Chu State City.
Atop the tall, majestic city walls stood a colossal three-story gatehouse with upturned eaves. From the highest level, one could see dozens of miles into the distance.
In the grand hall of the top floor, a middle-aged man sat on a tiger-skin-covered chair, leaning on his sword. He wore heavy armor forged from hundred-fold steel, draped in a scarlet cape. His narrow, piercing phoenix eyes and handsome features bore a slight resemblance to Emperor Yuanjing.
This man exuded both the fierce aura of a military general and the dignified pride of imperial nobility. He was born to be in a position of power, with an extraordinary presence.
This was the Zhen Bei Wang (Prince of Pacifying the North) of Great Feng.
The life of this prince was legendary. From a young age, he possessed immense strength, capable of tearing apart tigers and leopards with his bare hands. Yet, he was far from a brute. On the contrary, Prince Huai was naturally intelligent, surpassing his brothers and sisters.
Prince Huai had a penchant for killing and was obsessed with martial arts. The late emperor once said that the Seventh Prince was a God-given guardian general for Great Feng. Thus, he did not pass the throne to him.
Prince Huai himself didn’t care. To him, as long as he could reach the pinnacle of martial arts, power would naturally come. His status as a prince was merely an aid in his journey to the summit of martial prowess.
In this world, some are addicted to beauty, some to money, some to power, and some to cultivation.
Prince Huai took command of troops at fifteen, became unrivaled in the capital at twenty, and has been stationed in the north for sixteen years since he was twenty-five.
His most glorious moment was twenty years ago when he joined Wei Yuan’s expedition as deputy commander, wielding the nation-stabilizing sword to slay countless experts from the southern and northern barbarian tribes.
He was recorded in history as the second most meritorious figure in the Battle of Shanhai Pass.
“Report!”
A black-robed spy entered the hall with hurried steps, kneeling with his head lowered, holding a stack of secret letters.
The Prince of Pacifying the North reached out, and the letters flew into his palm. He opened them and read them one by one.
The first letter was an apology. Despite their best efforts in searching the borders, the spies had failed to find any trace of the princess consort and the four barbarian leaders who had abducted her.
The second letter concerned the escaped Administrative Commissioner Zheng from the city massacre. It stated that the Flying Swallow Heroine Li Miaozhen had successfully made contact with Commissioner Zheng. During the interception by top-tier spies, they encountered interference from a Buddhist expert, unfortunately allowing Li Miaozhen to escape.
The third and fourth letters contained military intelligence. Two thousand cavalry from the Qingyan Tribe had mobilized en masse, traveling light and marching at full speed towards Chu State City.
Zhujiu, the leader of the northern demon tribe, was leading his demonic forces southward, directly targeting Chu State City.
They hadn’t plundered civilians or attempted to attack other cities along the way, showing a strong, singular purpose in their advance on Chu State City. Given Chu State City’s proximity to the border, the Qingyan cavalry and Zhulong’s demonic forces would reach the city walls by dusk.
The secret letters in the Prince of Pacifying the North’s hand turned to dust as he dismissed the spy. Rising from his chair, he gazed at the empty hall and said in a deep voice:
“They’ve still discovered it.”
“This was to be expected. Many know of Mu Nanzhi’s extraordinary nature. Countless eyes have been watching you, waiting for your cultivation to progress so you could seize her spiritual essence. Even though you’ve kept a low profile these years, there are still many who can estimate your level of cultivation. Our massacre of Chu State City has been concealed for nearly a month, which is already a successful plan.”
A voice echoed in the hall, responding to the Prince of Pacifying the North.
“How much longer until we achieve complete success?” Prince Huai asked, his expression calm as he looked ahead.
“Three hours.”
The voice chuckled lightly. “Don’t rush. You should know that the life essence of ordinary people is useless to you. They must be refined into blood pills. Ah, three hundred and eighty thousand people naturally take time and effort. Of course, if we didn’t also need to refine soul pills, the blood pills would have been ready ten days ago.”
After a pause, the voice continued, “Having lost Mu Nanzhi, even if you consume the blood pills, you won’t be able to advance to the Second Rank.”
The Prince of Pacifying the North replied calmly, “We’ve already thought of measures to compensate, haven’t we? Rest assured, I won’t go back on my word to you.”
The voice let out a hoarse laugh. “Mutual benefits… Someone’s coming.”
At the entrance, a figure appeared. It was the one-eyed Duke Que Yongxiu, Guardian of the Nation. With his hand on the hilt of his sword at his waist, he strode in with large steps.
“Prince Huai, there’s still no trace of Zheng Xinghuai,” Duke Que said in a deep voice.
“After this battle, if I advance to the Second Rank, there will be no need to worry about his fate. If I fail, I still have ways to protect you. Don’t worry,” Prince Huai said calmly.
