Thunder over the Royal Court

## Chapter 37

The news of Wolf Fang Fortress falling and General Bater's death in battle struck the Northern Mang Royal Court like a bolt of thunder crashing down from the sky.

This was no longer a border skirmish, no longer the loss of provisions. It was an important military town built up over many years being uprooted entirely, and a renowned late Meridian Condensing Realm general being slain in formation!

It meant that the Great Yan border army had gained the ability to take the initiative, storm cities, and pull down strongholds! And the one who had set all this in motion was still that same name—Chen Qing!

"Trash! A pack of trash!"

Within the Golden Wolf Great Tent of the Northern Mang Royal Court, Left Virtuous King Wuwei could no longer remain composed. His furious roar nearly overturned the tent's roof. Before him, a whole group of generals knelt on the ground, their faces ashen as they trembled.

"That idiot Bater! Who told him to leave the city and meet them in battle?! Couldn't he hold the fortress and wait for reinforcements?!" Wuwei shook with rage. With Wolf Fang Fortress lost, his flank had been thrown wide open, and his entire strategic arrangement had been thrown into disarray!

"Marshal, Chen Qing is cunning and fierce. General Bater merely wished to—"

"Wished to do what? Wish for death?!" Wuwei kicked the speaking general sprawling, his chest heaving violently. "Pass down my orders! Withdraw all outer forces, abandon the forward strongholds, and concentrate the main army around the Royal Court! Hold fast and defend strictly!"

Fear and malice flickered in his eyes. Chen Qing's growth was far too terrifying. In such a short time, he had climbed from a mere Auxiliary Soldier to someone capable of slaying a late Meridian Condensing Realm expert in battle. Worse, he had cultivated an eerie and terrifying Killing Intent technique. If this boy was not eliminated, Northern Mang would never know peace!

"And another thing! Send word to the Royal Court. Report the situation here, especially the threat Chen Qing poses, truthfully and in full to the Great Khan and the National Preceptor! Request that they... dispatch the Azure Wolf Death Warriors south!"

"The Azure Wolf Death Warriors?!" The generals within the tent all turned pale in horror. That was the Northern Mang Royal Court's most mysterious and powerful force. It was said that every one of them had been selected from a thousand, dead warriors who cultivated secret arts. The weakest among them were already in the Meridian Condensing Realm, and there were even rumors of terrifying Aperture Opening Realm existences among them! They would never be deployed lightly unless the nation stood at the brink of destruction.

"Marshal, this..."

"Do as I say!" Wuwei's tone was chilling, carrying a do-or-die resolve. "That beast has already grown into his wings. Ordinary methods can no longer touch him! Only the Azure Wolf Death Warriors can take his head!"

"Yes!"

Compared to the rage and panic within the Northern Mang Royal Court, the Great Yan Northern Frontier line was filled with celebration and excitement.

A great victory at Wolf Fang Fortress! Mad Wolf Bater slain in formation!

This news was even more stirring than the burning of provisions on the Wild Wolf Plains! It meant that the Great Yan border army, which had always been beaten down by Northern Mang, had finally gained the power to strike back!

"Long live General Zhenbei!"

"Victory to the Black Tiger Camp!"

Cheers rang through the camps. Countless soldiers looked with worshipful eyes toward that black tiger banner and the figure beneath it, like a god of war.

Commendations from the command tent and rewards from the emperor came flying in like snowflakes once more: gold and silver, spirit jade, medicinal pills, and even several high-level martial arts manuals treasured by the army. Chen Qing's rank was also raised from Marquis of Guannei to County Marquis, with a fief of a thousand households. Though it was still an honorary title, its glory was even greater.

Chen Qing did not care about such empty fame and rewards. He simply poured all the resources into building up the Black Tiger Camp. After the bloody battle at Wolf Fang Fortress, the Black Tiger Camp expanded once again, reaching five thousand men. Their equipment became more refined, and their Killing Intent grew increasingly dense. They had truly become a tiger-and-wolf army that inspired fear at first sight.

He himself entered seclusion once more.

The energy gained from devouring Bater after the battle at Wolf Fang Fortress was enormous. Combined with the accumulation from battle after bloody battle, he felt that the barrier to the late Meridian Condensing Realm had become as thin as a cicada's wing.

Within the tent, spirit jade lay piled high, while Killing Intent filled the air.

Chen Qing sat cross-legged, his consciousness sinking into his body. The fully integrated Fierce Tiger Iron Body revolved madly, guiding that vast energy as it crashed against the final barrier time and again like a battering ram.

