painting.¡± Zhang thought as he believed the recent series of events was all plotted by the Dragon God Palace.

    ¡°That old bastard Long Feng knew that the Starry Sea Sect and Golden Pearl Sect wouldn''t be able to defeat me and things would have led to our current situation¡­ Or rather even the Starry Sea Sect and Golden Pearl Sect had succeeded in destroying my Blood Coral Cove, then the Dragon God Palace would have surely stirred the pot some more and in the end, everything would still result in the way they wished.¡± Zhang thought as a storm of bits and pieces began to come together in his mind.

 Chapter 215: Friendship?

    ¡°Brother is something wrong?¡± Yuying asked as she arrived beside Zhang who was caught in deep thought while a scowl had appeared on his face.

    ¡°We¡¯ve been played¡­¡± Zhang mumbled in a low tone to the people gathered around him.

    ¡°Played?¡± Everyone asked with confused looks on their faces.

    ¡°Although it is just speculation but I suspect that everything that had occurred and will occur was planned out by the Dragon God Palace.¡± Zhang said in a low tone.

    ¡°How could that possibly be? The Dragon God Palace has always taken a neutral stance and ensured the peace of the Eastern Chaotic Sea¡­¡± Uncle Lu who was standing beside Shan Li said in a tone of disbelief.

    ¡°Without the Dragon God Palace¡¯s intervention dozens of sects and forces they now rule the sea would have perished long ago. How could they possibly be stirring conflict?¡± Shan Li said, prompting everyone but Zhang and the beauties to nod in agreement.

    ¡°Think about it. Xiao Gong, how long has it been since the forces of the Starry Sea Sect and Golden Pearl sect had attacked the Blood Coral Cove?¡± Zhang asked.

    ¡°Roughly a month and a half.¡± Xiao Gong replied.

    ¡°Almost two months and not a single member of the Dragon God Palace shows up. If they were truly the peacekeepers of the sea, then they would have shown up already. We¡¯ve yet to hear a word from them either.¡± Zhang said.

    ¡°Our lord does have a point, normally when a conflict arises the Dragon God Palace will send out one of its emissaries who usually arrives in a timely manner.¡± Hai Xing said, supporting Zhang¡¯s claim.

    ¡°Let¡¯s say they did, in fact, plan the events that had occurred. What would they benefit from doing so? They are currently the strongest force in the Eastern Sea, unchallenged and have more than enough power to rule over everyone with an iron fist.¡± Shan Li stated.

    ¡°They would gain the Ascending Beauty Painting. Long Feng had told me that the Dragon God Palace had ordered all of its disciples to use every means at their disposal to gather all of the pieces of the Ascending Beauty Painting.¡± Zhang said.

    ¡°What a better way to do so then by spreading news of someone having a piece of the painting in their possession. It obvious those who have a piece of the painting and wish to obtain the other pieces would surely gather here. Once all the pieces of gathered and a bitter battle had been fought, as the strongest force in the sea, they would only need sweep away the survivors and claim the painting for themselves.¡± Ling said after piecing together what Zhang had said.

    ¡°If that¡¯s their plot, then what can we do about it?¡± Nai Fan who had been standing silently asked.

    ¡°Simple, first deliver this jade slip to the people of the Golden Pearl Sect within the city. ¡°Zhang said as he withdrew a jade slip from his interspatial ring, covered a message onto it with his essence and handed it over to Nai Fan, after coming up with a plan in his head.

    ¡°Second, we need to set up defensive measures.¡± Zhang said as he looked at Yuying who needed in response.

    ¡°Third we need we need to wait for the enemy to arrive. Brother Shan Li, if you could inform your Ancestral Sect Master of my suspicions then that would great.¡± Zhang said with a smile.

    ¡°I will do that right away. However, are you sure this plan of yours will work? Would the people of the Golden Pearl Sect listen to what we have to say?¡± Shan Li replied with a nod.

    ¡°Once they see what I¡¯ve written on the jade slip they will listen.¡± Zhang replied with a smile.

    With a plan in mind and directions given, Zhang and the other influential members of the coalition force quickly split up and began carrying out their assigned tasks. The injured needed to be healed, and a frenzy of other tasks needed to be completed in order for them to survive the incoming catastrophe.

    ¡°Should we use it?¡± Yuying whispered into Zhang¡¯s ear as once everyone had dispersed.

    ¡°The Samsara Gate?¡± Zhang asked.

    ¡°We could either seek refuge in the underworld or ask father for aid. If it¡¯s just a few full saints, then I¡¯m sure the Underworld Army has more than enough to spare.¡± Yuying said in a low tone.

    This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

    ¡°We should save that for when there are no other means at our disposal. How could your father think if I couldn''t even overcome a measly obstacle as this?¡± Zhang replied with a laugh as he patted Yuying¡¯s shoulder.

    Although asking for aid from the Underworld would surely alleviate their current situation, Zhang wouldn¡¯t have the face to meet his father in law in the future. As a man it was his duty to protect his wives and asking for help from others in doing so would only damage Zhang¡¯s pride. Of course with that being said, if he absolutely needed to, Zhang would surely ask for help because a bit of pride in exchange for his life and the lives of his four wives was more than worth it.

    However, he did not believe their current situation was worth asking for help from his father in law, the Yama.

    ¡°Like any father, I¡¯m sure he would want his daughter to be with someone who is capable and asking for help when some difficulty arises would only lower his image of me.¡± Zhang said to Yuying.

    ¡°If we aren¡¯t going to ask father for help, then what''s the plan? I¡¯m sure there''s more to it than sending a jade slip to the Golden Pearl Sect. In fact, what did you write on the jade slip?¡± Yuying said.

    ¡°I had explained the current situation to them. Although I¡¯m kind of sure that old man should have already known about the Dragon God¡¯s Palace plot, regardless of whether we informed him or it or not. If my guess is right, he only acted the way he did because he thought he couldn¡¯t convince that all of us were played by them. But now that we¡¯ve informed him that we know what they are up to, we can seek to cooperate with him in the future in order to shatter their plot.¡± Zhang replied to Yuying before having the beauties all huddle up around him and telling them about the rest of his plan.

    ================================

    Roughly a day had passed since the failed attack on Golden Shell City and since Zhang had pieced together the Dragon God Palace¡¯s plot.

    The skies were clear, there was a constant gentle breeze blowing about, the seas were calm and everything was enveloped in a moment of peace.

    The corpses of those belonging to the coalition had been buried while the corpses of those belonging to the Golden Pearl Sect were piled in front of the city gates, forming a small mountain. Instead of a sign of disrespect, Zhang had ordered his men to do so as a show of good faith.

    He was returning the bodies of the dead to their families for proper burial, a thing that not many conquerors practiced. More often than naught, the bodies of enemies would be left to bask under the smoldering sun, left to the elements and to the birds of prey that often gathered after a bloody battle.

    Besides a mountain of corpses and blood red sand to serve as a reminder of what had occurred the previous day, one would expect to see massive sprawling camp that surrounded Golden Shell City on all sides, thousands of plumes of smoke snaking into the sky and countless banners to flutter in the air, however that was not the case.

    The coalition force had disappeared without a trace. Since it was highly illogical to camp in front of Golden Shell City if they knew enemy reinforcements were on route, the coalition had decided to relocate themselves elsewhere.

    Had stayed then they would only end up being sandwiched by enemies from two sides as enemies from within the city would storm out while enemy reinforcements would entrap them on the island.

    So to ensure this did not occur, Zhang had suggested the coalition make their encampment on a small island not too far away from where Golden Shell City was located. The island itself was but roughly a tenth of the size of Golden Shell Island and was completely uninhabited, not even wild beasts dwelled on it.

    ¡°Brother Zhang, are you sure your madam¡¯s array will be enough to repulse the enemy¡¯s initial wave?¡± Shan Li asked as he observed Yuying and thousands of soldiers drawing runes onto the ground.

    ¡°Rest assured, Brother Shan Li, if my wife says this array can withstand attacks of a high saint for three hours then it will be able to do so.¡± Zhang said in a confident tone with a smile on his face.

    It was in Yuying¡¯s character to never boast, she was the kind of person who perfectly knew their limits and would say so if something was out of their ability to accomplish.

    ¡°If that is what you believe then I shall leave the defensive preparations to the young madam. Let¡¯s just hope we will not have to make use of this array,¡± Shan Li said with a smile.

    ¡°While you''re here, how about picking the topic of our next discussion.¡± Zhang said with a laugh.

    Over time he had become quite friendly with Zhang and the beauties, often dining and conversing with them on a wide range of topics. Things from cultivation, the meaning to life, and many other things that often interested cultivators.

    ¡°I had concocted a few pills last night using that formula we had talked about last time.¡± Lingqi who had stood beside Zhang said as she held up a purplish colored pill in her hand. As things turned out, Shan Li was extremely well versed in regards to pill concoction and often shared his notes with Lingqi who was eager to learn from the holy son of a major sect. There was also the fact of befriending Shan Li and his sect in order to ensure their survival.

    In the end, as long as they did not ask for help from the Underworld, Zhang and the beauties would still end up at the mercy of the High Saint who was the Ancestral Sect Master of the Starry Sea Sect, that is to say, they survive the ordeal that is to come.

    ¡°Already? The ingredients for that pill need to be left under the sun for seven days and then require to be left the pill cauldron for a total of five days. I had only told you about the formula about six days ago, how were you able to concoct the pill so quickly?¡± Shan Li said with an astonished expression and tone.

    ¡°Well after examining the formula I had found that a few of the ingredients could be swapped out and thus the time required to prepare and concoct the pill was halved. You can replace the hundred-year Frost Lotus Roots with Jade Poppy Stems and Jade Puffer Spines with a poison made of Sun Poppy Petals.¡± Lingqi said with a grin as she still held the pill in hand.

    ¡°That is simply amazing! I¡¯ve never one heard anyone back at the sect being knowledgeable enough to swap out ingredients in a formula of this level and succeed. Just wait until the Ancestral Sect Master of my sect arrives, I¡¯ll introduce you to a few of the elders in charge of the pill pavilion, I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll be able to appreciate what you had done.¡± Shan Li said as he looked at Lingqi was eyes belonging to someone brimming with worship.

    ¡°That would be wonderful.¡± Lingqi said with an excited tone.

    ¡°Indeed, perhaps we can find you a well-versed teacher or something.¡± Zhang said as he patted his wife on the back.

    ¡°What about me? There better be a lot of water magic for me to learn too.¡± Ling laughed as.¡± Ling laughed as she arrived beside Zhang with Ai.

    ¡°If it''s water magic you''re looking for then I''m sure there will be something in our scroll pavilion that will interest you, madam. I''ll be sure to ask the elder in charge of the pavilion to guide you to where we keep the best scrolls¡± Shan Li replied with a grin.

    Of all the four beauties, Shan Li had become highly acquainted with Ling and Lingqi thanks to their intrigue for knowledge. Whereas Ai often kept to herself or rather, not many people could keep her interest. While Yuying was regularly busy attending to various matters, so she had yet to get Shan Li to open up to her.

    ¡°Then I shall be in your care.¡± Ling replied with a nod.

    ¡°Now now, we shouldn¡¯t pester Brother Shan Li for such things. Remember, no one likes someone who solely takes and does not give back,¡± Zhang said to Lingqi and Ling.

    ¡°No need to be so reserved Brother Zhang, after all, this time it¡¯s safe to say that we are friends and there is no need to be modest when in the presence of a friend.¡± Shan Li laughed.

    ¡°If you say so.¡± Zhang said with a chuckle as he heard the words that he had been waiting to hear from Shan Li.

    ¡°How about you meet up again tonight for dinner after defensive measures have been set up,¡± Shan Li said to Zhang before bidding farewell and leaving to attend other matters.

    ¡°You think that he¡¯s also playing us?¡± Lingqi asked as she spoke to Zhang through her divine sense, so no one else could listen in on their conversation.

    ¡°Only time will tell. However, for now, we should continue to strengthen our ties with him.¡± Zhang replied while making his way over to where Yuying was busily working to lend a helping hand.

 Chapter 216: Those Gathering

    In a breeze, Yuying had completed setting up a massive array around the coalition camp and just as quickly as she was able to do so, the day came to an end and with it, a new day began.

    However, unlike the previous day, as if they had been summoned by the most malicious of spells, raging black clouds swept across the sky. As if the heavens were filled with sorrow for what was about to come, countless teary raindrops descended from above. Following the flood of raindrops, there would but the occasional flash of lightning that would reveal hundreds of silhouettes hidden from the light of the sun by the blanket of black clouds.

    Of these hundreds of silhouettes, many belonged to massive winged beasts, other belonged to flying carriages with fiery wheels and dozens were the silhouettes of a mismatch of individuals.

    ¡°Master, are you sure be heading to Golden Shell City?¡± One of the many silhouettes spoke as a flash of lightning revealed a young girl who had her hair tied up into two buns, wearing long flowing red robes.

    ¡°Little Hong¡¯er, whoever is the victor of this battle will more than likely be in possession of two pieces of that painting, or at the very least a single piece of it. As long as we can obtain the pieces of the painting then a mountain of opportunity would open up for our sect.¡± A young man who appeared to be no older than thirty years of age who was flying beside the young girl responded in a calm tone.

    ¡°Master is it wise for a small sect like our Scarlet Tide Sect to even attempt to contend for a piece of that painting? Wouldn''t there be other more powerful sects arriving with the same intention?¡± The young girl called Hong¡¯er said in a respectful tone.

    ¡°That is a wise observation, however regardless of whether we manage to obtain a piece of the painting or not, the outcome of that battle will reshape the influence of the various powers of the Eastern Sea and it would be the perfect opportunity to make a name for our sect. Alliances can be forged and rewards will be ripe for the picking.¡± The man flying beside Hong¡¯er said.

    ¡°I see, master. I guess we can''t possibly sit back and do nothing while all of these other small sects are heading there.¡± Hong¡¯er said as her eyes gazed into the distance where a flash of lightning revealed the presence of another group, consisting of a few hundred people, not too far away.

    ¡°Ah if it isn''t the young master of Crescent Skull Island!¡± Hong¡¯er¡¯s master said in a loud tone that reverberated through the air and could be heard despite the deafening rumbling of thunder.

    ¡°Sect Master Ming Kong, what a coincidence to be meeting you here.¡± A thundering voice rang out in response.

    ¡°Might you be heading toward Golden Shell City also?¡± The thundering voice sounded out once again.

    ¡°Aren''t we all?¡± Sect Master Ming Kong replied with a laugh as the two groups flew toward each other.

    ¡°Would you like to travel together? Since it would definitely prove to be safer to travel in numbers.¡± The thunderous voice from earlier could be heard as a young man glad in grayish armor that appeared to be made of bones came into view.

    ¡°We would love to travel together¡± Sect Master Ming Kong said with a chuckle as the two groups began to combine and resume their journey.

    Before long another group of people making their way through the storm and toward Golden Shell City could be spotted and soon after them, yet another group was quickly spotted.

    Throughout the Eastern Chaotic Sea, independent forces of various sizes and influence were steadily congregating together and heading toward where they believe a fate-altering event would occur.

    One of the largest groups heading toward Golden Shell City, of course, is the one lead by the Golden Pearl Sect.

    By themselves the Golden Pearl Sect was already a formidable force, bolstering roughly two hundred thousand disciples, and about fifty lesser saint level elders, a hand full of grand elders who were full saints and a high saint.

    However, with their numbers alone they would have only been about even with the forces that the coalition would have once the Ancestral Sect Master of the Starry Sea Sect arrived to reinforce Zhang and Shan Li. That would have been the case had they not spent a large portion of their sect¡¯s base foundation to employ the aid of a staggering number of other sects and countless sea dwellers.

    Adding to the might of the Golden Pearl Sect were a total of twelve small sects, five mid-sized sects and the forces of the Jade Serpent Sect which ranked twenty-first on power amongst the various rulers of the sea. With all of these sects flocking under their banner, the entirety of the Golden Pearl Sect¡¯s forces more than likely contained a million or so regular cultivators, about three hundred lesser saints, a hundred full saints, led by a single high saint.

    Although their current force still wouldn''t allow them to stand on par with the Dragon Palace Sect, the current power of the Golden Pearl Sect was something that few could rival in the Eastern Sea.

    For a regular small sect, lesser saints were already considered top tier masters and having but one or two of them apart of the sect was already considered a blessing. So from this alone, one could only imagine the impact that the sight of three hundred lesser saints, one hundred full saints, and a high saint soaring through the sky would have on any who happened to spot them.

    One could also imagine the excitement for many of the regular cultivators under the banner of Golden Pearl Sect. For the privilege of being able to witness so many Saint level experts in action, many of them had actually volunteered to serve for no reward.Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

    More often than not, regular cultivators would seek to befriend large sects and saint level experts, making the Golden Pearl Sect¡¯s call for aid a perfect opportunity for many.

    Thus with hopes of establishing good relations with the Golden Pearl Sect and hopes of obtaining countless benefits, thousands flocked to offer their service.

    ¡°Uncle, how much longer until we reach Golden Shell City?¡± A young boy who appeared no older than the age of twelve asked. Despite his looks, the boy was a level nine cultivator, in other words, a genius in regards of cultivation. One could say this young boy¡¯s future held countless possibilities. How often does a twelve-year-old level nine cultivator appear?

    ¡°Little Feng Ji, why are you in such a big hurry? Do any of the other people here look like they are in a hurry? Even if we arrive there it would be wise for us to not partake in the initial battles.¡± A middle-aged man with eyes filled with wisdom and a long beard replied to the boy as his gaze swept across the room, where hundreds of other people could be seen, separated into groups.

    ¡°Why is that Uncle Feng Tian?¡± Feng Ji asked with as he looked at the middle aged man with eyes brimming with curiosity.

    ¡°In a battle where so many saints are taking part in, cultivators at our level would only serve as fodder. So only hot headed fools would take part in the early confrontations. Think about it¡­ What if one of them felt bored and decided to slaughter folks like us. Would either of us be able to stop them? Just because many people call you a genius doesn''t mean you can defeat a saint level expert.¡± The middle-aged man called Uncle Feng Tian said as lectured the young boy, reminding the lad that when compared to saints, normal practitioners didn''t amount to much.

    ¡°Then is it wise for us to take part at all? How can we be certain that we are on the winning side?¡± Feng Ji asked.

    ¡°Win or not, as long as we play our cards right not only will put lives remain intact, we would gain many benefits for being present to witness the coming battles. Just keep your eyes keen and be sure to pick up any odd looking treasures you spot, scavenging can yield us a substantial amount of wealth.¡± Uncle Feng Tian said with a laugh as the sound of trickling rain hitting against the wood could be heard coming from above.

    ¡°Old man, you have a good head on those shoulders of yours.¡± A young man said with a laugh. Dressed in expensive looking silk clothes, with a head of glossy black hair, fair skin and beautiful azure colored eyes at first look any regular person would deem this young man as a womanizer or playboy of sorts.

    ¡°Young master, this old man is simply speaking the truth. Sometimes the truth may be uncomfortable to hear, but for people like us to that that we can step foot into a battle of saints with equal footing is but a fool''s dream. I¡¯m sure most of the people on this airship would agree with me.¡± Uncle Feng Tian stated as he looked at the young man.

    ¡°The words of a truly wise man.¡± The young man said with a laugh as he proceeded to sit down with Uncle Feng Tian and Feng Ji.

    ¡°My name is Jian Lei, may I ask what yours names are?¡± The young man asked as he waved his hand and made a jug of wine, along with three cups and a small basket of peanuts appear on the ground in front of himself.

    ¡°My name is Feng Tian, you may call me Uncle Feng Tian and this is my nephew Feng Ji.¡± Uncle Feng Tian said with a smile.

    ¡°It is a pleasure to be of your acquaintance, Uncle Feng Tian, and little brother Feng Ji. How about a toast in honor of our meeting?¡± Jian Lei replied with a smile as he poured wine into the three cups that he had withdrawn from his interspatial ring.

    ¡°I can¡¯t possibly drink at a time like this. Who knows when battle may arise.¡± Uncle Feng Tian said as he shook his head. For all he knew, Jian Lei was trying to get him and his nephew drunk and then robs them or worse. Although everyone present was here under the banner of the Golden Pearl Sect, everyone had come for a different reason.

    ¡°Brother Jian Lei, may I ask for what reason you¡¯ve enlisted?¡± Feng Ji asked with the word intrigue written across his face.

    ¡°My sect had actually offered our services to the Golden Pearl Sect in exchange for a few benefits.¡± Jian Lei replied before gulping down a cup of wine.

    ¡°Ah, are you from the Sea Pillar Sect? Or maybe the Aquatic Demon Sect? Oh oh, maybe the Silver Tortoise Sect?¡± Feng Ji asked in an excited tone.

    ¡°I come from the Jade Serpent Sect. What might you have come from?¡± Jian Lei said in a calm tone despite the looks on Feng Ji and Uncle Feng Tian¡¯s faces after hearing his words.

    ¡°The Jade Serpent Sect!? The sect that would be ranked amongst the top twenty forces who dominate the sea?!¡± Feng Ji said in a loud astonished voice as he stood up from where he was sitting, prompting the gazes of everyone within the room to focus on him.

    ¡°Little Ji... ¡°Uncle Feng Tian muttered as he looked at his nephew while shaking his head.

    Feeling awkward from everyone¡¯s piercing gazes, Feng Ji reseated himself after sweeping his gaze across the room with an apologetic look on his face.

    ¡°Young master, Jian Lei, to answer your question, my nephew and I are sadly not a part of any sects. We hail from a small clan that lives at the very edge of the Golden Pearl Sect¡¯s domain.¡± Uncle Feng Tian said with a hint of embarrassment on his face.

    ¡°Yea, Uncle and I are going to collect a lot of treasure and make friends with all of the powerful sects so that we can help our clan grow stronger.¡± Feng Ji said innocently in an excited tone.

    ¡°Is that so?¡± Jian Lei said in an intrigued tone as he sipped a bit of wine from his cup.

    ¡°Haha, no need to listen to a child¡¯s rambling, young master Jian Lei. We are simply going to try to see if we can scavenge a few things here and there off of the battlefield and bring them home in order to provide for the rest of the clan.¡± Uncle Feng Tian said humbly.

    ¡°Uncle, didn¡¯t you say that we would try to make lots of friends so that the other clans on the island won¡¯t bully us anymore?¡± Feng Ji asked as he tugged his uncle¡¯s sleeve.

    ¡°If you¡¯re looking to make friends then how about me? Here take this as a proof of our friendship, if you show this to anyone that knows any better than they won¡¯t dare to bully you. I¡¯m going to bid you guys farewell, for now, hopefully, we¡¯ll be able to meet again once the battle is over. Maybe you can invite me to your home or something. Or perhaps if you wanted to visit me, you can use this emblem to get yourselves into the Jade Serpent Sect.¡± Jian Lei said with a laugh as he produced a jade emblem in his hand and handed it to Feng Ji before pushing himself up from the ground and walking off.

    ¡°Sect Master Jian Lei?¡± Feng Ji mumbled in a low tone as he read the letters inscribed onto the jade emblem.

    ¡°What? Let me have a look at that.¡± Uncle Feng Tian said, prompting Feng Ji to hand over the jade emblem to him before his body became utterly stiff from shock.

    In the meantime, Jian Lei could be seen opening a wooden door and walking out of the large room and into the rain before leaping into the air and flying away from the airship that Feng Ji and Feng Tian were on.

    Away from the large flying wooden boat, and away from his new found friends, Jian Lei soon made his way onto another airship, one that appeared to have been made entirely of gold and gave off an awe-inspiring presence. An airship whose massive sails had a majestic looking jade colored serpent embroidered onto it, a clear indication that it belonged to the Jade Serpent Sect.

 Chapter 217: Mischief

    Upon making his way onto the golden airship, Jian Lei was instantly greeted by a dozen or so people, who wore matching white colored uniforms that had Jade colored serpents sewed onto them.

    ¡°Sect Master.¡± They all said in unison ignoring freezing rain that was showering down upon them.

    ¡°As I¡¯ve said before, no need for all of these formalities¡­ Once father finishes his indoor medication, I''ll be handing back the position of sect master to him.¡± Jian Lei said as he pushed open a pair of large golden doors and entered into a lavishly decorated room where many intimidating people could be seen meditating.

    ¡°Sect master!¡± The dozen or so intimidating people spoke in unison upon Jian Lei¡¯s arrival.

    ¡°Sorry if I''m disturbing but it appears we are here. Although I don''t see an enemy camp anywhere.¡± Jian Lei said as he made his way toward a large glass window where a large city whose walls were encrusted with massive clam shells could be seen.

    ¡°Shall we deploy our forces and take the initiative to search for the enemy?¡± An old man who wore an eyepatch over his right eye asked.

    ¡°No, as ordered by the sect master of the Golden Pearl Sect, we are to not act until they give the word. There is no need to be in a hurry, as a new friend had just told me, only hot headed fools would charge in first. If we were to recklessly charge into an enemy ambush, then we would suffer a lot of casualties. If anything we just have to ask those people down there that arrived before us.¡± Jian Lei said with a laugh as he continued to gaze out of the glass window in front of him and toward Golden Shell City and the countless tents belonging to the various forces that had gathered before their arrival.

    =====================================================================

    ¡°It seems more fun is about to begin.¡± Zhang said with a face full of anticipation as he and his wives gazed at the horizon where thousands of flying ships could be seen. Currently, they were seated on the edge of a cliff that overlooked hundreds of jagged rocks sticking out of the water below.

    ¡°Haven¡¯t you had enough fun?¡± Ling asked Zhang in a gentle voice as she glanced at the hundreds of corpses that were bobbing about in the water below the cliff where they were seated.

    A few individuals who were overcome by greed had actually challenged Zhang to a duel before the arrival of the Golden Pearl Sect, in the hopes of either making a name for themselves, gaining the favor the Golden Pearl Sect or obtaining the piece of the Ascending Beauty Painting that he was rumored to have.

    Of course, most of these individuals were quickly slain or sent scurrying away with their tails between their legs by Zhang. But not before a few hundred corpses had sunken beneath the waves.

    ¡°At most those guys were a warm up.¡± Zhang said with a laugh.

    Before long a swarm of flying demonic beasts and all sorts of flying magical contraptions stormed out of the airships floating in the sky and began to surround the small island where Zhang¡¯s coalition was encamped.

    ¡°You guys stay here and ready our forces, I¡¯m going out for a little walk.¡± Zhang said as he planted a light kiss onto Yuying¡¯s face before pushing himself off the ledge of the cliff where they had been sitting and shooting into the sky as an encirclement began to form above.

    Seeing the arrival forces of the Golden Pearl Sect, all of those who had come to either watch or participate in the coming battle quickly gathered their forces and took them to sky also. While a few sent representatives to offer their services to the Gold Pearl Sect, others kept their distances and wait for the show to begin.

    There were a few who had witnessed a bit of Zhang¡¯s power and choose to align themselves with him, however, they were few in number and were comprised mostly of regular cultivators and a few lesser saints who wouldn¡¯t have a very substantial influence on the battle.

    Then there were a few who hadn¡¯t witnessed Zhang¡¯s power and instead of watching from the sidelines or consulting the Golden Pearl sect, charged directly toward him once he had flown a short distance from the island.

    ¡°Fodder¡­¡± Zhang mumbled as he used the power of the Underworld Heart to create a large sword out of thin air.

    ¡°Kill him and not only will our names be known throughout the Eastern Sea but the Golden Pearl Sect will be eternally indebted to us!¡± A massively built woman wielding a large ax while dressed in tight leather said in an excited voice as she led a group consisting of fifty other women who were equally as massive in a charge directed at Zhang.

    ¡°Interesting, flying level ten cultivators.¡± Zhang thought as his divine sense swept across the group of massively built women and found out that amongst their group there was only a lesser saint while the rest were only level ten cultivators.

    If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    ¡°Must be some kind of magical item.¡± Zhang thought before preparing to engage the incoming group.

    ¡°Sword Cage Formation!¡± One of the women yelled as their group scattered and encircled Zhang.

    ¡°Although I''m flattered that this many women are flocking to me. Sadly, four is already more than enough.¡± Zhang said as his eyes scanned the buff looking women, trying to locate the magical treasure that was allowing them to fly.

    ¡°Found it.¡± Zhang mumbled as he noticed the intricate looking runes engraved into the boots that these women were wearing.

    With a twinkle in his eye unleashed the power of the Abyssal Cape and conjured a swarm of Abyssal Sparrows that flocked out from his shadow and toward his attackers while he himself refocused his attention on the only saint level cultivator in their group.

    Like skillful thieves, the sparrows undid the laces of the boots that allowed Zhang¡¯s attackers to fly and before anyone could do anything they found themselves plummeting toward the shifting waves below.

    In the meantime, Zhang had quickly disabled his opponent with a few attacks dropped her from the sky to accompany her comrades.

    Then with a quick wave of his hand to store way the flying magical boots that he had just acquired, Zhang was on his merry way only to find himself surrounded by more and more enemies.

    ¡°Quickly! Kill him before anyone can come to his aid!¡±

    ¡°Hurry before someone else does him in!¡±

    ¡°Attack! Attack!¡±

    A fury of yells and roars belonging to many brave or rather foolish, men and women reverberated through the air as they all charged at Zhang one after the other with weapons drawn and greed filled eyes.

    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s because I had sparred the first group, they think they can beat me¡­¡± Zhang thought as he flipped his hand and withdrew the Rising Moon Sword from his interspatial ring.

    ¡°You lot will make a fine example to all who wish to get in my way!¡± Zhang roared as a large singularity appeared at the tip of the Rising Moon Sword and shot out into the air where it began to exert an irresistible suction force that drew in a large portion of Zhang¡¯s attackers.

    In a flicker without uttering a single word, Zhang create a thin spatial rift which he stabbed the Rising Moon Sword into and slashed a hundred enemies into halves causing a wave of fear to strike into the hearts of many.

    In little to no time at all, a shower of limbs belonging to both humans and demonic beasts alike, chummed the waters below, reminding all of the regular cultivators present the difference between them and a saint level expert, reminding all of the lesser saints present the difference between them and a full saint.

    ¡°Now that I have everyone¡¯s attention, I have a few things to say. First off I would like to thank everyone for taking the time out of their busy lives to be present today. Second I would like to ask you all why have you come here.¡± Zhang spoke in a loud tone that echoed into the ears of all who were present, regardless of whether they were a dozen feet away or a mile away from where he stood.

    ¡°We want the Ascending Beauty Painting! Hand it over and our Water Talon Sect will be our way!¡± A loud voice rumbled across the air.

    ¡°We¡¯ve come to aid the mighty Golden Pearl Sect!¡± Another voice sounded out.

    ¡°Hand over the painting!¡±

    ¡°Hand over the Ascending Beauty!¡±

    ¡°Give up and surrender the painting to us!¡±

    ¡°No, give it to us! Not them!¡±

    A babble of voices rang out as countless people gave voice to the reason as to why they were present. But oddly enough none of the people under the banner of the Golden Pearl Sect uttered a single word.

    ¡°So if I hand over the painting then most of you will leave me and my people alone?¡± Zhang said with a calm smile on his face as the sword he had created using the power of the Underworld Heart disintegrated while he flipped his hand a produced a single piece of paper in his hand

    ¡°That''s the Ascending Beauty Painting!¡±

    ¡°Yes! Hand over the painting!¡± A storm of voices sounded out once again.

    ¡°Then what if I did this?¡± Zhang said with a devious smile on his face as he stored away the Rising Moon Sword and snapped his fingers, igniting a tiny flickering flame that danced about on the tip of his index finger.

    As Zhang moved the parchment in his hand closer to the flickering flame, while the regular cultivators watched with gaping eyes, tens of dozens of lesser saints and full saints from countless different forces flew through the sky like piercing swords with the same thought in mind. That is to say, the Golden Pearl Sect and their bannerman did not move a single inch at all.

    ¡°Kill him! Take and retrieve the piece of the painting!¡±

    With a grin that almost stretched from ear to ear, Zhang continued to move his hands closer together, a group of full saints was upon him.

    ¡°I¡¯m just kidding, you guys can have it¡± Zhang said with a laugh as he tossed up the piece of parchment in his hand and retreated.

    ¡°Luckily no high saints acted.¡± He thought as he watched a group of five full saints began fighting one another to obtain the piece of parchment he had tossed into the air.

    Before long, another group of full saints joined the fray, and another and another, until an all-out brawl had broken loose.

    ¡°The painting is mine!¡± Someone yelled as they managed to grab hold of the piece of parchment, however, a fraction of a second later the piece of parchment found itself in the possession of another person, much to Zhang¡¯s entertainment.

    ¡°Time to add to the fun.¡± Zhang said in a mischievous tone as he flipped his hand and made a large stack of pieces of parchment appear in his hand.

    ¡°Are you guys sure that piece of paper is really a piece of the Ascending Beauty Painting?¡± Zhang asked in a loud tone as he tossed up the stack of different shaped paper in his hand and allowed them to be carried away by the blowing breeze.

    Seeing so many pieces of parchment fluttering about in the air, everyone ceased fighting and sped through the sky in order to obtain a piece for themselves.

    Since there was no telling which piece of paper was a real piece of the Ascending Beauty Painting, everyone simply tried to the utmost best of their ability to collect as many pieces of paper as possible.

    By now even regular cultivators who had been watching from afar sped forward and attempted to obtain one of the thousands of pieces of paper.

    Of course, there were a few who more bright minded people who went directly for Zhang instead of joining the rest of flock. However, regardless of how many people teamed up against him, none were able to so as much lay a single finger on Zhang.

    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you guys be over there trying to find out which one is the real piece of the painting?¡± Zhang laughed as he reached out his hand and grabbed onto a lesser saint and used the poor soul as a human shield, blocking a wave of sword intent.

    ¡°No need to take us for fools, there¡¯s no way anyone would give up a piece of that painting on their own accord!¡± A full saint wielding a pair of maces roared angrily.

    ¡°Are you so sure?¡± Zhang said as he pointed his finger toward a level ten cultivator not too far away. To be exact he was pointing at a glowing piece of paper being held in the level ten cultivator¡¯s hand.

    ¡°Oh my gosh! That guy over there has the real piece of the Ascending Beauty Painting!!!¡± Yuying¡¯s voice could be heard coming out from the mob of scrambling people.

    ¡°It heard that when two pieces of the painting are in close proximity of each other, they begin to glow!¡± Ling¡¯s voice soon followed.

    ¡°Then that means someone else here has a piece of the painting in their possession!¡± Lingqi¡¯s cry could also be heard.

    ¡°That guy had touched that piece of the painting before it began to light up!¡± Ai could be heard saying while her finger could be seen pointing into a crowd of people, with no one, in particular, being singled out.

    ¡°Everyone get them!¡± Zhang yelled before joining up with his wives and watching the epic brawl begin once again.

    ¡°You fools! Can¡¯t you see they are tricking all of you into fighting amongst yourselves? The pieces of the Ascending Beauty Painting don¡¯t react to each other at all and appear no different from any regular piece of paper!¡± A balding man in golden robes, wielding a monk¡¯s staff yelled.

    ¡°How do you know that?¡± Ling asked.

    ¡°He must have a piece of the painting! Everyone get him!¡± Yuying yelled while a devious grin similar to Zhang¡¯s appeared on her face. Before long a mob charged at the balding man dressed in golden robes.

    ¡°Let the mischief continue I guess.¡± Zhang thought with a chuckle.

 Chapter 218: Ploy

    ¡°Using greed to control the masses, our opponent is a fearful one.¡± Jian Lei said as he watched the chaotic brawl that Zhang had initiated continue to grow bigger and bigger in size as more and more people joined in.

    ¡°It¡¯s obvious most of those people haven¡¯t even once seen a piece of the Ascending Beauty Painting.¡± A middle-aged man who gave off an air of superiority said as he appeared beside Jian Lei.

    ¡°Senior Yue Xiu.¡± Jian Lei said politely while cupping his hands, a clear sign that the man before him was someone of important and higher position.

    ¡°Always telling those around you there is no need for formalities, and yet¡­ As someone who answer my call for aid, there is no need for you to perform such formalities with me. If anything, we should stand as equals.¡± The middle-aged man said with a sigh.

    ¡°Then, Master Yue Xiu, should we be readying our forces to engage the enemy? Or shall we continue to wait.¡± Jian Lei said, quickly catching onto the middle-aged man¡¯s intentions.

    ¡°We will wait for now; our true enemy has not arrived yet.¡± Yue Xiu said as he narrowed his eyes and focused upon Zhang and the beauties who were still ensuing confusion and causing mischief on the battlefield.

    Using his essence to manipulate and make the pieces of paper that he had scattered glow, Zhang was able to basically start a witch hunt. At first, the pieces of paper began to glow at random however over time Zhang began to only pick out full saints, in an attempt to trim down their numbers.

    ¡°Get him! The piece of the painting in his hand is glowing!¡± Ai yelled as she pointed to a full saint holding one of Zhang¡¯s forgeries.

    ¡°Shit¡­¡± The full saint mumbled as a mob of people instantly pounced on him.

    ¡°From everyone¡¯s reactions, I¡¯ve managed to pick out a few people who could possibly have a real piece of the painting in their possession.¡± Yuying said to Zhang through her divine sense as she continued to observe everyone¡¯s expressions and mannerisms.

    Simple to say, the people with the real pieces of the painting would have instantly figured out all of the pieces of paper that Zhang had scattered were mere forgeries and thus did not participate in the brawl and had moved back from the battlefield.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go collect the pieces of our painting then. Who first?¡± Zhang replied through his divine sense as he glanced at each of the beauties, signaling them to prepare to do battle.

    ¡°That one there first.¡± Yuying said as she pointed at a shirtless muscular full saint who was surrounded by a dozen shirtless muscular lesser saints.

    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll tell Shan Li to begin and then we can start.¡± Zhang said as he contacted Holy Son Shan Li who had been awaiting his signal within their camp.

    Before long, all of the full saints and lesser saints who had been waiting within the coalition¡¯s camp took to the sky. Sadly, the ground forces of the Blood Coral Cove and Starry Sea Sect had traveled by sea and did not possess any means take to the skies like the forces of the other forces present, thus they could only watch from afar.

    ¡°Send these fools who dared to arrive here and partake in a conflict that was not their own a safe trip to hell!¡± Shan Li¡¯s roar reverberated into everyone¡¯s ear as he and all of the saint level experts of the coalition spearheaded into the brawling mass of people and slaughtered everyone in sight.

    In actuality, everyone had simply been trying to snatch Zhang¡¯s forgeries from each other and had not actually drawn any blood yet so the moment Shan Li began to slaughter dozens of people in a blink of an eye, a mass of hysteria broke out.

    Using this hysteria as a cover and distraction, Zhang and the four beauties unleashed a storm of attacks upon the shirtless full saint. A hail of hundreds of razor sharp shards of ice formed from thousands of condensing water droplets that had risen up from the sea, countless thousands of sharp bones engraved with strange runes had swirled around Yuying before piercing through the air, a single singularity that exerted an unbearable suction force had been released using the power of the Rising Moon Sword, a massive black colored spiked whip fueled by Ai¡¯s otherworld strength and a tempest of Lingqi¡¯s poison drenched needles were all directed toward the group of unsuspecting muscular men.

    In an instant, nearly all of the muscular full saint¡¯s lesser saint guards met their demise and fell from the sky. Anyone impaled by Ling¡¯s ice shards would find their bodies instantly frozen over and breaking apart into bits and pieces. Luckily for Ling¡¯s victims, thanks to the extremely cold nature of the ice shards, little to no pain was felt when their body basically disintegrated.

    Whereas anyone touched by Lingqi¡¯s deadly poison found themselves in a world of pain as their skin began to blister change in color. The amount one experienced was so intense that most of the lesser saints that had met their end thanks to Lingqi had lost the ability to think straight and fell into the sea before their bodies floated back up to the surface lifelessly.

    Thanks to Zhang¡¯s singularity, grabbing hold of many of the lesser saints, Ai¡¯s massive whip was able to deal devastating damage as it smashed in armor, crushed bone and turned insides into mush.Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

    Unlike the other beauties, Yuying¡¯s rune engraved bones had actually not killed anyone, rather they closed in on the muscular full saint and created something reminiscent of a cage around him.

    ¡°Shatter!¡± The muscular full saint roared as he retrieved a pair of metal gauntlets from his interspatial ring and attempted to break out of Yuying¡¯s bone cage, however before he could even lay a finger on the cage, a small spatial slit opened up and a sword found itself embedding into his heart.

    As the muscular full saint¡¯s body fell lifelessly onto the floor of Yuying¡¯s bone cage, Zhang quickly appeared and retrieved the man¡¯s interspatial ring before storing away his corpse.

    ¡°It seems today is our lucky day.¡± Zhang said to the beauties through his divine sense after sweeping through the muscular man¡¯s interspatial ring and locating a piece of the Ascending Beauty Painting along with a small fortune.

    Upon seeing Zhang slay the muscular full saint, a hand full of people began to close in on him, with vague ideas of what Zhang had just obtained.

    It was clear to them that the entire charade that had been taking place had been started in order for Zhang to kill the muscular man, of course, they weren''t completely certain but why else would Zhang move across the battlefield without bothering to attack anyone besides the muscular man.

    ¡°Our next target should be that bald-headed monk over there who the large black colored staff.¡± Yuying said to Zhang who nodded in response.

    ¡°Shan Li, after I take care of the next target I''m going to begin the second part of the plan. Prep out forces.¡± Zhang said to Shan Li through his divine sense as he engaged the group of lesser saints sped toward him.

    With a nod as a show of acknowledgement from the beauties, Zhang quickly charged into the group of lesser saints approaching him and slashed about with the Riding Moon Sword.

    One after the other a total of five lesser saints were bisected and cut to ribbons by Zhang in an instant before he charged through the incoming group of enemies by employing dance-like motions.

    Charging out of the mob that began to form around him, Zhang sped toward the bald-headed monk that Yuying had pointed out while tightly gripping the Rising Moon Sword.

    ¡°Singularity!¡± Zhang roared as he created three black colored orbs that spiraled about around him, repelling and attracting those around him at random.

    Due to the repulsion and attraction force exerted by the singularities, all of those who charged toward Zhang while he headed toward the bald-headed monk found themselves unable to hinder him in any way.

    Rather many of them soon found themselves in peculiar situations where they fell under Zhang¡¯s mercy. With a single swing, Zhang could easily behead any who were caught in the attraction forces while those pushed away by the repulsion force found themselves unable to do a thing to him regardless of their efforts.

    Thus, unhindered Zhang arrived before the bald-headed monk and with a wave of his hand withdrew the thousands of Mirage Viper Scale Arrows that he had stored away, along with thousands of mithril tipped spears. Then with a flicker of his wrist, Zhang unleashed what could only be called walls of spears and arrows at the bald-headed monk.

    ¡°Protect our lord!!¡± A barrage of cries sounded out as a dozen or so skimpy clothed women appeared out of nowhere and created a human wall around the bald-headed monk. To be exact this group of skimpy clothed women were all actually lesser saints.

    ¡°What the¡­¡± Zhang mumbled as he wondered what kind of monk surrounds himself with skimpy clothed women.

    ¡°Well¡­ I guess it can¡¯t be helped¡­¡± He thought as the arrows and spears under his control, continued on their merry way without any sign of stopping or slowing down at all.

    Off in the distance, a middle-aged man with a pair of distinct looking red colored horns protruding from his head could be seen conversing with another man who also had a pair of distinct looking blue colored horns protruding from his head.

    ¡°Lord Long Zhiming, if our intel is correct, that muscular one should have been Cang Hui, one of the confirmed owners of a piece of the painting and the bald monk should be the infamous Bud Snatcher Monk, a man known for kidnapping virgins and mind washing them into his puppets¡­ I believe he is also one of the people we had suspected of having a piece of the painting...¡± The man with blue colored horns said in a respectful tone.

    ¡°It appears he¡¯s doing our job for us. Ready the Twin Horned Ice Dragons and have the Dragon Scale Soldiers prepare to move in at my signal. For now, let''s continue to watch the show..¡± The man with red colored horns protruding from his forehead, called Lord Long Zhiming said with a chuckle.

    ¡°Right away my lord.¡± The man with protruding blue colored horns said respectfully.

    Back in the midst of battle, the wall of skimpy clad women surrounding the bald-headed monk found their jade like skin scarred by countless cuts as Zhang¡¯s swarm of weapons closed in on them. Luckily for them, Zhang had a soft spot for women and avoided aiming for their vitals, had it been one of the beauties then this group of women would, of course, have met an untimely demise.

    ¡°My darlings, attack! Whoever brings me his head will receive so much pleasure they¡¯ll wish they were dead.¡± The bald-headed monk commanded while laughing manically, prompting the group of women that were shielding him to charge through the air without regard for their own safety.

    ¡°It seems they¡¯ve already been completely broken¡­¡± Zhang thought with a sigh as he decided to end things.

    Thus, with a thought, he gave all of the Bud Snatcher Monk¡¯s victims a quick and painless death. Using the death of the group of women as a distraction, Zhang opened a small slit in space and impaled the Bud Snatcher Monk in the throat.

    Then in an instant Zhang arrived and cleanly sliced off the monk¡¯s hand and retrieved a pinkish colored interspatial ring where a piece of the Ascending Beauty Painting was awaiting him.

    ¡°Success!¡± Zhang thought as a wide grin appeared on his face. With a total of three pieces of the Ascending beauty painting in his possession, Zhang was ready to initiate the next step of his plan. A plan that involved fleeing the battlefield at top speed. A plan that would lure out his true enemy.

    A few moments after slaying the monk, Zhang began to move through the sky at top speed and flee from the battlefield, leaving after imagines in his quake.

    Seeing that Zhang was attempting to leave the battlefield, a scowl appeared Lord Long Zhiming''s face.

    ¡°Signal our forces to move in¡­¡± Lord Long Zhiming commanded.

    ¡°Yes, my liege.¡± The man with blue colored horns said as he pulled out a golden colored horn and blew into it.

    ¡°It has begun.¡± Zhang mumbled in an inaudible tone as a wide grin appeared on his face as a deafening sound made its way into everyone¡¯s ear,while the sea began to quake and rumble.

    From the depths of the ocean, massive serpentine beasts shot out from the shifting waves and through the water¡¯s surface before releasing deafening roars that reverberated in the air.

    Soon a total of eight massive pale white colored dragons caused a mixture of shock and awe to envelope everyone present as they coiled about in the air.

    With maws large enough to engulf large ships, sharp looking spikes protruding from their backs, fierce looking rows of teeth that most likely spelled death for all who found themselves clamped in between them, and eyes filled with intelligence, the eight massive dragons caused many to shudder and fear to fill the air.

    ¡°Dra-dragons!?¡± A lesser saint cried as his legs buckled and his teeth chattered.

    ¡°I-i-it must be th-th-the Dragon God Palace!¡± Another person cried.

    Before long a babble of voices could be heard.

    ¡°Brother¡­ I want one of those¡­¡± Ai said in a low tone as her eyes glittered. Like in most cases, whenever Ai caught sight of an interesting demonic beast, regardless of their strength, she would wish to acquire them and make them her pets.

    ¡°Like husband, like wife.¡± Yuying laughed as she saw the raving madness in Ai¡¯s eyes. A madness that was similar to when Zhang caught sight of treasure, like when Lingqi saw rare medical herbs, or like when Ling gets her hands on a new book.

    ¡°We will see if there are any left once this battle is over.¡± Zhang said as he eyed the glittering jade like white scales the massive ice dragons were clad in.

    ¡°Elder Yu Xiang, it appears my speculation was true after all. So, I take it we are officially allied with each other?¡± Zhang proceeded to say as he glanced at the forces of the Golden Shell Sect and relayed a message to them through his divine sense.

 Chapter 219: Breaking the Cycle

    With the arrival of the Dragon God Palace and the appearance of the eight massive Ice Dragons, all forms of battle ceased and everyone began to separate from each other, regrouping with their comrades as a wave of murmur arose.

    While many had expressions of dread and dismay, Zhang had a wide grin plastered on his face, now that the Dragon God Palace had shown itself, Zhang¡¯s chances of survival had greatly increased.

    Some may wonder how the arrival of a hidden enemy would up Zhang¡¯s chances of salvation and the answer would be simple, now that the Dragon God Palace had been lured out from the shadows before the battlefield was truly littered with corpses and all of the forces present had suffered a massive blow, before everyone expended all of their strength fighting each other, before their numbers diminished to the point where resisting the Dragon God Palace was futile, if Zhang could rally together everyone present then he could strike a bargain with this enemy that would be otherwise unbeatable.

    ¡°Damn the Dragon God Palace¡­¡± Yu Xiang cursed after receiving Zhang¡¯s transmission through his divine sense while countless soldiers clad in blue colored scale armor, and thousands of people dressed in long flowing black robes, shot out from the depths of the sea and formed a large ring around what had been a battlefield moments ago.

    ¡°I take it you guys have come for these?¡± Zhang asked in a loud projected voice as he held up three seemingly normal looking ripped pieces of paper, one with the image of what appeared to be a part of a woman¡¯s dress, one with what appeared to be a lake and another that showed what appeared to be a part of a mountain. Overall with these three pieces alone one would not be able to make out what the entire painting was about.

    ¡°If you know what it is that we have come here for then obediently hand over those three pieces of the painting.¡± Lord Long Zhiming said in a haughty tone while reaching his hand out, gesturing for Zhang to hand over the pieces of the Ascending Beauty Painting.

    ¡°Good¡­ Good¡­ I¡¯m glad we didn¡¯t need to go back and forth and spout a bunch of rubbish before you admit your objective. I admire straightforward people like that.¡± Zhang said with a smile.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be straightforward also¡­ What assurances do I get for handing over these to you? What is to say once I give you what you want, you won¡¯t just kill me and everyone else here? Also, of the eight pieces of the painting, I only have three, which wouldn¡¯t do you any good. As the strongest force in the Eastern Sea, why do you need to the painting? Perhaps you¡¯re going to strengthen your forces and claim the sea for yourselves like the Sea Beast Sect had once done. I mean why else would you set up my Blood Coral Cove against the Starry Sea Sect and Golden Pearl Sect from behind the scenes...¡± Zhang said, underlyingly placing doubt and fear into the hearts of the other people present, regardless of whether they had a piece of the Ascending Beauty Painting in their possession or not, upon hearing Zhang mention the Sea Beast Sect¡¯s past ambitions, a hint of doubt was planted into everyone¡¯s minds.

    ¡°The Dragon God Palace wishes to revive the Sea Beast Sect?¡± Someone murmured.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t they powerful enough? Why do they want the Ascending Beauty Painting?¡± Another person thought.

    ¡°If what he says is true then the Eastern Sea will be cloaked in chaos once again¡­¡± Someone else mumble.

    ¡°Does that mean the current rulers of the Dragon God Palace are going against the wishes of their creator and attempting to subdue the Eastern Sea for themselves?¡±

    ¡°Maybe they were pretending to be a neutral force this entire time and building up power to kill us all.¡±

    ¡°It can''t be! Don''t believe his lies!¡± A few yelled as they refused to believe the Dragon God Palace was anything but good.

    ¡°Those bastards¡­ To think I looked up to them¡­¡± A young man said while biting his lip.

    ¡°Lies!!! Absolute rubbish! The palace had always sought to ensure peace throughout the Eastern Sea, do not believe his lies!!¡± An elderly man roared angrily.

    The seeds of doubt that Zhang had planted began to sprout and grow until the noble and majestic image that the Dragon God Palace had built over the years began to crumble in the hearts of some of the Cultivators present. While in the hearts of others, the prestige and noble image that had been built by the Dragon God Palace over the last few hundred years had remained unshaken.

    Simply said, something that had been ingrained into the minds of all of the practitioners of the Eastern Sea for hundreds of years was very hard to change.

    ¡°Claiming the Eastern Sea for ourselves? Sea Beast Sect? Pitting you against the Golden Pearl Sect and the Starry Sea Sect? Ha, what a vivid imagination you have.¡± Lord Long Zhiming said with a laugh, denying Zhang¡¯s accusations. Even if everything Zhang said was true, there was no way Lord Long Zhiming would acknowledge it as so.

    To admit to wishing to claim the entire Eastern Sea for one¡¯s self and associating with the Sea Beast Sect was an extreme taboo that would be the same as publicly declaring war on all of the other forces of the sea.The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

    Regardless of how powerful the Dragon God Palace is currently, without an extreme expert like the master of the Sea Beast Sect or someone like Long Shijie to back them, going against all of the other forces of the Eastern Sea at the same time would only spell demise.

    ¡°Then please enlighten me as to why you wish to assemble the painting?¡± Zhang asked, hoping to lead Long Zhiming into a verbal trap.

    ¡°The palace simply wishes to gather all of the pieces of the painting in order to use it to locate the vast inheritance left by our sect¡¯s founder and on top of things help further the cultivation of our disciples. Isn¡¯t it the goal of every sect to help further the strength of their disciples?¡± Lord Long Zhiming said with a smile.

    ¡°Vast inheritance you say¡­ How about we strike a deal? I had over my pieces of the painting, and anyone else who happens to have a piece of the painting will hand over theirs as well and we all can go look for this vast inheritance together. I¡¯ll take a measly ten percent of everything we happen to find and in the end, you can keep the painting. This way we won¡¯t have to fight and no blood needs to be spilled. You¡¯ll get to maintain the great imagine that you¡¯ve built for yourselves and reach your goal without having to suffer any losses.¡± Zhang said in a reasonable tone.

    ¡°Or I can simply burn these pieces of paper and we can fight to the death. I assure you if I¡¯m going down, I¡¯ll be sure to take as many of you together with me as possible.¡± Zhang said as he casually waved the Rising Moon Sword once and created a large singularity near where the eight massive Ice Dragons were, causing an intense suction force to act upon them and making the eight dragons slam into each other as they released pained wails while their snakelike bodies were completely dragged up from the sea.

    ¡°This guy is crazy¡­ To threaten the Dragon God Palace¡­¡± A large number of people murmured as they witnessed Zhang¡¯s unthinkable behavior.

    ¡°I agree with this young lad; our Golden Pearl Sect is also willing to hand over our piece of the Ascending Beauty Painting if we are promised a portion of this vast inheritance left behind by Master Long Shijie.¡± The ancestral master of the Golden Pearl Sect, Yu Xui, said as he arrived beside Zhang, obviously stating that he had no intention of pursuing what had happened to Holy Son Hui Ying or intended to battle against the forces of the Blood Coral Cove and Starry Sea Sect.

    ¡°You also have a piece of the Ascending Beauty Painting?¡± Lord Long Zhiming asked as a hint of intrigue appeared on his face. This was because according to the intelligence gathered by the Dragon God Palace, the Golden Pearl Sect was not even located on the list of people who have had possible contact with a piece of the painting.

    ¡°Of course he does.¡± Zhang with a grin has he handed one of the three pieces of the Ascending Beauty Painting to Yu Xui who accepted with a smile, showing that they were working together.

    ¡°Due to our alliance with the Golden Pearl Sect, our Jade Serpent Sect would also have to intervene.¡± Jian Lei said as he appeared beside Zhang.

    ¡°Our Celestial Mermaid Bay Sect also wishes for a peaceful resolution.¡± A young woman said as she arrived beside Jian Lei after seeing that the Blood Coral Cove and Golden Pearl Sect was working together. With flowing locks of hair tipped with a bright shade of blue, large round eyes and jade-like skin, this woman¡¯s beauty was comparable to Yuying, Ai, Ling, and Lingqi.

    ¡°Our Divine Wave Sect also wishes for there to be peace.¡± A middle-aged man with three large scars that appeared to have been left by the claws of some ferocious beast said as he also joined the group gathering around Zhang.

    ¡°Our Starry Sea Sect also wishes that there will not be any bloodshed because due to our pact with the Blood Coral Cove, we would have to intervene on their behalf.¡± An ancient voice sounded out in the distance as an elderly man garbed in black robes embroidered with golden stars leading a large number of followers came into view, behind the encirclement formed by the forces of the Dragon God Palace.

    ¡°Ancestral Master!¡± Shan Li said in a loud tone as he clasped his hands while a large grin appeared on his face, showing how happy he was to see this elderly man.

    Before long, many of the forces that had arrived to watch the battle between the Golden Pearl Sect and the Zhang¡¯s coalition began to unite. As leaders of their respective forces, those who gathered around Zhang were quick to assess the situation and deemed that only through uniting could they possibly leave the encirclement unharmed.

    Though they cursed their luck and curiosity for landing them in their current predicament, it was obvious that if they did not band together, they fall under the mercy of the Dragon God Palace. Unlike regular practitioners, as the leader of their respective forces, the people gathered around Zhang knew better than to place their complete trust within the Dragon God Palace or rather anyone other than themselves.

    From their sudden appearance and the encirclement alone, these respective leaders knew that the Dragon God Palace was up to no good.

    ¡°The Dragon God Palace will take sixty percent of the inheritance and the lot of you can divide up the rest. That is to say, all of you must put out your pieces of the painting¡± Long Zhiming said as a scowl appeared on his face upon seeing the other forces banding together and the once extremely favorable situation turning sour. Although the Dragon God Palace could still grasp victory if a battle ensued, it would be a costly victory that should be avoided.

    ¡°As long as I get my ten percent then it¡¯s a deal.¡± Zhang said with a smile as he eyed the other people present.

    ¡°Deal.¡± Ancestral Sect Master Yu Xui said with a grin.

    ¡°Deal¡­¡± A man with sunken eyes said as he produced a piece of the Ascending Beauty Painting after making his way to where Zhang was.

    In a matter of moments, the various owners of the pieces of the Ascending Beauty Painting assembled and the eight pieces of the most sought after painting in the Eastern Sea had been gathered for the first time after hundreds of years.

    ¡°To think so much bloodshed and misfortune had occurred due to these eight pieces of paper¡­¡± Ling mumbled as she and those who did not own a piece of the painting eyed the eight pieces and their respective owners.

    Although many were filled with greed upon seeing the eight pieces of the Ascending Beauty Painting, no one dared to attempt to snatch a piece, and could only look on with envy and awe, well at least this was the case until Zhang broke the silence.

    ¡°Seeing that so many people have gathered and it would be a shame for all of you to go home empty handed, my Blood Coral Cove will offer up seven percent of whatever we get to any who are willing to temporarily join us.¡± Zhang said with a smile as he decided that it was currently not a time to act with greed.

    As a matter of fact, Zhang currently did not want even a single piece of the so-called inheritance left behind by the founder of the Dragon God Palace. He simply wished to ensure his own safety and the safety of his four wives, and the only way to do so was to create a united front against the Dragon God Palace and then find the perfect opportunity to escape.

    By using his words and the Ascending Beauty Painting as leverage, he was able to create a favorable situation for himself, however, he was still riding on the back of a tiger and needed to maintain the current favorable situation by making sure that the united front that had been created moments ago did not splinter apart.

    Had someone else been in Zhang¡¯s shoes then perhaps they would have just handed over their pieces of the painting to the Dragon God Palace in exchange for safe passage, instead of going through all the trouble of doing what he had done, choosing to submit in order to seek salvation. However, Zhang¡¯s thought process was different, he figured that if he submitted and gave up his piece of the painting without even bothering to see the Dragon God Palace¡¯s goal then sooner or later he would find himself in a worse situation than he is in now.

    He knew that if they allowed him safe passage this time, there was a chance of history repeating itself in the future and his current troubles would continue to haunt him.

    ¡°They may let me go this time in exchange for the painting, however, the next time I won¡¯t have anything to give them and then that¡¯ll be the end of me¡­¡± Zhang thought as he determined that he needed to set up some sort of deterrence against the Dragon God Palace. He knew that he needed to create an alliance that could stand up the Dragon God Place.

 Chapter 220: Not Crazy

    After hearing Zhang¡¯s willingness to offer up a large portion of his share of Long Shijie¡¯s inheritance, a wave of excitement swept across the faces of those who did not have any relation to the various owners of the pieces of the Ascending Beauty Painting.

    Had Zhang not spoken the words that he had, then a large majority of the people who had gathered would have left and scattered back to their respective domains. However now that there were rewards to reap and curiosity to push them downward, few would choose to leave.

    ¡°I also have a second announcement so everyone please bear with me.¡± Zhang said with a grin, while an impatient scowl began to become visible on Lord Long Zhiming¡¯s face.

    ¡°On top of offering up seven percent of my ten percent share of Long Shijie¡¯s inheritance, I¡¯m also offering up my second piece of the Ascending Beauty Painting. Some of you may be thinking I¡¯m insane for offering up such a sought-after treasure, however, I assure you I am not crazy. I¡¯m simply someone who is not blinded by greed and hoping to create connections with others.¡± Zhang said as a crooked grin appeared on his face, prompting the beauties to inwardly chuckle at his words.

    ¡°After three hours¡¯ time, my Blood Coral Cove will be holding a raffle to find the new lucky owner of a piece of the Ascending Beauty Painting. Those who wish to take part in this raffle and acquire a chance at winning a piece of the Ascending Beauty Painting please check out one of the booths that we have set up on that island. Those who wish to work under me please approach one of these fine gentlemen here.¡± Zhang said as he pointed to the island where his forces were currently camped and then directing everyone¡¯s attention to the saint level experts who served under him.

    ¡°Lord Long Zhiming, I¡¯m rather tired of all the fighting that occurred today, if we can put our meeting on hold until tomorrow, that would be much appreciated. I must tell you, though, that I practice a very strange fire technique and sometimes when I get tired, my body will ignite, although normally that won''t cause any problem but what if I was holding a piece of the Ascending Beauty Painting?¡± Zhang said as he looked around with a fake apologetic look on his face before waving his hand and dispelling the large singularity that was pinning down Lord Long Zhiming¡¯s eight massive ice dragons causing them to fall from the sky and crash into the ocean.

    ¡°Hmph! So be it... I¡¯ll have my people contact you all tomorrow.¡± Lord Long Zhiming said in an angry tone as his patience was at an end after seeing the pathetic sight the eight majestic dragons were in. With a flip of his sleeves and a Lord Long Zhiming and his forces began to depart.

    Seeing the eight ice dragons descend into the depths of the sea, a slight frown appeared on Ai¡¯s face, but besides this a sign of relief evident on everyone else.

    ¡°Lad, now that our common enemy has shown themselves and our differences have been temporarily put aside, I must say it¡¯s nice to meet such a promising youngling.¡± Master Lord Yu Xiu, the ancestral master of the Golden Pearl Sect said after the forces of the Dragon God Palace had departed from view and gesturing for Zhang to follow him a short distance away from where everyone else was currently congregated.

    ¡°It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance also, senior. If possible I would like us to not put aside our differences temporarily, but permanently.¡± Zhang replied with a smile and a laugh while clasping his hands together and bowing slightly in a respectable manner.

    ¡°You old fart, let bygones be bygones already¡­ It was you who suggested we attack his territory, to begin with. I mean had it not been for his quick thinking and broad views, then I¡¯m certain the Dragon God Palace would have sunken our corpses beneath the waves just now.¡± The ancestral sect master of the Starry Sea Sect said in an unserious tone.

    ¡°Master Shan Jin, brother Shan Li has told me a lot about you.¡± Zhang said as he proceeded to clasp his hands together and greet the ancestral sect master of the Starry Sea Sect like he had done moments ago.

    ¡°Seeing as it was we who were the ones to deal the first hand, I would like to apologize and offer to keep this temporary alliance between our two forces permanent.¡± Master Yu Xiu said with a smile.

    Although the loss of a sect¡¯s holy son was a big setback, an ironclad alliance between the Blood Coral Cove, Starry Sea Sect and Golden Pearl Sect was something of much higher importance for the time being.

    ¡°Thank you, Master Yu Xiu for being such a forgiving person. As a show of my respect for you and to help further solidify our alliance, I had my subordinates prepare a small banquet.¡± Zhang said.

    ¡°Ancestral Sect Master, if you¡¯d follow me I¡¯ll lead you to the banquet.¡± Shan Li said in a respectful tone to Master Shan Jin.

    ¡°Boy¡­ How many times have I told you to stop calling me that¡­ Although I¡¯ve been in closed door training and haven¡¯t interacted with you and your father for a long time, I¡¯m still your grandfather...¡± Master Shan Jin said in Shan Li in an unhappy tone.

    ¡°Grandfather¡­ I¡¯m sorry¡­ Father had never told me and I¡¯ve become accustomed to addressing you like everyone else¡­¡± Shan Li said in an apologetic tone.

    ¡°That dumb father of yours¡­ If he wasn¡¯t so idiotic and wanted to cut off our relations, then we wouldn¡¯t be having this issue¡­ Once everything is settled and we return back home I¡¯m going to set down and have a long talk with that him...¡± Master Shan Jin said with a sigh.Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

    ¡°Master Shan Jin, Master Yu Xiu, if you don¡¯t mind, I¡¯ll meet up with you two at the banquet, but for now I would like to excuse myself.¡± Zhang said as the beauties arrived beside him and they flew back toward where the leaders of the other sects and forces were currently conversing with one another.

    ¡°Lord Zhang, it is an honor to make your acquaintance.¡± The master of the Divine Wave Sect who had stood against the Dragon God Palace beside Zhang earlier said upon seeing Zhang and the beauties.

    ¡°The honor is all mine. To be acquainted with the master of the Divine Wave Sect, which stands as the tenth strongest force in the Eastern Sea is something many can only dream of.¡± Zhang replied with a friendly laugh.

    ¡°The rumors do not do you justice, Lord Zhou Zhang. Not only are you not a two-headed monster hot headed monster but instead you are a handsome quick witted man.¡± The mistress of the Celestial Mermaid Bay said in a teasing tone as she came to greet Zhang, prompting the beauties to look at her with unhappy faces.

    One by one, dozens of leaders and sect masters soon congregated around Zhang and the beauties, hoping to form ties and bridge friendships with the young man who shook the very core of their beliefs and accomplished the unthinkable moments ago.

    For the people who lived in the Eastern Sea, the Dragon God Palace was an unshakeable, unbeatable and domineering force that no one dared to stand against, however, Zhang not only stood against the Dragon God Palace, he even threatened them a couple times. Atop of all things, they were quick to tell that Zhang was a crafty and very resourceful individual, making it so that everyone present wanted to at least come up and shake hands with him or exchange a few simple greetings.

    Thanks to Zhang¡¯s open personality and humble demeanor, he was able to almost instantly befriend many of the influential and powerful characters that had gathered to greet him.

    Although inwardly he knew that most of these people whom he was befriend had actually gathered to witness his demise and perhaps profit off of it. He knew better than anyone else that if the previous turn of events had gone astray and resulting in an unfavorable situation for himself and the beauties, more than half the people present would have turned their blades against him in order to land on the good side of the Dragon God Palace.

    But regardless of what could have happened Zhang has outwardly acted as if he didn''t know any better.

    He had to project the imagine of a kind and forgiving individual who was worthy of respect from everyone.

    Forming an alliance to stand against the Eastern Sea¡¯s strongest power was not something one could accomplish through fear and enacting vengeance for every minor grievance.

    ¡°Although I won¡¯t harm a single hair on any of your bodies, I''ll be sure to burn a hole in your pockets when I get the opportunity.¡± Zhang thought as he eyed a few individuals who had acted discourteously toward him not too long ago and were not trying to befriend him.

    ¡°Although it may be on short notice but I had order, my people, to prepare a banquet before the fighting had begun and I would like to invite you all to attend. Master Shan Jin and Yu Xiu have already headed to the venue and are awaiting us. We can all converse over a few cups of wine while down in my camp. If any of you are interested, then you can take part in the raffle I''m holding also.¡± Zhang said with a smile.

    ¡°If you''ll have us then we would be more than delighted to attend this banquet. Since Master Yu Xiu is attending I definitely have to go. My name is Jian Lei; it is a pleasure to meet you, Brother Zhou Zhang.¡± Jian Lei of the sect master of the Jade Serpent Sect said with a smile.

    ¡°Likewise it is a pleasure to meet you also, Brother Jian Lei. If I recall correctly your Jade Serpent Sect had arrived with Master Yu Xiu?¡± Zhang said as he offered Jian Lei a handshake.

    Since Jian Lei had arrived with the forces of the Golden Pearl Sect, compared to the rest of the people present, he was in Zhang¡¯s eyes, a comrade in arms.

    ¡°Yes, Master Yu Xiu and my father have been friends for many years and thanks to him I was given an opportunity to leave the sect and broaden my views.¡± Jian Lei said in a tone that indicated he had immense respect for Master Yu Xiu.

    ¡°Alright if you all would follow me.¡± Zhang said as he proceeded to head down toward where the soldiers of the Blood Coral Cove and disciples of the Starry Sea Sect were camped.

    Unlike prior to the battle, Zhang¡¯s camp was bustling with activity. With the arrival of reinforcements from the Starry Sea Sect, thousands of tents were being erected and hundreds of tasks were being performed.

    There were also tens of thousands if not hundreds of thousands of people that had no prior connection to Zhang gathered, wishing to either work under his banner for a piece of Long Shijie¡¯s inheritance or hoping to enter the raffle for the Ascending Beauty Painting.

    The intense and bloodthirsty atmosphere that had enveloped the land, sky and sea not too long ago was now replaced almost entirely.

    Thanks to prior planning from Zhang, hundreds of stalls had been set up and a wide range of activities was taking place.

    Stalls selling and buying food, weapons, armor, and supplies were in full swing. Counters selling raffle tickets had long snaking lines of people waiting in front of them. Martial arts arenas were crowded by individuals who were being tested to see whether or not they were strong enough to be employed by the Blood Coral Cove, there were even a few makeshift casinos present.

    ¡°Come one, come all! Anyone who wishes to enter the raffle please get in line! Tickets are merely a single essence stone each! For a measly essence stone, you can win a chance at obtaining a piece of the Ascending Beauty Painting and in turn a price of Long Shijie¡¯s treasure! A piece of the inheritance of the man who founded the Dragon God Palace!¡± The soldiers of the Blood Scale Army working the raffle counters said in loud voices.

    ¡°What if we don''t want the Ascending Beauty Painting? Even if we get the painting, if we don''t have sufficient power then it would only get stolen from us.¡± A few trouble makers and skeptics jeered.

    ¡°Not interested in the Ascending Beauty Painting? The how about the chance to win a million essence stones? The second and third place prizes are one million essence stones and five hundred thousand essence stones respectively.¡± The soldiers of the Blood Scale Army advertised, causing wild fantasies to run amok within everyone''s minds.

    ¡°A million essence stones¡­ With that much wealth, someone might be able to start up a small sized sect¡­¡± A few people mumbled.

    ¡°Don''t have any essence stones on you? Worry not! Just head over to one of the pawn stores that we have set up throughout the camp and trade a few of your worthless belongings for a few essence stones!¡± Groups of soldiers repeated in loud voices.

    ¡°Sign me up!¡± A large man dressed in long green colored robes said as he placed an essence stone on a counter in front of one of Zhang¡¯s soldiers.

    ¡°Alright then please select five numbers from one to ninety-nine. The drawing will take place in approximately three hours.¡± The soldier belonging to the Blood Scale Army said in a polite tone.

    ¡°Five numbers from one to ninety-nine¡­ What happens if someone else bought the same number as me?¡± The man dressed in green asked.

    ¡°Simple, if there are multiple winners with the same numbers then we will have them all pick a single number and do a redrawing.¡± The soldier responded promptly.

    At first Zhang had loathed the fact that so many people were gathering to see his conflict with the Golden Pearl Sect, however, after receiving word from Master Yu Xiu about an alliance, he realized if his plans came to fruition, an opportunity to reap countless riches was presenting itself at his doorstep.

    With so many cultivators gathered, he was sure that through a few simple means, he would be able to make an astronomical sum of wealth in little to no time at all.

    There was a one in seventy-one million five hundred twenty-three thousand and one hundred forty-four chance of winning the raffle, meaning if every possible set of five numbers were sold once, after subtracting the one million and five hundred thousand essence stones put up as rewards, Zhang would be pocketing seventy million essence stones.

    Of course, there was a chance that no one would take part in the raffle at all, but when taking into consideration how many people were present and the enticement a million essence stones had, it was without a doubt that Zhang would make a killing off the raffle alone without factoring in the casinos, pawn stores, and other various stalls.

 Chapter 221: Money Making Scheme

    After returning back to camp, Zhang and the beauties could be seen sitting on a golden throne situated atop a tall wooden tower that over watched the entire camp.

    ¡°Darling, aren''t you a little too happy?¡± Lingqi said as she embraced her husband''s arm and leaned her body onto his.

    ¡°With all of the essence stone we will be getting through the raffle and the treasures we will be getting through the pawn shops, we will be able to raise a small army of full saints.¡± Zhang said in a voice full of glee as he glanced down at the crowds of people below, the same people who were filling his pockets with wealth.

    ¡°That or we raise an army of lesser saints and break through and become high saints or perhaps reach our second ascension.¡± Yuying said with a devious look on her face.

    ¡°I mean think about it, most of the people we would pick to help ascend into saints would normally not even possess a slim chance of becoming a saint. Sadly, the Wulin continent and Eastern Sea lack the resources to nurture a large number of experts.¡± Yuying stated in a logical manner.

    True to her words, none of the people that popped up in Zhang¡¯s mind as possible candidates could ever hope of becoming even lesser saints if he did not intervene.

    ¡°Look at those people down there, of all of them less than one percent will probably ever ascend and become a saint. And more than likely, half of the will die in order for some old foggy to become a high saint.¡± Yuying said as she gestured to the massive crowd down below.

    ¡°We will see when the time comes. You have a point, though.¡± Zhang replied, agreeing with Yuying¡¯s thought process while also having a hint of conflict in his mind.

    ¡°But if you think that method is morally sound, we can always just go search for an Ethereal Point.¡± Yuying said, having guessed that her suggestion had caused a minor conflict in Zhang¡¯s mind.

    ¡°An Ethereal Point?¡± Zhang asked in an intrigued tone.

    ¡°An Ethereal Point is just like an essence mine or one of the countless intersecting Dragon¡¯s Veins that channel the world¡¯s natural flow of essence. Just instead of essence, these Ethereal Points channel a constant flow of Heavenly Energy. Instead of being located deep in the ground, Ethereal Points are located on tall mountain peaks or at random locations in the sky.¡± Yuying explained.

    ¡°Then we only need to find one of those and then we can all become high saints.¡± Ling said with a somewhat excited sparkle in her eyes.

    ¡°Sadly they are much rarer and harder to come across than essence points.¡± Yuying said with a sigh.

    ¡°Eh, you guys worry too much sometimes. Things will happen when they happen, if we are meant to become high saints then it''ll happen with due time.¡± Lingqi said with a chuckle.

    ¡°You of all people, talking about patience?¡± Zhang said with a chuckle as he looked at Lingqi with gentle eyes.

    ¡°Yea, sis, of all of us you''re the most impatient. Every time you''re the first one to disrobe yourself.¡± Ai said, in a loud tone, attracting the attention of the crowd down below before Lingqi could even think about covering her mouth.

    ¡°Shush! Why do you always have to say such embarrassing things when there are so many people around?¡± Lingqi yelled with blushing cheeks, prompting Zhang and the other beauties to break out in laughter.

    ¡°Wh-why are you guys laughing? It''s not like any of you act modestly wh-when-when you disrobe too¡­¡± Lingqi said in a stutter as her cheeks continued to redden.

    ¡°She''s right, as long as things stay like this and we can enjoy each other¡¯s company then I don''t mind being stuck a mere full saint.¡± Zhang said as he wiped a joy filled tear that had gathered at the corner of his eye due to excessive laughter.

    ¡°She''s also right about you guys acting immodestly once you disrobe. You guys are like four small monsters, I''m not sure there is anyone else out there who can accomplish what I do every night.¡± Zhang said with a chuckle in a proud.

    ¡°Hmph, speak for yourself. If we are four small monsters, then you must be a very big monster.¡± Ling teased in a gentle tone while poking Zhang¡¯s cheek playfully.

    ¡°Had it not been for mother in law then I''m sure it would have been one hopeless battle after another¡­ I need to get her to teach me the rest of those forms...¡± Yuying said in a low inaudible tone.

    ¡°Alright, alright, enough joking around, let¡¯s go down and have a look at how things are going.¡± Zhang said before he and the beauties proceeded to make their way down from the wooden tower and into the large crowd below.This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

    Walking through the massive crowd, Zhang was brimming with pure delight as his eyes registered everyone walking around him as giant money bags. Money bags that were walking straight into his pocket.

    From everyone insignificant copper coin to the purest of essence stones, everything these people spent would all end up becoming a part of Zhang¡¯s fortune.

    As things were set up, people wishing to enter the raffle for the Ascending Beauty Painting would give Zhang¡¯s subordinates essence stones, which they would then use to run the many pawn shops that were erected throughout the camp. Through these pawn shops, a wide variety of treasures would thus be accumulated, treasures that would then be sorted and then sold for essence stones.

    If this cycle was allowed to continue, then in no time at all, Zhang would be able to squeeze out nearly every single essence stone that was in the possession of those present.

    If one thought out it, although Zhang¡¯s previous accumulation of wealth was a staggering sum, compared to many saints who had lived for countless millennia, it wasn''t much. How could the wealth of any mortal kingdom or empire compare to the wealth of a full saint or high saint that had lived for many thousands of years?

    ¡°Sweetheart, after we check up on how business is going, do you want to grab something to eat before we go attend that banquet you invited everyone to?¡± Ling asked.

    ¡°Mmmm, sure why not.¡± Zhang replied as he and the beauties made their way toward a massive tent that was being guarded by a total of ten lesser saints.

    ¡°My lord!¡± The lesser saints all said in unison as they saluted Zhang before he and the beauties made their way inside, where a miniature mountain of glittering essence stones, as well as a miniature mountain of weapons, armor and other various treasures, came into view.

    ¡°My lord.¡± A pair of familiar voices sounded out the moment Zhang entered the tent, a pair of voices that belonged to Zhang¡¯s two trusted lesser saint subordinates, Chu Shou and Hai Xing.

    ¡°How are things going?¡± Zhang asked.

    ¡°Very well my lord, everything is processing very smoothly and exactly as you had planned.¡± Chu Shou said as he picked up a thick journal and handed it to Zhang.

    ¡°After all the essence stones are counted and sorted by purity, and marked down in the ledger, they are stored away into an interspatial ring for safe keeping. As for the various items that we¡¯ve been getting from the pawn stores, they¡¯ve also been sorted by grade, use, and rarity, before being stored away into an interspatial ring or being put up for sale.¡± Hai Xing said in a cheerful tone.

    ¡°The two of you have done good work. I¡¯ll have Xiao Gong give you a few of the corpses of those saints we killed earlier to cultivate with.¡± Zhang praised as he flipped through the journal that Chu Shou had handed him.

    ¡°Thank you for your graciousness.¡± Chu Shou and Hai Xing said in unison while brimming with excitement. After becoming Zhang¡¯s subordinates, they¡¯ve been able to acquire a large amount of heavenly energy that would have otherwise taken them hundreds of years to gather, allowing them to step ever so closer to becoming full saints, thus their hearts were utterly filled with loyalty for their master and performed all of the tasks given to them with their utmost ability.

    Simply said, although Chu Shou and Hai Xing were not currently the strongest subordinates under Zhang¡¯s command, they were without a doubt the most reliable. Regardless of whether the tasks given to them were extremely mundane to the point where one would be bored to death or so dangerous that few would dare to attempt, they would work themselves to the bone for Zhang.

    They felt that as long as they tried their best, even if they failed in the end, Zhang would still treat them justly, unlike their previous master who was someone who was selfish and never even spared a hint of the heavenly energy that he had harvested to his subordinated.

    A short bit after checking up on Chu Shou and Hai Xing, Zhang and the beauties departed and began to roam their camp in search for a bit of food to eat before heading toward where the all of their guests were invited to meet up.

    ¡°Boy am I glad I decided to not do an auction. In an auction, I would only be getting wealth from a single person or a small group of people, however, with a raffle, I can squeeze a bit of something out of everyone.¡± Zhang thought with glee as he recalled the astronomical sum that was recorded in the journal.

    ¡°Brother, do you want a bit?¡± Ai¡¯s gentle voice drifted into Zhang¡¯s ear, snapping him out of his train of thought.

    ¡°Say ahhh.¡± Ai said as she lifted a juicy looking meat kebab toward Zhang¡¯s mouth as he was still in a bit of a daze causing the next following moments of pause to be extremely silly and awkward.

    ¡°Hmph, if you don''t want some then I''ll eat it all myself.¡± Ai said with a pouting face as she moved the meat kebab away from Zhang¡¯s face.

    ¡°Of course I want some.¡± Zhang said with an awkward laugh as he grabbed hold of Ai¡¯s hand and moved the kebab back toward his mouth before taking a large bite.

    ¡°Alright, in return for letting me eat some of your kebab, I''ll get you anything you want.¡± Zhang said while playfully poking Ai, who responded with a few giggles.

    Soon after, after having a few snacks from the many concession stands, Zhang and his wives made their way to a large opening located in the center of their camp.

    Although quite a few guests hadn''t arrived yet, thousands of people were split up amongst hundreds, busily conversing with each other.

    While the large crowds that were made up of people from just about any walk of life, the people currently at the venue where the banquet was going to take place were all experts in their own right.

    People who held sway over the lives of countless others, masters of sects, important elders and elite disciples made up the bulk of the guests that were invited to the banquet.

    ¡°While everyone is here, we should try to pick out a few small sects or forces to turn into our subordinates.¡± Ling suggested as she and the rest of the group made their way to the venue.

    ¡°With the power of the Blood Coral Cove alone, a believe a few of the lesser forces would be more the willing to join us for a few benefits.¡± Yuying added.

    ¡°Although a lot of people are trying out at the martial arts arenas, as individuals they won''t be as secluded cultivators they won''t be as strong as the members of those smaller sects.¡± Lingqi also added.

    ¡°We¡¯ll see how things go once the banquet starts. If we are going to have equal footing as everyone else in this alliance we are trying to forge, we need sufficient manpower or else they''ll walk all over us.¡± Zhang said, agreeing with his wives.

    As things, currently were, the Blood Coral Cove lacked a high saint backer and sufficient manpower to hold sway over the rest of the forces that Zhang was hoping to forge an alliance with.

    Despite being ranked amongst the top twenty most powerful forces in the sea, the Blood Coral Cove was one of the few forces that didn''t have a high saint expert. Which was completely fine since the Dragon God Palace had intervened in most of the conflicts that had occurred. However now that they Dragon God Palace had changed its role from a protector to an aggressor, the Blood Coral Cove''s lack of power could prove to be fatal.

    That is to say of Zhang did not correct this problem in time.

    Luckily for Zhang, he was currently raking in countless essence, essence stones that could be used to buy the allegiance of various lesser powers that would allow him to bolster his forces.

    ¡°An army of thousands of full saints and tens of thousands of lesser saints will be more useful to me than a single high saint.¡± Zhang thought as he made his way to each of the various experts attending the banquet and began conversing with them, hoping to forge friendly relations.

    From the poorest looking person who was wrapped in rags to the wealthiest potbellied people who looked like merchants, Zhang earnestly conceded with as many people as he could, hoping to not leave and pearls hidden in the sand.

    Zhang believed that outward appearances and face meant little to cultivators, while others who valued face, honor, and outward appearance would ignore the poorer looking people attending the banquet, he thought otherwise.

    Zhang believed that it is usual the simplest and most average looking masters who were the strongest.

