Henan and Hebei were not far apart. Even though the army Fei Lian led consisted only of mortals, they arrived in no time.
Wen Zhong welcomed Commander Fei Lian and Deputy Commander Kong Xuan into his tent. Once the handover was complete, he rode away on the Ink Qilin.
Wen Zhong had a favorable impression of the new commander. Fei Lian had little talent and had climbed the ranks by clinging to powerful patrons, so he showed great respect for the old grand preceptor, who was utterly loyal to King Zhou.
As for Deputy Commander Kong Xuan, there was little to say. Wen Zhong had divined something of his origins and felt quite reassured.
The general E Lai was also a mighty warrior among mortals. Ji Sheng handled logistics; though he had no great achievements, he had made no great mistakes either.
As he left, Wen Zhong kept marveling that, after lying low for seven years, King Zhou had finally made a move. He had never commanded a great army, yet his deployment of troops and appointment of generals were well organized. Clearly, he had studied the matter carefully.
Of course, there were things Wen Zhong disliked, such as the hundred personal guards accompanying Fei Lian.
They were supposedly personal guards trained by King Zhou himself, yet nothing showed on their faces, nor did they look as though they had undergone rigorous training. They had no discipline and no order. Instead, they walked with a particularly arrogant swagger that made them quite unlikable.
He intended to give King Zhou a lecture once he returned to court. This was no way to train soldiers. The Emperor's Royal Guards represented the emperor's image—how could they behave like this?
The next day, Fei Lian challenged Yuan Futong to battle.
Both sides sent out ordinary troops. E Lai took the field and slew a hundred men, securing victory in the opening engagement.
After this battle, the North Sea rebels hung up a truce placard. No matter how E Lai challenged them, they simply refused to fight.
Yuan Futong was baffled. Why had the Shang Army suddenly changed commanders? Their morale had dropped considerably after the change, but then a mighty warrior like E Lai had been dropped into their midst, and their morale rose again as they fought.
You could actually do that!
Previously, Wen Zhong's army had lacked a mighty mortal warrior. Wen Zhong himself had to keep the North Sea's sorcerers in check and could not conveniently take action, leaving the two sides locked in a stalemate. E Lai's appearance shattered that balance.
Without sorcery or Daoist arts, they simply could not beat him!
A month later, Fei Lian gathered his generals to analyze the campaign.
He truly had no talent, but he was good at listening to other people's opinions. Just as he had previously listened to his two sons' advice on appointing generals, he was now listening to the army's commanders analyze the fighting.
Suddenly, a horn sounded. The North Sea forces had taken the initiative to attack.
Rather than delight, Fei Lian felt alarm. While assembling his troops for battle, he sent someone to notify Kong Xuan. He reckoned the enemy had come prepared and could only ask Kong Xuan to support them.
Fei Lian and Kong Xuan led their troops out of camp to meet the enemy. At the front, they saw that the North Sea combatants were still the same men as before, with the addition of several tall, burly warriors and dozens of Daoists.
Kong Xuan did not rush to act. E Lai still led the troops. The burly warriors were formidable fighters, and E Lai held his ground against four at once, making it a match between worthy opponents. After a long struggle, E Lai used his innate divine strength to topple one. The remaining warriors could no longer withstand him and slowly retreated.
Kong Xuan had been watching the battlefield closely, but he noticed something amiss. "General, beware! Fall back at once."
Fei Lian froze at Kong Xuan's words. His son clearly had the upper hand. Why should he be careful, and why retreat to their own lines?
Was he afraid someone would steal his credit?
The moment Kong Xuan finished speaking, the warriors swung their weapons fiercely, forcing E Lai back, then leaped clear of the fight. At the same time, a Daoist waved his hand. A beam of white light enveloped E Lai, instantly pinning him in place.
Seeing this, the warriors led the rebels forward again. With their general lost, the Shang Army's fighting spirit faltered, and the soldiers retreated in defeat.
The rebels unleashed their powers one after another. Some waved fly whisks, laying down layer upon layer of defenses in the air. Others rode flying swords, whose airborne blades slashed out bolts of heavenly lightning. There were even burly men who threw back their heads and roared, then split mountains and shattered rocks with a single punch.
Kong Xuan acted.
