Fu Shan raised his hand and cast out the Five-Color Flame Gauze Cover, smiling. "Stay inside and watch. Don't come out. I'll perform a passage of the Jun Heaven Great Drum for you."
Hua Meiniang clapped and laughed sweetly. "Wonderful! Little sister, you're in luck! You'll get to see Brother Fu's supreme art."
Mei Jingjing hugged Hua Meiniang's shoulders and asked, "Sister, have you ever seen the old man play the drum? Where's the drum?"
Boom!
Fu Shan punched into empty air. A wave-like force rippled outward, shattering every incoming ball of energy light into multicolored fragments that drifted down like fireworks blooming during a festival.
Mei Jingjing and the others cheered loudly. "So beautiful!"
Boom! Boom! Boom-boom...
The drumbeats rose from low to high, from slow to fast, swelling with stirring intensity.
Fu Shan struck the air with alternating hands and sang at the top of his voice. "A great... wind rises, the clouds... fly... high... My might reaches across the seas... I return to my homeland... Where shall I find brave warriors... to guard the four corners..."
This song, "The Great Wind Rises," was the poem Liu Bang had sung while striking a zhu, a stringed instrument, at a banquet he held for old friends, elders, and young men in his hometown of Pei County, which he passed through on his westward return after campaigning east against Ying Bu, King of Huainan. Now, sung by Fu Shan, its bold, unadorned melody, tinged with sorrow, shook the very winds and clouds into changing color and made the earth and mountains tremble.
The look in Hua Meiniang's eyes changed as she watched Fu Shan. He had always been handsome. Back in the Western Han, he had been a learned man of renown, and cultivation had made him even more extraordinary.
His long hair streamed in the wind as he struck and sang with effortless grace. That air of transcendence left Hua Meiniang utterly entranced.
Each time the three hundred-odd flying-wing soldiers heard a drumbeat, their bodies jerked involuntarily. As the beats quickened, they bounced wildly up and down. Once Fu Shan began singing, they became like a troupe of dancers, rising and falling to the rhythm. Fortunately, Fu Shan had no intention of killing them. He merely shook them until they vomited blood and suffered severe injury to their minds and spirits.
When the singing stopped, heaven and earth seemed to stand still. Everyone stood motionless.
Overcome with feeling, Fu Shan could not help throwing back his head and letting out a long cry. This Song of the Great Wind had reminded him of his years in the Western Han.
The long cry jolted the flying-wing soldiers awake. With a shout, they immediately pushed their flying wings to full power, turned, and fled. A dozen or so collided in their confusion and fell to the ground amid a chorus of ghostly wails and wolfish howls.
Zhao Hao could scarcely believe that such a graceful, untrammeled master existed in the world. That powerful, sorrowful song had been filled with insight into the human world. To send the enemy home with clipped wings after such a brief song was truly beyond his imagination.
Hearing Fu Shan's song, Hou Pijing curled his lip and muttered, "That fellow's showing off again. Hmph, just watch me." He had already teleported into a large cave entrance and swaggered farther inside.
The cave was packed with Black Camp soldiers. Amid the noise and confusion, no one noticed Hou Pijing.
Hou Pijing coughed softly, cleared his throat, then suddenly roared, "Waaah... hey!"
The Black Camp soldiers were immediately alerted.
People from the Tante Kingdom were generally tall and burly, so Hou Pijing's small, thin figure really was hard to spot in the crowd. Somewhat annoyed, he said, "Stop looking. I'm right here..." Unable to help himself, he cursed again. "Damn it, a pack of blind men, every last one of you useless." Small as he was, his voice rang out like a bronze bell.
The Black Camp soldiers drew back like a tide, surrounding him in ring upon ring with their Spine-Piercing Spears raised as though facing a formidable enemy. Only then did they discover a shriveled old man, short and skinny, baring his teeth at them in a show of defiance.
Some soldier let out a furtive chuckle. As though it were contagious, snickers broke out, quickly swelling into a roar of laughter.
"Eh... you bunch of fools who don't know whether you'll live or die, daring to laugh at me. Damn it, let's have a contest and see who laughs better."
Hou Pijing planted a hand on his hip, theatrically held the other beside his mouth, and opened his mouth wide. "Wahahaha... haha... hahaha..."
He sent that breath of True Essence Power entirely through his laughter. Halfway through their own laughter, the Black Camp soldiers found they could no longer laugh. This strange old man was not laughing-he was practically unleashing thunder and lightning.
The laughter seemed endless. It grew louder and louder, shaking the cave walls. Many soldiers dropped their weapons and clamped both hands over their ears. Some could not withstand it and rolled on the ground with splitting headaches.