Duke Que Yongxiu, Guardian of the Nation, let out a sigh of relief and asked, “Do we have confidence in this battle?”
The Prince of Pacifying the North nodded slowly.
Que Yongxiu immediately broke into a smile. He sat down on a chair with a commanding presence and said with a laugh:
“It’s about time our Great Feng produced a Second Rank expert. In recent years, the northern barbarians and demon tribes have been running rampant, not taking us seriously. After this battle, we’ll flatten that Tuotian Mountain, then skin and bone Zhujiu to make soup for our soldiers.”
A smile appeared on the Prince of Pacifying the North’s stern face.
Que Yongxiu had been his study companion in his youth, and later they led troops together. From the Battle of Shanhai Pass to the northern borders, they had fought side by side for nearly twenty years. Their bond was deeper than that of blood brothers.
Otherwise, he wouldn’t have entrusted the city massacre to him.
…
As the sun began to set, soldiers standing atop the city walls squinted their eyes, seeing a cloud of dust rising on the horizon as countless cavalry charged towards them. Behind the cavalry was a cyan giant, two zhang (about six meters) tall.
They had arrived.
“Boom! Boom! Boom!”
The sound of drums echoed across the land. The soldiers on the city walls immediately sprang into action, methodically preparing defensive weapons such as rolling stones, fire oil, and battering rams.
News of the impending barbarian army’s attack on the city had already reached Chu State. In response, neither the officers nor the rank-and-file soldiers showed any sign of panic.
Amidst the clanging of armor, the Prince of Pacifying the North, sword in hand, stepped out onto the observation platform of the city tower, gazing at the leader of the Qingyan Tribe in the distance.
The two Third Rank experts, separated by the vast plain, could see each other’s expressions and eyes. Jili Zhigu grinned ferociously, while the Prince of Pacifying the North’s lips curled into a cold, disdainful smile.
After a brief exchange of glances, Jili Zhigu suddenly lowered his head, swung his arms, and began to sprint with all his might.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The earth trembled as if bombshells were exploding. The cyan giant turned into a blur, seemingly intent on ramming down the city wall with his head.
“Open fire!” Duke Que Yongxiu roared.
The large crossbows and cannons on the city wall are all aimed at the cyan giant.
The bowstrings of the giant crossbows were drawn back by the combined effort of four soldiers. As the strings were slowly pulled, the inscriptions carved into the crossbow’s frame began to light up one by one. The faint light emitted by the inscriptions flowed like water, gathering on the two-meter-long heavy arrows.
As the bowstrings reached full draw, the light completely converged on the heavy arrows. The two-meter-long arrows burst into dazzling brilliance as if composed of pure light.
“Twang! Twang! Twang!”
The two-meter-long heavy arrows whistled through the air like streaks of light, shooting towards the cyan giant.
“Boom! Boom! Boom!”
Simultaneously, the cannons, also enhanced by formations, fired burning fireballs that resembled dazzling meteors.
The Great Feng army’s individual combat prowess was inferior to the barbarian tribes; their numbers couldn’t match the Wushen Cult, which could manipulate corpses; in terms of flexibility, they were no match for the elusive Gu Clan troops; and their mid to high-level combat strength was far behind that of the Buddhist nation.
However, Great Feng’s dominance over the Central Plains and its supremacy over the Nine Provinces had previously relied on the Confucian school. When Confucians dominated the court, positions like the Commander of the Three Armies and the General-in-Chief were usually held by Confucian scholars.
The famous Confucian generals in history mostly came from the Yunlu Academy.
These Confucian generals were not only proficient in military strategy, using troops like gods, but they could also fight on the battlefield themselves, boasting earth-shattering abilities.
After the decline of the Confucian school, the magical devices of the Celestial Observation Department took up the mantle. Heavy assault magical devices and firearms became the foundation of Great Feng’s survival. They were particularly effective in city defense, acting as veritable meat grinders.
The heavy arrows radiating dazzling light and the fireballs resembling falling stars continuously bombarded the cyan giant.
Jili Zhigu endured the heavy arrows and cannon fire that could easily kill a sixth-rank martial artist. With each thunderous impact, his body would shudder.
But he didn’t dodge. Instead, he actively welcomed the barrage of heavy arrows and cannon fire, swinging his giant sword to disperse the terrifying arrows and meteor-like projectiles. These attacks weren’t a major problem for him, but they would have been devastating to the cavalry behind him.
Even so, after one round of bombardment, over a hundred elite cavalrymen had been sacrificed.
When he was less than two hundred meters from Chu State City, Jili Zhigu’s knees suddenly bent. As the ground collapsed beneath him, his body tilted, charging towards the city wall.
A strong wind howled as the six-meter-tall cyan figure, wrapped in an irresistible aura, seemed capable of crashing through a mountain.
No, he could indeed crash through a mountain.