The Five-Colored Divine Light in his hand came from a wisp of primordial chaos. As it divided into the five elements, Kong Xuan had been nurtured within it, and it grew into five feathers in his tail.
Kong Xuan had spent tens of thousands of years refining them before shedding his original form and attaining a human body.
The Five-Colored Divine Light took the form of five feathers, each some three feet long, resembling precious swords. Each had its own color-azure, yellow, red, black, and white. Their radiance circulated faintly within them without shining outward.
Those five little feathers were as heavy as mountains from the Primordial Era. Only someone with great magical power could sweep them forth. Divided according to the five elements, the Five-Colored Divine Light could draw in anything with a single twist.
Swish.
One sweep, and ice and snow melted away.
Two sweeps, and the heavenly lightning fell silent.
Three sweeps, and the sorcerous Daoists and warriors revealed their original forms, becoming birds and beasts that cowered motionless on the battlefield.
The white light restraining E Lai vanished as well. Coming to his senses, E Lai saw that Kong Xuan had saved him. He scratched his bald head and offered his thanks, then tore a nearby tiger that had reverted to its original form in half. Waving a half in each hand, he charged into the enemy ranks.
Kong Xuan said, "Wait, General. Let me subdue these monsters and send them to Chaoge for His Majesty to inspect."
When the rebels suddenly discovered that their accomplished cultivators had all turned into jackals, wolves, tigers, and leopards, their own ranks descended into chaos.
Monsters!
Their fighting spirit instantly dissolved, and they scattered in flight. Yuan Futong was terrified as well and urgently ordered his men to retreat.
E Lai charged straight toward Yuan Futong. Taking the rebel leader would earn him the greatest credit.
Kong Xuan was still sweeping up monsters one after another, enjoying himself immensely.
Fei Lian came to his senses too and led his troops forward to cut down the fleeing enemy. The rebels had lost all will to fight. Like a flock of lambs, they were helpless before the slaughter, and many soldiers surrendered.
This was Fei Lian's first major victory since arriving in the North Sea. Wildly excited, he threw himself into directing the battle, leading elite troops in relentless pursuit of Yuan Futong, looking determined not to stop until he achieved his goal.
As Yuan Futong ran, the space ahead of him suddenly twisted strangely, and an eerie stream of black energy surged toward him.
Zhuolu was the place where Chi You had fallen.
Daoists had long possessed arts that could bring the dead back to life and regrow flesh on bare bones, with Nezha being a prime example.
Though Chi You had been chopped into a bloody pulp and could not be resurrected, a wisp of his presence still wandered the North Sea.
It was this very remnant of his soul that had stirred unrest throughout the North Sea and inspired Yuan Futong to rebel.
The energy entered his body. Yuan Futong grinned savagely, turned around, and charged toward Fei Lian's position in the central army.
That wisp of energy had not granted Yuan Futong mastery of the Dao, but ordinary soldiers could no longer stop him. Unfortunately, Kong Xuan, who could deal with him, was busy collecting monsters large and small and could not arrive in time.
No one could stand against him, and no one dared. Against a demon, ordinary people had limited strength, and fear filled their hearts. Not a single one dared step forward.
Yuan Futong was about to reach Fei Lian and take his life.
At that moment, the personal guards, who had maintained their Overlord Step even during the pursuit, moved.
When Zi Shou trained them, he had taught them nothing else: they simply had to take wide strides and hold their heads high.
They looked haughty and overbearing, but in truth, it was only an outward show.
People's minds were not so easy to change. Zi Shou could only slowly brainwash them with words, making them feel formidable enough to act domineering.
So every day, there was nothing else-just the same sentence repeated over and over.
"We are the Emperor's Royal Guards!"
Crude. Unbearably crude.
Yet that single sentence could give them a sense of glory, a lofty pride in standing above others.
Originally, Zi Shou had wanted them to act arrogant and overbearing whenever they went out, trampling flowers and plants and kicking over street vendors' stalls to build a foul reputation. But now...
"We are the Emperor's Royal Guards!"
"We are the Emperor's Royal Guards!"
"We are the Emperor's Royal Guards!"
That simple sentence, recited thousands upon thousands of times every day, had long since been carved into their bones.
Even the fear in their hearts no longer felt so strong.
One man, then two-their voices grew louder and louder...
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