    Take for instance there was a certain beggar who lived in the Lunar Kingdom that just happened to be a high saint, further emphasizing the phrase, ¡°one should not judge a book it¡¯s cover.¡±

 Chapter 222: Eastern Sea Alliance

    ¡°Young Master Zhou Zhang, I would be delighted if our Scarlet Tide Sect could work together with your Blood Coral Cove.¡± Sect Master Ming King of the Scarlet Tide Sect said in a cheerful tone after conversing with Zhang for a bit and being offered to form an alliance with the Blood Coral Cove.

    ¡°It''s good that you willing, Master Ming. We all need to look after each other and help each other whenever we can.¡± Zhang said with a smile.

    After talking to a dozen or so sect masters and leaders of what could only be classified as minor powers, a sudden thought sprang into Zhang¡¯s mind.

    ¡°Instead of erecting a single alliance, I should create two of them! An alliance of smaller sects that would work under the banner of the Blood Coral Cove and an alliance of larger powers that would work in cooperation with the Blood Coral on equal terms.¡± Zhang had thought.

    By doing so he would be able to expand the Blood Coral Cove¡¯s influence through the use of many subsidiary sects. Then as the representative of dozens of sects the Blood Coral Cove would have ample authority in the eyes of the other sects and forces that would be a part of the larger alliance.

    ¡°After a few more members join we will be able to establish a web of influence across the Eastern Sea.¡± Sect Master Ming Kong said in a joyful tone.

    ¡°In the future perhaps the Dragon God Palace will be replaced by our Eastern Sea Alliance.¡± Zhang added while nodding in agreement to Sect Master Ming Kong¡¯s words.

    ¡°We, of course, would have to set up a proper hierarchy amongst the members of the alliance and a few laws and regulations would also have to be put in place.¡± Yuying interjected as she arrived beside Zhang.

    ¡°I think a minor membership fee should also be required. Those who join the Eastern Sea Alliance would receive numerous benefits and it is only right that they contribute to the alliance as a whole.

    Of course, the sects that choose to join early on and form the core of the alliance wouldn''t be required to contribute as much as those who choose to join after the alliance is established.¡± Ling said, bringing to light one of the major reasons as to why Zhang wished to create an alliance with all of these small sects, to begin with.

    Through all of these lesser sects, Zhang would gain immense power and influence, but he would also gain another source of income.

    While the Blood Coral Cove would shelter, and help these lesser sects prosper, yearly contributions would, in turn, give Zhang a steady and never-ending flow of riches.

    Although he would certainly be required to spend a large portion of these contributions for the alliance, a few million essence stones here and a few million essence stones there wouldn''t harm anyone.

    ¡°Contributions? Wouldn''t that deter a large number of sects from joining our alliance?¡± Sect Master Ming Kong asked with a hint of dissatisfaction in his voice after Ling spoke.

    ¡°It certainly would if all we did is was take and not giving back.¡± Zhang replied with a confident smile as he glanced at the beauties.

    ¡°All of the contributions made would be pooled together and after a small sum that is required to maintain the infrastructure of the alliance is taken it, the rest of it would be given to a sect that would be selected at random.¡± Yuying said while making all sorts of hand gestures to get her point across.

    ¡°The sect that ends up receiving the bulk of the contributions made to the alliance would then be able to bolster its forces and strengthen its disciples. This would act as an incentive that would attract more members into the alliance while discouraging members from leaving, in turn strengthening the alliance.¡± Lingqi explained.

    ¡°That''s a brilliant idea¡­¡± Sect Master Ming Kong muttered after listening to the beauties.

    ¡°Yea, only an idiot wouldn''t want to receive a lot of money for a little bit of investment.¡± Ai said with a chuckle.

    ¡°Normally with the amount of wealth we would require as a contribution to the alliance, not much could be accomplished. However once that amount it multiplied by a dozen times or perhaps a hundred times, a whole horizon of options would open up.¡± Zhang said.

    ¡°Once a sect is selected to receive the bulk of the contributions that the alliance collects, they naturally would be taken out of the drawing for the following year to make things fair and avoid anyone from possibly using this system for their sole benefit.¡± Yuying stated, wiping away doubts and worries that popped up in Sect Master Ming Kong¡¯s mind.

    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    ¡°However before we can even get this contribution system started, we need to have sufficient members within the alliance. Sadly, this would fall onto your shoulders, Master Ming Kong. Since we are new faces that have only shown up in the Eastern Sea not too long ago, we connections are few and our reputations are shallow.¡± Zhang said with a sigh.

    ¡°I''m afraid besides you and a few other bright-minded individuals, not many people would be willing to join the alliance. The friends we''ve managed to make here today are simply only superficial.¡± Ling said with a sigh like Zhang.

    ¡°Sadly you''re right, I doubt there aren''t many who would jump at an opportunity such as this like myself. Actually, had you not gone to the trouble of explaining the concept to me, after hearing that my sect would have to send in a yearly contribution, I wouldn''t be up for it either.¡± Sect Master Ming Kong said with a sigh.

    ¡°How about this. As an initiative, not only will the first ten forces to join our alliance be exempt from having to send in one hundred thousand essence stones as their first year¡¯s contribution, I''ll even give them a million essence stones each. Not only that, I will give them senior rank within the alliance which would allow them the ability to command all of the sect''s ranked lower than you.¡± Zhang said with a grin, sparking a surprised expression to appear on Sect Master Ming Kong¡¯s face.

    ¡°A million essence stones each?! Ten million essence stones?!¡± Sect Master Ming Kong said in an astonished tone. To a small sized sect like the Scarlet Tide Sect, a million essence stones more than enough to keep all of its disciples housed, fed and provided with sufficient cultivation materials for at least a year or two, rather it there would be enough excess wealth for them to raise a saint or two on top of things, but here Zhang was going to give away ten million essence stones as if it was not a big deal at all.

    Little did Sect Master Ming Kong; ten million essence stones were but a small fraction of what Zhang had made off of the raffle for the Ascending Beauty Painting in a little under an hour¡¯s worth of time.

    ¡°We¡¯ll even give you a finder¡¯s fee of a hundred thousand essence stones for every sect you manage to recruit into the alliance.¡± Ling said with a smile.

    ¡°Really?¡± Sect Master Ming Kong asked Zhang as a hint of excitement became visible on his face.

    ¡°Of course, her words are like my words.¡± Zhang said with a chuckle as he looked at Ling with loving eyes.

    ¡°Then I shall go ahead and have a chat with a few of the sect masters whom I happen to be acquainted with.¡± Sect Mater Ming Kong said as a pile of essence stones was vividly imagined in his imagination.

    ¡°Best of luck to you, Master Ming Kong.¡± Zhang said as he watched Sect Master Ming Kong walk off with brisk steps.

    ¡°Now that the initial steps of setting up the Eastern Sea Alliance has been set into motion, should we begin with the other part of your plan?¡± Yuying asked Zhang as she stood beside him while watching Sect Master Ming Kong depart.

    ¡°I¡¯ve already spoken to Master Yu Xui and Master Shan Jin and I think they would have more luck carrying out the second part of the plan then we would. Unlike the small to mid-tier sects, the other top twenty sects would see a million essence stones as a trivial sum, making it hard to entice them with wealth alone. Those types of people can only be influenced by power. Meaning it would be wiser for us to allow those two high saints to do our work for us.¡± Zhang said in a low voice.

    ¡°So rather than taking the initiative and forming the second alliance, we should wait until everything is set up and simply join as a regular member?¡± Lingqi asked.

    ¡°I believe that would be for the best. Since none of the lower to mid-tier forces can compare to us in terms of power and resources we can easily stand at the top of the pack and hold immense sway over them, but when compared to the other top twenty we are very lacking and have no right to take the lead.¡± Ling explained.

    ¡°Yup, all we have to do is sit back and do nothing. I doubt Master Ming Kong would be able to invite any of the larger sects to join, but I¡¯m sure he will be able to round up quite a few lower and mid-tier forces in no time at all. While Master Yu Xui and Master Shan Jin will have more word and influence on the other leaders of the top twenty powers of the Eastern Sea.¡± Zhang stated as he proceeded to find an empty banquet table for himself and the beauties to sit at.

    Before long the banquet officially began and an abundance of steaming hot food was brought out and served to the many guests who were in attendance. An abundance of wine and beverages were also shared, invoking a merry and joyful atmosphere.

    Although the dishes prepared by Zhang¡¯s subordinates would be considered quite crude and simplistic compared to similar banquets that were held back in the Aurora Empire, one couldn''t really expect nor ask for much when men who were solely skilled in the art of war and death are tasked to cook. Nonetheless, thanks to the fact that Zhang had his people serve the guests various dishes that they would rarely be able to taste so far out at sea, no complaints were heard.

    When someone who has been eating fish and other oceanic delicacies for most of their lives, meats such as deer, boar, beef, and bear would prove to be utterly delicious and foreign.

    Once the mood was ripe, Master Shan Jin and Master Yu Xui could be seen making their way onto a makeshift circular stage that was situated in the center of the venue. With all eyes and everyone¡¯s attention focused on them, the two high saints proceeded to speak.

    ¡°First off we would like to thank our new friend, the young master of the Blood Coral Cove for hosting this banquet and for allowing two old geezers such are ourselves the opportunity to mingle with a few old friends and get to know a few younglings. I would also like to thank you for looking after my foolish grandson.¡± Master Shan Jin said in a friendly tone that one would use when speaking to friends and family as he gazed at the table where Zhang and the beauties were seated.

    ¡°By now a few of you should have already guessed the purpose of this banquet, however before we get to the main points, I would like to offer everyone a small toast. This first cup is in honor of all of you who are present today. To lasting bonds and everlasting friendship!¡± Master Yu Xui said as he lifted up a small cup filled with wine and drank it all in a single gulp before everyone followed his example and downed a cup of down of their own.

    ¡°This second cup will be to celebrate and pray for the eternal peace and prosperity of the Eastern Sea!¡± Master Yu Xui said as he poured another cup or wine.

    ¡°To eternal peace and prosperity!¡± The crowd said as they raised up their glasses and cheered.

    ¡°This third cup would usually be in honor of the Dragon God Palace¡¯s, however after today¡¯s events, I doubt many of you would offer a toast to them. After having been a victim of their nefarious plotting, this old man will probably never look at those bastards the same again...¡± Master Yu Xui said in a ridiculing manner as he proceeded to pour the contents of his third cup of wine onto the ground below the stage he was standing atop of.

    ¡°If their plot succeeded, not only would my Starry Sea Sect, Old Yu Xui¡¯s Golden Pearl Sect and Young Master Zhou Zhang¡¯s the Blood Coral Cove have been utterly destroyed, but I¡¯m sure everyone else present would have met an untimely end also.¡± Master Shan Jin said in an unhappy voice as a scowl appeared on his face.

    ¡°Yea! Had it not been for my young lord¡¯s quick thinking, everyone would have needlessly fought to the bitter end for no reason, only to end up falling prey to those bastards from Dragon God Palace¡­¡± Nai Fan roared angrily before lifting up a jug of wine, gulping about half of it and smashing it into the ground, causing countless clay fragments to scatter about.

    Using their words and actions as a catalyst, Master Shan Jin. Master Yu Xui and Nai Fan subtly ignited the flurry of emotions and feelings in everyone¡¯s hearts, regarding the events that had happened not too long ago, sparking a wave of unhappy rumbling voices to sound out throughout the crowd, cursing the Dragon God Palace.

    ¡°In order to make sure the events that had happened today, never happen again, we would like to forge a force that can content with the Dragon God Palace a force consisting mainly of as many of the other top twenty strongest forces in the Eastern Sea.¡± Master Yu Xui announced.

 Chapter 223: Orators

    After Master Yu Xui spoke, the already rowdy crowd became even rowdier as a storm of questions and thoughts began to brew.

    ¡°Once we unite and bolster enough forces to go toe to toe with the Dragon God Palace, I believe true peace will spread across the Eastern Sea.¡± Master Yu Xui said in a loud and dignified manner.

    ¡°Yu Xui! An alliance of the rest of the twenty topmost powers against the Dragon God Palace? Sorry if I¡¯m speaking out of turn, but isn¡¯t there a tad too much wishful thinking in your plans?¡± An elderly man who happened to be the sect master whose sect happened to rank within the top twenty topmost powers asked.

    ¡°Brother Bao Lui, perhaps you are right and our hopes of establishing a force that can stand on equal footing as the Dragon God Palace is but a fool''s dream. However, to simply give up before one even makes an effort is the mentality of the defeated.¡± Master Yu Xui said.

    ¡°What kind of benefits could my Tidal Blade Sect possibly gain from allying with you rather than choosing to stand alongside the Dragon God Palace? In terms of ranking, we are ranked higher than both of your sects, what benefit could we possibly obtain for foolheartedly going against the strongest force in the Eastern Sea?¡± A haughty looking middle aged woman questioned.

    ¡°What kind of benefit? If I recall correctly from our conversation earlier. I believe Master Yu Xui and Master Shan Jin were going to offer everyone who was willing to cooperate with them a chance at obtaining something so valuable that not even the Dragon God Palace can give you. Something that the Dragon God Palace cannot even hope to obtain.¡± Zhang said as he stood up from his seat and swept his gaze across the venue.

    ¡°Something the Dragon God Palace cannot give nor obtain?¡± The haughty-looking woman mumbled in a low tone.

    ¡°What could the Golden Pearl Sect and Starry Sea Sect possibly give us that the Dragon God Palace can¡¯t?¡± Someone in the crowd asked the person beside him in a whisper filled with intrigue.

    ¡°Could they have gotten their hands on one of the heavenly treasures?¡± Someone asked.

    ¡°Maybe they found a way to cultivate heavenly tier herbs and are willing to give the rest of us some.¡± Someone else muttered.

    ¡°Maybe they found some kind of ultimate cultivation technique that not even the Dragon God Palace knows of¡­¡± Yet another person spoke.

    ¡°I bet after hearing my words, you''re all very curious.¡± Zhang said with a grin as he waved his hand and made a brush, and ink block and three scrolls appear on the table in front of him.

    ¡°Before I tell everyone what it is that we can give you that the Dragon God Palace can¡¯t, I¡¯d like to first ask three questions. What is the goal of a cultivator? What defines a power? Lastly, how should a cultivator live their lives?¡± Zhang said before proceeding to unfold the three scrolls that he had withdrawn from his interspatial ring, write down the three questions he had just asked and having them hung up for all to see on the center stage.

    Although Zhang¡¯s three questions were actually rather simple questions, utter silence filled the air. Despite coming up with answers almost instantly, no one bothered to speak up. While a few couldn¡¯t bother to waste their efforts and answer, some thought Zhang¡¯s questions were trick questions, others were afraid of making fools out of themselves, afraid of making fools out of themselves if their answers were too simplistic.

    ¡°What¡¯s taking everyone so long? Isn''t the goal of every cultivator to become strong and stand above everyone else? Wasn¡¯t the ability to protect yourself and your loved ones the meaning of power? Also, I think a cultivator should live their lives with dignity and honor.¡± Ai said in a loud and intellectual sounding tone, causing everyone to feel somewhat stupid for not speaking up before.

    ¡°As cultivators are you simply going cower underneath the night of the Dragon God Palace? Are you going to allow them to hold sway over the lives of your family and loved ones? Will you be able to live the rest of your lives while standing with glue back straight?¡± Yuying asked in a dignified tone while making majestic and attention grabbing gestures in a way that only someone who had been groomed their entire lives to lead the masses can so, true to her status as the ninety-ninth princess of the Underworld.

    ¡°What Master Shan Jin and Master Yu Xui is offering isn¡¯t some kind of mythical treasure, some rare herb or secret technique, but they are offering you all a chance to live your lives with your head held high, a chance for you to not have to cower under the might of another, a chance at gaining immense honor and glory for doing something that few dare to do.¡± Zhang said, trying to win the hearts of those present with sugar coated words.

    As stated before, Zhang and the beauties didn¡¯t particularly care for honor, however, everyone else did and thus they would use honor as a context to inspire and lure everyone toward their side. There was also the fact that Master Yu Xui had specifically said only those ranked amongst the top twenty powers were invited to ally together with the Golden Pearl Sect and Starry Sea Sect, instantly disqualifying and becoming unrelated to the vast majority of the people present.Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.

    Nonetheless, Zhang''s words were still able to grasp everyone¡¯s heart strings and ignite raging flames that resulted in an abundant amount of cheers of approval. Of course, there were a few people who felt skeptical about what Zhang, Master Shan Jin and Master Yu Xui were attempting to do or at least the manner in which they were trying to accomplish things.

    If merely standing up to the current power of the Dragon God Palace required everyone to band together, what would be the result of openly challenging the palace after they acquired Long Shijie¡¯s inheritance. Wouldn¡¯t the Dragon God Palace¡¯s power and influence become drastically increased? Wouldn''t everyone simply be setting foot on a path that would eventually lead to their demise?

    ¡°You fools think you can stand against the palace once they retrieve Long Shijie¡¯s inheritance? According to the rumors, whoever attains his inheritance will ascend to a new height of power the likes that few of seen nor dared to dream of!¡± Someone roared in a sustained tone that instantly sunk the atmosphere and caused silence be invoked.

    ¡°Yo-you¡¯re right¡­ With Long Shijie¡¯s inheritance in their hands, the Dragon God Palace will be able to wipe the floor with all of us¡­¡± Someone else said in a dejected tone, acting as the first of many who would soon voice their opinions.

    The once positive and cheerful mood that had wrapped around the venue was no longer present in even the slightest of ways, rather a few people began to fear for their lives. They feared that simply attending this banquet would land themselves in hot water and offended the Dragon God Palace. Offend an entity that would soon have enough power to cover the sky with one hand.

    ¡°All of your worries and fears are justified and not baseless. Sadly, as things currently are, individually none of our respective forces stand a chance against the Dragon God Palace and only through uniting together can we attain a glimmer of hope in standing on equal ground with them. However, this will not be the case once they retrieve Long Shijie¡¯s inheritance. Although we have no idea what may be included in this inheritance, I¡¯m sure that it will help propel the Dragon God Palace to new terrifying heights. I¡¯m sure that by then we will become fish in a barrel and fall under their mercy.¡± Zhang said in a manner which etched a hint of dread into the hearts of all who were present.

    ¡°Knowing that the Dragon God Palace will soon become unstoppable, will you all simply accept your fate? Accept that your lives, the lives of your family members, and the lives all whom you hold dear will soon be dominated by someone else? Will you stand by and do nothing as everyone you know falls into the jaws of a vicious beast? Will you cower and hide in fear? Will you forsake your honor, and dreams? If so I believe none of you are worthy of calling yourselves cultivators. Unworthy of referring to your sects and forces as the rulers of the Eastern Sea¡­¡± Zhang said, painting a despicable and evil image of the Dragon God Palace with little to no basis to back his words, to be honest, there was a chance that the Dragon God Palace would actually resume their role as the protector of the Eastern Sea, Zhang also mocked everyone present causing many to stare at him with scorn, disdain, and hatred.

    ¡°Or would prove me wrong and unite together to prevent what would be a bleak future from occurring? Do any of you dare to show your conviction and stand for what is morally right? If we all work together, there is still a chance at stopping the Dragon God Palace before they become too strong. the decision to wait and die or fight for a better tomorrow is for you all to decide upon. Depending on your choices, history books will either record an epic about a group of heroes who banded together to protect the interest of those who live in the Eastern Sea or a mockery of a group of cowards, lowlifes, and garbage. Regardless of your decisions, I would like to thank everyone for attending today''s banquet and I offer you all my best wishes.¡± Zhang said as he abruptly announced the end of the banquet while inwardly sighing, feeling that he now resembled a politician more than a cultivator.

    ¡°Whatever¡­ Whether I¡¯m a politician or a cultivator, as long as we live long happy lives then everything is fine.¡± Zhang thought.

    After Zhang spoke, the audience had once again fallen into complete silence as everyone began to contemplate whether to submit to what seemed like the inevitable or stand resolute in the face of what might be overwhelming odds. Rather than getting up from their seats and departing, everyone turned into stone statues as they fell into deep thought.

    ¡°Sect Master Ming Kong, I believe now would be a great opportunity to recruit for our own Eastern Sea Alliance.¡± Zhang said to Sect Master Ming Kong through his divine sense.

    ¡°Master Shan Jin, Master Yu Xui, I believe now would be a great chance for you both to have a small chat with the other leaders of the top twenty forces.¡± Zhang also said through his divine sense, seeing a good opportunity to strike the iron while it was still hot.

    Slowly but surely, Master Shan Jin and Master Yu Xui began to speak to the leaders of the other top twenty forces, one at a time through their divine sense. Since the Dragon God Palace wasn''t currently being counted, Jian Lei¡¯s Jade Serpent Sect which ranked twenty-first was thus bumped into the top twenty, in regards to forming an alliance of course.

    While the two high saints were busy contacting the other top twenty forces, Master Ming Kong spoke to a few of his close friends who had yet to give him a proper response on whether or not they were willing to join and serve in the Eastern Sea Alliance.

    Luckily after hearing Zhang¡¯s speech and weighing the benefits they''d receive from being the first to join the Eastern Sea Alliance, Sect Master Ming Kong¡¯s bosom buddies quickly became a part of a group that would soon be regarded as the founders of the Eastern Sea Alliance.

    In little to no time at all, a total of five lesser sects and a mid-tier sect had joined under Zhang¡¯s Blood Coral Cove thanks to Sect Master Ming Kong¡¯s hard work and efforts.

    Once the leaders of these six sects had given their word and sworn their loyalty to the Eastern Sea Alliance and Zhang, in turn, they quickly began to contact others who were considering their inner circle.

    One could only imagine how word of mouth was traveling amongst this group of experts as they raved about the Eastern Sea Alliance and its perks to their friends.

    From one friend to another, the Eastern Sea Alliance quickly expanded and in a matter of only seconds and minutes, dozens of lesser sects and the like had joined. Had it been a single person attempting to unite so many lesser sects, a difficult situation may have arisen, however since most of these sect leaders were friends with each other, everyone was bombarded with invitations to join the Eastern Sea Alliance.

    Normally when being persuaded by someone to do something, most would be somewhat wary of being cheated or tricked but after being contacted by two or three or perhaps four different people about the same subject, few people remained skeptical.

    Seeing the progress and speed that the Eastern Sea Alliance was currently expanding at, a gleeful grin found its way onto Zhang¡¯s face which in turn caused the four beauties to sport vibrant grins of their own.

    ¡°It¡¯ only a matter before all of the lesser sects and mid-tier sects join under my banner. As for the high tier sects, I''m sure they''ll come around soon enough.¡± Zhang thought happily as he watched groups of people who had sworn their allegiance to the Eastern Sea Alliance begin to depart from the banquet inconspicuously upon receiving orders from Zhang.

    Seeing as it would be much more difficult to convince any one of the top twenty powers to band together when compared to uniting the lesser and mid-tier sects, Zhang wished to clear out the venue and allowing the top twenty leaders to have an open conversation with each other. He also wished to see the extent of the Eastern Sea Alliance¡¯s current influence.

    Since most if not all of the people who were contacted in regards to working under the Eastern Sea Alliance had joined and then contacted their friends, Zhang wished to see if there were some forces that would require him to approach personally. For instance, it was possible that there were a few forces in the mix that had little to no prior contact with the rest of the sects and were inadvertently left out and not invited to join the Eastern Alliance.

 Chapter 224: They Forced Me!

    By the end of the day, after all of the guests had departed, Zhang and his cohorts had been able to establish a solid foundation of power within the Eastern Sea. With close to a hundred or so small sects, tens of midsized sects and a few large sects under the banner of the Eastern Sea Alliance.

    As things stood, the only thing that Zhang¡¯s forces lacked was a high saint or two, besides that they possessed a staggering number of regular cultivators and many saint level experts.

    Alone, lesser saints stood no chance against the stronger forces, since they each possessed only a saint or two amongst their ranks, sometimes there wasn''t even one.

    However now that close to a hundred of them and many stronger powers, have banded together and joined Zhang, what they had lacked in the past they now had an abundance of.

    ¡°Now all I have to do is break through and become a high saint and the plan will proceed much more smoothly.¡± Zhang thought as he waved his hand and made his magical carriage appear in the middle of the venue where the banquet had occurred moments ago.

    ¡°Let''s go have some rest, tomorrow will be another long day.¡± Zhang said in a gentle tone as he gestured to his wives with a bright smile while looking at Ai who was yawning.

    ¡°Fighting all day isn''t half as tiring as attending these kinds of banquets.¡± Ai said with a yawn while stretching her arms up into the air.

    ¡°Once we finish things up here and return home we will avoiding going to parties and banquets for a while if you don''t want to go.¡± Zhang said with a chuckle.

    ¡°Actually do you all want to go see who is the winner of the raffle?¡± Zhang asked.

    ¡°Hmmm, not interested. We have other more important things to do. Lingqi said in a playful and seductive manner as she made her way onto the magical carriage causing Zhang to chuckle and shake his head.

    ¡°Yea there are more important things to be done.¡± Yuying chuckled as she made her way onto the carriage also.

    ¡°I guess there are other more important things to do instead of watching the end of the raffle.¡± Zhang said with a laugh before joining his wives in the carriage. Since he had already given his extra piece of the Ascending Beauty Painting to Chu Shou and Hai Xing, the raffle ended without many incidences occurring.

    Surprisingly, a no name level ten cultivator had won the piece and was able to trade it for a small fortune and a spot in a prestigious sect moments after the raffle ended.

    ¡°Our lord had stated that after the winner of the raffle has been decided he wishes for there not to be any violence in our camp. Those who stir trouble with face dire consequences.¡± Hai Xing stated while rows of saint level experts stood behind her, giving off a domineering aura.

    Thus, the raffle and a very eventful day came to a peaceful end.

    Some may wonder how Zhang was acting so carefree and confident when he was most likely going to have to go against the strongest power residing in the Eastern Sea. However, that is simply Zhang¡¯s nature, for the most part, he was someone who lived in the moment and tried to make the best out of today rather than dwell on yesterday or fear tomorrow.

    Of course, like everyone else, he too had his fair share of worries and troubles, but as both a promise to himself and a favor to those around him, he would also have a bright carefree smile when in the presence of others, especially front of his wives.

    He was able to enjoy the little things in life while also being able to grasp the bigger picture when he wished to.

    With all that being said, it was not like Zhang did not have a plan in mind in regards to how he should deal with the Dragon God Palace. If he didn¡¯t have a plan in mind, Zhang would have more than likely already burned the piece of the Ascending Beauty Painting in his possession, despite the certainty of being attacked by the Dragon God Palace for doing so. That or he would have given his piece of the painting to the Dragon God Palace for safe passage and quickly return to the Wulin Continent.

    Although the creation of the Eastern Sea Alliance and the alliance of the top twenty forces will more than likely put him at odds with the Dragon God Palace, everything was moving according to Zhang¡¯s plan and he was certain that he and his wives could come out of their current predicament unscathed.

    ¡°All I need to do is wait for the perfect moment to act and the Dragon God Palace will surely suffer a huge blow. It won''t matter if they know about the alliance or not, I''m sure they''ll wait until after they obtain the inheritance before they act. But if all else fails at the very least I¡¯ll be able to ensure that we all get out of this alive.¡± Zhang thought as he laid atop a large bed located within his magical carriage while staring blankly at the ceiling as twisting arms and legs, coupled with soft hills of snowy white flesh and skin surrounded him from all sides.This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

    ================================

    Early in the morning before the sun rose into the sky, Zhang¡¯s camp was once again rowdy as countless stalls and people could be seen moving about.

    Although the raffle had already ended, Zhang¡¯s casinos, pawnshops, and other stores were still open for business, generating large sums of essence stones for him.

    Regular cultivators and saints alike could be seen trading with one another and a very cheerful mood was established.

    Rather than something reminiscent of a military outpost, Zhang¡¯s camp now seemed more like a sprawling marketplace.

    ¡°Once we get back to the empire, I¡¯m definitely going to establish a few markets like this one. A place where cultivators and regular people alike can trade.¡± Zhang thought as he and the beauties walked across camp and saw the abundance of wares being sold and bought.

    Although there were many auction houses scattered across the Aurora Empire, most people don''t get to benefit or use them. This was because auction houses generally did not accept everyday items, only particularly rare items are put up for auction.

    What profit is there to be made in an item that''s worth fifty or a hundred gold coins? Who would go to an auction house, pay an entry fee that costs more than the item they wished to purchase.

    ¡°Darling, do you know when those people will be arriving?¡± Lingqi asked as she walked alongside Zhang with arms hooked.

    ¡°I think they are already here.¡± Zhang said with a chuckle as his gaze shifted across the sky where a group of twenty or so individuals dressed in magnificent robes could be seeing looking down upon the camp with overbearing expressions.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be right back.¡± Zhang said in a soft tone to his wives as he took off from the ground and sped through the air, arriving in front of the group of cultivators from the Dragon God Palace a moment later.

    ¡°Zhou Zhang, of the Blood Coral Cove, humbly greets your lordships from the Dragon God Palace.¡± Zhang said in a satirical manner while politely clasping his hand and slightly bowing.

    ¡°Young Master of the Blood Coral Cove, I heard that after we departed yesterday you had a little gathering. Sadly, I wasn¡¯t able to attend, however, a good number of my friends were present and from their accounts, it felt as if I was a part of the fun also.¡± Lord Long Zhiming said with a spiteful tone, hinting to Zhang that he knew about the alliance and its purpose.

    ¡°Yesterday I was simply speaking out on behalf of Sect Master Shan Jin and Yu Xui, sadly my cultivation is rather lacking and my forces are too weak to refuse them when they asked me to speak. As things are, I can¡¯t offend them, I hope you understand that it was not in my intentions to offend the Dragon God Palace either. If they want me to act haughty and put on a show for everyone then I simply cannot go against their word. At the time, we were not acquainted and I feared that even if I plead my case with you, my lord, it would have fell on deaf ears.¡± Zhang said in a dejected tone to Lord Long Zhiming using his divine sense causing Lord Long Zhiming¡¯s previously unhappy expression to be replaced with a perplexed one, before a dozen other people shot out from the camp and made their way toward where Zhang and the people from the Dragon God Palace were.

    ¡°Lord Long Zhiming, had those two not threatened to kill me and then force my wives into slavery I wouldn¡¯t have dared to act the way I did towards you and the Dragon God Palace. Seeing as those two old men are so shameless and cruel, I beg of you to allow me to help me take them down. If you¡¯re willing I will work as your inside man and help you deal with them when the time comes. If it pleases you to know, it was those two who commanded me to demand ten percent of the inheritance, and I actually don''t want a tiny bit of it. All I want is for my wives and me to be able to safe. Please allow me an opportunity to prove my loyalty towards the Dragon God Palace. I apologize for any words or actions that I may be forced to say and do by those two bastards.¡± Zhang said to Lord Long Zhiming through his divine sense while a sincere expression appeared on his face before mixing himself into the crowd of people who had gathered in the air.

    ¡°Has everyone with a piece of the Ascending Beauty Painting gather?¡± Lord Long Zhiming said in a loud tone and pushing his thoughts about Zhang¡¯s words aside as he flipped his hand and a torn piece of paper appeared, prompting everyone else to retrieve their piece of the Ascending Beauty Painting from this interspatial rings as well.

    ¡°So do we hand over our pieces to you or what?¡± Zhang said in an unhappy tone that prompted a smile to appear on Lord Long Zhiming¡¯s face.

    ¡°This young man is simply too great of an actor... ¡°Lord Long Zhiming thought as he contemplated whether or not he should trust the words that Zhang had relayed to him during their exchange.

    ¡°None of you have to turn over your pieces of the key. As long as they are in close proximity to each other and a special method is employed, they¡¯ll be able to lead us to where the real painting and the inheritance is.¡± Lord Long Zhiming said while a storm of different expressions was made by those who gathered around him.

    ¡°Real painting?¡± Zhang and a few others muttered with confused expressions on their faces.

    ¡°These eight pieces will simply serve as a map and a guide to where the real painting is. Did you all think our ancestor Lord Long Shijie would be as idiotic enough as to possibly destroy a mystical treasure such as the Ascending Beauty Painting by tearing it apart into eight pieces?¡± Lord Long Zhiming said with a slight chuckle as he found the confused looks on everyone¡¯s faces quite laughable.

    ¡°Alright, I will initiate the spell required to activate the power of the eight pieces of the key.¡± Lord Long Zhiming said as he flipped his hand and retrieved a strange looking metallic sphere from his interspatial ring.

    After Lord, Long Zhiming injected a bit of his essence into the metallic sphere, a blinding pulse of light was released into the air.

    ¡°No need to be on guard.¡± Lord Long Zhiming said as he saw a few people tense up after the pulse of light was released.

    In a fraction of a second later, the pulse of light had come in contact with the eight pieces of paper that were supposed to act as the guide to Long Shijie¡¯s inheritance and each of the keys began to glow before eight beams of light were released.

    Acting like beacons, the eight keys and the eight beams of light that they were releasing caused a series of mechanical clicks to ring into everyone¡¯s ear from the inside of the metallic ball. Before long the metallic sphere opened up and a miniature sized metallic dragon could be seen.

    ¡°Interesting.¡± Zhang thought as the miniature dragon made of metal seemed to have been granted life and released a deafening roar, a roar so fearful and powerful that it caused many regular cultivators and a few weak lesser saints down below on the ground to cover their ears. There were even a few who vomited a mouth full of blood due to the frightening power contained within the tiny dragon¡¯s roar.

    After obtaining everyone¡¯s attention with its awe-inspiring roar, the miniature dragon did the unthinkable, causing everyone to be stupefied. The miniature dragon had actually leaped out from Lord Long Zhiming¡¯s hand and began soaring through the air.

    ¡°What, did you all think it would begin to speak and give directions?¡± Lord Long Zhiming laughed as he and the experts from the Dragon God Palace shot through the air and followed the miniature dragon.

    ¡°Yuying, Ai, Ling, Lingqi! Let¡¯s go! Nai Fan and Xiao Gong, you two take a hand full of experts and come with us! Hai Xing and Chu Shou, you two ready our regular forces and catch up by tracking my transmission jade!¡± Zhang said as a trace of excitement had appeared in his eyes after his interest was piqued by the miniature dragon.

 Chapter 225: Sweet Moments

    With the beauties by his side and a group of subordinates following closely behind, Zhang sped across the sky in order to catch up to the cultivators from the Dragon God Palace and the rest of the experts who were leaving long streaks across the sky as they flew through a sea of clouds.

    Soon enough, the massive camp that housed countless tens of thousands of people turned into a tiny speck, going completely out of view as the group flew further and further away.

    ¡°You do you four want to have a seat?¡± Zhang asked as he waved his hand and activated a magical ring that he had obtained from the first saint level expert that he had killed, making a fluffy white colored cloud form underneath his feet.

    ¡°I¡¯ll race you.¡± Ai said with a giggle as she activated a similar looking magical ring of her own and also made a fluffy white colored cloud form under her feet before accelerating ahead of Zhang.

    ¡°I guess a little fun won¡¯t be a problem.¡± Zhang thought with a shrug as he signaled for the other beauties to come over.

    ¡°Just what and see what happens when I catch you, Ai!¡± Zhang said with a laugh as Yuying, Ling, and Lingqi landed atop behind him and while the fluffy cloud they were standing on began to accelerate at unbelievable speeds, prompting Ai to look back and stick her tongue out in a childish manner.

    Basically, ignoring everyone else present, Zhang and Ai raced across the sky, while performing an assortment of eye-catching aerial maneuvers and in a flash, nearly half a day had gone by.

    ¡°Ai, why are you slowing down so much? Are you getting tired now?¡± Yuying said with a laugh as She and Zhang, along with Ling and Lingqi closed in on Ai.

    ¡°Catch me if you can!¡± Ai yelled in a cheerful manner as the cloud she stood atop of performed a spiral spin before accelerating once again.

    ¡°Even if you run to the ends of the earth, I¡¯ll still be able to catch you!!¡± Zhang yelled as the cloud underneath his feet miraculous became three times faster, allowing him to catch up to Ai in a fraction of a second.

    ¡°Think fast!¡± Zhang laughed as he leaped into the air and pounced onto Ai, pushing her onto the puffy cloud that she was standing atop of.

    ¡°Looks like it¡¯s time to collect my reward¡± Zhang said with a laugh as he gently caressed Ai¡¯s face before planting a light kiss on her cheek, causing them to blush.

    ¡°Hey! Technically we won the race too!¡± Lingqi said as she gracefully landed beside Zhang and Ai.

    ¡°Then I guess you deserve a reward too.¡± Zhang said with a chuckle as he grabbed Lingqi¡¯s arm and pulled her down onto the fluffy cloud and planted a kiss on her cheek. Before long, Yuying and Ling also joined in on the fun, however, things did not progress very far because there were dozens of people scattered throughout the sky around them and the situation would have become too awkward.

    As saints, everyone¡¯s senses were extremely heightened, meaning if they focused solely on Zhang and the beauties, despite being dozens of feet away they would be able to see everything that was happening.

    ¡°When do you think we¡¯ll arrive?¡± Yuying asked as Zhang made the cloud they were laying on descend and fly inches atop of the calm ocean¡¯s surface.

    ¡°Don¡¯t know, but I¡¯m sure the inheritance of a supreme expert must be hidden somewhere where few can go.¡± Zhang said as he looked up into the clouds.

    ¡°You guys can wake me when we get there.¡± Ai said with a yawn as she cuddled up in the puffy cotton-like cloud.

    ¡°It¡¯s getting pretty late, you three should rest a bit also. If something happens I¡¯ll wake you all.¡± Zhang said as he watched his wives with a caring expression on his face. By now the sun was about to set and night was quickly arriving, many hours had flown by since the journey began and countless islands and a vast amount of ocean had been left behind, however, the miniature metallic dragon was still soaring through the sky without any hint of slowing down.

    With a calm melody provided by the shifting waves, the beauties all quickly dozed off and drifted to the land of dreams as the sun departed and the moon and stars arrived to illuminate the dark skies.

    After his wives fell into a deep slumber, Zhang waved his hand and withdrew large warm looking blanket from his interspatial ring. Then with utmost care as to not wake anyone, Zhang gently draped the blanket over the sleeping beauties.

    ¡°Young Lord of the Blood Coral Cove, it seems you care for them very much.¡± A calm tone sounded into Zhang¡¯s mind.

    ¡°Of course I do, Lord Long Zhiming. If I didn¡¯t then I wouldn¡¯t have dared to offend you when that two old bag of bones threatened me.¡± Zhang responded through his divine sense as he looked into the direction where the group of cultivators from the Dragon God Palace were.Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

    ¡°It seems your words have a hint of truth to them.¡± Lord Long Zhiming replied.

    ¡°I assure you that everything I¡¯ve told you consists of only the truth.¡± Zhang said through his divine sense in a reassuring tone.

    ¡°If you can show your worth to the Dragon God Palace then I will guarantee that no harm will befall you and your wives.¡± Lord Long Zhiming said.

    ¡°Simply tell me what you want to be done, be it a mountain of blades or a sea of sizzling oil, as long as you can guarantee their safety then I¡¯m willing to do anything.¡± Zhang said as a determined look appeared on his face.

    ¡°Judging from the direction we are heading our path will soon by blocked by the Demonic Reef and we¡¯ll have to cross the Shoal of Serpents. As we cross the Shoal of Serpents, there a few a certain thing that I want you to retrieve. If you can do that, I will do as I promised.¡± Lord Long Zhiming said.

    ¡°If that is what it takes to earn your trust my lord, simply tell me what you want me to acquire for you.¡± Zhang said as a shower of questions arose in his mind.

    ¡°Demonic Reef? Shoal of Serpents?¡± Zhang thought as his imagination ran wild, trying to conjure up an image of the places Lord Long Zhiming mentioned.

    ¡°Good! When the time comes, I will tell you what I want you to retrieve.¡± Lord Long Zhiming said before cutting off communication with Zhang.

    ¡°As long as I don¡¯t have to retrieve anyone¡¯s head everything will be fine and according to plan.¡± Zhang thought as a slightly devious grin surfaced on his face for a fraction of a second before disappearing without a single trace as his eyes once again gazed down at his four wives who were sleeping cozily atop the fluffy cloud.

    With the moon¡¯s luminescent rays shining down upon them further amplifying their appeal, and a curtain of constellations looming up above acting as accessories, the four beauties seemed otherworldly as Zhang kept watch over them as they continued to slumber.

    Like a guardian made of stone, Zhang continued to watch the loves of his life without batting a single eye. Deep down to his very core he wished that moments such as these could last forever, sadly as life would have it, the sweetest memories usually only lasts but a flicker of a moment while an endless amount of struggle and hardship awaited.

    ¡°Thank you¡­ Thank you for going on this journey they call life with me¡­ Thank you for keeping me from a dark bloody path...¡± Zhang said in a low inaudible tone as he stroked Yuying¡¯s silky reddish hair while looking at the other three beauties.

    Although it may seem to most that it was Zhang who was containing the beauties and keeping them from being cold-hearted murderers, it was, in fact, the other way around.

    It was the four beauties who were actually keeping Zhang from walking down a much bloodier path filled with death and destruction. Perhaps if they were not around, Zhang wouldn¡¯t even bother to contemplate the consequences of his actions and simply slaughter all who happened to stand in his way.

    Despite not currently being a holy man, had Zhang never meet Yuying, Ai, and Lingqi or had his love for Ling never come to fruition then it is certain that Zhang would have decided to seek revenge on the Siwang Empire already and would have surely left a trail of blood in his wake.

    Luckily as he encountered his wives one after the other, Zhang¡¯s personality had undergone many subtle changes. He no longer charged head first into danger without sparing a second thought and instead began to think about the future a tiny bit more.

    He also gained a slight sense of compassion that he had somewhat lacked before. Zhang would kill when necessary to secure his wellbeing and the wellbeing of the beauties but wouldn¡¯t needlessly slaughter. He would kill the mastermind but spare the soldiers who were simply following orders. He can forgive and forget those who had wronged him, something that many people would not be able to do if they were put in his shoes.

    While the old Zhang was more than willing to sacrifice himself for the people around him, the new Zhang was willing to fight to live another day with his loved ones

    Despite continuing to watch over his four lovely wives, while seconds soon turned into minutes and minutes soon turned into hours, and finally when night turned into day, Zhang did not seem the least bit fatigued at all, rather there was a faint smile present on his face the entire night. It was as if, simply watching the four beauties sleep, rejuvenated his body and his soul.

    Zhang continued to drift in a blissful state of mind until a deafening roar rang into his ears, shattering his tranquility and waking the four beauties from their trip to the land of dreams.

    Looking into the distance toward the miniature dragon, a massive chain of oddly shaped mountains came into view. This chain of mountains stretched across the horizon as far as the eye could see, seemingly without end, their peaks penetrated so high up into the clouds that it seemed like they could reach the heavens.

    ¡°Coral?¡± Zhang mumbled as he noticed that a few of these oddly shaped mountains resembled the shape of coral.

    ¡°Everyone should rest up a bit, we will soon reach the Demonic Reef and will have to pass through the Shoal of Serpents. Once we reach the Demonic Reef and enter the Shoal of Serpents, I advise everyone to be on high alert or risk losing their lives. This place is extremely dangerous.¡± Master Shan Jin¡¯s voice echoed through the air as he warned everyone of the dangers that were to come.

    ¡°Master Shan Jin, what makes the Demonic Reef and Shoal of Serpents so dangerous?¡± Zhang asked.

    ¡°The entirety of the Demonic Reef is covered in what is called, Black Thorn Coral. Anyone or anything that is caught by the Black Thorn Coral and infected by its venom is turned into stone and becomes a part of the Demonic Reef, regardless of whether they are regular cultivators or high saints...¡± Master Shan Jin said, sending chills down the spines of many of the people who had never been to the Demonic Reef before.

    ¡°Although they are very dangerous, the Black Thorn Coral are usually dormant during the day so we should be fine as long as nothing unusual happens. As for the Soul of Serpents, it is a large sand bar that happens to be the only path that cuts through the Demonic Reef within a thousand miles. Cushioned between two steep cliffs, it is the den of a large number of ancient demonic beasts. When these ancient demonic beasts work together they are powerful enough to slay full saints and ripe apart high saints.¡± Master Shan Jin said.

    ¡°However as long as no one takes flight and everyone proceeds on foot, we shouldn¡¯t be attacked.¡± Master Yu Xui said in a reassuring tone.

    ¡°How long will it take us to pass the Shoal of Serpents on foot?¡± Zhang asked.

    ¡°Roughly a day should be all it takes if no one dallies. I will deactivate the Dragon¡¯s Compass now and after an hour¡¯s rest we will resume our journey and head toward the Shoal of Serpents.¡± Lord Long Zhiming¡¯s voice could be heard in the distance as he could be seen flying toward a small island covered entirely in white colored sand.

    Soon after hearing Master Shan Jin, Master Yu Xui, and Lord Zhiming, everyone present flew toward the small sandy island to rest, however, that was not the case for Zhang and the beauties.

    ¡°Darling, let¡¯s go and have a look, I want to collect some of that venom that Master Shan Jin was talking about. If I can get a sample maybe I can brew some of my own.¡± Lingqi said while her eyes twinkled with excitement. Like any other poison user, upon hearing about a poison that can petrify, Lingqi was instantly intrigued.

    ¡°Can we, please? As long as we are careful nothing should happen.¡± Lingqi begged after Zhang fell into deep thought after hearing her request.

    ¡°Yea let¡¯s go have a look.¡± Ai said in an energetic voice.

    ¡°You know these two will keep bugging you until you let them go.¡± Ling said with a laugh.

    ¡°Fine, let¡¯s go. But if there is even the slightest hint of danger we are heading back here until everyone else begins to move.¡± Zhang said in a stern voice as he couldn¡¯t bring himself to turn Lingqi down after seeing the pleading expression she was making.

    ¡°Master Shan Jin, Master Yu Xui, we are going to have a look around the reef, if anything we¡¯ll meet you all at the entrance into the Shoal of Serpents.¡± Zhang said before he made the fluffy cloud that the group was standing on speed through the air and toward the Demonic Reef.

 Chapter 226: Black Thorn Coral

    As Zhang came closer and closer to the Demonic Reef, what appeared to be oddly shaped mountains from afar all turned out to be gigantic pieces of coral that were stacked atop one another. There was also a large assortment of petrified remains belonging both humans and demonic beasts scattered about. With tattered articles of clothing still draped around them and weapons in hand, these statues appeared as if they could spring back to life at any moment and attack any who dare set foot onto the Demonic Reef, causing an eerie chill to tingle down Zhang¡¯s spine, prompting him to move closer to where the beauties were seated atop the fluffy cloud the group was riding.

    ¡°Once we make our way onto land, be sure to stick close and not wonder.¡± Zhang said in a stern voice to his wives as he surveyed the sandy beaches of the Demonic Reef, trying to see if anything was out of the ordinary.

    ¡°Just to be sure that nothing unexpected happens¡­¡± Zhang mumbled as he used his divine sense to sweep the surrounding air while employing the power of the Underworld Heart and crystallizing the essence in the air into a hundred nearly transparent swords.

    With a flick of his wrist, Zhang sent the one hundred blades of crystalized essence plunging into the sandy beach and into a few of the petrified statues that were nearby, in a flash a small sandstorm was created while a dozen or so of the petrified statues crumbled into bits and pieces.

    ¡°Alright, looks like it¡¯s safe for now.¡± Zhang said as he disembarked from the fluffy cloud.

    ¡°Ohh, what¡¯s that?¡± Ai¡¯s voice could be heard as she could be seen making her way toward a pile of rubble that used to be a petrified statue and picking up a glossy looking ring.

    ¡°Brother! Look at what I found!¡± Ai yelled in a cheerful tone while an angelic smile appeared on her face as she held up the glossy looking ring for Zhang to see.

    ¡°Interspatial rings¡­¡± Zhang mumbled as a thought of realization suddenly popped into his mind. Undoubtedly, most if not all of the statues present on the Demonic Reef had once been cultivators or powerful demonic beasts who had meet their untimely end at the hands of the Black Thorn Coral, meaning whatever items that were still present on these statues were all magical items.

    ¡°Looks like there is some treasure for us to collect.¡± Zhang said with a laugh as his eyes gleamed with excitement.

    ¡°Darling don¡¯t forget that we are here to collect some Black Thorn Coral venom.¡± Lingqi laughed as she walked alongside Zhang toward the petrified remains of an intimidating looking man who had a partially rusty blood red colored spear in hand.

    ¡°I¡¯m sure if we follow the statues we¡¯ll eventually run into what we had come here looking for.¡± Zhang said with a laugh as he reached out his hand and caused the petrified statue of the intimidating man to crumble into bits before collecting the blood colored spear and a golden colored ring.

    Although it was slightly rusted, Zhang stored away the blood colored spear into his own interspatial ring anyway, before quickly inspected the contents within the golden ring that he had just obtained.

    ¡°Gold.¡± Zhang mumbled in a happy tone as he found a vast fortune of ancient looking gold coins stored within the golden interspatial ring. There were also a few intriguing looking weapons along with a vast collection of what would have once been medical herbs, but sadly it seemed as if too much time had passed and all of the herbs had gone bad.

    ¡°Seems like you found something good.¡± Yuying teased as she saw how wide the grin on her husband¡¯s face had become.

    ¡°Should have seen the look on my face after we first met.¡± Zhang responded with a chuckle as he waved his hand and utilized the power of the Underworld Heart to create hundreds of levitating swords that soon took flight and stabbed themselves into all of the petrified statues in the surrounding area before disappointing into essence and returning to the great flow once again.

    Afterward, Zhang channeled the power of the Underworld Heart again and with a wave of his hand made an assortment of items gather in front of him in a large pile before storing them all away into his interspatial ring.

    Moving from one area to the next Zhang and the beauties soon acquired an untold amount of riches and magical treasures. One could only imagine the innumerable number of people who had lost their lives to the Black Thorn Coral and the fortune that had been accumulated here over the years.

    As dangerous as the Demonic Reef was, it was also a treasure trove for those who were brave enough to step onto its shores.

    ¡°Over there.¡± Lingqi said while pointing into the distance toward a large cavern where many petrified statues could be seen.

    ¡°That¡¯s might be where the Black Thorn coral resides during the day.¡± Yuying said as she scanned the opening of the cavern.

    ¡°Shall we?¡± Zhang said with a laugh as he gestured for his wives to proceed in a gentlemanly manner.

    ¡°It seems we shall.¡± Lingqi said while chuckling and walking toward the cavern with brisk steps.The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

    As Zhang and the beauties made their way through what seemed like a forest of statues, they couldn¡¯t help but notice and become intrigued by the expressions on the faces of the petrified statues. Trapped in time with the final moments of their lives perfectly captured, these statues conveyed countless different emotions.

    There were a few who stood resolute in the face of death with their chest out and heads held high, there were some who cowered in fear and despair and others who seemed to become the epitome of hatred and anger. What caught Zhang¡¯s attention the most, was a petrified statue of a man standing in front a group of cowering people, acting as their protector moments before their death.

    ¡°Upon facing one¡¯s final moments it seems things like beauty, power and status don¡¯t play a role at all.¡± Ling said as she gazed at one statue after the other.

    ¡°In the end, it all comes down to a person¡¯s character. Sometimes the noblest of kings can fail to compare to the most unfortunate of beggars.¡± Zhang agreed as he saw a few statues that were clad in expensive silk robes with expressions of utter despair. These statues had undoubted once been people of high social status, perhaps nobility.

    ¡°This place kind of reminds me of the Underworld¡­ The eerie silence, the deathly gloom and the endless anguish and despair... It¡¯s becoming somewhat depressing¡­¡± Yuying said with a frown as the group arrived at the entrance to the cave.

    Snapping his fingers once, Zhang conjured four flicker orbs of fire and with a thought sent three of them soaring into the cavern to light his path. Keeping one orb of fire floating over his head while withdrawing the Rising Moon Sword from his interspatial ring, Zhang took the lead and walked into the cavern.

    Just like the forest of stone outside, the inside of the large cavern was also littered many statues, making it rather hard to navigate. Normally Zhang would have turned all of the statues into rubble to create a clear path, however, he currently felt that he should refrain from doing so.

    If what they were looking for was truly lurking within this cavern, Zhang believed it would be best not to cause too great of a commotion unless needed.

    Hoping to quietly navigate the cavern and not attract any unwanted attention, Zhang gestured to the beauties to follow closely behind him while remaining silent.

    Continuing deeper and deeper into the cavern, the group noticed thousands of strange looking coin sized tunnels. These tiny tunnels had been cut into the solid cavern walls and were all the exact same size as each other.

    ¡°Be careful everyone.¡± Zhang said through his divine sense to the beauties as the cavern began to become narrower and a faint light came into view off in the distance, a light at the end of a tunnel one might call it.

    Gripping the Rising Moon Sword tightly, Zhang soon found himself in a large underground chamber that was partially lit by a few glowing crystals. At the center of this chamber was a large lake of pitch black liquid, surrounded by a dozen or so petrified statues, whose bodies were slightly submerged into the lake.

    ¡°Darling if you could please get me a sample of that water.¡± Lingqi said in a soft tone while looking at Zhang with big round eyes, prompting him to create a crystal jar using the Underworld Heart and using it to retrieve some of the black liquid.

    ¡°If it¡¯s what we are here to obtain, don¡¯t get any of it on yourself.¡± Zhang warned, hoping his wife doesn''t become a part of the forest of stone statues that covered the Demonic Reef.

    ¡°If I¡¯m gone then there you¡¯ll be able to spend more time with the others.¡± Lingqi said while sticking out her tongue as she retrieved a pair of gloves from her interspatial ring and slipped them onto her delicate looking hands.

    Careful not to spill anyone herself, Lingqi withdrew an ordinary looking flower from her interspatial ring and proceeded to dip it into the jar of black liquid. To her amazement, upon coming in contact with the flower, the black colored liquid appeared to have come alive and began to crawl up the flowers stem and toward Lingqi¡¯s hand.

    Caught by surprise and startled, the crystal jar filled with black liquid slipped out of Lingqi¡¯s hand and began to fall toward the ground.

    Luckily, mere moments before the crystal jar was going to impact the ground and splatter the black liquid everywhere, a purple colored pulse of essence enveloped it and caused it to levitate back into the air.

    ¡°Did any of the Black Thorn Coral venom get on you?¡± Zhang asked in a worried tone as he watched the black liquid ooze out from the top of the crystal jar and the flower that Lingqi had dipped into it turn into solid stone.

    ¡°Th-they were wrong¡­ We need to leave¡­¡± Lingqi said in a slightly frightened tone, contrary to her usual demeanor, ignoring Zhang¡¯s question.

    ¡°Who was wrong?¡± Zhang asked with a perplexed expression.

    ¡°That isn¡¯t the Black Thorn Coral¡¯s venom¡­ That is what they call the Black Thorn Coral¡­ There isn¡¯t a poison that can petrify high saints, but there is a colony of tiny demonic beasts that can consume high saints¡­ The stone statues are just the waste left behind once these creatures finish eating all of the organic material on a person¡¯s body¡­ We need to leave right now¡­¡± Lingqi said in a grave tone.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go then!¡± Zhang yelled after seeing how shaken Lingqi was, however, it was too late.

    Through the countless coin sized tunnels burrowed into the cavern walls, a flood of tiny demonic beasts had already blocked the only way out.

    To make things worse, the lake composed of tiny Black Thorn Coral rose up and formed into a giant snakelike blob that seemed to gaze down at Zhang and the beauties, as if it was waiting for the perfect expressions to appear on their faces, perfect expressions that would forever be preserved in stone.

    ¡°Singularity!¡± Zhang roared as a tiny black speck appeared in the air, exerting an unbelievable gravitational pull upon the colony of Black Thorn Coral. Much to Zhang¡¯s joy, a portion of the Black Thorn Coral that was covering the exit was sucked up into the air by the singularity he had created, opening up a path for him and the beauties, showering them with a ray of hope. A ray of hope was taken away a fraction of a second later when more Black Thorn Coral flooded in from the openings in the cavern wall and blocked the exit once again.

    There were simply too many Black Thorn Corals for Zhang¡¯s singularity to work.

    ¡°Yuying, can you use any of your magic on them? I think I might be able to burn them, but I would need to use a very large amount of fire to do so.¡± Zhang said as he saw his ability fail to provide an accurate solution for their predicament.

    ¡°No! They are too small!¡± Yuying replied as she tried to come up with a proper plan of action.

    ¡°Maybe this will work¡­¡± Ling said in a calm tone as she waved her hand and made large wooden barrels of water appear beside her. Bending the essence around her, Ling made the wooden barrels burst and unleashed a powerful tidal wave at the colony of Black Thorn Coral.

    As if it contained the power of a raging water dragon, the tidal wave swept away the wall of Black Thorn Coral that covered the exit and smashing apart all of the stone statues that Zhang he yet to destroy.

    ¡°Freeze!¡± Ling said while covering the walls of the cavern with water and blocking the countless coin sized tunnels with ice, preventing more Black Thorn Coral from oozing into to the chamber.

    Channeling her essence once more, Ling carried everyone away by creating four miniature tidal ways underneath their feet,

    Of course, they were not out of the woods yet, because moments after the group exited the cavern, the colony of Black Thorn Coral that occupied the large lake within the cave could be seen also making it¡¯s way out.

    ¡°As long as we can get to the ocean I¡¯ll have enough water to freeze all of them!¡± Ling said in a reassuring tone as the water underneath her feet surfaced across the ground.

    ¡°Sis, this is pretty fun!¡± Ai said, despite the dangerous situation the group was in.

    ¡°We can do this again when there aren¡¯t any flesh-eating demonic beasts chasing after us!¡± Zhang said as ten crimson fireballs ignited in the air around him and sped toward a large black spike made up entirely of Black Thorn Coral shot up from the ground nearby, smashing it apart and lighting it on fire.

    Before long, a dozen more, black colored spikes shot out from the ground and began to twist and turn in the air as they homed in on Zhang and the beauties.

    ¡°Brother! Sis!¡± Ai yelled in a panicked stricken voice as a blackthorn charged toward her. Within the entire group, Ai was the only person who relied solely on melee attacks, making the Black Thorn Coral the worst possible enemy she could possibly encounter.

    ¡°It''s okay, as long as I¡¯m here, I won¡¯t let anyone or anything harm a single strand of hair on any of you.¡± Zhang said as a fireball shot passed Ai and engulfed the black spike, turning it into char.

 Chapter 227: Time to Think

    After saving Ai from what would be a horrid fate, the group continued forward toward the ocean with utmost speed. However, they soon found their path blocked once again by the colony of Block Thorn Coral. Massive spires began to sprout from the ground, making their chances of escaping from the ground highly unlikely.

    ¡°Quickly! To the sky!¡± Zhang said as he sprung himself off of the ground and into the air. As quickly as Zhang acted, the massive spires began to branch apart and extend higher and higher until they loomed up above Zhang¡¯s head.

    Only once Zhang was in the air did he truly see the severity of the situation he and the beauties were in, an area with that took up roughly ten miles was dyed black by the Black Thorn Coral and countless spires were branching into the air, quickly forming into a cage.

    ¡°Burn!¡± Zhang roared as he created a dozen large fireballs that shot through the air and engulfed one of the spires of Black Thorn Coral, making a large pummel of smoke rising toward the heavens. Despite a large number of their kind being turned to char, the Black Thorn Coral continued congregate and swarm in toward Zhang and the beauties.

    ¡°Think Zhang! Think!¡± Zhang screamed in his mind as he tried to figure a way in which he and his wives could escape from the Demonic Reef. Sadly, no matter how much he racked his brain, all of the scenarios he was able to come up with, would all lead to an untimely end.

    One could say the colony of Black Thorn Coral was the first entity to place Zhang in such dire situation ever since his escape from the Underworld. Never had he been so cornered before, in all of his previous engagement, there was always a clear glimmer of hope, however, that was not the case here.

    ¡°Brother! I¡¯ll activate the samsara gate! We¡¯ll escape to the Underworld!¡± Yuying yelled as she too could not come up with any solutions either. Perhaps if the group was given a tiny bit more time to properly think straight they would not be so hard pressed, but that is simply not how life works, life waits for no one and there are times a quick-witted decision could either lead to one¡¯s demise or one¡¯s prosperity.

    ¡°Darling!?¡± Lingqi asked as she noticed Zhang did not respond to Yuying and was instead had a blank expression on his face, showing that he was in deep thought while the colony of Black Thorn Coral continued to close in.

    ¡°I-I Have a plan!¡± Zhang sudden yelled with a face full of excitement after a slightly long silence. During the long silence, after extremely taxing his brain, Zhang came to a realization, he had completely forgotten about a certain item that he had given to Yuying. A certain item that can

    With his full concentration focused upon the Rising Moon Sword in hand, Zhang conjured a massive singularity that looked like a miniature black, flameless sun.

    ¡°Yuying, open the Ruler¡¯s Domain!¡± Zhang said, prompting a glint to appear in Yuying¡¯s eyes.

    Making sure that he and the beauties were exempt from the powerful suction force being exerted by the singularity, Zhang watched as a countless of blobs made up entirely of Black Thorn Coral were sucked into the air, causing a few of the black spires nearby to crumble.

    Of course, as large as the singularity that Zhang conjured was, it was still unable to suck in all of the Black Thorn Coral in the surrounding area. In actuality only roughly twenty percent of the Black Thorn Coral present on the surface had been captured by the powerful gravitational pull.

    Without a doubt, there was a terrifying number of Black Thorn Coral still lurking under the depths of the earth, awaiting their opportunity to scurrying to the surface.

    ¡°Open!¡± Yuying, commanded as she activated the power of the Ruler¡¯s Domain and opened up a gigantic spiraling portal underneath Zhang¡¯s singularity.

    ¡°Dispel!¡± Zhang yelled as he canceled his technique and allowed for the Black Thorn Coral to rain down from above.

    ¡°Create!¡± Zhang said in a soft tone as he utilized the power of the Underworld Heart to its fullest, condensing thousands upon thousands of small crystal spheres out of pure essence and encasing small groups of Black Thorn Coral inside, before dropping them into the spiral portal that Yuying had opened.

    Although he couldn¡¯t be sure if the Black Thorn Coral could break free of the crystal spheres or not, Zhang felt there was no need to worry. If the Black Thorn Coral knew what was best for them and remained within the crystal spheres, he would have a trump card to use against his enemies, if they did not and broke free then they would still be stuck within the Ruler¡¯s Domain.

    Falling completely under Yuying¡¯s mercy, if she felt the need to eradicate them, then with a single thought she could turn the inside of the Ruler¡¯s Domain to a sea of fire or an icy hell.

    Though it may take a while, Yuying could also work her magic upon small groups of Black Thorn Coral at a time and eventually the group will be left with a massive colony of demonic beasts that are capable enough to devour high saints. By then they would be able to roam the earth, land, and sea without fearing. Even though there were experts who were more powerful than high saints, experts such as Long Shijie and the fallen master of the Sea Beast Sect, they were too few in number and the chances of encountering them were extremely low.Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

    Repeating what they had done, Zhang and Yuying continued to harvest large numbers of Black Thorn Coral at a steady pace as they slowly but surely inched toward the ocean.

    ¡°If we can catch their queen, we wouldn¡¯t have to go through the trouble of doing this¡­¡± Yuying said as she saw a hint of fatigue surface on Zhang¡¯s face, seeing streams of sweat roll down his brow and his tired expression made her a tad broken hearted.

    Nonetheless, Yuying could only bite her lip and continue working together with Zhang, inwardly cursing that her lack of power and resources had caused her loved on to strain himself, protecting her.

    ¡°I think it¡¯s time to leave!¡± Zhang said as he wiped off the sweat that had collected on his brow after harvesting what could only be called an enormous amount of Black Thorn Coral and have managed to come fairly close toward the ocean.

    Let¡¯s go.¡± Ling said while the other beauties nodded as they saw that there was no end to the number of Black Thorn Coral oozing out from the ground.

    Although the sky was still bloated out by massive black spires, thanks to the power of the Rising Moon Sword working in combination with the Ruler¡¯s Domain, the group wasn¡¯t worried about being overrun for the time being.

    However, to be able to occupy the entire Demonic Reef meant that there was likely to be a sea of Black Thorn Coral still hidden underneath the ground, meaning even if Zhang and Yuying wanted to collect them all, meaning they would most likely run out of energy before they could even manage to harvest but a fraction of the entire colony. If they ended up exhausting themselves due to greedily prolonging their stay, they would be entrapped on the Demonic Reef and have to face death¡¯s door yet again.

    Thus, with a great harvest, the group sped through the air with Zhang taking the lead by conjuring a total of four repulsing singularities to create a perimeter and hinder any Black Thorn Coral from coming near.

    ¡°With this, we can rid ourselves of the Dragon God Palace when the time is right.¡± Zhang thought as a jubilant smile appeared on his face. In the face of creatures like the Black Thorn Coral, the experts from the Dragon God Palace would be nothing more than a hearty meal.

    ¡°If anyone asks, be sure to tell them we only managed to collect a few useless things off the petrified statues before being attacked and fleeing for our lives.¡± Zhang said to his wives as he especially stared at Ai, who was known to blurt things out on occasion.

    ¡°Of course.¡± Yuying said as a devious grin appeared on her face while Ling and Lingqi nodded accordingly.

    ¡°I¡¯ll try not to tell anyone.¡± Ai said while awkwardly laughing as she noticed Zhang¡¯s stare.

    ¡°You better now or else I¡¯d have to punish you.¡± Zhang said jokingly as the group hastily made their way onto the beach where they dove into the shifting waves without hesitation.

    Cradled by the water, Ling waved her hand and created a large bubble of air would carry her and the rest of the group away from the Demonic Reef.

    =====================================================================

    ¡°My lord, it looks like they¡¯re not going to come back¡­¡± A middle-aged man garbed in golden silk robes said in a respectful tone with his hands clasped, this man, of course, was one of the few subordinates that Lord Long Zhiming had brought along with him to be a part of the initial exploration force.

    ¡°That is a shame¡­ I was going to have him collect a few things for me once we arrive at the Shoal of Serpents.¡± Lord Long Zhiming said as he looked toward the Demonic Reef, where dozens upon dozens of black spires could be seen piercing into the air, acting as a curtain and obstructing everything from view.

    ¡°Collect a few things? If I wish I can gather a few men and we can¡­¡± The middle-aged man spoke but was interrupted mid-sentence.

    ¡°Nonsense! Don¡¯t you remember who lurks within the Shoal of Serpents? Even though you are a high saint, don¡¯t overestimate your strength, Long Yuan¡­ I was not going to give the task to him because I thought he would be able to carry it out more smoothly than you, I was going to give him the task because he would be expendable¡­ If he can retrieve the thing I want then good, if not then his death won¡¯t have a slight effect on our battle potential. That is the difference between a lowly expendable dog and you, my trusted aid.¡± Lord Long Zhiming said as he looked at the middle-aged man named Long Yuan with a slightly unpleased expression.

    ¡°Tell the rest of our men to be on high alert, we will be needing our full strength when the time comes to take care of that bunch of rabble.¡± Lord Long Zhiming added as he glanced into the distance at a far-off island, the size of a person¡¯s house, where Master Shan Jin and Master Yu Xui could be seen meditating.

    ¡°Once his highness returns, they will all regret standing against us.¡± Long Yuan said with a snicker.

    ¡°You are thinking too optimistically, at his peak potential, no one in the Eastern Sea can compare to his highness, however after being away for so long it¡¯ll take some time for him to regain his powers. That''s why I was going to have them retrieve a few of those Phoenix Feather Lilies that grow on the cliffs of the Shoal of Serpent. With a few of those in hand, our plans would be propelled forward, nonetheless, it¡¯s only a matter of time before the Eastern Sea is ours once again.¡± Lord Long Zhiming said as something happening in the distance caught his attention.

    On the shores of the Demonic Reef, the spires of Black Thorn Coral were steadily shrinking. Like a subsiding tide, the colony of Black Thorn Coral was slowly burrowing their way back into the ground. Soon enough once the tide rose, what little evidence left behind of their fearful existence would be erased, once more shrouding the Demonic Reef in mystery.

    ¡°Looks like this fools didn''t make it.¡± Long Yuan said with a snicker, only to be awestruck mere seconds later.

    With a loud boom, a large accompanied by a dozen massive torrents, all consisting of water, shot up into the sky before raining back down into the ocean.

    ¡°We made it!!!¡± Ai¡¯s cheerful voice echoed into everyone¡¯s ears are Zhang and the beauties could be seen with disheveled hair and untidy robes, standing as a testament to their awful trip to the Demonic Cove.

    ¡°We¡¯re alive!¡± Lingqi yelled in a jubilant tone. Having suffered a near death experience Lingqi felt the need to vent her emotions to the heavens and thus continued to yell cheerfully. During the whole ordeal, she had contained her emotions in an attempt to steel herself and avoid affect the rest of the group, however now that everything was over, it was as if a giant weight had been lifted off her chest.

    ¡°It looks like they¡¯ll be of some us after all.¡± Lord Long Zhiming muttered as he saw that Zhang and the beauties were alive. Although he didn¡¯t care for them, the fact that he would have a few more lackeys at hand had made Long Zhiming slightly more pleased.

    In no time at all, Zhang and the beauties made their way back to the larger group and gave a vague account of what had transpired on the Demonic Cove. Of course, they made sure to leave out the fact that they had managed to harvest a large number of Black Thorn Coral, they also left out the part where the Black Thorn Coral actually consisted of many billions of tiny demonic beasts instead of a single massive entity. They were also sure to not allow Ai to speak during this account.

    ¡°The four five of you must have the heavens on your side for you to have survived such an ordeal. Had I known the Black Thorn Coral was active during the day, I would have begged you guys to not go.¡± Shan Li said with a happy grin plastered all over his face before making a somewhat apologetic expression.

    ¡°No need to be so down, Brother Shan Li. How could you or well in fact anyone have known that the Black Thorn Coral was also active during the day. I mean it seems like an established fact that the Black Thorn Coral is only active at night unless someone specifically disturbs it.¡± Zhang said while patting Shan Li on the shoulder.

    ¡°To think, by simply walking along the beach, we awoke the Black Thorn Coral¡­¡± Ling said with a sigh.

    ¡°I guess we are truly unlucky.¡± Lingqi said while shrugging her shoulders.

 Chapter 228: Shoal of Serpents

    After their little adventure on the Demonic Reef and filling their pockets with spoils, Zhang, and the beauties were brimming with energy. Of course, they made sure that everyone else believed that they were utterly depressed and were unable to make any gains at all.

    ¡°Xiao Gong, stay here and wait for the rest of our forces to arrive. Make sure no one sets foot onto the Demonic Reef and have everyone be careful when crossing the Shoal of Serpents.¡± Zhang ordered as the group readied themselves to cross the Shoal of Serpents.

    ¡°Once our forces arrive I want you to assume command. Keep an eye on the Dragon God Palace¡¯s forces and be ready to act.¡± Zhang said to Xiao Gong through his divine sense before following after Master Shan Jin, Maser Yu Xui and the rest of the group.

    ¡°Be at ease my lord, I will make sure our forces cross the Shoal of Serpents safely.¡± Xiao Gong replied while a glint flashed in his eyes.

    Although Zhang now possessed a way to deal with the high saints of the Dragon God Palace, he felt there was no need to rush things. Now that he was confident he can send Long Zhiming and the other experts of the Dragon God Palace on their merry way to the Underworld, Zhang had set his goals on obtaining Long Shijie¡¯s inheritance.

    Since it appeared that Long Zhiming knew quite a few secrets in regards to the inheritance, Zhang thought it would be useful to keep him around, at least until they arrived at where the inheritance was hidden.

    ¡°Lord Long Zhiming, we are nearing the Shoal of Serpents, if I may ask, what is it that you wish me to retrieve for you.¡± Zhang said to Lord Long Zhiming through his divine sense.

    ¡°Haha, I will tell you when the time is right. As a man of my word, if you are able to prove your loyalty to the Dragon God Palace and complete the task I give to you, I will ensure your safety and the safety of your four wives as well.¡± Lord Long Zhiming replied through his divine sense before glancing at Zhang with a glint in his eye.

    ¡°It is not that I don¡¯t think that you are a man of your word, my lord. I was simply hoping to prepare beforehand so that I can complete the mission to your satisfaction.¡± Zhang replied in a humble manner.

    ¡°I guess there is no harm in telling you beforehand¡­¡± Lord Long Zhiming replied after a slight pause.

    ¡°When we enter the Shoal of Serpents, after roughly half a day¡¯s journey we will arrive at a fork in the road. Although both paths will lead to an exit, the dangers lurking in them vary greatly. With the power of a full saint, one would be able to cross the path to the right with relative ease as long as one travels on foot. As for the path on the left, it was riddled with hidden dangers.¡± Lord Long Zhiming explained.

    ¡°The thing I want you to retrieve is of course hidden within the path on the left. If you can brave the hidden dangers and retrieve a certain flower whose petals appear to be made of fire, I will keep my promise. I¡¯m sure a man of your capability will be able to fulfill my expectations with ease. I¡¯m not someone to send others to their death needlessly.¡± Lord Long Zhiming said in a flattering manner, trying to get Zhang to believe that he held Zhang in high regard.

    ¡°Flattery and sugar coated words won¡¯t work on me¡­¡± Zhang thought for a second.

    ¡°My lord, I will be sure not to disappoint you.¡± Zhang replied in a happy tone, pretending to take Long Zhiming¡¯s flattery to heart.

    ¡°Then when the time comes, I will be awaiting your success.¡± Lord Long Zhiming said before cutting off communications with Zhang.

    ¡°A flower whose petals appear to be made of fire¡­ From this characteristic alone, that flower must possess some astonishing abilities or else someone with his status wouldn¡¯t bother with it. However, since that bastard doesn¡¯t dare to go retrieve it personally, the path to the left must be extremely torturous. At the end of things, they probably think that I¡¯m nothing more than a mere sacrificial pawn¡­ If I can obtain the flower then great, if not then their main force wouldn¡¯t suffer any losses.¡± Zhang thought as he inwardly cursed Long Zhiming for taking him as an easy to manipulate fool.

    ¡°Luckily for us, regardless of the dangers in the lurking in the left path, as long as we are careful and employ the Black Thorn Coral when necessary, I doubt that we will encounter any dangers. Since that is the case I might as well have a look and see what¡¯s so special about this flower.¡± Zhang thought as he was slightly intrigued in regards to the flower that Lord Long Zhiming wished for him to collect.

    Had Zhang not harvested the Black Thorn Coral, he would have most likely turned Long Zhiming down and caused their relation to instantly sour once he heard about the two paths across the Shoal of Serpents. Zhang would have instantly ended his act and declined Long Zhiming. However, since he was now confident that he and the beauties could travel through the left path without putting themselves in harm''s way, Zhang believed that keeping this charade in motion would help lower Long Zhiming¡¯s guard toward him, which would result in more favorable opportunities to rid the Eastern Sea of the Dragon God Place.Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.

    With a head filled with thoughts and schemes, Zhang and the rest of the group quickly arrived in front of a massive crack that split the Demonic Reef into two.

    ¡°We will proceed from here on out on foot. Make sure to keep to the sides of the cliff...¡± Lord Long Zhiming said as he and the rest of the experts from the Dragon God Palace descended and landed on the stony path that stretched on further than the eye can see.

    Following Lord Long Zhiming¡¯s example, everyone quickly descended from the sky and began to travel on foot, while making sure they were as close to the stone cliff wall as possible.

    ¡°Surprisingly enough, this place doesn¡¯t seem too dangerous at all.¡± Zhang commented after the group traveled roughly half a mile into the Shoal of Serpents.

    ¡°Yea, for something called the Shoal of Serpents, there doesn¡¯t seem to be too many serpents around.¡± Ai said as she scanned their surroundings.

    ¡°Looks can be deceiving at times.¡± Master Shan Jin said with a chuckle as he pointed into the distance toward a small seagull that was flying through the pass.

    ¡°A seagull?¡± Ai mumbled, seconds before she and a large portion of the group become completely stunned.

    As the seagull flew through the air, a massive shadow shot out from the side of the cliff. With rows upon rows of jagged teeth, a massive slimy frame, the shadow instantly trapped that seagull in a cage of teeth before swallowing it whole and disappearing back into the side of the cliff.

    ¡°Does this place seem dangerous now?¡± Master Shan Jin said with a chuckle.

    ¡°Wha¡­ what was that?¡± Someone asked in a shaken tone.

    ¡°Those are Ancient Fire Fang Eels¡­ Although many of them possess of saints level experts, they do not seem to possess the ability to shapeshift into the form of a human nor do they seem to have very much intelligence like other demonic beasts. Regardless of man or beast, anything that flies through here will end up clamped between their jaws.¡± Master Yu Xui commented.

    ¡°To be honest, we aren¡¯t exactly safe down here either, if we are unlucky or cause too great of a commotion we might end up in deep trouble also.¡± Master Yu Xui added, causing many people to shudder.

    ¡°So that¡¯s why we are staying close to the side of the rock wall¡­ From above, thanks to the rocks jolting out, those things won¡¯t be able to spot us as easily.¡± Zhang said.

    ¡°I should make sure Xiao Gong knows of this¡­ Or else our forces may never reach the other side... ¡°Zhang thought before sending one of the lesser saints who accompanied him back to inform Xiao Gong.

    Soon after, the group continued on their journey with utmost caution, hoping they don¡¯t find themselves sharing the same fate as the seagull that they had seen moments earlier.

    ¡°If I didn¡¯t have the Black Thorn Coral at my disposal and had to face more than one of those eels at the same time I would probably get ripped apart... Just you watch¡­ Once you run out of your usefulness I¡¯ll turn you into a stone statue... ¡°Zhang thought as his hatred toward Long Zhiming began to simmer.

    Continuing through the Shoal of Serpents, the group found themselves continually shrouded by uneasiness as massive shadows occasionally loomed above. Luckily for them, they did not arouse the attention of any of the Fire Fang Eels that lurked in the large caves up above.

    ¡°Stick close, everything should be fine. Considering how fearful animals are around Ai, even if we draw the attention of a few of those eels, they¡¯ll eventually scamper off.¡± Zhang said in a half reassuring and half joking tone as he winked at the beauties who chuckled in response.

    ¡°Hmph, if any of those things dare to come down here, I¡¯ll make sure to beat them to a pulp,¡± Ai said in a proud tone while lifting up her fist.

    ¡°Are they always like this?¡± Master Shan Jin who was standing not too far from Zhang¡¯s group asked in a whisper with a chuckle.

    ¡°From what little interactions we''ve had so far, it seems so...¡± Shan Li said as he couldn¡¯t help but shake his head at how carefree Zhang and the beauties were acting.

    ¡°Little Li, you need to learn more from them. In the end, a person¡¯s achievements in the path of cultivation all depend on whether or not they are willing to take risks in order to further improve themselves. If one is able to attain a state of mind where fear is no longer chaining down one¡¯s feet, glory, power, and honor are things that are simply waiting to be attained. Had I not been held back by fear for so long, my relationship with your father would without a doubt not have become as strained as it is now.¡± Master Shan Jin said to his grandson in a caring tone while letting out a long sigh.

    ¡°Success does not come to those who do not take the first step forward while failure is always waiting to consume the unwilling.¡± Master Shan Jin added, putting Shan Li into deep thought for a good portion of the next leg of the journey through the Shoal of Serpents.

    Since walking on foot took a considerably longer time then soaring through the sky, the morning sun that had risen upon the group''s arrival at the Demonic Reef was now steadily seeking beneath the horizon. With dense clouds blocking the beauty of the moon and the brilliance of the stars, the Shoal of Serpents given to the shadows.

    Despite the lack of visibility, no one dared to light any torches or employ any fire based techniques, due to the fear of attracting unwanted attention. Using the cliff¡¯s rock face as a guide, everyone pushed on through the darkness.

    ¡°Now would be the perfect time to¡­¡± Zhang thought as a mischievous grin surfaced on his face and his hand reached out.

    Unlike everyone else, thanks to the power of the Underworld Heart, Zhang was able to see the flow of essence in the air, and along with it the essence circulating in everyone¡¯s body. Which meant that he could see perfectly fine despite the lack of light.

    Abusing his powers for unrighteous purposes, Zhang took the opportunity to reach out and harass his wives one after the other in a playful manner until that group came to a sudden stop.

    ¡°Everyone, we¡¯ve reached our first stop. Let us rest for the night and continue our journey when the sun rises.¡± Lord Long Zhiming said in a low tone.

    ¡°First stop?¡± Master Yu Xui asked in a confused tone, not sure what Lord Long Zhiming meant.

    ¡°Over the years as I¡¯ve researched about Lord Long Shijie¡¯s inheritance, I happened to stumble upon a map of the Shoal of Serpents. Roughly one hundred thousand steps from the entrance, there is a supposed to be a small outpost built into the side of the cliff.¡± Lord Long Zhiming said as he reached his hand out in the dark and pressed into the cliff face.

    Surprisingly enough, a series of mechanical clicking sounds soon made its way into everyone¡¯s ears as a square shaped indentation appeared on the cliff face.

    With a gentle push from Lord Long Zhiming, the square indentation slowly swung inward, revealing a large hollowed out chamber behind the face of the stone cliff.

    Inside were dozens of rooms, many stone tables, and stools, along with a wide variety of other things such as dried rations and drinking water. If anyone were to be trapped within the Shoal of Serpents, this secret chamber would be an ideal place to hole up in.

    ¡°Alright everyone, feel free to make yourselves feel at home and pick out a room.¡± Lord Long Zhiming said while gesturing everyone into the hidden chamber.

    ¡°If I was him, I would attract the attention of the Fire Fang Eels and then hid away in here while everyone else gets ripped to shreds.¡± Zhang thought as he felt Lord along Zhiming was acting a tad too friendly.

    ¡°Judging from his character, he must be up to something or else he would have had the perfect opportunity to do away with everyone.¡± Zhang thought as he and the beauties proceeded to pick out a room for themselves to stay in.

 Chapter 229: What Danger?

    Highly suspicious of Lord Long Zhiming, Zhang secretly asked Yuying to place an inscription array on the stone door leading into their chambers, as a simple precaution.

    ¡°At the end of the day, we aren¡¯t the only ones capable of scheming against other people, just to be safe we should keep up our guard when we are traveling with the group.¡± Zhang said to the beauties after they sealed off their room and made sure no one could listen on their conversation by deploying a barrier around themselves.

    Judging from that man¡¯s demeanor, he has been acting too friendly recently¡­ People simply cannot change like that overnight.¡± Ling said as she stretched herself atop the only bed within the chamber while staring at the ceiling.

    ¡°It¡¯s not like it would be wise to trust those other two old fogies either. Our interactions with them have been shallow and to them, we don¡¯t possess anything beneficial to give. Regardless of wealth, power, and influence, I¡¯m sure we are all lacking compared to them.¡± Yuying said in her usual skeptical manner.

    ¡°In the end, no one can be trusted, sometimes even brothers bound by blood will stab each other in the back. Luckily for me, I''m blessed to be surrounded by people I can trust.¡± Zhang stated as he glanced at his wives while chuckling.

    ¡°Are you sure about that?¡± Lingqi said in a teasing tone.

    ¡°Maybe when you get all wrinkly and old, our sisters may lose interest in you.¡± Lingqi added with a playful laugh.

    ¡°At least we know it won¡¯t be the other way around.¡± Zhang laughed while sticking out his tongue toward Lingqi.

    ¡°Better notbe.¡± Yuying said with a chuckle while glancing at Zhang.

