"Your subject, Kong Xuan, General of Sanshan Pass, pays his respects to the Great King!"
In the Nine-Room Grand Hall, all the civil and military officials stood in two orderly rows, their eyes fixed on the middle-aged man standing proudly between them.
"So this is the Kong Xuan the Great King mentioned. His bearing truly is extraordinary."
"What use is extraordinary bearing? Outsiders are just like those martial men. In the end, everything still comes down to strength!"
"Exactly, exactly. I just wonder how powerful his supernatural abilities are. I heard Fei Zhong mention him yesterday, praising him to the skies. He must have some skill."
"Fei Zhong's mouth is full of lies. He can't be trusted, can't be trusted!"
Taking in the officials' whispers, Di Xin merely smiled faintly.
A morning mushroom knows nothing of dusk and dawn; a summer cicada knows nothing of spring and autumn.
These people's experience was not shallow, but it was limited to the human race. In other words, when it came to true power, they knew nothing at all!
"I intend to establish the Star-Gathering Pavilion to command the extraordinary people of the world. The position of Pavilion Master is now vacant, and I need a remarkable and talented individual to fill it. Kong Xuan, are you willing to share my burdens?"
"I am willing!"
"Great King, please wait! The Star-Gathering Pavilion is of immense importance, and the position of Pavilion Master carries an arduous responsibility. Although General Kong Xuan is highly skilled in martial arts, no battle record or merit has come from him. If he is suddenly appointed Pavilion Master, I fear some may refuse to accept him."
"Oh? Then what do you mean, Fei Zhong? Have Kong Xuan show us a little of his ability?"
"Great King, surely you should let us broaden our horizons?"
"Very well. General Kong Xuan, why don't you tell us what abilities you possess? Do you dare claim that you are qualified for the position of Pavilion Master?"
As Di Xin and Fei Zhong played off one another, the stage for Kong Xuan's debut was set. Below them, the officials looked at one another:
Did we say anything?
Did we dare refuse?
This was so difficult!
"Great King, I am not boasting!"
Kong Xuan smiled faintly and stood with his hands behind his back. An air of contempt for the entire world naturally radiated from him.
"Your subject alone can hold back a million elite troops!"
"What an outrageous claim."
"He boasts even more than Fei Zhong and You Hun!"
"After this, I fear even King Wucheng won't dare ride his Five-Colored Divine Ox to court anymore!"
"Of course. If the three of them joined forces and blew it away, the loss would be enormous!"
The officials sneered. If this was not boasting, then what was?
Even Grand Tutor Wen Zhong did not dare spout such nonsense. This mere general was simply making a laughingstock of the world!
"Kong Xuan, do you know that no joke may be made before the ruler?"
Di Xin straightened and rose from his throne. His gaze swept over the jade steps below, and the hall fell silent once more.
"Your Majesty, true gold fears no fire. I still have some awareness of my own abilities."
Kong Xuan held his head high and stood proudly, showing no trace of fear.
"Great King, Yuan Futong of the Northern Sea has rebelled with the Seventy-two Vassals. Grand Tutor Wen Zhong has led troops to suppress the rebellion for several years, yet has still not returned in triumph. Since General Kong is so confident, why not let him go and show us his abilities first?"
Fei Zhong's second intervention drew the full attention of the officials, and their imaginations began to run wild.
"How did this Kong Xuan offend Fei Zhong? He actually got him placed over such a hot fire!"
"He probably only saw a bright future ahead and failed to notice the road to wealth beneath his feet. Fei Zhong, that petty man, has set his sights on him. Heh heh."
"My, my! I thought he was the same sort of person as Fei Zhong and You Hun, but it seems I misjudged him."
"Kong Xuan, what say you?"
Once he saw that matters had developed sufficiently, Di Xin finally spoke.
Kong Xuan brought his hands together and gave a shallow bow.
"As the saying goes, one should not accept a reward without rendering service. Lord Fei Zhong's suggestion suits me perfectly!"
"Good! Guards, bring the wine!"