At this moment, the Prince of Pacifying the North on the city tower made his move. With a bang, he shot up into the sky amidst crumbling stone bricks, his scarlet cape fluttering fiercely. As he reached the highest point, he drew his long sword.
Raising it high.
Then, the Prince of Pacifying the North plunged downward, swinging his sword.
Though he was alone, he gave off a pressure as if the heavens were falling.
The cyan giant had no choice but to halt his charging posture, stabilize himself, and swiftly raise his giant sword to strike at the Prince of Pacifying the North in the sky.
Boom!
A sound like a giant bell reverberated through the heavens and earth.
A wave of energy rippled outward in a circular shape, like dozens of cannons exploding simultaneously, the shockwave spreading in mid-air.
The Qingyan cavalry below narrowly escaped disaster, while the walls of the city lit up with inscriptions, forming an invisible barrier to block the residual energy waves.
The Prince of Pacifying the North flew up again, landing back on the city tower, holding his long sword, as steady as a mountain.
“Prince of Pacifying the North, War God!” Duke Que Yongxiu raised his weapon and shouted.
“Prince of Pacifying the North, War God!”
“Prince of Pacifying the North, War God…”
On the city walls, the soldiers chanted in unison, their hearts united, full of confidence in the Prince of Pacifying the North, revering him like a deity.
…
At the north gate, on the endless wilderness outside the city, a colossal creature appeared on the distant horizon. Its body was entirely crimson, without scales, and a single eye on its forehead resembled a golden sun.
The crimson giant serpent slithered close to the ground, kicking up clouds of dust.
Behind it was a dense army of demon tribes, including flood dragons, black-scaled giant tigers, one-horned lizards, and apes…
Above its head, the dark mass of the avian army blanketed the sky, swooping in at high speed.
The soldiers on the city walls were expressionless, showing neither fear nor tension. They mechanically fired crossbows, and cannons, or bent their bows to attack the circling birds in the air.
The birds that fell after being hit by arrows had already died, but during their descent, they suddenly opened their blood-red eyes, spread their wings anew, and attacked their companions.
The demon army troops killed by cannon fire and crossbow bolts also rose again, tearing at their nearby companions, even attacking the crimson giant serpent.
Before the demon army could reach the city walls, small-scale chaos had already erupted within their ranks.
“Twang! Twang! Twang!”
Heavy arrows shot out, automatically ignoring the demon army and locking onto the crimson giant serpent. They didn’t travel in straight lines but in curves, all targeting the same spot.
The vulnerable spot on the serpent’s neck.
It was as if an invisible hand was guiding the heavy arrows and cannon fire, making them aim for the weak point.
The giant serpent’s enormous size, while bringing overwhelming power, also revealed the disadvantage of being less agile, unable to dodge the heavy arrows and cannon fire.
Although it wouldn’t suffer severe injuries, its vulnerable spot felt as if steel nails were being driven into its flesh, causing unbearable pain.
“Roar…”
It raised its head, opening its blood-red maw like a dark red black hole. The single eye on its forehead trembled repeatedly before suddenly shooting out a beam of golden light that crashed into the city wall.
The wall’s formation patterns lit up, and an invisible barrier appeared in response.
The golden light collided with the barrier, scattering fine light particles. The wall crackled, developing countless tiny cracks.
The Battle of Shanhai Pass was the first large-scale battle on the northern border. Three Third Rank experts were participating, with another unknown expert hidden in the shadows.
…
Inside Chu State City, martial artists rushed out of inns and houses, looking towards the city gate in shock.
The thunderous sound of cannons, the clear twang of crossbows, the sound of hooves, the roars of the wall defenders… and the terrifying energy fluctuations from high-ranking experts clashing.
These were heard and sensed by the martial artists in the city, inevitably causing fear in their hearts, and making them want to hide under their beds and tremble.
“What’s going on? Have the barbarians attacked Chu State City?”
“Damn it, these barbarians dare to attack Chu State City? Do they want to start a full-scale war with Great Feng?”
“Let’s go to the city wall and help defend the city.”
At the entrance of the largest tavern in Chu State City, several martial artists were jumping and cursing angrily. At this moment, they saw the innkeeper and waiters walking out of the inn with wooden expressions.
They saw local residents walking out of houses along the street, their faces pale, eyes empty, lacking vitality, like walking corpses.
More and more people came out of their houses onto the streets, staring blankly at the sky.
Above their heads, wisps of blood-red light seeped out, floating towards the sky, then converging into a huge ball of blood.
From within their bodies, black shadows were being pulled out, sinking into the ground. During this process, the black shadows kept struggling, wailing:
“So I was already dead…”
“I’m dead? I’m dead!!”
“Unwilling… so unwilling…”
Throughout the city, civilians and martial artists who had entered Chu State City after the massacre witnessed this terrifying scene, their hearts turning ice-cold.
