Zhang Dalong!

Looking across the realm, many people knew that she and Xia Weiyang were orphans who had grown up together, inseparable best friends since childhood!

But as they grew older, the two had taken completely different paths. She had chosen to disguise herself as a man and enlist, defending home and country, while the other had chosen to enter the palace and become the Former Emperor's Talented Woman.

As time passed, she had relied on her formidable martial strength to rise step by step, becoming a commander of a thousand, a general, and even military commander!

Meanwhile, the other had relied on herself to become the Former Emperor's most favored consort.

On the night before the Former Emperor passed away, she had sought her out, wishing to become Great Zhou's unprecedented Empress, and declaring that the Former Emperor had left behind an imperial edict!

So she had agreed, using the Divine Phoenix Army's military might to suppress every dissenting voice and help Xia Weiyang ascend the throne!

Yet after Xia Weiyang took the throne, Luo Shenhuang discovered that this childhood friend and old companion was not nearly as enlightened or wise as she had claimed to be.

Instead, she often made foolish decisions. Take Ding Hao's matter before them—she actually demanded that he gather the Four Great Military Merits before he could be pardoned of his death-row status. How was that any different from simply killing Ding Hao outright?!

On the surface, this seemed to block Ding Hao's path to regaining his freedom and innocence. In truth, it chilled the hearts of every Great Zhou soldier who wished to serve the nation loyally!

"Yishan, thank goodness you came to remind me. Otherwise, I would have let this muddle through, and who knows how many soldiers' hearts I would have chilled in the future!"

When Luo Shenhuang came back to her senses, she understood just how foolish her actions had been.

She had used an impossible reward to fool Ding Hao right to his face!

She did not dare imagine how disappointed Ding Hao must be!

After all, no one knew that yesterday, Ding Hao had not only charged into the enemy ranks on the battlefield, but had also fought tirelessly through the night to help her purge the poison.

"Military Commander, you flatter me. I merely explained the truth of the matter to you."

Ding Yishan shook his head. Luo Shenhuang then asked, "Yishan, tell me—how should I reward Ding Hao?"

Ding Yishan pondered for a moment before saying, "Military Commander, for Ding Hao, so long as he cannot cast off his death-row status, any military post or material reward is superfluous!"

"On the contrary, after earning the first-to-scale merit before, he once asked for things that could raise his martial strength, such as Cultivation Methods, martial arts manuals, equipment, and the like."

"Therefore, this subordinate believes it would be better to withdraw such mundane things as the commander-of-a-thousand post and gold, and reward him with Cultivation Methods and martial arts instead!"

"Oh? He wants such things? Cultivation Methods and martial arts are certainly precious, but there is nothing wrong with rewarding meritorious subjects with them!"

Luo Shenhuang raised a brow, then ordered, "Very well. Go ask Ding Hao on my behalf and see exactly what sort of things he wants. If it can be given, he will certainly be rewarded!"

"Yes!"

Ding Yishan accepted the order, turned, and left the central command tent for the Death Row Camp!

Yet before Ding Yishan could reach the Death Row Camp, an uninvited guest—tall and powerfully built, broad-backed and bear-waisted—arrived first!

"General Zhang!"

"Greetings, General Zhang!"

"May we ask what brings General Zhang to our Death Row Camp?"

The moment Zhang Dalong arrived at the Death Row Camp, every officer in the camp came out to welcome him, their faces filled with awe and reverence!

For no other reason than that Zhang Dalong was the Divine Phoenix Army's fiercest general, and the soldiers under his command were known as the Fierce Dragon Elite Troops.

Many believed that if the troops he led had not been too far away to arrive in time yesterday, there would have been no need to form the Elite Vanguard Camp at all. The warriors under his command alone could have slaughtered their way through the Northern Barbarian army!

"Where is that death-row convict Ding Hao? Tell him to get the hell out here and see this general!"

The moment Zhang Dalong stepped onto the Death Row Camp's drill grounds, his rugged face was brimming with vicious fury!

Clearly, he had already learned of Zhang Dahu's fate. After all, many people had witnessed Zhang Dahu being slain by Ding Hao.