    With a room, full of laughter, Zhang and the beauties soon enjoyed a light meal in each other¡¯s company before getting some much-needed rest after a weary journey through the first leg across the Shoal of Serpents. Since there was no need to worry about lurking dangers, the group quickly fell into a deep slumber.

    Outside under a veil of moonlight, a lone figure could be seen drifting through the Shoal of Serpents in midair.

    If Zhang were to see this figure, he would undoubtedly recognize it as the mysterious man that he had seen before meeting Jian Wei. The same man that he had seen walking across the ocean shortly after returning from the Underworld.

    ¡°After nearly a century, everything is coming to fruition. To think after so many years, so many people and so many attempts, so many scattered clues and hints, that there''s finally someone who managed fulfill all of the steps required to make it this far.¡± The mysterious man mumbled to himself as he gazed down into the ravine, toward the outpost cut into the side of the cliff.

    ¡°Old friend, although the task you had left was not a simple one, it seems that you will finally be able to rest in peace now. Soon once everything is ready, I''ll be able to leave this lower plane and exact our long overdue revenge upon those three bastards¡­¡± The mysterious man said in a tone mixed with grief and anger before returning to the calm and slightly jubilant demeanor that he had prior.

    As the mysterious man fell into a moment of deep thought, the slithering serpents that resided within the Shoal of Serpents caught wind of his presence and quickly reared their hideous heads out of their lairs.

    ¡°Considering that a joyous event is about to happen soon and I''m not in the mood to needlessly slaughter if you pests know what''s best for you then leave before this old man gets angry.¡± The mysterious man said in a low tone as a dozen arching serpents bared their fangs at him.

    Ignoring the mysterious man¡¯s warning the Fire Fang Eels hissed angrily and released a dozen torrents of fire from their maws in unison, causing the night sky to light up.

    Being the unchallenged rulers of the Shoal of Serpents for hundreds if not thousands of years, these Fire Fang Eels did not know the meaning of fear. Considering they were capable of ripping high saints to shreds, what was there for such beasts to fear?

    ¡°Hmph!¡± The mysterious man snorted as a powerful wave of essence swept out from his body, causing the air and space itself to shiver.

    ¡°You want to play with fire in front of me? Laughable!¡± The mysterious man laughed as the dozen or so torrents of fire being spat at him twisted and twirled, bending to his will before dispersing into nothingness.

    ¡°Die¡­¡± The mysterious man muttered as the serpents surrounding him bursted into a bloody mist. In a fraction of a second, with little to no effort involved, a dozen or so Fire Fang Eels met their untimely end.

    Contrary to what one may think, the scent of blood left behind by the death of the Fire Fang Eels actually served to attract even more of their brethren.Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

    ¡°Wretched beasts¡­¡± The mysterious man thought as hundreds of fist-sized fireballs ignited in the air around him. Shifting into the shape of ravens, these first sized balls of fire shot through the air at unbelievable speeds.

    Like the harbingers of death, the storm of fire ravens, smashed into the swarm of Fire Fang Eels, instantly igniting whatever poor beast they came in contact with.

    Before long, only the smell of charred flesh and ashes remained as most of the Fire Fang Eels residing within the Shoal of Serpents were burnt to death.

    Ironically, a demonic beast that had the word fire in its name had been killed by fire.

    ¡°It seems I went a little bit overboard and ended up inadvertently helping them¡­ However, I guess it couldn''t be helped¡­ Consider this a reward for coming this far.¡± The mysterious man said with a laugh as a fiery ring ignited around him. A fraction of a second later, the fiery ring rose into the sky before being dispersed by a single gust of wind.

    As the fiery ring faded away, so did the mysterious man.

    ================================

    Without knowledge of the events that had transpired in the dead of night, as the first rays of day approached, Zhang and the beauties along with rest of the people seeking out along Shijie¡¯s inheritance resumed their journey through the Shoal of Serpents.

    With cautious gazes and quiet steps, the group continued on.

    Due to an ever-present oceanic breeze, the smell of blood and char had long since been blown away, leaving little to no trace of the one-sided slaughtered that had occurred.

    ¡°Everyone, stick close to the cliff walls, during this time of day, the Fire Fang Eels are most active.¡± Lord Long Zhiming warned in a whisper as he proceeded forward cautiously, eyeing his every step to ensure that he made as little noise as possible.

    Thus following, Lord Long Zhiming¡¯s example, the rest of the group pushed onward at a steady pace.

    After a few hundred steps, an odd yet terrifying sensation slowly took root as the group found that a dreadful silence has enveloped their path.

    The previously frightful shaking created when the lords of the Shoal of Serpents slithered across the earth could no longer be felt. The occasional hissing that drifted down from above could no longer be heard, only a deathly silence was present.

    ¡°It¡¯s as if they all up and died.¡± Ai muttered in a low tone, causing a pleasant thought to appear in everyone¡¯s mind.

    ¡°Nonsense, everyone pick up the pace, something is amiss¡­¡± Lord Long Zhiming said as he instantly shot down Ai¡¯s thoughts, causing her to snort in response.

    ¡°It''ll be good if they all up and died. That would make things much simpler for us.¡± Zhang thought with a chuckle as he saw that they were quickly approaching a fork in the road.

    ¡°Master Yu Xui and Master Shan Jin, when we arrive at the fork in the road, I will be leading my group to the left.¡± Zhang said through his divine sense.

    ¡°The path to the left? Why would you do that? As I''ve heard, the path to the left is many times more dangerous than the path to the right.¡± Master Yu Xui replied through his divine sense with a hint of worry in his tone.

    ¡°I was asked to retrieve a certain something in order to gain along Zhiming¡¯s trust. Rest assured I have my own means of keeping myself and my people safe.¡± Zhang responded.

    ¡°If the situation becomes too dire, protecting your life is more important than gaining that bastard¡¯s trust.¡± Master Shan Jin said before Zhang cut off communications with him and Master Yu Xui.

    Thus, when the time came to splinter off from the group, Zhang, the beauties and their group of followers without stirring too many questions or gazes.

    After walking a substantial distance down the left path, from what Zhang could tell, the only major difference between the two paths was the fact that path to the left was partially basically a sandy and partially covered in water while the path to the right was composed of solid stone.

    ¡°Besides being knee deep in water, this isn''t too bad¡­¡± Zhang murmured.

    ¡°Maybe they are afraid that the sound of splashing water might attract a few Fire Fang Eels.¡± Ling stated.

    ¡°Maybe they are afraid of getting themselves wet.¡± Ai said with a chuckle, causing the rest of the group of snicker.

    What they did not know was if they had walked this same path a day prior, there would have been roughly triple the number of Fire Fang Eels present compared to the other path.

    There might have even been a few eels waiting in the sand for their next meal, making it near impossible to not have a run in with a Fire Fang Eel or two.

    One must know that when one or two Fire Fang Eels were attracted, a whole horde of them all were. With three times the number of Eels and three times the chance of encountering one, the path to the left would have certainly spelled death for most.

    Luckily, most of the Fire Fang Eels had been scattered to the four winds and those that had survived were too afraid to leave their dens for the time being.

    So, without any Fire Fang Eels to hinder them, Zhang, the beauties and their subordinates were able to move at long at a fairly quick pace all the while keeping their guard up in case any dangers were lurking about.

    Before long the group, Lingqi in particulate, spotted three peculiar looking flowers growing on the side of the cliff. With fiery feather life petals, not only did these flowers look otherworldly they also gave off a mystical and divine aura.

    ¡°Phoenix Feather Lilies¡­¡± Lingqi mumble as her inner self, screamed in excitement. As someone who practiced both medicine and pill concocting, upon seeing such an odd and unique plant, Lingqi couldn''t help but be mesmerized.

    ¡°If you want, I can''t pick a few for you. He did say that we only needed to retrieve one lily.¡± Zhang said as he saw how feverishly his wife was gazing toward the cliff.

    ¡°The question isn''t whether or not how many they want; the question is how many we can retrieve without attracting any unwanted attention.¡± Lingqi said with a slight giggle as she felt a tinge of warmth deep into her heart after hearing Zhang volunteering to go retrieve a few Phoenix Feather Lilies for her.

    ¡°If it''s just retrieving a few flowers, I could do it with my eyes closed. If a few of those pesky things show up, we might end up having grill eel for lunch. Zhang chuckled while putting on a fearless expression.

    With a thought, Zhang¡¯s shadow began to wiggle and come to life as a small group of Abyssal Beasts shaped like mice scurried out from the dark depths.

    Not needing to be given any kind of directions, a group composed of nine Abyssal Mice skillfully ascended the cliff face at an uncanny speed.

    Splitting up into teams of three, upon arriving at where the three Phoenix Feather Lilies were sprouting out from, they began to burrow and dig away the dirt and rock keeping the lilies rooted.

    Being needlessly cautious and hoping not to make too much noise, Zhang employed the power of the Underworld Heart to prevent any of the rocks being broken loose by the Abyssal Mice from falling downward.

    Slowly, lowering the levitating rocks to the ground and into the water, Zhang waited for the Abyssal Mice to finish their work and collect the Phoenix Feather Lilies for him.

    Before long, three fiery lilies were presented to Zhang, who in turn gave two to Lingqi while depositing one away into his interspatial ring for Lord Long Zhiming.

    ¡°This flower can probably be used to make a wide variety of different healing pills. Each petal is brimming with so much vitality that if I were to give ground it to a paste and dilute its potency to a hundredth of a fraction of its currently at now, it would probably still be powerful enough to help an injured saint regrow a lost arm.¡± Lingqi stated after examining the Phoenix Feather Lilies in her hand briefly.

    ¡°Consuming a single petal would probably allow someone to push their abilities an extra fifty percent higher than usual.¡± Lingqi added.

    ¡°No wonder that old bat wants us to collect one of these for him¡­ For a regular saint, having one of these means basically have an extra life.¡± Zhang said before gesturing for the group to move forward.

    However, before they had even moved forward a few dozen footsteps, the group came to a sudden halt once again.

    Hidden within crevice underneath an overhang, were five more Phoenix Feather Lilies, ripe for the picking.

    ¡°This place is a treasure trove¡­ I don''t know why everyone thought it was so dangerous.¡± Zhang mumbled with a chuckle.

 Chapter 230: Fortune and Misfortune

    Upon seeing the five Phoenix Feather Lilies growing underneath the overhang, Zhang¡¯s eyes began to sparkle as a wave of excitement swept over him once again.

    After knowing the mystical powers contained within these flowers, Zhang couldn''t help but breathe heavily.

    ¡°If we manage to harvest enough of these things and turn them into pills, we can make a fortune selling them¡­¡± Zhang muttered as gleamed gold coins appeared in his eyes.

    ¡°Before you get too excited, look over there.¡± Yuying said in a low tone as she pointed to the cliff face opposite of where the five Phoenix Feather Lilies were growing.

    Following Young''s finger, from the corner of his eye, Zhang could see a fairly large cave that was cutting into the face of the cliff, a cave that was more than likely a place that a Fire Fang Eels could call its home.

    ¡°If you were to get those five flowers, then whatever is living in there will probably spot you.¡± Yuying said with a soft giggle after seeing the look that Zhang would make whenever he spotted a treasure that he wanted to acquire.

    ¡°But if I do it really quietly and really slowly, it won''t notice.¡± Zhang said in a slightly energetic tone.

    ¡°What do you guys notice there?¡± Ling asked as she pointed up into the sky.

    ¡°A seagull?¡± Ai answers promptly, as the rest of the group stood staring in deep thought.

    ¡°Young madam, is there anything special about that seagull that we are missing?¡± One of Zhang¡¯s lesser saint subordinates asked in a polite and respectful tone.

    ¡°What''s that seagull doing?¡± Ling asked as a faint smile crept onto her face.

    ¡°It''s flying.¡± Ai said as she stated the obvious.

    ¡°It¡¯s flying¡­ it''s flying!¡± Zhang mumbled before coming to a realization.

    Remembering back to the day prior when they saw a Fire Fang Eel shooting out of its den and swallowing a seagull alive, Zhang and the majority of the group finally noticed that something peculiar was happening.

    How was it possible that this certain seagull could make it so far into the Shoal of Serpent while flying?

    Obviously, from what they had seen before, the Fire Fang Eels were not picky eaters and would basically eat whatever was moving, be it man or beast, everything set in front of them is considered prey.

    ¡°Maybe they are hibernating¡­¡± Someone suggested.

    ¡°Have you ever heard of anything hibernating when it''s not even winter¡­¡± Lingqi said.

    ¡°Let''s sit back and observe a bit.¡± Zhang suggested as he waved his hand and retrieved a few chairs from within his interspatial ring, causing them to appear and poke out of the water¡¯s surface.

    As the day passed on as the group sat and observed the skies, a total of ten seagulls, a falcon, three doves and an eagle had flown by before the group concluded the cave opposite of the five Phoenix Feather Lilies was empty.

    From then they began to suspect that many it not all of the caves were currently empty.

    ¡°Maybe they migrated for mating season or something.¡± Lingqi said while shrugging her shoulders.

    ¡°Well regardless of what they are doing, it seems that it''s safe for us to retrieve those lilies.¡± Zhang said as the excitement in his eyes reignited and with it, the powers of the Abyssal Cape were unleashed yet again.

    In a flash, the five Phoenix Feather Flowers retrieved without issue and Zhang and the rest of his group resumed their journey once more. This time, however, the fear that had plagued them and the cautious approach that they had adopted were both slowly fading away.

    Before long, after a bit of thought, Zhang leaped into the air and began to soar through the sky, something that not even high saints dared to do within the Shoal of Serpents.

    If he had not witnessed a dozen or so birds and a few flying demonic beasts do so, Zhang wouldn''t have dared to do so either.

    ¡°Now this is much better.¡± Zhang said while chuckling as he levitated in the air before snapping his fingers and igniting two balls of fire that swirled around his body, drying his wet clothes.

    ¡°Me too! Me too!¡± Ai yelled as she arrived beside Zhang after seeing what he had done.

    ¡°Fine, fine, calm down.¡± Zhang said with a laugh as he waved his hand and ignited a few balls of fire to dry Ai¡¯s dress.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.

    Before any of the other beauties or any of his subordinates could ask, Zhang waved his hand and conjured a few fireballs to dry their clothing also.

    A moment later once everyone¡¯s clothes were nice and dry, the group proceeded forward, picking and Phoenix Feather Lilies that they happened upon. Thanks to the lack of people who dared to step foot onto the left path, and the ever so more few people who dared to scale the cliffs in order to retrieve the Phoenix Feather Lilies, Zhang, and the beauties were able to find and collect roughly a hundred of them.

    After these lilies are processed and turned into pills, even without the powers of the Underworld Heart, Zhang, and the beauties would probably not have to worry about treating their injuries for quite some time.

    As the group continued to fly through the Shoal of Serpents, although the thought of exploring the caves that littered the cliff wall for treasure had found its way into Zhang¡¯s head, he quickly dispelled it, figuring he shouldn''t push his luck too far.

    ¡°Judging by how ravenous those things were, I doubt there''s anything left from the poor folks that ended up clamped between their jaws. It¡¯s good enough that we¡¯ve been able to collect so many lilies.¡± Zhang thought as he persuaded himself not to venture into the lairs of the Fire Fang Eels.

    Facing an internal struggle, Zhang allowed his mind to drift and before he knew it, he found himself but a few footsteps away from exiting the Shoal of Serpents. Much to his surprise and joy, he and the rest of the group were able to make it all the way to the exit of the Shoal of Serpents in roughly half a day, whereas it would have taken close to three days to travel on foot across on foot.

    ¡°Everyone, quickly! Dirty your clothes and fake a few injuries... ¡°Zhang said as he quickly summoned an Abyssal Mirage Viper from his shadow and have it bit into his robes, leaving long shredded streaks behind.

    ¡°Quickly, in case the other group reaches the exit¡­ Since we¡¯re only going to give them a single Phoenix Feather Lily, we¡¯ll have to come up with a proper excuse as to why we were only to retrieve a single lily.¡± Zhang said with a snicker as he mustered everyone to follow his lead.

    ¡°Actually, half of you will backtrack through the ravine and hide until the rest of our forces arrive. Make sure to keep your presence hidden. As for the rest of you, if anyone asks we had a run in with a few Fire Fang Eels and lost nearly half of our numbers.¡± Zhang said, prompting half of the lesser saints and full saints currently following him to splinter off, while the remaining half began shredding their robes and self-inflicting minor injuries on themselves.

    ¡°If one wants to trick another, one must at least a bit convincing.¡± Zhang thought with a chuckle as he believed after seeing the sorry state he and the rest of his group were in, no one would doubt their account.

    Thus, while dressed in rags and ribbons, Zhang, the beauties and their subordinates sat waiting for the group lead by Lord Long Zhiming to exit from the other path.

    ================================

    Unlike Zhang¡¯s quick and very profitable trip, Lord Long Zhiming and the others were nearly driven mad by the uneasiness that had wrapped around their hearts due to the deathly silence that had risen after the disappearance of most of the Fire Fang Eels.

    ¡°Everyone move quickly, something is amiss.¡± Lord Long Zhiming said as an eerie and dreadful silence enveloped the entire ravine.

    Roughly half an hour after traveling on the path on the right at roughly about the same time as when Zhang had retrieved his first three Phoenix Feather Lilies, the group lead by Lord along Zhiming also stumbled upon a few Phoenix Feather Lilies.

    Seeing two fiery lilies sticking out from the side of a cliff, and just like Zhang, they found that there was a cave opening on the cliff opposite of where these lilies were growing.

    Finding themselves in the exact predicament as Zhang, there was also someone who pointed into the sky and directed everyone''s attention to a seagull just like Ling had done.

    With the same mindset as Zhang¡¯s group, Lord Long Zhiming¡¯s group also decided to observe the situation before acting and thus they waited.

    Soon after a five or so seagulls and other flying creatures cross through the ravine and about ten minutes had passed, everyone also came to the same conclusion that Zhang had come to.

    ¡°It looks like those things aren''t around at the moment.¡± Someone said as they eyed the Phoenix Feather Lilies with a greedy expression.

    ¡°Haha, if any of you wish to try your luck, go ahead. As for me, at this age, I prefer not to take any life-threatening risks. The members of the Golden Pearl Sect won''t be risking their lives either.¡± Lord Yu Xui said with a chuckle as he saw how feverishly everyone else was eyeing the two Phoenix Feather Lilies.

    Unlike Zhang¡¯s group that consisted solely of his own subordinates and his wives, Lord Long Zhiming¡¯s group was made up of many different factions that had their own self-interests in mind.

    So, without a doubt, there would be conflict sparked over the two lilies, seeing this, Master Yu Xui was wise enough to withdraw himself and his subordinates from the fray before it even began.

    ¡°The Starry Sea Sect has no interests in flowers either.¡± Master Shan Jin stated with a chuckle.

    ¡°The Dragon God Palace has no need for such things.¡± Lord Long Zhiming said with a laugh. As stated before, although he had asked Zhang to retrieve one, Lord along Zhiming didn''t particularly need to have a Phoenix Feather Lily.

    Yes, obtaining one or two would Phoenix Feather Lilies would help propel his plans a few steps further, however to Lord along Zhiming, conserving the strength of his forces was a much higher priority.

    After Master Shan Jin, Master Yu Xui and Lord Long Zhiming spoke, a few other forces that had wanted to avoid expending their battle potential stated their standing also, forces such as the Celestial Mermaid Bay.

    ¡°If none of you want it then don''t mind me!¡± A full saint garbed in green robes said as he shot up from the ground and sped toward the nearest Phoenix Feather Lily.

    ¡°Not too fast!¡± Another saint level expert yelled as he shot into the air also. Before long, a group name up of roughly fifteen full saints and two dozen lesser saints could be seen racing each other toward the two Phoenix Feather Lilies.

    Ignoring those who were contesting for the lilies, Lord Long Zhiming signaled for the forces of the Dragon God Palace and those who had stepped aside to move forward.

    ¡°If those fools want to gamble their lives, so be it¡­ However, I will not stand and wait to see the outcome.¡± Lord Long Zhiming said before he channeled the essence within his body and disappeared with a flash, only to appear quite a distance away.

    Throughout most of the trip through the Shoal of Serpents, everyone had refrained from utilizing their powers in order to avoid being detected by the Fire Fang Eels, however now that a bunch of people were flying about in the air, battling each other, there was no need to hold back any longer.

    Perhaps one could say that Lord Long Zhiming¡¯s instincts paid off because by a stroke of misfortune, a moment after a full saint had managed to overcome his competition and pluck one of the Phoenix Feather Lilies, a massive figure appeared and clamped it¡¯s down upon him.

    This particular Fire Fang Eel had happened to be hiding deep within its lair after luckily avoiding being slaughtered along with most of its brethren, however, due to the large attractive influx of essence within the air and a subtle hint of hunger, it pushed aside the fear that had been slowly subsiding within it and sought to obtain a quick meal.

    ¡°Everyone flee!!!¡± Lord Long Zhiming and a frenzy of other people began to scream as the sight of a Fire Fang Eel put their nerves on end, generally, because where there is a single Fire Fang Eel there is bound to be more.

    That is of course if most of the eels had not been wiped out the night prior.

    Quickly abandoning the thought of retrieving a Phoenix Feather Lily, everyone scattered at they tried to maintain their livelihood.

    ¡°Damned beast! Stay back!¡± A full saint roared with bloodshot eyes as he lashed out at the Fire Fang Eel after realizing the possibility of escape was slim to none.

    Brandishing a large heavy sword, the full saint began to channel a massive amount of essence as he attempted to unleash an attack powerful enough to slay the Fire Fang Eel in one fell swoop. However, before anyone was able to witness any kind of awe-inspiring technique, rows upon rows of razor sharp teeth bit into the full saint, instantly bisecting his torso from the lower half of his body while causing a gory mesh to rain down from the sky.

    In one way or another, if one could call it luck, after having its fill, after consuming two full saints and about five lesser saints, the Fire Fang Eel receded back into its lair.

    After their run in with the lone Fire Fang Eel and successfully escaping with their lives, Lord Long Zhiming¡¯s group proceeded forward with utmost caution, ignoring any and every sort of temptation that they happened to spot along the way toward the exit. Be it Phoenix Feather Lilies or rare and powerful looking treasures stick to the side of the cliff, nothing was worth risking their lives for.

    Ironically if they had bothered to retrieve any more treasures, they would realize that there weren''t any more Fire Fang seeks around to cause them any trouble.

    Thus, with extreme caution and a snail-like pace, Lord Long Zhiming¡¯s group did not manage to reach the other side of the Shoal of Serpents until an entire day had passed, causing Zhang and his group to sit in wait while dressed in rags.

 Chapter 231: The Soul, The Body, The Mind

    ¡°How much longer are they going to take?¡± Ai asked while yawning.

    ¡°Judging by the pace that we had traveled at before, they should be arriving at the exit any moment now.¡± Zhang said while looking at his wives and subordinates with a slightly apologetic face.

    Due to his orders, everyone had basically turned their clothes into rags and a few had even gone as far and inflicting wounds on their bodies so that Zhang could provide proof to his claims when he hands in only a single Phoenix Feather Lily to Lord Long Zhiming.

    With the sorry state, everyone currently was in, it wouldn¡¯t be too hard to convince Lord Long Zhiming and the other group that they had been attacked by Fire Fang Eels and lost nearly half of their numbers.

    However, there was one thing that Zhang forgot to factor in as he acted on the spur of the moment. He forgot to take into account the travel speed of Lord Long Zhiming¡¯s group.

    Unlike Zhang¡¯s group,after running into a Fire Fang Eel, Lord Long Zhiming¡¯s group did not get to enjoy the gracious gift of flight. Meaning they traveled on foot while keeping an eye out for nonexistent dangers, which of course would result in a snail-like pace.

    ¡°It¡¯s been about a day and a half, they should be coming out any moment now¡­¡± Ling said with a sigh.

    ¡°When they do remember to stick to the same story.¡± Zhang said with a slight chuckle.

    In a flash, roughly five more hours passed before Zhang¡¯s divine sense picked up Master Shan Jin and Master Xui Yu¡¯s presence. Signaling to the rest of his party, Zhang plastered a distressed and wary expression on his face.

    ¡°Master Shan Jin, Master Yu Xui, Lord Long Zhiming!¡± Zhang yelled as he began to run toward the other group.

    ¡°Lad, what happened? You look awful.¡± Master Shan Jin said in a worried tone.

    ¡°We were nearly wiped out¡­¡± Zhang said with a grave tone.

    ¡°You had a run in with the Fire Fang Eels too?¡± Master Yu Xui asked while noticing the sorry state Zhang and his group was in.

    ¡°All hell broke loose¡­ Brother Ren Tong was ripped into two¡­¡± One of Zhang¡¯s subordinates cried as he hugged his head.

    With Lord, Long Zhiming¡¯s party gathered around them, Zhang and the beauties began to spin an outrageous yet believable tale filled with self-sacrifice, brotherhood, love, death, and sorrow.

    Upon hearing Zhang¡¯s account, those apart of Lord Long Zhiming¡¯s party could not help but believe themselves to brimming with luck.

    ¡°If we had a run in like theirs, we would have been goners¡­¡± Someone mumbled as they felt a shiver run down their spine due to Zhang¡¯s tale.

    ¡°That poor llama¡­ If it was not for its sacrifice, then things would have been disastrous...¡± A female lesser saint said while wiping away the tears that had gathered in the corner of her eye.

    ¡°Yea, that poor demon llama¡­ Bless his soul¡­¡± Another lesser saint said.

    Thus, after making everyone believe their story, Zhang¡¯s group reintegrated themselves into Lord Long Zhiming¡¯s group.

    ¡°Everyone, I¡¯ll reactivate our little guide now, and we will continue on our journey.¡± Lord Long Zhiming said as he retrieved the miniature metallic dragon that had initially lead the group from his interspatial ring.

    Injecting a bit of his essence into the inanimate metallic dragon, Lord Long Zhiming caused its eyes to emit a blinding glow moments before a deafening roar sounded into the air.

    Before long, the miniature metallic dragon wiggled out of Lord Long Zhiming¡¯s hand and shot into the air where it began to soar about before resuming its course to where Long Shiji¡¯s inheritance was hidden.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Lord Long Zhiming yelled as he shot into the air following the metallic dragon.

    Not wanting to fall behind, one by one everyone else soon took to the air also, leaving behind Zhang, the beauties, and their subordinates.

    Withdrawing the magical carriage from his interspatial ring, before opening the door for the beauties to get on board.This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    ¡°After you guys get a change of clothes you can catch up.¡± Zhang said to his subordinates before waving his hand and sending the magical carriage flying into the air, joining it moments later.

    Once in the air, Zhang utilized the powers of the Underworld Heart and engulfed himself in a faint purplish glow.

    As the Underworld Heart began to work its magic, the torn threads on Zhang¡¯s robes slowly began to reattach to each other. Employing the power of the heavenly artifact, Zhang mended his clothes in a flash before landing on the driver''s seat of the magical carriage.

    ¡°Lord Long Zhiming, I was able to accomplish the task you had handed to me. When the opportunity presents itself, I will hand over the Phoenix Feather Lily I managed to retrieve to you. I apologize for not being able to collect more than one.¡± Zhang said in an apologetic tone to Lord Long Zhiming using his divine sense.

    ¡°You managed to get one?¡± Lord Long Zhiming replied in a slightly surprised voiced.

    ¡°Yes, my lord, although I lost nearly half of my men, I was able to retrieve a lily for you. I hope our prior agreement is still in effect.¡± Zhang responded in a sad tone that only someone who had just failed an important would use.

    ¡°Of course, our deal is still in effect. As I¡¯ve said before, as long as you can retrieve a Phoenix Feather Lily for me, you would have proven your worth and not only will your past insolence be forgiven but you will also be recognized as a member of the Dragon God Palace and by association, your wives will also.¡± Lord Long Zhiming responded cheerfully.

    ¡°Welcome to the Dragon God Palace, lad.¡± Lord Long Zhiming added.

    ¡°Please take care of me and my wives in the future, Lord Long Zhiming or shall I call you sect master.¡± Zhang said with a chuckle.

    ¡°Good, good, when you get the opportunity hand over the lily to me as soon as possible and I will give you a few lifesaving treasures. This part of the sea isn¡¯t very safe, there are many ancient demonic beasts that lurk beneath the waves. Like the Fire Fang Eels that live on the cliffs of the Shoal of Serpents, these beasts have lost the ability to shed their beastly shell and along with it their sense of thought and reason. Equipped with immense power the sole purpose of existence for these creatures is to devour and kill.¡± Lord Long Zhiming said.

    ¡°So, there are other beasts comparable to the likes of the Fire Fang Eels?¡± Zhang asked.

    ¡°Yes, this stretch of ocean has become a gathering place for many beasts like the Fire Fang Eels. Actually, compared to the Fire Fang Eels that reside within the Shoal of Serpents, the creatures that lurk out in the open sea are many times stronger. Perhaps it is because the Fire Fang Eels lack the strength to fend themselves out here that they live in the on land, where the stronger oceanic beasts cannot reach them.¡± Lord Long Zhiming said solemnly.

    ¡°Are some demonic beasts just born without the ability to shed their beastly skin? Or is there some kind of reason behind why?¡± Zhang asked, after a peculiar question popped up in his head.

    ¡°Let me ask you this, do you know what comes after sainthood?¡± Lord Long Zhiming asked.

    ¡°If I recall correctly, Lord Long Shiji, the founder of the Dragon God Palace and his father the master of the Sea Beast sect had both reached a realm higher than sainthood. They had become deities, right? Pardon me for my lack of knowledge on the subject...¡± Zhang responded.

    ¡°Yes, Long Shiji and Lord Long Jieshu had both break free of the shackles of sainthood and completed their second ascension. However, they did not reach the deity realm, in the history of the Eastern Sea and perhaps there has yet to be someone who had reached the deity realm. Both Long Shiji and Lord Long Jieshu had become half deities. Although both are considered the characters myths and legends and there is only a single word differentiating them, half deity realm and deity realm cultivators are leagues apart.¡± Lord Long Zhiming said.

    ¡°Half deities¡­¡± Zhang mumbled in his mind.

    ¡°Now let me ask you why do you think in the history of the Eastern Sea, there are only two notable half deity realm experts and while there are so many high saints flying around.¡± Lord Long Zhiming asked.

    ¡°That I do not know¡­¡± Zhang replied promptly, accepting his lack of knowledge.

    ¡°The answer is simple, everything is based on luck. To initiate one¡¯s second ascension and become a half deity is not very hard at all. There are only three requirements, the first is you must be a high saint, the second is you must have a sufficient amount of heavenly energy stored within your body and the is you must possess the guts to fall forth a heavenly tribulation.¡± Lord Long Zhiming said to Zhang, chuckling after stating the last requirement needed to become a half deity.

    ¡°Heavenly tribulation?¡± Zhang asked with intrigue as his mind brimmed with questions. Although Yuying was quite knowledgeable in regards to cultivation, she felt that the need to allow Zhang to learn things on his own, feeling that by sharing her immense knowledge with him, his growth would be stalled. Yuying had said knowing too much before the time came would do more harm than good. Thus, being the first-time Zhang had the opportunity to learn more about the world of cultivation from someone more knowledgeable than himself, he was quite pleased, even if he did not exactly trust not like Lord Long Zhiming.

    ¡°From the way, he¡¯s talking this type of knowledge doesn''t seem to be some kind of secret, so he shouldn¡¯t be lying, there is no real benefit to doing so. If anything, I¡¯ll ask those two old goats to confirm¡­ Or maybe my lovely princess from the Underworld will grace me with a bit of her knowledge.¡± Zhang thought as he waited for Lord Long Zhiming to reply.

    ¡°Unlike us saints, half deity realm cultivators aren¡¯t classed as lesser, full nor high realm half deities, they are classed by the number of heavenly tribulations they¡¯ve endured. There is a total of five tribulations, the first taking place right when one tries to become a half deity. Tribulation lightning will strike down from the heavens and test the will of all who try to transcend into a higher existence, those who wish to carve out a place for themselves in the stars.¡± Lord Long Zhiming stated.

    ¡°Unlike regular lighting that wouldn¡¯t even make a saint flinch, heavenly tribulation lightning is extremely terrifying and strikes down in many different variations. Sometimes it strikes the soul causing the weak willed to have their souls shattered into thousands of fragments, leaving but a hollow shell behind. Other times it burns the unprepared to ashes, leaving not even a single hair behind, causing one¡¯s soul to wander aimlessly without a shell to return to. To answer your initial question on why ancient demonic beasts, lack the ability to shed their beastly skin and morph into the form of a human, that is because their ancestors had once failed a heavenly tribulation. They were unlucky and faced against the worst and most infrequent type of heavenly lightning, the kind that attacks neither the soul nor the body, but the mind.¡± Lord Long Zhiming further explained.

    ¡°Unlike the soul and the body that can be strengthened through outside means, the mind is something that is developed and tampered solely by one¡¯s efforts. Some say the heavenly lightning that attacks the mind is a blessing, a test where one cannot fail, while other say it is a calamity that cannot be avoided. After failing this type of heavenly tribulation and losing their mind, a person reverts back to their most basic form. Human cultivators become beastly savages that kill and devour their brethren, seeking out highly populated areas to destroy, often losing their lives very quickly. While demonic beast cultivators, revert back to their beastly forms and their minds melt away, leaving the most primitive of thoughts behind. From then on any offspring they have would also be given the same kind of curse.¡± Lord Long Zhiming added.

    ¡°So, you¡¯re all of the Fire Fang Eels that reside in the Shoal of Serpents are descendants of a high saint who lost his mind during his heavenly tribulation?¡± Zhang asked in an astonished tone.

    ¡°That is correct, although we refer to them as ancient demonic beasts, not all ancient demonic beasts are that ancient¡± Lord Long Zhiming said with a chuckle before he and Zhang cut off communications from each other.

    ¡°Half deity realm¡­ I need to find a way to prepare for those heavenly tribulations¡­ If all else fails I can only pray that Yuying has a method to overcome them.¡± Zhang thought with a chuckle.

    As the magical carriage continued to soar through the sky, Zhang soon fell into deep thought as he tried to digest the information he had just acquired and try to come up with ways to prepare himself and perhaps the beauties for when the time came for them to ascend into half deities.

    If they managed to all succeed, Zhang was fairly sure there would be no one within the Eastern Sea and the Wulin continent that could threaten their lives anymore. They wouldn¡¯t have to worry about offending other people nor would they need to care about how power everyone was.

 Chapter 232: Lurking Dangers

    After being briefed by Lord Long Zhiming about half deities and the dangerous beasts the resulted from failed tribulations, Zhang couldn''t help be keep his eyes focused on the ever churning waves as his magical carriage flew through the air.

    Occasionally he would spot massive shadows lurking underneath the waves, shadows so large that they would make even the largest ships in the Aurora Navy appear miniscule.

    ¡°No wonder the Fire Fang Eels live in the Shoal of Serpents, feasting on scraps rather than venturing out here¡­¡± Zhang mumbled as he mentally compared the size of the Fire Fang Eel he had seen with the shadow of a massive serpentine creature lurking beneath the waves that he was currently looking at.

    At most, the Fire Fang Eel, would be a tenth perhaps a twentieth of whatever menacing creature this shadow belonged to.

    ¡°Those little things wouldn''t even be big enough to act as a toothpick for the things that live out here.¡± Zhang said as he spotted another massive shadow in the water.

    With utmost caution, Zhang along with Lord Long Zhiming and the rest of the saints present, flew high up in the air, hoping to avoid being spotted by the dangers that reside beneath them.

    Some may call it luck, others may call it the calm before the storm, but for most of the day, the group managed to travel unhindered.

    Zhang had retreated to the inner cabin of his magical carriage, joining his lovely wives for some much needed rest. Simply lying beside, each other and chatting, Zhang and the beauties allowed the day to drift by.

    As peaceful as the day was, once the sun descended below the horizon while the moon rose up from the waves and the night began, chaos ensued.

    Unlike the uneventful day which was filled with a serene sense of calm, as if the moon was calling to them, dozens of massive and hideous beasts began to break through the ocean''s surface and roar into the night.

    Due to the lack of rest and a long exhausting journey through the Shoal of Serpents, a few of the lesser saints had become too lax and less vigilant which caused a few of them to find themselves trapped within a cage of fangs as a few of the mysterious creatures dwelling in the waves shot out from the sea and clamped their jaws down upon those unfortunate enough to be their victims.

    As horrifying shrieks began to accompany the terrifying roars the filled the air, a hand full of lesser saints were dragged into the dark depths of the sea where they would meet their untimely demise.

    Once someone was caught by an ancient demonic beast regardless of what they attempted to do, death was unavoidable.

    While water and ice attacks only proved to be completely useless against these creatures who reside in the sea, fire attacks which should have been most effective were quickly extinguished by the vast sea, as for earth based attacks due to the lack of earth available they were not even attempted.

    When their immunity to the elements was paired with the massive size, which rendered physical attacks useless, these enormous monsters were a force to be reckoned with.

    ¡°If only we had someone who was well versed in soul attacks. Despite having powerful innate soul defenses, these things don''t know how to properly shield themselves from soul attacks.¡± Master Shan Jin said as he watched a lesser saint being dragged into the sea by what appeared to be a massive shark with two devil like horns sticking out from its head.

    After the loss of a few of their travel companions and subordinates, the group increased their altitude which helped greatly decrease the likelihood of becoming prey for the sea monsters.

    However as unlikely as it may seem, late into the night, after a few hours of which no one fell to the mercy of the beasts ascending from the depths had passed, the loud cawing sound of a group of unknown birds caused the serene silence that had enveloped the air to be shattered yet again.

    ¡°Everyone brace yourselves!¡± Lord Long Zhiming¡¯s voice reverberated through the air, causing Zhang and the beauties to peek their heads out from their magical carriage to see a mass of wings and feather soaring through the night sky.

    Under the moon''s bright rays, hundreds of blood red eyes and countless sharp talons gleamed as they came ever so closer to the group of saints.

    ¡°You guys stay in here.¡± Zhang said as he quickly flew out from the window of the magical carriage and withdrew the Rising Moon Sword from his interspatial ring.

    Waving his heavenly treasure once, Zhang formed a ring of repulsing singularity around the magical carriage, hoping to keep the beauties safe.

    From a quick glance, a total of fifty silhouettes could be seen shooting through the air at blinding speeds.Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

    ¡°Damned beasts! Be gone!¡± Lord Long Zhiming roared as imagine of a gigantic illusionary dragon appeared behind his back.

    Looking vaguely similar to the miniature metallic dragon, the illusionary dragon that Lord Long Zhiming had conjured snaked through the sky moments before opening its lifelike jaws and biting the air, catching one of the fifty flying silhouettes.

    Trapped within the illusionary dragon¡¯s maw the previously flying silhouette shrieked and cawed loudly as it struggled to get free.

    Perhaps if it were but a single ancient demonic beast, Lord Long Zhining would have been able to handle the situation on his own, however, there were a total of fifty crow like ancient demonic beasts.

    Similar to regular demonic beasts, weaker ancient demonic beasts often traveled in large flocks while stronger ones lived more solitary lives, only seeking out their kind when it came time to mate.

    Before long a wide array of color attacks light up the night sky as everyone joined in on the attempt to repel the flock of beastly crows.

    To everyone¡¯s surprise despite only being full saints, Zhang, and Jian Lei, the master of the Jade Serpent Sect, were able to each hold their own against a few of the ancient demonic crows.

    Utilizing the strength and unique powers of the Rising Moon Sword, it could be said that Zhang was the bane all of flying creatures. While the latter, Jian Lei appeared to be able to employ soul attacks, directly damaging the defenseless souls of the swarm of massive crows swooping in on him.

    Summoning one singularity after the other, Zhang was able to create something akin to a net in the sky. As massive and powerful as they were, the ancient demonic crows found themselves at the mercy of the powerful gravitational pull exerted by Zhang¡¯s technique.

    ¡°I will hold then in place; the rest is up to you guys!¡± Zhang yelled toward the rest of the saints present as a total of ten crows could be seen attempting to struggle free from the singularity holding them down.

    ¡°Good work, lad!¡± Master Yu Xui laughed as he shot through the air with a sword in hand, arriving in front of one of the crows caught by Zhang and hacking its head off.

    Upon seeing the death of one of their own, the rest of the crows fell into a frenzy, wildly flapping their wings and whipping up a cyclone storm of wind, which in turn made their razor-sharp feathers Alice through the air at extreme speeds.

    Anyone unlucky enough to be impaled by one of these giant feathers the size of a sword, would instantly have their day ruined, that is to say, if they were not instantly killed.

    ¡°Go and protect the madams, no need to stand around here!¡± Zhang ordered, all of his subordinates, prompting them to form a circle around the magical carriage the beauties were all in. Although the beauties were more than capable of handling themselves in such a situation, Zhang felt the need to keep their full capabilities a secret. He figured it would be better if everyone simply thought of his wives as mere trophies who relied on him for protection, that way they¡¯d be able to catch everyone by surprise when the situation called for it.

    ¡°These feathers would make for great weapons.¡± Zhang mumbled as he activated the power of the Underworld Heart and the power of the Rising Moon Sword at the same time, creating a bubble shaped sphere of essence around his body which shielded him from the deadly sword sized feathers. On top of shielding Zhang from danger, the sphere of essence also allowed him to safely collect and store away for later.

    Coming from beasts that could rip apart regular full saints, be it feathers, talons or beaks, everything could be considered a treasure.

    ¡°I need to remember to retrieve a few of their corpses for Yuying if I can.¡± Zhang thought as he watched Master Yu Xui slay yet another ancient demonic crow, sending its body plunging into the cold waters below where dozens of sea dwelling creatures awaited.

    As a blessing in disguise, a few of the dangerous creatures of the deep would occasionally launch themselves into the air, joining in on the intense fighting that was occurring in the sky and drag down a crow or two, serving to help dwindle down the number of ancient demonic crows.

    Ignoring their slowly decreasing numbers, the murder of crows continued their onslaught without regard, peaking lesser saints to death while cutting a few full saints to bits with their sharp feathers.

    Unceasing and ever escalating, the slaughter continued on as the saints attempted to hold their ground while the hungry beasts continued to attack and kill.

    ¡°Lightning!¡± Zhang yelled as red colored lightning was released from the tips of his fingers, branching across the air like the roots of a tree.

    Although the lightning was not powerful enough to slay the demon crows, it was able to envelop a large number of them under a cloak of electricity, slowing their movements greatly.

    ¡°Kill them! Kill them all!¡± Lord Long Zhiming yelled as he laughed in a hysterical manner as a nearly limitless amount of bloodlust was released from his body. Observing Lord Long Zhiming¡¯s current demeanor, it seemed as if he was an entirely different person. Rather than the usual calculating, cold and unfathomable image that had been built up in Zhang¡¯s mind, the current Lord Long Zhiming was easy to read as he appeared to be a person who simply lived to slaughter and bathe the land in blood.

    ¡°Kill!¡± The members of the Dragon God Palace all roared in unison as if they were infected by the bloodlust their master was unleashing upon the world.

    ¡°These guys are getting a bit too crazy, even for my tastes¡­¡± Zhang mumbled as he watched a member of the Dragon God Palace land on the back of one of the demon crows, tear off the poor monster¡¯s wing while ripping off its head and waving it around in the air.

    ¡°But I guess I can¡¯t complain¡­¡± Zhang thought as he swooped in and retrieved the two severed wings that had just been torn from the demon crow.

    While everyone else was focused on fighting and slaying the demon crows, Zhang was like a child in a candy store, covetly eyeing all of the demon crows as if they were flying bags of gold. If one thought about it, these giant crows were more like flying bags of essence stones rather than gold, since any part of their body could be sold for an extravagant sum of essence stones.

    Fighting on through the night and into the early hours of the day, roughly three fourths of the demon crows had perished while a fourth of the number of saints had joined them, it was only then did the demon crows finally retreat, leaving the saints with a bitter victory.

    That being said, Zhang did not lose a single subordinate thanks to the ring of singularities that he had conjured around the magical carriage, rather than lamenting the death of his comrades like everyone else, Zhang was inwardly celebrating the huge harvest he had obtained by picking up the aftermath of everyone¡¯s battle.

    If anyone were to actually keep a tally of how much everyone had contributed to the battle, then it was indisputable that Zhang had contributed a great sum, however, in the end, he did not have to dirty his hands a single time, never bothering to directly cut down a demon crow. However, no one could complain since Zhang had made his scavenging quite discreet on top of appearing all around the battlefield aiding everyone a bit.

    ¡°Everyone, there should be an island not too far from where we are, I suggest we rest there for a bit and treat the wounded before continuing onward.¡± Lord Long Zhiming said shortly after returning to his usual demeanor once the unusual bloodlust extruding from his body subsided and disappeared without a trace.

    Following Lord Long Zhiming¡¯s suggestion, the group licked their wounds and flew a few miles before landing upon a small island covered in trees. Once the entire island was scanned by divine sense a few times and nothing out of the ordinary was found, the party of saints descended and set up a small makeshift camp where the wounded were healed and a light lunch was distributed.

    ¡°If it hadn¡¯t been for you then things would have been much worse.¡± Master Shan Jin said in an uplifting tone as he patted Zhang on the back.

    ¡°Haha, if it wasn¡¯t for your battle prowess, Master Shan Jin, then regardless of what I did, things wouldn¡¯t have ended well.¡± Zhang said in a laugh while speaking in a humble manner.

    ¡°No need to be some humble, your abilities played a large part in our success.¡± Master Yu Xui said as he also patted Zhang on the back.

    ¡°Hopefully after showing a bit of my powers, both sides will be more interested in looping me in.¡± Zhang thought while he eyed everyone around him. As things were, Zhang was still trying to bridge connections and try to keep all of the high saint experts interested in recruiting him to join their side, since neither was he nor any of the beauties capable of fully defending themselves when faced with someone such as Lord Long Zhiming.

 Chapter 233: Beastly Battle

    After a quick rest, the group of saints quickly resumed their journey, hoping to reach their destination sooner.

    ¡°Sadly, I wasn''t able to retrieve any of the corpses of the saints who fell last night, but I did manage to collect quite a few of those giant crows.¡± Zhang said to the beauties as he sat at a round table located within the magical carriage.

    ¡°I might be able to use those to finish up those chimeras I was working on back home. The stronger the beast the parts belong to the more powerful the chimera will be.¡± Yuying said as her eyes lit up with a tinge of excitement.

    ¡°That''s what I was thinking.¡± Zhang said with a chuckle as he tossed an interspatial ring holding his harvest from the previous night over to Yuying.

    ¡°Of the opportunity presents itself I''ll try to fish up one of those things living in the water.¡± Zhang added remembering back to the short glimpses of the fearsome creatures that had propelled themselves into the air and dragged down saints and demon crows alike into the sea.

    ¡°Actually, instead of merely collecting their corpses, I would like to try and tame a few. Imagine commanding an army of monsters, each of whom are capable of contention get with a full or high saint.¡± Yuying said, igniting an array of fantasies within the minds of the other beauties and Zhang.

    ¡°If we come across any big and fluffy ones, their mine!¡± Ai said with sparkling eyes.

    With wild fantasies of leading an unstoppable army of saints, undead and monstrous beasts across the land, and planting their banner on all walks of land, Zhang and the beauties continued to converse amongst each as their magical carriage flew through the sky.

    ================================

    In a breeze, a couple days passed, each filled with more violence and bloodshed than the day prior. It seemed as if the further the group were from the Shoal of Serpents and the Demonic Reef, and the longer they stayed in their patch of sea, the more ancient demonic beasts they would encounter.

    The occasional shadow lurking underneath the waves was replaced by the sight of countless squirming beasts fighting amongst each other. Scaly serpents, monstrous abominations armed with countless tentacles and hideous looking terrors of deep could be spotted at all hours of the day, locked in combat.

    Although there were ancient demonic beasts dying every moment of the day, regardless of the sun was up or not, there would still be so many of them around that Zhang found it hard to recall a moment of the day when he was not watching these monsters battle with each other.

    Luckily for the party of saints, the ancient demonic beasts were either too busy fighting amongst themselves or already has their appetites sated after gorging themselves on the corpses of the countless creatures bobbing up and down the ocean¡¯s surface.

    To the ancient demonic beasts, a saint couldn''t even amount to a small snack, while on the other hand, the remains of the dead ancient demonic beasts which were hundreds of thousands of times larger were many times more appealing.

    ¡°There was so much fighting and death that the sea was actually dyed in a bloody red hue.¡± Zhang had thought in his head after watching how ferociously the ancient demonic beasts were fighting against each other.

    ¡°Everyone, we are now in the Bloody Sea, please be wary of spatial rifts! For those of you who don''t know, these spatial rifts are the remnants of Long Shiji¡¯s battle with his father. During their fight their father and son had opened up thousands of rifts in space, although many centuries have passed since their creation and causing many of the spatial rifts to shrink in size, even an unlucky encounter with the smallest of spatial rifts could spell one¡¯s doom. Keep your eyes peeled and your sense sharp!¡± Lord Long Zhiming said, warning everyone of the coming danger.

    ¡°Looks like it''s time to let everyone owe me a favor one again.¡± Zhang though as a grin crept onto his face.

    With a flutter of his cape, Zhang summoned hundreds if not thousands of Abyssal Crows from his shadow.

    Flying in all directions, these crows covered a massive perimeter around the group.

    ¡°Genius!¡± Master Shan Jin yelled as his eyes glittered.

    ¡°These crows will let us know if there are any spatial rifts in the area.¡± Zhang''s said in a confident and reassuring tone.

    ¡°It seems that it was wise of me to allow you to join the Dragon God Palace.¡± Lord Long Zhiming said to Zhang through his divine sense as a smile crept onto his face.

    This with Zhang¡¯s swarm of Abyssal Crows to check for open spatial rifts, the group was able to continue forward at their current speed without having to slow down.

    Under normal circumstances, the group would have had to slow their pace to a crawl while forcing themselves to be on constant high alert, however now thanks to Zhang, they did not have to.Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    By now when Zhang spoke to the high saints within the group, such as Lord Long Zhiming, Master Shan Jin, and Master Yu Yui, he no longer felt they were looking down on him as much.

    Before, whenever Zhang spoke to these people, he could sense that they were merely acting nice to him as a front, for face and what not, however after showing his worth, these so-called experts are currently viewing him in another light.

    ¡°In this world, besides one¡¯s parents, one¡¯s wives and one¡¯s children, relations with everyone else is based solely on the amount of benefits one can give.¡± Zhang thought as he saw the gradual change in those around him.

    ¡°Besides mother, father, perhaps old man Jian Wei, those four and a handful of other people there aren''t too many people out there I can completely tell trust.¡± Zhang thought to himself as the faces of a small group of people surfaced in his mind.

    With his current state of mind, a certain saying drifted into Zhang¡¯s thoughts.

    ¡°The wiser one is, the fewer one can trust. The less power one wields the truer one¡¯s friends will be.¡± Zhang mumbled as he looked off into the distance while riding atop a fluffy white cloud with the beauties by his side.

    ¡°Brother! Look! Look over there!¡± Ai yelled in an excited tone as she directed Zhang¡¯s attention toward the scene of six house sized ancient demonic wyverns attacking a house castle sized ancient Demonic King Crab.

    With slim yet muscular limbs, murderous looking eyes, massive wings, scaly armor that covered them from head to toe, and sharp protruding fangs, the six wyverns lived up to their name of being of distant relatives of dragons.

    Compared to the wyverns, the Demonic King Crab was much less intimidating look, the only fundamental difference between it and any other crabs was its size and the four massive claws protruding from its body. Otherwise, the ancient demonic crab was rather dull looking.

    At first glance one would notice that the Demonic King Crab was actually injured, with a part of its shell being broken, leaving its innards vulnerable. Although the injuries to its body were not life threatening in the least to the Demonic King Crab, these injuries provided an opportunity to a myriad of other creatures.

    Creatures such as the demonic wyverns who usually weren¡¯t strong enough to break through the solid defense the Demonic King Crab possessed.

    Using their razor-sharp talons, the wyverns repeatedly swooped in and tried to claw away at the exposed part of the Demonic King crab. One the other hand, enraged by the attempts to its life, the Demonic King Crab attempted to pinch the wyverns to death with its gigantic claw.

    Of course, as powerful as the Demonic King Crab¡¯s offensive and defensive capabilities were, the six wyverns had unmatched speed and coordinated with each other on a near perfect level.

    ¡°Depending on how the situation progresses, we may get a chance to try and tame a few ancient demonic beasts.¡± Zhang said while eyeing the six fearsome looking wyverns, causing a smile to appear on Yuying¡¯s face.

    Leaping off of the fluffy cloud that they were sitting on Zhang and the beauties fanned out across the sky, forming a perimeter around the area where the six wyverns and the Demonic King Crab was battling.

    Keeping enough distance between them and the battle between giants, Zhang, and the beauties watched on and waited for their prey to tire.

    ¡°It won''t be long now until they expend too much of their strength.¡± Zhang said to himself as he watched the deadly statement continue on.

    Contrary to Zhang¡¯s thoughts, however, the deadlock between the wyverns and the crab did not last long, because after all of their physical attacks failed, the wyverns resorted to using their special weapon.

    Similar to a dragon¡¯s devastating breath attack, the six wyverns began to spew large clouds of poisonous gas from their maw, causing a glint to appear in Lingqi¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°They''ll be the perfect mount!¡± Lingqi concluded in a heartbeat while her eyes were glued on the purplish mist that has enveloped the gigantic king crab.

    Seeping in through the cracks within the crab¡¯s armor like shell, the poisonous mist instantly began to take effect.

    While the crab¡¯s exploded flesh began to rot and fester turning into a vile greenish shade, its movements started to slow and its mouth began to bubble.

    Despite its current ailments, the Demonic King Crab smashed it¡¯s four claws into the sea, causing massive tidal waves to churn fiercely before unleashing a bright blue ray of essence shooting through the air. As if it was burning away it¡¯s very being, the Demonic King Crab¡¯s attack roared and shook the air.

    While the blue beam of essence ravaged the sky, the water around the Demonic King Crab slowly froze over until a thick layer of ice had encased the surface of the sea within a dozen miles.

    As far as Zhang and the beauties were away from the battle, and disregarding the fact that they were coated within a protective layer of essence, they couldn''t help but feel an intense chill sweep through the air.

    Surprisingly enough as the temperature in the atmosphere plummeted the moisture present started to clump together, creating small bits of hail that pelted the shell of ice that coated the ocean¡¯s surface. With the appearance of hail, there was also a coming of wind and together they developed into a mighty blizzard.

    Caught in the tempest of blade like wind and dagger like ice, the wyverns found their previously slightly favorable position completely reversed. Unable to fly away due to the unstoppable gales, the wyverns appeared like ragdolls as their majestic bat like wings were ripped and torn by sharp pieces of ice.

    ¡°A dual element demonic beast¡­ Too bad it¡¯s already on its last leg. Actually, even if it was in fine condition I wouldn¡¯t be caught dead riding a giant crab into battle¡­¡± Zhang thought as he glanced at the Demonic King Crab for a second before refocusing his gaze onto the six wyverns.

    Whilst their wings were torn and battered, thanks to the thick and sleek scales that covered their bodies, the wyverns actually didn¡¯t suffer too much damage, but it was only a matter of time until they completely lost the ability to soar through the skies and fall onto the icy shelf below.

    By then they would also fall under the mercy of the Demonic King Crab as their only true advantage was their ability to fly.

    Once the wyverns fell from the sky, the Demonic King Crab would have a wide number of ways to inflict its revenge. It could smash the sheet of ice and drag the wyverns down to a watery grave or use any one of its four massive claws to pinch it¡¯s helping enemy to death.

    ¡°Wait a bit longer, once those wyverns lose the ability to fly we will move in.¡± Zhang said to his wives through his divine sense, prompting them to all ready their weapons and various techniques.

    Layers upon layers of bones filled the air around Yuying as she could be seen with eight black colored talismans, each clamped in between her fingers. Ai could be seen with her usual black colored spiked whip and an excited expression on her face while Lingqi stood motionless as she contemplated which type of poison would be best for the current occasion.

    ¡°Maybe instead of poison I should try something new.¡± Lingqi muttered as she withdrew an old looking zither from her interspatial ring.

    While the other beauties and Zhang readied themselves, Ling simply stood in midair with a calm and confident look on her face, for she was currently within her element.

    There was much more could one say about a water mage who was out at sea, surrounded by water as far as the eye could see.

    Roaring and flailing their wings the six wyverns unleashed their poisonous breath up toward the heavens, without caring who may or may not be caught in the quake of their struggle and fury.

    Due to the whipping winds, the deadly breath released by the six wyverns quickly unfurled, scattering in the four directions, causing Zhang and the beauties to further distance themselves from the battle.

    ¡°These guys are truly are ancient demonic beasts, descendants of fallen deities. Even after fighting for so long, both sides are still able to display so much vigor. If an unsuspecting saint were to be caught in the middle of their battle, there would be no way to escape.¡± Zhang said while praising the six wyverns and the demonic king crab for their endurance and resilience.

    ¡°What is that lad doing now?¡± Master Shan Jin asked as he could be seen standing beside his grandson, Shan Li.

    ¡°If anything, he is probably waiting for one of those beasts to drop dead and swoop in for a big harvest.¡± Shan Li said with a chuckle, feeling he had a good grasp on Zhang¡¯s personality.

    ¡°Keep a close eye on them, if some kind of mishap occurs we have to help them. For now, we are still unable to truly stand on equal ground with the Dragon God Palace so losing them would only serve to further the gap between the two sides.¡± Master Shan Li said in a low whisper to Shan Li as he watched Zhang and the beauties from afar.

 Chapter 234: Give Thanks and Take Vengeance

    While their trump card was scattered to the winds, the six wyverns found themselves at a loss as intense winds continued to batter them.

    Released pained wails, it was obvious to Zhang and the beauties that despite the nearly boundless vigor that they had put on display earlier, the six wyverns were slowly reaching their limit.

    ¡°Ling, retrieve the wyverns, the others and I will put an end to that crab.¡± Zhang conveyed through his divine sense as he saw the smallest of the six wyverns plummeting from the air and smashing down onto the icy shell that had formed atop the sea.

    With a triumphant rise of its four massive claws into the air, the Demonic king crab quickly reached out in an attempt to pinch the immobilized wyvern to death.

    Despite being unable to even move due to the injuries it had accumulated during the fight with the demonic king crab and its long fall from the sky, the wyvern conjured all of its remaining strength and roared with all of its might as the claws on its arms scratched at the icy floor on which it laid, trying to pull its huge body away from the claws of death that were quickly approaching.

    Seeing their kin facing death¡¯s door, the other wyverns folded up their tattered wings and dived through the air toward the gargantuan crab while unleashing furious roars of their own.

    Of course, by now the highly toxic poison that had long seeped into the Demonic King Crab¡¯s body, had slowly turned its insides into mush, so it was not only the wyverns who were facing the possibility of death.

    In the end, it all came down to a matter of time, if the wyverns could hold out long enough for their poison to put an end to the demonic crab, then it would be their victory. However, if the crab was able to hold out long enough for the wyverns to fall from the sky, it would be able to exact its vengeance and flee to the bottom of the sea where it could slowly try to disperse the poison. That is if a third party, for instance, Zhang and the beauties or perhaps some other ancient demonic beasts did not intervene.

    Using three of its claws to ward away the five wyverns in the sky, the demonic crab¡¯s remaining claw inched ever closer toward its first victim.

    ¡°Ice Demon Prison!¡± Ling¡¯s voice could be heard reverberating through the air as the ice thick layer of ice covering the sea shattered and a ring of water rose up into the air, wrapping around the immobilized wyvern.

    Screeching frantically as it¡¯s body was wrapped in what looked to be tentacles of water, the immobilized wyvern unable to do a thing as it¡¯s body was dragged into the water where it was quickly encased in ice.

    Having its prey snatched right in front of it, the demonic crab was utterly filled with rage as it smashed it¡¯s claws into the water, causing turbulent waves to splash about.

    ¡°Maybe it thinks the other five wyverns have something to do with this.¡± Ai pointed out with a chuckle as she saw the demonic crab redoubling its efforts to smack the remaining five wyverns out from the sky.

    ¡°I¡¯ll keep the crab occupied, you guys go capture the remaining wyverns.¡± Lingqi said as she appeared not too far from the demonic king crab. While Lingqi gently plucked at the strings on her zither, a beautiful melody drifted through the air, canceling out the fierce winds that had been conjured not too long ago.

    Having recently felt that she was not contributing too much to the group, Lingqi had begun to weaponize her second branch of expertise. After a lot of experimenting, she found that by sending essence into the zither as she played, Lingqi was able to release sonic waves of energy that could deal terrifying damage if allowed to enter an enemy¡¯s body.

    Although she still felt this technique of hers was not yet ready to be used against other saints, since she had yet to find the right frequency that would allow her to penetrate their defenses unhindered, with that being said since ancient demonic beasts purely released on their bodies they wouldn¡¯t be able to stop her technique.

    As Lingqi continued to play, the Demonic King Crab was bombarded by a symphony of attacks. At first Lingqi¡¯s attacks had little to no effect, however as time went on and as the sound waves being released from her zither became ever so more powerful, faint cracks began to appear on the shell of the Demonic King Crab.

    ¡°Liquefy and perish!¡± Lingqi roared as she directed hundreds of overlapping waves of sound toward the exposed portion of the Demonic King Crab¡¯s body, once inside these waves began to bounce back and forth, rupturing organs, liquefying flesh and shattering many of the bone like structures within the massive shell.This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

    Leaving Lingqi to deal with the Demonic King Crab, Zhang, Ai, and Yuying began to deal with the remaining five wyverns while Ling waited for the opportunity to encase whatever fell from the sky in ice.

    ¡°Focus on their wings!¡± Yuying yelled as thousands of bones circled around her, while eight black colored talismans also shot out from her hands,

    Upon leaving Yuying¡¯s hands the eight black colored talismans sped through the air, releasing bolts of lightning that streaked across the sky. Forming a massive seven-sided heptagon the talismans channel in the essence of the heavens and earth, sending down curtains of lightning from above.

    Acting as a cage the chains of lightning unleashed by Yuying prevented the wyverns from escaping. Wherever the wyverns tried to flee, lightning would rain down and strike them, causing smoke to rise from their already heavily injured bodies.

    ¡°Sis! Get ready to catch this one!¡± Ai yelled in a joy filled voice as she swung, the Queen of the Night Whip, at one of the wyverns. Unable to freely maneuver due to the showering lightning, the wyvern was whipped out of the air due to Ai¡¯s attack causing it to nosedive toward the ocean.

    ¡°Keep them coming!¡± Ling said with a laugh as she waved her hand, causing the sea to churn and rise into the air, catching the injured wyvern in a bubble of water.

    ¡°Freeze¡­¡± Ling mumbled in a low tone as the water bubble quickly froze over.

    ¡°Here¡¯s another one!¡± Zhang yelled in a joyous tone much like Ai¡¯s, as hundreds of spears forged out of mithril homed in on the largest wyvern within the group of six.

    Manipulating the spears and leaving no paths of escape, Zhang quickly cornered his target, then with a thought, he quickly turned the spears of mithril into blobs of liquid mithril before sending them flying toward the wyvern.

    Latching onto the like leeches and heavy chains, the blobs of liquid mithril soon began to weigh the large wyvern down, despite desperately flapping it¡¯s wings to stay in the air, the wyvern was soon unable to bear any longer and also fell from the sky.

    With half of their flock capture, the final three wyverns soon fell into Zhang¡¯s grasp also.

    Hoping to ensure that no one caught on to what they were doing, Ling made sure to pull all of the frozen wyverns into the water, away from prying eyes.

    Then while putting on her best performance, Yuying flew extremely close to the Demonic King Crab and pretended to be struck by one of its claws, before charging into the ocean.

    Joining the six wyverns encased in ice, under the ocean¡¯s surface Yuying quickly stored them away into the Ruler¡¯s Domain, where she could leisurely attempt to force them to submit to her will.

    Once the wyverns were retrieved, Yuying quickly flew back into the sky after finishing her task since staying too long in the ocean would be fairly dangerous due to the unknown number of ancient demonic beasts residing in the depths.

    ¡°Alright let¡¯s go finish off that crab!¡± Zhang suggested after seeing Yuying surface and raise into the air without injury.

    ¡°No need, I have things under control over here.¡± Lingqi said with a hearty laugh as she descended from the sky and landed atop what was one a menacing ancient demonic beast. With dozens of large cracks running across its once pristine and nearly indestructible shell, the Demonic King Crab had met its demise moments ago, under Lingqi¡¯s deadly bombardment.

    ¡°Ummm, what¡¯s left on this crab for us to take? Sis, I don¡¯t think you thought things through when you went about killing this crab.¡± AI asked after noticing the extent of the damage dealt upon the Demonic King Crab. Surprisingly enough, under Lingqi¡¯s powerful technique, the Demonic King Crab¡¯s four massive claws had actually detached from its body and fell into the sea. Other then it¡¯s claws, the only remaining defining feature was its sturdy shell, however, that too had been shatter.

    ¡°Silly girl, what could we have possibly done with this crab¡¯s claws and shell anyway? The only part from that we can actually use is its demonic core, which I had left intact.¡± Lingqi retorted while playfully sticking her tongue out at Ai with a giggle.

    ¡°I¡¯ll crack this thing open so we can collect its demonic core and be on our way.¡± Zhang said as he casually waved the Rising Moon Sword, releasing a powerful essence blade which cut into the Demonic King Crab¡¯s lifeless shell. Opening up a long ravine like gash that stretched across nearly a quarter of the crab¡¯s shell, Zhang conjured up a few Abyssal Beasts from his shadow and sent them to retrieve the Demonic King Crab¡¯s demonic core.

    Before long Zhang and the beauties caught up with the rest of the saints, of course, they made sure to keep most of their massive spoils a secret, in an attempt to keep their battle potential hidden.

    If Yuying was to succeed in taming the six wyverns, Zhang, and the beauties would possess enough power to stand up to a high saint or two with ease. Once the six wyverns were restored to their peak conditions and under Yuying¡¯s control, Zhang and the beauties would no longer have to fear people such as Master Shan Jin, Master Yu Xui or Lord Long Zhiming any longer, if anything the tables would have turned and the fearful would become the feared.

    That is to say if Yuying were to succeed and if no one were to act against Zhang and the beauties before the time was right. Thus, with caution in mind, Zhang, and his wives felt the need to try their best to keep everyone else in the dark about what they were attempting to do.

    ¡°How long do you think it will take to tame them?¡± Zhang asked Yuying through his divine sense after returning to the large group of saints. Although he was specifically talking to Yuying through his divine sense, Zhang had made it so that all of his wives could listen in on their conversation.

    ¡°Considering that these guys could be as powerful as a high saint, it would probably take me a day or two to force each of them to submit. Thankfully their mental defenses aren¡¯t too powerful. But we¡¯ll have to see if my magic even works on them in the first place¡± Yuying responded as she and the other beauties could be seen seated beside Zhang on their magical carriage.

    ¡°Let¡¯s hope this works. If it does, then we can try to secretly obtain more ancient demonic beasts and use them to deal with our enemies and everyone who stands to threaten us.¡± Zhang said, prompting the beauties to all speak in agreement.

    ¡°We should deal with everyone from the Dragon God Palace first and depending on everyone else¡¯s reaction we can deal with them accordingly.¡± Ling said through her divine sense.

    ¡°I agree, the Dragon God Palace needs to go first and then afterward we can see about everyone else.¡± Lingqi said, voicing her opinion.

    ¡°We should get the treasure first and then afterward we can make all of these people give us lots of money and stuff or else we threaten to kill them.¡± Ai suggested, sparking a glint in Zhang¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°Good idea! Hehehe.¡± Zhang said as he thought about kidnapping a bunch of high saints and full saints and ransoming them back to their sects and families.

    ¡°The number of riches I could get.¡± Zhang thought as he whistled a merry tone.

    ¡°With an army of saints and ancient demonic beasts at our beck and call, we¡¯ll also be able to deal with those guys from the Siwang Empire with ease once we return home.¡± Ling said causing Zhang to remember a few rather unpleasant things that had occurred years ago.

    ¡°If we get the chance I¡¯ll definitely have to thank those guys. If it wasn¡¯t for them then I wouldn¡¯t have met three of my four beautiful wives. However, that¡¯ll have to wait until after I pay them back for killing me.¡± Zhang said in a voice mixed with a warm subtle tinge of happiness accompanied by a faint murderous chill.

    ¡°I¡¯ll also have to thank them. If not for them I wouldn¡¯t have met such a great husband. I¡¯ll be sure to gift them lots of different batches of the poison I¡¯ve been concocting.¡± Lingqi said with a laugh.

 Chapter 235: Domain

    After Zhang and the beauties had captured the six wyverns, five days had quickly past and thousands of miles of the sea were transversed as the group trailed behind their guide, the miniature metallic dragon.

    Contrary to Yuying¡¯s initial estimate,reckon though five entire days had gone by she was still unable to break through the innate mental defenses of even a single one of the wyverns.

    Although the wyverns did not have the capacity to channel their essence in order to shield their minds from Yuying, their innate mental defenses were still quite powerful.

    Since the wyverns were comparable to high saints, due to this disparity in strength alone it was quite hard for Yuying to force the wyverns into submission.

    Had the wyverns been level ten demonic or even lesser saints then it would have taken at most a few minutes for Yuying to succeed. As one became a full saint, they would be able to create protective layers of essence to shield their mind and soul from enemy attacks, which served to greatly hinder the efforts of people such as Yuying.um

    ¡°Just a bit more¡­¡± Yuying said as she could be seen walking through a picturesque landscape. With daunting mountains piercing into the clouds off in the distance, lush sunny fields of green grass and colorful flowers, large trees brimming with fruits of all shapes and sizes, a vast serene lake and peaceful looking bamboo hut, some may call the scenery surrounding Yuying as being heaven like.

    For those that didn¡¯t know, Yuying had actually directly entered into the Ruler¡¯s Domain. After being nurtured by Zhang and the Underworld Heart for years, the Ruler¡¯s Domain had grown exponentially, from being as large as a small house it had grown thousands of times, being big enough for there to be mountains within it.

    Once it had been given to Yuying the space within the Ruler¡¯s Domain had undergone vast changes until it was as it is now. Giving the place a woman¡¯s touch, Yuying had turned the previously plain landscape into something that looked as if it had come out of a painting. Of course, not everything was peaceful and beautiful as it seems, for all beautiful things there is a slightly uglier and dark side.

    Located in a far-off corner of the Ruler¡¯s Domain was a large hexagon shaped altar, with six colossal columns covered in runes erected at each of its intersections. Chained to the six runes covered columns were six winged captives who were constantly releasing muffled roars from their large bounded maws. With their wings and limbs chained down and their mouths tightly bound shut, the fearsome looking wyverns could not do a thing, as the thought of escaping was ever so more irrelevant and unimaginable.

    From a glance, it was a dead giveaway to everyone that this hexagon shaped altar was where Yuying enacted many of her various spells and rituals.

    ¡°Today I won¡¯t leave until I make one of at least one of them submit to me...¡± Yuying could be heard mumbling to herself as she could be seen walking toward the hexagon shaped altar.

    As Yuying neared the altar and walked past what could only be described as a massive crystal ball filled with what looked like black liquid with thousands of tubes etched into it, a loud thumping sound caught her attention.

    ¡°The lot of you just needs to wait patiently, it¡¯ll be your turn soon enough.¡± Yuying said as she glanced at the crystal ball, filled with Black Thorn Coral.

    After being sent into the Ruler¡¯s Domain, all of the Black Thorn Coral was gathered up and kept in this massive crystal ball, where they could do no harm until Yuying had the time to work her magic on them.

    Hoping to not have to use her spell on the Black Thorn Coral individually, since there were probably millions of them within the crystal ball, Yuying had been making preparations for a large-scale spell that would allow her to convert them all at once.

    But for now, the six wyverns took priority over the swarm of Black Thorn Coral, simply because between the two groups of ancient demonic beasts, the wyverns would definitely take much less time to tame. Although the mental defenses of the Black Thorn Coral were much easier to bypass and dismantle, they were simply so great in number that it would take Yuying probably a month or two of constant work before she could control all of them.

    Sadly, time was of the essence and neither did she nor the other beauties or Zhang have a month or two at their disposal.

    ¡°Let¡¯s see how much longer you can hold out¡­¡± Yuying said as she faced one of the six wyverns while beginning to make a series of strange hand signs, causing countless thousands of runes to appear on her body before flowing onto the ground.

    Streaming across the altar and onto the body of the wyvern in front of Yuying, the runes began to spread toward the struggling beast¡¯s head where they flowed into its eyes, ears, mouth and nostrils.If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    Over the course of days, Yuying had repeatedly done this over and over again, chipping away at the wyvern¡¯s mind. By now she was but a step away from success, a step from obtaining a very powerful and loyal servant.

    ¡°Although they say your kind lacks intelligence, I must give you credit for being able to resist me for so long...¡± Yuying said in a slightly unhappy tone as her attempts to inject her will into the wyvern¡¯s mind was constantly being stopped by its innate mental defenses.

    ¡°If the mind, the body and the soul weren¡¯t so interlinked with each other, these guys wouldn¡¯t possess such strong mental defenses¡­ Or perhaps it is because they are distant relatives of dragons that they possess such powerful defenses...¡± Yuying thought with a frown.

    ¡°Hmph¡­ Complaining won¡¯t do me any good¡­ I should be happy that these guys have such powers since they¡¯ll eventually submit to my power and then I¡¯ll put them to good use.¡± Yuying said in a low tone as she redoubled her efforts to tame the wyvern.

    As the wheel of time continued to turn, as seconds changed to minutes and minutes passed into hours, the battle between Yuying the winged beast in front of her slowly took a turn for the better.

    The innate defenses of the wyvern began to show signs of wear as Yuying¡¯s mental attacks pressed on. It was clear that after nearly six days, the wyvern¡¯s innate defenses were slowly crumbling in the wake of Yuying¡¯s persistence.

    While chanting in an inaudible tone, a faint smile surfaced on Yuying¡¯s face as her efforts came to fruition. Moments later with a snap of her fingers and a vibrant cheerful expression on her face, Yuying made the tens of chains wrapping around the wyvern disintegrate and disappear.

    Freed from the shackles hindering its movements, the glorious looking wyvern stretched its wings while uttering a deafening roar that reverberated throughout the four corners of the Ruler¡¯s domain.

    Once the fearful roar reached an end, the wyvern arched its neck toward Yuying, staring at her with its large and menacing-looking eyes. Contrary to what one might expect and to a wyvern¡¯s normal demeanor, Yuying soon found her face smoothed in slick saliva.

    ¡°Bad! Bad! Don¡¯t like my face like that!¡± Yuying yelled as she wiped off the wyvern¡¯s spit from her face with a small handkerchief. Despite yelling for the wyvern to stop, a broad smile could still be seen on her face.

    ¡°Now to move on to the next one.¡± Yuying said as she was brimming with the air of success, cracking her delicate looking fingers while turning her sights toward the remaining wyverns.

    Witnessing their sibling succumb to Yuying¡¯s strange magic and as an unpleasant and chilling sensation seep into their bodies, the remaining wyverns started to wiggle and shift their bodies, attempting to break free of the chains binding them so they could flee as far as possible.

    ¡°Struggle as you may, try your best but there is no use for there is no escape.¡± Yuying laughed as she saw what change in the remaining wyverns.

    ¡°Honey, coming out quickly, we¡¯ve arrived.¡± Zhang¡¯s voice suddenly echoed throughout the Ruler¡¯s Domain, diverting Yuying¡¯s attention.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be back later, you five wait for me here. As for you, you can have a bit of a snack and roam about until I come back.¡± Yuying said to the wyverns as she waved her hand and withdrew a large chunk of meat from her interspatial ring before opening a portal out of the Ruler¡¯s Domain.

    Walking through the portal, Yuying soon appeared in front of a midsized table where Zhang and the other beauties were seated, within the magical carriage.

    ¡°We¡¯ve arrived?¡± Yuying asked.

    ¡°Have a look outside, we should be landing in a few minutes.¡± Zhang said while pointing toward the window of the magical carriage.

    Peering outside, Yuying saw a massive island covered in ruins. Crumbling sections of walls, fallen towers, sunken in rooftops, broken buildings that were partially covered by vegetation, overgrown gardens and a decrepit and forsaken harbor came into view. That is to say, there were still many complete and undamaged buildings that caused a sense of awe to surface on one¡¯s face.

    ¡°One could only image what this place was like when it was at the peak of its power.¡± Yuying mumbled as she gazed down at a few majestic looking buildings and sections of wall that had yet yielded to the test of time.

    ¡°Everyone! Welcome to Sea Beast Island! The holy land of the Sea Beast Sect, the sect that had once ruled over the Eastern Sea.¡± Lord Long Zhiming said to everyone in the group through his divine sense.

    ¡°Sea Beast Island? Sea Beast Sect?¡± Zhang¡¯s could be heard mumbling.

    ¡°We will be arriving at the inner circle of the island in roughly thirty minutes, once our guide leads us to the entrance of the tomb we will rest for half a day before proceeding onward.¡± Lord Long Zhiming added.

    ¡°If this island is where the seat power of the Sea Beast Sect once stood, then there should be at least a few treasures still lying around, waiting for us to find them.¡± Zhang said to his wives as the sudden thought of treasure popped up into his head.

    ¡°Maybe there are a few things waiting for the right owners to appear and claim them.¡± Ling said with a nod, playing along with Zhang¡¯s usual antics.

    ¡°There¡¯s bound to be some things down there for us to find.¡± Lingqi agreed with a chuckle, knowing that once the thought of finding treasure entered her husband¡¯s mind, it was impossible to talk him into sitting still unless a truly dire situation was taking place.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go hunt for some treasure!¡± Ai said energetically. Unlike the other beauties, Ai was just as crazy about treasure as Zhang.

    ¡°Also, I finally managed to tame one of them. If only we had a few more days, I might have been able to tame a second one.¡± Yuying said as she enveloped the room with her divine sense, preventing others from listening in while also drawing the attention of everyone else in the room.

    ¡°Even with one of them, we can now turn the tables against those old monsters.¡± Zhang said in a cheerful tone.

    ¡°Sis, once everything is over you have to give it to me as a mount.¡± Ai said in a cheerful tone as excitement filled her eyes.

    ¡°Of course, once they are all tamed everyone will get one as a mount.¡± Yuying said with a chuckle as she arrived beside Ai and began ruffling the latter¡¯s hair in a playful manner.

    ¡°We should put aside a small number of Black Thorn Corals for use in case of emergencies also.¡± Zhang said.

    Conversing amongst themselves for roughly half an hour before landing onto the ground with the rest of the group of saints, Zhang and the beauties started to search for treasure the instant they stepped out of their magical carriage.

    As silly as it may seem to be searching for treasure in what could only be described as ancient ruins that countless must have scoured before them, Zhang had a different mindset, since no one had ever known about or discovered hints of Long Shiji¡¯s tomb being on this island, it was more than likely that there were many unexplored places filled with untold riches and treasures that were ripe for the taking.

    ¡°Even if people have searched every inch of this island and found nothing, it doesn¡¯t mean that we also find nothing. If anything at the end of the day I get to spend some quality time with my lovely wives.¡± Zhang said with a laugh as he walked side by side with the beauties into a crumbling hall.

    ¡°If any of you spot any strange looking plants, tell me right away. There might be some medical herbs that I can harvest and use. More often than not, wide varieties of rare and sought after herbs would be spotted growing in long lost ruins just like the ones one this island. Places that have long lost man¡¯s touch allow for mystical and unique plants to grow unhindered.¡± Lingqi said as she scanning the ground, looking for things that stood out from the ordinary.

    ¡°If anyone spots anything shiny then just give it to me.¡± Ai said with twinkling eyes causing the others to break out into merry laughter.

 Chapter 236: Malevolent

    Walking through the ruins of the once splendid grounds of the Sea Beast Sect, Zhang, and the beauties curiously looked about. From the remains of these ruins alone they could tell the vast power and influence that the Sea Beast Sect once held.

    ¡°It¡¯s hard to imagine a force that was once capable of controlling the whole Eastern Sea disappearing just like that after their master was defeated.¡± Ling said as she walked alongside Zhang while tracing her hand on a crumbling wall.

    ¡°I find it quite hard to believe also.¡± Lingqi agreed.

    ¡°Maybe they all fled or went into hiding somewhere far away. Regardless of wherever they went, as long as they left behind some treasure for us then I¡¯ll be content.¡± Zhang said with a wholehearted laughed prompting his wives to shake their heads while giggling at him.

    With a bright and cheerful mood came good fortune as a few moments later a large tree covered in weirdly shaped fruit caught Lingqi¡¯s attention from the corner of her eye. Sprouting upward out from the remains of what had once been a house, this tree was red in color, color similar to that of blood. Its leaves looked like flattened hands, it¡¯s limbs as thick as a man¡¯s waist and its fruit bearing the face of children.

    ¡°Th-that is a Human Face Peach Tree!¡± Lingqi yelled in disbelief as she stared at the somewhat creepy looking fruits hanging from the large tree.

    ¡°These things look kind of creepy.¡± Ai commented as she looked at the humanlike faces plastered on the peaches. From a glance, it would appear as if the face of a child who had been peacefully sleeping had been snatched and fused with the fist sized fruit.

    ¡°Growing only on land that had once been soaked in blood, it is said that the fruit of the Human Face Peach Tree, the Human Face Peach is very a delicacy for demonic beasts. Being both beneficial for their growth while also helping them awaken bits of the ancestral blood coursing through their veins. From what I know, the last Human Face Peach Tree to ever be spotted on our Wulin continent was in the capital of the Sai Empire. However, as you all know, the capital of the Sai Empire had been struck by an unknown calamity and disappeared.¡± Lingqi said as she reached her hand out and plucked one of the Human Face Peaches from the tree.

    ¡°Darling, lend me a hand and let¡¯s pick all of the peaches before someone else spots this tree.¡± Lingqi said as she looked at Zhang with a smile.

    ¡°Why would we pick a few fruits, when we can take the whole tree?¡± Zhang said with a laugh as he looked toward Yuying who responded with a wink.

    Employing the power of the Underworld Heart, Zhang enveloped the entire Human Faced Peach Tree in a layer of essence. From the smallest of leaves to the deepest of roots, Zhang covered every part of the large tree before lifting his hands upward toward the sky. With Zhang¡¯s simple gesture the ground began to shake as the large tree began to wiggle its way out of the group.

    ¡°Be sure to take as much of the soil as you can. The tree only grows in blood soaked soil, preferably the blood of demonic beasts. If it¡¯s planted in regular soil, then it will die.¡± Lingqi said.

    ¡°Alright.¡± Zhang said with a nod as he enveloped a large portion of the blood red soil underneath the tree in a layer of essence, causing it to rise into the air.

    In the meantime, Yuying had opened a portal to the Ruler¡¯s Domain and thus in no time at all the Human Face Peach Tree was replanted.

    ¡°To think after a short walk, we were already able to gain such a great harvest.¡± Lingqi chuckled as she and the rest of the group continued to walk around the ruins.

    One could call the ruins a treasure trove in disguise as Zhang and the beauties spotted one rare herb after the other. At each turn and every corner, there would be some kind of usual plant for Lingqi to retrieve. Plants that have been extinct on the Wulin continent for hundreds of years grew in abundance causing the sparkling glints within Lingqi¡¯s eyes to never cease. Transferring these various plants that were found directly into the Ruler¡¯s Domain, Yuying construct a small herb garden brimming with rarities.