The cave walls began to crack, sending pebbles pattering down. Only then did Hou Pijing stop laughing. This was no sudden outpouring of mercy; he was afraid he would laugh the cave into collapsing and lose the way inside.
The instant the laughter stopped, several officers gave the order to fire almost simultaneously.
There were more than seven hundred soldiers in this large cave, all well trained. They had just been transferred back from the battlefield to suppress the rebelling prisoners in Black Prison. With hundreds of Spine-Piercing Spears and other weapons attacking at once, even someone as powerful as Hou Pijing dared not take them lightly.
The soldiers firing at Hou Pijing from their circle suddenly discovered that what they had hit was an afterimage. More terrifying still, Hou Pijing's sudden disappearance left them firing at one another. After a chaotic burst of shots, an entire ring of soldiers fell.
"Haha, what a bunch of idiots..." Hovering in the air, Hou Pijing laughed smugly.
Several soldiers hurriedly covered their ears in fright, delighting Hou Pijing even more. He kept laughing and chuckling without pause.
Beside themselves with fury, the officers ordered another volley. Driven mad with fear and anger, the soldiers fired wildly, filling the cave with smoke and chaos. Only the officers' frenzied roars finally brought them to a stop.
When they looked closely, there was no one left in the air.
"I'm done playing. All of you, lie down!"
Hou Pijing spoke coldly and struck the ground with his palm. The hard rock rippled like water, sending out wave after wave.
The soldiers could scarcely believe their eyes. They watched the ripples spread beneath their feet, where they exploded on contact.
Whenever a ripple touched a soldier's feet, it exploded. The swiftly spreading rings of explosions left them nowhere to flee or hide. They could only watch their companions blasted into the air before they, too, were sent flying.
After a long while, the rumbling finally subsided. Soldiers lay all over the cave, rolling and howling in pain.
Like Fu Shan, Hou Pijing had harbored no murderous intent. He had controlled his force precisely: every soldier was seriously injured, but not one had died.
For cultivation masters like them, the urge to kill was difficult to arouse again, and they were unwilling to take lives lightly.
In the soldiers' eyes, Hou Pijing's small, shriveled figure no longer looked weak. Now they looked at him as though he were a golden-armored war god. This strange old man could not possibly have been born and raised by human parents. He was far too powerful.
Hou Pijing walked up to a red-armored officer and smiled faintly. "Excuse me, could you tell me how I can get down below?" His tone was so gentle and mild that it was hard to believe he was the old man who had just flown into a rage.
The officer did not find his tone gentle in the slightest. Trembling as though speaking to a demon, he said, "I... I... I don't know..."
"What? My hearing's bad. Sorry for the trouble, but say that again."
Scared out of his wits, the officer hastily said, "He knows... he knows... I only just got here!"
Hou Pijing smiled in satisfaction and walked over to an overseer. "Ah! I often lose my way when I walk, so I'm always very polite to guides. Would you prefer me to be polite, or..."
The overseer shouted, "Polite... polite... I want polite!"
Hou Pijing chuckled. "Let's go. Stop lying around! So long as you guide me properly, I'll certainly be polite. Heh-heh."
The passage Nashan and Han Jin held was in the greatest danger. The Black Camp soldiers' Spine-Piercing Spears and explosive bombs kept them pinned down, unable to raise their heads. Only a handful of soldiers remained to defend this passage, and they were all preparing for a final desperate fight.
Nashan shouted, "Get the bombs ready. Old Han, let's throw them at the side wall and bounce them over..."
"Good idea. I'll go first... give me the bombs..."
"Stop arguing. I'll do it... you follow." Nashan sprang up and hurled a red explosive bomb. At the same instant, two energy light balls from Spine-Piercing Spears struck him, knocking him backward in a somersault and making him spit out blood.
He coughed. "Damn it! Didn't kill me... haha..." Looking up, he discovered that the Black Camp soldiers were already very close.
Han Jin roared and stood in front of Nashan. Facing countless Spine-Piercing Spears, he laughed. "Old Na, we brothers will die together, then. Maybe Brother Muzi will take our souls back home... haha..."
"I won't take your souls... I'm taking living people..." Li Qiang had arrived.
Overjoyed, Nashan shouted, "Boss! Haha, the boss is here..." The feeling of finding life in a hopeless situation made him lose his composure somewhat.
Han Jin suddenly grabbed Nashan and rolled aside with him. The Black Camp soldiers' Spine-Piercing Spears all struck where Nashan had just been.