Di Xin laughed heartily, strode down the jade steps in a few strides, took the wine pot from an approaching guard, filled a cup, and held it out before Kong Xuan.
"How about this cup to wish you victory upon your return?"
"Thank you, Great King!"
Kong Xuan accepted the cup with both hands, raised his head, and drained it in one gulp. Then he turned and walked out of the hall without the slightest hesitation.
"Everyone, let us see what abilities my Pavilion Master of the Star-Gathering Pavilion truly possesses!"
"Yes!"
Hearing the voices from within the hall, Kong Xuan's lips curled slightly. The moment he stepped through the doors, he transformed into a streak of rainbow light and flew north!
Suppressing a rebellion? Child's play!
Northern Sea
"Kill!"
"Kill!"
"Kill!"
—Wooo!
On the battlefield, the two armies faced one another. As the mournful, heavy horn sounded, drums erupted in an instant, shaking heaven and earth!
Accompanied by one hoarse battle cry after another, the two armies crashed into each other. Dark clouds covered the earth, bloodlust surged into the heavens, and the world dimmed until the sun, moon, and stars no longer held the slightest radiance!
—Neigh!
Amid the warhorses' cries, flesh and bone flew. Amid the glint of blades and swords, blood flowed like a river!
This was the battlefield!
This was war!
This was the greatest flesh-and-blood millstone of ancient humanity!
"Kill them all!"
Amid the countless troops, a burly old man surrounded by golden light, wielding the Male and Female Twin Whips and riding an Ink Jade Qilin, led a force rampaging across the battlefield!
Everywhere he went, the enemy trembled in terror and retreated far away. Some even bled from their seven orifices and were frightened to death on the spot!
Wen Zhong, Grand Tutor of Yin Shang, a minister entrusted with the heir, a disciple of Golden Spirit Holy Mother of the Interception Sect, and the true pillar of Yin Shang!
As he fought at the head of his troops and bathed in blood, one enemy defensive line after another was torn apart. The Yin Shang army surged through the gaps, slaughtering the enemy at will with unstoppable momentum!
In barely the time it took for one incense stick to burn, they were already close to Yuan Futong's central command tent!
"Several Daoist masters, hurry and act!"
Watching the one-sided battle, Yuan Futong was so frightened that his soul nearly left his body. Yet when he saw the bald Daoists before him, he forced himself to remain calm, though his lips still trembled as he spoke.
"Hurry, hurry, hurry! They've reached the front of my central command tent!"
"Amita—"
"Amita—"
"Amita—"
The moment Yuan Futong finished speaking, the four bald Daoists surrounding him from all sides began chanting in unison. In an instant, the winds and clouds of heaven and earth changed again!
A fierce wind rose from the Xun direction, blowing sand and stones everywhere, blotting out the sky and sun. Battle flags toppled in every direction, while men and horses were thrown into disarray!
The entire battlefield became so dark that one could not see one's own hand before one's face, and it instantly descended into chaos!
"Bah! You dare use demonic arts to hinder my Yin Shang army? Watch me break your supernatural powers!"
With a thunderous shout, Wen Zhong's Ink Jade Qilin leaped into the air, while the Male and Female Twin Whips in his hands transformed into two coiling flood dragons!
Wen Zhong activated his Golden Radiant True Body. Golden light burst from his entire body, illuminating the surrounding several miles like a lamp!
But for a battlefield stretching dozens of miles, this was still far from enough!
"Amita! Dadan geya!"
"Amita! Dadan geya!"
"Amita! Dadan geya!"
As the chanting began again, a thick fog swept in from the west and completely enveloped the battlefield in the blink of an eye.
Strangely, the fierce wind could not scatter the fog. Instead, it made the fog grow denser and denser, until only the sound of the wind remained across the entire battlefield.
"Damn it! This again!"
Wen Zhong cursed furiously. The Heaven Eye manifested between his brows, and with the Male and Female Twin Whips gripped in his hands, he smashed them toward the four glittering bald cultivators who had crept up around him at some unknown point!
"Today, I will make sure none of you return alive!"
Before you continue