    As they received a stream of chance encounters with good luck, Zhang and the beauties soon stumbled upon something very peculiar after they made their way into crumbling building in their search for riches and treasure.

    Walking with brisk and quick steps, Ai made her way into the building first while the others followed not too far behind.

    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Ai mumbled the instant as she entered the building. Staring into the distance, a strange wisp of blue smoke could be seen lingering in the air.

    This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.

    Oddly enough, the hairs on Ai¡¯s body stood on end as she felt as if the wisp of blue smoke was actually staring at her.

    A fraction of a second later, the temperature began to plummet and the air began to chill as a fearful roar reverberated throughout the crumbling building. Like a turbulent wave, the wisp of smoke shot through the air toward Ai at blinding speeds.

    ¡°Ai be careful! That¡¯s a severed soul! Move away from it! Or else it may invade your body, extinguish your soul and take over your mind!¡± Yuying yelled in a frantic tone as she quickly made a series of hand signs while channeling the essence within her body.

    ¡°Be gone!¡± Yuying said in a powerful tone as she pressed her hand on the ground and made chains of runes appear on the ground and snake toward Ai. However, despite how fast Yuying had reacted to the current situation, the severed soul had arrived in front of Ai before the runes, repelling them away with an invisible force.

    Turning into a vicious looking black color and engulfing Ai in a shroud of smoke, the severed soul attempted to seize her body, causing a frown and creases to appear on Yuying¡¯s face as she charged forth.

    As for Zhang, Ling, and Lingqi, they had just set foot in the building and were at a loss, not knowing what was currently happening. All they knew, from Yuying¡¯s actions, was that something bad was occurring, so within much delay, they all quickly rushed toward Ai while channeling the essence within their bodies and readying themselves to act.

    Zhang couldn¡¯t help but slightly curse himself for not being on higher alert and allowing his wife to have danger befall upon her.

    With worried and frantic expressions on all of their faces, everyone arrived beside Ai, only to stand beside her utterly stunned with their jaws wide open in astonishment.

    ¡°Achoo!¡± Ai sneezed, causing the cloak of black smoke that enveloped her body to disperse.

    ¡°Ai, are you alright!?¡± Zhang asked as he grabbed Ai¡¯s shoulders after shortly snapping out of the stunned state that had been thrown in.

    ¡°Of course, I''m fine, silly.¡± Ai said while using a handkerchief to wipe her nose, acting in a somewhat carefree manner that made light of what had happened more moments ago.

    ¡°Hold her still and don''t let her move! I''m going to check and see if she really is fine.¡± Yuying said, prompting Zhang to turn Ai around a hundred eighty degrees and wrapping his arms around her waist, bear hugging her.

    ¡°Wha-what are you doing?¡± Ai asked with slightly blushing cheeks in somewhat confused tone.

    Tapping Ai¡¯s forehead and doing something she had never done before, Yuying began to probe to see if Ai¡¯s soul defenses had been breached. Surpassingly enough, Yuying¡¯s found her attempt an instant failure.

    One must know that despite only being a full saint, the strength of Yuying¡¯s soul was unfathomable and very powerful. Although Yuying could not take advantage of the strength of her soul to defeat high saints due to the severe gap in power, merely using it to prove Ai¡¯s condition should have not posed any problems at all.

    ¡°Her soul defenses are even stronger than the ones that those wyverns possess. Knowing her, this is her innate defenses acting on their own without anything else to reinforce it.¡± Yuying thought as her hand pulled away from Ai¡¯s forehead while a warm smile appeared on her face a few moments later.

    ¡°Next time if someone were to attack us with soul attacks, we just need to hide behind this klutz right here.¡± Yuying said while laugh, as she hugged Ai, who now also had a faint smile on her face.

    ¡°Although we did not suffer any losses this time, I think it would be best to stay on high alert in case there are other severed souls lurking around. Even if Ai escaped without any complications I cannot say the same for the rest of us. It is unwise to judge everything as a whole through one separate event. Severed souls usually belong to powerful experts who had possessed the power of high saints when they were alive.¡± Yuying added.

    Elsewhere on the island, many other people who were also searching for treasure like Zhang and the beauties, also found themselves face to face with a severed soul or two.

    ¡°So-so-someone he-help me!¡± A female lesser saint¡¯s scream shook the air as her body was enveloped in a mist of black colored smoke. As the black colored mist spilled into her eyes, ears, nose, and mouth, while assaulting her soul defenses, the severed soul caused the female lesser saint to fall onto the ground where she could be seen convulsing uncontrollably as only the whites of her eyes could be seen.

    Foaming at the mouth, the female lesser saint¡¯s body was quickly overtaken by the severed soul. Unlike Ai who possessed monster innate soul defenses, unlike Yuying whose expertise lies with the matters of the soul and the high saints who were steadily developing their souls in order to survive the tribulations required for them to become half deities, lesser saints could be considered defenseless when facing a severed soul.

    ¡°Ahahahahah! How long has it been since I¡¯ve since I¡¯ve been able to feel the warmth of the sun?! How long has it been since I was able to take in a breath of fresh air!¡± The female saint said while laughing manically as she pushed herself up from the ground, wiping the foam and spit that covered half of her face, causing her companions stare at her with fearful expressions.

    Knowing that something was wrong with their comrade, the female lesser saint¡¯s two companions, who were also lesser saints, quickly leaped into the air, fleeing with all of their might.

    ¡°Where do you two think, you''re going? Even though your bodies are inferior, they¡¯ll have to do since there are quite a few of us who need new homes.¡± The female lesser saint laughed as her hands gripped the air, unleashing a powerful suction force that stopped the two fleeing lesser saints in their tracks.

    ¡°Junior Sister Mei Qing! Let us go!¡± One of the fleeing lesser saints screamed as fear filled his heart. Feeling the power of a full saint envelope his body, the man knew that escaping was no longer an option.

    ¡°Mei Qing? Hmmm, not a bad name! I¡¯ll keep it.¡± The female lesser saint said as she pulled her hands back, causing the two fleeing lesser saints to fall from the sky and crash into the ground, creating two large craters.

    Sprawled out and nearly lifeless, the two lesser saints laid on the ground helplessly as two hazy wisps of smoke appeared and enveloped their body.

    Like their friend, these two lesser saints both had their soul defenses shattered and their bodies stolen in a flash.

    ¡°You old wench¡­ Why''d you have to be so heavy handed? It''s been so long since I''ve felt this much pain¡­ it''s been so long since I''ve felt any pain at all¡­¡± One of the two men, an individual with tanned skin and a slanted nose complained while stretching his limbs as if he had just woken from a long slumber.

    ¡°Isn''t this feeling wonderful!? I finally feel so alive!¡± The other man who had fallen from the sky yelled in an energetic voice.

    ¡°You three can celebrate your resurrection later. Come with me and prepare for our lord¡¯s return.¡± A man whose face was covered with a mask with a pair of horns protruding from his head said as he appeared from the shadows.

    ¡°Hmph! Just because you¡¯ve brought us these bodies don¡¯t think that you have the right to order us around! When we were ruling over the Eastern Sea you were but a mere servant, the kind I could have put to death with but a single word!¡± Mei Qing said in a haughty tone as if she were talking to a mere ant.

    ¡°That may have been the case all of those hundreds of years ago, however as of now with my current body I can kill all three of you without even lifting a finger.¡± The masked man said as a powerful wave of essence swept through the air and wrapped around the newly bodies acquired bodies of the three severed souls, directly assaulting their souls.

    ¡°If I wished I could destroy your connection to these bodies and disperse your consciousness with a thought!¡± The masked man said causing the three people in front of him to quiver in fear before quickly submitting and kneel on the ground on one knee.

    Throughout the island, many of the lesser saints and full saints who were having their bodies snatched away as many severed souls appeared.

 Chapter 237: Ever Growing Garden

    Having no knowledge about the events occurring in the other parts of the island and being lucky enough to where they did not encounter another severed soul while spurred on by Zhang¡¯s hunger for treasure, the beauties their husband continued searching for treasure.

    Needless to say, after their previous close run in with danger, Zhang, and the beauties proceeded forth with utmost caution, sweeping every building and the area around them with their divine sense before moving forward while also readying themselves to act at a moment¡¯s notice.

    With their new sense of caution and an insane amount of luck, the group stumbled upon quite a few treasures. Finding the remains of an ancient library they found a dozen or so scrolls, which contained low to mid-level techniques, along with the scrolls was the discovery of a few unmarked books, a few of which contained very powerful and unique techniques.

    It could be said that after obtaining all of the scrolls and manuals that remained within the timeworn library, Ling was ecstatic. Being an avid researcher of ancient and lost techniques, it could be said that these scrolls and books were god given, possessing enough knowledge to enlighten Ling in regards to quite a few puzzling mysterious that she had come across throughout the years.

    ¡°Once we get back home these books will help me greatly.¡± Ling said in a tone full of joy after storing away a large number of scrolls and manuals into her interspatial ring.

    ¡°Anyone who masters this technique cannot be harmed by any kind of physical fire. Hmmm, physical fire? Interesting...¡± Zhang said while reading out loud the first page of a red colored book with golden thread binding.

    ¡°I¡¯ll read over this later.¡± Zhang thought with a grin as he stored away the red book before exiting the library with his wives, only to enter another run-down building located a few steps away.

    ¡°It-it-it ca-can¡¯t be¡­¡± Lingqi stuttered she peered through a wall of thick vines that hung down from the ceiling, partially blocking the entrance into the building.

    Looking at the scenery in front of her wide-eyed and with a face full of shock, Lingqi¡¯s pulse began to increase as the sheer amount of joy in her heart reached a dangerous level. Sprawled out in front of the group, hidden behind a wall of vines and branches, enclosed under a roof made of fractured glass, and mixed in with countless weeds was a massive overgrown garden filled with all kinds of herbs, plants, and trees.

    ¡°Th-th-there are so many herbs here! Sister, we have to gather all of these and put them into the domain!¡± Lingqi yelled in joy as her gaze looked past a wall of intertwined vines and spotted many rare herbs sprouting out of the ground.

    Retrieving a small vial from her interspatial ring and splashing a few black colored droplets onto the wall of vines in her of her, Lingqi created a path for her and the rest of the group as the plants touched by the black colored droplets began to wither and die.

    Within anything to bar them from entering the building anymore, Lingqi lead the group into the greenhouse-like building with gleeful steps full of vigor. From a single glance, one could tell the Lingqi was utterly filled with joy due to the discovery of this greenhouse.

    ¡°Oh, heaven above, I pray that we do not stumble upon any more herbs, for if we do I fear that my wife will live out the rest of her days within the Ruler¡¯s Domain tending to that garden. Also, if anything I¡¯ve yet to even spot a single gold coin or shiny gem¡­ Please be fair and give me a little something too¡­¡± Zhang prayed inside his mind as he saw how feverish and obsessed Lingqi looked. Of course, Zhang was merely letting his thoughts run wild due to becoming slightly delirious due to the lack of gold and jewels laying around because based on Lingqi¡¯s personality alone it was impossible for her to bear to hide away within the Ruler¡¯s Domain unless her handsome husband was with her.

    Despite his early lack of enthusiasm for the building full of herbs, Zhang couldn¡¯t help but take back his words a few minutes later. Walking through the overgrown garden Zhang¡¯s attention had been drawn in by a blinding gleaming light.

    ¡°Oh, heaven above, thank you! I pray that we find many many more trees like this one!¡± Zhang thought as he stood in a front of a large tree whose leaves were composed of solid gold.

    At first Zhang, had been full of disbelief, however, once he plucked one of the leaves off of the tree and used his teeth to test whether or not it was real gold, utter delight swelled within his body and appeared on his face.

    ¡°This is a Golden Leafed Maple Tree! To think we would come across one of these here.¡± Lingqi said as she arrived beside Zhang, wrapping one of her arms around his waist.

    ¡°If I pluck all of the leaves will they grow back?¡± Zhang asked while gulping down a mouth of saliva.

    ¡°Of course, it would! Also, this tree here should still be in its early stages of development. From the book I had read, in maturity the Golden Leafed Maple Tree¡¯s branches will begin releasing a steady flow of liquid gold, coating the ground underneath a layer of gold.¡± Lingqi said before giggling as she saw Zhang gasping with a tinge of glee.

    ¡°Oh yeah, if you do it properly you might be able to grow another Golden Leafed Maple Tree by cutting off parts of its limbs and planting them into the ground.¡± Lingqi added, sparking a wild scene full of gold-leafed trees to appear in Zhang¡¯s mind.

    ¡°It''s so shiny¡­¡± Ai said as she arrived beside Zhang, staring intently at the Golden Leafed Maple Tree just like her husband.Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

    Of all of his wives, Ai could be said to be the one who shared the most common interests with Zhang. While Zhang fancied gold and jewels, Ai loved shiny objects and what kind of objects were shiny? Gold and jewels of course!

    ¡°Let''s quickly collect this tree!¡± Zhang said with sparkling eyes filled with greed.

    ¡°Yea!¡± Ai said in agreement after plucking a golden maple leaf and stared at it with a bright expression on her face.

    Blissfully, Zhang utilized the power of the Underworld Heart to envelop the Golden Leafed Maple Tree within a layer of essence just like he had done with the Human Faced Peach Tree. In a flash, the Golden Leafed Maple Tree was added to the ever-growing garden within the Ruler¡¯s domain.

    Spurred on and encouraged by the excitement of obtaining what many would refer to as a money growing tree, Zhang further used the power of the Underworld Heart to uproot and retrieve the rest of the overgrown garden.

    Happy with their harvests Zhang and the beauties continued to search the ruins of the Sea Beast Sect further hoping to find something for Yuying. Ai and Zhang had laid claim to the Golden Leafed Maple Tree, Ling had obtained a trove of ancient scrolls and technique manuals, Lingqi had been the luckiest and found an abundance of rare herbs and plants, leaving only Yuying without any significant gains.

    ¡°Keep an eye out for old looking bones, or other weird looking stuff. If you guys, see another severed soul tell me right away I might be able to harvest it. Yuying said to Zhang with a chuckle as she walked alongside him.

    Compared to the other beauties, things that interested Yuying were much harder to come by so she didn¡¯t particularly mind that they had yet to happen upon anything that would be useful for her.

    But as a man who treated all of his wives equally, Zhang felt the need to get Yuying a little something. Although Yuying might now think so, Zhang thought that if he made her feel excluded major repercussions may occur. As an old saying once said, a wise man keeps his mother, his wife and his daughter happy under all circumstances for these three women can call about disaster and devastation.

    So, with the eyes peel the group proceeded to wander around the ruins some more and roughly thirty minutes later one could say that their supply of otherworldly luck came to an end as they caught sight of a pair of lesser saints being attacked by a group of five severed souls. Enveloped in a thin a thick blanket of black mist, and grasping for air it was clear that the two lesser saints were in over their hands in trouble.

    ¡°Five severed souls¡­ There¡¯s definitely something out of the ordinary occurring on this island. Usually stumbling upon a single severed soul is already considered a rare event, but to think there were more of them wondering around.¡± Yuying said through her divine sense as she and the rest of the group hid behind a crumbling wall, watching the five severed souls and the two lesser saints.

    ¡°Should we help those two out?¡± Zhang asked while eyeing the distressed lesser saints, recognizing them as members of the Divine Wave Sect.

    ¡°Even if we were to charge in to help them by the time we get there they would have already succumbed to the might of the severed souls. Keep watch as I set up an array.¡± Yuying said as she bent over and pressed her two delicate looking hands onto the ground while channeling the essence within her body. Before long thousands if not tens of thousands of ruins began streaming from Yuying¡¯s hands onto the ground where they dispersed to form a massive circular ring.

    Very similar to the barriers that Yuying had created many times before the ring of runes began to glow and emit faint pulses of essence into the air, channeling and focusing upon the area where the five severed souls and the two lesser saints were.

    ¡°Expel!¡± Yuying said in a loud tone as the faint pulses of essence were amplified tenfold, creating visible waves in the air.

    ¡°Wa-what is this!¡± A hoarse and ancient voice could be heard.

    ¡°Deafen and silence!¡± Yuying yelled yet again, causing the runes on the ground to abruptly change color and create a thin membrane, encasing the area.

    ¡°As a precaution, I¡¯m going to prevent the sounds within this area from leaking outside so that if there are any more severed souls around they won¡¯t be attracted here.¡± Yuying said to the others as she continued to manipulate the array.

    Bombarded by the pulses of essence, the five severed souls released angry and terrifying screeches that would have otherwise traveled across the island had it not been for Yuying¡¯s barrier.

    ¡°Bind!¡± Yuying said as she made a series of hand signs, causing a few of the runes on the ground to quickly snake about and wrap around the five wisps of smoke that were the severed souls. Once the five severed souls were bound by Yuying¡¯s chain of runes, the two lesser saints who were being assault stumbled onto the ground where they lost consciousness.

    ¡°It should be safe to approach now.¡± Yuying stated as she got up from the ground and walked beside Zhang toward the severed souls.

    ¡°These two seem to be alright, their vitals are somewhat messed up but nothing life threatening.¡± Lingqi said after arriving next to the two lesser saints who had fainted.

    ¡°Only time will tell, unlike Ai who possesses a very powerful innate soul defense, these two might have already had their souls ripped to pieces and only their hollow shells are left behind.¡± Yuying said while a faint trace of pity appeared on her face.

    ¡°Now let¡¯s ask these guys a few questions.¡± She said as she arrived in front of one of the severed souls.

    ¡°Why are there so many of you on this island?¡± Yuying asked one of the severed souls.

    ¡°Ha, foolish girl! You think that a brat like you has the right to question me? If I hadn¡¯t been weakened by the passage of time and possessed my full powers, the lot of you would have already met your demise!¡± The severed soul replied in a haughty tone full of malice and disdain.

    ¡°Ha! For a mere severed soul to dare to act haughtily toward this princess... Answer me or perish...¡± Yuying responded in an equally haughty voice filled with disdain.

    ¡°Hmph, you have no right to demand anything from me. In terms of cultivation compared to me when I was at my peak you are but an insect. In terms of status and prestige, we are worlds apart. Lastly, although I don¡¯t know how you are capable of binding us but surely you are exhausting a huge amount of power, soon enough I will break out of these chains and slaughter the lot of you.¡± The severed soul said while laughing mockingly.

    ¡°It seems the old saying, shed no tears until seeing the coffin, would be the most fitting to be used at this time.¡± Yuying laughed as she looked at the severed soul. One could only imagine how many times Yuying had encountered severed souls during her time within the world of the dead, the Underworld. For a severed soul to talk to the ninety-ninth princess of the Underworld in such a way was quite laughable.

 Chapter 238: Greetings to the Underworld

    ¡°I¡¯ll give you one last chance to answer my question or else don¡¯t blame this princess for being heavy handed¡­¡± Yuying said unhappily while creases began to form on her brow as she faced the severed soul in front of her.

    ¡°Ha, try your worst! I¡¯ve been alive long enough to know that your words are hollow and that killing me is out of your capabilities! It is but a matter of time before you lose the ability to contain me and my comrades and soon you will fall under our mercy.¡± The severed soul said while laughing maniacally.

    ¡°Yo-you got me¡­ To completely destroy a severed soul and extinguish it from existence is indeed out of my current capabilities¡­¡± Yuying said with a frown in a soft voice which caused the severed soul along with is comrades to laughing ever so more loudly while uttering all kinds of mocking phrases at her.

    As powerful as Yuying was and as far as her knowledge regarding souls delved, it was still extremely hard for her to completely extinguish a severed soul. The only reason as to why the severed soul that attack Ai was scattered to oblivion was because it wasn''t too powerful and was caught off guard by Ai¡¯s innate soul defense.

    But for the group to destroy the group severed souls caught within Yuying¡¯s tune chains would be an entirely different story. More than likely they would fail in quickly finishing things and the rest of the severed souls on the island would be alerted and a series of terrible events would thus ensue.

    That is of course of a certain someone named Zhang did not possess a particularly powerful weapon in his arsenal, a weapon that allowed him to slaughter a dozen saints and hundreds of thousands of souls in the Underworld.

    ¡°However, what is out of my capabilities isn''t out of the capabilities of my husband.¡± Yuying laughed in a devilish manner, causing the severed souls to instantly quiet down.

    Without even needing to wait for Yuying to ask him to do so, Zhang ignited a flickering black dragon flame in the palm of his hand and casually with a wave of his hand made it shoot toward the severed soul.

    Despite being able to sense the fearsomeness of Zhang¡¯s soul devouring flame, and struggling to the utmost of its abilities, the severed soul remained tightly bound in place due to Yuying¡¯s chains of runes.

    As the one true bane of all things comprised solely of essence once the fist-sized flame that shot out of Zhang¡¯s palm embraced the severed soul, a pain filled howl reverberated into the air. Feeling it¡¯s very being slowly fading away, the severed soul¡¯s previously haughty and almighty tone that it had used to talk to Yuying was replaced by a pleading and yielding one.

    ¡°Pl-pl-please spare me!¡± The severed soul begged, much to the surprise of its comrades.

    With its cries for mercy falling on deaf ears, it took but a few moments before the severed soul felt its life nearing an end and just at the moment the black flames that engulfed it disappeared without a single trace.

    ¡°Will you answer my questions now?¡± Yuying asked with a smile on her face while looking at the wisp of smoke that was the severed soul. Compared to its previous state in which it was highly visible, the severed soul currently appeared as if it could be dispersed to the winds with a single motion of Yuying¡¯s hand.

    Along with its sorry looking state, the severed soul¡¯s attitude was now entirely different as it proceeded to answer Yuying¡¯s questions the moment she asked them.

    ¡°Wha-what would you like to know? I will answer your questions to the best of my ability, just please spare me...¡± The severed soul asked in a stutter.

    ¡°Tell me how it¡¯s possible for there to be so many severed souls on this island. Usually encountering one or two of your kind in this type of plane is already a rarity. Under normal circumstances when this many severed souls are gathered in one place; the Underworld would have sent a team of reapers to retrieve you all.¡± Yuying said, finding it odd that the severed souls on this island were about to avoid being detected by the Underworld.

    ¡°Tha-that is because of the¡­¡± The severed soul began to speak but stopped before giving Yuying the information she wished to attain.

    ¡°Speak or hold your tongue for the rest of eternity¡­¡± Yuying said as creases began to appear on her brow once again.

    ¡°Th-there is an Ethereal Point on this island! In the north, most point of this island there is are a pair mountains and at the peak of the highest mountain, there is an Ethereal Point. Through the use of a powerful array, the severed souls on this island cannot be detected by the Underworld.¡± The severed soul said, fearing Yuying¡¯s wraith.This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

    ¡°An Ethereal Point¡­If we can harness the power of the Ethereal Point we can all become high saints and then there won''t be anyone around to be afraid of any longer.¡± Zhang mumbled upon hearing the frightened words emanating from the severed soul.

    ¡°I would advise against going there¡­ The Ethereal Point is where the majority of the severed souls are gathered. If you go, there then you all will be slaughtered. Even if you can conjure that black colored fire, there are too many of us there for it to be any use.¡± The severed soul said, pretending to care about Zhang and the beauties in the hopes of being allowed to go free.

    ¡°No wonder the Sea Beast Sect was able to practically rule over the Eastern Sea¡­ With an Ethereal Point, they could have bred numerous powerful experts to bolster their forces with.¡± Ling said as she looked off into the distance toward the northern side of the island where the outline of large mountains could faintly be seen.

    ¡°I''ve told you what you wanted to know, will you let me go now?¡± The severed soul asked, after feeling the mood slightly lighten.

    ¡°Who says I was finished asking questions? Tell me where the treasury of the Sea Beast Sect is.¡± Yuying said.

    ¡°Treasury? That place was looted hundreds of years ago. Why would you bother going there?¡± The severed soul replied promptly.

    ¡°If something as important as an Ethereal Point as gone unnoticed after all of this time, I¡¯m sure that a sect as powerful as the Sea Beast Sect must have a secret stash of treasure or two hidden somewhere where people wouldn¡¯t be able to find them.¡± Yuying said with a chuckle, while Zhang¡¯s interest was piqued.

    ¡°Yea, I¡¯m sure if anyone had been able to locate something such as an Ethereal Point this island wouldn¡¯t be in the sorry state that it is currently in.¡± Lingqi interjected after a moment¡¯s thought.

    ¡°Tell me where the treasure is or else I¡¯ll disperse your soul.¡± Zhang said to the severed soul while a black colored flame ignited in his palm. When it came to treasure, anything that stood in Zhang¡¯s way would either have to make way or be turned to ashes.

    ¡°The-the most important treasure of the sect was placed in a room near to where located in the same place the Ethereal Point is!¡± The severed soul answered, fearing for its life.

    ¡°Thank you for answering all of my questions, you may go now.¡± Yuying said with a smile before making a series of hand signs, causing the black colored chain of runes binding the particular severed soul that she had been conversing with to extrude an eerie greenish glow.

    ¡°Wha-what is this?! You just said that you¡¯d let me go!¡± The Severed Soul cried out in a panicked voice.

    ¡°Of course, I¡¯m letting you go now. Please tell father that I¡¯m well. Also for talking to me in such a haughty manner earlier, I hope you enjoy your stay in one of the eighteen floors.¡± Yuying laughed as she retrieved the Samsara Gate Medallion that hung from her waist and held it in front of the severed soul.

    In a flash, a bright colored light enveloped the surrounding area and the severed soul that dared to anger the ninety-ninth princess of the Underworld was sent away.

    ¡°With my insignia imparted onto his soul, father will be sure to give him vip treatment.¡± Yuying giggled devilishly.

    ¡°Alright let¡¯s finish things here and then plan our next move. Since I¡¯m not sure if we should rejoin the group or head straight to the Ethereal Point where we can break through and become high saints.¡± Zhang said as he waved his hand and ignited five more soul devouring flames that quickly shot toward the remaining severed souls.

    ¡°It did say that there would be many severed souls gathered in the area around the Ethereal Point. If their numbers are too great my array would be rendered useless and then we might be in a bit of trouble.¡± Yuying said as the ghastly wails of the dying severed souls made their way into her ear.

    ¡°Without your array to hold them, I¡¯m not sure that the full potential of my fire can be drawn out. If I end up having to conjure too many of these things, I don¡¯t think we would be able to last long.¡± Zhang said.

    ¡°If we rejoin the main group, at least we can use the Black Thorn Coral or the wyverns to fight. Or if we are attacked by severed souls, at least there will be other people there to help take away a bit of the burden that we would otherwise have to face on our own.¡± Ling stated.

    ¡°How about rejoining the group first and seeing where the tomb is located and from there we can decide on what to do.¡± Lingqi suggested.

    ¡°What do we do if we run into more of those things?¡± Ai asked.

    ¡°As long as there aren¡¯t too many we can promptly handle them. If they aren¡¯t in their soul form anymore and have gained bodies, then that would make things even easier for us. Since possessing another person would have definitely depleted a great part of their strength.¡± Yuying said.

    ¡°Okay then let¡¯s head back to the main group and then figure things out from there.¡± Zhang said as he lifted the Dragon Heart Necklace that was usually dangling from his neck into the air where it released a powerful suction force and gathered all of the black flames that was released moments ago.

    Just like in the Underworld, Zhang used the black flames to basically steal away all of the essence that made up the severed souls and stored it away into the Dragon Heart Necklace for later use.

    ¡°Be sure to pretend that we don¡¯t know anything about there being severed souls on this island. Sometimes it is best to play the fool than to know too much.¡± Ling reminded, feeling that it would be disadvantageous for the group if they let on about their discoveries.

    ¡°Yes, while we are in the light the enemy is in the dark it is best to feign ignorance.¡± Zhang said as the group proceeded to leave.

    ¡°As a precaution, take a few of these and activate them if you feel that you¡¯re in danger. With a tiny bit of essence, these talismans will erect a small barrier that might prove to be useful.¡± Yuying said before passing out three white colored talismans to the other beauties and to Zhang.

    Once the talismans were given out, with a wave of her hand Yuying made the barrier that she had erected earlier disappear as the runes that littered the ground faded away without leaving single a trace behind.

    Backtracking the path, they traveled, Zhang and the beauties slowly made their way back to where the main group was gathered. Upon their return, Zhang and his wives could see a clear difference in the group, compared to when they had initially set off to look for treasure.

    From what Zhang, could tell, within the respective parties within the larger group, there was no, even more, division. Over the course of their travels to reach Sea Beast Island, Zhang had made it a habit of his to observe the other groups that he and the beauties were traveling with so with a mere glance he could tell that something was wrong when he saw people who were usually very talkative and at the center of their respective groups, sitting along by themselves.

    ¡°That one over there and over there, they are acting differently from how they usually act. That guy over there usually sits in the lotus position with his left leg tucked underneath his right leg. That one over there usually always has a bottle of wine in his hands. That woman over there is usually always fawning over that man over there, however, today she¡¯s sitting with the two men who she usually avoids talking to.¡± Ai said to the group through her divine sense as she spotted abnormalities in the behaviors of those within the larger group.

    Compared to Zhang¡¯s observations, Ai¡¯s was on an entirely different level. As her favorite pastime, Ai would often watch people¡¯s interactions with each other.

 Lets take a poll! Read this is important o_o

    Should I stall future releases and wait a day or two to have someone edit and proofread posts? I know the current quality of the chapters can increase a lotif I was to wait for an editor and a proofreader to go over things before I post, however that would also affect the release rate since these sorts of things need time to do. So what are your thoughts? Also thanks for sticking with me thus far, got a few mean comments today full of profanity, saying my decisionson how the story progressing has been bad, so I must say thank you to you folks who are still around and I''m really thankful for your comments and encouragement.Stolen story; please report.

    This post will be taken down in a few days so please vote.

 Chapter 239: Revealed

    ¡°Everyone gather around! I will now reactivate the metal dragon and have it lead us to Long Shijie¡¯s resting place.¡± Lord Long Zhiming said in a loud voice prompting people to gather around him.

    ¡°Is it finally time?¡± Zhang asked as he and his wives walked up toward Lord Long Zhiming.

    From what Zhang, could tell, for the most part, none of the people from the Dragon God Palace had been possessed. While every other party had at least a person or two severed souls mixed into their ranks.

    ¡°This could be an odd coincidence or a devious plot of some kind.¡± Zhang thought to himself.

    ¡°According to what I know, the best time to enter Long Shijie¡¯s tomb should be the very moment the sun sets.¡± Lord Long Zhiming said.

    ¡°Once the sun sets, the severed souls will also be a tad stronger than they are now; so, it is best to stay on our guard.¡± Yuying said to Zhang, Ai, Ling and Lingqi through her divine sense.

    ¡°It¡¯ll be dangerous if we are the only ones to know about the severed souls, should we tell a few of the others?¡± Zhang asked his wives through his divine sense.

    ¡°If we let on about what we know to the wrong people there could be dire consequences. I think it would be best if we could alert the others without letting them know that it was us who alerted them.¡± Ling voiced her opinion.

    ¡°Yea if we can make a severed soul appear, then everyone who hasn¡¯t been possessed yet will be on guard for the rest of the trip.¡± Lingqi added supporting Ling¡¯s suggestion.

    ¡°Is there even a way for us to do that without revealing ourselves?¡± Zhang asked.

    ¡°Leave it to me; I¡¯ll see what I can do.¡± Yuying said as they stopped talking through their divine sense and focused their attention toward Lord Long Zhiming once again.

    ¡°Activate!¡± Lord Long Zhiming shouted as he held up the metallic guide that would lead everyone in his palm. Like it had done a few times before, the metallic guide began to vibrate and the inanimate dragon began to wiggle and coiled itself in Lord Long Zhiming¡¯s palm before launching itself into the air and releasing a deafening roar despite its small size.

    Whilst everyone''s gazes were focused upon the metallic dragon, Yuying saw the perfect opportunity to act.

    As discreet as possible, she began to chant in an inaudible voice while her hands were hidden in her sleeves making one hand sign after the other, creating dozens of tiny chains of runes.

    Yuying directed the chains of runes to the soles of her shoes then manipulated them to penetrate into the ground, tunneling it toward the target she had selected.

    Moments later one of the possessed, a young female lesser saint by the name of Mei Qing, found herself under attack as the rune chains burrowed their way out of the ground and wrapped around her ankles.

    ¡°Expel!¡± Yuying yelled in her mind causing the chains of runes wrapping around Mei Qing to light up for a half of a second and unleashing a powerful burst of soul power.

    ¡°Wha-what is happening!?!?¡± Mei Qing yelled in a hoarse voice full of panic before a smoky, black silhouette was pushed out from her back.

    With her goal completed, Yuying instantly stopped her spell and made the rune chains disappear. Everyone¡¯s attention was redirected from Lord Long Zhiming onto Mei Qing, who fainted and fell onto the ground.

    Floating in the air, where its host had been, the severed soul was bombarded by the piercing gazes of everyone present.

    ¡°A severed soul!¡± Master Shan Jin yelled out as an essence flared out from within his body.

    Before long, many of the other saints also began to channel their essence within their bodies engulfing the severed soul with the oppressive might of dozen saints.

    Under such a powerful force, the severed soul immediately fell under the mercy of the crowd.

    ¡°Wretched deceased! How dare you act unruly and possess one us!¡± Lord Long Zhiming roared angrily as a beam made entirely of essence shot out from the tip of his index finger.

    ¡°Wait!¡± Master Shan Jin yelled as he saw the beam of essence pierced through the air impaling the severed soul causing a painful shrill to emanate through the air.

    After being impaled by Lord Long Zhiming¡¯s attack, the outline of the severed soul¡¯s smoky body glowed before it exploded into a rain of twinkling specks.

    ¡°Why did you do that!?¡± Master Yu Xui roared angrily at Lord Long Zhiming.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.

    ¡°For a mere severed soul to act unruly in front of my lord, being dispersed into oblivion is already a lenient punishment.¡± One of Lord Long Zhiming¡¯s subordinates said in a haughty tone. However, before anyone could even respond to him Yuying had already utilized her technique the second time upon another target.

    ¡°What is the meaning of this!¡± A hoarse voice echoed in the air as a young man who was standing not far away from Mei Qing lost consciousness and a wisp of smoke was pushed out of his body, revealing a second severed soul.

    Much like the first severed soul that had appeared, this second severed soul was instantly swept up in a storm of essence conjured by the combined efforts of all of most of the saints present.

    But unlike their first encounter, many of the saints such as Master Shan Jin and Master Yu Xui all had their gazes focused upon Lord Long Zhiming, waiting to see if the latter was going to act.

    However, before Lord Long Zhiming could or even attempted to act the severed soul howled and in a flash self-detonated, causing shockwave to ripple and send a few unsuspecting saints tumbling onto the ground.

    ¡°Let us proceed with what we were doing before.¡± Lord Long Zhiming said as he redirected everyone''s attention back into the sky where the metallic dragon was, clearly trying to ignore the matter regarding the severed souls.

    ¡°Odd¡­¡± Zhang and the all of the beauties but Ai thought in unison.

    ¡°Something is wrong with him¡­¡± Ling said to Zhang and the other beauties through her divine sense.

    ¡°Definitely¡­¡± Zhang said.

    Disregarding everyone else Lord Long Zhiming and his subordinates all took to the air pursuing the metallic dragon and of course since no one wanted to be left behind they were forced to swallow their questions, doubts, and objections and shot into the air too.

    ¡°Everyone! Please make sure that all of your subordinates are in sound condition and not the puppets of the deceased!¡± Master Shan Jin said after taking off after Lord Long Zhiming and the metallic dragon.

    Thanks to Yuying¡¯s efforts the saints were now aware of the existence of the severed souls and began to sweep through their ranks to smoke out these unwanted guests.

    As seamlessly as the severed souls were and despite how well they blended in after obtaining their new bodies, once their presence was revealed, as a group the saints had a number of ways to deal with them.

    Thus, began a purge in which the roles of predator and prey gradually switched.

    e knowledge regarding the soul was unmatched, the other saints had no way of Although their knowledge regarding the soul could not compare to Yuying, a few of the other saints possessed methods to slowly but surely seek out the severed souls. Sadly, despite having the ability to figure out who was being possessed by a severed soul, these saints did not possess the ability to expel the severed soul out of the host body.

    So for the most part, once someone was discovered to be possessed by a severed soul, they would be directly put to the sword.

    ¡°Damn severed souls! Die!¡± A full saint roared as he decapitated one of his comrades who had been possessed.

    While everyone was busy making sure that their ranks were free of any unwanted infiltrators, Zhang and his wives found themselves somewhat lucky because all of their subordinates had remained with the bulk of the group and none of them were possessed.

    ¡°Thankfully none of our people got caught up in this mess or else we would be forced to act like everyone else and put them to the sword since we can¡¯t let anyone know that it was us who expelled those severed souls out from the bodies of their hosts.¡± Yuying stated. Although Zhang would have surely objected to needlessly killing their subordinates, in the end, to ensure his safety and the safety of his wives he would be forced to push aside his personal feelings and do what¡¯s best.

    Soaring across Sea Beast Island, much to Zhang¡¯s surprise the metallic dragon was heading north toward a pair of fairly large mountains.

    ¡°The inheritance is at the Ethereal Point? Things might play out more in my favor if I can find an opportunity to make use of the Ethereal Point. Also, as long as we remain within the group, I won¡¯t have to worry about being overwhelmed by the severed souls¡­ If only the Soul Devouring flame was more effective...¡± Zhang thought in a mumble to himself as he felt that his trump card, the black flames that helped him escape from the very depths of hell, was rather ineffective when facing people of the same level or those more powerful than he was.

    If he was facing a soul without a body, then the flames would be extremely effective and rather than depleting his stores of essence during its use it would replenish and strengthen him. However, when facing someone just as strong or stronger than himself, someone with who possessed a mortal body, someone who was in their peak condition, the black flames would at best weaken his opponent. But the amount of essence expended by using the flames and the amount of damage dealt to the enemy would not correlate.

    Hence the reason why Zhang had to store away large amounts of essence within the Dragon Heart Necklace.

    ¡°In the mortal plane this fire is definitely useful in a one on one match, however when facing multiple enemies, I would be at a disadvantage if I had to keep using it. Heh, maybe I¡¯m just overthinking things too much.¡± Zhang thought as he refocused his attention toward the two mountains up ahead, pushing his current thoughts to the side.

    As they flew through the air and came ever closer to the pair of mountains, a beautiful scenery came into view. Standing side by side with both of their peaks piercing into the clouds, the two mountains looked especially magnificent as the starry night sky acted as their backdrop.

    Covered in ruins that had been reclaimed by mother nature, one couldn¡¯t help but feel a hint of awe after witnessing such a sight.

    Seeing such a sight while soaring through the air following a metallic dragon whilst in the companion of four heaven-defying beauties along with a large number of saints, Zhang truly felt that he had come quite far in life. From a boy who couldn¡¯t even pass the early stages of cultivation, he had escaped from the Underworld while taking the Yama¡¯s beloved daughter with him on top of that he eventually married her, he had returned helped established a mighty empire and now he was currently plotting against some of the strongest powers established in the Eastern Sea.

    Lead by the metallic dragon, the group flew toward a valley that cut into the place where the two mountains intersected. After flying a considerable distance into the valley, the metallic dragon unleashed one of its deafening roars along with a powerful pulse of essence that reverberated throughout the valley.

    Acting as a key of sorts the pulse of essence released from the metallic dragon caused the ground to rumble and shake as nine massive life like metallic dragons pierced upward from the ground forming a large circle.

    Once the nine massive metallic dragons rose up from the earth they too began to unleash deafening roars, resonating with the miniature metallic dragon. Moments later the nine larger metallic dragons all began shooting beams of essence onto the ground and before long a massive magic circle array lit up.

    ¡°A teleportation array.¡± Yuying said as the newly visible runes on the ground began to glow ever so more brightly and a rift within space slowly formed.

    ¡°This teleportation array should take us to where the inheritance is.¡± Lord Long Zhiming said with a bright and ecstatic expression on his face before directly flying into the spatial rift, followed by all of the members of the Dragon God Palace.

    ¡°Let''s go, judging from the layout of this array, the rift won''t remain stable for very long!¡± Yuying said as she flew toward the teleportation array.

    Following after Yuying, Zhang and the other beauties along with their subordinates all charged into the spatial rift also and in a flash, they found themselves within a large chamber filled with darkness.

    Gathered at the other end of the teleportation array, all of the saints began to withdraw various items from their interspatial rings and employ various methods at their disposal to spread light into the world of darkness in front of them.

    Of course, due to the sheer size of the chamber, no amount of light would ever be enough to completely push aside the impending darkness. With that being said however thanks to the efforts of all those present, a good portion of the chamber was now brightly lit.

    Appearing to stretch endlessly into the darkness with hundreds of large columns decorated with intricately carved stone dragons, and a ceiling as tall as a mountain, the chamber made everyone appear as if they were ants.

    ¡°Is that the real Ascending Beauty Painting!?¡± Someone yelled out as they pointed off distance toward an ancient looking altar that had been shrouded in the shadows not too long ago.

    Atop this ancient altar, a floating piece portrait could be seen levitating in midair.

    ¡°The person in that painting looks oddly familiar¡­¡± Zhang said as his eyes locked onto the levitating portrait.

    ¡°Now that you mention it, I think I¡¯ve seen that person somewhere.¡± Lingqi said.

    ¡°Yea, that person looks very familiar¡­¡± Yuying said.

    ¡°Most definitely.¡± Ling added.

    ¡°Hmmm¡­¡± Ai mutter could be seen in deep thought.

 What is the person in the Painting?

Guesses and why you think it''s that person.The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

    Thoughts on this?

    How are you, folks?

    Hows life and stuff?

 Chapter 240: Subtle Differences

    Just one glance at the portrait that was floating in midair Zhang couldn¡¯t help but feel a sense of familiarity. However, Zhang found himself unable to name the person drawn on the painting. Maybe, it was due to the lack of light shining upon the painting, or perhaps it was due to the distance, or maybe the artist who had drawn the painting did not accurately portray the person on the portrait or simply just because his mind could not make the right connections.

    Endowed with delicate looking pink lips, charming eyes filled with wisdom, a perfect figure and a vibrant smile that could melt the hardest of glaciers, after a few more glances at the painting and Zhang¡¯s brain would have definitely been able to connect all together.

    However, Zhang was not given this opportunity because as soon as he was able to catch a glimpse of the portrait a group of roughly ten full saints and twenty lesser saints charged forward, obviously with intentions of obtaining the Ascending Beauty Painting.

    ¡°Hmph unless one of the high saints make a move, no one here is my match.¡± Zhang thought with a snort but did not to move, refocusing his attention onto the group of saints rushing toward the painting instead.

    Be it for the fact that he felt some familiarity with the figure within the portrait or be it because of the unfathomable powers that he could be granted, Zhang had more than enough reasons to try to obtain the Ascending Beauty Painting. However, instead of fighting over it with everyone else, Zhang had come up with a better way to obtain the painting.

    ¡°I will claim this painting in the name of the Divine Wave Sect!¡± A full saint with dark bluish hair yelled as he surfed across the room atop a wave of water.

    ¡°No, the Ascending Beauty Painting will belong to the Celestial Mermaid Bay!¡± A young female full saint said as she sped through the air not too far behind the man with dark bluish hair.

    ¡°With that painting, it will only be a matter of time before I ascend to the pinnacle of power!¡± A lesser saint laughed manically as a strange looking bow appeared in his hands moments before two deadly looking arrows of light were released into the air.

    ¡°You are over teaching yourself, a mere lesser saint who thinks he can contend with full saints.¡± The man with dark bluish hair laughed as the water underneath his feet shot up into the air and created a protective film that shielded his back.

    ¡°Now now, to be fighting amongst ourselves at a time like this.¡± The master of the Divine Wave Sect said despite showing no intentions to intervene.

    ¡°Yes, now is not the time for internal conflicts¡­ With an unknown number of severed souls that could still be lurking on this island we should settle things without violence.¡± Master Shan Jin said, despite also not lifting a finger to intervene.

    It was obvious that all of the leaders of the various sects and forces present all wished to acquire the Ascending Beauty Painting, but they also did not want to cause open conflict due to the nature of the situation they were in.

    Although they greedily wished to acquire the Ascending Beauty Painting for themselves, they were also afraid of the outward threat that the severed souls posed against them, so the leaders of the various factions were all forced to sit back and watch as their weaker subordinates fight against each other.

    Watching the act that everyone was putting up and the intense struggle amongst the saints rushing toward the Ascending Beauty Painting, Zhang couldn¡¯t help but inwardly chuckle.

    ¡°Regardless of how hard you all fight amongst yourselves that painting is mine.¡± Zhang muttered inwardly to himself while looking away from the brawl that had broken out and back toward the familiar looking person in the Ascending Beauty Painting with a confident look on his face and a swirl of essence in the palm of his hand bidding for the right time to act.

    Struggling fiercely against each other, the thirty or so saints employed all of the skills and spells at their disposal causing ripples of essence to sweep across the chamber.

    Radiating swords slashed about, crimson flames dances through the air, icy spears pierced through flesh and froze over blood, as the battle for Ascending Beauty Painting continued.

    ¡°The eyes look a little bit different, the hair is in a different style and there is an odd mature feeling given off when I look at that painting but when one looks past those minor differences, the person in the painting is undoubtedly her.¡± Yuying said as she glanced over at the other beauties before glancing back at the Ascending Beauty Painting.

    ¡°Although there is a striking resemblance I can¡¯t help but say the eyes are totally different¡­ While the one in the painting gives off an air of nobility that would deter most from approaching the one standing beside me gives off a friendly charm.¡± Ling thought as she glanced over at the other beauties, particularly one that was whistling in a carefree manner.Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.

    ¡°I can¡¯t believe I wasn¡¯t able to make the connection¡­ Well actually the eyes look totally different and also the general feel the artist tried to portray is way off.¡± Zhang thought after taking a good look at the floating painting and then looking back at his youngest looking most most silly wife, Ai.

    ¡°Before anything else I need to take that painting before anyone else notices their similarities.¡± Zhang thought. Luckily for the most part of the journey to Sea Beast Island, Ai and the other beauties had either stayed within their magical carriage or beside Zhang where they kept their distance away from everyone else, meaning there weren¡¯t too many people besides Shan Li who had vivid images of their faces.

    While trying to prevent others from seeing what he was up to Zhang wrapped his arms around Yuying and Lingqi¡¯s waists, pulling him closer toward him before tearing a small hole in space and unleashing a powerful bolt of lightning into it.

    With proper timing, Zhang was able to make it so that the lightning bolts that were released from his fingertips had crossed through the spatial rift just as the full saint with dark bluish hair from the Divine Wave Sect was about to place his hand onto the Ascending Beauty Painting.

    Once the lightning bolt struck the bluish-haired saint, it began to travel throughout his body before connecting with the column of water underneath his feet causing a burst of steam to erupt and rob everyone of their sight.

    In the following moments, Zhang quickly tapped the Ascending Beauty Painting and stored it away into his interspatial ring, closed the spatial rift and then pretended to act like everyone else in the audience.

    What Zhang didn¡¯t notice was that the moment just before he had stored the painting in to his interspatial ring, it had begun to faintly glow.

    ¡°I got it.¡± Zhang said to his wives through his divine sense.

    ¡°Where¡¯s the Ascending Beauty Painting!¡± Someone screamed as the curtain of steam slowly dispersed.

    Much to everyone¡¯s amazement, well besides Zhang and his wives, the floating painting that they were all wanted to obtain had disappeared into thin air.

    ¡°Which one of you guys have it? Just admit it and stop wasting my time, I¡¯ve had enough for this charade.¡± Zhang said in a loud and audible tone.

    ¡°What a bore, one of them managed to get the painting and now they¡¯re playing dumb so they can keep it.¡± Yuying said as she gazed at the thirty odd saints with a look of contempt.

    ¡°Which one of you has the painting?¡± Master Yu Xui asked, inwardly agreeing with what Yuying had said.

    Before long a storm of speculation, doubt and suspicion were cast upon the thirty saints who had fought over the Ascending Beauty Painting. In the end, everyone was only looking after their own self-interests so it wasn¡¯t out of the question that one of the thirty would try to hide and keep something as mystifying as the Ascending Beauty Painting to themselves.

    ¡°Unless the painting that we all saw was but a mere illusion. It¡¯s obvious that the painting is sitting in one of your interspatial rings, no need to keep wasting our time.¡± Lingqi said, subliminally planting ideas into everyone¡¯s minds.

    ¡°My lord please believe me, although I was the closest one to the painting it is not in my possession. If you want, I¡¯ll prove it to you by unbinding my interspatial ring and letting you comb through its contents.¡± The full saint with darkish blue hair said, eager to prove his innocence after hearing Lingqi¡¯s words.

    ¡°Mistress I¡¯ll prove my innocence by handing over my interspatial ring also.¡± The female full saint from the Celestial Mermaid Bay said as she slid an orange colored interspatial ring off from her finger and presented it for inspection.

    Following the example of the female full saint and the blue haired full saint, the remaining twenty-eight saints also took out their interspatial rings and handed them to their superiors over after unbinding them.

    One by one the contents of the interspatial rings were dumped onto the ground for all to see, and one by one the saints were cleared of suspicion. But as the number of interspatial rings inspected rose and the number of saints whose innocence was restored, a certain sense of anticipation overcame the leaders of the various forces.

    As if they were certain that one of the thirty interspatial rings held the legendary artifact that allowed Long Shijie to rise to power, all of the masters and mistresses of the Eastern Sea watched on while counting down the number of interspatial rings left to be inspected.

    ¡°There¡¯s only two ring¡¯s left, I wonder which one the painting will be in.¡± Ai said with a soft giggle.

    ¡°One of these two rings definitely holds the Ascending Beauty Painting.¡± The master of the Divine Wave Sect said, causing the two remaining saints, who had yet to have their interspatial rings inspect, to have an immense pressure applied onto their shoulders.

    Although they were certain that they did not ever even lay hands on the painting, the mere fact of being placed under suspension was enough to cause some to fear for their lives. Once a seed of doubt is planted it is nearly impossible to completely eradicate it and once this seed blooms death quickly approaches.

    ¡°It-it was definitely not me.¡± A lesser saint with an odd-looking shark tattoo said in a timid tone as he presented his interspatial ring for inspection.

    Feeling as if a mountain was pressing down on him, the lesser saint breathed in heavily as a white colored interspatial ring was taken from his palm and its contents were dumped onto the ground.

    ¡°A few essence stones, a couple mid-grade herbs, and a few lesser saint tier weapons¡­¡± Master Shan Jin said before tossing the white interspatial ring back to its owner.

    ¡°Then you have the painting.¡± Yuying said as she pointed to the holder of the last uninspected interspatial ring, a bald full saint whose face was covered in sweat.

    ¡°No-no-no! I wouldn¡¯t dare to do such a thing! Ple-please believe me!¡± The bald full saint cried as he took the initiative to crumble his interspatial ring to bits, spilling its contents onto the floor.

    ¡°If none of them have it, then does that mean the painting we saw on the altar was a mere illusion?¡± Zhang asked.

    ¡°It must have been unless it sprouted legs and walked away amidst the confusion¡­ Let¡¯s stop wasting our time and go look for Long Shijie¡¯s inheritance¡­¡± Lingqi said with a yawn.

    ¡°Hmph¡­ What useless waste of time¡­ If the lot of you still want a share of Long Shijie¡¯s inheritance, then stop wasting time here.¡± Lord Long Zhiming said while flinging his sleeves and walking away with his entourage impatiently.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go also.¡± Zhang said, following behind Lord Long Zhiming with his wives by his side, leaving before anyone could further pursue matters regarding the Ascending Beauty Painting.

    Believing they were doped by a mere illusion, the rest of the group soon pushed aside all of the thoughts they had about the Ascending Beauty Painting and thus quickened their pace to caught up with Zhang and Lord Long Zhiming.

    Strangely enough as Zhang followed behind Lord Long Zhiming¡¯s entourage it appeared as if they knew where they were going. Unlike everyone else who was lost within the vastness of the chamber, Lord Long Zhiming and his subordinates walked forward with resolute steps, steps the belonged to people who know where their destination laid and how to get there.

    ¡°Master Shan Jin, Master Yu Xui, do you find it odd that the people from the Dragon God Palace appear to know the layout of this place? Isn¡¯t this supposed to be the first time anyone has set foot in hundreds of years?¡± Zhang asked through his divine sense.

    ¡°Now that you mention it, it is kind of odd¡­ But there is nothing we can do but tell our men to stay on guard for now.¡± Master Shan Jin replied.

    ¡°If you spot anything out of the ordinary don¡¯t be afraid to speak to me.¡± Master Yu Xui said before Zhang cut off communications.

 Chapter 241: Seven Colored Flame

    Following Lord Long Zhiming through the dark unknown, Zhang kept a constant eye on his surroundings. Although he couldn''t be completely sure if something was amiss or not, a sense of unease had arisen within him.

    ¡°If he is plotting something then it won''t be long before all hell breaks loose.¡± Zhang said to his wives through his divine sense.

    ¡°I don''t think it''s whether or not he is plotting something, he is definitely plotting something. Instead of sending his subordinates to contest for the painting, he simply stood back and watched. As if he did not wish for anymore conflict to ensue. For the most part, he has been ushering everyone forward as if he was afraid that we would change our minds, give up on the supposed inheritance and leave.¡± Ling stated as she looked at Lord Long Zhiming with eyes full of suspicion.

    ¡°I''m not sure if anyone else has noticed it or not but some of these pillars have runes inscribed onto them. From what I can tell we may be walking within a massive sealing array.¡± Yuying said to the others through her divine sense.

    ¡°Are you sure it¡¯s not the same array that cloaks the entire island so that the severed souls can roam free?¡± Zhang asked.

    ¡°Perhaps cloaking the island is a mere after-effect of this formation but its main purpose should be to keep something or someone leaving the island.¡± Yuying replied.

    ¡°What could possibly be sealed here? Wasn''t this place supposed to be the tomb of the founder of the Dragon God Palace?¡± Lingqi asked in a slightly confused tone as her voice was projected into the minds of the others.

    ¡°Maybe all of the rumors regarding the inheritance were simply made up and instead of being pieces of a treasure map the pieces of the fake Ascending Beauty Painting were actually keys to a prison.¡± Zhang said.

    ¡°Someone or something that a half-deity level expert wished to keep locked away even after his death¡­ We can only image what is being kept here.¡± Lingqi said with a hint of anxiousness in her voice.

    ¡°Whatever gets in our way will get the living daylights punched out of them, nothing to worry about.¡± Ai with a chuckle in a carefree manner.

    ¡°Silly girl.¡± Yuying said through her divine sense while playfully ruffling Ai¡¯s hair.

    ¡°I''ll prepare the Black Thorn Coral and the wyvern for use in case things get out of hand.¡± Yuying said as a large pair of gates situated not too far ahead came into view.

    Towering roughly thirty feet high and stretching about twenty feet across with two massive lifelike stone dragons and hundreds of runes carved into each gate, only the word awe-inspiring could be used to describe what stood in front of the group.

    Compared to the many gaudy gates lined with gold and jewels that Zhang had encountered before, the pair of gates in front erect in front of him could be considered in a league of its own.

    As the group approached the pair of massive gates Zhang noticed that there was actually a tiny piece missing from one of the stone doors. Appearing as if someone had taken a sword and slice off a triangular corner of the gate, a path that was large enough for a person to walk through was cut directly through the stone gate.

    ¡°Someone must have been here before us.¡± Zhang concluded with a single glance. The cut in the stone gate was too precise and clean to have occurred naturally, leaving few plausible possibilities behind for one to pick from.

    Not long after Zhang''s came to his conclusion many of the other saints did the same. As a storm of questions stirred in everyone¡¯s mind, a foreboding sense of unease began to seep into their hearts.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t we supposed to be the first ones to arrive here in hundreds of years?¡± Someone asked while pointing at the opening in the stone gate as their sense of unease overcame them.

    ¡°We should stop our advance, for now, there have been simply too many odd occurrences for me to continue on with confidence.¡± Someone else said as a murmur enveloped the group. Voicing their opinions and slowing their pace, everyone sought answers and strived to relieve themselves of the chaos that was consuming them from within.

    ¡°I concur, before all of these questions that are plaguing have been answered I will not set a single step from this very spot. Nor will I risk blindly placing my people in harm¡¯s way.¡± The master of the Divine Wave Sect said in an adamant tone.

    ¡°Hmph, of the lot of you wish to remain behind then you are all welcome to. Just don''t expect me to hand you all a share of Long Shijie¡¯s inheritance.¡± Lord Long Zhiming said with an unhappy snort as he signaled for his people to file into the opening in the stone gates, successfully splitting the group in two.

    ¡°From one perspective one may think that Lord Long Zhiming and the experts of the Dragon God Palace were so eager to claim Long Shijie''s inheritance that they were leaving everyone behind, but from another perspective, they could possibly be trying to spur everyone on by using the inheritance as enticement. Of course, this is all but speculation.¡± Ling stated to the others through their divine sense after as she saw a few people anxiously wishing to run after Lord Long Zhiming.This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    ¡°So, the question is do we continue to follow him and walk into a trap or do we remain here in the dark and remain ignorant of what is actually happening.¡± Zhang asked through his divine sense.

    ¡°If we remain here sooner or later trouble will come to find us, if we follow after them then we will be looking for trouble.¡± Yuying replied with a sigh.

    ¡°Everyone let''s push aside our doubts for now and continue onward, splitting up now will only serve to weaken us.¡± Master Shan Jin said as Zhang and his wives conversed amongst each other.

    From Master Shan Jin¡¯s perspective although the Dragon God Palace was an adversary that he would eventually have to fight against, for the time being, they were a necessary ally whose power can prove to be very useful.

    Thus, prompting him to try to convince everyone to put aside their differences and move further together.

    ¡°I believe Master Shan Jin is right. As of now, we are in the light and the darkness is brimming with hidden dangers, splitting up will only decrease our battle potential.¡± Zhang said.

    After some back and forth in regards to what should be done, another split occurred within the larger group occurred.

    Resulting in a majority group following after Lord Long Zhiming and a minority group choosing to remain where they were.

    Making their way through the stone gates, Zhang and those that choose to go forward, after the forces of the Dragon God Palace, found themselves in a room filled with gleaming essence stones and other riches.

    Compared to the barren chamber that they had come from, this room filled with essence stones was a most welcomed sight for all of those who had chosen to press onward.

    With columns and walls made of entirely out of essence stones, one could only imagine how valuable the treasures in this room were.

    ¡°Where did those guys from the Dragon God Palace go?¡± A lesser saint asked.

    ¡°Damn, they must have already left with all of the valuable treasures already and these are mere scraps.¡± The full saint with darkish blue hair complained.

    Believing that the Dragon God Palace must have filled their pockets before leaving, those present could only allow their imagination to run wild.

    Little did everyone know; the members of the Dragon God Palace had not taken a single essence stone and had actually ignored the vast riches that they had come upon. Not tempted by greed, they had walked past the piles of essence stones without even so much as a glance.

    ¡°How will we split up this hoard of essence stones.¡± Zhang asked while trying to appear indifferent.

    ¡°As to prevent conflict and dissatisfaction, how about we split everything equally amongst the respective forces.¡± Ling suggested. If all of the essence stones were equally given to all of the individuals present, Zhang and his faction would receive the smallest percentage. However, if the hoard was split amongst the various forces present, a substantial sum would end up in Zhang¡¯s pocket.

    ¡°Since one of the mistresses of the Blood Coral Cove suggested it, I believe it would be fair to equally distribute all the of essence stones here amongst the various forces present.¡± Master Yu Xui said with a smile before a few other leaders spoke out in agreement.

    ¡°When no one is around I''ll come back and take away these columns also.¡± Zhang inwardly chuckled as he stored away a portion of the essence stones lying on the ground.

    Content with their spoils everyone began to go in search of the members of the Dragon God Palace and Lord Long Zhiming. Holding flickering torches and manipulating floating balls of fire or other light sources they strode into the unknown.

    Having sensed that something is bound to go awry very soon, Yuying kept a vigilant eye on her surroundings, ready to unleash a swarm of Black Thorn Coral and a vicious wyvern on whatever threatens her and her loved ones.

    After some time passed, Zhang and the others finally caught up to Lord Long Zhiming and his subordinates, who could all be seen sitting crossed legged around a gigantic three-legged cauldron with their hands pointed outward.

    ¡°Quickly! Help me and I will give all of you an equal share of Long Shijie¡¯s inheritance!¡± Lord Long Zhiming yelled as beams of essence shot out from his palms toward the gigantic ancient looking cauldron while streams of sweat trailed down his brow.

    ¡°Tha-that¡¯s the legendary seven colored fire! The flames of creation!¡± Master Shan Jin cried in an astonished tone as he saw flickers of flame dancing over the gigantic cauldron¡¯s rim.

    ¡°The Lost Flame of the Eastern Sea!¡± Master Yu Xui yelled out as everyone else looked at the cauldron with amazement.

    ¡°Long Shijie¡¯s inheritance!¡±

    ¡°One of the heavenly treasures!¡±

    Doubts, fear, hesitation, all of these feelings were instantly swept away as glimpses of the dazzling seven colored fire could be seen.

    ¡°There is a powerful barrier encasing the seven colored flames, all us must combine our efforts or else it will be impossible to retrieve the inheritance!¡± Lord Long Zhiming said, prompting the majority of the people present to channel the essence within their bodies and release it all toward the huge iron cauldron, smashing into the thin membrane that encased it.

    ¡°Everyone keep your distance I have a bad feeling that something is about to happen.¡± Zhang said to his wives and his subordinates through his divine sense, signaling them to all distance themselves from the cauldron.

    Bombarded by the power of dozens of saints, the barrier surrounding the cauldron slowly but surely began to wear away as thin branching cracks started to appear on it.

    ¡°Just a little bit more!¡± Lord Long Zhiming yelled excitedly as a delirious glint surfaced in his eye.

    ¡°Shatter!¡± A full saint with fang-like teeth roared as a white colored spear appeared in his hand moments before being launched through the air toward the huge cauldron and causing, even more, cracks to appear on the once pristine membrane.

    Copying the full saint with fang-like teeth, many others started to launch their weapons at the cauldron, hoping to quickly shatter the protective barrier and claim the Seven Colored Flames.

    ¡°Just a little more!¡± Lord Long Zhiming could be heard repeating himself over and over in a somewhat deranged manner.

    ¡°We did it!¡± Someone yelled in a joyous tone as the barrier covering the gigantic cauldron shattered into thousands of bits and pieces before fading away into nothingness.

    ¡°WE DID IT! With this, the Sea Beast Sect will rule over the Eastern Sea once more!¡± Lord Long Zhiming laughed maniacally a strange looking crystal skull appeared in his hand.

    ¡°Oh, great lord, Long Jieshu! Arise from your slumber and lead us to greatness once again!¡± Lord Long Zhiming said in a loud voice as he tossed the crystal skull in his hand into the flaming cauldron.

    As if they were mute, all of the saints on the scene stared at the cauldron utterly dumbfounded and confused at what was currently occurring.

    ¡°Di-did he say, the revival of the Sea Beast Sect? Is this some kind of sick joke?¡± A lesser saint said in a stutter.

    Before anyone could answer this lesser saint¡¯s question, however, a blinding beam of light shot upward from within the massive cauldron and up toward the heavens.

    ==================================================

    Near the shores of Sea Beast Island, a large mass of people could be seen blotting out the sky and covering the sea, consisting of hundreds of thousands of members originating from the various forces that ruled the sea. This large mass of people had faced countless storms and fought many beasts to reach the ruins of the Sea Beast Sect, where their lords and ladies currently were.

    What they did not expect was that the moment they arrived, a blinding ray of light would pierce into the sky causing the atmosphere to quiver and shake as dark clouds began to gather.

    ¡°Brethren! Fallen comrades of old and children of new! Our lord has finally returned! To make this glorious occasion, the Sea Beast Sect will once again conquer the Eastern Sea! Long live Lord Long Jieshu!¡± A menacing voice rang into everyone¡¯s ear as thousands of wisps of black smoke rose up from ruins of the Sea Beast Sect.

    ¡°Long live Lord Long Jieshu! Long live the Sea Beast Sect!¡± All of the members of the Dragon God Palace suddenly cried as they unsheathed their weapons and began to randomly cut down everyone around them.

 Chapter 242: Traitor!

    ¡°Lord Long Zhiming what is the meaning of this? What is this nonsense about the revival of the Sea Beast Sect?¡± Master Shan Jin roared angrily.

    ¡°Submit and you will be given a quick death. Try and resist us and you will suffer pain for an eternity.¡± Lord Long Zhiming said with a maddened glare as his usual calm demeanor was replaced savage aura.

    ¡°Rubbish! Only a fool would side with the Sea Beast Sect!¡± Master Shan Jin roared as his palm smashed the air, releasing a powerful shockwave at Lord Long Zhiming.

    ¡°Hah! We will see who is the fool once the sea is dyed red once again.¡± Lord Long Zhiming laughed, waving his hand and releasing a powerful shockwave of his own.

    Signaling the start of what would definitely a fierce battle, the two shockwaves released by Master Shan Jin and Lord Long Zhiming collided, causing the air to quiver and shake as a piercing boom of wind embraced all of who were present.

    As Master Shan Jin and Lord Long Zhiming, two high saint level experts began to battle each other, all of the remaining saints be they high saints, full saints or lesser saints, all found opponents of a similar caliber to fight.

    ¡°If the group didn¡¯t split into three then the Dragon God Palace or shall I say the Sea Beast Sect would definitely be at a disadvantage. At least until whatever was trapped within that cauldron joins the fray.¡± Zhang thought before refocusing his attention toward the massive cauldron that everyone had somewhat forgotten about.

    Within the churning seven colored flames, the crystal skull that Lord Long Zhiming has tossed in and the air around was undergoing a tremendous unthinkable change.

    Like an insatiable beast, the crystal skull absorbed a huge splint of the essence floating in the air and in turn slowly regenerated into a human-like form.

    From a newly grown spinal column, a wide variety of bones and vessels had to branch out like the roots of a tree.

    Once lifeless eye sockets were now replaced by reddish orbs filled with malice while a pair of devilish jet black horns came into view.

    In a flash, the crystal skull was covered underneath a layer of sickly pale skin as a maniacal laugh reverberated into everyone''s ears.

    Despite having undergone what could only be called a miraculous change, the master of the Sea Beast Sect Long Jieshu still looked like he belonged apart of the dead more than the living. Other than his eyes which were full of life and vigor, the rest of his body was reminiscent of a shriveled-up corpse than that of a living being.

    ¡°I''m free! After all of these hundreds of years! Ahahahaha! Now my reign shall begin anew and blood will fill the sea once again!¡± Long Jieshu laughed in a maniacal manner as he levitated into the air.

    Although it was unnoticeable at first, a strange pressure had filled the room and before long everyone present felt as if a mountain was pressing down upon their shoulders as if their feet were shackled to the ground and their bodies bound in place by the very air around them.

    As quickly as it had started, all of the fighting and strugglings ceased and all eyes were focused upon the ancient terror that had once ruled over the Eastern Sea with an iron fist.

    ¡°My lord, your humble servant welcomes your return!¡± Lord Long Zhiming said humbly while kneeling on one knee, prompting all of the former members of the Dragon God Palace to do the same.

    ¡°Lord Long Zhiming, I hope that our prior agreement still stands!¡± Zhang said in a loud tone as he, his wives and the few subordinates that had accompanied them quickly kneeled on one knee.

    There was now a clear division within the room, those who were a part of the Sea Beast Sect and those two oppose them, with one side kneeling and paying respect to Long Jieshu and the other watching silently with unyielding eyes.

    ¡°Of course! Without knowing it you had already done the sect a great service.¡± Lord Long Zhiming said as he flipped his hand and withdrew a familiar looking lily from his interspatial ring.

    ¡°My lord, to help speed up your recovery your humble servant has prepared a Phoenix Feather Lily for your use.¡± Lord Long Zhiming said in a subservient tone as the Phoenix feather lily flew out of his hand and into the air.

    In the meantime, a few of those who had chosen to oppose the Sea Beast Sect had begun to curse at Zhang after realizing what he had done.

    This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

    However, he ignored all of their piercing gazes and continued to stare into the air, toward Long Jieshu and the fiery spectacle that was still happening within the cauldron.

    ¡°You traitor!¡± A few people cried.

    ¡°If I can get my hands on those flames then I will have four of the seven heavenly treasures. One can only imagine the power that will be at my disposal.¡± Zhang thought as he eyed the seven colored flames, greedily wishing to acquire its power for himself.

    While everyone was incapable of doing a thing, the Phoenix Feather Lily that had left Lord Long Zhiming¡¯s hand earlier arrived in front of Long Jieshu where it released streams of fiery energy from its petals.

    Under the influence of the Phoenix Feather Lily¡¯s regenerative powers, Long Jieshu¡¯s shriveled up husk of a body started to look slightly healthier as his complexion became ruddier.

    ¡°Lord Long Zhiming, if I may offer our master a token of my loyalty.¡± Zhang said while remaining in a kneeling position with his head down.

    ¡°What is it that you wish to offer to his highness?¡± Lord Long Zhiming asked other a curious look on his face.

    ¡°First I would like to apologize to you my lord for lying, but during our trip through the Serpent''s Shoal, perhaps because I was blessed by his highness¡¯s greatness, I had actually managed to acquire more than one Phoenix Feather Lily. Sadly, at the time I allowed my greed to get the better of me. However now that we are in the presence of his highness, I would like to prove my loyalty by offering these two Phoenix Feather Lilies.¡± Zhang said as he flipped his hands and retrieved two fiery lilies from his interspatial ring.

    Unlike Lord Long Zhiming who used his essence to levitate his Phoenix Feather Lily to Long Jieshu, Zhang got up from the ground and slowly walked into the air with his hands raised out in front of himself and his head lowered.

    ¡°That damned traitor!¡± A full saint from the Golden Pearl Sect cursed as he watched Zhang ascend into the air atop a flight of nonexistent stairs.

    ¡°Shut up or I''ll turn you into a mute¡­¡± Lingqi grumbled as a murderous aura enveloped her, causing the few who were cursing Zhang to shiver and cease talking.

    ¡°For this gift of yours, I shall grant you the privilege of ruling over a vast portion of the Eastern Sea.¡± Long Jieshu laughed in a hoarse and ancient voice that possessed traces of a long-forgotten dialect.

    ¡°There is no need for such a thing, the honor of being of use to a being such as yourself is enough for me, your highness.¡± Zhang said humbly with his head down, trying to avoid eye contact with Long Jieshu.

    ¡°Good! Good! I foresee a great future awaiting you.¡± Long Jieshu laughed. At present, even though only a fraction of his power had returned, Long Jieshu was without a doubt the strongest being in the room and had nothing to fear, paired with the fact that he had just been freed after being sealed away for centuries his mood was quite ecstatic.

    Under normal circumstances, Phoenix Feather Lilies wouldn''t even receive a glance from Long Jieshu, a being who had surpassed sainthood and was in the process of ascending to godhood, however, due to his current mood he watched Zhang with eyes brimming with delight.

    ¡°My lord these are for you.¡± Zhang said respectfully as he arrived in front of Long Jieshu and presented the latter with the two Phoenix Feather Lilies in his hands.

    Without speaking Long Jieshu had quickly taken the two Phoenix Feather Lilies from Zhang and began to refine them, causing his body to slightly bulge as his muscles and flesh were restored.

    ¡°My lord I have another gift for you. If you could please honor me and accept it.¡± Zhang said as a glass sphere filled with what appeared to be blackish liquid slid out from his sleeve and into his palm.

    ¡°What is this?¡± Long Jieshu asked while focusing most of his attention on refining the two Phoenix Feather Lilies that he had gotten from Zhang.

    ¡°This is what I call a distraction.¡± Zhang said with a laugh as he finally rose his head and looked at Long Jieshu with a fierce expression on his face while employing the power of the Underworld Heart to launch the glass sphere in his hand through the air.

    Like a speeding arrow, the glass sphere shot toward Long Jieshu at high speeds.

    ¡°Hmph, I do not know what kind of trickery you are trying to pull but I am not amused.¡± Long Jieshu said as the smile on his face disappeared and was replaced with a stern look that would send shivers running down most people''s spines.

    Once the glass sphere was inches away from him, Long Jieshu waved of his hand in an uncaring manner and caused it to explode into countless hundreds of pieces while releasing the hundreds of Black Thorn Corals trapped inside.

    ¡°What is this!¡± Long Jieshu yelled as he was completely caught off guard and allowed the Black Thorn Coral splattered onto his body and burrow under his skin, feasting upon everything that they came in contact with.

    ¡°Escape first and locate the Ethereal Point! I will meet you guys there!¡± Zhang said, signaling the beauties and his subordinates to leap into the air and fly toward the exit.

    Although quite a few things had occurred, bit too much time had passed at all. Everything had happened in but a few brief moments, causing quite a few people to be caught off guard when the beauties and their subordinates began to flee the room.

    ¡°Damned pests!¡± Long Jieshu roar angrily as a powerful force was released from his body.

    Using the Black Thorn Coral as a distraction and as a way to disrupt the suffocating pressure that Long Jieshu has enveloped the room in, Zhang was able to create an opportunity by only for his wives and subordinates but also himself. Diving head first into the massive fiery cauldron filled with severed colored flames while sending out many streams of purple colored essence from the Underworld Heart.

    Having encountered and claimed ownership of three of the Heavenly Treasures already, Zhang had realized a certain trick. Maybe it was because these treasures resonated with each other or perhaps it was because of the power of the Underworld Heart but he found that as long as he released the purplish essence into the air it would awaken the other heavenly treasures. At least that was what he thought.

    ¡°Everyone escape!¡± Master Yu Xiu yelled before taking off into the air after the beauties.

    ¡°Slaughter all who flee!¡± Lord Long Zhiming commanded.

    As the two sides clashed yet again, rivers of blood began to flow, stone walls were turned to rubble and a deafening echo of explosions acted as if they were the beats of a war drum.

    ¡°Insolent bug! Come out this instant!¡± Long Jieshu roared as he levitated above the massive cauldron filled with seven colored flames.

    Having just escaped from this cauldron after a few centuries of imprisonment, it was as if a subconscious fear was implanted within Long Jieshu making him afraid of charging into the sea of flames after Zhang despite there being no danger in doing so.

    Within the cauldron, covered from head to toe in a blend of different colored flames, Zhang began to channel the Underworld Heart¡¯s purplish essence and cause it to swirl about and mix with the fiery sea.

    After mere moments contact with each other the multicolored fire and the purplish essence started to resonate, unexpectedly dozens of strands made out of black colored essence were released from Zhang¡¯s Abyssal Cape.

    Unknowingly Zhang was about to witness the creation of something never before seen. For the first time since they came into existence, the Abyssal Cape, the Underworld Heart, and the Eternal Flame had met.

    A cape allows one to bring their dreams into reality, a fire that is said to be able to spark the creation of a soul, and a heart shaped stone that is able to bend the and shape the essence of the world. One could only imagine what would happen if these three treasures were used at the same time.

    Acknowledging Zhang as its new owner, the Eternal Flame poured into Zhang¡¯s body, congregating within his soul where a dancing wisp of Soul Devouring Flames resided.

    And for the first time again since mankind came into existence, a flame that can devour and destroy souls came in contact with a flame that can mend and create souls.

    ¡°I did it! Four of the seven are mine!¡± Zhang thought as a smile crept onto his face, happy with the harvest that he had managed to acquire while ignoring that fact that there was an angry half deity waiting to skin him alive.

    ¡°Hello there! It looks like someone finally managed to obtain my inheritance.¡± A voice echoed in Zhang¡¯s mind.

 Chapter 243: Primal Frenzy Spell

    ¡°Hello there!¡± A voice echoed in Zhang¡¯s mind again.

    ¡°Who are you?¡± Zhang asked the foreign entity speaking to him.

    ¡°Who am I? Who am I? You really don''t know who I am?¡± The voice asked Zhang in an astonished and slightly haughty tone.

    ¡°Are you going to tell me who you are or not? I have other things to attend to¡­¡± Zhang said in a grumble, feeling somewhat annoyed at the mysterious voice.

    ¡°How can you come all the way here, claim my inheritance and not know who I am? You might as well give back the Eternal seven colored flames...¡± The mysterious voice cursed and complained.

    Upon hearing the voice mention the seven colored flames and shortly after a few moments of realization, Zhang instantly figured out or at least guessed the identity of the person who he was conversing with.

    ¡°You must be the great and powerful founder of the Dragon God Palace, Long Shijie. Senior, I apologize for not realizing who you were sooner, there are simply too many things going on right now for me to think straight.¡± Zhang said in a humble tone.

    ¡°Hahaha, I knew that there was no way you wouldn''t know who I am. It seems that your character isn''t half bad also.¡± Long Shijie said with a hearty laugh.

    ¡°So, he''s that kind of person.¡± Zhang thought as he prepared a dozen or so different ways to compliment Long Shijie.

    ¡°Oh, wise and great master, your humble disciple, Zhou Zhang pays his respects.¡± Zhang said as he shifted his body into a kneeling position despite his current floating state within the sea of seven colored flames.

    ¡°Oh? Disciple?¡± Long Shijie¡¯s voice muttered with a hint of intrigue.

    ¡°Since I''ve received your inheritance it is only right to call you my master. Also, when taking things into consideration, who wouldn''t want someone as great and powerful as yourself to be their master.¡± Zhang said in a slightly energetic tone, hoping to gain Long Shijie¡¯s favor, feeling that it would result in quite a few benefits.

    ¡°Haha, a wise one, aren''t you? Seeing as you''ve already claimed my inheritance, I might as well take you as my disciple too.¡± Long Shijie laughed delightfully.

    ¡°Although the current me you''re talking to is only but a soul fragment that I had left behind and does not possess any worldly treasures to bestow you, as a master, I can''t possibly not give my disciple a greeting gift.¡± Long Shijie said as a powerful swirl of Heavenly Energy appeared out from nowhere and enveloped Zhang¡¯s body.

    Pouring in through Zhang¡¯s pours and filling every fiber of his being with Heavenly Energy, empowering him at an incredible rate.

    Like a boundless sea, the swirl of Heavenly Energy continues to nourish Zhang until finally, a great change occurred.

    ¡°To think I would become a high saint just like this.¡± Zhang laughed as he felt his power increase by many folds. Compared to regular high saints, Zhang was now undoubtedly twice as strong.

    As surreal as it was, Zhang had actually become a high saint without extending a fraction of the effort that most would have to.

    ¡°If you ever get the chance, come to the Abyssal Demon Realm and pay me a visit. Never be led astray and set foot into the Nether Void Realm! It is not a place for half-deities to tread unprepared. Also as my disciple, you must finish what I could not,you must defeat my father for me!¡± Long Shijie said as his voice faded away.

    ¡°Abyssal Demon Realm? Chaotic Void Realm? Defeat you father for you? Are you crazy? How am I supposed to beat a half-deity?¡± Zhang grumbled as he tried to figure a way out of his current predicament.

    ¡°Dammit, why couldn''t there be another half deity around to stop all of this¡­In Long Jehu''s current state of another half deity showed up he wouldn''t even stand a chance...¡± Zhang complained to himself until a sudden thought made its way into his head.

    ¡°If there was another half deity here¡­ Another half deity¡­ A half deity¡­ Me...¡± Zhang mumbled as something outrageous began to brew within his thoughts.

    ¡°He gave me enough Heavenly Energy to initiate my first tribulation. With the Eternal Flame to heal and protect my soul and the Underworld Heart to mend and rebuild my body, as long as my luck isn¡¯t terrible I should be able to ascend and become a half-deity¡­ Once I become a half-deity I should be able to deal with Long Jieshu and then with a bit of the Abyssal Cape¡¯s power dealing with everyone else shouldn¡¯t be too hard either.¡± Zhang told himself.Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.

    Despite the ideal conditions for his ascension toward becoming a half-deity, Zhang had one last obstacle standing in his way, he had no idea how to forcefully invoke a heavenly tribulation.

    High saints could be broken up into roughly three categories, those who don¡¯t wish to face a Heavenly Tribulation and forcefully suppress their powers, those who prepare and wait for their Heavenly Tribulation to occur naturally, and those like Zhang who wish to speed up the arrival of their tribulation.

    In most cases when a high saint forcefully suppresses their power they are guaranteed to never face a Heavenly Tribulation, but of course, their cultivation will never progress any further. In other cases, a high saint would patiently wait for their Heavenly Tribulation to occur naturally after accumulating a massive amount of Heavenly Energy but there was a chance that it wouldn¡¯t arrive at all or they would be caught unprepared and perish.

    Well in most cases, at least within the Wulin Continent and the Eastern Sea, most high saints either never face a Heavenly Tribulation or they meet an untimely end during one. Thus, there was a severe lack of half-deities and information regarding Heavenly Tribulations available.

    ¡°Damn it¡­ If only I had the chance to ask him before he faded away¡­¡± Zhang cursed as his plan failed without even being given the chance to begin.

    ¡°Concentrate all of the Heavenly Energy within your body and fuse it with your soul. Once you¡¯ve managed to infuse roughly ten percent of your soul with Heavenly Energy, you will be able to spark your first tribulation. As long as you have enough Heavenly Energy and continue to use this little trick that I stumbled upon, ascending to godhood is but a matter of time. Also, speaking ill of your master is not something a good disciple should do.¡± Long Shijie¡¯s voice could be heard once again, echoing in Zhang¡¯s head.

    ¡°You were still around?¡± Zhang asked but did not receive an answer.

    Not know whether or not Long Shijie¡¯s soul fragment was still around, Zhang decided not to complain or grumble any longer and began to channel the Heavenly Energy within his body.

    Although Heavenly Energy was not something tangible, it was something that generally fuses with one¡¯s mortal body. So, when trying to fuse his Heavenly Energy and his soul together, Zhang had to first separate a portion of the Heavenly Energy from within his body before being able to use it to enhance his soul.

    ¡°No wonder there are so few half-deities¡­ If one were to wait for their soul to naturally fuse with enough Heavenly Energy to spark a tribulation, a lifetime would probably be needed¡­¡± Zhang thought as he concentrated on separating and infusing the Heavenly Energy within his body.

    While Zhang continued to bathe in the sea of flames within the massive cauldron, the heavens were trembling and the seas were churning outside.

    Roughly only a few minutes had actually passed since Zhang dove head first into the cauldron of flames, but the battles occurring throughout the entirety of Sea Beast Island had already intensified by a dozen times.

    The sea was dyed red in blood, the land was littered with corpses and the sky was teeming with countless severed souls.

    As the Sea Beast Sect celebrated the long-awaited return of their master, remnants of the past that had long become severed souls and the hidden evils that had been secretly cultivated under the gauze that was the Dragon God Palace, began to unveiling their strength for all to see.

    ¡°Ahahahaha so many vessels to choose from.¡± A chilling voice emanated through the air as a severed soul scoured the battlefield in an attempt to acquire a new body.

    Of course, even if they possessed an advantage over their foes, the Sea Beast Sect¡¯s goal of slaughtering all who stood against them was not something that could be achieved within a blink of an eye nor without having to face heavy resistance.

    ¡°Wretched dogs of the Sea Shit Sect or whatever the fuck you''re calling yourselves no, prepare to die!¡± A full saint who had been lured to the island by Zhang¡¯s promises of wealth roared as he stomped his leg and caused large earthen spikes to shoot upward into the air, impaling a few of members of the Sea Beast Sect¡¯s ground forces.