Li Qiang's fury instantly blazed three feet high. Pointing at the Black Camp soldiers, he roared, "Come at me!"
Although the Black Camp soldiers could not understand what Li Qiang said, they saw this strange young man pointing at them with extreme arrogance, and all raised their weapons to aim at him.
Li Qiang felt the Supreme Radiance Shuttle inside his Nascent Soul trembling nonstop. Unable to help himself, he opened his mouth and spat out a streak of golden light. A piercing shriek rang out, and the golden light released by the Supreme Radiance Shuttle burst apart.
The golden light left Nashan dizzy and dazzled. Han Jin shouted, "Don't look at that light..."
In the blink of an eye, every Black Camp soldier in the corridor vanished. The entire corridor was swept clean, with nothing left.
Nashan opened his eyes and asked in surprise, "Huh... where did the enemy go?"
Han Jin was speechless. He did not know where those soldiers had gone either, but he knew they certainly had not walked away on their own.
Li Qiang himself shuddered. He knew perfectly well that the power of the Supreme Radiance Shuttle had reduced all those Black Camp soldiers to ashes.
The power contained within the Supreme Radiance Shuttle was simply too great. He could not control it at all. Fortunately, Nashan and Han Jin had been behind him. Otherwise, they would have been reduced to ashes along with the Black Camp soldiers.
Li Qiang very much wanted to enter his Nascent Soul and examine exactly what had gone wrong with the Supreme Radiance Shuttle. But listening to the rumbling in the distance, he inwardly shook his head. There was no time now to circulate his power and investigate. He could only say, "Let's go to the pool hall."
The Black Camp commander was stunned by the reports from the voice-transmission sphere. Not only was the assault on Black Prison going extremely badly, but some terrifying people had also arrived outside the mountain. Their strength was simply unbelievable.
The voice-transmission sphere sounded again. After hearing the report, the officers in the room broke out in cold sweat.
The report said that a strange old man at entrance seven had single-handedly inflicted serious injuries on more than seven hundred soldiers and forcibly taken an overseer into Black Prison.
The Black Camp's supreme commander cried out, "How is that possible? The troops in cave seven are elite soldiers just transferred from the front! One old man? What were their Spine-Piercing Spears for..."
The officers stared at the roaring commander, each as dumbstruck as a wooden chicken. The course of the battle had already exceeded everyone's expectations.
The commander soon calmed down and ordered, "Withdraw all attacking troops immediately. Report to High Command and request reinforcements..."
A flash of white light passed, and four people appeared in the room.
"Martial Uncle, these all seem to be officers!" Zhao Hao said in surprise.
"Hehe, that's right. This is their command headquarters. We really did hit the mark by accident." Fu Shan laughed happily.
The officers all remained composed. They swiftly surrounded Fu Shan and the other three, drawing their weapons and pointing them at them.
Hua Meiniang said, "Little sister, look how nervous they are! Would you like to see your big sister's ultimate move? It's very pretty."
Mei Jingjing laughed sweetly. "Sister, you finally can't hold back? Wonderful!"
Fu Shan found Hua Meiniang more than a little troublesome. Only because she had saved Li Qiang several times on Heavenly Court Star, and because of Hou Pijing's persuasion, had he refrained from holding her accountable for causing trouble on Mars. Hua Meiniang had even smugly told Fu Shan that she had taken Li Qiang as her younger brother, so she would call him Brother Fu just as Li Qiang did. That had left Fu Shan utterly helpless, and Hou Pijing had teased him about it for quite some time.
Fu Shan hurriedly stopped her. "Hey, with me here, why trouble you to act?" He thought, If this little demoness makes a move, not one of these officers will survive. I'd better do it myself.
Hugging Mei Jingjing, Hua Meiniang whispered smugly, "Brother Fu knows how to care about people now! Heehee."
Mei Jingjing could not help thinking of Li Qiang. With a trace of jealousy, she said, "You're pleased with yourself!"
Their joking as though no one else were present left the Black Camp officers both angry and afraid. Their commander said, "I am Army Marshal Dede Chongmo. Who are you? Why are you attacking the Tante Kingdom's army?"
"Haha, you're not qualified to ask who we are. Even Moqi Funuo, your Tante Kingdom's divine protector, would have to bow before me. Your Tante Kingdom has some nerve, daring to use my brother as a slave. Hmph, if anything happens to my brother, don't blame me for joining forces with the Bangqining Kingdom and wiping out your Tante Kingdom." Fu Shan spoke with overbearing arrogance.