Under the scouring of energy, his Saber Meridian continuously widened and toughened. The Black Tiger True Intent also became more condensed and domineering. His understanding of "Baleful Intent" deepened further. It was not merely the aura of slaughter, but an aggregation of all negative energies—death, war, hatred, and more. If he could fully control it, its power would surpass all imagination.

No one knew how much time passed.

Boom!

It was as if thunder exploded within his body!

The barrier that had obstructed him for so long shattered in response!

An even vaster, more surging power swept through every corner of his body like a flood bursting through a breached dam! His Saber Meridian became broader and tougher, and the total amount of Killing Intent it could contain and circulate surged severalfold! The Fierce Tiger Domain around him expanded uncontrollably. Dark-red currents burned like tangible flames, casting the entire tent in an eerie crimson glow!

Late Meridian Condensing Realm!

He slowly opened his eyes. Deep within his pupils, those flecks of dark red had become two slowly rotating vortices—deep, cold, and seemingly capable of devouring a person's soul.

Feeling the nearly boundless strength within his body, as well as the Fierce Tiger Domain that had expanded to a range of three zhang and become far more precise in his control, Chen Qing knew that his strength had undergone a qualitative leap.

Now, even if he faced a peak Meridian Condensing Realm expert like Wugutuo again, he would have the strength to fight! With Fierce Tiger Roar and his increasingly profound Black Tiger True Intent, victory would not be impossible!

He rose to his feet and moved his body. His joints erupted with crackling pops, like muffled thunder rolling across the heavens.

It was time.

He walked out of the tent. The sunlight outside was blinding. Five thousand fierce Black Tiger soldiers were drilling on the training ground, their roars shaking the sky. The dark-red clouds formed from gathered Killing Intent nearly blotted out the heavens.

Old Niu, Sun Quezi, and the others sensed his aura and immediately hurried forward. Feeling Chen Qing's increasingly unfathomable presence, like that of a primordial savage beast, their hearts tightened as they bowed respectfully. "General!"

Chen Qing swept his gaze over them and gave a slight nod. After repeated battles and an abundance of resources, Old Niu and Sun Quezi had also firmly stabilized themselves in the early Meridian Condensing Realm, their auras deep and vigorous.

"What movements has Northern Mang made recently?" Chen Qing asked.

"Reporting to the General, Wuwei has retreated completely into his shell. He has abandoned all outer strongholds and withdrawn every soldier to within a hundred li of the Royal Court, assuming a posture of strict defense," Sun Quezi replied. "Also, according to vague information from our hidden agents, the Northern Mang Royal Court seems to be making unusual moves. They may... send elites south."

"Elites?" A flicker of interest passed through Chen Qing's eyes. "They have come at just the right time."

He had been worrying that he could not find opponents with enough weight to temper this newly born power.

"Pass down the order. The entire army is to prepare for battle." Chen Qing's tone was calm, yet it carried a murderous intent that made hearts quiver. "Our next step is to point our blades directly at—the Northern Mang Royal Court."

Although they had expected it, everyone's hearts still began pounding violently.

Attack the Royal Court! This was a feat the Great Yan army had never accomplished in hundreds of years!

"General, the Royal Court's defenses are strict. It also has the Northern Mang Great Khan's personal guards and shaman sorcerers. I fear..." A newly promoted squad leader spoke with some concern.

"Strict defenses?" A cold curve formed at the corner of Chen Qing's lips. "Then we will tear them open."

He lifted his head and gazed toward the towering, unbroken Northern Mang Mountains in the north. His eyes seemed to pierce through layer upon layer of passes and settle upon the Golden Wolf King's Tent, the symbol of Northern Mang's highest authority.

"Send a proclamation throughout the Northern Frontier: the Black Tiger Camp shall march north before long and strike straight at the Yellow Dragon!"

His voice was not loud, yet it carried an invisible will that swept through the entire camp like a storm and spread even farther into the distance.

After a brief silence, every Black Tiger Camp soldier erupted in even more fervent roars:

"March north!"

"Strike straight at the Yellow Dragon!"

"Long live the General!"

Killing Intent pierced the skies, and battle intent arched like a rainbow!

Chen Qing knew this would be the most grueling battle he had ever faced. It might also be the decisive battle that determined whether he could truly gain a foothold in this chaotic age of martial might—and even glimpse the mystery of Shattering Void.

The thunder over the Royal Court had already sounded. What came next would be the final movement of blood and fire.