Royal Court Thunderclap

Wolf Fang Fortress has fallen, and the news of General Bater's death struck the Northern Mang Royal Court like a thunderclap.

This was no longer a border skirmish or a loss of supplies; an important military town, built up over many years, had been uprooted, and a renowned late-stage Meridian Condensing Realm general had been slain!

This meant the Great Yan border army now possessed the capability to launch proactive attacks and conquer strongholds! And the instigator of it all was still that same name—Chen Qing!

"Trash! All of you are trash!"

Inside the Golden Wolf Tent at the Northern Mang Royal Court, Left Virtuous King Wuwei could no longer maintain his composure. His furious roars nearly shook the tent's canopy. Before him, a group of generals knelt, their faces ashen and trembling.

"That idiot Bater! Who told him to march out and meet the enemy?! Couldn't he have held the fort and waited for reinforcements?!" Wuwei trembled with rage. With the loss of Wolf Fang Fortress, his flank was exposed, and his entire strategic layout was in disarray!

"Commander, that Chen Qing is cunning and fierce. General Bater was also thinking..."

"Thinking what? Thinking of dying?!" Wuwei kicked the speaking general, his chest heaving violently. "Issue an order! Withdraw all outer forces, abandon forward strongholds, and consolidate the main army near the Royal Court! Defend with all your might!"

A glint of fear and malice flashed in his eyes. Chen Qing's growth rate was terrifying. In a short period, he had risen from a mere Auxiliary Soldier to the point where he could slay a late-stage Meridian Condensing Realm expert, and he had also mastered a bizarre and terrifying Qi-cultivation technique. If this brat isn't eliminated, Northern Mang will never know peace!

"Also! Send a letter to the Royal Court, reporting the situation here, especially the threat of Chen Qing, to the Khan and the National Preceptor in full detail! Request... the dispatch of the 'Azure Wolf Death Warriors' to the south!"

"Azure Wolf Death Warriors?!" The generals in the tent turned pale with shock. That was the Northern Mang Royal Court's most mysterious and powerful force. It was said that each warrior was hand-picked and trained in secret arts. Their cultivation was at least at the Meridian Condensing Realm, and there were even rumors of terrifying existences at the Aperture Opening Realm among them! They would never be easily deployed unless the kingdom faced annihilation!

"Commander, this..."

"Do as I say!" Wuwei's tone was chilling, with a hint of desperate resolve. "This fiend has grown too powerful; ordinary means can no longer deal with him! Only the Azure Wolf Death Warriors can take his head!"

"Yes!"

***

Compared to the rage and panic of the Northern Mang Royal Court, the Great Yan Northern Frontier defense line was filled with jubilation.

A great victory at Wolf Fang Fortress! "Mad Wolf" Bater slain!

This news was even more exhilarating than burning the grain at Wild Wolf Plains! It meant the Great Yan border army, which had been constantly suppressed by Northern Mang, finally had the power to fight back!

"Long live General Zhenbei!"

"Victory to the Black Tiger Camp!"

Cheers echoed through the camp. Countless soldiers looked with adoration at the black tiger banner and the figure beneath it, who was like a god of war.

Awards from the command tent and commendations from the Emperor rained down like snowflakes—gold, silver, spirit jade, elixirs, and even several high-level martial arts manuals from the army's archives. Chen Qing's title was also elevated from Marquis of Guannei to County Marquis, with a fief of a thousand households. Although it was still an honorary title, its prestige was even greater.

Chen Qing paid no mind to these empty titles and rewards, instead pouring all the resources into the construction of the Black Tiger Camp. After the bloody battle at Wolf Fang Fortress, the Black Tiger Camp was expanded again to five thousand men. Their equipment became even more refined, and their killing intent grew even more potent, truly becoming a formidable force that inspired awe.

He himself went into seclusion once more.

The energy absorbed from Bater during the Battle of Wolf Fang Fortress was immense. Coupled with the accumulation from the continuous bloody battles, he felt the barrier to the late-stage Meridian Condensing Realm was as thin as a cicada's wings.

Inside the tent, spirit jade was piled high, and killing intent permeated the air.