    ¡°There is nothing to fear! Although they may appear intimidating, these severed souls amount to nothing! So, what if they can possess the bodies of our comrades? By doing so they¡¯ll only bring about their own demise!¡± Another full saint yelled as he slashed the throat of a man who had just been possessed by a severed soul, killing both his former comrade and the severed soul.

    In one way or another thanks to Zhang¡¯s previous efforts to bolster his own forces, along with the fact that most of the saint level experts belonging to the Sea Beast Sect had gone to witness Long Jieshu¡¯s revival, the coalition force, made up of the regular troops of the various forces, was able to hold its own despite the odds set against it.

    With that being said, in most instances when two relatively equally armies face each other without either side being able to hold total dominance, the number of casualties that each side suffers will be extremely high.

    ¡°Members of the Golden Pearl Sect! Prepare to activate the Demonic Pearl Array!¡± An elder within the Golden Pearl Sect commanded.

    ¡°Members of the Starry Sea Sect! Fall into formation and prepare to use the Heavenly Lightning Array!¡± An elder within the Starry Sea Sect commanded as he stood atop a Behemoth Jellyfish.

    ¡°Disciples of the Sea Beast Sect! Show this scum our might! Make preparations to deploy the Primal Frenzy Spell!¡± A young man who had just been possessed by a severed soul yelled.

    ¡°Those of the Divine Wave Sect, fall into formation and activate the Sacred Water Cleansing Spell!¡± One of the elders of the Divine Wave Sect said.

    One by one, catastrophic spells, formations, and arrays were being prepared for use, causing the abundant amount of essence that usually filled the air to actually dwindle and become thin.

    Before long a web of lightning was shot into the air where it branched off in all direction, while a massive dome of golden light enveloped and protected a large number of those apart of the coalition, meanwhile, a glowing tsunami could be seen sweeping across the ocean¡¯s surface and toward Sea Beast Island.

    However, as awe-inspiring and powerful as the attacks produced by the violation were, they could not be compared to the insanity that was the Sea Beast Sect¡¯s, Primal Frenzy Spell.

    Resulting from the efforts of a total of one hundred severed souls who had just acquired new bodies for themselves not too long ago, an insidious hum reverberated through the air, summoning a chorus of screeches, roars, and howls in response.

    ¡°Everyone! Quickly stop them! We cannot let them complete the Primal Frenzy Spell or else with the number of ancient demonic beasts residing in this part of the sea, our lives will be forfeit!¡± An elderly full saint who had been around during the peak of the Sea Beast Sect¡¯s power said in an urgent tone.

    ¡°It is too late! Struggle as you wish but to welcome our master¡¯s return, we¡¯ve spent the last four hundred years preparing a worthy army to serve him.¡± A possessed lesser saint laughed manically as hundreds of other members of the Sea Beast Sect joined in and amplified the insidious hum that reverberated through the air.

    ¡°Four hundred years of preparation? Worthy army? He couldn¡¯t possibly mean¡­ No, that has to be it! How could we have not noticed this sooner¡­ They must have been the reason as to why so many ancient demonic beasts have been congregated in this part of the sea within the last few hundred years...¡± The elderly full saint thought as his gaze shifted to the horizon where hundreds of massive silhouettes could be seen traveling through the air and sea.

    Why was the Sea Beast Sect called the Sea Beast Sect? It was not because their members were the descents of the creatures that dwelled within the recesses of the sea, but it was because through the use of the Primal Frenzy Spell they would be able to call forth and briefly control all of the ancient demonic beasts within a large area.

    ¡°They must have been using a weakened version of the Primal Frenzy Spell to lure large numbers of ancient demonic beasts to this area of sea solely for what is occurring today¡­¡± The elderly full saint thought as the sight of hundreds if not thousands of ancient demonic beasts came into view.

 Chapter 244: Tribulation

    From within a radius of hundreds of miles, thousands upon thousands of ancient demonic beasts congregated upon Sea Beast Island, filling everyone¡¯s hearts with fear as they unleashed a symphony of howls and roars which blended together with the insane laughter of countless members of the Sea Beast Sect.

    ¡°We are doomed¡­¡± Many of the members of the coalition force said as they fell to their knees while the forces of the Sea Beast Sect receded and took to the skies to watch a show four hundred years in the making unfold.

    All manners of beasts that had hidden underneath the churning waves of the sea marched onto the shores of Sea Beast Island with maddened eyes as their counterparts that resided high up in the boundless sky descended downward.

    After activating the Primal Frenzy Spell, all of the members of the Sea Beast Sect began to chant in an inaudible tone, activating yet another one of their mysterious spells. Soon after a thin layer of grayish smoke began to envelop their bodies.

    At first, just like everyone else, the members of the Sea Beast Sect were also subjected to the vicious glares of the countless ancient demonic beasts that had gathered, however after utilizing their peculiar chant and becoming enveloped in grayish smoke, they were ignored.

    Unlike Yuying who was capable of employing various means to force man and beast alike to submit to her will, the Sea Beast Sect¡¯s Primal Frenzy Spell was only able to attract and heighten the instincts ingrained within the beasts affected by it.

    Once a sizeable force of ancient demonic beasts was gathered, the members of the Sea Beast Sect would conjure the strange grayish smoke to become invisible in the eyes of the beasts that they had gathered. By doing this they could manipulate large numbers of Ancient Demonic Beasts to slaughter their enemies for them.

    Through this tactic, the members of the Sea Beast Sect would be able to instantly bolster their forces to a point where they could not be contested against. But of course, there is a downside to everything, even though they are able to avoid dirtying their hands and manipulate hordes of ancient demonic beasts to battle for them if they were not careful things could definitely backfire on them. Well, that is to say if they did not have a half-deity expert to back them up when things turned for the worst.

    Ignoring those of the Sea Beast Sect and swooping down from the sky and leaping out of the sea, the horde of ancient demonic beasts quickly engaged in battle against the coalition force.

    Seeing that their chances of escaping unscathed against such a horde of monsters were slim to none the members of the coalition began to employ every means available to them, fighting like madmen in the hope of obtaining a sliver of hope, an opportunity to live another day.

    While a desperate struggle ensued on the surface of the island, within the interior, deep underground, Yuying and other beauties could be seen soaring through the air whilst a large number of silhouettes followed in pursuit.

    With friend and foe alike pursuing them, the beauties and their subordinates desperately tried to increase their speed while employing an array of aerial maneuvers in an attempt to shake off these unwanted followers.

    ¡°Madams what should we do? Even if we manage to reach the Ethereal Point, with so many people trailing us we wouldn¡¯t be able to peaceful accomplish our objective.¡± One of the Zhang¡¯s subordinates said as he his gaze kept rotating between the beauties and the swarm of people closing in behind him.

    ¡°For now, all we can do is continue to move forward as I try to pinpoint the exact location of the Ethereal Point, once I manage to accomplish that we will naturally have ways to deal with these pests.¡± Yuying said in a cold tone as her eyes were focused upon a human shaped paper talisman that was soaring through the air in front of her.

    Covered in strange glowing runes, the human-shaped talisman seemed to be acting as a guide for the beauties in their search for the much-sought-after and ever-alluring Ethereal Point.

    ¡°When it comes to it, should we hold back against the people not a part of the Sea Beast Sect?¡± Ling asked the other beauties through her divine sense.

    ¡°No, if we don¡¯t shake everyone off our trail and end up leading them to the Ethereal Point then that might jeopardize our chances of promoting ourselves to high saints. They might even cost us the chance of ascending into half-deities.¡± Yuying said as she glanced disdainfully toward the group of saints flying after her and the other beauties.

    ¡°I guess in the end no one but our own people can be considered allies.¡± Ling said with a sigh,

    ¡°Shall I leave a little gift for our so-called allies?¡± Lingqi asked as a mischievous smile appeared on her charming face.

    ¡°Go ahead, it seems the Ethereal Paint is not too far away from where we currently are.¡± Yuying said, giving the others the green light to act.

    ¡°Me first! Me first!¡± Ai laughed as a mischievous smile just like Lingqi¡¯s appeared on her face. Wielding her signature Black Thorn Whip, Ai casually directed a few lashes at one of the many columns that were erected around her.

    Contrary to its sturdy appearance the pillar struck by Ai¡¯s whip instantly shattered into hundreds of fragments that bombarded a few saints who were not paying attention to what was happening in front of them all the while kicking up a curtain of dust that obscured everyone¡¯s vision.

    ¡°This way!¡± Yuying said as she performed a series of hand signs that made the human shaped talisman flying in front of her increase its speed threefold.

    Using the dust cloud to cover their trail, Yuying and the other beauties instantly changed the directions they were traveling in, but not before Lingqi retrieved a few vials filled with greenish fluid from her interspatial ring and smashed them onto the ground causing pummels of greenish gas to rise up into the air.Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

    To make things more difficult for her pursuers, Ai made sure to collapse a few more pillars, which either crumbled onto the ground or fell onto the bodies of unsuspecting saints, not discriminating between friend or foe.

    In a flash the beauties disappeared without leaving a single clue as to where they were headed, soaring through the air and being led to a massive hole in the chamber ceiling by the human shaped talisman.

    With roughly eight lesser saints and other full saints acting as their escort, the beauties charged upward into the large hole in the ceiling without a second thought, hoping to obtain more power as quickly as possible so they could return and aid their husband.

    ¡°Be careful! There seems to be a powerful barrier up ahead.¡± Yuying pointed out just as the human shaped paper talisman who was acting as the group¡¯s guide lit ablaze and disintegrated into dust causing everyone to stop in their tracks.

    As if it was reacting to the group¡¯s arrival, a bluish membrane covered in archaic runes appeared from out of nowhere making it impossible to move forward.

    Retrieving a black colored talisman with golden letters written onto it from her interspatial ring, Yuying began channeling essence from her body into her hand. Before even a half of a second passed, the golden letters written on the black colored talisman started to emit a dazzling glow as Yuying waved her hand and prepared to dispel the barrier blocking the group¡¯s path.

    However, before Yuying could even attempt to do what she was going to do, an earth-shattering bang echoed into the ears of every single person and beast within a hundred-mile radius of Sea Beast Island.

    From the highest peaks of heaven, a massive golden thunderbolt descended, turning all who were unlucky enough to be standing in its path into ashes, electrifying the air and leaving a gigantic scar in the earth as it pierced through the ground seeking out its target.

    ¡°Thi-this is tribulation lightning!¡± Long Jieshu yelled in an astonished tone as he saw the ceiling above his head being torn away and ripped apart by golden colored lighting.

    Staring at the massive cauldron that both Zhang and the golden tribulation lightning had dived into, Long Jieshu couldn¡¯t help but feel slightly uneasy.

    ¡°That bastard must be attempting to become a half-deity so that he can deal with me. Haha, what wishful thinking!¡± Long Jieshu thought as he tried to remain calm and collected.

    Within the cauldron, Zhang¡¯s body was now not only enveloped in flames but also wrapped within a wiggling serpent made of golden lightning.

    ¡°Fuck this hurts¡­¡± Zhang complained as he clicked his tongue while articles of his clothing turned to char and sections of his skin were badly burnt black.

    Despite suffering from immense pain a smile gradually made its way onto Zhang¡¯s face as he employed the power of the Underworld Heart to mend both his body and his garments, returning him to a perfect state of being.

    ¡°Is this it? Is this all you got?¡± Zhang laughed in a maniacal manner moments before another deafening roar of lightning struck down from above impaling his body with agonizing pain once again.

    Compared to the first bolt of lightning, the second bolt of lightning that struck Zhang contained roughly twice as much destructive force. Unlike the superficial wounds that the first lightning bolt had inflicted, the second lightning bolt actually burnt away the outer layer of Zhang¡¯s skin entirely.

    ¡°Fuck¡­ I need to do something¡­ If things keep up, then I¡¯ll be done for¡­¡± Zhang cursed as he used the Underworld Heart to heal himself all the while trying to come up with ideas as to how to prevent the tribulation lightning from claiming his life. Regretting the fact that he had somewhat underestimated the might of the danger involved in facing one¡¯s tribulation trial.

    ¡°What to do¡­ What to do¡­¡± Zhang mumbled to himself as he could feel that a third tribulation lightning bolt would strike soon.

    Withdrawing the Rising Moon Sword from his interspatial ring while using the Underworld Heart to encase himself behind ten thick layers of crystalized essence, Zhang prayed for the best.

    ¡°If only the tribulation lightning attacked my soul instead of my body, then I can use the Eternal Flame to ensure my success¡­ Although I can use the Underworld Heart to mend my body, that can only occur if I¡¯m not killed in the first place¡­¡± Zhang thought as a third deafening roar of lightning reverberated from the heavens.

    While the layers of crystallized essence were, useless and were almost instantly smashed into bits, Zhang found a moment of relief as the Rising Moon Sword clasped in his hand acted as a lightning rod, absorbing the bulk of the tribulation lightning¡¯s fury for him.

    ¡°I should have done this in the first place!¡± Zhang said in a relieved tone, gripping the Rising Moon Sword tightly and preparing himself in case another lightning bolt struck.

    Although his knowledge regarding heavenly tribulations can be considered minuscule to none, Zhang was quite sure that merely experiencing three lightning bolts was not the end of things or else there would be many more half-deities flying around.

    True to Zhang¡¯s thoughts, soon enough a fourth tribulation lightning bolt streaked through the sky and into the huge ravine that had formed not too long ago after the first lightning bolt split the ground.

    ¡°At this rate, my survival is still up in the air¡­ If not for the treasures in my possession I might have already departed on a trip to visit father in law...¡± Zhang thought as he could feel that this fourth lightning bolt was easily twice as strong as its predecessor and nearly six times as strong as the first lightning bolt, causing his body to turn numb and as he felt the urge to vomit a mouthful of blood.

    ¡°Maybe I could conjure a few Abyssal Beasts and use them as shields, I can weaken the tribulation lightning a bit.¡± Zhang thought as he activated the power of the Abyssal Cape conjuring a pair of Abyssal Vipers from his shadow.

    Now with a pair of Abyssal Vipers coiled around his body, acting as living armor, and the Rising Moon Sword in hand, Zhang waited for the next tribulation lightning bolt to rain down upon him.

    Without having to wait very long, Zhang was soon struck by a fifth bolt of lightning. Roaring in resistance the two Abyssal Vipers widened their maws as they attempted to take a bit out of the bolt of tribulation lightning homing in on their master, but similarly to the crystallized layers of essence, these Abyssal Vipers were also blown to bits.

    ¡°Damn...¡± Zhang mumbled as he slashed at the tribulation lightning with his sword, hoping to disperse as much of its power as possible before being embraced within a blanket of pain.

    ¡°I¡¯m definitely going to have to pay father in law a visit soon¡­ Let¡¯s hope he isn¡¯t still angry at me for running away with his daughter and then marrying her without his permission¡­¡± Zhang sighed before catching sight of a strange event occurring with the corner of his eye.

    The shattered bits of crystallized essence forged by the Underworld Heart, remnant black colored wisps of shadow left behind by the Abyssal vipers, puffs of seven colored flames and sparks of tribulation lightning could be seen fusing together and forming into miniature translucent Vipers that had miniature bits of crystalized essence floating within them while being wrapped within lightning.

    ¡°No way¡­¡± Zhang mumbled as he witnessed something unbelievable. Different from the usual Abyssal Beasts that Zhang conjured, these miniature translucent looking vipers began to move about and assimilating with each other, acting without being commanded to, acting as if they had a will of their own.

    However, before they could accomplish or amount to much, the rings of lightning emanating from their tiny bodies dissipated and the tiny bits of crystallized essence within their bodies broke apart and disappeared before they themselves broke apart into nothingness.

 Q&A for those with questions!

    If there is anything confusing you or anything you want answered feel free to ask. If you have any cool ideas feel free to share them. For those wondering, it will cost $400 dollars if I want to commission that artist to draw o_o, not too bad considering some have asked for $600 while others have asked for $300.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.

 Chapter 245: Trial and Error

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t I think of this sooner!¡± Zhang thought as an enlightening idea popped up in his head.

    ¡°If I use the Abyssal Cape to give an outline, the Underworld Heart to stabilize the shape, the Eternal Flame to give it sentience and the tribulation lightning to empower it, I may be able to create something the likes of which no one has ever seen before while being able to safely pass this trial.¡± Zhang told himself as he activated three of his four legendary treasures in anticipation of what was going to occur next.

    Under normal circumstances, the Abyssal creatures that Zhang conjured from the Abyssal Cape were very weak and could be destroyed with a hit from someone who even a little capable, while the weapons and various objects constructed by the Underworld Heart were also very fragile unless a huge amount of essence was used.

    But if he was able to combine the powers of his treasures together then Zhang may be able to create something lasting.

    With wisps of swirling shadow, a sea of multicolored flames, and an enveloping purplish glow surrounding his body, Zhang waited for the last piece of the puzzle to descend from the heavens, the last ingredient for his experiment.

    As if the heavens knew what Zhang was attempt and wished to sabotage him, the sixth bolt of tribulation lightning actually contained roughly three times as much destructive power as the fifth lightning bolt.

    Sensing the approaching lightning bolt, Zhang congealed the unique powers of his three legendary treasures together into the shape of a large serpent, that stretched roughly two hundred feet from the tip of its tail to its head.

    Miraculously enough, roughly eighty percent of the strength packed into the tribulation lightning bolt was soaked up by the large serpent before it made reached Zhang.

    ¡°Now let''s see if I was able to replicate what had happened earlier.¡± Zhang mumbled to himself as he intently stared at the large serpent, hoping to see another miracle occur.

    Much like the miniature Abyssal Serpents that had formed on their own moments ago, this large serpent also began to move without requiring any commands from Zhang. Sadly, moments after wriggling about, the large serpent broke apart and disintegrated into nothingness.

    ¡°It didn¡¯t even last as long as the smaller ones¡­¡± Zhang grumbled as he quickly used the power of the Underworld Heart to heal himself.

    ¡°Maybe I made it too big? Maybe I should make it smaller.¡± Zhang thought, totally ignoring the fact that he was still undergoing his heavenly tribulation, ignoring the danger he was in.

    Shrinking down the scale of his creation and changing its shape to something more simple, something easier to manipulate, Zhang soon confronted the seventh tribulation lightning bolt.

    ¡°Damn¡­ This time it was too small¡­¡± Zhang yelled as an orb shaped blob that he had conjured was blown into bits causing the tribulation lightning to strike the Rising Moon Sword and inflict heavy damage upon his body.

    Coughing up a mouthful of blood while looking down as his blistering bloody hands, Zhang took in a deep breath, preparing for the next bolt of tribulation lightning.

    ¡°Maybe I should try to split up the energy contained within the lightning bolt.¡± Zhang thought.

    Levitating in the air not too far away, Long Jieshu could be seen standing idly.

    ¡°To think that little bastard was able to withstand seven bolts of tribulation lightning¡­ Hmph, the next bolt will definitely do him in¡­ If not then I¡¯ll personally finish him off...¡± Long Jieshu muttered as he made a face full of surprise, fear, hatred, anger and disdain.

    Had it not been for his unconscious fear of the large cauldron, perhaps Long Jieshu would have acted already in order to ensure that Zhang¡¯s tribulation trial ended in failure. However, since merely being near the cauldron made Long Jieshu uncomfortable, he simply could not bring himself to act until it was absolutely required to.

    In other news thanks to Zhang¡¯s heavenly tribulation, a large number of ancient demonic beasts had fled, acting as if the golden lightning was the bane of their existence.

    Once many of the ancient demonic beasts fled, the members of the coalition found a moment to catch their breath as Long Jieshu and those apart of the Sea Beast Sect all had their attention placed upon the massive cauldron that Zhang''s was in.

    ¡°Everyone! Quickly reform our ranks! Regroup with the elders!¡± A member of the coalition yelled as he flew across the sky atop a large sword.

    Moments after the Zhang¡¯s tribulation lightning tore apart the earth and created a large ravine, many of the saints that were trapped underground speedily fled toward the sky.Stolen story; please report.

    With the arrival of the missing saint level experts and the small break they were graced with, those of the coalition received a surge of hope and strength.

    ¡°What are you fools staring at! Slaughter them all!¡± Long Zhiming¡¯s roar echoed across the battlefield as an immeasurable amount of killing intent seeped into the air.

    ¡°For his majesty! For the glory of the Sea Beast Sect!¡± Many ghastly cries could be heard.

    ¡°All forces! Retreat! Fighting here is too disadvantageous for us! If they use the Primal Frenzy Spell once again then we¡¯ll all be done for!¡± Master Shan Jin¡¯s voice could be heard.

    ¡°Flee to fight another day! Do not allow the enemy to entrap us here!¡± Master Yu Xui yelled while charging into a group of enemy lesser saints.

    Having never witnessed a heavenly tribulation and possessing little knowledge regarding the subject, the leaders of the various forces did not place too much hope upon Zhang¡¯s success, nor did they wish to stick around long enough to witness his wellbeing.

    For them, merely escaping with their lives could be considered a victory because once they have successfully escaped they could rally the rest of the Eastern Sea and set upon a crusade against the Sea Beast Sect or they could go into hiding and avoid being killed.

    Vice versa, since their goal all along was to gather and eliminate as many of those who would stand as their opposition as possible, before using the element of surprise to completely take over the Eastern Sea, if the Sea Beast were to allow a sizeable number of people to escape their staged massacre that has been four hundred years in the making, then their plans would receive quite a few setbacks.

    If they did not reestablish their power over the Eastern Sea quickly enough then an opportunity may open up for forces from other regions of the world, which was something that the leaders of the Sea Beast Sect would definitely not like.

    But from beginning to end none of this had to do with Zhang and the beauties, because at the very start of things they had given specific orders to their subordinates to situate the bulk of their forces toward the rear of the coalition and to avoid suffering casualties as often as possible. Meaning if push came to shove, the soldiers and officers of the Red Scale Army would be in the best position to safely flee.

    If had to then they would abandon the Red Coral Cove without much thought and bring their newfound forces back to Aurora.

    Considering that records have shown that the Sea Beast Sect had never intended to expand toward the Wulin Continent, Zhang had been quite confident that his homeland was pretty safe.

    Of course, that was the state of things before Zhang had triggered his heavenly tribulation and before the beauties had found the Ethereal Point hidden on Sea Beast Island.

    Even when disregarding the likelihood of the beauties triggering their own heavenly tribulation and becoming half-deities themselves, Zhang¡¯s chances of success were fairly high and if no one were to interfere or debatable him then without a doubt in mind he would become a half-deity.

    Once that happened, he would be able to stand on even ground with Long Jieshu and with the help of his four heavenly treasures, Zhang would probably be able to turn the tide of battle around by himself.

    ¡°Everyone gather around within the array that I had just laid down. Using this array, we will be able to absorb the heavenly energy here much quicker. Whereas it would normally require a regular high saint roughly fifty years to gather enough heavenly energy from an Ethereal Point to trigger their heavenly tribulation, and roughly one hundred years for full saints like us, using this array will speed things up exponentially. Although I''m not exactly sure what is happening outside, time something we do not have.¡± Yuying said as she and the other beauties could be seen standing within a large circular array while their subordinates stood guard outside.

    While it would seem slightly unfair for the beauties to hog the Ethereal Point to themselves making their subordinates stand in watch, allowing all of their subordinates who were present to make use of the Ethereal Point was only a recipe for disaster.

    Allowing too many people to use the Ethereal Point at once would only serve to thin out the heavenly energy within it while showing favoritism toward some of their subordinates would only serve to cause a rift within their own forces.

    Thus, the beauties decided to make use of the Ethereal Point first and once they¡¯ve overcome their current predicament then only then would they allow their subordinates to make use of it.

    ¡°Sis, will there be any adverse effects? Since it takes a full saint roughly a hundred years to gather enough heavenly energy to trigger their heavenly tribulation if we speed things up too quickly wouldn¡¯t that be bad?¡± Ling asked.

    ¡°Why would there be? After half a day, we should have enough heavenly energy to trigger our heavenly tribulations. Once darling makes his way here then he will be able to make use of this array also and afterward, we can deal with that Long Jieshu fellow easily.¡± Yuying said with a laugh, in a manner that seemed as if she wanted everyone present to hear.

    ¡°Of course, there will be a few adverse effects! But not on us, we¡¯ll be fine but the Ethereal Point will be unusable for a short while after. But we definitely can¡¯t let anyone else know of this or else they might betray us and try to keep the Ethereal Point to themselves.¡± Yuying said through her divine sense to the other beauties, reminding them that in the end, they could only place their trust in each other and their husband before activating her array which caused the heavenly energy within the Ethereal Point to congregate.

    Just as Yuying¡¯s array began to work its magic, an eighth deafening roar of lightning echoed into everyone¡¯s ear as well as the sound of joyous laughter.

    ¡°I did it! I did it!¡± Zhang laughed heartily as he stared at a dozen fist-sized sparrows flying about in front of him. However, sadly his joy was short lived as he saw the lightning wrapping the bodies of the sparrows dissipate into the air.

    ¡°I need to contain the tribulation lightning and prevent it from releasing energy into the air.¡± Zhang thought, feeling that success was just around the corner.

    ¡°Little bastard, as a congratulatory gift for surviving eight of the nine tribulation lightning bolts, I¡¯m going to send you on your merry way to hell!¡± Long Jieshu¡¯s voice rang into Zhang¡¯s ear, preventing him from celebrating his progress.

    With a hysterical laugh to accompany it a rain of razor sharp icicles pierced through the air and showered into the fiery cauldron.

    ¡°It looks like I need to move to a different location.¡± Zhang thought as he raised his hand upward and unleashed a storm of reddish colored lightning from the tips of his fingers causing a loud crackle to emanate into the air while causing the shower of razor-sharp icicles aimed at him to be smashed into bits.

    ¡°Looks like you¡¯ve gained a bit of power.¡± Long Jieshu laughed as he watched Zhang¡¯s silhouette shot out from the fiery cauldron and into the air toward the sky.

    ¡°Trying to escape my grasp and finishing your tribulation is futile! The last lightning bolt is the most powerful and thus require is required for it to manifest itself.¡± Long Jieshu said as his figure suddenly disappeared into thin air and reappeared in the sky, right in front of Zhang.

    ¡°Do you know what the main difference between a half-deity and a regular saint is? It¡¯s the ability to reject the world and create one¡¯s own domain! A domain in which the creator can move through space instantaneously, a domain in which one can force others to submit!¡± Long Jieshu said as Zhang felt an unbearable force press down upon his shoulders.

    ¡°You think something like this can bog me down?¡± Zhang laughed as he utilized the power of the Rising Moon Sword to conjure a series of large singularities not too far away from his body.

    Using the suction and repulsion properties exerted by the singularities to push and pull himself through the air and away from Long Jieshu.

    ¡°Useless!¡± Long Jieshu roared as he flickered across the air, chasing after Zhang while unleashing one powerful attack after the other.

    ¡°Ha! Try as hard as you may, my ascension is inevitable and your demise is quickly approaching!¡± Zhang said mockingly.

    ¡°Is that what you really think? Do you think that you¡¯ll be able to defeat me while taking advantage of my weakened state? Then think again!¡± Long Jieshu said as a deafening roar of lightning rang through the air.

    Surprisingly enough someone else had triggered another heavenly tribulation.

    Even if you do survive your tribulation, before you are able to get used to your new powers his tribulation would have concluded and you¡¯ll have to face the both of us.¡± Long Jieshu said as he pointed toward a silhouette off in the distance.

    Upon a closer look, Long Zhiming could be seen with pulsating rings of lightning wrapping around his body.

 Chapter 246: Struggle

    ¡°Son of a¡­¡± Zhang cursed whilst catching glimpses of Long Zhiming who had a peculiar looking smile on his face. A smile that caused a tingling chill to shiver down the spines of all who saw it.

    ¡°Once my ascension is complete, I will use the opportunity to kill you first and then I''ll have ample time to deal with him and the rest of your lackeys.¡± Zhang said to Long Jieshu while continuing his attempts to evade the storm of attacks raining from the sky.

    ¡°In your dreams kid!¡± Long Jieshu said as pointed his fingers toward the central area of the island. Surprisingly enough with a flick of his wrist, Long Jieshu caused the entire island to rumble and shake uncontrollably.

    As if an ancient beast that had been lost in vestiges time was emerging from dark depths of the earth to unleash, the ground began to split apart and rise upward into the sky.

    Before anyone knew it, a large column has risen up from the ground, piercing through the clouds and into the heavens.

    ¡°Is-is that the legendary, Oceanic Needle?!¡± Master Shan Jin yelled in a loud and astonished voice.

    ¡°The Oceanic Needle? The legendary treasure that the Sea Beast Sect had stolen hundreds of years ago? The same treasure that is said to have been one of the four pillars that had kept the four seas level with one another? A weapon capable of altering its size and form to suit its user, that Oceanic Needle?¡± Zhang¡¯s subordinate, Xiao Gong said in a trembling voice as he laid eyes upon the massive column that had risen up from the ground.

    Just as Xiao Gong¡¯s words left his mouth, the ever-churning waves of the sea that had been washing onto the shores of Sea Beast Island ever since it had come into existence began to recede.

    ¡°You should feel honored to be killed by this weapon!¡± Long Jieshu laughed manically as he flicked his wrist once again causing the massive column to suddenly uproot itself from the ground and soar through the air while unleashing a blinding glow.

    "Can you still call that a weapon? Although it resembles a staff, it looks like it would be better used as a pillar to hold up a roof.¡± Zhang complained while gulping down a mouthful of spite as he created more singularities. Since escaping Long Jieshu¡¯s domain was not something he was currently capable of, Zhang could only continue his attempts to outmaneuver his opponent.

    ¡°Split apart and skew all who resist my power!¡± Long Jieshu said, clapping his hand together and in the moments to follow the massive staff that was soaring through the air split apart into hundreds of thousands of smaller identical looking staffs that were the size of needles.

    ¡°Just because there is more of them doesn¡¯t mean that it¡¯ll be any easier for your attack to hit me¡­ Lift the weights binding me to the earth, open a path to the heavens! Oblivion Field!¡± Zhang said while channeling all of his strength into the Rising Moon Sword, unleashing his trusty sword¡¯s power to the best of his ability, activating a technique that he had never tested before.

    Although it required a vast portion of his strength to do so, Zhang had enveloped the entire island within a faint veil of light. Unlike the singularities that Zhang usually conjured using the Rising Moon Sword¡¯s powers, which either pulled in or pushed away everything around them, everything that was touched by the veil of light slowly began to levitate into the air.

    Under the effects of Zhang¡¯s Oblivion Field, the hundreds of thousands of needle sized staffs that were previously aimed at him slowly lost their momentum as they levitated in midair as if they were floating within an invisible sea weightlessly. Adding to the artistic beauty of what was occurring were countless millions of individual raindrops that also floated weightlessly in the air.

    On the ground, all forms of fighting ceased as the regular soldiers and disciples of the various forces, the men, and women who had yet to achieve sainthood, were unbound from the shackles that chained them to the earth.

    Caught by surprise and having never experienced such a thing before, many people struggled to remain upright, unable to rely on their center of gravity.

    Along with the mass of people rising into the air were an immeasurable number of corpses, belonging to man and beast alike, adding to the chaos that had already enveloped the battlefield.

    Swords, shields, spears, arrows, pieces of rubble, droplets of blood and a wide manner of other things also began to drift upward.

    ¡°What an interesting technique! However, that won¡¯t do you any good.¡± Long Jieshu laughed as he flickered across the sky toward Zhang yet again while a terrifying bolt of lightning shot down from the heavens.

    ¡°Dammit, when is that lightning bolt going to arrive¡­¡± Zhang cursed as he saw Long Zhiming¡¯s second heavenly tribulation lightning bolt descend.

    ¡°No¡­ Waiting on something like that won¡¯t do me any good. I need to take matters into my own hands for now. I have to try to eliminate him before he can pose a threat to me¡­ Actually, eliminating him would be a waste.¡± Zhang thought as a murderous glint surfaced in his eyes while a devious smile crept onto his face.Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.

    ¡°Oh, great and wise master of the Dragon God Palace, your humble servant has come to pay his respects!¡± Zhang said while laughing in a maniacal manner similar to Long Jieshu, as he propelled himself across the sky toward Long Zhiming while a thunderous roar echoed into everyone¡¯s ears.

    Of course, this was thunderous roar was the signal of the arrival of heavenly tribulation lightning, but luckily this bolt of lightning was aimed not at Zhang but at his opponent.

    Arriving in front of and swinging his sword downward with all of his might, Zhang instantly struck fear into Long Zhiming¡¯s heart.

    Unlike Zhang who had the aid of his legendary treasures, Long Zhiming had to focus the entirety of his attention on defending himself against the tribulation lightning, leaving himself vulnerable.

    As Zhang¡¯s sword cut through the air, dozens of droplets of cold sweat covered Long Zhiming¡¯s brow as he tightly gripped onto the saber in his hand. Caught between a rock and a hard place, if Long Zhiming were to defend himself against Zhang then he would be unready to receive his third bolt of tribulation lightning and would most likely be killed, vice versa if he ignored Zhang and tried to defend against the tribulation he would be cut to pieces.

    ¡°Your opponent is me! Placing your attention upon him will only bring about your demise quicker.¡± Long Jieshu said as he appeared and blocked Zhang¡¯s attacked.

    ¡°Focus on surviving your tribulation trial! I will handle him.¡± Long Jieshu said as Long Zhiming¡¯s third bolt of tribulation lightning snaked down from the sky.

    Channeling the powers of the Underworld Heart, Eternal Flame and Abyssal Cape once again while pulling himself upward, Zhang caused everyone present to become utterly dumbfounded as he revealed his true intentions.

    ¡°What¡¯s he doing?¡± A large number of people said as they stared at Zhang dumbfound.

    Rather than taking advantage of Long Zhiming¡¯s tribulation trial to cut down his enemy, Zhang was actually leading a helping hand, he actually intercepted Long Zhiming¡¯s third tribulation lightning bolt.

    ¡°Since there¡¯s only going to be one more lightning bolt before my own tribulation trial ends, I¡¯ll have to borrow a few of yours for practice. Make sure that you don¡¯t end up dying too early on.¡± Zhang said with a laugh as the powers of his heavenly treasures manifested themselves in the form of a translucent orb.

    Obviously, since Zhang wasn¡¯t idiotic, he only allowed the translucent orb that he had conjured to absorb roughly ten percent of the golden lightning bolt before quickly maneuvering himself away, leaving the bulk of the tribulation lightning for Long Zhiming to endure.

    ¡°It didn¡¯t work this time either... Let¡¯s hope my ninth bolt of lightning won¡¯t come until I at least get a few more tries at this. Or else I¡¯ll lose the perfect opportunity to increase my battle potential.¡± Zhang muttered to himself as the translucent orb that he had created began to crack and break apart.

    ¡°I shouldn¡¯t let this be wasted.¡± Zhang thought as his body spun and kicked the translucent orb that was covered in cracks at Long Jieshu.

    ¡°Enough of your tricks! Come and accept your death!¡± Long Jieshu roared as his hand shot out and grabbed the translucent orb, squeezing it tightly and causing, even more, cracks to appear on its surface.

    ¡°Explode!¡± Zhang said as he released the powers used to conjure the translucent orb, causing it to suddenly light up and unleashed a torrent of lightning upon Long Jieshu and whipping up a curtain of smoke.

    ¡°Die!¡± Long Jieshu¡¯s voice could be heard as the hundreds of thousands of needle sized staffs floating in the air came to life and pierced through the sky and toward Zhang again, coming in from all directions.

    Although there wasn¡¯t very much tribulation lightning contained within the orb, quite a few injuries were still inflicted upon Long Jieshu, as could be seen as the cloud of smoke hiding him slowly dispersed.

    Clicking his tongue, Zhang tried his best to evade the incoming attacks, however, compared to the speed in which they were traveling prior, these needle sized staffs had doubled in speed. Thanks to their sheer numbers and high speeds, a few of the needle sized staffs were able to fly straight past the singularities conjured to protect Zhang, embedding themselves into his body.

    ¡°Freeze!¡± Long Jieshu said while making a series of hand signs, causing the few needle sized staffs lodged into Zhang¡¯s arm and leg to emit a piercing cold aura that quickly turned whatever they touched into ice.

    Grinding his teeth and mustering up all of the resilience within himself Zhang spun the Rising Moon Sword in a windmill like motion, first slashing off his leg and then his arm.

    ¡°I can¡¯t keep this up for long¡­ If those things land in the wrong places that I¡¯m done for.¡± Zhang thought as sweat poured down his brow while the essence stored within his Dragon Heart Necklace flowed into the Underworld Heart, slowly regrew his lost limbs.

    Without the ability to kill Long Jieshu and the ability to escape, Zhang was like a cornered rat who could only wait for a miracle to occur, well in his cause a calamity in the form of tribulation lightning to rain down from the heavens. Sadly, although Zhang¡¯s only hope was the arrival of his last bolt of tribulation lightning and his ascension into godhood, the longer this battle drew on the most of a disadvantageous situation he was in.

    ¡°All members of the Sea Beast Sect! Whoever brings me his head will become the sect¡¯s second grand elder!¡± Long Jieshu said while staring at Zhang with eyes full of disdain, inwardly cursing his current weakened state. Under normal circumstances, Zhang could only be compared to an ant in Long Jieshu¡¯s eyes, however in his weakened state where only roughly twenty percent of his power could be utilized he was unable to remove this thorn no matter how much he tried.

    ¡°Second Grand Elder?! That would make me the sect¡¯s third highest ranking member!¡± Someone yelled as they launched themselves into the air.

    ¡°A straight path to the top!¡± Someone else cried.

    ¡°The Sea Beast Sect¡¯s second grand elder, why should I bother staying within a dying sect such as the Golden Shell Sect!¡± A person from the Golden Shell Sect said as he decided to defect and try to gain the favor of the Sea Beast Sect.

    Before long a mass of people originating from both sides of the conflict settled their differences and began to point their swords at Zhang, much to his dissatisfaction.

    ¡°I am not someone to be trifled with! Just because I¡¯m unable to kill those two does not mean just anyone can fuck with me!¡± Zhang roared angrily as he poured out all of the remaining essence stored within the Dragon Heart Necklace and ignited a grand total of one hundred Soul Devouring Flames.

    Dancing in the air and circling around the body of the person who had conjured them, the one hundred flickering wisps of Soul Devouring Flames gave off a fear-inducing aura that instantly made all of who had dared to bare their fangs toward Zhang to stop in their tracks.

    ¡°All of you, die!¡± Zhang said as he waved his hand, signaling for a barrage of black colored flames to streak across the sky.

    As the very fibers of their being cried out and spurred them to flee, hundreds of saints turned tail and flew away as the one hundred wisps of black flame selected and homed in on their victims.

    Unlike when Zhang had tried to cut down Long Zhiming, Long Jieshu did not bother to lift a finger to aid the hundreds of saints that had fallen under Zhang¡¯s mercy, rather found this to be a perfect opportunity to attack.

    Controlling the one hundred wisps of Soul Devouring Flames while maneuvering himself in a manner that would make it hard for Long Jieshu to grab hold of him, Zhang unleashed his might and for the second time since his escape from the Underworld, sought to make full use of his trump card.

    Reminding everyone that a caged tiger is still a tiger nonetheless, Zhang enacted a one-sided slaughter as the one hundred puffs of black flames quickly claimed the lives of one hundred lesser saints, sending their lifeless bodies tumbling onto the ground while burning away their souls to create even more black flames.

    Unconfident in his ability to instantly kill full saints and high saints with the black flames, Zhang chose to strike fear into everyone¡¯s hearts by specifically picking out and exacting his wrath on lesser saints. This way although he was unable to kill high saints and full saints in large numbers, Zhang would be able to trick everyone into thinking he was capable of doing so and thus deter people from attacking him.

    ¡°Black colored flames that burns away souls! What relation do you have with the fallen god from the Nether Void Realm from a thousand years ago!¡± Long Jieshu asked in a surprised tone as he manipulated the hundreds of thousands of Oceanic Needles to volley the area where Zhang was.

    ¡°Fallen god of the Nether Void Realm? Nether Void Realm? A thousand years ago?¡± Zhang mumbled while continuing to increase the number of black flames under his control.

 Chapter 247: Earth Shattering

    While many questions popped up in Zhang¡¯s head, now was not the time to seek answers, so pushing these thoughts aside he focused all of his attention on dodging Long Jieshu¡¯s attacks while skillfully controlling the hundreds of wisps of Soul Devouring Flames that currently littered the sky.

    ¡°Now that I¡¯ve managed to conjure a sizeable number of them, let¡¯s give those full saints and high saints a taste.¡± Zhang said while smiling gleefully as he waved his hand and caused the hundreds of wisps of black flames to swirl around his body before break off into small groups, each group targeting a different full or high saint.

    Although a single wisp of black fire was only capable of extinguishing a lesser saint''s soul, four or five of them was enough to take out a full saint while ten or so was enough to force a high saint into submission.

    In a midst of fiery chaos and confusion, those who would otherwise be considered lords and rulers of the sea fell from the sky one by one, with each of their deaths adding to the accumulating fear that permeated the air.

    Due to the fact that many had never come face to face with something as mystifying as Zhang¡¯s Soul Devouring Flame before, they were incapable of properly exploiting its weaknesses.

    As powerful as the Soul Devouring Flames were, there was a huge flaw in their nature that could be exploited. Unlike the Underworld where there was an abundance of essence to fuel and ignite countless black flames at a whim, in the mortal world where the density in of essence in the air was fairly low and where everyone¡¯s soul was protected by a fleshly body, which greatly reduces the potency of the Soul Devouring Flames. In simpler terms, whenever Zhang used the black flames on a regular person in the Underworld he would gain enough essence to ignite another black flame, while in the mortal world he was required to kill someone roughly at the level of a lesser saint to gain the equivalent amount of essence.

    Had anyone known and exploited the Soul Devouring Flames weakness by using the bodies of some of the hundreds of thousands of low-level cultivators as their shields while draining all of the essence out of the air, Zhang¡¯s greatest trump card would effectively be unusable.

    With all of that being said, currently there were but a handful of people that knew of the Soul Devouring Flame¡¯s origins and ever fewer who could have possibly known about its weaknesses, thus Zhang had little to worry about.

    Like an envoy of death and a god of war, Zhang slew dozens of saints at a time while trying his best to evade all of Long Jieshu¡¯s attacks on top of taking any opportunity he could to experiment with Long Zhiming¡¯s tribulation lightning.

    ¡°It should work this time.¡± Zhang thought as he waited for Long Zhiming¡¯s sixth bolt of tribulation lightning to arrive. Feeling confident that his next attempt would end in success after quite a few failures, Zhang was quite ecstatic, to the point where he was able to ignore the aching pain the was being extruded from every inch of his body, paying no heed to the tattered robes that now barely covered his upper body and forgetting about the trials of fresh blood that had streamed from the corners of his mouth moments prior.

    Despite having a few close run ins with death, Zhang was able to hold his own and maintain his livelihood, even though he had to sever his limbs a few times. Generally speaking, as a high saint he was quite well off since he was able to survive against a half-deity level expert¡¯s onslaught of attacks for so long.

    By now even if Zhang were to fall in battle, his name would still resound across the Eastern Sea and the domains beyond it, for he was doing something that few could only dream of doing.

    Some will remember him as a hero who desperate fought against all odds in order to prevent the revival of an ancient evil while others would remember him as a monster who slewed hundreds of lesser saints and dozens of full saints, a monster that was capable of stand against an even scarier monster who went by the name of Long Jieshu.

    But above all else, Zhang would be remembered as the man who was able to accomplish the impossible, a man who was able to harness the wrath of the heavens and bend it to his own will.

    Signaling the birth of a legend, Long Zhiming¡¯s seventh bolt of tribulation lightning streaked across the sky, deafening everyone¡¯s sense of hearing as it boomed down from the heavens.

    To ensure that no one would get in his way, Zhang manipulated hundreds of wisps of black flame to congregate around him and swirl about, creating an artificial hurricane that would shield him from most if not all attacks directed at him.

    ¡°Powered by heaven¡¯s fury, shaped by thoughts that had crawled out from the dark abysses of the mind, created by the fibers of that make the world and granted life by the flame of creation, congeal and come to life!¡± Zhang yelled in a voice filled with a mixture of madness and joy as he appeared in the air above where Long Zhiming was.

    Unlike his initial attempts, the powers of the Underworld Heart, Abyssal Cape and Eternal Flame did not form into the shape of any sort of man, bird or beast nor did it form into simple spheres, rather Zhang expanded upon his previous designs and came up with something revolutionary.

    Creating a five hollowed out spheres that would fit in one¡¯s hand and allowing them to bathe in and soak up as much of the golden tribulation lightning as possible, Zhang initiated a process that would require a dozen or so steps.

    ¡°Now the spheres have absorbed all of the tribulation lightning, I can start to form the nucleus.¡± Zhang mumbled to himself as he made the five spheres that were now filled with lightning to move through the air and form a circle. Once coming into close proximity with each other, the give spheres began to connect with each other and before long a ring of lightning was created.

    ¡°Now that the nucleus has been formed and the spheres have synergized with each other to create a circuit I need to begin inscribing the array before I create the outer shell.¡± Zhang said as he quickly put to use the knowledge that Yuying had taught him while employing the knowledge that he had recovered from his previous life during his escape from the Underworld.

    Combining knowledge from past, present, and knowledge from another world, Zhang began to meticulously inscribe dozens of intricate looking runes onto the five spheres.

    At first, he had not thought about incorporating the use of runes and arrays into his creation, however, after some thought Zhang actually found them to be essential to what he was trying to accomplish. With the use of the arrays that his lovely wife had taught him and how knowledge regarding circuitry, Zhang found that he was able to not only contain the tribulation lightning but he would also be able to make itself sustaining.This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    In simpler terms, after the array was laid down and all of the circuitry put into place, Zhang would have an unlimited amount of tribulation lightning at his beck and call, effectively granting him yet another trump card.

    Although he was sure that even with an unlimited amount of tribulation lightning at his command, he would only gain a slight advantage when running into other half-deities, at the very least he would be able to slay the likes of Long Jieshu and basically everyone one else who was present on Sea Beast Island.

    Knowing that Zhang¡¯s success in harnessing the tribulation lightning would greatly contribute to his demise and the destruction of the Sea Beast Sect¡¯s plans to regain control of the Eastern Sea, Long Jieshu redoubled his efforts as the hundreds of thousands of miniature sized Oceanic Needles fused together and returning to their original form before shrinking into the size of a regular staff and flying into his hands.

    ¡°I don¡¯t care if those flames had belonged to a fallen god or not but when facing the might of the ocean, all flames shall be extinguished!¡± Long Jieshu said as the sea began to churn and swell, creating massive tsunamis that towered into the sky.

    Using the Oceanic Needle, Long Jieshu gained dominance over all of the waters of the ocean within a twenty-thousand-mile radius, in which he funneled toward Sea Beast Island, splitting the sea in the process. Surprisingly enough, as it an invisible wall was holding it up, all of the water outside of the twenty-thousand-mile radius remained unchanged.

    Standing contrast to one another was a solid wall of water that allowed one to peer in and watch the otherwise unseen oceanic creatures, the other a sprawling land void of even a droplet of water, a land filled with coral, and other strange plants that only grew within the dark depths.

    ¡°Everyone flee! Run for your lives!¡± Many of the members of the Sea Beast Sect and the coalition screamed as they saw the sun slowing being blotted out by the sea.

    In the face of such a catastrophic, the lull of power and fortune were no longer enticing, while the strings of loyalty were strained and only served to drag one down.

    Regardless of they were, be they almighty saints who were capable of soaring through the sky, the saints who normally gazed down at all beneath them with disdain and pride, or the proud people who lived out their lives in the sea, everyone present regardless of which side they were on, cursed themselves for being idiotic enough to be present on this battlefield that would soon be swept underneath the waves.

    One may wonder why those who are capable of breathing underwater be afraid, and the answer would be simple, once the massive tsunamis that Long Jieshu conjured smashed down from the sky, even if one knew how to breathe underwater, the powerful pressure exerted by the many millions of gallons of water pressing down upon their bodies along would be enough to kill just about anyone.

    Fleeing toward the mountains and soaring into to the sky in the hopes of escaping the inevitable, hundreds of thousands of people dropped their weapons and ran with all their might. Well, of course, there were a few people who occasionally stopped to loot the bodies of the saints that Zhang had killed, but one could call them another breed of people.

    ¡°If you want to get to him, you''ll have to go through me first!¡± A voice suddenly rang into everyone¡¯s ear as four silhouettes appeared around Zhang¡¯s tornado of black flames.

    Rather than attempting to absorb enough heavenly energy to trigger their tribulation trials, the four beauties had rushed outside to aid their husband, hoping to find an opportunity to escape together. However, to their amazement, they had found that their husband had actually surpassed them and not only did he become a high said but also triggered his own heavenly tribulation.

    But without enough time to celebrate of their husband¡¯s awe-inspiring progress, the beauties were forced to try to intervene as they saw Long Jieshu¡¯s attempt to hinder Zhang.

    Without caring for their own safety, the four beauties unveiled all of their trump cards and secret techniques and in a stroke of brilliance, the sky was lit up under a dazzling show of love, sacrifice, and fury.

    Having now become a high saint, Ling was able to conjure and manipulate roughly five times as much water as she could before, allowing her to invoke not one nor two but four scorching rays of sunlight.

    Harnessing the power of the sun, Ling focused her four rays of death onto the incoming tsunamis, and ice the two forces of nature collided an otherworldly explosion occur, causing a boiling veil of mist to shoot out in all direction.

    For the few who were unlucky enough to be enveloped within this veil of mist, their skin blister while their insides cooked due to the intensely hot water vapors.

    ¡°Interesting! However, just the four of you won''t be enough to stop me! In any shape or form, water is useless against me!¡± Long Jieshu laughed as he manipulated the ocean¡¯s waters to move forward even faster, miraculously overcoming Ling¡¯s four death rays bit by bit before he grasped at the air and took control over the water droplets that Ling had controlled, reshaping them into icy needles and launching them at her body.

    ¡°The battle has just begun, underestimating us just because you''re stronger will only come back to bite you later.¡± Lingqi said as a familiar looking zither appeared in front of her, moments before a deafening symphony of shockwaves echoed across the sky.

    Invisible and untraceable, these shockwaves resonated with one another as they created an invisible wall around Ling, saving her from being skewed by hundreds of icy needles. Once she had helped Ling, Lingqi then redirected her sonic sound waves toward the towering tsunamis, preventing them from flowing forward.

    ¡°Maybe four isn''t enough, but maybe ten or perhaps twenty will be!¡± Yuying said as an eerie green light shone from her pupils all the while as evil looking green mist poured out from the sleeves of her robes.

    In a flash twenty pummels of green mist crept down from the sky and wrapped around the bodies of the fallen lesser saints that Zhang had killed, pouring into their eyes, mouth, nose and ear, before causing these lifeless corpses to spasm and come back to life.

    ¡°Allow this princess to show you what a truly unfair fight is like.¡± Yuying said with a devious looking smirk on her face as twenty undead lesser saints took to the sky, staring at Long Jieshu with lifeless eyes while greenish colored blood and mist flowed out from their mouths and eyes.

    ¡°When they were alive they wouldn¡¯t have stood a chance against me and in death, nothing shall change.¡± Long Jieshu said, waving his hand casually and creating dozens of thin razor sharp blades of water which embedded themselves into the bodies of the undead saints before exploding, causing a mixture of bloody limbs and mesh to rain down from the sky.

    ¡°If they went down so easily then this wouldn¡¯t be an unfair fight, would it?¡± Yuying said as she snapped her fingers, causing green mist to spray out from the severed limbs and in an instant later the corpses of the twenty fallen lesser saints were patched back together. Of course, after having their bodies ripped apart into hundreds of pieces, even if they were patched back together, these twenty undead lesser saints had definitely become a horrendous sight to behold.

    Snapping her fingers once again, Yuying made the twenty undead lesser saints soar back into the sky once more, as a frown appeared on Long Jieshu¡¯s face.

    ¡°Think fast!¡± Ai¡¯s voice rang into Long Jieshu¡¯s ears as he felt an extremely powerful force smash into his back, launching him downward like a meteorite.

    ¡°Ho-how¡­ I didn¡¯t sense any fluctuations of essence at all¡­¡± Long Jieshu said as he stood up from within a newly created crater, glaring into the sky toward Ai.

    ¡°Although I made this in a haste, I hope you enjoy it.¡± Lingqi¡¯s voice could be heard as ten vials filled with blackish goo fell onto the ground near where Long Jieshu stood, shattering and splattering everywhere.

    Like before, before Long Jieshu could even say a single word, he noticed patches of his pale white skin turn into an ugly grayish tone. Upon closer inspection, one would notice that Long Jieshu¡¯s these patches of skin were actually terrifying and turning into stone.

    Absolutely infuriated about the turn of events, Long Jieshu roared angrily as throw the Oceanic Needle which had been tightly grasped in his hand, into the air where it split into hundreds of thousands identical copies like it had done before.

    ¡°It seems like you were right, if I don¡¯t take the four of you seriously then I¡¯ll only continue to make a fool out of myself. So now I will kill you four first and then I¡¯ll make your husband watch as I skin your corpses!¡± Long Jieshu yelled as hundreds of thousands of Oceanic Needles shot upward toward the beauties.

    ¡°Just a little longer and I¡¯ll be able to lend a hand!¡± Zhang¡¯s voice rung in the minds of his four wives, however without needing Zhang to act, an unforeseeable event transpired.

    While Zhang was hastily trying to finish inscribing the inscription arrays onto the five spheres containing tribulation lighting, thin cracks began to appear on his interspatial ring. By the time, Zhang noticed what was happening, the entirety of his interspatial ring had already been covered with cracks as whitish colored light could be seen leaking out from them.

    Not waiting to see what was going to happen and not willing to take any chances, Zhang quickly took off his interspatial ring and tossed it up into the air, where a blinding explosion soon occurred.

    Much to Zhang¡¯s grief, all of his accumulated wealth, all of the riches that he had plundered, swindled and fought for, scattered down from the sky. An unbelievable number of essence stones, a sea of gold coins and all sorts of other valuables trickled down upon Sea Beast Island just as Long Jieshu¡¯s deadly attack was about to strike Ai, Ling, Yuying, and Lingqi.

    In the moments that followed, it was as if the world had stood still and time had been frozen, just as the beauties were about to deploy various means of defense, a simply looking portrait of a very beautiful woman fluttered through the air and arrived in front of them before suddenly releasing an extremely powerful burst of essence that caused the air itself to shudder.

    ¡°Th-the Ascending Beauty Painting!!!!¡± Someone cried as Long Jieshu¡¯s attack was stopped and hundreds of thousands of Oceanic Needles accompanied Zhang¡¯s wealth, falling from the sky.

    ¡°IF ANYONE DARES TO TAKE EVEN A SINGLE ONE OF MY GOLD COINS, I¡¯LL KILL THEIR ENTIRE SECT!!!¡± Zhang''s voice reverberated into everyone¡¯s ear as the Ascending Beauty Painting¡¯s power was put on display.

 Chapter 248: Crystal Ball

    With his eyes glued onto the gleaming rain of gold coins and essence stones that was showering into the ground, Zhang''s couldn''t help but yell out in anger.

    All of the wealth that he had accumulated over years of conquest, dozens of not hundreds life-threatening battles, through robbing countless individuals, was currently laid out for all to see, for all to take.

    Even with his warning, Zhang was sure that there were some who would give into temptation and steal from him. However, as angry and unhappy, he was, Zhang knew better than to be distracted for too long in a situation such as the one he was currently in.

    ¡°NONE OF YOU BETTER LEAVE THE VICINITY OF THIS ISLAND OR ELDE DON¡¯T COMPLAIN TO ME WHEN I KILL YOU AND DIG UP THE GRAVES OF YOUR ANCESTORS!¡± Zhang''s yelled threateningly before refocusing his attention back toward the five lightning filled spheres levitating in front of him.

    Despite all of his complaining, Zhang was inwardly glad that the Ascending Beauty Painting did what it had done, lost wealth can be regained but loved ones are much harder to come by.

    Speaking of the Ascending Beauty Painting, as if it had a life and consciousness of its own, continued to release an astonishing pressure that enveloped the entire island in a dreadful silence.

    By now all of the Ancient Demonic Beasts had long since fled, while many who were present stared into the sky with wide eyes and gaping mouths.

    Of course, there were a few people who, against Zhang¡¯s warnings, decided to stuff their pockets full of gold, jewels, and other riches, effectively sealing their own fates if Zhang were to survive his current predicament.

    One must know the from beginning to end, Zhang had always been the one that was doing the stealing and looting, from the Underworld where he claimed not only the Underworld Heart but also one of the Yama¡¯s daughters, to the Warring States Region where he skated thousands and erected an empire, no one had ever taken anything from him.

    ¡°What manner of trickery is this!?¡± Long Jieshu muttered to himself in disbelief as he saw hundreds of thousands of his Oceanic Needles littering the ground around him.

    While the four Oceanic Needles weren''t currently as well known as the likes of the seven heavenly treasures, in terms of rarity and heaven-defying abilities they could be considered the same tier, and so for the Ascending Beauty Painting to be able to repel his attack without a user to draw out its maximum power,Long Jieshu utterly dumbstruck.

    ¡°It must be because I haven''t recovered enough of my power.¡± Long Jieshu mumbled while clicking his tongue as he waved his hand and made the hundreds of thousands of Oceanic Needles condense together into a massive pillar.

    ¡°You maybe have been able to stop my attack once but that doesn''t mean you can do it a second time!¡± Long Jieshu said as he flicked his wrist, causing the pillar sized Oceanic Needle to extend and shoot into the air while releasing his control on the ocean and allowing the turbulent waves to flow once again.

    On top of all else, he released the deity domain that he had erected earlier, alleviating a heavy weight that pressed on the bodies of those near him.

    Although Long Jieshu had been unable to gain a complete advantage over Zhang and the beauties, one must admit that he attests to the power of a half-deity, considering the scale and frequency of his attacks.

    Being able to pull off such techniques without showing signs of fatigue, is an extraordinary feat in itself, one could only imagine how powerful Long Jieshu was at full strength.

    As Long Jieshu¡¯s Oceanic Needle pierced through the air, the Ascending Beauty Painting released a subtle humming sound before suddenly absorbing all of the essence within the air around it and conjuring up a transparent membrane like shield that covered a large portion of the sky.

    In the moments, the followed, once the massive staff and undeniably power barrier collided with each other, a loud deafening boom rang into the ears of everyone within a rough line hundred-mile radius of Sea Beast Island.

    Despite this earth-shattering collision, neither the Oceanic Needle nor the Ascending Beauty Painting gave way to each other, releasing destructive pulses of essence everywhere.

    As if their situation wasn''t dire enough, the pulses of essence released from the collision of the two heaven tier treasures struck a large number of the low-level cultivators on the ground, causing a few people to vomit mouthfuls of blood while a handful of unlucky ones lost their life.Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    On top of claiming the lives of hundreds of unlucky people and injuring thousands, these pulses of essence also split the earth and shook the sea which had yet to subside from Long Jieshu¡¯s previous technique.

    ¡°In the Eastern Sea, nothing is capable of standing in my way!¡± Long Jieshu roared as he funneled even more of his power into the massive Oceanic Needle, causing it push against the Ascending Beauty Painting¡¯s barrier even more furiously.

    ¡°That was in the past and we are in the now!¡± Zhang voice could be heard as the tornado of Soul Devouring Flames that shrouded his body stopped swirling about.

    Floating in front of Zhang was a mid-sized crystal ball that was covered in runes and contained five crystal spheres filled with lightning within it and all around him were hundreds of dancing wisps of Soul Devouring Flames.

    ¡°First off I''ll deal with you.¡± Zhang said as his Abyssal Cape releases swirls of shadow, which began to wrap around the lightning crystal ball.

    Appearing slowly but occurring almost in an instant, a massive black colored skeletal frame quickly formed under Zhang¡¯s influence.

    Stretching for hundreds of feet a massive Abyssal Dragon was soon brought into existence. With the Lightning Crystal Ball lodged into its body where a heart would normally be found, the Abyssal Dragon roared as lightning coiled around its body.

    Unlike Zhang¡¯s usual Abyssal Beasts which were void of intelligence and could be dispersed with a gentle strike, this Abyssal Dragon was special, it was created to be a vessel for the Lightning Crystal Ball and had eyes brimming with life and a sturdy body strengthened by Heavenly Tribulation Lightning.

    Without needing to utter a word, as Zhang shot through the air toward Long Jieshu, the massive Abyssal Dragon roared once again and snaked through the sky after its creator.

    ¡°Foolish!¡± Long Jieshu said as he waved his hand, withdrawing the Oceanic Needle from its struggle against the Ascending Beauty Painting, in order to deal with Zhang once he came close enough.

    ¡°Immobilize that bastard over there. If possible don''t kill him, I''ll be needing him alive in order to collect more tribulation lightning.¡± Zhang conveyed to his wives through his divine sense, directing them to attack Long Zhiming.

    Although so much had happened, little to no time had actually passed at all, meaning Long Zhiming¡¯s seventh bolt of tribulation had yet to descend.

    ¡°With pleasure.¡± Yuying replied with a grin as she waved her hand and reassembled her troop of twenty undead lesser saints, commanding them to swarm around Long Zhiming moments later.

    ¡°I need to wrap things up, it''s been a while and my ninth and last bolt of tribulation lightning should be arriving soon. If I have to use any more of my remaining strength against him then I might be too weakened and end up failing my tribulation trail.¡± Zhang thought to himself as he lowered his flight speed and allowed his Lightning Abyssal Dragon to overtake him.

    Spearheading the assault on Long Jieshu, the Lightning Abyssal Dragon opened its maw and allowing a torrent of golden lightning to rain upon the ground below as it locked onto its target.

    Having only overcome a single tribulation of his own, and only recently regaining his freedom and his body after so many years of imprisonment, as fearless as Long Zhiming may be, seeing the golden lightning descend in person, he couldn''t help but feel an ounce of worry kindle within his heart.

    Whereas at his peak condition, tribulation lightning such as the kind that Zhang had harnessed wouldn¡¯t be able to defeat him, in this current state, if he allowed himself to be struck a few times then death was only a certainty.

    ¡°Although I admit that if your attack were to strike me I would receive considerable damage, that won¡¯t happen!¡± Long Jieshu said as he manipulated his Oceanic Needle to fly into the air yet another time, this time to act as a giant lightning rod.

    ¡°Try as you may, your fate is sealed! As things are now, even if I do not ascend and become a half-deity I can still put an end to you. But on the off chance that you survive until my last bolt of tribulation lightning descends, I will only be better equipped to deal with you.¡± Zhang said as he glared at Long Jieshu from up above while droplets of sweat covered his brow.

    Seeing Zhan gain an upper hand, the leaders of the coalition force quickly snapped out of the trance like state that they had been in and ordered their forces to attack the members of the Sea Beast Sect, some even going as far as contacting Zhang through their divine sense and offering him their help in slaying Long Jieshu.

    ¡°Now they decide to turn around and fight¡­ What a bunch of opportunists¡­¡± Zhang thought after being contacted by a dozen or so people, offering to aid him.

    ¡°How can people be so shameless? Although if I had an opportunity to do so I would have fled also in such an unfavorable situation, to turn around now and offer their help once the battle has almost been decided is beyond shameless¡­¡± Zhang thought as he motioned for the hundreds of black flames that were circling around him to fly toward Long Jieshu.

    Quickly finding himself surrounded by Soul Devouring Flames while being forced to evade a nearly endless barrage of tribulation lightning, Long Jieshu was forced into repeatedly teleporting from one place to the next.

    Luckily none of the techniques and means that Zhang was currently employing require too much of his own essence to maintain or else he would have quickly become too exhausted to continue forth with the battle. With that being said, after undergoing such an ordeal, Zhang was at the very end of his ropes as further signs of fatigue began to surface on his face.

    Had he not been so tired and if he did not have to worry about the arrival of his ninth bolt of tribulation lightning, Zhang would have directly joined his Lightning Abyssal Dragon in battle, rather than trying to retain as much of his strength as possible and merely attempting to intervene from the sidelines.

    Just as Zhang was starting to feel comfortable, the sky rumbled and golden lightning could be seen snaking in and out of the dark clouds that loomed above.

    ¡°It couldn¡¯t come sooner and it couldn¡¯t come later, but it had to come now¡­¡± Zhang said as he galloped down a mouthful of spite while wiping off the sweat that had collected on his brow.

    After successfully harnessing Long Zhiming¡¯s tribulation lightning and having endured eight of his own, Zhang knew more than anyone how powerful the ninth bolt of tribulation lightning was going to be. He knew that it would be so powerful that if he tried to harness it instead of trying to defend against it, there was a chance that he could die.

    Maybe if was stronger and had a firmer grasp on employing the Abyssal Cape, Underworld Heart, and Eternal Flame simultaneously, he could attempt to contain the ninth bolt of tribulation lightning, however, Zhang currently did not feel like gambling away his life.

    Although in the end, all bolts of tribulation lightning look the same, as one¡¯s tribulation trial dragged on, they all had varying degrees of danger attached to them. The early bolts of lightning traveled at a much slower speed and possessed very little destructive power when compared to the later bolts of lightning, if the first bolt were compared to a snail in terms of speed, the eight bolt can be compared to a speedy rabbit, making it much harder to defend against.

    Quickly drawing on all of his reserves while using the Dragon Heart Necklace to absorb all of the essence collected by the Soul Devouring Flames to bolster himself, Zhang readied himself to face his final trial.

    While recalling the Lightning Abyssal Dragon and using it to aid in overcoming the ninth bolt of tribulation lightning would be ideal if Zhang did so he would risk giving Long Jieshu a perfect opportunity to claim his life, thus he decided to not recall the Lightning Abyssal Dragon.

 Chapter 249: Crimson Flames

    ¡°How the heavens have helped me!¡± Long Jieshu laughed with glee as he condensed together a large mass of essence, while staring into the sky at Zhang.

    When facing their ninth and last bolt of tribulation, high saints who were undergoing their trial were at their most vulnerable, and thus a perfect opportunity arose for Long Jieshu to turn the situation around in his favor.

    Long Jieshu knew that if he did not take this opportunity to rid himself of Zhang, then obviously once Zhang attained his second Ascension, the situation would be irreversible.

    While he was still fairly confident in his ability to successfully escape if the need arose, he knew if he did not deal with Zhang now then he would be unable to ever do so again.

    Manipulating and molding all of the essence he could gather, Long Jieshu made hundreds of thousands of swords made entirely of ice rise into the air from the boundless sea.

    Once these hundreds of thousands of ice swords rose up into the sky, even more essence was infused into them, until they gave off an eerie black colored glow that screamed of danger and devastation and gleam as if they were forged from metal.

    Ignoring all else, Zhang¡¯s focus was glued to the looming danger lurking above the clouds. Like a serpent that was waiting for the right moment to strike, the ninth bolt of tribulation lightning snaked in and out of the dark clouds that now covered the sky.

    Pouring all of the essence that he had collected through the Soul Devouring Flames, into the Underworld Heart, Zhang released hundreds of purplish pulses of essence that coated and enveloped everything within a ten-mile radius of him.

    ¡°Let''s hope this works.¡± Zhang thought as he waved his hand and made millions upon millions of scattered gold coins shoot into the air and circle around.

    With a wave of his hand, Zhang the made these millions of gold coins clump together to create golden spikes that all pointed upward toward the heavens.

    Just as Zhang finished doing this, a loud beast-like roar thundered into everyone¡¯s ears. Before they knew it, a few of those present were temporarily robbed of their ability to hear as streams of blood seeped out from within their ears. While a few of the weaker severed souls felt the very fibers of their being screaming for them to flee.

    In the following moment, a massive lightning bolt the likes of which few have ever seen before descended from the heavens.

    Traveling at a speed in which many were incapable of observing while releasing majestic and blinding light the ninth bolt of tribulation lighting sped toward Zhang.

    ¡°I really hope this works.¡± Zhang mumbled just a half a second before his Lightning Abyssal Dragon released a torrent of golden lightning from its maw.

    In an attempt to fight fire with fire or well rather lightning with lightning, Zhang¡¯s Lightning Abyssal Dragon used its ultimate move against the ninth bolt of tribulation lightning.

    Sadly, much to Zhang¡¯s dismay and unhappiness, the two torrents of lightning intersected and intertwined for a fraction of a second before one of them was consumed by the other.

    ¡°Now I really really hope this works.¡± Zhang mumbled to himself yet again as he quickly descended toward the ground while waving his hand and causing the millions of golden coins that were previously levitating in the sky to be propelled forward.

    Like speeding arrows, the millions of gold coins weaved upward as Zhang tried to use them as a means to divert or better yet disperse the ninth bolt of tribulation lightning.

    Whereas one golden coin would be rather useless, Zhang was hoping millions of them would be able to conduct and then distribute the heavenly lightning from one to the other, that way once the tribulation lightning reached if, if it did at all, would be incredibly weak and manageable.

    ¡°Of course, he would try to use gold coins to overcome his heavenly tribulation.¡± Yuying said with a soft chuckle as she glanced at Zhang, before redirecting her gaze back upon Long Zhiming who was currently surrounded by twenty undead lesser saints, a large poison spewing wyverns and the three other beauties, all of whom had confident smiles on their faces after glancing at their husband.

    To make sure that they did not give Long Zhiming even the slightest opportunity of escape, the beauties had called forth one of the wyverns that was stored within the Ruler¡¯s Domain.

    ¡°Just a little more than my technique will be complete and then I''ll be able to shoot him down from the sky.¡± Long Jieshu muttered to himself.A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    Despite the faith that the beauties held in their husband, despite how hopeful Zhang was, as an old saying went, plan and scheme as one may but one cannot out plan nor scheme against the heavens, in other words, failure is always around the corner and success is never guaranteed.

    Much to Zhang grief and sadness, the ninth bolt of tribulation was not dispersed amongst the millions of gold coins, rather it melted and turned into smoldering hot blobs of liquid metal, which of course began to rain down from the sky and drip onto an unlucky few who were simply at the wrong place at the wrong time. While one must be pretty unlucky to have molten hot gold drip onto them, everyone held boundless luck as no deaths were caused by Zhang¡¯s failed attempt.

    ¡°Damn it¡­¡± Zhang cursed as he hurled the Rising Moon Sword at the bolt of tribulation lightning, only for it to be sent spiraling toward the ground where it embedded itself into a boulder, after merely absorbing a fraction of the golden lightning¡¯s strength.

    Despite so much occurring, everything had taken but a few short seconds to transpire and not much time had actually passed at all, serving as a means to gauge Zhang and the tribulation lightning¡¯s speed. With that being said, if Zhang''s speed was compared to that of the tribulation lightning bolt¡¯s, then the lightning bolt was roughly moving at twice the speed in which Zhang could.

    This meant that it was but a matter of time before the two of them meet face to face.

    ¡°Die!¡± Long Jieshu¡¯s voice could be heard as a sound reminiscent of that of a swarming flock of birds could be heard piercing through the air.

    In an instant, Zhang found himself surrounded, from above his ninth bolt of tribulation and from beneath thousands of razor sharp blades of black ice.

    Never in his wildest dreams would Zhang had anticipated the power of his last bolt of tribulation lightning. Even if all of the previous bolts of tribulation lightning were combined together, they wouldn''t¡¯ even amount to a quarter of the force contained in this ninth bolt.

    Zhang had figured, that he would be able to quickly overcome the last portion of his tribulation trail, ascend to godhood and then quickly deal with Long Jieshu, however, the situation had now entirely array and his very survival was now at stake.

    ¡°Damn it... What do I do? What do I do?¡± Zhang thought as he felt a cold chilling sensation approaching his back while an electrifying tingle spearhead toward his front.

    ¡°Which do I defend against? With my current power, I, would have been able to survive that ninth bolt of lightning by a narrow margin, however, if I don¡¯t come up with a way to defend against that bastard¡¯s attack I¡¯ll still be done in¡­¡± Zhang thought as his mind raced and numerous scenarios played out before him.

    ¡°I guess this might work.¡± Zhang mumbled to himself before igniting a dozen or so wisps of black flame around his body and diving through the air, toward the ground.

    Charging toward a sea of swords, Zhang made the black flames that surrounded fly forward, creating a spiral of flames that would engulf all that stood in his path.

    Before long, Zhang¡¯s black fire came into contact with Long Jieshu¡¯s icy swords, wrapping them underneath a blanket of dancing flames. Once engulfed in flames, due to the nature of the Soul Devouring Flames, Long Jieshu¡¯s black ice swords did not melt but rather a large portion of the essence infused within them was burnt away and absorbed, causing a few of them to crumble into bits.

    ¡°Begone!¡± Zhang roster as his hand swept sideward, shattering a few more of Long Jieshu¡¯s ice swords and flying into the small gap within the sea of swords that had just been created.

    ¡°Ice Thorn Coffin!¡± Long Jieshu said as he performed a series of hand signs, causing all of the countless ice swords to redirect their tip toward Zhang before flying forward once more.

    ¡°Good! Good! Have all of your swords come at me.¡± Zhang laughed manically as his body rotated and his eyes stared into a blinding bolt of lightning that was but a few feet away from his body.

    Like a beast closing its jaws on its prey, the last bolt of tribulation lightning, smashed apart hundreds of Long Jieshu¡¯s ice swords as it enveloped the entirety of Zhang¡¯s body.

    Successfully managing to use the ice swords as a means to block his tribulation lightning, Zhang could be seen with a slightly bitter smile on his face as his entire body disappeared beneath a curtain of blinding light.

    Closing their eyes due to the intense brightness given off by the tribulation lightning, no one was able to witness a series of miraculous events that took transpired in the following moments.

    As his body became wrapped in lightning, as his clothing burned to char, as his limbs began to cook and blacken, as blood seeped out of his pores and vaporized, a dark crimson flame sped through the air and engulfed Zhang.

    Had this been the only thing to occur, then things wouldn¡¯t be considered so miraculous, however not only was Zhang¡¯s body engulfed in crimson fire but the Ascending Beauty Painting which had positioned itself in front of Ai was also set ablaze.

    When considering the awe-inspiring display that the Ascending Beauty Painting had put up previously, one could only imagine what the flames that were capable of reducing such an otherworldly to ashes are capable of doing.

    Despite being turned into cinders and ashes, in actuality, the Ascending Beauty Painting was actually not destroyed in the least. Rather than actually destroying the Ascending Beauty Painting, the crimson flames had actually released it from its bounds and reactivated its true abilities.

    Upon igniting, the image drawn on the Ascending Beauty Painting had actually done the impossible, it had actually begun to move, it had actually started to walk toward the crimson flames.

    Once the entire painting had crumbled to ashes and scattered across to the winds, a faint image of Ai¡¯s lookalike who had been drawn on the Ascending Beauty Painting could be seen levitating in the air, moments before transforming into an orb of light.

    Under the cover of the tribulation lightning¡¯s blinding light, the glowing orb released from the Ascending Beauty Painting moved through the air and toward Ai before enveloping her in a radiant glow that quickly faded away a flicker of a second later.

    Once the glowing orb faded away, Ai who had been somewhat oblivious to what had just occurred, felt a tremendous and mysterious force disperse within her body, infusing with every fiber of her being and empowering her, body, mind and soul.

    In the meantime, Zhang who had just been struck by his final bolt of tribulation lightning and engulfed within the terrifying crimson flames, felt a warm and reassuring sensation seep into his pores. Slowly but surely, Zhang felt a foreign, warm and powerful type of essence invade and mend his tattered body. Surprisingly enough unlike the destructive properties that were shown against the Ascending Beauty Painting, the crimson flames were actually healing Zhang and replenishing his dwindled stores of essence.

    From afar, a slightly familiar looking man who neither appeared old nor young could be seen levitating in the air and staring at Ai and Zhang with caring eyes.

    This man, of course, was the same man who had slain almost all of the Fire Fang Eels that resided within the Shoal of Serpents, the same mysterious man who had appeared and then disappeared at key intervals within Zhang¡¯s journey toward achieving power.

    ¡°Old friend, with this the first step of our plan has been completed. Once she awakens, once she is ready I will take her to meet you.¡± The mysterious man mumbled to himself as a smile full of delight stretched across his face from cheek to cheek.

    ¡°Until the realms align and the great rift opens, you better keep her safe because I won¡¯t be leading you any more help after this.¡± The mysterious man said with a chuckle as a crimson flame ignited in his palm, transforming into the shape of a crow before flapping its wings and soaring through the sky.

    ¡°Who goes there!?¡± Long Jieshu roared as he felt an incredibly powerful aura quickly approaching, however instead of the reply he was hoping for, he found himself engulfed in flames.

    ¡°Begone...Since you¡¯ve done your part and helped speed up my plans a bit, I will spare your pitiful life, however, if you do not heed my warning don¡¯t complain when this old man decides to extinguish your soul¡­¡± The mysterious man¡¯s voice echoed into Long Jieshu¡¯s mind as smoke and pain emanated from every inch of his body.

    Knowing that if he remained any longer, his life would be forfeit, Long Jieshu quickly flickered across the sky and disappeared into the distance.

 Chapter 250: Ascend

    While Zhang was finishing his second ascension and becoming a deity, after Ai assimilated with the strange glowing horn released from the Ascending Beauty Painting, as everyone¡¯s vision was still robbed from them, Long Jieshu had disappeared without leaving a single trace.

    ¡°Little Yin, or rather I should call you Ai, take care and maybe next time I''ll be able to take you to where your old man is.¡± The mysterious man muttered to himself as rings of flames ignited around his body. Surrounded by flames, the mysterious man¡¯s body began to release a subtle reddish glow before disappearing into thin air.

    Just as the mysterious man disappeared, the blinding light emitted from Zhang¡¯s ninth tribulation lightning bolt slowly faded away as a bright golden beam of light shot through the dark clouds that loomed above and revealed the last step of Zhang¡¯s ascension for all to see.

    Descending from the heavens and striking Zhang¡¯s forehead, the golden beam of light caused everyone to watch in awe as a golden halo slowly began to form behind Zhang¡¯s back.

    As this golden halo formed, an immense amount of power and knowledge poured into Zhang, granting him unbelievable power and mystifying abilities that would allow him to crash any saint who dared defy him.

    Signaling the birth of a new half deity, an extremely aura swept across Sea Beast Island as the golden halo behind Zhang¡¯s back released a golden aura the formed into a massive transparent sphere, effectively showcasing Zhang¡¯s divine domain.

    ¡°It appears the Eastern Sea will now have a new owner¡­¡± Master Shan Jin mumbled as he stood witness to what could only be described as sacred and once in a lifetime event.

    Compared to Long Jieshu¡¯s divine domain, Zhang¡¯s was roughly tens as powerful and covered roughly ten times as much space, causing many of those who were present to instantly drop to their knees, aside from the beauties of course.

    Had Long Jieshu''s been able to utilize his full power and erect a divine domain like the one that Zhang had unconsciously created then no one in the Eastern Sea could have stood his match.

    Almighty, powerful, and godlike would be perfect words to describe the current feeling that Zhang gave to everyone currently witnessing his ascension.

    But little did they know, suddenly receiving so many blessings, and so much power, coupled with the severe exhaustion and fatigue that accumulated during his struggle with Long Jieshu''s caused Zhang to be extremely tired.

    So, tired in fact that as his powers steadily increased, Zhang¡¯s consciousness steadily faded away, only remaining afloat thanks to the heavenly forces currently at play.

    ¡°Let¡¯s quickly put an end to him, it doesn''t seem like sweetheart is in any shape to be harnessing any more tribulation lightning for the time being.¡± Yuying said in a whisper toward the other beauties as she signaled them to close in on Long Zhiming, who was on his last limbs, quite literally, having lost an arm and leg during his struggle for survival.

    Surrounded by twenty undead lesser saints, bombarded by nearly endless waves of sonic pulses compliments of Lingqi, and the target of hundreds of Ling¡¯s icy arrows, now that Long Jieshu had fled, Long Zhiming was left with utterly no means of escape. Of course, due to the chaotic nature of the current battlefield, due to Zhang¡¯s mesmerizing ascension, no one had actually noticed that Long Jieshu was gone, thus despite his current predicament, despite being forced to kneel on the ground by Zhang¡¯s divine domain, Long Zhiming still held an extremely defiant glare in his eyes.

    ¡°How the mighty have fallen!¡± Yuying said while gazing down at Long Zhiming with eyes full of disdain.

    Recalling her initial meeting with Long Zhiming, remembering the haughty manner in which he spoke and the belittling way he acted, Yuying couldn''t help but feel her blood boil.

    Of course, this only meant that Long Zhiming would have to suffer a little bit more before he was released from his misery.

    ¡°Cut and shred, hack him into a thousand bits.¡± Yuying muttered as she preferred a series of hand signs, causing the greenish glow within the eyes of the undead to glow even brighter, causing their speed and strength to significantly increase.

    As a vivid example of what happens when someone invokes the wrath of a woman, Long Zhiming had dozens of bloody chunks sliced off of his body.

    If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

    ¡°Master! Where are you! Please save me!¡± Long Zhiming cried as he kneeled helplessly on the ground due to Zhang¡¯s divine domain, covered in wounds and bleeding profusely.

    ¡°Your master must have turned tail and ran away because I don¡¯t see him anymore.¡± Lingqi said while staring down upon Long Zhiming from atop the head of a giant wyvern, her words reverberating in the ears of all whom identified themselves as a part of the Sea Beast Sect.

    Not only was Long Jieshu the Sea Beast Sect¡¯s strongest expert, but he was also their only pillar of support. Without Long Jieshu there was no such thing as the Sea Beast Sect, without their master to lead them the people of the Sea Beast Sect were similar to a dragon without a head.

    Hearing Lingqi¡¯s words and arching their necks toward the sky to search for their exalted lord, the members of the Sea Beast Sect felt their very souls rattle and their bodies shake when they saw nothing but empty sky and the radiant glow being released from Zhang¡¯s body.

    ¡°I heard if we mix a few pieces of dragon meat into a bit of soup, after some digestion our skin will become twice as glossy.¡± Lingqi said as she glanced at the other beauties who all began preparing a final farewell gift for Long Zhiming.

    Vials of poison, needles of ice, a thorny whip and dozens of grotesque looking undead soon descended and unleashed carnage upon the man who had once stood at the pinnacle of power and prestige within the Eastern Sea.

    Riddled with wounds and covered with blood, along Zhiming laid lifelessly within a crimson puddle as everyone, regardless of friend or foe stared with frightened looks on their faces.

    ¡°Hmph, wretched severed soul, you think you can pull wool over this princess¡¯s eyes?!¡± Yuying said angrily as a beam of greenish energy shot out from the tips of her fingers, impaling Long Zhiming¡¯s corpse and causing a gut-wrenching screech to ring throughout Sea Beast Island.

    Once Long Zhiming or rather what had possessed him was impaled by Yuying¡¯s soul attack, a vast number of the black clouds that blocked out the sky began to dissipate, signaling the end of his heavenly tribulation trial and the end of his life.

    ¡°Thank you¡­¡± Long Zhiming¡¯s faint voice could be heard drifting into everyone¡¯s ear as a thick black mist seeped out from his mouth, eyes, ears and nose.

    ¡°He was possessed too¡­¡± Master Yu Xui mumbled as the triumphant smile that had crept onto his face was replaced by a look full of pity.