Were all the people in Chu State City already dead?
Then who had they been talking to, conversing with, and living alongside for over a month?
So we’ve been living in a ghost city for over a month…
Immense fear exploded in the hearts of the few remaining living people.
At the courier station.
The embassy group came to the street, trembling with fear, watching the pale human figures standing woodenly, looking up at the sky.
Streams of blood essence were being extracted from their heads, surging into the air; black shadows were being peeled from their bodies, sucked into the ground.
Yang Yan murmured, “So, the location of the ‘Blood Massacre of Three Thousand Li’ was Chu State City.”
“Beasts!”
Suddenly, a furious roar erupted as the Deputy Minister of Justice fell to his knees, tears gushing out.
“Three hundred and eighty thousand people in Chu State City, three hundred and eighty thousand vengeful souls… In the six hundred years of Great Feng’s history, no one has ever committed such an atrocity. I, I must return to the capital and impeach Prince Huai, even if it costs me my life.”
He pounded the ground with his fists, wailing “Ah” as he broke into loud sobs.
Inspector Liu’s lips trembled, “How dare he, how dare he… As a prince of Great Feng, he was loved and supported by the northern people. How could he lay hands on these innocent civilians? Prince Huai deserves to die, deserves to die…”
Captain Chen’s eyes were bloodshot, his hand gripping his sword trembling incessantly.
Yang Yan looked at them, slightly moved.
These civil officials were usually slick and cunning, fond of scheming against each other, but they weren’t completely morally bankrupt. Their hearts still held sentiments nurtured by the teachings of sages.
Both bad and good.
Captain Chen gritted his teeth and said, “What exactly does Prince Huai want to do?”
Yang Yan pondered, “He might be trying to advance to the Second Rank. This is my guess.”
Advancing to the Second Rank… The Deputy Minister of Justice, the two Inspectors, and Captain Chen were shocked.
If, Prince Huai advanced to the Second Rank through this means, would the Emperor punish him even if they exposed this matter and submitted impeachment memorials?
Would the ministers be able to deal with Prince Huai?
What did a Second Rank martial artist mean? Great Feng hadn’t produced a Second Rank martial artist in three hundred years.
Looking across the Nine Provinces, Second Rank martial artists had become extinct, at least the northern barbarians and demon tribes didn’t have any Second Rank experts.
If Prince Huai could advance to the Second Rank, would the massacre still be considered a crime? Even if it was a crime, who would have the power to punish him?
Perhaps His Majesty and the ministers would have to reluctantly accept it. And once His Majesty and the ministers compromised, even the Controller would have to prioritize the bigger picture.
Was it worth exchanging the lives of three hundred and eighty thousand civilians for a Second Rank expert?
It was very much worth it.
Inspector Liu took a deep breath, “If Prince Huai advances to the Second Rank, I will spill my blood in the Imperial Court to show my determination.”
Captain Chen said in a deep voice, “Is there no one who can stop him? Who in the northern border can stop the Prince of Pacifying the North…”
Yang Yan shook his head, “Who in the northern border could be stronger than the Prince of Pacifying the North?”
There was no one.
No one could stop the Prince of Pacifying the North. No one in Chu State could become a stumbling block to his advancement.
No one could do it. The embassy group couldn’t, the martial artists couldn’t. They could only watch helplessly as the Prince of Pacifying the North advanced.
Captain Chen suddenly said, “I suddenly regret that Xu Qi An’s strength is insufficient…”
As everyone looked at him, he said self-mockingly, “I used to be jealous of how he became famous worldwide in the Buddhist confrontation. I was jealous of how he outshone the outstanding disciples of the Taoist sect in the battle between Heaven and Man. But now, I only resent that his cultivation is not enough.
“Because if it were him, he definitely wouldn’t stand idly by. In fact, by now, he would have already drawn his sword against Prince Huai. Isn’t that right, Golden Bell Yang?”
Everyone turned to look at Yang Yan.
Yang Yan seemed a bit dazed as if recalling something. He said with a sigh, “Minister Wei once said that his biggest flaw was his reckless bravery. Whether it was when he struck down his superior with his sword, or when he single-handedly held off the rebel army in Yun Province.”
Indeed, that man was a tough nut to crack, a stone in the latrine, both stinking and hard.
The civil officials who hated him often said that this man would eventually pay the price for his temper.
But sometimes, it was precisely such a person who became the “savior” in their hearts, the one they hoped would raise his arm and call out in certain moments.
Inspector Liu murmured, “The late emperor was wrong. If Great Feng truly had a guardian general, I think it would be Xu Qi An, not Prince Huai.”
It’s a pity he was still immature, not yet fully grown.
The Deputy Minister of Justice showed a vicious expression: “Now I only wish for the barbarians to breach the city and behead the Prince of Pacifying the North. If no one in Great Feng can stop him, then let the barbarians do it.”