Chen Qing sat cross-legged, his mind sinking into his body. The fully mastered Fierce Tiger Iron Body circulated wildly, guiding the vast energy, like a battering ram, to repeatedly assault the final bottleneck.

Under the surge of energy, the saber meridians continuously widened and strengthened. The Black Tiger True Intent also became more condensed and domineering. His understanding of "Saber" deepened. It was not simply killing intent, but the convergence of death, war, hatred, and all negative energies. If it could be fully controlled, its power would be unimaginable.

After an unknown amount of time.

Boom!

It was as if thunder exploded within his body!

The barrier that had hindered him for so long shattered!

A more vast and surging power, like a torrent from a broken dam, instantly flooded every corner of his body! The saber meridians became wider and tougher, capable of containing and circulating several times the amount of killing intent! The surrounding Fierce Tiger Domain uncontrollably expanded, its dark red energy burning like tangible flames, casting the entire tent in an eerie crimson glow!

Meridian Condensing Realm, late stage!

He slowly opened his eyes. Deep within his pupils, the dark red had transformed into two slowly rotating vortexes, profound and cold, as if capable of swallowing souls.

Feeling the nearly inexhaustible power within him, and the Fierce Tiger Domain, which had expanded to a range of ten feet and was controlled with greater precision, Chen Qing knew 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! In fact, with Fierce Tiger Roar and the increasingly profound Black Tiger True Intent, it was not impossible to win!

He stood up and stretched his body. His joints popped and cracked like rolling thunder.

It was time.

He walked out of the tent. The sunlight outside was dazzling. Five thousand elite Black Tiger soldiers were drilling on the training grounds, their roars shaking the heavens, the dark red clouds formed by their killing intent almost obscuring the sky.

Old Niu, Sun Quezi, and the others sensed his aura and quickly stepped forward. Feeling Chen Qing's increasingly unfathomable aura, like that of a primeval fierce beast, they all stiffened inwardly and bowed respectfully, "General!"

Chen Qing's gaze swept over them, and he nodded slightly. Old Niu and Sun Quezi, after continuous battles and resource allocation, had also stabilized at the early stage of the Meridian Condensing Realm, their auras robust.

"What are Northern Mang's recent movements?" Chen Qing asked.

"Reporting, General, Wuwei has completely retreated, abandoning all outer strongholds. All forces have been consolidated within a hundred miles of the Royal Court, adopting a posture of strict defense," Sun Quezi replied. "Furthermore, according to vague intelligence from our hidden agents, the Northern Mang Royal Court seems to be making a move, possibly... dispatching elite forces south."

"Elite forces?" A hint of interest flashed in Chen Qing's eyes. "They're welcome."

He was just looking for a sufficiently challenging opponent to hone this newfound strength.

"Issue the order, the entire army is to prepare for war." Chen Qing's tone was calm, yet it carried a chilling killing intent. "Our next target—the Northern Mang Royal Court."

Upon hearing this, although they had expected it, everyone's hearts couldn't help but pound violently.

Attacking the Royal Court! This was a feat that the Great Yan army had not accomplished in hundreds of years!

"General, the Royal Court's defenses are heavily guarded, with the Northern Mang Khan's personal guards and Shamanic Sorcerers present. I fear..." a newly promoted Squad Leader said with some worry.

"Heavily guarded?" A cold arc curved on Chen Qing's lips. "Then we'll tear it open."

He looked up, gazing at the majestic, continuous Northern Mang mountain range to the north. His gaze seemed to pierce through the heavy passes, landing on the Golden Wolf Royal Tent, the symbol of Northern Mang's peak power.

"Send word to the Northern Frontier: the Black Tiger Camp will march north soon, striking directly at the heart of their power!"

His voice wasn't loud, but it carried an invisible will, sweeping through the entire camp like a storm, even spreading further out.

All the Black Tiger Camp soldiers, after a brief silence, erupted in even more fervent roars:

"March north!"

"Strike at the heart of their power!"

"Long live the General!"

The killing intent soared to the heavens, their fighting spirit like a rainbow!

Chen Qing knew this would be the most severe battle he would face, and possibly the key to truly establishing himself in this chaotic, high-martial world, or even to glimpsing the mystery of "Shattering Void."

The thunderclap at the Royal Court had sounded; next would be the final symphony of blood and fire.