    With Long Zhiming dead and Long Jieshu out of sight, those of the Sea Beast Sect quickly lost their will to fight and all stared blankly up into the sky at Zhang whose ascension was concluding.

    Steadily thinning away until it was no longer, the beam of golden light that shone upon Zhang¡¯s forehead, like a dwindling flame, faded away.

    Now that his ascension had concluded and his body was no longer held up by any external forces, Zhang¡¯s body began to plummet toward the ground as his divine domain flickered before dispelling itself and lifting the immense weight that had pressed down upon all who were present.

    ¡°Forces of the Blood Coral Cove! Forces of the Eastern Sea Alliance! I command you! Retrieve all of the treasures that was dropped by your lord! Not a single gold coin nor essence stone is to be missed! All who dare obstruct you, death!¡± Ling commanded, as she and the flew toward and pulled Zhang into their embrace in midair.

    ¡°As you command madam!¡± The various forces under Zhang¡¯s banner and the banner of the Blood Coral Cove roared in unison as they quickly went about collecting Zhang¡¯s scattered riches.

    Knowing full well that was what their husband would have wanted and knowing full well that was what their lord would have wanted, the beauties and Zhang¡¯s vassals quickly oversaw the retrieval of the many millions of gold coins and essence stones that were currently covering Sea Beast Island, ignoring the forces of the Sea Beast Sect.

    ¡°In the name of the Blood Coral Cove and the Eastern Sea Alliance, I hereby claim Sea Beast Island and all of its spoils! Any who wish to protest are free to do so, however they will face my husband''s wrath, the wrath of a half deity!¡± Lingqi said in a loud and audible tone, causing a few of the saint, who were thinking of returning to Long Shijie¡¯s tomb and looting the coffers, to instantly stop in their tracks.

    ¡°If anyone wishes to forge relations and friendship then we of the Blood Coral Cove are more than willing to reach out a hand, however a show of sincerity is a must.¡± Yuying said with a chuckle, showing signs of Zhang¡¯s influence upon her while also spurring a few people into reaching into their pockets and seeing what they have to offer as a bribe.

    Seeing that the beauties were ignoring them, the remnants of the Sea Beast Sect silently and stealthily began to try to scurry away, however their movements soon caught the eye of Master Shan Jin and Master Yu Xui who quickly sparked the flames of battle once again.

    Battered and without a leader, the forces of the Sea Beast Sect quickly scattered to the four winds, destroyed and dispersed in a matter of hours. Loose souls were laid to rest and placed into eternal slumber, the strong were cut down and the weak were bound and taken as captives.

    In next to no time at all, the Sea Beast Sect, the scourge of the Eastern Sea and the Dragon God Palace, the almighty rulers of the sea were all but defeated.

    Without bother to witness the outcome of the hard-fought battle that had engulfed the entirety of Sea Beast island, with their husband in their embrace, the beauties, along with a handful of their subordinates and a larger than life Lightning Abyssal Dragon, had quickly located a safe location on the ground before ordering for a camp to be set and for all who wished to have an audience with Zhang to be sent away.

    Having lost consciousness, Zhang was currently in an extremely vulnerable state, which would create the perfect opportunity for someone to strike and rid themselves of what would soon be the most domineering figure within the Eastern Sea.

    To ensure as few people as possible caught onto Zhang¡¯s current state, Yuying went as far as attaching thin strings of essence to his body and manipulating him like how she would a puppet.

    Making the unconscious Zhang walk and move about as if nothing had happened, Yuying tried to create the illusion that nothing was amiss. As a day turned into two, without Zhang showing any signs of waking up, the beauties had their subordinates spread new telling everyone that Zhang had gone into closed door training and would most likely not greet any guests for quite some time.

    ==========================================================

    In a flash, a month had passed by and a large sprawling fortress could be seen erect in the northern region of Sea Beast Island. Patrolling the ground of this fortress of course were the soldiers of the Blood Scale Army, and the members of the Eastern Sea Alliance.

    Since it did not seem like Zhang was going to wake up anytime soon, the beauties decided it would be best to commission the construction of a large fortress where they can reside and take care of their husband until he wakes from his slumber.

    During Zhang¡¯s coma, his wives had expanded the influence of the Eastern Sea Alliance and the Blood Coral Cove to such a degree that if they wished, they could have a mid-sized sect annihilated with a single word.

    To some, the Blood Coral Cove and the Eastern Sea Alliance had basically replaced the Dragon God Palace or rather they had replaced the Sea Beast Sect, establishing the beauties at the pinnacle of power and influence.

    Whereas they were not as tyrannical as the Sea Beast Sect who wished to rule over the entire sea nor as pushy as the Dragon God Palace who sought to reign over all else, in an attempt to surprise their husband when he woke, the beauties openly accepted gifts and bribes from the various forces of the Eastern Sea, establishing them as a force who was driven by riches and wealth.

 Chapter 251: Great Changes

    As news of Zhang¡¯s achievements and exploits reached the ears of all who reside within the four corners of the Eastern Sea, countless people could be seen arriving on Sea Beast Island, bearing gifts.

    Anyone who had a head on their shoulders knew that forging relations with Zhang could only prove to be beneficial in the future. As the only half deity level expert residing within the Eastern Sea, there were few who could possibly hope to resist his will.

    Unlike during Long Jieshu¡¯s time, there weren''t any figures such as the Medical Saint or Long Shijie around, now there wasn''t anyone remaking capable enough to stand against a half deity such as Zhang.

    As droves of people headed toward Sea Beast Island, the hordes of ancient demonic beasts who were no longer lulled by the Sea Beast Sect¡¯s Primal Frenzy spell began to disperse and thin until it was safety was ensured to all who set out to pay homage to Zhang.

    Also with five wyverns and a Lightning Abyssal Dragon asserting their dominance, there were few beasts who dared to remain, lest they did not fear being ripped apart and torn to bits.

    Due to the large number of people visiting Sea Beast Island, the beauties had their subordinates basically construct a midsized city over night, a city equipped with restaurants, hotels, casinos and all of the other essentials.

    If Zhang were awake then he would definitely applaud how his lovely wives had capitalized upon him becoming a half deity, amassing a sizeable amount of wealth with little to no effort at all.

    ¡°When do you guys think he will wake up?¡± Ai asked in a bored tone as she playfully poked at Zhang¡¯s cheek as he laid unconsciously upon a large bed within a well guarded chamber.

    ¡°Maybe in a few days, maybe a few weeks, maybe a few months or perhaps a few years, who knows.¡± Lingqi said with a sigh.

    ¡°Even if we weren''t saints who are on the verge of ascending into half deities, a decade or two isn''t that long. Although I''m sure it would be very boring, but if the circumstances called for it, I''m willing to wait on this island until he wakes up.¡± Yuying said, prompting the other beauties to nod in agreement.

    Knowing full well their husband would do the same for them, the beauties felt more then willing to wait on Sea Beast Island until their dearest awoke, be it a few years or a few centuries, as saints the concept of age and time did not mean much to them.

    ¡°Madams we bring great news. If you''ll allow us entry.¡± A chorus of voices sounded out in unison from the other side of the door leading into the chamber that the beauties were currently in.

    ¡°Great News?¡± Ling asked as she stood up from Zhang¡¯s bedside.

    ¡°Enter.¡± Yuying said in a unrushed and slightly bland voice, signaling for two large doors to swing open and four dignified looking figures to proceed inside. As the representatives of the Blood Coral Cove, Xiao Gong, Hai Xing, Nai Fan and Chou Shuo could now be considered fairly influential figures within the Eastern Sea.

    Now if they wished for wind there would be wind, if they wanted to whip up a storm then it would only require but a word. Due to this newfound prestige that they had gained overnight, Zhang¡¯s four vassals no extruded an air of nobility.

    ¡°Is there anything worthwhile to report?¡± Yuying asked with a yawn.

    ¡°Yes my lady, all of our lord¡¯s treasures have be recollected and accounted for, and when totaled with the tributes that we¡¯ve collected over the past month, there has been fifty percent increase compared to the initial sum.¡± Chu Shuo said in a respectful tone, not putting up any airs. At the end of the day, regardless of how much influence and prestige he possessed, none of it mattered in front of the beauties, for in all of these aspects they totally trump him.

    In the current world order within the Eastern Sea, there were few that could compare to Zhang¡¯s wives, and thus regardless of status, age or gender everyone spoke to them in an extremely respectful manner.

    ¡°How''s the reorganization of the Blood Scale Army coming along?¡± Ling asked.

    ¡°Reporting, our regular forces have been bolstered and doubled and our elite forces currently include a one thousand lesser saints, one hundred full saints and an additional four high saints.¡± Hai Xing said while bowing.

    ¡°Has contact been made with Aurora yet?¡± Lingqi asked as she arrived beside Ling.

    ¡°A report had returned not long ago from the envoy that we had sent out, by now they should have just arrived at their assigned destination.¡± Xiao Gong responded.

    ¡°Good, it is but a matter of time before we will be able to bridge our domains together.¡± Lingqi said with a smile.

    ¡°Employ more manpower and speed up the construction of the teleportation arrays as quickly as possible. The sooner we link together with Aurora the better.¡± Yuying said.

    When looking at things from the perspective of a regular person, one could say that Zhang and the beauties now held a massive amount of territory within their grasp. Combining together the Aurora Empire, the Blood Coral Cove, the newly reestablished domain around Sea Beast Island and other portions of the Eastern Sea, one could say that their scope of influence now encompassed a vast portion of the world. A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

    Alone, these various territories were already considered colossal, together there isn''t even an accurate word to gauge their size.

    While a normal person would gaze at Zhang''s and the beauties with envy, an experienced ruler would see things for what they were.

    With so much territory came the issue of governing, without proper management controlling too much territory at once could prove to be detrimental. Like the age old saying, water afar can not stop a raging fire in front of one¡¯s doorstep. A ruler whose presence does not loom above the land is not a ruler at all.

    Hence the need for the establishment of teleportation arrays. Through teleportation arrays, regardless of how far the territory was, enacting reform and passing laws could occur efficiently and without delay.

    Also the fact of the matter is, with a network of teleportation arrays set up, the beauties and their now comatose husband would be able to travel back home with ease. Once they make it back to Aurora, they wouldn¡¯t have to worry about prying eyes any longer.

    Although little is known about the true power of the Siwang Empire, ever mysterious Ma Ren Empire, and the lands beyond the Lunar Mountains, surely with

    a force consisting of a thousand lesser saints, one hundred full saints and a total of eight high saints, along with the massive number of soldiers within of the Blood Scale Army and the Aurora Army, there would be few who could and would contend against them.

    ¡°How are negotiations with the Golden Pearl Sect and Starry Sea Sect going?¡± Ling asked.

    ¡°The Starry Sea Sect had agreed to our terms and is willing to trade their portion of territory that aligns with Aurora¡¯s borders to use in exchange for a portion of the Dragon God Palace¡¯s old territory.¡± Chu Shou replied promptly.

    ¡°As for the Golden Pearl Sect, they are still trying to haggle back and forth with us. However it is only a matter of time before we can come to an agreement.¡± Hai Xing.

    ¡°Is there anything else to report?¡± Yuying asked in a authoritative tone.

    ¡°That is all for today madam. If anything noteworthy occurs we will inform you with due haste.¡± Xiao Gong said with a how before exiting the room with his three other compatriots.

    Overall one could say that the beauties were doing an exceptional job solidifying their control and dominance over the Eastern Sea.

    ================================

    Many many thousands upon thousands of miles away from the Eastern Sea in a familiar land that our heroes had come from, strange events were now occurring.

    Under the rays of the midday¡¯s sun atop a tall rampart that overlooked the sea, tens of young man clad in white colored armor could be seen hastily running about with faces filled with panic.

    ¡°Is it an enemy ship!?¡± One of the young yelled in a hasty voice as his gaze was glued toward the horizon.

    ¡°Send out all available naval ships to intercept and investigate!¡± A middle aged man who had off an air of experience and authority said as he too stared into the horizon.

    Minutes ago a large ship hoisting blood red sails that looked as if it was made by patching together hundreds of large fish scales had appeared from out of nowhere, riding up from the depths of the sea and catching the attention of all of the guards in a small city that most referred to as Shaleback City.

    Waddling majestically atop the ocean¡¯s surface with a setting sun acting as its back drop, the ghostly ship stood magnificently while giving off an aura of majesty.

    ¡°We¡¯ve come under the commands of Princess Yuying, Princess Ling, Princess Lingqi and Princess Ai with new regarding crowned prince Zhou Zhang.¡± A loud and audible voice echoed into the ears of all of the guards scrambling atop Shaleback City¡¯s walls.

    ¡°Crown Prince Zhou Zhang?¡± The middle aged man who had been commanding Shaleback City¡¯s guards mumbled in a slightly confused tone.

    ¡°Commander what should we do? Should we inform General Mang Yu?¡± A man standing adjacent to the middle aged man asked.

    ¡°We¡¯ve come under the commands of Princess Yuying, Princess Ling, Princess Lingqi and Princess Ai with new regarding crowned prince Zhou Zhang.¡± The loud voice originating from the ship hoisting blood red sails said once again, this time with a mix of irritation in it¡¯s tone.

    ¡°Tch¡­ Dammit had they arrived two months ago I would have welcomed with with open arms¡­ Now everything is too late¡­¡± The middle aged commander muttered to himself as creases appeared on his brow.

    ¡°Send an envoy to that ship and inform them that we are under orders from his royal highness the Saint Emperor Liu Bang, that no ships are to be allowed to dock in the ports of Aurora! Tell them to tell Prince Zhou Zhang that the current Aurora is no longer the Aurora that he had known!¡± The middle aged commander said before a small boat was dispatched from the port.

    ¡°Lets pray the crown prince doesn''t return to this mess¡­¡± The middle aged commander mumbled in a low inaudible tone while shaking his head as he watched a pair of men rowing a small boat away from port.

    ¡°Commander is this the right thing to do? Wouldn''t we have a chance to reclaim the empire if the crown prince returned? Wasn''t he the very reason our empire came into existence in the first place?¡± The young man who had been standing adjacent to the middle aged commander said as sadness appeared on his face. Sadness that told of a sense of longing for something which had been lost.

    ¡°His highness may be powerful, however he alone won''t be enough to stop them and reclaim the empire¡­ You haven''t been to the capital yet so you haven''t seen it but the new emperor has dozens of high level experts at his beck and call. On top of things he himself and a few of his comrades are all high saints¡­ our prince is only but a full saint, even if the four princess combine their strength with his, they won''t be able to do much¡­¡±The middle aged commander said with a sigh.

    While the middle aged commander spoke in a saddened voice, a pair of figures could be seen soaring through the sky, and piercing through clouds high above the horizon.

    ¡°All saints who entire this territory must now seek permission from his highness, Saint Emperor Lui Bang!¡± One of the figures soaring through the sky, a man wearing long purple colored robes said in a loud voice that rang in the ears of everyone within a ten mile radius.

    ¡°Ha! Someone dares to call themselves an emperor of saints? How laughable!¡± The voice originating from the ship hoisting red sails laughed mockingly.

    ¡°Ignorant buffoon! Anyone who dares to speak ill of the Saint Emperor can only look forward to death!¡± One of the flying figures roared angrily as a bright blue whip appeared from thin air and lashed out like an angry python.

    ¡°The only one who''s an ignorant buffoon here is you!¡± A figure clad in blood red scale armor roared as he leapt into the air from atop the mast of the red ship.

    Rising alongside the figure clad in scale armor were a pair of large serpents created from the salty waters of the sea. Lifelike and filled with malice, this pair of water serpents opened their maws and hissed viciously as they sped into the air like speeding arrows.

    In a flash the pair of pythons collided with the bright blue whip, causing a loud explosion to occur midair and a thick cloud of steam to cloud everyone¡¯s vision.

    ¡°You¡¯ve over reached yourself! You think a lesser saint such as yourselfs can stand against me?! Laughable!¡± The figure clad in blood red scale armor said as two large serpentine heads pierced out from the cloud of smoke and impaled the man wearing purple robes.

    ¡°And where do you think your going?¡± The figure clad in blood red scale armor said while raising his eyebrows as a man garbed in golden colored robes tried to flee the scene.

    ¡°We¡¯ll handle this.¡± A voice could be heard from the ship hoisting red sails as two icy arrows and two fiery arrows streaked across the sky and imbedded themselves into the back of the fleeing man.

    Standing awestruck, the soldiers of Shaleback City couldn''t even comprehend what had just occurred in a heartbeat.

    ¡°Th-the those two should have been Dong An and Dong Yang, the two lords that had just been given control of this region¡­¡± The middle aged commander said with a gaping mouth and eyes full of surprise.

    ¡°What do we do now?¡± The figure clad in red scale armor said as he landed onto the ship that he had arrived on, speaking to a pair of young men who looked almost identical to each other.

    ¡°We should go back out to sea and inform the Cove Master of what had occurred here.¡± One of the young men said.

    ¡°Yes, it seems something had gone amiss and great change had occurred during our master¡¯s absence.¡± The other young man said.

 Chapter 252: Visitors

    On a warm sunny day in which not a single cloud could be seen in the sky, on an island far out at sea, hundreds of thousands of people could be seen hurriedly scurrying about, some hastily soaring through the sky while many others quickly sped from one place to another on the ground.

    Some of these people could be seen hauling carts full of swords, while others could be seen with piles of armor stacked high above their heads. A mountain of talons towered into the sky as the sound of swords being sharpened rang into one¡¯s ears.

    From a single glance one could tell that all of these people were busy making preparations for a large-scale battle of some sort.

    ¡°Are preparations almost complete?¡± A familiar looking young woman with reddish hair said as she gazed down upon the hundreds of thousands of people from atop a massive spire.

    Garbed in a long red dress inlaid with gold, while giving off an unapproachable aura filled with dignity, Yuying was currently the epitome of beauty.

    ¡°We should be ready to depart in an hour or so, madam.¡± Hai Xing could be seen saying while bowing.

    ¡°How many of the teleportation arrays are up and running? How long would it take for our forces to arrive in Aurora?¡± Yuying asked.

    ¡°We¡¯ve managed to complete the construction of five arrays, it will take roughly half a day for our Saint level experts and two days for our regular forces to arrive within the borders of Aurora.

    ¡°Good, I need to see for myself how powerful this man who calls himself the emperor of saints really is.¡± Lingqi said with a chuckle in a tone mixed with a hint of displeasure.

    ¡°If anyone deserves to proclaim themselves to be the emperor of saints, it should be our husband.¡± Ling¡¯s voice could be heard as she arrived hand in hand with a handsome young man.

    ¡°I wouldn''t go as far as proclaiming myself the emperor of saints.¡± Zhang said with a yawning.

    After being unconscious for nearly two months, Zhang had awoken in the dead of night, finding himself surrounded by his four lovely wives who had fallen asleep at his bedside.

    Touched and overflowing with a heartwarming sensation, Zhang had remained quiet and tenderly watched the beauties sleep until the sun rose before giving them a much-welcomed surprise.

    Much to his delight once day struck, he found a large trove of treasure awaiting him along with a massive army that would follow his every whim.

    Sadly, Zhang¡¯s joy was short lived as news regarding Aurora soon reached his ear, prompting all of the forces of the Blood Coral Cove and a vast portion of the Eastern Sea Alliance to mobilize.

    ¡°It''s finally time to go back home.¡± Ai¡¯s voice drifted into everyone¡¯s ear as she could be seen playfully skipping to Zhang¡¯s side and hooking arms with him.

    ¡°If the old man is alright then I''ll let them off easy with a quick death, however if anything unwanted has occurred to him then they''ll wish that they were dead¡­¡± Zhang mumbled as he arrived beside Yuying and gazed down toward his amassing army.

    Whilst he rarely mentioned it, in Zhang¡¯s heart, Jian Wei always held an important place. Had it not been for that silly middle aged man then he might not have become what had is today, he may have died at sea and never had ascended to become half deity. Thus, from the bottom of his heart, Zhang felt an immense amount of gratitude for Juan Wei, so when news of Aurora being under the control of a different emperor arrived, a raging flame of fury instantly ignited within him.

    ================================

    As the forces of the Blood Coral Cove and Eastern Sea Alliance began their departure, a curtain of stars soon overtook the skies, looming high up above the vast expanse of land that is the Aurora Empire.

    Without knowing of Zhang¡¯s approaching fury, within the crown jewel of the Aurora Empire, Aurora City, within what could only be described as a city within a city, countless festivities were underway.The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

    The magnificent imperial city that had been incomplete when Zhang and his wives had set out to sea was now covered with decorative lanterns and red ribbons of celebration. Within the hundreds of pavilions that were scattered throughout the imperial city, one party after the other was currently underway.

    ¡°Brother Liu Bang, taking over this place was such a great idea.¡± A partially bald man with a wild looking mustache said with a laugh while caressing a young woman.

    ¡°Haha, enjoy yourself while you can because once the great spatial rift completely opens and our senior brothers arrive, we will have to truly begin our search for the remnants of the fallen god or else those guys from the other higher realms might beat us to it.¡± A man dressed in golden robes befitting an emperor said before gulping down an entire cup of wine as he sat at the very end of a massive hall brimming with people, most of whom were at least a lesser saint.

    ¡°Brother Liu Bang, do you really think we¡¯ll be able to find remnants of the fallen god? I mean it''s been about thousand years since the last great spatial rift opened to this plane. I''m are by now some lucky bastards must have already stumbled upon them.¡± The partially bald man said as his hands wandered into the robes of the young woman sitting on his lap, causing her cheeks to turn scarlet red.

    ¡°Brother Fu Wen, you are overthinking things too much, even if someone did stumble upon the remnants of the fallen god, they''d still be somewhere within this realm and if necessary we would only need to extract the remnant from them.¡± The man referred to as Liu Bang said in a casual tone as his gaze fell upon two rows of beautiful dancers who were filing into the large hall.

    ¡°You¡¯re right, unless an Ascended Emperor personally appeared in this realm and ripped open a hole in space for them, no one would be able to leave this realm until the great spatial rift opens.¡± Fu Wen said with a chuckle while lecherously staring at the large group of dancers performing in front of him.

    ¡°Brother Fu Wen, before I forget, have you looked into the deaths of those two rogue lesser saints that had joined us not too long ago?¡± Liu Bang asked in an uncaring tone, simply asking to have asked.

    ¡°I''ve interrogated the soldiers stationed at the nearby port and from what they''ve told me, that prince we¡¯ve been hearing so much about is returning.¡± Fu Wen said with a chuckle.

    ¡°The one is supposedly capable of conjuring black colored flames?¡± Liu Bang asked with an intrigued glint in his eye.

    ¡°Yes, that one. The one you had said could very likely possess a remnant of the fallen god.¡± Fu Wen replied as he drank an entire cup of wine as if it were water.

    ¡°Good! When he appears, send out a few full saints to apprehend him and I will personally check whether or not he possesses a remnant of the fallen god. If he does, then we would have benefited without wasting too much effort.¡± Liu Bang said with a confident smirk on his face.

    ¡°If you don''t mind me asking, Brother Liu Bang, do you know why the fallen god Cochise to flee to this realm before he met his end?¡± Fu Wen asked.

    ¡°I¡¯m not entirely sure, but affording to what one of the senior brothers told me, apparently, this realm¡¯s border between the world of the living and the world of the dead is especially thin. Unlike all of the other realms, this directly borders the Underworld. Apparently, the fallen god had picked to flee here exactly for that reason, however his true intentions are unknown to me.¡± Liu Bang explained.

    ¡°Heh, regardless of why he picked this place, as long as we manage to gather and absorb the remnants of his power, our ranks within the sect will surely rise exponentially.¡± Liu Bang added with a chuckle.

    As Liu Bang and his underlings continued to feast and drown themselves in pleasure and ecstasy, the wheels of time continued to spin and minutes turned into hours as the moon crept under the horizon and the morning sun slowly rose into the sky.

    While the sound of crowing roosters woke the weary and dreary, in a far corner of the imperial city, in a dreadful and ominous place, a glimmer of light shone into a cold and forsaken room, barred with steel and chains.

    Locked away in the dark reaches of the imperial city were hundreds if not thousands of familiar faces. The young, the old were all bound in chains and locked away within steel cages.

    Of these familiar faces were those belonging to the once celebrated generals of the Aurora Army, past ministers who held the fate of tens of thousands of people at their fingertips, and most importantly of all the former ruler of a vast and powerful empire.

    ¡°My lord, a few of the imperial guards who have remained loyal to us, has informed me of news regarding his highness. If it''s him, I''m sure it won''t be long before we are free.¡± A young man who had once governed Red Mist City and its surrounding regions, a man who was known throughout the land for his intellect, said as he forced a strained smile onto his face.

    This young man of course was Sima Yi, one of Zhang¡¯s most trusted advisors. A man who not long ago held a vast amount of influence and power, a man who was beneath one but above millions. Sadly, when facing the might of a saint, be it a lesser saint or a high saint, the dignity and influence of a regular mortal is slim to none.

    Not too long ago, it could be said that Sima Yi was at the peak of his career as a minister within an ever-rising empire that held countless prospect but in a matter of minutes, not even hours, everything had changed.

    Descending from the skies, hundreds of saint level experts declared that they were the new masters of the Aurora Empire and anyone who dared to defy them would be made an example of. In an instant, the reigning emperor of the Aurora Empire, Jian Wei was jailed and a vast portion of Aurora¡¯s high ranking ministers along with him.

    Powerless and without say, Sima Yi and many others were stripped of their rank and had their worlds flipped upside down.

    ¡°Although with every fiber of my being, I¡¯ve wished for freedom and justice, I pray that the lad never returns. I wouldn¡¯t be able to face myself if he were to perish trying to rescue me¡­ While I do not doubt his strength, I fear that our enemy this time is an existence that he and the four girls cannot face alone.¡± Jian Wei said as he gazed through his cell window with eyes full of sorrow.

    ¡°This place isn¡¯t as bad as the cell I was in during my stay in the Black Wind Province, at least we get three meals a day here¡­¡± One of Zhang¡¯s generals, Gan Ning, a young man who was once an infamous pirate said.

    As Jian Wei and Zhang¡¯s trusted generals and advisors spoke to one another, many miles away from Aurora City, in the far-off shores of the empire, thousands of silhouettes could be seen soaring through the air.

    Appearing like a massive flock of birds to those looking up from below, thousands of saints had just entered the borders of the Aurora Empire.

    ¡°Anyone who gets in our way is to be killed.¡± Zhang¡¯s voice echoed into the minds of all of the saints present.

    ¡°As you wish, my lord!¡± The thousands of saints replied in unison.

    ¡°Sparky! You lead the way!¡± Ai said in a cheerful tone, moments before a massive silhouette emitting sparks of lightning swooped down from the heavens.

    Unleashing a fear-inducing roar, Zhang¡¯s Lightning Abyssal Dragon responded to Ai¡¯s words and flew ahead of the large congregation of saints, as rings of lightning randomly appeared and traveled across its body.

 Chapter 253: Misunderstanding?

    Soaring through the sky in front of a force of thousands of saints and gazing down upon familiar landscapes, recalling past battles fought and hardships overcome, Zhang felt a sense of pride in his achievements. A sense of pride that was quickly overwhelmed by a sense of anger and rage.

    To have their glory, their exploits and their achievements stolen from them while they were not even there to witness it, anyone would be furious, let alone Zhang.

    ¡°Make sure to not kill this Liu Bang fellow, I have to skin him alive and hang him up in front of Aurora¡¯s gates for all to see¡­¡± Zhang¡¯s voice projected into the minds of all of those who were present.

    As time went by and after the scenery below began to blend together and pass in a blur, the sight of a magnificent city brimming with splendor soon reached Zhang''s eyes.

    ¡°My flying fortress¡­¡± Zhang mumbled as his eyes gazed past the familiar looking gates of Aurora and into the city¡¯s residential area where a massive mountain-like mass could be seen. Laying on its side with many large chunks scattered about, Zhang¡¯s Sky Fortress, Aurora¡¯s Imperial Academy, was in shambles.

    ¡°Tho-those are my soldiers¡­¡± Zhang muttered as his brow twitched, the moment he caught sight of a few dozen bodies garbed in Aurora¡¯s standard armor dangling off the imperial city walls.

    ¡°Surround the city! Kill every and all saints who try to leave! No one is to be allowed to exit! Cut down those men hanging from the imperial city walls! Wait for my signal before moving in...¡± Zhang commanded as his body suddenly flickered through the air, toward the imperial city where he sensed a large number of saints were currently residing.

    ¡°I, Zhou Zhang, crown prince of Aurora has returned! You lot of rats who dared to nest in my home, SCRAM!¡± Zhang said in a loud voice filled with anger, a voice that echoed throughout the city and into the ears of all of the citizens of Aurora.

    In a flash, countless eyes gazed upward into the sky and toward Zhang. Moments ago, these gazes have been void of life and filled with sorrow, however the instant Zhang¡¯s words reached them, flames of hope were ignited. Sadly, these flames of hope were quickly extinguished as scenes of horror seeped out from the dark corners of everyone¡¯s minds.

    Scenes of the symbol of Aurora¡¯s might, the Sky Fortress, falling from the sky, scenes of hundreds of mighty figures looming up above and scenes of the powerful armies of Aurora being forced on to their knees.

    Remembering these past horrors, many of the people of Aurora began to pray and beg for Zhang to leave. In their hearts, the crown prince of the empire had become an indomitable figure, however they felt that the might displayed by the invaders was simply too great for a single person to stand up against.

    ¡°Are you the so called crowned prince we¡¯ve been hearing so much about?¡± A mocking voice echoed through the air as a lone figure rose into the sky above the imperial city, looking at Zhang with disdain.

    Before long a dozen or so more figures joined the first, in a flash Zhang found himself encircled by thirty lesser saints who all had smug looks on their faces.

    Perhaps if these people knew of the thousands of saints currently surrounding the outskirts of the city then they would look at Zhang in a new light, however as things stood they still believed that Zhang was but a mere lesser saint like themselves.

    In the end, there was simply not enough information regarding Zhang, he had no exploits outside of the warring states region and when compared to other saints he had not been around for very long.

    ¡°Get on your knees, apologize and perhaps we will spare your life.¡± A lesser saint garbed in a blue robe said while laughing.

    ¡°Even if you got on your knees and apologized, I''ll still kill you so just die¡­¡± Zhang mumbled as a ripple of energy emanated from his body and a semitransparent sphere enveloped the area around him.

    Once the thirty lesser saints were enveloped within Zhang¡¯s divine domain they felt an oppressive aura wrap around their bodies and writhe all of the air out of their lungs.

    Casually waving his hand and employing the powers of the Underworld Heart, Zhang conjured thirty delicate looking crystal swords that released a subtle hum as they shot through shot air.This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    Without the power to flee nor the power to resist, the thirty lesser saints soon fell lifelessly toward the ground as Zhang¡¯s crystal swords pierced through their hearts and flooded their veins with the Underworld Heart¡¯s purplish essence.

    Under Zhang¡¯s influence, the thirty lesser saints were pumped full of essence from the Underworld Heart and their bodies had completely crystallized by the time they smashed into the ground, where they exploded into countless bits and pieces.

    Not even sparing a glance Zhang proceeded toward the imperial city once again after dispelling his divine domain.

    ¡°Judging from your response, I take it you lot of rats aren''t willing to leaving!? So be it, I''ll have you join your friends soon enough.¡± Zhang asked in a loud tone, pointing out that he had already dispatched of the thirty lesser saints.

    ¡°Don''t get too cocky just because you could deal with those small fries, any one of us here can do the same.¡± A voice rang through Aurora City once again as roughly a hundred silhouettes flew into the air.

    ¡°In front of me you are all the same¡­¡± Zhang said as he flickered through the air, appearing in front of one of the silhouettes before withdrawing the Rising Moon Sword from his interspatial ring and causing blood to rain down onto the ground below.

    Invoking a dance like slaughter, Zhang continually flickered across the air, appearing in front of enemies at random and claiming their life. Utilizing agile movements, and skillful swing, along with a bit of a half-deity¡¯s power, Zhang was able to cut down nearly fifty of the one hundred silhouette that had ascended into the sky in no time at all.

    ¡°Ho-how can a full saint be so powerful!¡± One of Zhang¡¯s opponents said in a frantic tone as he watched those around him plummet from the air and shatter into millions of pieces on the ground.

    ¡°You fool! He¡¯s obviously a high saint! How else would he be slaughtering us with such ease?¡± Someone else cried, mere movements before Zhang appeared in front of him and slashed off his head.

    ¡°If things continue on like this it may seem like I''m using my power to bully people weaker than me.¡± Zhang thought with a chuckle as he continued on his way toward Aurora¡¯s imperial city once again.

    By now, all of the eyes that had been glued to the sky, all of the citizens of Aurora, were dumbfounded by Zhang¡¯s power.

    In actuality, for the most part none of Aurora¡¯s citizens had ever had the chance to watch Zhang in battle and all they''ve ever heard were legends and tales of his achievements. So being able to witness, first-hand, the power of Aurora¡¯s legendary crown prince, all of the citizens of Aurora could not help but watch with gaping mouths.

    With each body that fell from the sky, with each and every corpse that shattered across the ground, Zhang¡¯s myths were ever so more coming to life right in front of the eyes of all of the people within Aurora City.

    ¡°Where is this so-called emperor of saints? Don''t have the guts to come out and face me? Are you so afraid that you have to send out weaklings to buy time for you to flee with your tail between your legs?¡± Zhang said in a loud and mocking voice.

    ¡°Insolent rogue! The likes of you are not worthy of even mentioning brother Liu Bang, nonetheless insult him!¡± A partially bald man with a wild looking beard said as he and a few hundred lesser saints, full saints and high saints flew into the sky above the imperial city.

    ¡°Brother Fu Wen, why get angry at this frog in a well. Although I applaud him for being able to become a high saint, it''s quite laughable that he thinks he could stand up to us.¡± A man garbed in golden robes said while looking at Zhang with a haughty look on his face.

    ¡°Till the end, fools will remain fools. Blind to the truth that is laid out right in front of their eyes.¡± Zhang thought while shaking his head.

    ¡°I should applaud the lot of you for thinking you can stand up to me with such measly numbers.¡± Zhang said mockingly as he snapped his fingers.

    Like the sound of war drums, the sound of Zhang¡¯s snapping fingers reverberated through the air and in the following moments an awe-inspiring spectacle began. Blotting out the sky and blocking the sun like arrows, thousands of saints quickly made their way into Aurora City and surrounded Liu Bang and the imperial city.

    ¡°What the¡­¡± A few of Liu Bang¡¯s men muttered as they found themselves surrounded by thousands of enemies.

    ¡°Laughable, isn''t it?¡± Zhang said to his wives who had just arrived beside him as he released his divine aura to its full extent, putting the surrounding area under his influence.

    ¡°Th-this is a divine do-domain¡­¡± Liu Bang and Fu Wen both said in a stutter the moment they were enveloped within Zhang¡¯s divine domain.

    ¡°Oh, so you know what comes next right?¡± Zhang said with a chuckle while twirling the rising moon sword playfully in one hand.

    ¡°You think I''ll be afraid of you because you¡¯re a half-deity?¡± Liu Bang said despite showing a face full of panic.

    ¡°Of course, I think you''ll be afraid of me because I''m a half-deity.¡± Zhang said with a laugh.

    ¡°I''ll let you know that we are from the Divine Tempest Realm and soon enough a large number of experts from my sect will arrive here in this lesser plane to look for us. If anything were to happen to me or senior brother Liu Bang they would have your head.¡± Fu Wen said in a slightly shaken voice.

    ¡°Darling, look at how afraid that one is. I don''t think it''ll be much longer before he soils himself.¡± Lingqi said in a tone full of ridicule while chuckling.

    ¡°Sis, I think you¡¯re right, judging from how much their legs are shaking I don''t think it''ll be long either.¡± Ling said with a laugh.

    ¡°I feel bad for the people down below.¡± Ai chuckled.

    ¡°Now now, let''s stop teasing them, can''t you tell that you¡¯re embarrassing them?¡± Yuying said sarcastically while laughing.

    ¡°Younger brother, I believe there has been a misunderstanding between us. I had heard very many of your exploits and have come to hold great respect for you, hoping to be acquainted with you, I had sent my subordinates to welcome you, however they misunderstood my words. I apologize for any trouble they may have caused you.¡± Liu Bang said while a shameless smile on his face.

    ¡°Is that so?¡± Zhang asked.

    ¡°Yes, everything was a misunderstanding. How about we all go inside and have a drink of wine. Since you are back now I won¡¯t have to stay and protect this place any longer.¡± Liu Bang said.

    ¡°If everything was a misunderstanding would you care to explain why my soldiers, the soldiers of the Aurora Empire were being hung from Aurora¡¯s imperial city¡¯s walls?¡± Zhang asked with a sneer.

    ¡°Those soldiers were plotting a coup against the empire so I had to punish and make an example out of them or else chaos would have swept across the land.¡± Liu Bang said with a shameless expression plastered on his face yet again.

    ¡°This fellow doesn¡¯t know what face nor pride is¡­¡± Yuying muttered in a low snicker to the other beauties.

    ¡°Yea I¡¯m amazed someone could be so shameless.¡± Ling replied in a low whisper as she slightly chuckled.

    ¡°Since it seems like everything had been a misunderstanding, I thank you for keeping watch over my empire and bid you safe travels on your trip.¡± Zhang said with a smile as he gestured for Liu Bang to leave, much to the latter¡¯s joy.

    ¡°I bid you farewell, brother Zhou Zhang.¡± Liu Bang said with a chuckle before he realized a translucent crystal blade had embedded itself into his chest.

    ¡°Next time I visit father in law I will pay you a visit.¡± Zhang said as he waved his hand, signaling the beginning of a slaughter.

 Chapter 254: Prisoners

    Following their master¡¯s example and thirsting to obtain more heavenly energy to empower themselves, Zhang¡¯s subordinate saints quickly closed in on Liu Bang¡¯s men from all direction.

    Outnumbered roughly one to ten, Liu Bang¡¯s subordinates could only flee with all their might as their leader fell from the sky.

    Surprisingly enough despite being impaled by the Rising Moon Sword and plummeting from the sky, Liu Bang was actually alive, barely but still alive.

    ¡°Oh, no you don''t! It would be best to give up and refrain from attempting to pull off any tricks.¡± Zhang said as he flickered through the air and arrived beside Liu Bang, gripping the latter¡¯s neck tightly and lifting him up.

    Reaching forward with his other hand, Zhang quickly retrieved a blue colored pill inscribed with dozens of golden inscriptions from Liu Bang¡¯s hand.

    ¡°Let''s make sure you don''t try any more of this silly business.¡± Zhang said as he stored away the blue colored pill into his interspatial ring before grasping the hilt of the Rising Moon Sword and dislodging it from Liu Bang¡¯s chest, splattering blood everywhere. With his sword in hand and a single effortless swing, Zhang severed one of Liu Bang¡¯s hands, that was equipped with five beautiful looking rings.

    As blood seeped out from Liu Bang¡¯s new opened wound, a swift shadowy serpent emerged from the dark depths of Zhang¡¯s Abyssal Cape and hooked its fangs onto the severed hand that held all of Liu Bang¡¯s riches.

    ¡°I''ll keep you at a hair¡¯s breadth away from death and take my time to show you it was a bad idea to mess with my home when I was away.¡± Zhang said as purplish colored essence congregated on his fingertips and flew into the gaping wound in Liu Bang¡¯s chest and arm, quickly patching things up and stopping the latter from bleeding to death.

    ¡°You will regret this! Once our senior brothers arrive, your fates will be a hundred times worse than ours!¡± Fu Wen said mere movements before Ai¡¯s heel smashed down onto his shoulder and propelled him toward the ground like a meteor.

    ¡°I-I-I surrender!¡± One of Liu Bang¡¯s subordinates cried while dropping his weapons and raising his hands high up into the air.

    ¡°The option to surrender is not for you to choose.¡± Zhang said as a pair of full saints under his command impaled and bisected Liu Bang¡¯s surrendering subordinate.

    Fueled by bloodlust and the thirst for more heavenly eagerly while being spurred on by their master, Zhang¡¯s subordinates hacked and slashed to their heart¡¯s content, allowing for blood to rain down upon Aurora City, bathing it in a crimson veil.

    ¡°Someone hang him up on the city walls for me and keep an eye on him.¡± Zhang said while casually tossing Liu Bang¡¯s limp body through the air where it was caught by a few lesser saints looking to be of service to their new master.

    In next to no time at all, the indomitable force that had overtaken the Aurora Empire was defeated, broken and slaughtered.

    After witnessing the overwhelming power that Zhang now processed at the tips of his fingers, a large number of people residing within Aurora City were either jubilant with cheer or quaking in their boots.

    While many chose to remain, loyal and were sent to the imperial dungeons with Jian Wei, many more chose to yield and submit to Liu Bang¡¯s rule, either out of fear or hoping to propel themselves to newer heights.

    Like a tree that bends in the wind, these people had defected, allowing themselves to bask in glory and power for a short time, however with Zhang¡¯s sudden return, their dreams, hopes and aspirations were shattered and a cold hard reality not seeped into the very fiber of their being.

    ¡°He should be here¡­¡± Zhang thought as he and his wives soared across the vast imperial city, toward where Jian Wei and the others were being held.

    After getting rid of Liu Bang, they were now filled with a sense of overwhelming joy and nostalgia, although they hadn''t dwelled within the imperial city for long, it was still a place that they called home and after being away for so long Zhang and the beauties couldn''t be all the happier to return.Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

    ¡°I wonder if the old man will be happy to see us.¡± Ai said with a silly grin on her face.

    ¡°If he isn''t that we can just leave him in the dungeon for a little bit longer.¡± Yuying said with a chuckle.

    ¡°Leave him in the dungeon a bit longer?¡± Zhang laughed as Ling and Lingqi¡¯s faces held subtle smiles.

    Landing in a gloomy portion of the imperial city, Zhang quickly led his wives toward a large tower that had hundreds of iron-barred windows.

    ¡°You ten, go in and bring all of the people imprisoned inside out here. Pretend to be Liu Bang¡¯s men and don''t let on another what had happened earlier. Of course, you are not to harm them in any way.¡± Zhang said to ten lesser saints who had landed not too far from where he was while sporting a devious smile on his face.

    ¡°As you wish cove master.¡± The ten lesser saints all said in unison before marching into the dungeon, knocking a pair of large gates onto the ground and causing a group of twenty or so guards clad in white colored armor to flee outside to where Zhang was.

    ¡°Cr-crown prince Zh-Zhou Zhang¡­¡± One of the guards stuttered before falling onto their knees and represent begging Zhang for mercy.

    Even without witnessing Zhang¡¯s dominance in the battle against Liu Bang¡¯s forces, the mere fact that Zhang had arrived in front of the imperial dungeons was proof of his victory and the revival of Aurora¡¯s original ruling party.

    ¡°We-we planning on helping his majesty escape, however th-the enemy was too powerful for us to act¡­¡± Another guard said while continually kowtowing, praying that Zhang showed him mercy.

    ¡°Pl-please believe us your highness!¡± Yet another guard cried.

    ¡°Knowing your true intentions is something that can be achieved easily.¡± Yuying said as she waved her hand and summoned snaking billows of green smoke to shoot out from her sleeves. Wrapping around and binding all of the guards in a flash, the green smoke seeped into their mouths, noses, eyes and ears as Yuying utilized her magic.

    ¡°Do your true loyalties remain with Aurora? With Emperor Jian Wei? With us?¡± Yuying asked.

    ¡°Yes.¡± All of the guards replied in a voice void of emotion.

    ¡°Good, we will let bygones be bygones, you all are to gather up all of the imperial guards in Aurora¡¯s main square for me.¡± Yuying said, dismissing the group of guards who ran away with faces fill with relief with a slight hint of joy.

    While Zhang and the beauties stood outside waiting, the ten lesser saints had already made their way into the dungeon, opening all of the cells that came across and ordering everyone inside to follow them or die, pretending to be Liu Bang¡¯s subordinates.

    Before long they had arrived opened up every single cell within the imperial dungeon, least for one, the one holding Jian Wei and a large number of Zhang¡¯s most trusted advisors and generals.

    ¡°We are under orders from the saint emperor to gather up all of the prisoners in this dungeon, don¡¯t waste our time and come along obediently or we won¡¯t refrain from using violence.¡± One of the lesser saints said while looking at Jian Wei.

    ¡°What does that bastard want with us now?¡± Jian Wei said with a sneer.

    ¡°You¡¯ll see soon enough what plans our master has for you.¡± One of the lesser saints said with a chuckle as he effortlessly tore apart the chains that kept Jian Wei¡¯s cell locked.

    Despite talking to Jian Wei in an unruly tone, the lesser saints made sure to not physically harm him in any way or manner, waiting patiently for him to get up on to his feet on his own and walking out from his cell. They knew well enough of Zhang¡¯s relations with Jian Wei and that if they were to cause any harm to this middle-aged man standing in front of them, their lives would more than likely be forfeit.

    Without knowledge of the events that had transpired outside, Jian Wei heaved a heavy sigh as he stretched his legs and slowly made his way out of his cell, gazing into the eyes of all of the officials who had served within his imperial court.

    ¡°Regardless of what happens now, let it be known that we did not fail, we had succeeded in creating something that none have been able to do after hundreds of years of battle. We have established an empire in the lands of endless war and we have brought peace. Let it be known that we did not fail as rulers, ministers and generals, for as long as a single citizen of Aurora lives on, our legacy will live on. So regardless of what happens now, I command you all to walk forth with broad smiles on your faces and hearts brimming with pride.¡± Jian Wei said as he felt an enormous weight lifting from his shoulders.

    Perhaps it was because he was able to let out the words that had been pent up within himself or perhaps it was because he thought that his life was about to come to an end, but the worried look that had been plastered on Jian Wei¡¯s face ever since the appearance of Liu Bang was entirely gone.

    It is said that the moment before one¡¯s death decides what kind of person one is, one will either waiver in fear or stand resolute in the face of overwhelming odds and thus through Jian Wei¡¯s firm steps it is easy to tell what kind of person he is.

    ¡°You¡¯re right your majesty. As long as his highness survives, as long as Aurora remains our legacy will live on.¡± Sima Yi said with a slight smile on his face.

    Along with the other officials of Aurora, Jian Wei proceeded to make his way out of the imperial dungeon.

    ¡°I see all of you are well.¡± Zhang¡¯s voice drifted through the air, into the ears of the tens of officials who had just been bathed by the rays of the sun.

    With surprised looks and mixed emotions, Jian Wei and all of the newly freed prisoners stood shocked and speechless. Not sure whether their eyes and ears were playing tricks on them, no everyone simply stood with their eyes wide open, gazing into the distance toward a familiar looking young man.

    The first to snap out of the daze like state that had overtaken everyone was Jian Wei who walked forward with brisk steps and without saying a word, lightly tapped the top of Zhang¡¯s head with his fist.

    ¡°Hey, what was that for? I figured you would at least welcome me back home first.¡± Zhang said with a chuckle, promoting a wide grin to appear on Jian Wei¡¯s face.

    ¡°Hah, guess I¡¯m not dreaming after all, nor is that bastard trying to play tricks on me.¡± Jian Wei said with a laugh as he proceeded to give Zhang a warm hug as tears of joy trailed out from the corners of his eyes.

    ¡°Scared you, didn¡¯t we?¡± Ai said with a laugh before Jian Wei patted her head and ruffled her hair a bit while looking at her in a fatherly manner.

    ¡°I¡¯m glad that you are all back and safe.¡± Jian Wei said just as all of Zhang¡¯s generals and advisors rushed over and saluted their master, with bright smiles on their faces.

    ¡°I knew you¡¯d come back and kick that bastard''s ass.¡± Gan Ning said with a hearty laugh as he looked at Zhang.

    ¡°So now you''re the saint emperor?¡± Jian Wei asked while grinning.

    ¡°I could say I am but I¡¯ve never been one to like such titles. How about we go and get everyone a change of clothes and a good meal to eat, we can talk when there is food on the table and wine in our hands.¡± Zhang said.

 Chapter 255: Dragons Lair

    Gathered within a large decorative hall, hundreds if not thousands of finely dressed individuals could be seen sitting behind small tables brimming with food and drink.

    The ominous and dreadful aura that had been wrapped around the various officials of Aurora had been wiped clean and replaced with one filled with joy.

    ¡°To think within so little time, you five were able to become so powerful.¡± Jian Wei said with a laugh as he drank an entire cup of wine in a single gulp.

    ¡°I guess in the end it shows how great of an eye I have for people.¡± Jian Wei chuckled.

    ¡°If you have such a great eye for people, how come you haven''t found yourself a lady friend yet? If you take too long, you''ll be all old and wrinkling soon.¡± Ai said in a joking manner while sticking her tongue at Jian Wei.

    ¡°You little brat, when did it come your turn to make fun of me when you yourself don''t even have a child yet.¡± Jian Wei said while looking at Ai before glancing at Zhang and the other beauties.

    ¡°You don''t have to worry about me but if you don''t have a few little ones running around soon, you won''t hear the end of it from your folks. If you need I found this really interesting book...¡± Jian Wei said to Zhang with a laugh before getting disrupted.

    ¡°I know, I know we are working on it.¡± Zhang responded while the beauties all slightly blushed.

    ¡°Hmph, we are only waiting for you so that our kids won''t end up older than their future aunts and uncles.¡± Yuying said as she linked arms with Zhang and rested her chin on his shoulder.

    ¡°Yea, we thought it would be pretty silly for our children to be fully grown while their aunts and uncles are mere infants.¡± Ling said in a hurry.

    ¡°Ha, you kiddos better stand by your words because I will wed someone tomorrow and by this time next year I¡¯ll have a dozen aunts and uncles for your kids to look up to.¡± Jian Wei joked.

    ¡°We will see in a year.¡± Lingqi said with a hint of laughter in her tone.

    ¡°Speaking of matter in a year''s time, I believe that bastard Liu Bang mentioned something about the arrival of his senior brothers. If I recall correctly he said that would be here in two months¡¯ time.¡± Jian Wei said while putting down his cup of wine and as faint creases appeared on his brow.

    ¡°He spoke about the appearance of something called the great dimensional rift and supposedly this will allow for a large number of people from his sect to cross over into our world.¡± Jian Wei added.

    ¡°If that is true then we will need to make some quick preparations. Without knowledge of the enemy¡¯s numbers I can''t be certain if we will be able to protect the entirety of our empire.¡± Zhang said as he took a sip of wine.

    ¡°We should pick out eligible individuals as quickly as possible and further bolster our forces.¡± Yuying stated.

    ¡°While I''m not sure if they will be of any use to you kids, feel free to select as many men as you wish from inner palace imperial guards. Of all the soldiers in Aurora¡¯s armies, I can say without a doubt that these men are the most loyal and competent.¡± Jian Wei said in a proud tone.

    ¡°If we were not facing saints then my inner palace imperial guards are worth at least a hundred men on the battlefield.¡± Joan Wei said as he poured and gulped down an entire cup of wine.

    ¡°After I see what''s left of the elite guard and the imperial academy, I will be sure to go and inspect the inner palace guards.¡± Zhang said with a smile.

    ¡°We can save this matter for tomorrow, for now let''s enjoy a few drinks and tell some stories about our trip out to sea.¡± Ling said as she poured Zhang a cup of wine.

    While Zhang, his wives, Jian Wei and many of Aurora¡¯s high ranking officials who had been locked away in the dungeons celebrated the revival of their reign, chaos quickly swept through the rest of the capital.If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    Under direct orders from Zhang and the beauties, all of the soldiers and officials in Aurora were to be gathered, had everyone loyalties and intentions been true and pure, nothing would have occurred. However, a large number of Aurora¡¯s officials had openly or covertly defected and willingly served Liu Bang, knowing the nature in which Zhang and his wives acted, many of these officials feared for their lives and thus decided to perform one last gamble.

    They had gathered their forces and tried to flee the capital, cutting down any opposition that came in their path, sparking what one could call a rebellion.

    Unlike a standard rebellion, there weren''t two clear sides, dozens of separate forces filled with loyalists, defectors and those who were hoping to wipe their slates clean by gaining substantial merits drew their swords on one another.

    Luckily before Aurora was razed to the ground due to the warring factions, Zhang¡¯s saint level subordinates swooped in and out an end to things.

    When facing the might of saints, mortal armies could do nothing but kneel in the face of overwhelming power, quickly extinguishing the embers that were going to engulf Aurora.

    Ringleaders were executed on the spot for treason while the bulk of the rebel soldiers were apprehended and thrown into the imperial dungeons. Of all of the rebel leaders executed, a familiar elderly man who had once been a part of a large aristocratic family in the New Moon province was the most noticeable, cursing at Zhang and the beauties before his head fell from his shoulders.

    With Liu Bang was captured and the rest of his subordinates, and supporters in Aurora City put to the sword, the rest of the Aurora Empire was soon purged also.

    Once Jian Wei and Zhang¡¯s control of the empire was completely reestablished, a large number of policies and imperial decrees were passed. In a flash the bulk of Aurora¡¯s manpower was all gathered in a single place.

    As far as the eye could see were tens of thousands of campfires were lit as countless people could be seen gathered around a massive hole in the ground.

    Day and night, a force consisting of nearly all of Aurora¡¯s able-bodied men continued to dig deeper and deeper into the ground with the aid of thousands of saint level experts.

    As the number of shovels filled with dirt and the number of stones excavated from the ground continued to grow, the closer Zhang was toward getting his hands on an immense power source.

    ¡°Make sure to have the wind mages and water mages continue their efforts to regulate the heat and breathing conditions down there. We need to make sure our workforce is safe or else if something were to go wrong our progress would be halted.¡± Ling could be seen talking to a few middle-aged men clad in blood red scaled armor.

    ¡°I shall make sure everything is in good order madam. We should be able to directly tap into the vein soon. Massive pockets of essence stones have been appearing lately with higher frequency as we dig deeper, it should only be a matter of time before we reach our goal.¡± A middle-aged man clad in blood red armor said in a respectful manner.

    ¡°Once we reach the vein, be sure to deploy a protective barrier right away or else the consequences will be dire. The concentration and purity of the essence down there would be so great that it''ll cause everyone¡¯s bodies to burst into bloody clouds if we aren''t careful. Of course, that is to say if they become saints get.¡± Yuying said as she entered the large tent that Ling was in.

    ¡°If that''s the case, then how would we use it to bolster our forces, madam?¡± The middle-aged man clad in red armor asked.

    ¡°I will personally lay down an array that would hasten the rate at which the essence down there crystallizes. Then it''s is only a matter of sending a few saints down to collect large amounts of essence stones for our use.¡± Yuying stated with a smile on her face.

    Hoping to tap into and use the Dragon¡¯s Vein to quickly amass a large number of saints to strengthen his forces and prepare for the battles to come, Zhang had poured in an immeasurable amount of Aurora¡¯s resources and his own personal wealth into what many refer to as the ¡°Dragon¡¯s Lair.¡±

    Once excavation was complete, Zhang would have a nearly unlimited supply of essence stones in which he could use to create an army of saints, many of whom could be further strengthened into high saints through the use of the Ethereal Point located on Sea Beast Island.

    Thus, the day that the excavation ¡°Dragon¡¯s Lair¡± was completed would be the day that Zhang¡¯s grasp on the Wulin Continent and the Eastern Sea solidifies. At that point if he wished there would be few who would stop him from achieving what many would deem an impossible dream, Zhang would be able to hold the world in his hands.

    The siwang empire would become insignificant and revenge would be only a mere order¡¯s away while a conqueror¡¯s ultimate goal would lay mere steps away.

    Alone a single half deity could control a continent with ease, but controlling the world would still be somewhat farfetched. Even if the beauties were to ascend into half deities with only five individuals, world domination would still be an impossible dream, however if there was a nearly endless army of saints to their bidding, everything would come down to whether or not they wished to rule the world.

    With all of this being said, things such as world conquest was not something currently occupying Zhang¡¯s thoughts, at the moment he was merely preparing for the arrival of an unknown enemy from another world.

    When one considered how many saints Liu Bang had at his command, and for them to only amount to a scouting party, one could only imagine how large and how powerful this unknown force was.

    While he was sure of his abilities to deal with saints, Zhang was unsure if they enemy would have half deities or beings who had transcended to a high level altogether mixed in their ranks. At the very least he wished to be prepared in case another half deity appeared. He wanted his forces to be strong enough to contend even without his intervention.

    The worst situation for someone such as Zhang was having to worry aiding his subordinates when having to face another half deity in battle. At the end of the day he wanted to protect the Aurora Empire and to do this he needed more capable subordinates.

    ¡°It seems our objective is within reach.¡± Zhang said as he could be seen sitting on a ledge hanging above the Dragon¡¯s Lair, with Ai and Lingqi sitting beside him, their feet dangling off the cliff.

    ¡°Mother and father should be arriving in a couple days.¡± Lingqi said with a gentle smile as she gazed into the seemingly bottomless abyss.

    ¡°I wonder how they¡¯ll react when we tell them we can allow them to become saints.¡± Ai said with a curious look on her face that was paired with a gentle smile.

    ¡°To think we¡¯ve come far enough that we can grant other people the gift of immortality.¡± Zhang said as he gazed into the horizon, countless thoughts and memories appearing in his mind.

    ¡°An empire of immortals.¡± Zhang thought as his gaze shifted toward the countless workers toiling away at the earth, some digging away at the soil while others moved away large baskets of stone.

    ¡°Maybe I¡¯ll try it out for a bit, however the old man would be a better fit at ruling than I am.¡± Zhang thought, quickly dispersing any thoughts of governing the Aurora Empire. At the end of the day he felt that spending time with his wives and perhaps traveling to new places would be a better way to pass time, rather than having to go through all of the hardship that Jian Wei was put through.

 Chapter 256: Miners

    With a mind, full of wandering thoughts, Zhang continued to watch the countless workers contributing to the expansion of the Dragon¡¯s Lair, following the rhythmic sound breaking rocks and churning soil, time passed by like a gentle breeze.

    As the wheels of time spun the day quickly ended and night began, like this before anyone knew it three days went by.

    Like the dozens of days prior, today had begun quite uneventfully. Like any other day, the sound of roosters had awoken Zhang¡¯s workers. Climbing out of their makeshift beds before dressing themselves in dirty outfits crusted with dirt.

    Normally one would freshen up with a cool splash of water, however considering the type of work they were doing, most of the workers have long forgone this morning ritual.

    One after the other as they walked out from within their tents, all of Zhang¡¯s workers began to congregate in front of a series of massive buildings scattered throughout the work camp.

    Hung at the entrances of these scattered buildings were the words, Dining Hall, every morning all of the countless workers that were employed by Zhang would be given a piping hot meal to start out their day.

    ¡°I wonder what we are having today?¡± A man with a full beard and half a head of hair said as a vibrant smile was spread across his face.

    ¡°Hah, forgot what we are having for breakfast today, the question you should be asking is whether or not we will be able to catch a glimpse of one of the princesses again.¡± A man with half of one of his front teeth said with a grin.

    ¡°In your dreams, I doubt we''ll ever get an opportunity like that again. How often do you think a princess would go into a kitchen and cook food for commoners like us?¡± The man with half a head of hair said, playfully punching his friend in the arm.

    Walking side by side and entire game the dining hall, the two men quickly grabbed a pair of trays that had an assortment of different foods on them. Steamed rice, stir fried vegetables, grilled meat and refreshing soup, one could say that despite toiling in dirt and grime, all of Zhang¡¯s workers were all well fed and taken care of. Compared to what regular people ate, the food Zhang was supplying his workers with could be considered delicacies.

    Although there was no longer any war and an abundance of supplies being transported from one region of the Aurora Empire to the next, many people still lived very frugally and such plentiful meals are luxuries only the moderately well off can afford. Hence when paired with the amount of gold and silver Zhang was offering, many people found it too good to be true.

    What they didn''t realize was that their work could lead to not only the salvation of the Aurora Empire but also could open a path for Zhang to obtain absolute dominance over the Wulin continent.

    When weighed against the possibility of obtaining an entire continent on top of gaining the ability to repel any foreign force that may come with ill intentions, Zhang would of course be willing to forgone some of his wealth.

    After finishing their meals, the man with half a head of hair and his friend who was missing half a tooth, filed out of the dining hall and toward another large building, this one with a sign reading, supply warehouse.

    Making way into the supply warehouse, the two men walked towards a counter, of many, where an elderly looking man could be seen.

    ¡°Old man, two shovels, two water skins and two pickaxes please.¡± The man with half a head of hair said in a familiar manner.

    ¡°You two better not damage these shovels like the last ones or else I''ll report you to the higher ups and have them deduct your pay next time.¡± The elderly man said in a half joking manner as he retrieved a pair of shovels, pickaxes and water skins from underneath his counter and placed them in front of the two men.

    ¡°Hah, the only reason why they last shovels came back broken was because we had stumbled upon a vein of those crystals that his highness was looking for.¡± The man with half a head of hair said with a chuckle.

    ¡°And I heard you two were given quite a generous reward for your little discovery. Meanwhile an elderly man such as myself was scolded by the higher ups for a pair of broken shovels. To make things worse a bit of my pay was even deducted.¡± The elderly man said as a glint appeared in his eye.

    ¡°Old man, I know what you''re thinking, no need to beat around the bush. Consider this a token of my appreciation and thanks for taking care of me and my friend all this time.¡± The man with half a head of hair said as he retrieved five gold coins from within his robe and passed them to the elderly man whose eyes began to sparkle.

    This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.

    ¡°Let''s get out of here before we miss the start of our shift.¡± The man with half a missing tooth said, nudging his friend with his elbow.

    ¡°Wait, before you go take these with you. I was told to tell you to keep these with you at all times when you''re down there.¡± The elderly man said as he placed two talismans with letters written in red ink on the counter for the two men to take.

    ¡°Why did you give him those gold coins?¡± The man with half a missing tooth complained as he tucked the talisman with red letters into his robe.

    ¡°The old man is kind of weird and a bit greedy but you have to admit he has taken care of us and without his guidance we wouldn''t have found those crystals in the first place.¡± The man with half a head of hair said with a laugh as he and his friend headed toward a large gate build at the entrance that all of the workers use to enter the Dragon¡¯s Lair.

    Like the hundreds upon hundreds of thousands of other who were their counterparts, the two men steadily descended into the earth.

    While the two men walked alongside many others like them, thousands of figures could be seen soaring through the air. Wearing matching uniforms and looks extremely dignified, all of these flying figures were a part of Aurora¡¯s new and most powerful force, the Blood Scale Army.

    ¡°If only one of the two of us was able to use magic, then we would have a chance of joining the Blood Scale Army.¡± The man with half a missing tooth said as he gazed into the air with the eyes of a dreamer.

    ¡°Keep dreaming, if it was that easy to become a saint then I''m sure we would still be last in line.¡± The man with half a head of hair with a laugh.

    Like this the two men carried on with their daily routine, walking with their shovels and pickaxes leaning against their shoulders, arriving in front of a large lift that would carry them down into the depths of the earth.

    Going on with their day, they did what they always did, use their picks to break away at the hard ground beneath them and then had their shovels to move the debris into baskets that would then be carried to a collection post where a saint would be stationed. Once a considerable amount of dirt and stone was gathered, the saint stationed at the collection post would move it out of the Dragon¡¯s Lair and to the surface where it would be transported elsewhere in the empire to be used in the making of dams or other construction projects.

    Dropping off a large basket full of dirt and then walking back to their assigned area, the two men continued to do what they had down for the last dozen or so days, they continued to dig away at the earth. Unlike usual however, after the man with half a head of hair returned to his post and swung his pickaxe into the ground, something totally unexpected occurred.

    There was no sound of breaking rocks, nor was there the sound of moving soil, strangely enough the sound of churning water seeped into the ears of the two men.

    In but a fraction of a second, a glowing light blue colored liquid began to seep out from the ground,as this occurred the two men found the soles of their shoes to be soaking wet.

    Occupied with the moist and uncomfortable sensation one usually got when one¡¯s shoes were drenched in water was a burning feeling that made one feel as if their skin was being peeled away.

    ¡°Wha-what is this!?¡± The man with half a missing tooth cries out as the earth beneath him was hidden by a sea of glowing blue liquid. In the midst of his panic, the man with half a missing tooth failed to realize what was actually happening to him. What he did not realize was that the bluish colored liquid was an extremely condensed form of essence, and the painful sensation he was feelings was merely a result of his body being supercharged with essence.

    While being supercharged with essence could result in one¡¯s body exploding to bits and pieces, which is a bad thing, it could also be a good thing. If someone were to make use of the current situation and begin to channel as much essence as they could into their bodies and force themselves to break through, they could greatly increase their strength, they could possibly even become a saint in a short amount of time.

    Just as the men were about to attempt to flee toward the surface, toward the lifts, the talismans they were given at the start of their work day began to glow.

    The red colored letters on the talisman started to glow and come to life, moving off of the paper they were drawn on and scattering onto the bodies of the workers before enveloping them in a bloody colored veil of light.

    As soon as the bloody colored veil of light came into existence, the painful sensations plaguing the workers who were knee deep in the glowing blue liquid were instantly erased.

    ¡°Everyone stay calm! Do not panic! As long as you are in possession of one of princess Yuying¡¯s talismans then there is nothing to fear! Be sure to keep them on your body at all costs or else there will be no guarantees on your safety. We will have a protective barrier in place soon! In the meantime, everyone is to report to the lifts.¡± A team of men clad in red armor announced as they flew around the excavation area.

    ¡°Don''t panic? Haha, how can I not panic when the water level is still rising.¡± The man with half a broken tooth said as he hastily headed toward the area where the lifts were located.

    ¡°Brother Di Li, watch your step! There are potholes everywhere around this area.¡± The man with half a head of hair yelled to his friend.

    ¡°Quit your dallying Brother Yuan Kang or else we might be trapped here!¡± Di Lu yelled just mere moments before he stumbled onto the ground due to not watching his step.

    As his body crashed onto the ground and his clothes were soaked in the bluish liquid, the worse possible scenario began to play out. While trying to push himself up from the ground, to Di Li¡¯s horror the talisman that was currently keeping him from harm¡¯s way could be seen drifting away atop the water¡¯s surface.

    Frantically Di Li reached out his hands in an attempt to retrieve the talisman however before he could a piercing pain cause his entire body to shake and convulse.

    ¡°Brother Di Li!¡± Yuan Kang yelled as he quickly arrived beside his fallen friend, with a worried look spread across his face.

    ¡°I-it hurts¡­¡± Di Li said in a pitiful tone has his body ached.

    Seeing his friend in pain, Kang Sho, without a second thought pulled out his own talisman and stuck it onto Di Li¡¯s body. While relieving his friend¡¯s agony, Yuan Kang felt an immeasurable amount of essence flood into his body.

    ¡°AHHHH!¡± A gut-wrenching shriek suddenly filled Kang Sho¡¯s ears, looking toward the source of this blood-curdling sound, he saw a young man who looked no older than the age of twenty-five. From a single glance, Yuan Kang saw that the young man¡¯s right arm had actually bulged to twice the twice the size of his left arm, indicating that something was seriously wrong. As a clear example of what would occur if one misplaced their talisman, the young man¡¯s arm bursted into a bloody mist before the rest of his body soon joined it.

    ¡°Brother Yuan Kang, take back your talisman!¡± Di Li cried as he tried to shove the talisman just given to him back to its original owner.

    ¡°Keep it! Of the two of us, you''re the only one with a family to take care of.¡± Yuan Kang said as he pushed Di Li away all the while a storm of thoughts began to race through his mind.

    ¡°I need to do something and fast or else I¡¯ll end up like that guy¡­¡± Yuan Kang thought as he could feel his muscles swell and his vessels bulge. In a do or die situation, he began to try to refine the excess essence currently flooding into his system, figuring if he could prevent the essence from accumulating then his life would be saved.

    Burning away as much essence as he could and using it to strengthen his body as much as he could, Yuan Kang entered a deep trance, losing track of everything else occurring around him. Seconds turned into minutes and minutes passed one after the other as Di Li stood watch over his friend, worried and afraid.

    ¡°Everyone just a little bit longer and a barrier will be erected!¡± The voices of many different individuals rang throughout the excavation site.

    Ignoring everything and focusing solely on himself and his body, Yuan Kang steadily empowered himself. Thus, marked beginning of the birth of yet another saint under Zhang¡¯s service and the start of what could become Aurora¡¯s golden age.

 Chapter 257: An Arm A Friend

    ¡°First off I would like to congratulate you all for turning misfortune into fortune and overcoming the inevitable. I congratulate all of you on becoming saints and joining the ranks of the Blood Scale Army!¡± Zhang said as he stood in front of a handful of individuals who had recently ascended into sainthood.

    Contrary to Zhang¡¯s expectations, his workers had actually managed to tap into the Dragon¡¯s Vein ahead of schedule, while there were some losses, much to his joy a handful of full saints were added to the ranks of the Blood Scale Army.

    While their deaths could only be blamed on bad luck since all the workers were supplied with protective talismans, Zhang had made sure to give all of their families¡¯ proper reparations before doing anything else.

    ¡°While I''m sure many of you are probably thanking the heavens for blessing you good fortune, you shouldn''t be. For it was not the heavens who bestowed upon you what you had just achieved. It was through your quick thinking and determination that such a miracle occurred. Unlike the many who had fallen due to panic and fear, you chosen few have transcended into a greater realm and for that you should be proud of yourselves, you should feel that you''ve earned the right to don the red armor that you are currently wearing.¡± Zhang said, causing proud smiles to appear on the faces of many of those who stood before him.

    ¡°As of now you are all Aurora¡¯s protectors, as of now you are tasked with the duty of protecting our empire, you will be given three days to visit your families and settle any personal matters that needs to be settled. Of course, you are to refrain from breaking any of our empire¡¯s laws or else the consequences that you''ll face will be the same as if you were a mortal. After all your personal matters are settled you are to all report back here to commence your training. If any of you have any concerns or questions feel free to ask me now. If you have any grievances I am also willing to listen to them.¡± Zhang said as he gazed at the faces of all his new subordinates, trying to peek into their thoughts through their facial expressions.

    ¡°Faces brimming with joy, faces filled with murderous intent, and faces brimming with satisfaction and pride. Hopefully all of these fellows heed my words and do not do anything dumb or else I''ll have to deal with them.¡± Zhang thought.

    Unlike saints who had spent hundreds if not thousands of years to reach their current state of power, these individuals who were currently standing in front of Zhang had not undergone the same hardship. Even when compared to Zhang their experiences would still be considered shallow so as a result their minds had yet to be steeled and their thoughts and emotions could still easily affect their decisions and causing them to be drunk on their newfound power.

    ¡°My lord if I may speak.¡± A middle-aged man said in a humble tone as he removed his helmet, revealing half a head of hair, as a show of respect before kneeling on one knee.

    ¡°Speak.¡± Zhang said as he watched the middle-aged man intently.¡±

    ¡°My lord, your humble servant Yuan Kang, would like to ask you to grant my dear friend, Di Li, the same opportunity I was blessed with.¡± Yuan Kang said, causing a stir amongst the other newly ascended saints.

    ¡°I''m sure both you and your friend know how dangerous the process is.¡± Zhang said.

    ¡°If he wasn''t willing to undergo the danger he would not have asked me to plead for him.¡± Yuan Kang said while still kneeling on one knee and looking at the ground.

    ¡°So, he is willing to undergo the danger, however what merits has he accomplished that would prompt me to grant him access to such an opportunity? Let alone him, what merits have you accomplished?¡± Zhang asked in a raised voice.

    ¡°My lord, although I have not many contributions to our empire yet, if you wished I would be willing to climb a mountain of blades, and swim across a sea of flames without any hesitation.¡± Yuan Kang spoke in a clear and resolute tone.

    ¡°Is that so? Show me your determination. If both you and your friend pass my test I''ll make an exception and grant him an opportunity of becoming a saint.¡± Zhang said.

    ¡°Whatever task it is you wished accomplished my lord, please tell me.¡± Yuan Kang said.The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

    ¡°First off bring your friend Di Li here.¡± Zhang said moments before Di Li was brought before him.

    Standing side by side in front of a dozen or so full saints and Zhang, Yuan Kang and Di Li stood erect like statues.

    ¡°As I person I treasure loyalty and brotherhood above all else, so my test will be simple. If you, Yuan Kang, me how strong your brotherhood is, then Di Li will be granted the opportunity of becoming a saint.¡± Zhang said as he casually waved his hand and conjured a translucent crystal sword from thin air. With another casual wave of his hand he made the sword plunge into the ground in front of Yuan Kang and Di Li.

    ¡°If you''re willing to cut off your arm then your friend will be granted the opportunity to become a saint.¡± Zhang said in a cold tone.

    ¡°Brother Yuan Kang, don''t do it. Even though I dream of becoming a saint, it''s not worth having you become a cripple for my sake.¡± Di Li said after hearing Zhang¡¯s conditions.

    ¡°Say no more, even with one arm I will still be able to make something of myself.¡± Yuan Kang said as he reached forth and grabbed the hilt of the translucent sword that Zhang had created. Although there was a hint of hesitation after he grabbed the crystal sword, Yuan Kang took in a deep breath and with all of the courage he could muster severed his arm.

    ¡°Good, now that you''ve made your decision there is no going back.¡± Zhang said as a fountain of blood shot into the air as Yuan Kang¡¯s twitching arm fell onto the earth. Once Yuan Kang¡¯s arm laid lifelessly atop of the cold earth, the tips of Zhang¡¯s fingers suddenly ignited and an instant later a flickering flame flew through the air, filling everyone''s nostrils with the smell of charred human flesh.

    ¡°Now Di Li I give you two choices, if you''re willing to give up your opportunity at becoming a saint and cripple your own cultivation then I¡¯m willing to restore your friend¡¯s lost an arm. If you merely take that sword and sever one of your channels your friend will have his arm restored and a limitless future awaiting him.¡± Zhang said as a wicked smile appeared on his face.

    ¡°My lord you can''t¡­ Brother Di Li don''t do it...¡± Yuan Kang said as he saw Di Li eyed the blood-stained sword laying on the ground.

    ¡°My lord, if crippling my measly cultivation will restore brother Yuan Kang¡¯s arm and his chances of greatness, then I am willing.¡± Di Li said as his hand reached toward the bloody crystal sword.

    ¡°Restrain him.¡± Zhang said, prompting four full saints to charge forward and hold down Yuan Kang, preventing him from budging from the very spot he had stood.

    With no one to stop him, Di Li wielded the crystal sword and raised it up toward his arm where one of his channels were located. Although the crystal sword was actually as light as a feather, in Di Li¡¯s trembling hands it seemed to weigh thousands of pounds. A single deep cut and all of his prospects, all of the efforts poured into furthering his cultivation would be erased, besides that his lifespan would also greatly dwindle. Without the use of essence to strengthen one''s body and increase one''s lifespan, Di Li knew that depending on his choice he would either be able to soar through the sky like a majestic dragon or toil in the dirt for the rest of his life.

    ¡°He was willing to give up an arm for me, he was willing to give up has future for me, and before he had been willing to give up his life for me, if I''m not willing to do this for him then what kind of friend am I? What kind of person would I be?¡± Di Li thought as the crystal blade slowly split apart his skin and sliced through his flesh.

    ¡°Alright, enough. You''ve proven yourself and have passed my test.¡± Zhang said as the crystal sword in Di Li¡¯s hand disintegrated into nothingness.

    ¡°Di Li, if you were not willing to do that for your friend then I would have cut you down without a single thought. If you could not sacrifice for someone who was willing to lose an arm for you then how would you be willing to sacrifice yourself for me? In the end, you''ve both able me that u could place my trust in you.¡± Zhang said as a warm smile appeared on his face while a cloak of purplish essence envelopes both Yuan Kang and Di Li, mending Di Li¡¯s wound and slowly regenerating Yuan Kang¡¯s lost arm.

    ¡°If no one else has anything to say then you are all dismissed. Everyone but Yuan Kang and Di Li may leave.¡± Zhang said, prompting the dozen or so newly ascended saints to disperse into the sky and flew away into different directions.

    ¡°Yuan Kang follow me and bring your friend with you¡± Zhang said gesturing for Yuan Kang to follow him as his body levitated into the air.

    Following closely behind Zhang, Yuan Kang carried Di Li by holding the latter¡¯s hands and allowing the rest of his body to dangle. Flying at moderate speeds, Zhang led Yuan Kang into the Dragon¡¯s lair where countless workers could be seen constructing hundreds of individual buildings of various shapes and sizes.

    Now that access to the Dragon¡¯s Vein has been established, instead of digging any further all of the workers under Zhang¡¯s employment were tasked to begin constructing fortifications and various obstacles that would serve to protect what is now Aurora¡¯s most sacred site.

    Massive ramparts, large gates, sprawling pavilions and a massive castle were all currently being built around and within the Dragon¡¯s Lair. While he did not plan for it, Zhang was fairly sure it would not take long for a large city to form around the Dragon¡¯s Lair and that in itself will prove to provide another layer of protection for Aurora¡¯s current source of power.

    ¡°What you did to become a saint was fairly risky and could have very well resulted in your death. Although I had said something contradictory previously, you should consider yourself very lucky.¡± Zhang¡¯s voice echoed in Yuan Kang and Di Li¡¯s minds.

    ¡°Hah, my lord you should know that ever since he was a kid, my friend here has been known to have absurd amounts of good luck.¡± Di Li said with a laugh.

    ¡°Then you should be hoping that a bit of his good luck has rubbed off on you because what you are about to take part in may possibly be the most dangerous thing that you¡¯ve done in your entire life up until now.¡± Zhang¡¯s voice accompanied with a chuckle reverberated in the minds of Yuan Kang and Di Li once again.

    Arriving at the bottom of the Dragon¡¯s Lair, Yuan Kang was the first to notice a large platform with hundreds of individuals sitting crossed legged atop of it. At the center of this large platform, amidst the hundreds of individuals sitting cross-legged was a beautiful foundation brimming with sparkling bluish liquid.

    ¡°Di Li, go have a small sip and begin cultivating. I¡¯m sure I don¡¯t have to tell you that if you take in too much of that water at a time and become unable to refine the excess essence in your body quick enough then you¡¯ll end up blown into a million pieces.¡± Zhang said to Di Li, giving the latter a reminder of what happens when one is not careful when around the highly-concentrated essence water.

    ¡°I will be sure to be careful, my lord.¡± Di Li said before walking toward the foundation and cupped a bit of water in his hand.

 Chapter 258: Preparations

    After Di Li took a sip of the concentrated essence water, he proceeded to find a fairly clear spot to sit down and began meditating.

    When taken in small quantities and when given enough time to be digested and distributed across one¡¯s body, the concentrated essence water wasn''t very deadly at all, rather it was an extraordinary elixir that could aid even those with the poorest of abilities to quickly break through.

    Of course, in this world there was nothing that was perfect and there was still a chance of failure and death, so Zhang had made sure to tell all of those who were present the dangers of over consuming the highly-concentrated essence water. If one¡¯s path of cultivation did not include even a slight bit of danger, then one couldn¡¯t possibly call one¡¯s self a cultivator. Only when one was able to stride forward in the face of imminent danger could one step closer to immortality and to the highest reaches of the heavens.

    In one way or another, the process of consuming essence water in itself could be considered a trial for Zhang¡¯s subordinates, a trial that would not only test their bravery and courage but also help teach them self-restraint and modesty.

    Although there were ways to make the consumption of essence water much safer, Zhang feared that this would invite unwanted complications.

    When a powerless person is suddenly granted immeasurable power without having to put in too much effort, it is easy for them to lose their minds and become drunk on their new-found abilities, acting without restraint.

    However, by keeping the element of danger when consuming essence water, Zhang¡¯s subordinates would have their minds tempered and the chances of them acting out of line would of course greatly decrease also.

    What Zhang needed least right now was his subordinates going out and stirring trouble, since there countless tasked still remaining for him to complete.

    Even an army of saints at his beck and call, Zhang¡¯s worries would still not be at an end. He had no idea how powerful the enemy he would be facing was, he did not know if they would show up with a few hundred full saints or with a few dozen half deities. Thus, he could not place all of his hope and Aurora¡¯s fate within the hands of his future saint army.

    So, as Zhang lead Di Li into the Dragon¡¯s Lair, Yuying and the other beauties were each performing various tasks in different regions of the Aurora Empire.

    Each accompanied by a team of a dozen or so saints, each of the beauties were hard at work, using their saintly powers to split tall mountains, divert snaking rivers and cut down ancient forests, leaving deep scars in the earth.

    When looking at each of their activities alone, it would seem like the beauties were acting without purpose or venting their frustrations on the land, however if someone were able to look down from space and see the entirety of the Aurora Empire, they would be stunned to see that gigantic formation was slowly taking shape.

    As crazy and out of this world as it sounded, the beauties were actually constructing a massive spell formation that stretched from the four corners of the Aurora Empire.

    Although successfully completing such a monumental task was extremely difficult due to how precise and accurate everything had to be, if the beauties were able to do so, not only would Aurora gain another means to protect itself, it would also gain an immeasurable advantage over its enemies.

    So, as the beauties were hard at work and while Zhang continued to strengthen his army on top of performing other various tasks, time passed like heartbeats, and in what seemed like an instant a few months had flown by.The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    ¡°Now we will see if all of our hard work has paid off or not.¡± Yuying could be heard saying as she could be seen levitating in the air.

    ¡°I hope this works or else all of the time we had spent was all for naught.¡± Ling said with a long sigh, hoping that all the hard work that she had put in would not be wasted.

    ¡°Regardless of whether or not this works, I never want to do something like this again¡­¡± Ai complained.

    ¡°I heard about your little encounter with some sheep.¡± Lingqi said with a chuckle while partially cover her mouth with her hand.

    ¡°I never want to see another sheep in my entire life¡­¡± Ai said as a frown appeared on her face, as she recalled a fateful encounter with a massive herd of sheep.

    A few weeks after the construction of the gigantic spell formation began, as Ai was hard at work, splitting apart the land, she had accidentally broken up a shepherd''s herd of sheep. Being kind hearted and feeling bad for the shepherd, Ai volunteered to help transport the hundred or so sheep that was stuck on the other side of the ravine that she had created.

    With a bit of quick thinking, Ai had retrieved her Black Thorn Whip and latched it onto the opposite ledge before enlarging its size, creating a makeshift bridge.

    At first this method had worked without a cinch, however before long, a few sheep had actually felt Ai¡¯s presence and stumbled off of the Black Thorn Whip and fell into the deep ravine, forcing Ai to swoop in and save them as she cursed how afraid animals were when they were around her.

    Just as Ai managed to grab two of the falling sheep, two more fell into the ravine and then two more and then two more. By the time, all the one hundred or so sheep had crossed to the other side of the ravine, her robes were in shambles, she was covered in dirt, and wool and her hair was a mess.

    Believing her task was done and she had completed a good deed, Ai readied to take off into the skies once again, only to be stopped by the appearance of a massive herd of sheep that numbered in the thousands.

    Looking into the pleading eyes of the poor shepherd, Ai spent the rest of her day transporting sheep across the ravine and thus from then on, she vowed to never do as much as lay eyes on another sheep again.

    ¡°There was so much wool¡­ There was wool in my hair, there was wool sticking to my dress and I was even coughing up balls of wool a few days later¡­¡± Ai mumbled as a shiver ran down her spine.

    ¡°Enough teasing for now, let''s test out the formation and then get some rest.¡± Yuying said with a gentle smile as she gazed down at the Dragon¡¯s Lair and the dozen or so lines that she and the other beauties had cut into the ground.