There was no way to keep it hidden.

Besides, the military situation had been urgent at the time, and Ding Yishan had not had time to seal off news of the matter.

When Ding Hao took the stage to receive his reward today, Zhang Dalong had already had someone confirm his identity!

Zhang Dahu was his own younger brother, yet he had been killed by a mere death-row convict like Ding Hao. How could he possibly let it rest!

"Looking for Ding Hao?"

"Of course, of course! We'll summon him at once!"

Though Ding Hao had made a huge name for himself today and become known to many people, in terms of status and strength, he naturally could not compare to Zhang Dalong, the Divine Phoenix Army's fiercest general. The Death Row Camp officers immediately found Ding Hao.

"Ding Hao!"

"General Zhang wants to see you. Hurry and come with us to pay your respects to General Zhang!"

Ding Hao slowly opened his eyes. By now, he had raised his qi and blood past the four-thousand mark, successfully breaking through into the realm of an eighth-rank martial artist!

Yet he felt no joy, because he could guess that this General Zhang was likely Zhang Dahu's older brother, Zhang Dalong!

"Sigh! If it's a blessing, it isn't a disaster; if it's a disaster, there's no escaping it!"

"I'll have to face Zhang Dalong sooner or later. And I just saved Luo Shenhuang, besides possessing the two great military merits of first to scale and breaking into the enemy ranks. I refuse to believe he would dare use public office to avenge a private grudge and kill me here in front of everyone!"

Ding Hao sighed inwardly. Knowing there was no use hiding, he could only follow them out!

When he arrived at the drill grounds, he spotted Zhang Dalong at once!

Standing eight feet tall, broad-backed and thick-waisted, clad head to toe in heavy armor, his blood and qi surged vast and mighty, as though a mad dragon lay coiled dormant within him!

Simply standing there, he gave off an immense sense of oppression!

Ding Hao's expression turned grim at once, as though a mountain had been laid upon his heart!

One had to know.

He was already an eighth-rank martial artist. Even in the army, he could be considered a strong fighter, yet before Zhang Dalong, there was simply no comparison!

If he himself was a small hill, then the other man was a towering mountain!

Across the entire Divine Phoenix Army, probably only Luo Shenhuang could overpower him in martial strength. Even Ding Yishan fell short by a notch!

"Ding Hao!"

Zhang Dalong's eyes likewise locked tightly onto Ding Hao in an instant, naked killing intent flooding his gaze! "Was it you who killed my younger brother—Zhang Dahu?"

The moment those words fell, many people who did not know the truth cried out in shock!

Good heavens!

He had actually dared to kill Zhang Dahu—his nerve had reached the very skies!

After all, who in the Divine Phoenix Army did not know that Zhang Dahu was Zhang Dalong's biological younger brother? Let alone a death-row convict, even some generals of the same rank would not dare do such a thing. Zhang Dahu himself was not frightening!

What was frightening was Zhang Dalong. As the Divine Phoenix Army's fiercest general, who would dare provoke him!

Ding Hao knew there was no point in denying it, so he might as well be forthright.

He raised his head and squared his shoulders, standing tall as he looked at Zhang Dalong. Though startled, he was unafraid. "That's right. I was the one who killed Zhang Dahu!"

"Bold!"

"You dared kill my, Zhang Dalong's, younger brother? You truly have grown tired of living!"

Zhang Dalong roared. His body, large enough to rival that of the northern barbarians, trembled, and his surging blood and qi cast crushing pressure over the entire Death Row Camp drill ground.

It made countless people tremble in terror, feeling as though calamity was about to descend!

Yet Ding Hao, the target of it all, did not sway in the slightest.

Neither servile nor overbearing, he said, "Though I am a death-row convict, I am still far from tired of living!"

"The truth is, your younger brother Zhang Dahu tried to set a trap to kill me. Unfortunately, he was a good-for-nothing, and I killed him in return with my blade!"

"Moreover, General Ding Yishan and numerous soldiers witnessed this matter with their own eyes and cleared me of all guilt. What can you, Zhang Dalong, do to me?!"