Fu Shan was indeed qualified to say such things. A close friend of his had once been injured by an exceptionally powerful Loose Immortal. Fu Shan had gathered a large group of cultivation masters to fight him, forcibly driving that Loose Immortal into fleeing far away.
A Loose Immortal's cultivation was far above that of cultivators. After that great battle, Fu Shan's fame in the cultivation world had blazed like the sun at noon. However, Fu Shan rarely acted personally. If he did, the matter would become a major affair.
These officers did not know who he was, but every one of them knew the "divine protector Moqi Funuo" he had mentioned. He was the Tante Kingdom's grand state preceptor, a man of extremely exalted status.
Bewildered and doubtful, Army Marshal Dede Chongmo said, "You speak boldly, sir... We didn't know your brother was in Black Prison. What... what is his name?"
After hearing Hua Meiniang's translation, Mei Jingjing rushed to say, "His name is Li Qiang! Is... is he still there?" Her heart began pounding wildly.
"Him again! Ah, him again..." In his heart, Dede Chongmo bitterly hated this god of plague sent over from Qianjie Star this time. He heaved a long sigh. "Put away your weapons. Order the troops to withdraw immediately. Strictly forbid any conflict with anyone. I will take full responsibility."
Fu Shan immediately saw Dede Chongmo in a new light. This fellow was no ordinary man. The moment he saw that the situation was hopeless, he retreated to advance, preserving his strength.
Fu Shan's tone softened as well. "Tell Moqi Funuo that his old acquaintance Fu Shan visited the Tante Kingdom."
Moqi Funuo had spent countless efforts trying to win Fu Shan over and had once secured his promise to visit the Tante Kingdom when he had time. By the time Black Camp's report mentioned this matter, Fu Shan had long since left the planet. Moqi Funuo was so angry that he did not speak a word for several days. He knew he could no longer secure Fu Shan as the Tante Kingdom's backer.
When Li Qiang returned to the pool hall, he felt uncomfortable all over, restless and agitated, as though utterly exhausted.
Seeing Li Qiang enter, Qiao Yuhong rushed up happily and smiled. "Brother, you're back?"
"Brother Hong..." Li Qiang suddenly staggered, as though all his strength had vanished. He was startled. What was happening?
Qiao Yuhong cried out, "Brother, you look awful! You... you... what's wrong?" His voice already carried a sob.
"I'm fine, Brother Hong... don't be nervous."
Nashan and Han Jin both saw that something was wrong. Nashan shouted, "Old Han, stop supporting me. Hurry and hold the boss up. I think something's wrong with him..."
Han Jin bounded to Li Qiang's side and caught him. He immediately felt his body trembling slightly. He shouted, "Paben, come here..."
Several people supported Li Qiang and helped him over to the rock wall.
Li Qiang settled against the rock wall, cross-legged and half-reclining. Qiao Yuhong pressed close beside him and began sobbing softly.
In Black Prison, she had depended entirely on Li Qiang to look after her. If anything happened to him, she would not know how to face this cruel Black Prison. In her heart, Li Qiang was the pillar that supported her survival. If that pillar fell, she would collapse as well.
Stroking Qiao Yuhong's hair, Li Qiang said softly, "Be stronger. Your big brother still has to take you home. Don't cry."
With a soft click, the Billowing Essence Battle Armor fell away from Li Qiang's body. He barely managed to put it away. He truly did not understand what had happened, though he vaguely felt that something might have gone wrong with his Law Treasure.
Han Jin suddenly said, "It seems to have gone quiet. There aren't any explosions anymore."
Countless prisoners suddenly poured out of the passages, cheering loudly and leaping with joy.
"We can go home!"
"Waaaah, at last we've lived to see the day we can hold our heads up!"
"Immortals have saved us!" For a moment, all of Black Prison seethed with excitement.
Nanadun, Lin Fenghe, Kankanqi, Zhao Zhi, and the others all hurried to Li Qiang's side. Seeing Boss Muzi half-reclining against the rock wall, his face an eerie pale gold, they all looked incredulous.
Lin Fenghe grabbed Nashan and roared, "What's wrong with the boss? Tell me!"
Nashan roared even louder. "I fucking don't know! If it were fucking possible, I, Old Na, would gladly die in his place!" Tears actually spilled from his one eye. He had long since regarded Li Qiang as a brother. Seeing him like this left Nashan consumed with anxiety and rage, wishing he could grab something and bite it a couple of times to quench the fire in his heart.
Han Jin held Lin Fenghe back. "Nashan doesn't know why the boss is like this either. Everyone, don't panic. I just heard someone say immortals were saving us. Ah! That's right, the boss said earlier that some friends of his were coming. Could they be those immortals?"