    ¡°Alright let''s finish up, then we can go back and rest for a bit. Afterward we still have to make sure that we distribute one of these talismans to every single citizen of Aurora.¡± Ling said while holding up a golden colored talisman as she levitated in the air beside Yuying.

    Without any further delay, the four beauties each pointed their fingers in one of the four respective directions, releasing four beams of essence toward the ground.

    Under the influence of the four beauties, these beams of condensed essence left deep cuts in the earth in their quake, drawing four straight lines toward the Dragon¡¯s Lair, toward four large distinct looking towers that pierced into the clouds.

    Surprisingly enough despite being able to split the earth, the rays of essence being released from the fingertips of the four beauties did not damage the four towers at all when the two came into contact with each other.

    Rather than taking damage, the four towers actually began to resonate with the beams of essence, glowing magnificently while released invisible pulses of essence into the air.

    While appearing ordinary at first glance, all four of these towers were actually connected to the dragon¡¯s vein and were actually channeling massive amounts of essence from the earth.

    ¡°Connect!¡± Yuying yelled the moment each of the lines intersected with a tower. In a flash, as a response to Yuying¡¯s actions, the lines cut deep into the earth began to slowly light up while releasing a beautiful golden glow.

    Like the shifting waters of a raging tsunami, bit by bit the massive array lit up. From the heart of the Aurora Empire to far fringes of the eastern and western sea, the golden light shone ever so beautifully, drawing the attention of countless people.

    ¡°It works!¡± Ai cheered happily with jubilant eyes and a broad smile on her face as she watched the golden glow light up the entirety of the Aurora Empire.

    ¡°We did it!¡± Lingqi also cheered happily as she enjoyed the light show occurring in front of her eyes.

    ¡°With this, regardless of who or what comes to cause trouble, the Aurora Empire will never fall into their hands.¡± Yuying said in a reassuring tone while her eyes shone brightly.

    ¡°Deactivate!¡± Yuying then said, causing the beautiful golden glow enveloping the land to fade away, returning the night was thus shrouded in darkness once more while the citizens of the Aurora Empire were left to wonder what they had just witnessed.

    ¡°Now we can rest while our subordinates distribute the talismans to everyone.¡± Yuying said to her sisters as she took the initiative to fly into the Dragon¡¯s Lair where Zhang was currently residing.

    Following after Yuying, the other beauties soon arrived at the very bottom of the Dragon¡¯s Lair where a fairly large castle had recently been constructed. Flying into the innermost part of the castle without any hindrances, the beauties quickly arrived on a balcony situated at the very top of a large tower.

    Peering in through a set of curtains, the four young wives instantly spotted their husband, sound asleep behind a desk brimming with papers.

    Moving with light steps so they did not disturb Zhang, the beauties entered the room before draping a warm blanket around their husband¡¯s shoulders and then gathering around the desk with mischievous looks on their faces.

    ¡°Are you sure this is fine? Won¡¯t he be angry when he wakes up?¡± Lingqi asked in a soft voice while slightly giggling.

    ¡°He won¡¯t get mad if he doesn¡¯t know who did it.¡± Yuying softly chuckled while holding a long brush in her hand.

    Thus, the beauties used their sleeping husband¡¯s face as a blank canvas, before getting some well-deserved rest.

 Chapter 259: Invaders

    With an eerie calm covering the land, a month quickly sped by as Zhang and his wives continued to make preparations for the arrival of what would most likely be the strongest enemy that they would have to face.

    Under a curtain of stairs and in the dead of night, in lands far and wide, some many miles away from the Aurora Empire, across the seas and in lost and forgotten corners of the world, mysterious lights shone brightly in the sky.

    As if the sky itself was being torn apart, wide scars appeared in the night sky, stretching for miles on end while releasing a mesmerizing black and white light.

    Gazing upward at these scars in the sky were many different groups of people, many of which Zhang and his wives have never come across throughout their adventures. Like faithful servants, these groups of people faithfully awaited as they focused the entirety of their attention upward into the sky.

    With fevered expressions of longing and worship, these patiently waited as the mesmerizing lights grew brighter and brighter.

    ¡°I wonder who will exit from this rift.¡± A familiar looking man mumbled to himself as he levitated above a sea of ever shifting waves. This man of course was the one who had nearly effortlessly slayed Long Jieshu. Currently he was located directly under a spatial rift that loomed above the Eastern Sea.

    ¡°Probably won''t be any of the old fogies that I''m acquainted with anyway. However regardless of whom crosses into this plane, none of them have good intentions.¡± The mysterious man said with a look full of disdain and contempt.

    Waving his hand, the mysterious man instantly caused the temperature within a ten-mile radius to drastically increase, igniting and bribing hundreds of fire ravens and crows to come to life and flutter under the night sky while causing the ocean below to bubble and simmer.

    Soaring through the air animatedly as if they were alive, hundreds of fiery crows and ravens fluttered their wings upward as a few dozen silhouettes could be seen exiting the large spatial rift.

    Without even an opportunity to voice their objective or catch their breath, this dozen or so silhouettes were instantly smothered in crimson flames.

    For a brief, second anguished screams and futile cries for help filled the air before a dozen or so charred bodies fell from the sky and into the sea. As the waves of the Eastern Sea churned and as the howling winds blew, peace was soon restored and all evidence of the arrival of the invaders from another realm was thus erased.

    ¡°Hmph, to think they would send a bunch of lowly high saints to search for his inheritance.¡± The mysterious man muttered in a voice filled with disdain before an emotionless expression was once again plastered on his face.

    Staring indifferently into the sky toward the large spatial rift, the mysterious man waved his hand once again, this time conjuring a pair of massive flame serpents. Spiraling upward while coiling with each other the massive flame servants soon arrived in front of the spatial rift where they broke apart into hundreds of goblet sized flames.

    ¡°Congeal and bind!¡± The mysterious man roared as he commanded the hundreds of flickering flames, causing them to glow ever so more brightly before reshaping themselves into strange looking symbols. Before long a semi translucent sphere covered in runes had completely encased the large spatial rift.

    ¡°Conceal!¡± The mysterious man said while making a series of hand signs, causing the semi translucent sphere up above to slowly fade away before disappearing entirely.

    Smiling brightly, the mysterious man waved his hands yet again, cloaking himself in flames before disappearing out of sight.

    Elsewhere, a few miles off the coast of the Aurora Empire, a different spatial rift could be seen looming in the sky. Contrary to the other spatial rifts, this one was much smaller and less noticeable. On top of opening up in a someway desolate area, this spatial rift was also mostly covered by large blankets of clouds, thus causing it to be quite hard to spot from afar.

    From within this somewhat odd spatial rift, roughly a hundred silhouettes could be seen exiting.

    ¡°Let¡¯s quickly begin our search for the fallen god¡¯s inheritance.¡± A man clad in black robes said while surprisingly releasing the aura of a half deity.

    The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

    ¡°As you wish, senior brother.¡± The rest of the group of silhouettes all said in unison as they all used their divine senses to survey the surrounding area.

    ¡°Who''s there!?¡± The man clad in black robes yelled, causing all those around him to shift their gazes about somewhat frantically, as they themselves were unable to sense the pretense of this person the man clad in black robes was talking to.

    ¡°Your highnesses, please pay no heed to me, I¡¯m but a stranger passing by.¡± An ancient sounding voice sounded into the air as a frail looking man who could only be described as skin and bones came into view. Dressed in long robes embroidered with a blue colored moon insignia, this elderly man of course was a member of the Order of the Blue Moon.

    ¡°What is a mere lesser saint such as yourself doing here at this hour? Are you perhaps a spy for one of the other sects?!¡± The man clad in black robes said in a slightly mocking tone, causing the frail looking man to frown.

    ¡°A spy? How can a lowly lesser saint such myself spy you your highness.¡± The frail looking man said in a subservient ton despite possessing eyes brimming with anger.

    ¡°Senior brother, he''s right, how can a lowly lesser saint possibly hope to spy on us and escape alive.¡± A young man with a cocky grin said with a laugh, causing a few more creases to appear on the frail looking man''s brow.

    ¡°You do have a point. How could such a weakling hope to plot against us.¡± The man clad in black robes said with a laugh before having his attention captured by a peculiar looking coffin strapped to the frail looking man¡¯s back.

    From afar this coffin looked extremely ordinary, however upon closer inspection, one would notice that it was covered from head to toe with countless symbols and markings.

    What made this coffin appear more peculiar was the fact that when the man clad in black robes tried to inspect it with his divine sense, he was actually unable to. One must know that the divine sense of the half deity was countless times stronger than that of a high saint¡¯s, allowing them to observe objects and people from hundreds of miles away.

    But surprisingly enough, the eerie looking coffin was able to repel the divine sense of a half deity.

    ¡°Hand over that odd-looking coffin and scram.¡± The man clad in black robes said while his eyes glinted greedily.

    ¡°B-but my lord, this is an heirloom that has been passed down within my family for tens of generations, I can''t possibly give it to you.¡± The frail looking man said while inwardly sneering.

    ¡°I said hand it over and scram or else I''ll have your head!¡± The man clad in black robes said while an oppressive aura swept through and enveloped the surrounding area.

    ¡°Pl-please spare me! I-I will give you the coffin¡­¡± The frail looking me said in a hurried tone before unstrapping the coffin from himself and tossing it through the air toward the man clad in black robes.

    With a pleased look, the man clad in black robes caught the coffin and intently stared at it, failing to notice the crazed smile on the frail looking man¡¯s face.

    ¡°Reaper¡¯s Coffin! Open!¡± The frail looking man roared while performing a series of hand signs, causing the countless tunes etched onto the coffin to glow.

    ¡°What sort of trickery are you trying to pull off!?¡± The man clad in black robes yelled angrily as he glared at the frail looking man, giving up his only opportunity to attack.

    ¡°Ahahahaha! I must thank you for gifting me with your divine energy!¡± The frail looking man said while laughing maniacally as the lid of the Reaper¡¯s Coffin was propelled into the air, revealing a creepy looking jade skeleton.

    As anticlimactic as it was, the man clad in black robes soon noticed that the jade skeleton was actually only releasing an aura that was equivalent of a lesser saint¡¯s.

    ¡°Haha, and here I thought there would be some kind of heaven defying treasure stored within this strange coffin. To think it was just the remains of another lowly lesser saint.¡± The man clad in black robes laughed, failing to notice an eerie glow that was faintly being emitted from the empty eye sockets of the jade skeleton.

    ¡°Ahahaha.¡± The frail looking man continued to laugh as his victims failed to notice the subtle glow within the jade skeleton¡¯s eye sockets continued to grow brighter and brighter as tiny bits of the essence in their bodies were being stolen.

    Sadly, the moment these powerful warriors realized what was happening, the Jade skeleton had already absorbed enough essence to act.

    ¡°Devourer of the heavens, take my offering and destroy those who stand in my way!¡± The frail looking man said mere moments before the jade skeleton rose up from within the coffin and grasped the black robed man¡¯s neck, at a speed that the opposite party could not keep up with.

    ¡°Le-let go of me!¡± The man clad in black robes roared as a beautifully decorated sword forged entirely out of gold appeared in his hand, swinging it at the Jade skeleton with all of his might. Sadly as the golden blade was mere inches away from the jade skeleton¡¯s skull, the man in black robes went limp.

    Much to the horror of his companions, the man garbed in black robes hung lifelessly as the jade skeleton clenched onto his neck. When paired with the maddening laughter of the frail looking man, the sight of the strongest person in their party slowly turning into an empty husk made everyone present shudder in fear.

    After absorbing nearly all of the essence contained in the black robed man¡¯s body, the jade skeleton tossed the now empty husk without care, allowing it to plummet toward the cold waves below.

    Much like when Long Shijie had been resurrected, the Jade skeleton¡¯s previously bare bones were now covered within a thin layer of flesh.

    As for the frail looking man, he had long since dove after the corpse of the black robed man, hoping to scavenge a bit of divine energy from the jade skeleton¡¯s leftover scraps.

    ¡°I''ll let you have your fill first, however in the future you''ll have to learn to share.¡± The frail looking man snickered while tracing a silver colored ring worn on his left hand as he grabbed hold of the husk like body with his other hand, moments before it sank beneath the waves, quickly expending a little bit of effort and started absorbing whatever amount of essence and divine energy still remaining within.

    Despite only being able to absorb a hint of divine energy from the corpse, the frail man''s body looked much rounder and somewhat healthier than it had looked before.

    ¡°Ev-everyone! Combine our attacks! Avenge Senior Brother Mui!¡± One of the horrified onlookers screamed as he unleashed a colorful beam of light from the tips of his fingers.

    Seeing this as their only chance of survival, the other hundred or so onlookers quickly unleashed their own attacks at the jade skeleton.

    Of course, this was all but futile, as every attack that came near the jade skeleton was almost instantly extinguished and absorbed.

    As it absorbed more and more essence, from both the air and the many attacks unleashed upon it, the jade skeleton slowly regenerated itself.

    ¡°Good, good! Keep up the supply of essence.¡± The previously frail man said with a cruel laugh.

    ¡°Devour the flesh¡­ Devour the bones¡­ Devour the soul¡­¡± A hoarse and ancient voice drifted into the ears of all the people present.

    Without so as much as lifting a finger, a black colored fog shot out from the jade skeleton¡¯s jaws, enveloping the crowd within, entrapping them and turning them into helpless lambs.

    Robbed of their vision and unable to escape, the hundred or so saints soon felt as if every inch of their body was being nibbled away as their consciousness and souls slowly dwindled into nothingness.

    ¡°Enough for now.¡± The previously frail man said n as he made a series of hand signs, causing the Reaper¡¯s Coffin to soar through the air before trapping the jade skeleton within it once again.

 Great news!

    great news guys! I finished writing half a chapter but then found out some jerk flooded my store''s bathroom </img>, which in turn flooded the store''s entire back room. So for the last few hours I''ve been moping up dirty toilet water, and by dirty I mean there was you know what''s in it :/ will update tomorrow </img> don''t think I''ll he leaving home to celebrate Mother''s Day anytime soon. Thank you mysterious customer! :/

    T___T

    soo there is a minimum of 500 words I must meet to post this news post, sooooo I''ll past the text from above a few times. Will delete this post once I update. Sorry guys.If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    great news guys! I finished writing half a chapter but then found out some jerk flooded my store''s bathroom </img>, which in turn flooded the store''s entire back room. So for the last few hours I''ve been moping up dirty toilet water, and by dirty I mean there was you know what''s in it :/ will update tomorrow </img> don''t think I''ll he leaving home to celebrate Mother''s Day anytime soon. Thank you mysterious customer! :/

    great news guys! I finished writing half a chapter but then found out some jerk flooded my store''s bathroom </img>, which in turn flooded the store''s entire back room. So for the last few hours I''ve been moping up dirty toilet water, and by dirty I mean there was you know what''s in it :/ will update tomorrow </img> don''t think I''ll he leaving home to celebrate Mother''s Day anytime soon. Thank you mysterious customer! :/

 News :D

    Hello folks, happy fourth of july to those of you in the US.

    First off I would like to say that I am not dropping the story </img>. I''ve simply been busy with life, work, etc on top of preparing for a big move to a new site that will be hosting the story since NovelsNao is shutting down for good. Once I get things in order i will resume releasing chapters at a more regular pace like i used to do.If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    As for the lack of notices, there is a word limit I have to reach to post on royalroadland I didntwant to copy and paste the same few words over and over to reach it.

    Thank you for your support and patience story will be back in a few days. </img>

 More News o,,,,,o

    Heya folks, I''ve uploaded 5 new chapters to the new site hosting my story. If you read exclusively on this site then you''ll have to wait because of posting rules from my new host site. I will update here though, but the latest 5 chapters will always be on the new host site as long as I''m being hosted there. "> Now for you guys to track down the host site >_> <_< lol Starts with a G ends with a S >_>Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.

    or you can look down below in the comments >_> <_<

    cough cough

    find me and comment or something

    Thank you for all your support and I hope you enjoy these new chapters ">

 Chapter 260: Deep Roots

    For the most part besides the two groups that had met their untimely end at the hands of the mysterious man¡¯s deadly fire and the new master of the Reaper¡¯s Coffin, for the most part, many of the other groups of visitors were greeted with a much friendlier welcome.

    Lavish banquets, crowds of consisting of hundreds if not thousands of patiently waiting followers and hordes of awe-inspiring beasts greeted many of the otherworldly visitors.

    Unlike Zhang who had spent countless hours to tirelessly strengthen his forces in order to defend his people and his empire, many of the other forces scattered across the land viewed the scene current events as a once in a lifetime opportunity.

    Considering that these groups of otherworldly visitors were comprised solely of saints and even included a few half-deities, one could only imagine how powerful their backers were.

    Throughout the millennia countless experts had been roped in by these visitors and taken to higher realms and even time this occurred the respective forces that these experts hailed from would receive countless benefits.

    Hence unlike Zhang, most of the other powerful entities scattered across the realm had actually gone out of their way to curry favor with the visiting groups.

    Also, there were not many factions who possessed a half-deity like Zhang nor were there many with access to an Ethereal point or the dragon''s vein, hence offending these otherworldly visitors was not a wise decision to begin with.

    Of all of the forces closely relate to the otherworldly visitors, there was one in particular whose fate was deeply intertwined with Zhang¡¯s.

    With tens of thousands of fluttering flags hoisted above massive sails, thousands of ships inscribed with the mark of the Siwang Empire could be sea bobbing about above the ocean¡¯s surface.

    Levitating above this massive fleet of ships was a group consisting of roughly two hundred individuals, most of which were garbed in blood red armor laced with golden thread, much similar to the standard armor of the Siwang Empire¡¯s soldiers.

    Obviously from this alone one could tell how closely related the Siwang Empire was with this group of people.

    Upon seeing the arrival of the group of two hundred, the sound of trumpets and drums began to reverberate through the air as a lone individual ascended into the sky from a massive ship that was situated in the heart of the Siwang Empire¡¯s naval fleet.

    Garbed in golden robes embroidered with a dragon sewn out of blood red colored thread, a middle-aged man arrived in front of the group of two hundred while releasing a noble aura.

    While a domineering aura was initially begin released from his body, the instant the middle-aged man garbed in golden robes caught sight of a young man dressed in crimson silk robes, his confident demeanor installed changed. Recognizing a beautifully carved pendant hanging from the young man¡¯s robes, the middle-aged man instantly withdrew his aura and hastened his ascent.

    ¡°Protector Cang, greets his highness.¡± The middle-aged man said in a respectful tone to the young man dressed in crimson silk robes, contrary to the haughty and imposing gaze that he had prior to arriving in front of the group of two hundred.

    Of the group of two hundred men, this young man was the only one not clad in armor, clearly indicating that he was a someone who held a special position in the group.

    ¡°Your highness, if I knew someone of your status was arriving I would have made better arrangements.¡± Protector Cang said after his gaze fell onto the young man¡¯s jade pendant once again.

    To a regular person, this would appear to merely be a beautifully made accessory, but to those within the Siwang Empire¡¯s royal family, this pendant symbolizes something more. It was a symbol of power, a symbol of authority that allowed those who held it to call upon all of the empire¡¯s resources at will.

    ¡°Protector Cang, my men and I have had a long journey, how much longer are you going to have us stay up here?¡± The young man dressed in crimson red robes said without bothering to look Protector Cang in the eye.

    ¡°I apologize for the delay, your highness. Please follow me, I''ve made all the necessary arrangements and have prepared lodging for everyone.¡± Protector Cang said in a subservient tone, despite how rude the young man demeanor was.

    Leading the group of two hundred downward toward the Siwang Empire¡¯s naval fleet, Protector Cang had a subtle scowl on his face as the thousands of sailors below saluted him and gazed upward respectfully.

    After directing most of the members of the group of two hundred to their respective lodgings, Protector Wang and the young man dressed in crimson robes flew toward the fleet¡¯s flagship.

    ¡°Your highness, please forgive me for asking, but why is someone of your status here. Usually another protector leads the trip to this lesser realm.¡± Protector Cang asked while gazing downward, not daring to look the young man in the eye.

    ¡°Do you remember the events that transpired a thousand years ago during the last opening of the great rift?¡± The young man asked in an emotionless tone.

    ¡°How could I possibly forget. The last time the great rift opened, the land was struck with calamity as that beast ravaged the land.¡± Protector Cang said as buried memories began to surface in his mind.

    ¡°That beast you speak of is a fallen god, and this time I was personally tasked by the Holy Emperor to retrieve its remains and its inheritance.¡± The young man said.This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    ¡°But to send someone of your status, isn¡¯t that too risky?¡± Protector Cang said. While he was unclear of the young man¡¯s status within the holy empire, Protector Cang knew that only the empire¡¯s inner elite would be in possession of the Blood Medallion.

    ¡°Are you implying that there is someone out there capable of harming me? Even if someone is capable of doing so, do you think they would risk injuring me? Hmph, of all of the holy empire¡¯s dukes, my father, the Eighth Duke is known to be one of the strongest, who would dare to injure me, Prince San Cang.¡± The young man said in a proud tone.

    ¡°Of course! Who would dare to injure a prince of the Holy Empire. Even if they dared, I¡¯m sure there aren''t many who could hope to match your martial prowess, my prince.¡± Protector Cang said, after slightly gasping at the young man¡¯s status.

    As the son of one of the holy empire¡¯s dukes, this young man was undoubtedly a prince and for a prince to have been sent to a lesser realm was somewhat unthinkable for Protector Chang.

    ¡°Your highness, all other matters aside, how can this old man assist you in locating the remnants of the fallen god?¡± Protector Cang asked, hoping to gain the young prince¡¯s favor and earn himself a supporter within the inner workings of the holy empire.

    ¡°You simply need to mobilize the forces of the empire and assign them to my men, who will take care of the rest. As long as you are able to do this and things go well, you will no longer have to offer up one billion souls as tribute every time the great rift opens. I''ll also grant you a bottle of Divine Energy Pellets. On top of that I will allow you to pick ten talented individuals for me to take back to the holy empire, where they will be allowed to cultivate and given access to the holy empire¡¯s vast resources.¡± Prince San Cang said, causing excitement to flash into Protector Cang¡¯s face.

    ¡°Are your words true, your highness? Usually only two of the empire¡¯s finest are brought back. And usually we are only given a single Divine Energy Pellet.¡± Protector Cang said in a delighted tone.

    ¡°Do you think this prince is lying to you?¡± Prince San Cang said with a raised eyebrow and a slight frown on his face, causing a panicked expression to instantly appear on Protector Cang¡¯s.

    ¡°Of course not! How would I dare think that?¡± Protector Cang quickly responded in a hurried tone.

    ¡°Good, let us quickly return to the mainland. The rift will only remain open for one year¡¯s time and we must locate the fallen god¡¯s inheritance before then.¡± Prince San Cang said.

    ¡°At once, your highness.¡± Protector Cang said before guiding Prince San Cang toward a lavishly decorated room and departing toward the ship¡¯s main base of operation.

    Once Protector Cang was out of Prince San Cang¡¯s presence, his previously subservient demeanor instantly changed back to an overbearing one.

    With firm steps, Protector Cang entered a large room filled with dozens of men clad in armor. Upon seeing Protector Cang, all of the men instantly stopped what they were doing and saluted him in unison.

    ¡°Your majesty!¡± All of the men yelled as they saluted and kneeled onto one knee in front of Protector Cang.

    ¡°At ease.¡± Protector Cang said while casually waving his hand.

    ¡°Send orders to the rest of the fleet, we are returning to the mainland. Also send word back to the empire, have my sons mobilize all of our available forces.¡± Protector Cang said in a commanding tone as he seated himself atop a golden throne situated in the middle of the room.

    By now it should be obvious that Protector Cang is none other than the current emperor of the Siwang Empire, the same man who had ordered his armies to attack the Heilong Kingdom and collect the souls of countless innocent people in order to offer them to the Holy Empire.

    ¡°At once, your majesty.¡± A young man whose armor was covered in dozens of different insignias said before the sound of war drums echoed throughout the surrounding area.

    Joining the sound of war drums were the roars of dozens of massive serpentine beasts whose heads rose out of the ocean¡¯s surface. With large harnesses strapped to their bodies, these beasts were tethered to the ships of the Siwang Empire.

    Thus, the Siwang Empire¡¯s massive naval fleet began heading back to the Wulin continent.

    Unbeknownst to Zhang, besides the forces of the Siwang Empire, other major fractions that ruled over vast expanses of the realm were also heading to the Wulin continent with various guests in tow.

    Some could be spotted soaring through the sky and piercing through clouds atop flocks of gigantic winged beasts, some could be seen gathering in front of ancient looking arrays, while others could be spotted standing atop the masts of gargantuan ships pulled by strange looking monsters that dwelled in the depths of the sea.

    ================================

    As various forces headed toward the Wulin continent, the peace that had enveloped the Aurora Empire had come to a sudden end. Over a span of a dozen or so days, the Aurora Empire¡¯s imperial court had received a string of urgent reports from the northern edge of its domain.

    Over the span of five days, the populace of dozens of small villages and a handful of towns had all been turned into dried up corpses, all donning a terrified expression that made one¡¯s spine tingle with fear.

    The first to discover what was occurring was a group of soldiers from the Aurora Empire¡¯s Northern Regiment, while on a routine supply delivery to a small village located deep within the empire¡¯s northern mountains, these soldiers had stumbled upon a very strange sight when they had arrived at their destination.

    Ever since the Aurora Empire had been established, the mostly fractured northern regions had been supplied with steady shipments of food from the southern regions via the use of Yuying¡¯s teleportation array and from there the soldiers of the Northern Regiment were tasked to distribute these supplies throughout the region.

    Usually showered with heartwarming welcomes from the local villagers, the soldiers were greeted with an eerie silence that caused a chilling sensation to overcome their senses. The cheerful children who would often run up and looked at the soldiers in awe were nowhere in sight, the elderly who would usually be seen sitting in front of their porches had all but disappeared and the men returning from the forest with their hunted trophies were also missing.

    Being a place with little fertile land and dangerous beasts, food was an extremely highly valued commodity, making it so whenever the soldiers of the Northern Regiment arrived at their destination to make a delivery they were the center of attention. People would often stop whatever they were doing and crowd around the horse driven carts brimming with various grains and meats from the empire¡¯s southern region.

    Thus, when these soldiers saw that no one had come to greet them, they had instantly felt that something was amiss. Afraid that the village had been attacked by bandits, the had soldiers quickly fanned out and began searching the village.

    For the most part, as the soldiers searched the village, no one could be found, it was not until a guy wrenching cry echoed through the air did their search come to an end.

    In the center of the village, piling upward toward the sky was a mound of dried up corpses belonging to the former inhabitants of the small village, be it children, the elderly, men or women, all of whom resided in the small village were now laying lifeless one on top of the other.

    Although they were the first to make such a gruesome discovery, this group of soldiers was not the last.

 Chapter 261: The North

    With dozens of reports and urgent calls for aid being sent from the empire¡¯s northern region, Zhang had decided to personally investigate and uncover what was happening.

    At first, he had wanted to dispatch a team of full saints to fulfill the task, however after a moment¡¯s thought, he decided against it.

    The thought of sending his subordinates to face an unknown entity before the imminent arrival of powerful enemies was somewhat foolish in Zhang¡¯s mind.

    If these subordinates were to end up in an unfortunate predicament and lose their lives, the Aurora Empire¡¯s overall strength would decrease and that was not something that Zhang wanted to occur.

    There was also the fact that as a half-deity, Zhang would be able to figure out what was occurring at the northern frontier much quicker than any of his subordinate can, the chances of something going amiss would also greatly decrease.

    ¡°Shall we depart?¡± Zhang said in a courteous manner while looking toward his wives with a gentle smile.

    ¡°We shall.¡± Yuying said with a slight giggle as she caressed Zhang¡¯s arm.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Ai yelled in an energetic tone, as she hooked onto Zhang¡¯s other arm. Having been cooped up in the imperial city for some time after completing the massive array that encompassed the Aurora Empire, Ai was brimming with energy.

    ¡°Sis, it looks like that may have forgotten the reason for this trip.¡± Lingqi whispered to Ling.

    ¡°It seems so.¡± Ling replied as she and Lingqi followed closely behind Zhang and the other beauties.

    While it is without a doubt that Zhang and the beauties were not pleased with what was currently occurring at the empire¡¯s northern frontier, they were of course not going to let such things boggle down their thoughts and cause their emotions to sour. After witnessing death and despair so often, the group had long since learned that it is best to not dwell on such things and always view life with a brighter and more refreshing air.

    Before long the group had entered one of the Aurora Empire¡¯s many teleportation arrays and with a bright flash of light disappeared without leaving a single trace.

    Elsewhere, a few minutes prior to when Zhang and his wives entered the teleportation array, in the far reaches of the Aurora Empire, within a midsized city, a large group of well-built men clad in armor could be seen standing in front of a large magnificent looking building that greatly contrasted with the rest of the buildings around it.

    From a single glance, one could tell that this large building, currently surrounded by soldiers had only recently been constructed and from its solid iron gates to the numerous guard towers encircling it, the importance this compound held within the city.

    Within this magnificent building with high ceilings and marble floors, were a series of large pillars engraved with countless runes.

    Standing around these large pillars were various men and women all dressed in finely sewn robes and dresses, stitched with golden thread and laced with materials gathered from various demonic beasts that dwelled within the nearby area.

    Besides their exquisite clothing, this group of people all gave off a noble aura that only those whoever had a high-class upbringing possessed. But of all the people amongst this group, there were a few select individuals who obviously stood above everyone else.

    ¡°Brother Ren, why do you look so nervous today.¡± An elderly man with a long scar running down across his left eyelid, garbed silver robes said while looking at another elderly aged who had a long scar running across the side of his left cheek, making it appear as if half of his face was stuck in a perpetual smile.

    From a single look, anyone would be able to tell that these two elderly men were veterans who have been a part of hundreds of battles. Men who have lived most of their lives embroiled within war and slaughter, men who have spent years treading across battlefields.

    ¡°Uncle Ni, not all of us are as daring as you. Right, Uncle Ren?¡± A young man dressed in simple white silk robes said with a chuckle.

    ¡°Hah, the boy is right, not all of us have nerves of steel like you, Old Ni.¡± The elderly man with the scar on his cheek who was referred to as Uncle Ren added with a chuckle.

    ¡°How have things been? Have any of those old bags of bones been giving you trouble after you succeeded your father¡¯s domain?¡± The elderly man who was called Uncle Ni said while looking at the young man dressed in white silk robes.

    ¡°If anyone is giving you problems after your succession, Little Hang Yu, just tell your uncles and we will give them a proper beating for you.¡± Uncle Ren said with a laugh as the hint of nervousness on his face faded away.

    ¡°There isn''t a need to worry about me, Uncle Ren and Uncle Ni, most of the elders within the clan have been very cooperative and helpful after I''ve taken over my father¡¯s mantle. If it were not for what is currently happening, I wouldn¡¯t have a thing to worry about.¡± Hang Yu said with a sigh.

    ¡°Hopefully the people that the imperial capital is sending over will be able to bring peace and tranquility back to our lands.¡± Uncle Ren said with a long sigh, as everyone else within the large room stared at the massive array of pillars in front of them.Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

    ¡°Lord Ren, Lord Ni and Lord Hang, as the rulers of the three largest provinces within the empire¡¯s northern domain, do any of the three of you happen to know who is being sent here? Will soldiers from the Imperial army come to help increase security in our lands? Also has there been any word on my request to have myself and my family to be temporarily transferred to the capital been approved?¡± A chubby middle-aged man in velvet robes said with a slightly curious and eager look on his face.

    ¡°Lord Pao, I am not sure exactly who nor how many people the emperor has arranged to come investigate what is happening and while it is not my place to question you nor your actions, but do you really think your request to be relocated to the capital will really approved?¡± Uncle Ni said with a look of disapproval.

    ¡°While the empire hasn''t been established for long and my interactions with the emperor have been shallow to none, it is obvious from the policies that have been implemented that our emperor is one who places high value within the common folk. Do you truly believe you''ll be granted approval to basically abandon the people within your domain?¡± Uncle Ni added, causing Lord Pao¡¯s face to become flustered and his palms to become sweaty.

    ¡°What brother Ni said is right, Lord Pao, I highly doubt your request will be approved. On top of things, I believe we should all prepare for the worst. We may end up being reprimanded by the emperor for allowing things to get to such an extent before making the proper reports.¡± Uncle Ren said with a sigh.

    ¡°Reprimanded? Bu-but we sent in reports as soon as we were alerted of what was occurring.¡± Lord Pao said in a hurried tone.

    ¡°Still, the residents of a total of ten villages and four mid-sized towns have all been turned into dried up corpses within our lands, do you think we will be able to escape responsibility?¡± Hang Yu said while looking at Lord Pao.

    ¡°Although I''m quite confident that none of us will be stripped of our titles nor face the possibility of being executed, I do not think that we will come out of this unscathed.¡± Uncle Ni said as his gaze shifted across the room, while everyone else slowly nodded in agreement.

    ¡°Is there anything we should do? I heard the crown prince was a womanizer, should we prepare a few little beauties for him?¡± One of the lords of the northern region asked.

    ¡°It seems you''ve yet catch sight of his highness¡¯s madams. If you had then you wouldn''t have made such a suggestion.¡± Another lord chuckled at the thought of finding women comparable to the beauties within the northern region.

    ¡°How about we each pitch in and offer up a few treasures to his highness. I heard he wasn''t one to shy from material wealth.¡± Another lord suggested.

    ¡°If the crown prince was capable enough to slay that bastard Lui Bang with little to no effort, do you think there is anything we can offer him that he can''t obtain on his own? Rather than trying to get the crown prince on our side, we should try to make more ties to the lords of the southern domain, mainly the Duke of the South.¡± Someone else said just before the array of stone pillars in front of ten began to light up.

    An instant later light filled the room as the teleportation array was activated.

    Moments later, a group consisting of four beautiful women and a familiar looking young man could be seen standing within the center of the large teleportation array.

    ¡°Speak of the devil¡­¡± Uncle Ren thought before being the first to walk toward the center of the teleportation array.

    ¡°Old Ren of the Black Iron Province greets his highness.¡± Uncle Ren said with a slight bow while clasping his hands together in a soft voice that could barely be heard by the other lords and madams in the room.

    Jian Wei had excused most of the people present from being forced to bow to those of the same rank or higher. By doing this, Jian Wei had preserved a bit of the prestige that these former regents had once held and by doing so he would ensure that none of them felt that they were being looked down upon. Although the Warring States Region was now united under a single banner, there was still the possibility of civil war if the lords of the various regions were treated too harshly.

    ¡°Lord Ren, no need to be so polite.¡± Zhang said in a kind tone with a smile spread across his face.

    As a single moment past, a small number of high-ranking lords and madams within the room began to crowd around Zhang and the four beauties, hoping to be acquainted with the empire¡¯s crowned prince.

    Since the Aurora Empire was still in its early stages of development, for officials and lords who did not reside within the empire¡¯s central region where most of the government resided, making connections was an essential task. For instance, if a lord was closely affiliated with Zhang, the chances of another lord seeking to cause them trouble would greatly decrease.

    Although it was not something that Zhang nor Jian Wei desired, in the end the entire empire would certainly be broken up into various fractions, since the weak tend to seek shelter under the wings of the strong and the strong tend to seek more power by assimilating the strength of the weak. It is a common occurrence in most kingdoms and empires for officials who are unaffiliated with any faction or group to be preyed upon. This is how politics usually worked within the various kingdoms, empires and forces and was unavoidable as it is due to human nature to flock together.

    While many of the high-ranking lords and their affiliates sought favor from Zhang, there were also many lower ranked officials who have never gotten the opportunity to even catch a glimpse of their crowned prince or any of the empire¡¯s princesses and thus for a second all they could do was stare blankly and wonder about the identity of this young man standing before them. Of course, it did not take long for them to realize Zhang¡¯s identity after getting a few good looks at the beauties and putting one thing together with another.

    ¡°Your highness, for you to personally come to our aid, puts this old man¡¯s heart at ease.¡± Uncle Ni said with a smile. As the empire¡¯s strongest man, Uncle Ni felt that if Zhang could not deal with the problem that the northern region was facing, no one can and thus he felt very relieved.

    ¡°It is my duty to ensure peace across the empire.¡± Zhang said with a smile.

    After an exchange of introductions and some small talk, Zhang and his wives were lead outside where hundreds of soldiers would escort them to the provincial lord¡¯s mansion.

    ¡°If your Lordships could enlighten me with regards to what is happening. Although I''ve been briefed on the matter, I think it would be best if you could give me a full account of what has occurred so far.¡± Zhang said as he sat within a large and beautifully decorated carriage while his wives sat quietly beside him.

    Upon hearing what Zhang said, all of the lords within the carriage instantly froze in place. Fearing that Zhang was going to reprimand or punish them, none of the lords uttered a single word as they glanced at one another while cold sweat began to condense on their brows.

 Chapter 262: Sky Cliff City

    After talking to the lords of the northern region and spending a night at the provincial lord¡¯s mansion, Zhang and his wives quickly departed and began heading toward the northern frontier where most of the recent events have been transpiring. Feeling that they had come upon a possible lead, Zhang and the beauties took to the sky, soaring about at full speed.

    ¡°If my guess is right, our destination should be the next place to be struck.¡± Zhang said as he exited from a large puffy cloud.

    ¡°Judging by the locations of the villages and cities affected, we should be headed the right way.¡± Ling said in agreement as she stared at an animal hide map being held in her hands while flying beside Zhang.

    Marked on this map being held in Ling¡¯s hands were a series of circular marks that indicated the various villages and cities within the northern region that had been attacked, upon closer inspection one would notice that these villages were all within the general vicinity of a small mountain range that the locals referred to as the Misty Mountains.

    Situated within both the borders of the Aurora Empire and a neighboring kingdom referred to as the Blue Moon Kingdom, the Misty Mountains had been a highly active military zone until recent years.

    Before the Aurora Empire was established, the Blue Moon Kingdom had tried numerous times to gain complete control of the Mist Mountains in order to use it to establish a solid foothold within the Warring States Region.

    When the geographical features of the Misty Mountain Range were combined with curtain of mist that constantly shrouded its tall peaks and countless valleys, it made an ideal location not only to erect a hidden fortress that could be used in both defensive and offensive operations, but it would also be a great place to secretly maneuver vast armies without alerting one¡¯s enemies.

    Thus, for decades, the lords of the Northern Region and the rulers of the Blue Moon Kingdom had fought for complete control of the mountain range, only to be stuck in a constant deadlock with one another. When the northern lords felt that defeat against the Blue Moon Kingdom was imminent they would plead for aid from the lords of the central region on top of sending secret envoys to kingdoms that shared their borders with the Blue Moon Kingdom.

    Although the lords within the Warring States Region had been at odds with each other and had constantly fought amongst themselves, the thought of allowing outsiders the opportunity to steal what they felt was theirs had allowed the various lords to settle their differences and work together to keep the armies of the Blue Moon Kingdom at bay.

    Vice versa, if l the northern lords were to ever gain even the slightest of advantages over the Blue Moon Kingdom, the other Lords of the Warring States Region would rally against them.

    As a result of the numerous skirmishes that occurred within the mountain range, the Misty Mountains were filled with the stench of death and countless beasts that had gathered to feast on the remains of the countless soldiers that had lost their lives in the thick mist.

    Of course, once the Aurora Empire was established, the Blue Moon Kingdom no longer dared to bare their fangs and with an empire to manage Jian Wei did not yet have the time to go about conquering other lands. So, the Misty Mountain Range had been left in peace until recent events.

    Since most of the recent occurrences had happened within the general vicinity of the Misty Mountains, Zhang and the beauties felt that the next city most likely to be struck by this strange calamity was one a city many called Sky Cliff City.

    With a general population of roughly forty thousand people on top of being situated fairly close to a number of villages that been struck a few days prior, Zhang believed that Sky Cliff City would most likely be the next place to become a dead city. That is of course if Zhang and the beauties were not to arrive.

    ¡°From what I can tell, it seems like the populace in the surrounding area had all congregated within this city.¡± Zhang said after his divine sense swept across Sky Cliff City and discovering a total of roughly seventy thousand inhabitants.

    ¡°Should we pay the city lord a visit?¡± Lingqi asked as her gaze swept across Sky Cliff City¡¯s ramparts where teams of soldiers could be seen performing various tasks.

    ¡°First, I think we should land, retract all of our power and try to conceal ourselves as best we can.¡± Yuying suggested as she began to slowly descended.

    Since Zhang had enveloped the group within his divine sense, as long as there weren''t any half-deities in the area, no one would have been alarmed by the group¡¯s presence. However, maintaining use of his divine sense for extended periods of time would still take a strain on him and if the beauties did not conceal their powers, others may be alert to their presence.

    Quickly following after Yuying, the remainder of the group landed on their feet moments later before heading toward the nearest city gate on foot.

    Covering their faces behind veils, the four beauties stuck closely beside Zhang as the group approached the city gates where hundreds of people could be seen standing in long lines.

    Due to their luxurious looking clothing, Zhang and his wives had initially drawn the attention of many of the people standing at the very back of the line leading into Sky Cliff City, however as time went on and as the line continued forward everyone¡¯s gazes slowly focused elsewhere.Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

    Although Zhang was standing patiently in line, his mind and his eyes continued to wonder about, scanning the surrounding area for oddities that may point him toward what he was seeking.

    While neither Zhang nor his wives noticed anything out of the ordinary, as they inched ever closer to the city gates they did notice that the city guards were actually charging everyone fifty gold coins to enter the city.

    Even though the citizens of the Aurora Empire had been graced with a period of peace and prosperity that had allowed them to achieve higher standards of living and were no longer to live in utter poverty, fifty gold coins were still considered a hefty sum for most commoners.

    In the more rural areas of the empire, such as the area around Sky Cliff City, a few hundred gold coins would be used a dowry for most families. Meaning if an entire family of commoners was to now enter Sky Cliff City, they would basically have to give up all of their savings and be left nearly penniless.

    ¡°To think they are charging people money to enter the city at a time like this.¡± Ling said while shaking her head.

    ¡°Let''s have a closer look, if anything it seems like we will need to pay the city Lord a visit.¡± Zhang said with creased brows.

    Although Zhang was a person who placed fairly high value in material possessions, he was also one who strongly believed in treating one¡¯s subjects and subordinates well. Unlike many who lived in the same day and age as him, Zhang was one of the few who saw value in a person¡¯s life rather than viewing everyone beneath him as insects or pests.

    Unhappy with the way the city Lord was making use of the current situation to fill his own pockets, Zhang decided he would personally visit the city lord¡¯s mansion after he entered the city.

    ¡°How many in your group?¡± A city guard asked Zhang in a stern voice that would frighten most regular people.

    ¡°Five.¡± Zhang replied in an emotionless tone.

    ¡°It will cost you five hundred gold coins to enter the city.¡± The city guard speaking to Zhang said before signaling for a few of his comrades standing not too far away to come over.

    ¡°Five hundred gold coins? That''s a hundred gold coins a person!¡± Zhang said with a hint of surprise in his voice.

    ¡°Five hundred gold coins or scram! If you think you five could survive outside the city gates after sunset amidst all that is going on, then you are dreaming. Judging from your clothes, a few hundred gold coins shouldn''t be worth a damn to you at all.¡± The city guard said as a greedy glint surfaced in his eye.

    ¡°If you don''t have five hundred gold coins, even if I can''t see their faces, I¡¯m sure a night with these four would be worth some coin.¡± Another guard said with a snicker causing a scowl to appear on Zhang¡¯s face.

    ¡°Let me handle this.¡± Lingqi¡¯s voice echoed in Zhang¡¯s mind as her delicate hand tapped him on the shoulder.

    ¡°Sir, please forgive my husband. Here are five hundred gold coins and a little extra for you and your friends to go have a drink with.¡± Lingqi said in a gentle tone as she pulled out a jiggling leather bag.

    ¡°Hah, that¡¯s more like it.¡± The city guard said as he held up the leather bag Lingqi handed him and peeked inside. With a wide grin, the city guard dipped his hand into the bag of gold coins, picking one up and biting into it to check its authenticity, causing a glint to flicker in Lingqi¡¯s eyes.

    ¡°Please check if there¡¯s enough in the bag to pay our entry fee, we would like to enter the city as soon as possible.¡± Yuying said to the city guard, prompting him to toss the leather bag to a group of his comrades who crowded around each other like a hungry pack of wolves.

    ¡°You may enter the city, I hope you enjoy your stay.¡± The city guard said to Zhang and the beauties as he rubbed his hands together after finding out there was in fact five hundred and fifty gold coins inside the leather bag.

    With the contents of the leather bag confirmed, Zhang and the beauties entered the city without bothering to look back at the commotion that soon followed.

    Roughly a quarter of an hour after Zhang¡¯s group had departed, as the city guards were busy extorting money from the common folk who wished to enter the city, in a sudden turn of events, every single man who had laid hands on the leather bag that had been in Lingqi¡¯s possession, fell over face first onto the ground. In a matter of seconds, the group of guards who had demanded five hundred gold coins from Zhang had all met their untimely demise and laid lifelessly on the ground as streams of blood seeped out from their eye socks.

    At first, the people waiting in line to get into the city were at an uproar and panic-stricken, however this soon changed when someone took the initiative and ran through the city gates. Before the guards station on the city walls could react, a sea of people flooded through the city gates, hoping to avoid the toll fee.

    At first the deaths of the five or so guards had caused quite a stir throughout the city, however things quickly calmed as the deaths of a few measly guards couldn''t hold interest for long in a city of tens of thousands of people.

    ¡°Serves them right.¡± Ai said in an uncaring tone as she and the others walked onto a bustling street, brimming with life and filled with people selling their wares.

    One could say where there are people there is commerce regardless of the circumstances, even though everyone was charged a hefty fee to enter the city, a lot of transactions were still occurring within Sky Cliff City.

    At first everything seemed fine, however as Zhang and the beauties proceeded down the busy street toward the center of the city where the city lord¡¯s mansion was, they noticed groups of city guards walking up toward various stalls and business where they would demand dozens of silver or gold coins before leaving.

    From a single glance, it was obvious that onto of charging an extravagant fee to enter the city, the city Lord was allowing his underlings to extort money from the people conducting business within the city.

    ¡°Lord Tian Xuan is marrying his ninth concubine today; don''t you think everyone in the city should show our great lord some sincerity?¡± Zhang overheard one of the city guards saying.

    ¡°Hmm, it seems there are festivities at the city lord¡¯s mansion. Seems like fun.¡± Lingqi said with a mischievous grin under her veil.

    ¡°It bet the city lord will be very happy that the empire¡¯s prince and princesses are personally attending his wedding.¡± Ling said with an equally mischievous smile under her veil.

    ¡°Should we prepare a gift?¡± Yuying said with a glint in her eye.

    ¡°Nothing too extravagant, we wouldn''t want to draw unnecessary attention to ourselves before we uncover the culprit behind the dead villages and cities.¡± Zhang said despite having a mischievous grin of his own.

 Chapter 263: Lord Tian Xuan

    Although Sky Cliff City was not as well-known as Red Mist City when it came to commerce nor was it known for military strength like the City of Aurora back in the days before the Aurora Empire was established, it stood as a key location in the Warring States Region nonetheless.

    Due to its geographic location on the northern frontier and its proximity to the Misty Mountains, Sky Cliff City had always received numerous benefits from the lords of the northern regions and at times even the Blue Moon Kingdom.

    Since Sky Cliff City was practically on the border of the Warring States Region, to ensure the previous status quo, no one dared to antagonize its city Lord due to the fact that if Sky Cliff City were to defect to the Blue Moon Kingdom, the rest of the Northern Regions would fall under jeopardy.

    Thanks to this, even though Sky Cliff City was a fairly small city within the grander scale of things, the city lord¡¯s mansion was extremely lavish as his coffers were brimming with riches and wealth from the many bribes and benefits he received.

    With the wealth and power under his beck and call, Lord Tian Xuan, like many others in his position, stood unchallenged within his domain and as time went on a tyrant was born within Sky Cliff City. A tyrant who could call for rain and storms as he pleased thanks to the deep roots he had laid down within the surrounding areas.

    Today in order to further increase his power and prestige within the surrounding area, Lord Tian Xuan had elected to marry the youngest daughter of a lord of the Blue Moon Kingdom.

    Situated in a similar position as Sky Cliff City, Black Star City, which was located within the borders of the Blue Moon Kingdom, had wished to form an alliance with Lord Tian Xuan who had in turn sent a marriage proposal as a response.

    As the wedding between Lord Tian Xuan and the youngest daughter of Black Star City¡¯s Lord had been decided many months ago and all manners of preparations had been long since underway, despite the attacks on the neighboring villages, the wedding wasn''t going to be postponed.

    Rather, making use of his wedding as an excuse, Lord Tian Xuan had actually decided to make a hefty sum off of the people living in and entering Sky Cliff City.

    Seeing it as killing two birds with one stone, stuffing his pockets full and showing his authority, Lord Tian Xuan could be seen with a wide grin on his face as he greeted the guests attending his wedding.

    ¡°Thank you for attending.¡± Lord Tian Xuan said with a hearty laugh as one of his guests handed him a large brocade box. Despite appearing to only be in his late fifties, Lord Tian Xuan was actually about three hundred years old. As a warrior of the eighth rank, on top of aging much slower than everyone else, his lifespan was also significantly longer than the average person.

    ¡°Take this and put it with the rest.¡± Lord Tian Xuan said to one of his servants as he handed over the large brocade box he was holding. With a nod, Lord Tian Xuan¡¯s servant silently took the large brocade box and placed it on a large table piled with gifts of various shapes and sizes.

    Holding to gain favor, forge relationships and appease the tyrant of the north, many people were in attendance of Lord Tian Xuan¡¯s wedding and with them were gifts that were obtained from the far reaches of the empire.

    ¡°Lord Tian Xuan! Thank you for inviting this old man to such a festive occasion.¡± An elderly looking man said in a loud tone as he walked through the city lord mansion¡¯s main gates, with a small box in hand and a dozen or so uniformed men around him.

    ¡°Haha, how could I not invite the city¡¯s number one merchant, Mister Lao Cai.¡± Lord Tian Xuan said with a wide grin as he eyed the small box in the elderly man¡¯s hand.

    ¡°Haha, as a show of my appreciation for you my Lord, I''ve brought something that I''ve recently acquired from an acquaintance of mine who happens to have a relative that dwells within the empire¡¯s forbidden city.¡± Mister Lao Cao said with a broad smile as he held up the smell brocade box, drawing in Lord Tian Xuan¡¯s gaze even more.

    With much anticipation, Mister Lao Cao slowly the small brocade box, revealing an intricate looking pair of jade bracelets with beautifully carved phoenixes on them.

    ¡°Lord Tian Xuan, these bracelets had belonged to one of the empire¡¯s imperial princesses and only by using many various channels was me acquittance able to smuggle them out from the forbidden city. As you know, being an object that had been once worn by one of the imperial princesses alone makes the value of these already expensive increase exponentially. However, I couldn''t think of anyone worthier to possess these then your bride, my lord. Surely someone as your bride who is many times more beautiful than those princesses deserve these bracelets more than anyone else.¡± Mister Lao Cao said while rubbing his heads together in a particular manner which caused a wide grin on Lord Tian Xuan¡¯s face.

    ¡°Haha, Mister Lao Cao you sure know your way with words. It is as you say, those four so-called unrivaled beauties who reside in the imperial palace couldn''t hope to come close to my bride.¡± Lord Tian Xuan''s chuckled in a delighted tone.

    ¡°Prettier than the imperial princesses, you say.¡± A voice sounded in the ears of Mister Lao Cao and Lord Tian Xuan, causing their gaze to shift.

    Looking toward the mansion''s front gates, a young man and four women whose faces were covered behind veils could be seen surrounded by a dozen or so armored men. The young man and four women of course are Zhang and his four wives while the armored men were all Lord Tian Xuan¡¯s subordinates.If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.

    ¡°Who might this be?¡± Lord Tian Xuan said with a raised brow as he glanced at one of his subordinates.

    ¡°My lord, this man barged in through the gate without an invitation! Please step back and allow us to apprehend him.¡± The guard responded in a hurried tone seconds before positioning himself in front of Lord Tian Xuan pointing the tip of the spear in his hand was toward Zhang.

    ¡°I happened to be in the area on official business from the imperial capital, but when I heard that the local lord was celebrating a wedding, I figured I would at least stop by for a drink or two.¡± Zhang said with a chuckle.

    ¡°Regardless of whether or not you hail from the imperial capital, to intrude into the city lord¡¯s mansion is an offense punishable by death.¡± A guard said in a stern voice just as Zhang flipped his hand and revealed a golden medallion.

    ¡°Even if I show you this?¡± Zhang asked as he held the golden medallion high up into the air.

    ¡°Hah you think showing us a random chunk of metal will allow you to walk out of here scot-free?¡± The guard said in a haughty tone while Lord Tian Xuan¡¯s complexion became deathly pale.

    ¡°Idiot! Quickly get on your knees, that¡¯s an imperial medallion that is only granted to those within the inner circle of the imperial court! Even those who are three ranks higher than me in the court do not possess one of those! Seeing that is equivalent to seeing the emperor himself!¡± Lord Tian Xuan said as he hastily got onto his knee and kneeled to Zhang.

    In an instant, upon seeing what Lord Tian Xuan was doing, everyone present at the wedding quickly did the same and before long from the lowliest of servants to the most important guests, everyone was on their knees.

    ¡°Haha no need to be so formal.¡± Zhang said with a laugh as he saw the sudden change in his surroundings.

    ¡°My lord, my I ask for your name.¡± Lord Tian Xuan spoke in a polite tone.

    ¡°My name is Lee Ming. I am currently serving within his Highness Prince Zhang¡¯s Elite Guard.¡± Zhang said, after confirming that no one present knew his true identity. While Zhang¡¯s name had been spread far and wide and tales of his adventures had become that of legends, besides those who reside in the central region of the empire, not many knew his how he looked. This is because paintings and statues are incapable to truly capturing a person¡¯s features exactly and certain features are always often exaggerated.

    ¡°Lord Lee, since you''ve decided to grace this lowly noble with your pretense, please come in and have a seat.¡± Lord Tian Xuan said respectfully.

    ¡°Under the imperial prince¡¯s orders, I have come to the northern frontier to investigate the strange phenomena that has caused the deaths of hundreds of the empire¡¯s citizens who were residing near this city. I''m sure you know what I''m talking about.¡± Zhang said as he casually walked toward the nearest table and seated himself along with his wives.

    ¡°If you require any assistance from myself or my vassals, please do not hesitate to call upon us. We are all at your beck and call, Lord Lee.¡± Lord Tian Xuan said as he walked up to the table Zhang was seated at and sat down.

    ¡°Lord Tian Xuan, if I recall correctly, before my husband interrupted your conversation, you had mentioned something about a pair of bracelets belonging to the imperial princesses? My sisters and I are quite familiar with the princesses and if possible, I would like to have a look at these bracelets.¡± Ling said with a laugh as a mischievous glint appeared in her eyes while the other beauties could be heard softly chuckling.

    ¡°Madam, I believe Mister Lao Cao was simply joking or trying to make his petty gift appear to be more lavish than it actually is. As I''m sure you know, taking items, especially items owned by the imperial princesses, out from the forbidden city without permission is punishable by death or at the least the loss of both of one¡¯s hands.¡± Lord Tian Xuan said in a slightly nervous voice as he gulped down a mouth full of saliva.

    Under normal circumstances if Ling were the madam of some lower-ranking official, Lord Tian Xuan would have certainly reprimanded her or thrown her into the city dungeon as he''s done to many others, however due to the golden medallion that Zhang had shown him earlier, Lord Tian Xuan was too afraid to do so. The worst enemy to make was not someone who held more power than one¡¯s self but rather it was the person who could whisper soft words into the ears of one who is stronger than one¡¯s self.

    ¡°Oh, is that so? If this Mister Lao Cao was merely joking about these bracelets being the precious possessions of the imperial princesses, then they aren''t worth mentioning.¡± Ling said.

    ¡°You are right madam; such petty things aren''t worth mentioning.¡± Lord Tian Xuan said with an awkward laugh.

    ¡°Sis, how can we be sure they aren''t the real things unless we examine them for ourselves. Darling, aren¡¯t I right?¡± Lingqi said as she leaned against Zhang causing Lord Tian Xuan to gulp down another mouthful of spit.

    ¡°Haha, Lord Tian Xuan if you could allow my madams to have a look at these bracelets so we can put an end to this matter. If not I''m afraid I won''t ever hear the end of if.¡± Zhang said with a laugh as Lord Tian Xuan inwardly cursed the beauties.

    While he was usually domineering and haughty, Lord Tian Xuan knew better than to act so in front of Zhang, who he believed was an official who held a very high position in the imperial court.

    Although Lord Tian Xuan had never heard of a minister by the name of Lee Ming before, the Aurora Empire was still in its early state of development and high-ranking officials were elected fairly often. On top of all things, the golden medallion that Zhang had shown everyone was without a doubt genuine, making his claims believable.

    ¡°Mister Lao Cao bring your gift over here so Lord Lee¡¯s madams can authenticate them¡­¡± Lord Tian Xuan commanded in an unhappy tone, causing sweat to form and drip down from Mister Lao Cao¡¯s brow as he walked toward the table where Zhang was seated.

    ¡°Lord Lee, if these bracelets do turn out to be authentic, I hope you can show Mister Lao Cao a bit of mercy.¡± Lord Tian Xuan said with a faint smile on his face. Although it appeared as if Lord Tian Xuan was trying to ask Zhang to go easy on his friend, he was actually drawing a clear line between himself and Mister Lao Cao, stating that he had nothing to do with the bracelets.

    ¡°Of course, if these do turn out to be an object that was taken from the forbidden city without permission then I¡¯ll have to trouble you, Lord Tian Xuan, to deal with the matter.¡± Zhang said with a grin as Lingqi took the small brocade box from Mister Lao Cao¡¯s trembling hands.

    With a mischievous smile on her face, Lingqi slowly opened up the small brocade box and took out the pair of jade bracelets.

    ¡°These are¡­¡± Lingqi said before taking a long pause, putting Lord Tian Xuan and Mister Lao Cao on the edge of their seat with dread.

    ¡°These are fake.¡± Lingqi said with a chuckle as cracks began appearing on the pair of jade bracelets pinched between her fingers, soon enough the bracelets broke apart into bits and pieces.

 Wulin Continent Map

    There is a 500 character requirement that needs to be met to post this map so welp, how are you guys? How''s life treating everyone? Hope everyone I doing well, especially you folks in Florida. There may or may not be spoilers on this map for those who arent totally caught up with the story so be warned </img>. Sadly I''m still not at the 500 character requirement T_TLove this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!

 Chapter 264: Dead City

    After hearing Lingqi¡¯s statement and seeing the jade bracelets crumble, Lord Tian Xuan and Mister Lao Cao both let out breaths of relief as cheerful smiles began to resurface on their faces.

    ¡°Now that this matter has been settled, I would like to have a word with you Lord Tian Xuan about another matter. As I entered the city, a few of your subordinates had the gall to charge me hundreds of gold coins.¡± Zhang said with a frown and creases on his brow as his hand slammed down upon the table in front of him, causing its sturdy legs to snap and an array of cups and dishes to spill onto the ground.

    ¡°Lord Lee, pl-please le-let me look into this matter! I will have those guards punished and your gold coins returned to you.¡± Lord Tian Xuan said as he quickly got into his knees. Under normal circumstances such a sight wouldn''t have occurred, however Lord Tian Xuan had felt an overbearing pressure envelop his body as Zhang¡¯s hand slammed into the table, a pressure that sent shivers creeping down his spine causing every ounce of confidence in his being to instantly escape him.

    ¡°Good¡­ To think a few petty guards had dared to demand five million gold coins from me¡­¡± Zhang said, adding a few more zeroes to the sum that the city guards had demanded from him.

    ¡°Fi-five million?¡± Lord Tian Xuan stuttered in disbelief.

    ¡°I''ll make sure your pockets and your coffers are empty by the time I''m through.¡± Zhang thought with a snicker.

    ¡°They even had the gall to charge the common folk one hundred gold coins each¡­ I expect, all of those poor commoners will have their money returned as well?¡± Zhang added as he saw the color drain from Lord Tian Xuan¡¯s face.

    ¡°Lord Lee, I believe you''re mistaken, I think it was only fifty gold coins per a person.¡± Lord Tian Xuan said as he completely lost his cool.

    ¡°Lord Tian Xuan, you couldn''t possibly be implying that you knew what was going on and turned a blind eye to it all. If that''s the cause then I''ll have to act according to the book¡­¡± Zhang said with one raised brow as Lord Tian Xuan felt the temperature around him raise, causing a profuse amount of sweat to accumulate on his forehead.

    ¡°Of of, course not! If I had caught wind of such a thing, not only would I have instantly put a stop to it, I would have severely punished the people orchestrating it.¡± Lord Tian Xuan said as he inwardly cursed Zhang for pushing him into a corner.

    ¡°Good, if needed I have permission from his Majesty to personally assume command of the bulk of the Northern Armies and have them oversee Sky Cliff City¡¯s security.¡± Zhang said, hinting to Lord Tian Xuan that if needed he could call upon Aurora¡¯s Northern Armies to take over Sky Cliff City.

    ¡°No need to do such a thing, Lord Lee. I will personally go and make sure that every commoner, who had their money taken by the city guards, be compensated.¡± Lord Tian Xuan said while gritting his teeth as he concluded that his pockets would soon be bled dry.

    Despite having to cough up an astronomical sum of gold, due to Zhang, Lord Tian Xuan had bit his lip and acted very courteously toward his unexpected guests. Hoping to at least to bridge connections with a high-ranking official within the inner imperial court.

    Besides crashing Lord Tian Xuan¡¯s wedding and profiting ten thousand times the number of gold coins he had given the city guards, Zhang also took command of a small number of soldiers and had them scatter a few of Yuying¡¯s specially made talismans across the city.

    ================================

    In the dead of night as Zhang and the beauties retired to the inner sanctums of Lord Tian Xuan¡¯s city lord manor, under the gaze of a mesmerizing moon and the rays of the countless stars that loomed up above, thousands of silhouettes could be seen speeding across the land. Accompanying these thousands of silhouettes was the rhythmic clanging of metal that rung through the night without end.

    Unbeknownst to Zhang, a sinister plot was underway as thousands of silhouettes positioned themselves around the walls of a sleeping city.

    Like ghosts, phantoms and spirits, the silhouettes glided up onto the city ramparts without anyone taking notice, despite the constant ringing of metal that accompanied them.

    ¡°Master, everyone is in position and are ready to begin the ritual whenever you wish.¡± A masked person whose voice seemed to belong to neither a woman or a man said as they kneeled in front of a figure hoisting a large coffin.

    This figure with a large coffin of course was the master of the Order of the Blue Moon, the same person who had unleashed the Reaper¡¯s Coffin¡¯s might and eradicated a group of unsuspecting saints and half-deities.

    ¡°Quickly, erect the barrier and activate the soul stone array.¡± The master of the Order of the Blue Moon said a beam of moonlight shone onto his face, revealing a frightening smile and hungering eyes.

    In the following moments, the clanging of metal intensified, slowly awakening the populace housed within the city. Before long a thin semitransparent membrane enveloped the city.If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    ¡°Residents of Twin Star City, I congratulate you and thank you for offering up your lives in order for I, Reverend Dark Moon, to regain what I had once lost.¡± The figure carrying the Reaper¡¯s Coffin laughed as he performed a series of hand signs which caused the air itself to shiver while softly uttering a mysterious incantation.

    Responding to Reverend Dark Moon¡¯s incantation, the Reaper¡¯s Coffin shot into the sky before it¡¯s lid slid open. Rising out from the sturdy metallic coffin, a deformed looking corpse could be seen, without skin and covered in only a measly amount of flesh, this corpse could cause fear to overtake even the bravest of men.

    Sweeping its sinister gaze across the awakening city, the deformed corpse unleashed a shattering screech that caused blood to ooze out from the ears of all of whom were unlucky enough to be nearby.

    ¡°Devour!¡± The deformed corpse cried in an ancient voice that caused one¡¯s hairs to stand on end.

    ¡°Wha-what is happening!?¡± A few confused city folk cried as they ran out from their homes and looked upward into the starry night sky.

    Sadly, without ever receiving an answer to their questions, nor ever being graced with the opportunity to the view the sight of the rising sun again, the people of Twin Star City were soon embroiled within slaughter and death.

    Resonating with the deformed corpse¡¯s will, the shadows cast by the moon¡¯s rays began to dance as if they were alive. Squirming about countless shadows crept across the land as the unsuspecting were dragged into the endless abyss.

    Inch by inch, all of Twin Star City was soon enveloped within shadows and its citizens at the mercy of the dark. At first, the shadows solely target the weak and elderly, but as the number of victims increased, the shadows began to slowly but surely descend upon those of able body, growing in strength with each life it consumed.

    Due to the massive barrier that encased the city, none of the people residing within Twin Star City¡¯s walls were able to flee, despite numerous attempts to do so. As the air filled with horrified screams and the streets with people, skeletal hands could be seen shooting out from the darkness. Like serpents, these skeletal hands entangled and trapped countless people before dragging them into the abyss.  While chances of escaping were already slim to none, even if these people were somehow able to bypass the barrier erected around the city, there were thousands of malevolent figures closely keeping watch atop the ramparts.

    Surprisingly enough, despite standing within the barrier, none of the people that had arrived with Reverend Dark Moon were being attacked by the shadows that had so far been indiscriminately slaughtering everyone and everything that contained a heartbeat within Twin Star City.

    Rather whenever the creeping shadows neared one of Reverend Dark Moon¡¯s subordinates, a series of strange glowing runes could be seen appearing on their shoes. Upon closer inspection, one would come to realize that every single one of Reverend Dark Moon¡¯s subordinates were clad completely in metallic suits of armor that were covered in mysterious runes, the same mysterious runes that covered the Reaper¡¯s Coffin.

    While it is unclear if they had been able to truly understand and familiarize themselves with these mysterious runes, all of Reverend Dark Moon¡¯s subordinates were safe from the shadows. Another occurrence to take note of was the fact that large quantities of essence could be seen flowing upward from the sea of shadows and into fist-sized stones being held by Reverend Dark Moon¡¯s men.

    Unlike the first time when Reverend Dark Moon unleashed the Reaper¡¯s Coffin¡¯s horrors upon the group of saints, this time he had actually found a way to extract the bulk of the essence being harvested by the deformed corpse. Although there weren¡¯t any saints in sight and not even the tiniest trace of heavenly energy within Twin Star City, an astronomical amount of essence was currently being gathered by Reverend Dark Moon¡¯s subordinates, perhaps enough essence to possibly open the path for someone to ascend into sainthood.

    Roughly an hour passed before Twin Star City was completely cloaked underneath a cloak of utter silence, as every single one of its residents were regurgitated from within the shadows and left on the ground as lifeless husks of their former self.

    Like this, a city that had once been brimming with life, a flourishing city that contained tens if not hundreds of thousands of citizens was decimated, left empty and desolate.

    ¡°Return!¡± Reverend Dark Moon¡¯s voice echoed through the lifeless city as he performed a series of hand signs, which caused the Reaper¡¯s Coffin to vibrate violently.

    Suddenly as the Reaper¡¯s Coffin shook, the deformed corpse roared angrily as it sensed what was going to occur.

    Attempting to do what it had tried to do many times before, the deformed corpse sped toward the barrier that enveloped the city, ramming itself into the thin membrane and causing countless cracks to appear on it.

    Despite the numerous branching cracks that were visible on the barrier, the deformed corpse was unable to break free. Having been sealed away for countless millennia and not allowed to completely replenish its powers, the deformed corpse was in a weakened state where it couldn¡¯t even muster up a fraction of its full strength. Had Reverend Dark Moon not used any trickery nor the element of surprise to his advantage, then victory would not have been assured against the group of saints and half-deities that he had encountered. Rather a bitter fight would have most likely ensued and defeat would have occurred.

    Lacking enough strength to break free, the deformed corpse was soon captured and sealed away within the Reaper¡¯s Coffin once again.

    Without a single shred of remorse plaguing their hearts, the members Order of the Blue Moon and Reverend Dark Moon gathered within Twin Star City¡¯s largest square, each with a glowing crystal in hand.

    ¡°Master, shall we begin preparations to bestow the citizens of Sky Cliff City the same fate as those who had lived within the walls of Twin Star City?¡± A man whose face was hidden by a jade mask said as he stood in front of Reverend Dark Moon.

    ¡°First, we will return to the order, now that I have an adequate amount of highly concentrated essence at my disposal, it is time to complete my experiment.¡± Reverend Dark Moon said.

    As quickly as they came, Reverend Dark Moon and his followers soon disappeared into the night like ghostly apparitions, they left not a single trace of where they came from nor where they were headed.

    Seeing as Twin Star City was actually located within the borders of the Blue Moon Kingdom, Zhang wouldn¡¯t likely hear of what had occurred until after encountering the Order of the Blue Moon himself.

 Chapter 265: Vague Recollection

    Unlike the now lifeless and uninhabited streets of Twin Star City, Sky Cliff City was filled with a vibrant sea of people. Without a hint of news as to what had occurred the previous night within the walls of Twin Star City, Zhang and the beauties could be seen casually strolling the streets of Sky Cliff City.

    Despite crashing Lord Tian Xuan¡¯s wedding and causing quite a scene, Zhang and his wives did not take any further action since replacing Sky Cliff City¡¯s lord would cause quite a stir amongst its populace and could lead to unwanted events occurring.

    ¡°For now we will leave him be and simply keep a close watch, after things are settled, if needed I can have Sima Yu arrange someone to replace him.¡± Zhang said to Ling and the others as they walked through the streets of Sky Cliff City, blending into a sea of people while basking underneath the midday¡¯s sun.

    Uneventfully, as Zhang and his wives secretly patrolled the city, nothing occurred and in a flash the day came to an end. Contractionary to Zhang¡¯s initial expectations, the coming days were filled with peace and prosperity and not signs of omen had appeared at all.

    One could call it the calm before the storm while others could believe that the unknown dangers that had come to the Northern Frontier had decided to go elsewhere, but no on could be sure as to what the future held.

    It was not until a total three days and three nights had passed before the forces lurking in the dark began to stir, before the members of the Order of the Blue Moon could be seen treading through the shadows, making their way to Sky Cliff City.

    Unlike their previous incursions that resulted in the destruction of numerous villages and cities, this time the Order of the Blue Moon was rather flamboyant. With dark clouds acting as their vanguard, a rhythmic sound clanging metal and a stale stench of death emanating their path, the Order of the Blue Moon¡¯s banners could be seen fluttering in the air as the shining rays of day began to set and the luminous night was about to take their place.

    Peering outward into the horizon atop Sky Cliff City¡¯s walls, hundreds of city guards stood with gaping mouths as they watched countless thousands of shady figures approaching their home. Amidst the Order of the Blue Moon¡¯s ranks were thousands of rows of shadows hoping up and down as they moved forward in what seemed to be orderly ranks.

    These hopping shadows of course were Jiangshi, otherwise known as hopping vampires, beings that could individually bring an entire midsize city to its knees. Besides the numerous Jiangshi, other fearsome looking sprites and demons of legend, vengeful looking female spirited clad in red robes, gruesome looking sprites with long tongues that snaked out from their mouths and onto the ground, demons with the bodies of humans but the heads of vicious looking beasts and countless abominations that could not walk within the light of day.

    Whenever this army of death walked, vegetation withered, water turned murky and crimson, while the air filled with the stench of rotting and putrid flesh.

    ¡°An army of Jiangshi, spirits and demons¡­¡± Yuying mumbled as a strange gleam flashed through her eyes.

    ¡°It looks like someone beat you to it.¡± Lingqi said as she stood beside Yuying, with a strange expression visible on her face, a mixture of anticipation and intrigue, void of any hint of fear or anxiousness.

    Even when disregarding her unyielding personality, after Lingqi had been around Zhang and the other beauties for so long and after encountering one life threatening situation after the other, she had long forgotten the meaning of fear.

    ¡°Yup, it seems someone made an army of Jiangshi before you, sis.¡± Ling chuckled as an expression similar to Lingqi¡¯s could be seen on her face.

    ¡°Is it time to fight yet?¡± Ai could be heard asking in an excited tone as she could be seen leaning over the city ramparts.

    ¡°Activate the barrier and let''s go greet our guests.¡± Zhang said moments before Yuying performed a series of handsigns which in turn caused a bright golden colored sphere to envelope Sky Cliff City.

    With the safety of Sky Cliff City¡¯s citizens ensured, Zhang and the beauties leapt into the air and sped through the sky, making their way toward the forces of the Order of the Blue Moon. Without need to figure out the order¡¯s intentions, Zhang and the beauties prepared to do battle.

    For simply amassing an army the likes of which few have seen before within the Aurora Empire without permission, there was more than enough reason for Zhang to eradicate the Order of the Blue Moon without even connecting them to the destruction of the villages and cities of the Northern Frontier.

    Allowing his power to explode and burst out across the land, Zhang took the lead, approaching the forces of the Order of the Blue Moon at high speeds.

    This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    As Zhang neared the forces of the Order of the Blue Moon, his aura collided into the strange black clouds that loomed above the frightening army of the dead, causing the friction in the air to increase exponentially.

    Although there was initially a deadlock between Zhang¡¯s aura and the black clouds, the might of a half deity triumphed and the sprawling black clouds quickly dispersed, revealing a beautiful full moon that had been kept out of view.

    ¡°Oh devourer of the heavens, strike down this fool who dares to stand in my path!¡± Reverend Dark Moon¡¯s voice suddenly rang into Zhang¡¯s ears as a subtle sense of dread suddenly enveloped him.

    Before Zhang could react, an iron coffin shot into the sky, its lid sliding open moments before a half deformed corpse flew out from within.

    Scanning the deformed corpse with his divine sense, Zhang could tell that his own power vastly outstripped that of the deformed corpse¡¯s, however he couldn''t shake off the sense of dread that it gave him.

    ¡°From ashes to ashes, from dust to dust, begone!¡± Zhang roared as he utilized the power of the Underworld Heart to conjure hundreds of crystalline swords from thin air.

    With a simple wave of his hand, Zhang caused the hundreds of crystalline swords to pierce through the air as they glittered underneath the moonlight.

    Perhaps it couldn''t react quickly enough to dodge Zhang¡¯s attack or perhaps it did not feel the need to dodge at all, the deformed stood motionless, allowing itself to be impaled by hundreds of swords.

    Whereas a regular person would have definitely meet an untimely end or would have sustained an immense amount of damage from Zhang¡¯s attack, the deformed corpse instead stood motionlessly in mid air, glaring at Zhang with icy eyes.

    ¡°Detonate¡­¡± Zhang said in a low and emotionally less voice moments before the hundreds of crystal swords embedded within the deformed corpse¡¯s body began to glow brightly. In the moments to follow, countless cracks could be seen snaking across the crystal swords before a blinding light lit up the night sky along with an ear shattering boom that was capable of waking everything within a fifty mile radius.

    Gales of dust were sent sweeping across the land, knocking down and uprooting countless trees as the howls and cries of countless panicked stricken beasts could be heard as they fled for their lives.

    ¡°Tch, not enough¡­¡± Zhang clicked his tongue as his body flickered and appeared a short distance away from where he originally was, moments before an arm half covered in flesh shot out from the cloud of smoke that now blocked out the sky.

    While it was impossible to tell how much damage Zhang¡¯s attack dealt to the deformed corpse due to it¡¯s unique characteristics, the fact that the deformed corpse took the initiative to attack alone was enough to tell that it wasn''t affected very much at all.

    Before the dust could settle and a flicker of a second after Zhang had evaded the deformed corpse¡¯s attack, it roared and shot through the air at high speeds.

    Although the deformed corpse hadn''t regained its full power due to Reverend Dark Moon, its body was extremely resilient and allowed it to display immense physical strength as it fought toe to toe with Zhang.

    As Zhang waved his hand, countless crystal swords to materialized once again. Sparkling underneath the moon¡¯s rays, the thousands of crystal swords looked like twinkling stars from afar as they sped through the air.

    Like speeding arrows, Zhang¡¯s crystal swords cut through the air and honed in on the deformed corpse. In an instant a repeat of what had occurred moments ago played out again. The deformed corpse was once again impaled by countless swords before a massive explosion lit up the night sky and cause everyone''s ears to ring.

    ¡°Futile¡­¡± Reverend Dark Moon muttered as he watched from afar.

    However unlike before, before the deformed corpse could even move an inch, Zhang''s waved his hand once again and withdrew thousands of lances from his interspatial ring, these lances of course were smelted from liquid mithril which could be call the bane of all things that had to do with magic.

    ¡°Let''s see how you fare against these.¡± Zhang mumbled as he waved his hand and caused all of the mithril lances to drill across the sky and toward the deformed corpse.

    Revealing their might the mithril landed quickly descended upon the deformed corpse, piercing through its powerful body as if it was made of paper and raining down upon the forest below.

    Seeing what was happening, creases quickly formed and had spread across Reverend Dark Moon¡¯s brow.

    ¡°What are you fools waiting for! Go! Attack!¡± Reverend Dark Moon roared angrily as he witnessed one of the deformed corpse¡¯s arms getting severed from its body by one of Zhang¡¯s mithril lances.

    Although it may seemed quite a bit of time had passed, in actuality one a few mere seconds had gone by before Reverend Dark Moon and the forces of the Order of the Blue Moon began to act.

    Performing a series of handsigns, Reverend Dark Moon caused the Reaper¡¯s Coffin that was strapped to his back to take flight and arrive in front of the deformed corpse where it was miraculously able to withstand Zhang¡¯s barrage of mithril lances.

    With the Reaper¡¯s Coffin acting as a shield, the deformed corpse was no longer pinned down and was able to charge out from Zhang¡¯s barrage.

    ¡°So it isn''t a mindless corpse after all.¡± Zhang thought as he watched the deformed corpse charge toward the army coming to it¡¯s aid instead of trying to attack him like a mindless beast.

    Whereas Zhang believed the deformed corpse was going to join the army of demons and ghouls in order to attack him, the first thing it did when he found itself amongst its allies was to reach out and pierced its hand into the chest of an unsuspecting cultivator garbed in black robes.

    While the cultivator garbed in black robes screamed in agony, his body began to shrivel up and soon only a lifeless bag of bones was left.

    Without batting an eye, the deformed corpse tossed the husk of a body away before glaring at Zhang, showing hints of intelligence in its angry gaze.

    Letting out a deafening roar again, the deformed corpse descended toward the ground where it dove into the shadow of a large tree, causing a hunt of amazement to appear on Zhang¡¯s face.

    But before he could comment, the Reaper¡¯s Coffin, under Reverend Dark Moon¡¯s control, appeared in front of him, its lid sliding open as if it was getting ready to capture Zhang.

    A short distance away, Yuying could be seen with a dazed expression on her face as a storm of thoughts sped through her mind.

    ¡°Think Yuying¡­ Thank¡­ Why does that coffin look so familiar¡­¡± Yuying mumbled. Although she knew the Reaper¡¯s Coffin was an artifact from the Underworld thanks to the numerous runes etched onto it, Yuying was having a hard time recalling who or what was specifically locked within it. It didn¡¯t matter to her how the Reaper¡¯s Coffin had appeared in the world of the living nor how Reverend Dark Moon was able to manipulate it, all of her thoughts were currently focused on uncovering the deformed corpse¡¯s identity.

    ¡°Sinners who are beyond redemption, only those who have invoked father¡¯s wrath and only those who are completely taken out from the cycle of reincarnation are sealed away in such coffins However crimes leading to such a punishment often vary and the strength of the individuals sealed away often vary as well, even someone who has yet reached sainthood could be sealed and casted out from the cycle of reincarnation. If only that were the case here, throughout the countless millennia, countless individuals have been locked away into unique coffins, each with their own design and set of runes, but since I have a vague recollection of this coffin in particular, that corpse must be the remnant of something unspeakable.¡± Yuying thought as her eyes focused on the deformed corpse.

 Chapter 266: A Man, A War, A Name

    ¡°Tch¡­¡± Yuying clicked her tongue as she quickly pushed her current thoughts aside and sped through the air. While figuring out the deformed true identity could prove to be an advantage later on in the battle, being too preoccupied with such thoughts meant leaving Zhang to fend for himself against an army of demons.

    Of course,  Zhang was more than capable of annihilating the demon army by himself, but since the deformed corpse had yet to put its true powers on display and Reverend Dark Moon had yet to reveal all of his hidden cards, allowing the battle to drag on could prove disadvantageous and lead to catastrophe.

    Performing a series of hand signs and withdrawing millions of bones from her interspatial ring, Yuying tried to close on the Reaper¡¯s Coffin.

    In the meantime, after seeing Yuying joining the fray, Ling, Lingqi and Ai also sped into action, unleashing various techniques that were at their disposal.

    Without uttering a single word, Ling waved her hand, causing all of the moisture in the air to gather and condense into hundreds of crescent water blades that spun toward the ground leaving trails of destruction in their quake.

    Although Ling had yet to become a half deity like Zhang, it could be said that she was but a hair''s breath away and as a result, her ability to manipulate the water had grown to a terrifying degree. If she and the other beauties had spent the entirety of their time furthering their cultivation instead of preparing massive array that encircled the Aurora Empire then perhaps they would have been able to become half deities already.

    With deadly force, Ling¡¯s crescent water blades had swept through the demon army where they severed limbs, decapitated heads and caused streams of blood to deep into the ground.

    Unlike Ling who excelled at manipulating the elements to attack from afar, Ai¡¯s monstrous strength had been elevated to an otherworldly level which was put on full display as her fist smashed into the ground causing the ground to sink and split apart.

    ¡°Let me join in the fun as well.¡± Lingqi said as she waved her hand and four different colored vials fell toward the ground. Due to the ensuing chaos that had now taken hold of the battlefield, the sound of cracking glass could not be heard, however, the instant Lingqi¡¯s four glass vaults broke apart four differently colored clouds of gas could be seen smothering the forest down below.

    Before long, the four differently colored clouds of gas began to mend together, rapidly changing from one color to the next in rapid succession.

    ¡°Now for the finishing touches.¡± Lingqi said as excitement flickered in her eyes.

    Using one of her fingernails as a blade, Lingqi had cut a small line across another one of her fingers and caused a drop of blood to descend.

    Unlike regular blood, Lingqi¡¯s droplet was actually a bright shade of violet. If someone were to be given the chance to examine this drop of blood, they would discover that not only did it contain the properties of dozens of different kinds of poisons and medicines, there was also a highly concentrated amount of essence.

    Feeling that her abilities were inadequate and made it so she could not contribute to the group, Lingqi had secretly begun cultivating a very ancient technique that few know about and even fewer dare to practice.

    Using her body to store medicine and poison while using her blood and the essence as a catalyst, Lingqi could amplify the effectiveness of various poisons and medicines dozens if not hundreds of times more than their usual effectiveness. Poisons that usually were useless against beings such as saints could become deadly.

    Of course, there were drawbacks to such a technique, if one was not careful and introduced a poison that was too powerful into their body, the possibility of death was very high. If one were to introduce a medicine that was too effective then there was a chance of erasing all of the poisons that one had spent countless years accumulating.

    Basically, Lingqi had to keep the medicines and poisons in her body in equilibrium or risk killing herself or rendering her efforts pointless. She was now walking on a fine line between life and death.

    Slowly but surely, Lingqi¡¯s  drop of blood fell toward the eye catching cloud of poison that was quickly spreading throughout the forest below.

    ¡°Let¡¯s see if all my efforts were worth it.¡± Lingqi muttered as the drop of blood disappeared into the cloud of poison. Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

    ¡°Ha! You call this poison! Laughable!¡± A member of the Order of the Blue Moon laughed as he gazed up into the sky toward Lingqi with eyes filled with ridicule.

    ¡°Junior brother, that batch of crimson viper pills you cooked up not too long ago is easily ten times more toxic than this stuff.¡± Another member of the Order of the Blue Moon said with a chuckle as he and his brethren ran through Lingqi¡¯s cloud of poison as if it were not even there.

    Simply said, most members of the Order of the Blue Moon were extremely well versed in the art of poison and even more knowledgeable about the human body, a result of their countless human experiments and their thirst for power.

    Since the beauties were each separately attacking different parts of the demonic army, those affected by Lingqi¡¯s poison felt they had been blessed with a phenomenal amount of luck, unlike their comrades who were being cut to pieces by blades of water or pummeled to a bloody pulp by Ai¡¯s fists. Sadly their mocking laughter and sneering eyes were soon replaced by screams of agony and lifeless gazes.

    Mere seconds after the members of the Order of the Blue Moon had spoken, Lingqi¡¯s drop of violet blood reached the ground where half of it instantly evaporated and turned into a violet stream of smoke that quickly combined with the mixture of poison already floating around in the air, the other half of the drop of blood seeped into the ground causing the soil to turn into a sickly black color which began to creep and spread across the land. Be it the earth or the air, everything was now enveloped within a deadly poison.

    Little did Lingqi¡¯s victims know that each one of the four poisons released by her had a different use. The sole purpose of one of the poisons was to seep into the pores of all living things it came into contact with, other than this function it did not do much else. The purpose of another one of the poisons was only to quickly seep into the ground and spread while another one of the poisons was only meant to linger in the air and the last poison was a mild brew whose purpose was to plant a false sense of security within the members of the Order of the Blue Moon.

    All four of the poisons contained within the four vials released by Lingqi were only meant to act as preparation for when her drop of blood was released. The poisons contained within Lingqi¡¯s blood quickly combined with the four poisons released earlier and in a flash, everything and everyone within a five-mile radius found themselves with one foot in the grave.

    ¡°First one would find themselves overcome with a sudden sense of thirst, this sense of thirst would quickly heighten to the point where one would feel as if their throats were on fire, but of course that is only the beginning. Soon the poison that had seeped into their blood will react to my blood and moments later their entire bodies will be enveloped in a burning sensation so strong that it makes many feel as if they were lit on fire. Their eyes begin dilating, their mouths begin to foam, many will begin to writhe in pain as others will notice their blood vessel become visible underneath their skin as it turns black in color. Slowly their lives come to an end and their bodies fall onto the ground, before long only their blackened bones will remain.¡± Lingqi said to herself as she watched the effects of her cloud of poison take effect, causing hundreds if not thousands of bodies to fall onto the pitch black ground where their flesh melted away due to the toxic soil.

    Surprisingly enough despite Ling¡¯s blades of water, Lingqi¡¯s deadly cloud of poison and Ai monstrous attack that split the earth, the bulk of the demonic army was untouched and had begun launching countless spells into the sky toward Zhang, ignoring the beauties entirely.

    ¡°I guess the undead wouldn¡¯t be affected by poison considering they¡¯re already dead, as for the evil spirits they obviously can¡¯t be harmed through physical means¡­¡± Lingqi said she watched countless streams of light soar into the sky toward Zhang, without the ability to come to his assistance.

    Zhang¡¯s brows creased as he watched thousands of multicolored beams of light inch ever closer toward him.

    ¡°Hmph, you think attacks created through the use of essence would have any use against me?¡± Zhang said in a low mumble as a tiny flickering black flame danced on the tip of his finger. Pointing at the incoming onslaught of attacks, Zhang unleashed the Soul Devouring Flame. What started out as a tiny flame quickly began to grow to what resembled a miniature black sun.

    ¡°Your attacks will only serve to kindle my flame¡± Zhang as the flickering Soul Devouring Flames could be seen reflected in his pupils.

    True to Zhang¡¯s words, one by one the thousands of incoming beams of light were absorbed by the Soul Devouring Flames, causing the miniature black sun to double in size.

    ¡°Impossible! His attack is able to consume the essence just like the great devourer....¡± Reverend Dark Moon cried in an astonished tone, however despite the turn of events not even a hint of hopelessness could be seen in his eyes. Shifting his gaze from Zhang toward the deformed corpse, a gleam could be seen in Reverend Dark Moon¡¯s eyes.

    With a ghastly roar, the deformed corpse could be seen covered in an eerie looking black glow as its shadow squirmed about and grew larger and larger until a vast area on the ground was covered by a blanket of darkness. Similar to Zhang¡¯s abyssal cape, the deformed corpse¡¯s shadow appeared to be a gateway into the unknown, into a place where nightmares dwelled.

    Seeing the deformed corpse¡¯s massive shadow, scattered memories started to surface within Yuying¡¯s mind, scattered memories that soon became much greater in number as she watched countless skeletal hands rise up from the dark abyss.

    ¡°Th-that technique¡­ It can¡¯t be¡­ Of all of the people to run into, how could it possibly be him¡­¡± Yuying said in a weak tone as she finally realized what she and the others were up against.

    ¡°The man who nearly rewrote the hierarchy of the Underworld. The man who started a rebellion that lasted a thousand years. The Diyu that nearly overthrew father¡­ Diyu Ding Zhe¡­¡± Yuying muttered as she recalled the countless legends that she had read about the man that had become the deformed corpse standing before her. She remembered the accounts she had read about, of the war that had taken place countless millennia ago. A war that engulfed the entire Underworld, a rebellion that nearly succeeded and a man who had almost replaced the Yama.

    ¡°Brother, we must end things quickly or else it¡¯ll be the end of us!¡± Yuying¡¯s voice rang inside of Zhang¡¯s mind just as countless skeletal hands shot out from Diyu Ding Zhe¡¯s shadow. Once the skeletal hands touched the miniature black sun, the two opposing attacks began to consume each other. Although thousands of skeletal hands were turned into dust after all of the essence within them were burned away, Zhang¡¯s miniature black sun began to dim before disappearing without a trace moments later.

    ¡°Although they appeared to cancel each other out, my flames were extinguished while the skeletal hands are still reaching upward toward me.¡± Zhang thought as he body flickered further up into the air, creating further distance himself from the skeletal hands before ten flickering black flames could be seen streaking across the night sky.

    Instead of aiming at the skeletal hands reaching toward him, Zhang¡¯s ten soul devouring flames maneuvered their way to Diyu Ding Zhe and engulfed him within a fiery inferno causing a hint of worry to begin to surface on Reverend Dark Moon¡¯s face.

    While all of the events up until now had taken quite some time to describe, from the beginning till now, not too much time had passed at all.

 Chapter 267: Strange Occurance

    Like coiling dragons, Zhang¡¯s soul devouring flames wrapped around Diyu Ding Zhe as he let out a furious roar. In a flash, Diyu Ding Zhe¡¯s body dove into the sea of shadows below disappearing from sight causing Zhang to frown as he rose up higher into the air.

    ¡°This might be a tad tricky.¡± Zhang said with a sigh after his target disappeared without a trace.

    ¡°Guess I''ll just have to change targets.¡± He muttered shortly after as he waved his hand and conjured hundreds of crystal swords once again, sending them piercing through the air toward Reverend Dark Moon whose attention was now focused upon where Diyu Ding Zhe had been.

    ¡°Tch, where did this bastard come from¡­ How are those black flames capable of burning away essence like the greatest devourer¡¯s shadows¡­¡± Reverend Dark Moon clicked his tongue as he caught sight of Zhang¡¯s incoming attack from the corner of his eye, quickly performing a few hand signs which in turn made the Reaper¡¯s Coffin return to his side.

    ¡°You think you can just ignore?¡± Yuying said as a sea of bones swept toward Reverend Dark Moon.

    With an onslaught of bones coming from one side and a barrage of crystal swords arriving from another, Reverend Dark Moon found himself cornered without an means of evading. But of course the battle was far from over and things have only begun.

    Reaching out and grabbing hold of the reaper¡¯s coffin with one hand while withdrawing a mysterious looking yellow colored talisman from his interspatial ring with the other, Reverend Dark Moon quickly sped into the metallic coffin.

    If one was paying close attention they would have noticed that Reverend Dark Moon had stuck the mysterious yellow colored talisman in his hand into the gap between where the coffin and its lid met, preventing it from completely closing.

    ¡°Smart! If he had allowed that coffin to completely shut then he would have been trapped inside without any means to escape since those coffins can only be opened from the outside.¡± Yuying said as she noticed what Reverend Dark Moon had done moments before the reaper¡¯s coffin was bombarded by bones and crystal swords.

    Soon enough the sound of shattering crystal could be heard while a white cloud of pulverized bone drifted to the wind. Yuying¡¯s sea of bones had moved at such high speeds that the moment they impacted against the nearly indestructible Reaper¡¯s Coffin, they had unsteadily grounded themselves into fine powder, the same occurred for Zhang¡¯s crystal swords.

    Against any other opponent, Reverend Dark Moon wouldn''t have to worry about defense since he could simply hide within the Reaper¡¯s Coffin and use it as a shield, however against a princess of the Underworld such as Yuying, such a thing was not possible.

    ¡°If you want to hide in there, then let me help you stay in there forever!¡± Yuying yelled as she withdrew a pitch black talisman which shot out of her hand after she performed a series of handsigns, causing a dozen or so strange looking runes to appear on the talisman.

    Moments later, Yuying¡¯s black colored talisman could be seen stuck to the lid of the Reaper¡¯s Coffin and a dozen or so crimson colored runes could also be seen swimming about across the coffin¡¯s surface.

    As if they were predators who were seeking out prey, the dozen or so crimson colored runes quickly closed in on Reverend Dark Moon¡¯s yellowed talisman talisman. Before long, the corners of the yellow talisman became singed as if an invisible flame had brushed up against it.

    ¡°Open!¡± Reverend Dark Moon¡¯s voice could be heard once nearly half of his yellow talisman was turned into cinders.

    ¡°Open!¡± Reverend Dark Moon¡¯a roar could be heard once more as a loud bang could be heard emanating from within the Reaper¡¯s Coffin.

    After a series of three continuous banging sounds, the lid of the Reaper¡¯s Coffin had burst open.

    ¡°Die!¡± Zhang¡¯s thundering shout echoed into everyone¡¯s ears as a massive sword that stretched dozens of feet from its hilt to its top could be seen levitating beside him. With a wave of Zhang¡¯s hand and a point of his finger, the massive sword shot downward at breathtaking speeds.

    While no one was paying attention, Zhang''s had recalled all of the mithril lances that were embedded into the ground and returned them to their original liquid form, afterward with a single thought all of the thousands of mithril landed were combined into a massive sword.

    Seeing Zhang¡¯s massive mithril sword quickly approaching him, Reverend Dark Moon¡¯s pupils shrank as a hint of panic could be seen within them. This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

    Against such a massive sword constructed entirely out of mithril, Reverend Dark Moon had no means to defend himself, even dodging this sword was something easier said than done due to how quickly the sword was moving and how close Reverend Dark Moon was from it. This was also without taking account of how much energy Reverend Dark Moon had expended trying to free himself from within the Reaper¡¯s Coffin, currently he was in no shape to escape from Zhang¡¯s attack.

    ¡°You think I can be done in like this!?¡± Reverend Dark Moon roared as the Reaper¡¯s Coffin flipped downward revealing its bottom side to the massive mithril sword.

    A flash of a second later a loud metallic ringing sound could be heard as the massive mithiril sword collided with the backside of the Reaper¡¯s Coffin, sending it plummeting toward the ground. Like a falling star, the Reaper¡¯s coffin smashed into the ground, creating a large crater and many snaking cracks to surface while the massive mithril sword stabbed itself into the ground not too far away, creating a small ravine.

    Shrouded by a curtain of dust, Reverend Dark Moon pushed the Reaper¡¯s Coffin off of himself moments before he spat a mouthful of blood onto the ground.

    ¡°Th-ank you¡­¡± A hoarse and ancient sounding voice crept into Reverend Dark Moon¡¯s ear.

    ¡°What!? Who said that?¡± Reverend Dark Moon asked as his gaze wandered about trying to locate the source of the hoarse voice.

    Despite being unable to locate where the hoarse sounding voice was coming from or who it belonged to, Reverend Dark Moon could feel the hairs on his body stand on end. Despite regaining some powers and becoming a full saint, Reverend Dark Moon couldn''t help but feel an indescribable sensation of fear seep into his very core. Even facing Zhang, Reverend Dark Moon did not feel such an overwhelming sense of fear.

    As a half deity, Zhang¡¯s power vastly outstripped Reverend Dark Moon¡¯s by a great degree, but thanks to the Reaper¡¯s Coffin, Diyu Ding Zhe and his strange body enhancing techniques, Reverend Dark Moon was able to hold his own without feeling completely oppressed. However the instant this ancient and hoarse voice made its way into his ear, Reverend Dark Moon felt an indomitable power envelope his being.

    Thoughts filled with despair and hopelessness began to surface within Reverend Dark Moon¡¯s mind as a eerie chill crept up his spine causing him to completely forget about the half deity looming up above in the night sky.

    ¡°Day dreaming during a fight? Has he gone mad?¡± Zhang questioned in his mind as he pointed toward Reverend Dark Moon, releasing a torrent of crimson colored lightning from his finger tips.

    Snaking toward Reverend Dark Moon, the crimson lightning split apart into dozens of dazzling branches as it quickly descended. Like a barrage of arrows, the crimson lightning not only smashed into Reverend Dark Moon it also pelted the area around in a beautiful display of lights.

    Struck by Zhang¡¯s crimson lightning, Reverend Dark Moon was sent tumbling a dozen or so feet across the ground. Covered in wounds while streams of smoke rose from his body, Reverend Dark Moon was reduced to a pitiful state of being. Before he could stabilize his condition or even push himself up from the ground, a dozen or so skeletal hands had shot up from the ground and latched themselves onto his arms and legs, slowly dragging him into the darkness that currently shrouded the land.

    One must remember the current battlefield was still covered by Diyu Ding Zhe¡¯s eerie shadow, meaning everyone was within his field of influence, be it they realized it or not.

    ¡°Wha-what is the meaning of this!? I am your master! Unhand me! Release me this instant!¡± Reverend Dark Moon roared as he attempted to struggle free from the skeletal hands.

    ¡°Master?¡± The same hoarse and ancient voice that had spoken in Reverend Dark Moon¡¯s mind moments ago asked in a ridiculing tone that was paired with a hint of disdain.

    As the ancient voice belonging to Diyu Ding Zhe spoke, numerous skeletal hands continued to spring out from the shadows, latching themselves onto Reverend Dark Moon, digging into his clothes, skin and flesh.

    Although he did not have a full understanding of what was currently happening between Reverend Dark Moon and Diyu Ding Zhe, Zhang knew that he had to intervene or put an end to things now or else something catastrophic would occur.

    Waving his hand, Zhang recalled all of his mithril javelins, causing them to float in mid air around him. With a thought, Zhang then turned all of the thousands of javelins into blobs of liquid metal before quickly reshaping them into a sea of incomparably sharp looking daggers. Waving his hand yet again, Zhang began to wrapping himself within a cloak of crimson lightning that coiled about from all across his body to his fingertips.

    ¡°Do you think I¡¯ll let you intervene as you please?¡± Diyu Ding Zhe¡¯s voice suddenly rang in Zhang¡¯s mind, slightly disorienting his sense.

    Before Zhang could act, the enormous shadow that was enveloping the land began to quickly grow larger and larger, doubling in size by the second while a faint sound of rattling bones slowly filled the air.

    From within the dark and seemingly bottomless shadow, a sea of skeletal hands and death crept up and swept forward, toward Sky Cliff City as blazing speeds, causing furrows to appear on Zhang¡¯s brow.

    ¡°Ling, Lingqi, Ai, Yuying, protect the city! I will try to put an end to things as quickly as possible.¡± Zhang¡¯s voice rang in the ears of the four beauties causing them to refocus their attention toward Sky Cliff City.

    Perhaps Diyu Ding Zhe¡¯s techniques were the same techniques that Yuying had regularly employ or perhaps her techniques were based off of Diyu Ding Zhe¡¯s, what was about to happen to Sky Cliff City bore a striking resemblance to a few  particular cities that had once stood in Yuying¡¯s way when during the conquest of the Rainbow Rock Province and the Black Vine Province.

    Clicking her tongue, Yuying sped across the sky toward Sky Cliff City while gliding on top of her own sea of bones. Upon closer inspection, while both Yuying and Diyu Ding Zhe held command over an innumerable amount of bones, there were quite a few distinct differences between the respective masses of bone.

    In contrast to the bones under Yuying¡¯s control, Diyu Ding Zhe¡¯s were much fewer in number. While they lacked in quantity, Diyu Ding Zhe¡¯s bones had roughly double the number of runes etched onto them then Yuying¡¯s bones. From that alone one could say they held double the potential. Another thing was, not only did they hold double the number of runes, they were also glossy and jadelike, which of course served as proof to that Diyu Ding Zhe¡¯s bones had all once belonged to powerful cultivators.

    ¡°Do not allow him to reach the city!¡¯ Ling shouted as the air around her was wrung dry of water and a barrage of ice shards were sent flying toward Diyu Ding Zhe¡¯s endless wave of skeletal hands.

    Not long after Ling acted, Yuying¡¯s sea of bones reshaped itself into the form of a massive dragon with eerie glowing orbs in what appeared to be it¡¯s eye sockets. Filling the air with a wrathful roar from it¡¯s non existent lungs, the massive bone dragon lashed out with it¡¯s claws, smashing into Diyu Ding Zhe¡¯s attack.

    Ai could also be seen utlizing her Black Thorn Whip to strike Diyu Ding Zhe¡¯s bone attack, however in such a battle, both she and Lingqi were somewhat unsuited to participate.

    Ai¡¯s monstrous strength was best used in one on one combat, while Lingqi¡¯s poisons had little effect upon the numerous saint level bones that Diyu Ding Zhe employed.

    Sadly since two of the beauties were unable to do a thing to Diyu Ding Zhe¡¯s sea of skeletal hands, the efforts that the two remaining beauties had expended proved to be slightly lacking.

 Chapter 268: White Marble Hall

    Under the combined efforts of the four beauties, a fraction of Diyu Ding Zhe¡¯s attack was dispersed, sadly the majority of his attack was still spewing toward Sky Cliff City at unbelievable speeds.

    Clicking her tongue, Yuying performed a series of a dozen or so hand signs, causing golden colored runes to appear on the surface of her skin.

    ¡°Reinforce!¡± Yuying yelled moments before hundreds of golden colored runes soared through the air toward the semi transparent bubble that encased Sky Cliff City.

    Racing each other, Yuying¡¯s golden colored runes and Diyu Ding Zhe¡¯s sea of bones were neck and neck as they overtake each other in succession.

    ¡°Hasten!¡± Yuying said as she performed a few more handsigns, causing the golden runes to pick up speed while her cheeks slightly paled.

    With a sudden burst of speed, the golden runes shot past the sea of bones and the endless abyss of a shadow that crept across the land, arriving and combining with the semitransparent sphere that surrounded Sky Cliff City.

    Once the golden runes fused together with the semitransparent sphere, it began to emit a dazzling light that radiated the night sky, just a flicker of a second before Diyu Ding Zhe¡¯s sea of bones impacted.

    Like a ravenous blood thirsty beast, the sea of skeletal hands smashed against the radiating sphere that encircled Sky Cliff City. Within the sphere, the citizens of Sky Cliff City could only watch helplessly and pray to the heavens as death attempted to encroach their home.

    Without a means of escape, the countless citizens within Sky Cliff City could only huddle up with their loved ones or watch as Diyu Ding Zhe¡¯s sea of bones attempted to pierce through Yuying¡¯s barrier.

    ¡°Quickly! Attack! My barrier won''t last long at this rate!¡± Yuying said to the other beauties as beads of sweat dropped from her brow she her hands were clasped together and maintaining a strange looking handsign.

    From the looks of things it was obvious that Yuying was somehow sending a portion of her essence to reinforce the barrier protecting Sky Cliff City.

    ¡°On it!¡± Ling said with a nod as she hastily sped toward Sky Cliff City, gathering up all of the moisture in the air in her path and condensing it into a gargantuan bubble of water the size of a hill.

    With a thought, Ling caused the massive bubble of water to burst apart into millions if not tens of millions of droplets that soon rained down upon the earth at unbelievable speeds.

    Like a storm of arrows or an endless barrage of bullets, the millions of water droplets descended upon the sea of bones. Containing an immeasurable amount of inertia, the millions of water droplets shattered numerous skeletal hands, turning countless bones into bits and pieces.

    Seeing the devastation that was invoked, one could only imagine the force contained within these earth shattering water droplets.

    ¡°I''ll help too!¡± Ai yelled as her Black Thorn Wipe slammed into the sea of bones, grinding everything underneath it into fine powder.

    Elsewhere on the battlefield, Reverend Dark Moon could be seen wrapped within a cloak of crimson lightning as his limbs were bound by bleached white skeletal hands.

    Despite Zhang¡¯s efforts to hinder Diyu Ding Zhe¡¯s plans, every time he attempted to put an end to Reverend Dark Moon¡¯s life, dozens of skeletal hands with rise up and absorb the bulk of his attack.

    Compared to how furiously Reverend Dark Moon was struggling to break free from Diyu Ding Zhe¡¯s grasp, his current state resembled that of a dead fish that was sitting on a platter, waiting to be slaughtered.

    The flames of life that had been visible in his eyes had diminished leaving hollow vacant abysses, his strength had been slowly sapped away leaving limping limbs and his will had been shattered over the course of a few brief moments leaving a husk of his former self. It seemed as if his soul had long departed and only his body had remained.

    In a battle between experts, seconds could mean the difference between life and death, as shown by what had happened to Reverend Dark Moon over the course of a few fleeting breathes.

    What Zhang''s wasn''t able to see was that within Reverend Dark Moon¡¯s mind, a peculiar scene was currently being played out. Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.

    If one was able to peer inside and observe Reverend Dark Moon¡¯s mind and read his thoughts they would be able to see a long and nearly endless white hallway that was constructed entirely out of white marble.

    Seemingly without beginning and without end, this white marble hall appeared to stretch on endlessly as Reverend Dark Moon could be seen lifelessly treading forward within it.

    While in real time in the outside world, only a few minutes has gone by, within Reverend Dark Moon¡¯s mind the passage of time had accumulated to an alarming number. To Reverend Dark Moon, an uncountable number of years had long passed since he had began treading through the white marble hallway.

    At first when his mind had been thrown into this strange world of white marble, Reverend Dark Moon had employed a dozen or so different methods that he believe would allow him to escape, however every single attempt had ended up in complete and utter failure, leaving him with a single option and that was to move forward through the endless hallway.

    He had began his journey with brisk steps brimming with strength, but as days became weeks and weeks became months and months became years, Reverend Dark Moon¡¯s will was slowly chipped away until nothing was left.

    While a regular person would have long since stopped moving forward and allowed themselves to waste away, despite lacking the will to do so, Reverend Dark Moon still unconsciously continued forth, hoping to stumble upon a chance of escaping.

    Suddenly as all hope had seemed to have faded away, off in the distance, door came into Reverend Dark Moon¡¯s view.

    ¡°A-a do-door! An exit!¡± Reverend Dark Moon yelled as his eyes brightened and his pace quickened.

    Despite coming into Reverend Dark Moon¡¯s view, one could say the mysterious door was an immeasurable distance away. Running with all his might, Reverend Dark Moon continued forward without rest for days before finally arriving in front of the mysterious door.

    Employing all his strength, Reverend Dark Moon pushed open the mysterious door, as hope, relief and joy swelled up within him only to be overcome with hopelessness, and despair a few moments later.

    A wise man had once said, the higher elevated a person¡¯s mood was the easier it was it was to send them into the depths of despair. The more hope one held the deeper one would fall. After being given the faint possibility of escape, and having it snatched away from him, Reverend Dark Moon had been sent spiraling into the pits hopelessness, robbing him of any will power he had left within him.

    As Reverend Dark Moon lifelessly knelt on the ground and gazed blankly at the white marble floors, dozens of black colored wisps of smoke crept out from out of nowhere, slowly coiling through the air.

    Like serpents, these wisps of smoke wrapped around Reverend Dark Moon¡¯s body, seeping and drilling into his pores, eyes, mouth and nose as a chilling laughter made its way into his ears.

    ¡°At the very least I need to take a few of his limbs!¡± Zhang thought as he watched Reverend Dark Moon¡¯s body being infused with wisps of black smoke.

    Although Zhang was not extremely knowledge in regards to subjects relating to the soul, after spending so much time with Yuying and witnessing what had occurred on Sea Beast Island when the remnants of the Sea Beast Sect attempted to reconquer the Eastern Sea, Zhang was able to deduce what Diyu Ding Zhe''s was doing to Reverend Dark Moon.

    Of course when one compared the method in which the members of the Sea Beast Sect and Diyu Ding Zhe had utilized  when possessing their targets, the Sea Beast Sect¡¯s method was comparable to the mundane whereas Diyu Ding Zhe¡¯s method was comparable to the high heavens.

    While there aren''t many differences between the technique they employed, the end result was vastly different.

    When the members of the Sea Beast Sect had acquired new bodies, the cultivation  of their new body would drastically drop due to incompatibility between their soul and the body. In most cases, they would have to spend dozens of years to adjust and strengthen their new bodies.

    Whereas in Diyu Ding Zhe¡¯s case, not only did he not cause Reverend Dark Moon¡¯s cultivation to drop, he was actually causing it to steadily rise.

    Diyu Ding Zhe crushed the will of his victim before rewriting their memories to his own, in simplistic words he was able to possess a new body perfectly without resistance. The members of the Sea Beast Sect would forcefully seize new bodies without preparation, using pure strength to shatter their soul, often leaving many fragments of resistance.

    Thanks to his countless years of reigning over a vast portion of the Underworld, Diyu Ding Zhe¡¯s understanding of the soul could be said to be second to none. As could be seen in how he went about taking over and strengthening Reverend Dark Moon¡¯s body.

    Waving his right hand, Zhang conjured a flickering first full of black fire in his hand. Waving his left hand, Zhang wrapped his entire left arm in crimson colored lightning that resembled a fierce looking dragon. With a thought, Zhang employed the power of the Underworld Heart, causing his gigantic mithril sword to split apart into thousands of floating spears that dancered in the air around him.

    ¡°Let''s see if you can block my attack this time!¡± Zhang roared his the soul devouring flame shot out from the palm of his hand. A fraction of a second later, thousands of mithril spears began to rain downward moments before they were wrapped within crimson lightning.

    Shielding, Reverend Dark Moon or rather Diyu Ding Zhe¡¯s new body, a sea of thousands of skeletal hands, skeletal limbs and skulls shot out from the dark shadows, creating a barrier of bones and skulls. Upon close examination one would notice that this barrier of bones and skulls was actually coated a thin layer of black colored essence that seemed to consume and absorb a portion of the essence in the area around it.

    Noticing similar properties between his soul devouring flame and Diyu Ding Zhe¡¯s mysterious techniques, Zhang had purposely arranged his three attacks in order to neutralize Diyu Ding Zhe¡¯s chances of thwarting him.

    Spreading it¡¯s wings after being released from Zhang¡¯s palm, the soul devouring flame drastically increased in size, becoming hundreds if not thousands of times larger than it was before. Like a gluttonous beast, the soul devouring flame, true to it¡¯s name, devoured an immense amount of essence within the air around it, gorging itself as it continued to grow ever so larger.

    Before long, the essence eating flames and the life stealing shadows met as black fire engulfed the sea of bones surrounding Reverend Dark Moon¡¯s body. Equally consuming one another, Zhang¡¯s soul devouring flames and Diyu Ding Zhe¡¯s sea of bones and shadows mutually destroyed each other in a matter of seconds.

    ¡°Just a little bit more.¡± Zhang thought as he watched his barrage of lightning coated spears quickly approaching Reverend Dark Moon.

    However moments before the volley of spears could reach their target, numerous bones could be seen rising from within the shadows, quickly creating another shield around Reverend Dark Moon.

    ¡°As if I did not plan for that.¡± Zhang said as a glint flickered within his eye, while the rest of his face remained emotionless.

    Ejecting themselves or rather launching themselves from Zhang¡¯s thousands of mithril spears, thousands of crimson colored lightning bolts that were shaped in the form of miniature dragons smashed into the barrier of bones and shadow, concentrating the vast majority of their power on a single location which in turn created an opening and a path through the barrier, to Reverend Dark Moon.

    Without anything to hinder their path, a dozen of so mithril spears were able to directly strike Reverend Dark Moon, severing one of his arms and piercing through a few of his vital organs.

 Chapter 269: Her Daughter

    Despite being impaled and having lost an arm, under the effects of Diyu Ding Zhe¡¯s possession, Reverend Dark Moon did not even even the slightest of reactions. His face remained void of emotion, as the mithril spears pinned his body in place and while keeping him from falling over.

    Before Zhang could attack once again, Reverend Dark Moon¡¯s vacant eyes suddenly light up and a reddish glow began emitting from his pupils. Instantly in the few moments that ensued, a crazed filled laughter filled the air causing shivers to run down the spines of all who heard it.

    Madness, joy, anger, wrath and an endless mixture of other emotions was conveyed from Diyu Ding Zhe¡¯s laughter.

    ¡°If the heavens deny me, if hell forsakes me, if the world and all who live in it scorns me, then I will flood the land with blood and darkness, I will erect my own eternal holy land!!¡± Diyu Ding Zhe roared as his gaze swept across everything around him.

    ¡°Shit¡­¡± Zhang cursed as his body shot upward, raising up above the clouds.

    Waving his hand, Zhang caused dozens of flasks and barrels to fly out from within his interspatial ring. Grasping the air with his hand and crushing something not visible, Zhang caused the seconds of flasks and barrels around him to burst into bits and pieces.

    Moments later a shimmering rain began to descend from the sky, showering the battlefield below.

    ¡°Ignite! Devour! Destroy!¡± Zhang roared as a flickering black flame danced in on the tip of his finger before being flicked across the air. Like in most instances, after being unleashed, the soul devouring flame began devouring all the essence in the air around it, gorging itself and growing ever so larger. Unlike most instances, this time, the soul devouring flame grow at an extremely rapid rate, nearly ten times quicker than it usually did.

    Upon closer examination one would notice that every time the soul devouring flame came into contact with the water released from the dozens of barrels and flasks that Zhang had shattered moments earlier, it would grow exponentially. This was because the water contained in the flasks and barrels was actually highly concentrated essence water from deep within the dragon¡¯s vein. Thus like fuel to the inferno, the highly concentrated essence water drastically increased the potential of the soul devouring flames.

    Rather than giving off a dazzling light or illuminating the sky, the soul devouring flame blotted out the sky and hid away the stars as it descended.

    ¡°Such an interesting flame. Ah, why does it seem so familiar.¡± Diyu Ding Zhe mumbled to himself as a maddening grin appeared on his face moments before a confused expression took it¡¯s place.

    ¡°Dammit! Dammit! Why can¡¯t I remember!¡± Diyu Ding Zhe roared as his shadow swirled and a sea of bones erupted from within it.

    It was clear that Diyu Ding Zhe¡¯s mind was in shambles due to how long he had been imprisoned within the Reaper¡¯s Coffin. Whilst he had put his conning on display, and despite being able to successful fool Reverend Dark Moon into a false sense of security and snatching his body, Diyu Ding Zhe was now showing clear signs of instability.

    Remains of fierce beasts, mighty warriors and countless immortals ascended from within Diyu Ding Zhe¡¯s shadow, meeting Zhang¡¯s soul devouring flame in an earth shattering collision.

    ¡°I can only imagine how powerful he is when he was at his peak.¡± Zhang thought as he watched charred bones, falling ash and dissipating fire disperse everywhere. Luckily for Zhang, thanks to his use of essence water, the soul devouring flame proved to be more tenacious than Diyu Ding Zhe¡¯s shadows.

    After suppressing the sea of bones, the soul devouring flames sped downward and engulfed Diyu Ding Zhe, igniting every fiber of his being with dancing black flames.

    ¡°This pain! What a wonderful sensation! Oh how long has it been since I¡¯ve be able to feel! Ahahaha.¡± Diyu Ding Zhe laughed manically as shadowy wisps rose up from the darkness beneath him and began extinguishing the soul devouring flames.

    Realistically speaking, the attribute of Zhang¡¯s soul devouring flames were too similar to Diyu Ding Zhe¡¯s essence absorbing shadows, making it difficult for him to gain an upper hand like in most of the other battles that he had fought before.

    In most instances, the soul devouring flame would prove to be extremely useful against Zhang¡¯s opponents, weakening them and allowing him to overpower him in a long term battle thanks to the Underworld Heart¡¯s ability to both store and rapidly gather essence.

    Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.

    ¡°Tch, to think he¡¯s still able to muster so much power when he¡¯s attention is split between two different places.¡± Zhang thought as he glanced toward Sky Cliff City, which was still surrounded from all sides by shadows and bones.

    Thanks to the efforts of the four beauties, Sky Cliff City had momentarily managed to escape calamity, however thin cracks were slowly showing up and branching across the massive barrier that encased the city, showing obvious signs of wear.

    To date it could be said that, Diyu Ding Zhe had proved to be the strongest adversary that Zhang and the beauties had faced, being able to fight all five of them simultaneously without suffering many setbacks.

    Not allowing himself to be deterred, Zhang soon enveloped himself in crimson lightning, and unleashed an onslaught of attacks upon Diyu Ding Zhe once again, not giving his opponent the opportunity to attack.

    ¡°Troublesome¡­¡± Diyu Ding Zhe muttered to himself before the shadows surrounding him roiled about and another wave of bones was sent rolling toward Sky Cliff City, his power surging through the sky and alerting nearly all of the experts in the vicinity of the Aurora Empire.

    ========================================================================

    Elsewhere, thousands of miles away from Sky Cliff City, dozens of sparkling lights could be seen piercing through the sky at high speeds.

    ¡°Senior brother, are you sure it¡¯s the inheritances of the fallen god?¡± A youth enveloped within a cloak of bluish light said as the flew across dozens of miles of land in a single breathe.

    ¡°What else could it be? Do you think anything else in this forsaken realm can produce such a phenomena? You should pray to the heavens that no one else beats us there, or else we may have our prize snatched from underneath our noses.¡± A young man in his late teens said as he lead a group of thirty of so individuals toward the Aurora Empire, to be exact, toward Sky Cliff City and toward Zhang and Diyu Ding Zhe.

    This one particular scene played out many times as all of the forces that had arrived from the higher realms began to converge upon Sky Cliff City at high speeds, activating various spells, and utilizing dozens of different magical treasures to increase their pace.

    Countless experts who were either too confident in their own abilities or blinded by the thought of possessing what many of them refer to as the fallen god¡¯s inheritance, were all converging without sparing a moment¡¯s thought as to what could possibly be happening. To them, the Wulin continent, and  the realm in which the Wulin continent resided, could not possibly house anything or anyone who could harm them.

    With a mindset of superiority, one could say that all of these so called experts were sheep flocking to the slaughter, as they blindly raced each other toward where Zhang and Diyu Ding Zhe were.

    Of course there were a few clear minded individuals who did not lose their heads in the heat of the moment.

    Lazily soaring through the air was a particular middle aged man with long droopy eyebrows.

    ¡°You blind idiots, you think it would be so easy to find the inheritance of the fallen god? Converging on the same place because of an abnormal aura was released? Ha, you lot are looking down on the lesser realms too much. While it¡¯s unlikely that a lesser realm can produce something truly powerful, there is always the chance of such a thing occurring.¡± The middle aged man said in a voice full of ridicule and scorn.

    ¡°I, Lao Zhizhe, will wait here for you fools to fight amongst yourselves and whatever is releasing that powerful aura, once you¡¯re all spent and on your last legs I will move in a reap all the benefits.¡± The middle aged man laughed as his pace slowed to a crawl.

    ============================================================================

    ¡°Quickly! Pour more of your essence into the barrier!¡± Yuying could be heard yelling as the barrier enveloping Sky Cliff City was entirely covered in cracks.

    ¡°Sis, I don¡¯t think we can keep this up.¡± Ai said as beads of sweat formed and rolled down her brow.

    Despite separate fighting both Zhang and the beauties, Diyu Ding Zhe proved to be an extremely powerful adversary.

    Realizing that he was at a disadvantage, Diyu Ding Zhe had actually turned his attention toward the forces of the Order of the Blue Moon, dragging them into his shadow and draining their essence, leaving nothing but dried up corpses in his wake.

    With the essence acquired from the members of the Order of the Blue Moon, Diyu Ding Zhe¡¯s power skyrocketed, allowing him to quickly gain an advantage over Zhang and the beauties.

    ¡°Hold out for a little longer, if worst comes to worst I will active the grand spell formation!¡± Yuying said before an eerie voice made it¡¯s way into her ears.

    ¡°Mei is that you? What are you doing here?¡± Diyu Ding Zhe¡¯s voice sounded in Yuying¡¯s ear.

    ¡°Mei? Mother?¡± Yuying thought.

    ¡°You¡­ Why do you look so similar to her??? Who are you???¡± Diyu Ding Zhe¡¯s voice echoed in Yuying¡¯s ears again.

    ¡°Who are you?!¡± Diyu Ding Zhe¡¯s voice said yet again.

    ¡°Why do you know my mother¡¯s name?¡± Yuying asked while pouring more of her essence into the barrier surrounding Sky Cliff City.

    ¡°Mother? Good! Good! That mean¡¯s you¡¯re that bastard¡¯s child! If I capture you then he will return her to me!¡± Diyu Ding Zhe¡¯s roar sounded out through the air.

    ¡°It was he who kept her from me, or else¡­ Or else she would have came on that day¡­¡± Diyu Ding Zhe¡¯s mumbling continued on as his attackers were energized and elevated to another level.

    ¡°What are you talking about? Return her to you? My mother?¡± Yuying asked.

    ¡°Yes! If I capture you then he will definitely appear! This time I won¡¯t lose! This time I definitely won¡¯t let him steal her away from me again!!¡± Diyu Ding Zhe said as shadowy claws struck the barrier enveloping Sky Cliff City, leaving small gashes in the semitransparent membrane.

    ¡®Steal her away from you? Hmph! Shut your mouth and stop slandering my parents! Don¡¯t talk as if my mother was on intimate terms with you!¡± Yuying yelled as she performed a series of handsigns, quickly patching up the gaps within the barrier.

    ¡°Hah, such an outspoken child. If you don¡¯t believe me then ask Little Mei herself and you¡¯ll know the truth!¡± Diyu Ding Zhe¡¯s voice said with a dry laugh, as he slowly withdrew focus from Zhang and focused the entirety of his attention upon Sky Cliff City and Yuying.

    ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡± Zhang thought as he noticed Diyu Ding Zhe¡¯s attacks weakening. Due to the distance between himself and Sky Cliff City, Zhang did not know of the exchange of dialog between Yuying and Diyu Ding Zhe, thus he was somewhat confused as to what was happening.

    ¡°Regardless of what is happening, I will stop you here and now!¡± Zhang said as he flipped his hand, activating the Ruler¡¯s Domain and allowing a massive golden streak to soar through the night sky.

    With an earth shattering roar, a massive dragon made up entirely of lightning unfurled its wings and filled  the dark night with blinding light.

    ¡°Cloak him in heavenly tribulation lightning! Turn him into cinders and ash!¡± Zhang commanded, moments before his creature unleashed a torrent of golden lightning from it¡¯s maw.

 Chapter 270: Grand Array

    With another mighty roar which reverberated across the land, Zhang¡¯s lightning elemental dragon released a torrent of blinding lightning toward the dark battlefield below.

    As the elemental dragon¡¯s attack resonated, all of the beasts with an area of dozens of miles, howled and screeched as they fled with all their might. From ravenous beasts, doctile cattle, to insignificant rodents, every animal that was able to, pushed their bodies to their limit and ran while all the citizens of Sky Cliff City had their eyes glued to the sky and the diminishing barrier that encased their home.

    ¡°Tribulation lightning?¡± Diyu Ding Zhe muttered a moment before being cloaked within a veil of golden light which shrouded him from view.

    Like a beacon of light, acted as a guide for all of those who had come to seek the Fallen God¡¯s inheritance, prompting them to all increase their speed yet again. Like insects gathering toward a flame, these other worlders swarmed toward Zhang and Diyu Ding Zhe with glee as they allowed endless fantasies of grandeur to fill their minds.

    As quickly as it appeared, the tribulation lightning released by Zhang¡¯s elemental dragon quickly subsided, returning the dead of night to the darkness.

    Clicking his tongue and furrowing his brows, Zhang could be seen speeding upward further and further into the sky. On the ground, Diyu Ding Zhe could be seen wrapped within slithering snakes of lightning as pummels of smoke rose from his body, but sadly it did not seem like he had sustained very much damage at all.

    ¡°Tch, I''ll take a step back and let them fight it out before I intervene once more.¡± Zhang thought as he sensed dozens of incoming energy signatures.

    Waving his hand and signaling his lightning elemental dragon to return into its original spherical shape, Zhang quickly withdrew from the battlefield, speeding toward Sky Cliff City to regroup with his wives.

    Like a bolt of lightning, Zhang zipped through the air at blinding speeds, arriving within the proximity of Sky Cliff City moments later.

    Upon his arrival, Zhang immediately noticed the sorry state of the barrier that shielded Sky Cliff City was in. Riddled with cracks and fissures, and appearing to be on the brink of collapse, it was a mystery as to how this barrier was still able to keep Diyu Ding Zhe¡¯s shadows at bay.

    Had Zhang arrived but a moment later, disastrous results could have occurred. Luckily for the citizens of Sky Cliff City, their crown prince had appeared just moments before a calamity struck.

    Waving his hand and unleashing a torrent of crimson lightning at the churning dark depths that currently engulfed the ground, Zhang quickly lent a helping hand to his wives.

    While Zhang¡¯s crimson lightning was not enough to completely dispel Diyu Ding Zhe¡¯s oppression, it was able to provide a brief second of relief.

    ¡°Quickly! Mend the barrier!¡± Yuying yelled as droplets of sweat rolled down from her brow. Signs of extreme fatigue evident on her delicate face.

    One could say, fighting an army of a thousand is much easier than protection a village of a hundred. One could only imagine the amount of effort and energy the beauties were expending to protect a city of hundreds of thousands of people.

    ¡°Prepare to activate the formation, evacuate this city and the rest of the cities in the region, prepare for phase two of our plan!¡± Zhang said to his wives via divine sense, after catching a glimpse of their current state, a tinge of pain tugging at his heart afterward.

    ¡°Pass down orders to all soldiers within the city! Send out corresponding orders to all cities and villages within a five hundred mile radius! Enact imperial order sixty six!¡± Yuying¡¯s voice rang throughout Sky Cliff City.

    ¡°Imperial order sixty six?¡± A few civilians currently trapped within Sky Cliff City questioned as they heard Yuying.

    ¡°Imperial order sixty six¡­ imperial order sixty six!!¡± A few of the imperial soldiers mumbled before quickly recalling what imperial order sixty six meant.

    ¡°Quickly! All civilians are to be gathered within the city square! Make sure everyone has one of her majesty¡¯s talismans on hand as well!¡± A captain within the city guard could be heard ordering his subordinates.

    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    Before long, various leading figures within the Aurora Northern Army and within Sky Cliff City¡¯s hierarchy began passing down orders.

    ¡°All civilians are to report to the city square and all members of the military are to gather at their assigned checkpoints!¡± Men clad in armor yelled as they galloped across the city atop armored horses.

    Once things went into motion, the soldiers within Sky Cliff City quickly became like a well oiled machine, working cohesively. In times like this, it is easy to see how effectively trained the soldiers of the Aurora Army were. Not only were they maneuvering themselves in an orderly fashion, but they were also able to prevent the masses from breaking out in panic.

    Like this, many neighboring cities and villages within a five hundred mile radius were mobilized and spurred into action.

    ¡°Sis I''ll begin activating the spell formation.¡± Ling said to Yuying who responded with a silent nod.

    A few brief seconds later, Ling and Lingqi could be seen exiting and massive barrier and soaring off into the distance, far away into the starry night with utter haste.

    ================================

    A few dozen miles away from Sky Cliff City, up atop a seemingly ordinary hill sat a old broken down temple that looked as if it had been abandoned for quite sometime.

    Like falling comets and shooting stars, Ling and Lingqi descended upon this broken down temple. Within a moment''s hesitation, Ling shot straight into the old temple¡¯s main hall, a small room decorated with worn out and torn tapestries and broken statues of various deities that the common folk worshipped.

    ¡°Activate!¡± Ling and Lingqi said in unison as they pressed their hands onto the tiles on the ground, releasing a steady stream of essence from the palms of their hands. Upon coming into contact with the essence being released by the two beauties, a few of the tiles began to glow, filling the ancient looking temple with light.

    Before long, all the the tiles within the temple were brimming with light and soon afterward even the tiles and outside were lit as well.

    Looks can be deceiving as the shabby temple was in actuality a waypoint for the grand array that encompassed the entirety of the Aurora Empire. Like an interconnected web, the grand formation that the four beauties had set up across the empire, was split up into dozens of slightly smaller formations that would be individually activated without affecting the grand scale of things.

    Similar to an awakening beast, the area around the old temple began to come to life, the ground shook as glowing lines slowly became visible to the naked eye.

    Line by line, bit by bit, the segment of the grand array that covered the northern frontier of the Aurora Empire activated. As the grand array¡¯s mechanisms activated, an immense amount of essence was absorbed from the air causing the local vegetation to wilt and the surrounding wildlife to scurry away. Of course this immense amount of essence couldn¡¯t possibly compare to the main power supply for the grand array, it was only going to act as a mere catalyst. A catalyst that would help establish a connection to the dragon¡¯s vein.

    ========================================================================

    Back within the walls of Sky Cliff City, within the very center most district of the city, hundreds of thousands of common folk were crammed side by side as tens of thousands of soldiers surrounded them.

    While most were still not properly informed of the events that would soon take place, a good number of people within the crowds had been able to deduce what was going on, and with their cooperation peace and order was maintained despite the gravity of the situation on the other side of the barrier that was barely keeping itself intact.

    Holding tightly onto the talismans that they had been given some time ago, the only thing everyone present could do was wait.

    It was unclear who had noticed first, but one after the other, everyone present within Sky Cliff City were sent into an uproar as the talismans in their hands began to light up while countless dazzling runes light up the ground beneath their feet.

    Awestruck and slightly dazed at what was occurring, everyone stood speechless as a shimmering light engulfed them.

    Like a tidal way that washed away all that stood before it, the shimmering light filled every nook and cranny of Sky Cliff City, embracing every single living being within the city walls.

    Elsewhere within the domain of the Aurora Empire, within a seemingly normal looking valley located near the ¡°Dragon¡¯s Lair¡±, a massive spell formation could be seen lightning up the night sky.

    With runes that appeared pretty much identical to the ones that had flooded into Sky Cliff City, this massive spell formation was soon engulfed within a tidal wave of light as well.

    Under normal circumstances, the thought of evacuating an entire city filled with thousands if not hundreds of thousands of people could be viewed as an extremely daunting task, even when one took into consideration the teleportation gates that the Aurora Empire had access to. However thanks to the grand spell formation that the beauties had set up across the empire, as long as enough time was given for the formation to activate, evacuating an entire city could be viewed as a very simple matter.

    As the light that engulfed Sky Cliff City, a strange scene could be seen.

    The tall city walls, century old buildings, newly constructed villas, and even the cobblestone laid roads that stretched from one end of the city to the other, everything and everyone that had stood within Sky Cliff City had disappeared without a trace.

    Within the tens of dozens of miles where Sky Cliff City had once stood, only the sight of hundreds of animals could be seen. Dogs, cats, mice and a dozen other different animals could be seen gazing about with confused expressions on their faces, besides these animals, everything else was gone.

    Back within the nameless valley, a massive city had appeared out from thin air, and along with it, hundreds of thousands of people.

    Not only was the grand spell formation able to teleport every living being in possession of one of Yuyinh¡¯s talismans, but it was also able to teleport every structure within Sky Cliff City as well.

    Of course within someone as knowledgeable as Yuying to lay down the foundation and within something similar to the Dragon¡¯s Vein to act as a power source, such a feat could only be considered impossible.

    Alongside Sky Cliff City, were a dozen or so villages and smaller cities, all of whom

    We''re relocated from the northern frontier to the heart of the Aurora Empire.

    ¡°Now that''s what you call a moving city! Unlike those gargantuan beasts the Ma Ren Empire employs.¡± A few lesser saints belonging to the Aurora Empire chuckled as they flew to the newly situated cities to assume command and explain what had just occurred.

    Under the gaze of a different set of stars, and an unfamiliar climate, only now did the people of the northern frontier came to wonder about the true depths of power under the command of their empire.

 Chapter 271: Reinforcements? Prey? Death?

    Whilst the cities of the northern frontier had been teleported to the interior of the Aurora Empire, various lords who governed domains located within the southern, western and eastern regions of the empire had received order to assemble their armies and gather all of the civilians under their respect rule.

    In preparation for the worst, every saint within the Aurora Empire was on standby, ready for battle at a moment''s notice.

    Within the darkness of night, countless torches shone brightly as what could only described as a sea of people began to gather.

    Back in the northern frontier, more than a dozen different forces were steadily amassing as they closed in on what was once Sky Cliff City. Hundreds of foreign saints a about a dozen half deities had converged, their aura emanating and filling the sky.

    Residual heavenly lightning flickered across the horizon, as Diyu Ding Zhe could be seen slowly levitating upward, his eyes peering into the distance, piercing through the cloak known as the night sky.

    ¡°Ahahahaha, so many, so many have come to welcome my return.¡± Diyu Ding Zhe¡¯s murderous laughter filled the air as he sensed approaching saints and half deities.

    Catching a glimpse of Zhang¡¯s lightning dragon from afar, the hundreds of foreign saints and half deities further reassured themselves that their guess was correct and what they were seeking was truly in the northern frontier. In a sense they were not incorrect, however their attention was misplaced upon Diyu Ding Zhe instead of Zhang and the four beauties.

    Before long, the night sky was brimming with activity as golden chariots with flaming wheels could be seen leaving trails of fire, as mythical beasts could be seen swimming across the sea of stars, as flying swords could be seen carrying their masters into battle, while gargantuan ships sailed across air itself.

    ¡°All of you fuck off, the fallen god¡¯s inheritance belongs to me!¡± A middle aged man clad icy blue armor roared as he stood atop a speeding blade made completely of jade colored ice, a trail of mist following behind him, engulfing everything near it.

    ¡°Hah, a mere first tribulation grunt from the Ice Blade Sect dares to act arrogant in front of this prince?¡± A snicker could be heard as a young man clad in golden dragon embroidered robes could be seen soaring across the sky atop a giant golden throne that seated upon a massive golden platform, while two gorgeous women stood to his side holding large feathered fans.

    ¡°This mere first tribulation grunt has killed his fair share of ignorant princes from the Golden Throne Empire many times before.¡± The middle aged in icy blue armor laughed as a tattered golden robe just like the young man¡¯s appeared in his hand.

    Upon seeing the tattered golden robe, an intense murderous aura shot fourth from the young man, causing the two gorgeous women beside him to slightly cower away.

    ¡°If the donors from the Ice Blade Sect and Golden Throne Empire wish to settle their differences, please make way for this monk and his comrades.¡± A serene voice shortly followed suit, strangely causing the murderous intent from the young man to evaporate into thin air. Before long a monk dressed in a simple looking cassock appeared while standing atop a luminescent cloud, accompanying were a dozen or so similarly dressed monks.

    ¡°What are monks from the Profound Nirvana Temple doing here? If I recall correctly, the Profound Nirvana Temple is always going on and on about how they are above worldly possessions and seek the dao within rather then strive for strength and power. What brings you lot of lousy hypocrites here? Looking to fight everyone here for the fallen god¡¯s inheritance?¡± The middle aged man from the Ice Blade Sect snickered as he glared at the monks of the Profound Nirvana Temple.

    ¡°Donor has it wrong, we monks are merely here to prevent the inheritance of the fallen god from falling into the wrong hands. As those who seek the dao from within, we have no use for such a thing, rather than seeking such a thing for ourselves, we are merely preventing evildoers from obtaining it.¡± A monk from the Profound Nirvana Temple said with a faint smile, in a voice that was as gentle and calm as a still pond.If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    ¡°Regardless, be it hypocrite monks, measly swordsmen or princes of puny immortal kingdoms, anyone who stands in the way of my Siwang Holy Empire will be cut down.¡± A hoarse voice rang into everyone¡¯s ears moments before a massive ship with equally massive sails could be seen soaring out of a cloud. Following the massive ship were dozens of slightly smaller ships, each brimming with dozens if not hundreds of powerful experts.

    From a single glance one could tell that the Siwang Holy Empire was one of the stronger influences present, however they were not alone as before long a few more groups of cultivators began appearing one after the other.

    ¡°Siwang Holy Empire, Heartless Demon Cult, Bloodless Sword Pavillion, Soaring Immortal Mansion¡­. Tch, looks like there won¡¯t even be any crumbs left for the rest of us.¡± Someone mixed in the crowd muttered as they called out a few of the larger influences.

    ¡°Since this prince is merciful, I will give the rest of you til the count of ten to leave this lower plane and go back to where you came from. Or else do not blame me for being cruel.¡± Prince San Cang of the Siwang Holy Empire proclaimed seconds before he began his countdown.

    ¡°Ten¡­¡±

    ¡°Nine...:¡±

    ¡°Eight¡­¡±

    ¡°Seven¡­¡±

    ¡°Six¡­¡± Prince San Cang counted, causing a few rogue cultivators who did not belong to any of the larger influences to waiver. To them this was an opportunity undergo a rebirth, to gain the inheritance of a god and become all powerful, however opportunities were still in the end still opportunities and not something one could rely upon.

    Luckily for those with wavering thoughts, a gut wrenching cry suddenly disrupted Prince San Cang. Redirecting their attention from Prince San Cang toward the origins of the bloody screaming, the foreign saints and half deities saw an elderly looking man whose chest was pierced through by a bloody arm. Diyu Ding Zhe had actually silently approached the group of foreign saints and half deities without alerting them at all and on top of that had drawn first blood.

    ¡°Once I absorb all the essence in your bodies and devour all souls, I¡¯ll be able to restore my complete power. Then I won¡¯t need this measly vessel any longer. Ahahaha!!!¡± Diyu Ding Zhe laughed as the elderly man who was currently being impaled by his arm quickly withered away into an empty husk of dried flesh.

    Like a hungry beast who was just presented with a scrumptious feast, Diyu Ding Zhe licked his lips as he leapt forth, claiming yet another victim who was quickly turned into another husk of dried flesh.

    ¡°Wha-what kind of technique is that¡­¡± Prince San Cang muttered as he watched dumbfoundedly while Diyu Ding Zhe made mince meat of one saint after another.

    Dried corpses soon littered the barren fields below as a chaotic battle broke out in the sky. Despite vastly outnumbering Diyu Ding Zhe, the foreign cultivators were not able to put up the slightly struggle.

    Since everyone hailed from different factions, things such as teamwork and synergy was nonexistent. Rather then a fight, what was occurring could only be called a one sided slaughter.

    Whereas Zhang and his wives were actually able to hold their ground, the foreign cultivators could only watch as the pressure bring released from Diyu Ding Zhe slowly increased in intensity as time sped by.

    ¡°Make way you fools, if you don¡¯t know how to fight then leave!¡± The middle aged man from the Ice Blade Sect roared as he appeared behind Diyu Ding Zhe who was currently grasping his latest victim by the throat.

    Slashing downward with his massive blade made of jade colored ice, the middle aged man sought to sever Diyu Ding Zhe¡¯s arm, however he was instead left in a daze as his icy blade shattered seconds after smashed into it target.

    Under the influence of the middle aged man¡¯s strength against the hardness of Diyu Ding Zhe¡¯s body, the icy blade crumbled.

    ¡°Hah, a moth attracted to the fire.¡± Diyu Ding Zhe laughed maniacally, swiftly reaching his hand forward, grabbing onto the middle aged man from the Ice Blade Sect.

    ¡°Let go!¡± The middle aged man roared as he flicked his hand, condensing another blade of ice which soon swung toward Diyu Ding Zhe¡¯s neck. With a loud shattering sound, the second ice blade blew up into hundreds of fragments, just like the blade before it.

    ¡°It is useless, just give up and rejoice as your soul is exempt from hell¡¯s punishment after death.¡± Diyu Ding Zhe said as his finger nails dug into the middle aged man¡¯s arm.

    ¡°Haha, exempt from hell¡¯s punishment? You mean my soul will be eradicated and unable to return to the samsara?!¡± The Ice Blade Sect cultivator laughed in madness as a third blade of ice appeared in his free hand, slicing downyard yet again. However this time he was not aiming for Diyu Ding Zhe, but rather himself. With a deep groan, the middle aged man severed his own arm before quickly fleeing into the distance.

    ¡°Since I¡¯m in a good mood, I¡¯ll let you go¡­ For now¡­¡± Diyu Ding Zhe laughed before tossing the middle aged man¡¯s severed arm and speeding toward his next prey.

    ¡°It looks like things may take a turn for the worst.¡± Zhang said as he watched Diyu Ding Zhe slaughtering the foreign saints from afar, his four wives standing by his side.

    ¡°So far only the weaker saints have died, let¡¯s observe a bit more before deciding what to do next.¡± Yuying stated with a calm voice.

    ¡°Have you noticed? The flags on those flying ships over there belong to the Siwang Empire.¡± Ling said with a scowl across her brow.

    ¡°In due time.¡± Zhang said to Ling whilst glancing at the fluttering flags hung on the Siwang Empire¡¯s flying ships, recalling events that had occured years ago, remembering one of the more significant turning points in his life.

    ¡°If they had never attacked, I would have lived the majority of my life without being able to further my cultivations. If they had not killed me I would have never met them nor would I have tread as far as I have upon this path.¡± Zhang thought with a sign as his eyes moved away from the Siwang Empire¡¯s ships and toward his lovely wives, a slightly thankful smile forming on his face for a brief moment before fading away into a more serious expression.

 Chapter 272: Life Saving Treasures

    Akin to omnipotent gods or mighty sovereigns, the dozen or so half deities present had all taken a step back to observe and roughly estimate the extent of Diyu Ding Zhe¡¯s strength.

    To these almighty half deities, the lives of regular saints did not possess the least bit of importance. Beside the middle-aged man from the Ice Blade Sect, who could be considered one of the weakest half deities present, none of the other half deities had been injured at all.

    As they continued to witness Diyu Ding Zhe¡¯s abilities and martial prowess, a few of the half deities began forming creases on their brows while drops of sweat could be seen slowly condensing.

    ¡°What kind of monster is this guy¡­¡± The Young Prince of the Golden Throne Empire muttered as his hands tightly gripped the chair arm of his metallic throne.

    It was obvious to them that at the peak of his power, Diyu Ding Zhe was probably a being that had exceeded them in strength, someone that had reached a realm higher then what they currently possessed.

    ¡°The rest of you must cooperate with me in order to defeat this monster. The issue regarding who obtains the inheritance of the fallen god can be resolved afterward.¡± Prince Cang San¡¯s voice echoed into the minds of the other half deities present. Rather then asking for cooperation, from his tone it was more so a demand.

    ¡°Your Highness, how do you suggest we pool our efforts?¡± A serene voice belonging to one of the monks of the Profound Nirvana Temple replied to Prince Cang San.

    ¡°Use all of the life saving treasures your sect¡¯s gave you, in the best case scenario we are able to put an end to that monster, in a worst case scenario we fail and give up on the fallen god''s inheritance for the time being. We would then return to the upper realms after sealing this place until the great rift opens up again in a thousand years.¡± Prince Cang San said as a cunning glint flashed in his eyes as a reddish rusty looking spear appeared in his hand.

    Various thoughts spun through the minds of the remaining half deities before they all respectively unleashed their live-saving treasures. Mythical weapons, otherworldly scrolls and even items that did not look like treasures at all began appearing one after the other.

    The night sky was soon brimming with even more activity as one magical relic after the other began releasing unfathomable auras, cloaking the land in a veil of intense pressure.

    ¡°Hah, you¡¯ve all even brought toys to play with!?¡± Diyu Ding Zhe laughed as the large array of magical treasures drew his attention.

    Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

    Ignoring the flock of sheep circling him, Diyu Ding Zhe sped toward Prince Cang San and the other half deities.

    ¡°Fuck off! This king will send you to the depths of hell!¡± A half deity dressed in greenish robes roared as he held up a tattered looking paper umbrella, unfurling it and pointing it at the quickly approaching Diyu Ding Zhe.

    ¡°To the depths of hell you say?¡± Diyu Ding Zhe chuckled as the tattered umbrella being held by the half deity in greenish robes began to release flashes of light.

    With fluid motions, the half deity in greenish robes began to spin the bow glowing tattered umbrella. As it was being spun the paper umbrellas started to undergo peculiar change, the images of vicious beasts began appearing on its once blank canvas.

    Similar to Zhang¡¯s Abyssal Cape, the half deities umbrella was actually able to conjure life from nothingness, or so it seemed.

    As the tattered umbrella continued to spin, creatures such as inky colored dragons and pure black phoenixes came to life and soared into the sky.

    ¡°The Soaring Immortal Mansion sure lives up to its reputation. To be able to mimic the ability of one of the lost divine weapons of the fallen god.¡± Prince Cang San praised as he watched Diyu Ding Zhe being surrounded by hundreds of beasts.

    ¡°Sadly in the end, an imitation is still an imitation no matter how well made it is, it can never live up to the powers of the original.¡± Prince Cang San added with a hint of disappointment once he noticed the tears in the tattered umbrella branching out.

    ¡°What are you lot doing? Quickly help me put an end to him!¡± The half deity in greenish robes yelled as he noticed all the other half deities were remaining idle, not helping him in the slightest.

    After a slight moment of silence, roughly six more half deities began activating their magical treasures and in no time at all Diyu Ding Zhe was bombarded by dozens of different attacks. Of course, these half deities would soon come to realize their efforts were all in vain. When considering how Zhang¡¯s heavenly tribulation lightning wasn''t able to fatally injure Diyu Ding Zhe at all, one could guess how resilient his body was.

    ¡°Might this monk ask, when your highness will join the fray?¡± A monk who was a half-deity from the Profound Nirvana Temple asked Prince Cang San with a smile on his face, causing a few of the other half deities to glance over.

    ¡°This prince will join the fray when he sees fit, who are you to question me?¡± Prince Cang San replied with a haughty tone.

    ¡°This monk simply wishes for everyone to put forth their all so we can quickly extinguish this common foe of ours.¡± The half deity monk replied with a smile.

    ¡°Tch, then this prince wonders when an honest monk such are yourself is going to join the battle.¡± Prince Cang San responded, glaring at the half deity monk.

    From beginning til end, everyone present had never stopped considering how to get rid of each other and be the last one remaining, the one and only person to obtain the inheritance of a fallen god.

    Prince Cang San had said what he did and suggested everyone cooperate mainly to draw out and waste as much of his competition¡¯s hidden strength as possible. While there were some who did not figure out his intentions, there were many like the half deity monk who did.

    However, this way of thinking would soon change as this group of half deities experience Diyu Ding Zhe¡¯s witness true power and what it means of true terror.

    ¡°Heavenly Devouring Technique! Devour the essence! Devour the Soul! Devour the world!¡± Diyu Ding Zhe¡¯s eerie voice could be heard as it strangely caused a moment of pure silence as if all sound had been devoured away by some otherworldly force.

    In an instant, the tides of battle were turned yet once again. Tentacles of shadows had silently shot up from the ground, dragging a few victims into the dark depths. Before long Diyu Ding Zhe¡¯s battle with Zhang would be repeated.

    All of the attacks directed at Diyu Ding Zhe were devoured by the tentacles of shadows as things grew ever so more chaotic.

    Attacks became ineffective due to the lack of cooperation between the half deities, tensions rose as everyone felt a sense of danger ripening in their hears while Diyu Ding Zhe continued to grow ever so stronger.

 Chapter 272.5

    ¡°I think it would be best for the four of you go to back to Aurora and begin our failsafe plan.¡± Zhang said to his wives as he watched ten saints being dragged into Diyu Ding Zhe¡¯s enormous shadow. Second, by second, Diyu Ding Zhe was steadily growing stronger and with each passing moment, the chances of defeating him grew ever so dim.

    With only a plan to preserve the Aurora Empire¡¯s civilians and the lives of himself and his loved ones, Zhang felt at a loss as to how he could possibly go about defeat a true monster like Diyu Ding Zhe.

    Then there was the issue in regards to a large number of foreign saints and half deities. Even if by some stroke of luck, Diyu Ding Zhe was defeated, as the only native half deity on the Wuling Continent, Zhang would be left to deal with the aftermath of this battle to end all battles.

    If these foreign cultivators were to find out about Zhang¡¯s lucky encounters, after Diyu Ding Zhe, he would be placed second highest on their list of targets.

    Wracking his brain, Zhang was only able to come up with a single solution to his problems, a solution so outrageously insane that such a thought would not even cross the minds of most people.

    ¡°Brother, I want to stay here and fight alongside you.¡± Ai said as she tugged Zhang¡¯s sleeve, gazing at him with slightly pouting eyes.

    ¡°No, it would be better if all four of you were to return to Aurora and take everyone back to the Blood Coral Cove.¡± Zhang said as his hand lightly touched Ai¡¯s cheek.This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go, we will only get in the way once things get ugly. This isn¡¯t a fight we can all take part in.¡± Lingqi said with a sigh as she pulled at Ai¡¯s arm, persuading her to leave.

    After a few moments, the four beauties departed, heading toward the nearest teleportation platform.

    Watching his wives flying into the distance until they eventually disappeared from sight, Zhang took in a deep breath before quickly levitating higher up into the sky. Using the clouds as cover, Zhang further drew in his aura and essence until his presence entirely disappeared, hoping to remain hidden as he waited for the right moment to act.

    As more and more saints fell, the foreign half deities started cursing Diyu Ding Zhe¡¯s abnormally sturdy body. No matter how many attacks they sent at him, no matter how many different treasures they used, everything seemed to be ineffective. Rather everytime he was attacked,Duyi Ding Zhe would be able to absorb a large amount of essence and divine energy.

    ¡°What the fuck is this guy made of¡­¡± The young prince of the Golden Throne Empire cursed as one of the saint level maids that had accompanied him was snatched into the shadows, never to see the light again.

    Although losing one of his maids caused the young prince to be filled with rage, he was able to count himself as being fortunate because there had already been a few half deities who were negligent and lost their lives.

    ¡°Everyone! It¡¯s now or never, use your life-saving treasures or you won''t ever get the chance to use them at all! If anything, help me stall for time so I can activate the Crimson World Sealing Jar!¡± Prince Cang San yelled, finally losing a bit of his cool.

    ¡°The Crimson World Sealing Jar? They allowed you to bring such a treasure with you?¡± A half deity said with a hint of envy, joy, and astonishment in his tone.

    ¡°Tch, to think I would have to use this before finding the fallen gods inheritance¡­ Even though this guy is really strong and his abilities are somewhat similar to the legendary fallen god¡¯s, they are fundamentally different in nature and execution.¡± Prince Cang San mumbled as a crimson colored porcelain jar appeared in his hand.

    Upon hearing Prince Cang San would use the Crimson World Sealing Jar, the other half deities no longer hesitated and began activating their trump cards in an effort to finally rid themselves of Diyu Ding Zhe.

    ¡°Interesting, I wonder what that jar can do. To be able to convince all those half deities into acting, that thing must be very powerful or very tricky to deal with.¡± Zhang said to himself, with eyes focused on Prince Cang San.

 Chapter 273: Crimson World Sealing Jar

    A rain of daggers, a sea of purple flames, a whirlwind of swords, and a raging barrage of fists all struck Diyu Ding Zhe at the same moment, sending him crashing into the ground below.

    Soon to follow, a flock of sparrows conjeeled from lightning, a furious tiger made of bright red flames, and a giant stag condensed from black wind pummeled the air where Diyu Ding Zhe fell. Any one of these attacks could heavily injure a half deity.

    ¡°Crimson world sealing!¡± Prince Cang SAN¡¯s voice reverberated into everyone¡¯s ears as the night sky turned a bright crimson red, the jar previously in his hand no longer in sight.

    Suddenly an immensely overpowering pressure descended, causing the ground to rumble as it was compacted downward an entire five feet, forming a massive circle.

    ¡°Cang San! What is the meaning of this!¡± Roughly half of the half deities and some of their subordinates yelled in horror as the sudden change increase in gravity caused all of them to slam into the ground.

    Like an ever intensifying play, twists and turns, betrayal and unforeseeable events riddled the battlefield.

    ¡°With this half of my competition is gone.¡± Prince Cang San said with a sigh while eyeing the remaining half deities and saints around him.

    Lifting his hand and performing a grasping motion, Prince Cang San caused a crimson dome to appear, outlining the area under the influence of the Crimson World Sealing Jar.

    ¡°Release us at once or you¡¯ll rue the day!¡± A half deity screamed at the top of his lungs after picking himself up from the ground, punching the crimson dome with all his might to no avail.

    ¡°Keep hitting as much as you¡¯d like, there¡¯s no way you¡¯ll break free.¡± A saint level cultivator who was apart of Prince Cang San¡¯s entourage snickered.

    ¡°Tch, luckily I decided to watch from above¡­¡± Zhang thought was he watched the crimson dome slowly compress the space within it. Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.

    In the following moments that seemed to drag on forever, the screaming of half deities and saints felt the space within the crimson dome twist and warp, causing them to be filled with panic and dread.

    ¡°Who would have that the Crimson World Sealing Jar would be this powerful. It truly lives up to its reputation as a upper grade deity rank weapon.¡± A half deity said after gulping a mouth full of saliva, thanking his good luck for not being caught like the others.

    Before long in a flash of blinding light, the crimson dome and everything in it disappeared, turning to its original form as a jar in Prince Cang San¡¯s palm.

    ¡°Even if I can¡¯t locate the fallen god¡¯s inheritance, when all of the saints and half deities inside are refined into pure essence and divine energy, I can use them to increase my strength greatly.¡± Prince Cang San laughed as he felt the crimson jar in his palm slightly shake due to the efforts of those inside trying to escape.

    ¡°Now to deal with the rest of them. Vassals of the Holy Siwang Empire, get rid of all those who stand in our way!¡± Prince Cang San said, signally his men to suddenly attack those near them.

    ¡°Cang San, you think with just yourself and some measly saints, you can take the rest of us?¡± A half deity snickered while sneering at Prince Cang San.

    Brothers, we must show this fool what happens to those who seek to soar to the heavens but lack the strength! We need to show Cang San his place!¡± Another half deity said as he rallied the others into battle.

    In a flash, all of the half deities and their subordinates has grouped up against Prince Cang San. With weapons drawn and a suffocating amount of killing intent around, everyone levitated in the sky with a dead silence permeating.

    ¡°Kill everyone from the Siwang Holy Empire!¡± A half deity roared, signaling a mass charge of experts.

    Hmph, get rid of them all...¡± Prince Cang San said in a loud voice as the hoard of half deities and saints rushed toward him.

    ¡°A deep schemer that one is¡­¡± Zhang thought as what Prince Cang San said, prompted roughly half of the half deities and their subordinates to suddenly attack those beside them.

    ¡°You¡­ You bastards were all in league with each other!¡± A half deity that had a large gaping wound on his arm yelled furiously as his other arm tightly gripped the throat of another half deity, one who has just tried to kill him. With a loud crunch, the lifeless corpse of a revered expert fell to the ground.

    ¡°Cang San, even if it means I¡¯ll die for sure, I¡¯ll drag you and your lackeys to hell with me!¡± The half deity added as he flipped his hand and a large golden colored pill appeared.

    Tossing the golden colored pill into his mouth, the half deity¡¯s body turned a bright golden color as if he had been morphed from flesh and bone into solid pure gold, his frame going exponentially becoming roughly ten times what it previously was.

    ¡°Chi Yan, to think you¡¯d take a Golden Soul Extinguishing Pill. Too bad that won¡¯t be enough for you to kill me before it¡¯s affects expire and your soul is extinguished.¡± Prince Cang San said as he eyed the golden giant quickly approaching him.

    ¡°Haha, if one pill does not work then perhaps two or maybe three will!¡± Chi Yan laughed manically as three more golden pills appeared in his palm.

    ¡°Four Golden Soul Extinguishing Pills? How¡­ The number of previous materials needed to make a single one would be able to cultivate a thousand mortals into saints. Why would this bastard have four¡­¡± Prince Cang San cursed inwardly as he watched Chi Yan¡¯s frame grow even bigger. For the first time since the beginning of that chaotic battle, Prince Cang San was actually losing his cool.

 Chapter 273.5

    Hastily storing away his Crimson World Sealing Jar, Prince Cang San braced as a gargantuan golden fist shot straight for his face. Without hesitation, Prince Cang San raised both his arms to welcome the golden fist.

    With a loud bang, Prince Cang San could be seen whizzing around the night sky, a light trickle of blood falling behind him.

    ¡°Your Highness!¡± Hundreds of saints and dozens of half deities all yelled out in unison as they watched Prince Cang San fall toward the ground at unbelievable speeds. Very similar to what had happened to Diyu Ding Zhe, Prance Cang San¡¯s body slammed into the cold hard earth, causing him to roll and tumble a few times before coming to a full stop.

    Coughing out one mouth full of blood after the other, Prince Cang San slowly tried to push his body up from the ground, one of his arms appearing limp and without strength.

    ¡°Qu-quickly¡­ St-sto-stop him¡­¡± Prince Cang San managed to say with great difficulty.

    Whilst the sudden turn of events had left Prince Cang San in an extremely pitiful state, diverting most of his attention, more troubles were brewing within his interspatial ring. Mixed in with a wide variety of magical treasures, essence stones of different colors and other miscellaneous items, the Crimson World Sealing Jar was still vibrating erratically.

    As time went on, the vibrations that shook the Crimson World Sealing Jar had actually caused minute cracks to appear on it¡¯s smooth surface.

    Back outside under the gaze of a bright moon and the dark curtain of night, the dozen or so half deities under Prince Cang San had ceased all activity and rushed to protect their leader.

    A few half deities could be seen fleeing from the golden giant while holding onto Prince Cang San, while hundreds of saints and a few other half deities could be seen employing a wide variety of different magics and treasures.

    Sadly under the influence of four Golden Soul Extinguishing Pills, Chi Yan was akin to a juggernaut, impervious to everything sent toward him.

    ¡°Keep attacking! Even if we can slow him down for a second, we have to stall him as long as we can until the effects of the pills expire!¡± A half deity level monk from the Profound Nirvana Temple could be heard saying.

    ¡°Looks like it''s time for me to join in on the fun.¡± Zhang muttered as his gaze upon the battlefield below him sharpened.

    ¡°Come out.¡± Zhang commanded moments before a floating orb appeared in front of him. In a few instants later, the floating orb was covered in flickering snakes of lightning before congealing into a large dragon made purely of lightning.

    ¡°Let¡¯s begin our attack.¡± Zhang said softly as red lightning wrapped around his arms. Before long the bellowing of a mighty dragon shook the heavens and caused the earth to quake.

    ¡°What now¡­¡± A few of the battling saints sighed as they noticed flashes of white and red being emitted from the layer of clouds above them.

    As if the heavens were unleashing it¡¯s fury upon the world, a shower of whitish gold and red lightning began to descend, piercing through clouds while causing the atmosphere itself to burn.

    The rumbling of thunder, the roaring of heavenly tribulation lightning deafened and blinded the foreign saints and half deities as Zhang¡¯s wrath was enacted.

    Like flies, a few of half deities fell from the sky, leaving trails of smoke behind them. On the other hand, a dozen or so saints were turned into ash, scattering to the four directions. Their body, their soul and their very being was erased from existence upon coming into contact with the blend of lightning being released from Zhang and his homunculus lightning dragon.

    ¡°Strike them all! Every foreign saint and half deity that has come here today is our enemy.¡± Zhang commanded the lightning dragon.

    ¡°Haha! Look at what has become of your forces Cang San! Regardless of how well you¡¯ve plotted and planned, the heavens have eyes and this is its retribution for your sins!¡± Chi Yan laughed as his body visibly began shrinking until it became all shriveled up and then breaking apart into dust.

    Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

    ¡°Tch, the last words of a dying loser.¡± Prince Cang San muttered while clicking his tongue, his condition somewhat stabilizing after someone had given him a handful of various pills.

    ¡°Your Highness, by careful!¡± One of the half deities beside Prince Cang San yelled as a blue colored piece of jade appeared in his hand. Crumbling the blue jade, the half deity summoned a semi transparent bubble, shielding himself and Prince Chang San from a bolt of crimson red lightning.

    With a loud bang, the semi transparent bubble shattered into thousands of glass like shards before fading away.

    ¡°Crimson colored lightning? Who dares attack this prince!¡± Prince Cang San yelled as he quickly realized no one that arrived with him from the upper realms utilized crimson colored lightning in their attacks.

    Rather than a response in words, Prince Cang San soon found himself the target of yet another dozen or so bolts of lightning, some crimson red while others an eerie pale white and gold.

    ¡°Your Highness, worry not, luckily I have brought quite a few protective jades!¡± The half deity beside Prince Cang San said as four blue colored jades appeared in his palm, all of which were soon crushed into bits, summoning four semi-transparent bubbles.

    With four loud consecutive explosions, the four semi-transparent bubbles all shattered after being struck by lightning, causing the half deity beside Prince Cang San to shutter in fear.

    ¡°You can try to defend however long you want, but while dragging around someone so heavily injured you won¡¯t make it very far.¡± Zhang thought as he unleashed another barrage of lightning from up above the clouds.

    ¡°Show yourself, coward!¡± Prince Cang San roared despite his injuries, upon seeing even more lightning falling from the sky. Since he was trying to escape from Chi Yan, Prince Cang San and his bodyguard had flown too far from the other foreign saints and half deities, leaving them stranded and without help.

    Without anyone to come to his aid, Prince Cang San reluctantly without the Crimson World Sealing Jar once again, hoping to use it to shield himself from Zhang¡¯s attack.

    Tossing the crimson-colored jar into the air while muttering a strange incantation, Prince Cang San failed to notice a small crack that had appeared on the once smooth surface of his divine treasure. Had he noticed this crack, perhaps the following events would have never occurred, however sometimes fate often plays cruel tricks upon the weary.

    Under Prince Cang San¡¯s control, the Crimson World Sealing Jar began expanding itself, growing much larger then it¡¯s original size. A faint smile could be seen on the prince¡¯s face as a scene of himself being shielded by the Crimson World Sealing Jar played out in his mind, his divine treasure would protect him fro Zhang¡¯s attack and before long more of his subordinates would come to his aid, resolving this life-threatening disaster he had found himself in.

    Had things played out like this, perhaps the Wuling Continent would have not fallen into calamity.

    Like a raging dragon, Zhang¡¯s bolt of lightning reared its fangs toward Prince Cang San, and in turn the Crimson World Sealing Jar. Before long tens of lightning bolts collided with the now enlarged crimson jar, causing sparks to fly across the night sky before the unbelievable occurred.

    ¡°Ho-how¡­¡± Prince Cang San muttered as he watched dozens of cracks appear on his most precious treasure. Little did Prince Cang San know, within the Crimson World Sealing Jar, Diyu Ding Zhe had actually consumed all of the saints and half deities trapped along with him. After absorbing the essence and divine energy within a hundred odd saints and a dozen or so half deities, Diyu Ding Zhe was brimming with strength, so much strength that with repeated attempts he was actually able to cause a crack to appear on the Crimson World Sealing Jar.

    One must know that treasures that contained the ability to trap others, were often fragile on the outside while being extremely steady on the inside.

    Thanks to this crack created by Diyu Ding Zhe, Zhang¡¯s lightning was able to deal double if not triple the amount of damage it would have inflicted.

    Under Zhang¡¯s bombardment of lightning, the cracks on the Crimson World Sealing Jar snacked and multiplied, causing Prince Cang San¡¯s heart to sink.

    ¡°Ta-take me as far from here as possible! If the jar breaks, the resulting explosion will kill us if we stay this close!¡± Prince Cang San said to the half deity beside him.

    ¡°Break for me!¡± Zhang said as a shiny gold coin appeared in between his fingers. Charged with lightning from both Zhang and the Tribulation Lightning Dragon, the shiny gold coin traveled at speeds faster then the eye could see, smashing into and piercing through the Crimson World Sealing Jar.

    ¡°BOOOOOOM¡±

    The Crimson World Sealing Jar that had imprisoned Diyu Ding Zhe was no more, however, the resulting explosion caused space itself to rip as everything within its general radius was blown away.

    As the aftermath of the massive explosion began clearing up, Prince Cang San could be seen laying nearly lifeless on the ground, his bodyguard not too far from him and not in much better shape. Zhang who was well hidden above a sea of clouds was now in full view after his cover was blown away.

    ¡°How is he still able to¡­¡± Zhang mumbled, slackjawed as he witnessed Diyu Ding Zhe levitating in front of Prince Cang San, with only half of his body remaining.  Missing an arm, a leg and a good portion of his abdomen, Diyu Ding Zhe looked extremely frightening.

    Quickly snapping himself out of the daze he was in, Zhang quickly shot more lightning from his fingertips, in an attempt to end things once and for all.

    ¡°This new vessel with do¡­¡± Diyu Ding Zhe said in a barely recognizable voice as his remaining arm latched onto Prince Cang San, strange rune appearing on it and shifting onto the unconscious prince¡¯s body.

    Once nearly half of the runes that were on Diyu Ding Zhe¡¯s body had shifted over to Prince Cang San¡¯s body, Zhang''s lightning reached its target, sending powerful waves of energy in the form of snaking bolts of lightning across Diyu Ding Zhe¡¯s tattered body, blowing it to bits.

    With glowing runes still visible on them, Diyu Ding Zhe¡¯s limbs littered the ground as Prince Cang San¡¯s eyes suddenly opened.

    ¡°ARGGGHHHHH!!¡± Prince Cang San roared as his hands hugged his head after sitting upright. Sweat condensed and dripped down from his brow as his facial expressions changed sporadically, appearing as if two different wills for contesting for the same body.

    Before Zhang could send more lightning raining down from the sky, Prince Cang San¡¯s arm reached for the unconscious half deity beside him, his shadow expanding forth very much so like when Diyu Ding Zhe utilized his Heavenly Devouring Technique.

    In a flash, the half deity beside Prince Cang San was turned into a dried up husk before his remains were absorbed into the shadows.

    ¡®You-You! You dared to attack me! You! You ruined my revival and my plans to kill that bastard!¡± Prince Cang San roared as he stared at Zhang, his voice changing in pitch and appearing to belong to two different people as he spoke.

    Flickering and disappearing from where he was on the ground, Prince Cang San appeared from out of nowhere in front of Zhang, his fists balled up and rage swelling in his eyes.

    ¡°Shit¡­ The two of them fused¡­¡± Zhang thought as his body quickly shot backward creating distance between himself and Prince Cang San.