Chapter 31: Chapter 31 - War
"Troops will arrive at Great Zhou City after ten days…"
In a courtyard, Zhou Yuan sat.
He knew that 6 Alpha Origin Experts would be sent as reinforcements by the Wu empire which is why Qi Yuan was so full of confidence.
But Zhou Yuan was relaxed, he could draw Grade 4 Genesis Runes, so he could easily deal with Alpha Origin Experts, and after getting Silver Shadow he should be able to kill 2 or 3 more.
"Anyway, they are all rats, I should just consolidate both my Spirit and Genesis Cultivation", Zhou Yuan wanted to build his cultivation foundation to be the strongest.
He was going to start suppressing his Genesis Qi cultivation as it had reached the advanced Qi Nourishing Stage.
He would consolidate and further refine his already existing Genesis Qi to purify and strengthen it.
When he broke through Heaven's gate realm he would have a higher Genesis Qi Pillar.
For now, he was thinking of starting External Cultivation.
Zhou Yuan also learned the name of the Body Cultivation Technique.
Its name was Ancestral Dragon Body.
It was divided into 7 Levels.
This technique brought two types of Enhancement, Active and Passive.
Passive is what it indicates, for one to experience Active Enhancement they would have to channel the Genesis Qi through their body.
This Technique also granted the user Dragon Transformation, the kind which at high proficiency could allow him to transform into a complete Dragon.
To cultivate it one should have a dragon-related blessing.
One could only start cultivating it after they reached the Alpha Origin Realm.
Thus Zhou Yuan began cultivating. In his free time, he made Grade 4 Genesis Runes and at night as always cultivated his Soul/Spirit.
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8 Days Later
In the following two days, countless gazes from the entire Great Zhou Empire were concentrated on King Qi. Under their attention, King Qi finally moved on the ninth day.
Just as he had said in his declaration of war, King Qi did not attack any other location. His great army swarmed straight toward Great Zhou City.
On the other side, many soldiers had gathered in Great Zhou City, forming a practically impenetrable fortress in preparation for the upcoming battle.
In addition, the three Alpha-Origin experts, Zhou Qing, Wei Canglan, and the Black Venom King personally took to the field to calm to hearts of the people.
Every pair of eyes in the entire Great Zhou had converged on Great Zhou City.
Under their attention, the tenth day arrived. Everyone could feel the land tremble as a black mass of troops that extended to the end of one's sights flooded toward Great Zhou City.
Killing intent enveloped the entire city.
King Qi's attack had finally come just as he had declared.
Dong! Dong!
The sound of battle drums thundered across the land as a seemingly endless army flooded over from the ends of one's sight. They eventually came to a halt several miles from Great Zhou City. The sight of each black mass after the black mass of formations made one feel an immense amount of pressure as suffocating killing intent spread.
Countless people trembled in fear as they watched this scene. The more senior occupants of Great Zhou City in particular were reminded of the events from over a dozen years ago.
That day had been just like this one. A huge army had surrounded the city, causing the city to fall into despair and terror due to its eminent destruction.
On the city walls, Zhou Qing gazed at the black sprawling mass of soldiers. Although there was no change in his facial expression, cracks had begun to grow from the hands that had been placed on the city wall.
It was clear that the view before his eyes had also made him recall the humiliation from over a dozen years ago.
It was then that the once highly ambitious king of Great Zhou was thoroughly beaten by the cruelness of reality. Ever since then, he had been trapped in the current Great Zhou like a ferocious tiger in a cage.
Besides Zhou Qing, Zhou Yuan also observed the suffocating black mass of troops several miles away as cold light flickered within his eyes.
Zhou Qing took in a deep breath, looked towards Zhou Yuan, and pointed outside the city. "Yuan'er, it was a similar scene back then. At that time, you were born inside the city with the blessing of the sacred dragon."
"Outside the city, King Wu's son and daughter were born with the blessing of the python and the sparrow."
At this point, pain flashed in Zhou Qing's eyes as he continued, "But your father was useless and incapable of protecting you, or your current accomplishments would have been far beyond what they are now."
"You were originally destined to soar straight into the sky, standing tall above the rest of the world and looking down upon the geniuses of other countries. But because of me, your wings were ripped from you, causing you to flail about in the mud and even narrowly die a premature death."
Seeing the remorse in Zhou Qing's eyes, Zhou Yuan reached out and gently patted the former's arm as he softly said, "Father should not blame himself, experiencing hardship may not be a bad thing."
"A smooth sailing path straight into the sky may not be a good thing either."
Zhou Yuan smiled, a smile filled with a chilling iciness that was as sharp as the edge of a blade.
"Moreover… if the sacred dragon blessing truly belongs to me, I will ultimately be able to take it back."
Zhou Qing looked at the youth before him. Though there was still some immaturity on the youth's face, there was also a resolve that those at the same age did not possess. This made him blame himself a little less. Perhaps it was truly as Zhou Yuan had said, hardship may be the whetstone on which one grinds one's blade.
But Yuan'er, father does not plan to experience the events from back then a second time. I only tolerated the disgrace for so many years to give you time to grow. Now that you're all grown up, for the sake of protecting this country, I will no longer give in even if I have to give up my life.
The expression in Zhou Qing's eyes gradually turned sharp as he cast his gaze toward the seemingly endless army in the distance.
Dong!
Another beat from the battle drum rang out as a figure on a black horse slowly trotted out from within King Qi's giant army. The figure was dressed in a full set of battle armor and wore a cold and stern expression. It was king Qi, Qi Yuan.
Countless gazes from both inside and outside the city converged on him.
Zhou Qing's chillingly icy gaze immediately locked onto Qi Yuan as he said in a frosty voice, "Qi Yuan you rebel! You still dare to show yourself before me?!"
Qi Yuan merely laughed upon hearing this and replied, "Useless Zhou Qing, you are the main reason why Great Zhou has fallen into such a state. I advise you to open your city gates and surrender so I may grant the royal clan their final respect. Or else, once the city is breached, I will surely slaughter the royal clan and burn the royal tomb!"
Towards the end, Qi Yuan's voice was filled with venom, clearly displaying his intense hatred.
Zhou Qing turned white with anger, his voice ice-cold as he retorted, "After quelling this rebellion, every member of your entire Qi clan will be slaughtered!"
Qi Yuan let out a mocking laugh. "I'm afraid that a dog like you does not have the ability!"
"Qi Yuan you traitor, if you continue to be so pigheaded, today will be your last!" Wei Canglan's voice thundered across the land.
Zhou Yuan's gaze swept toward the Black Venom King. The latter sighed helplessly before he also stepped forward and darkly said, "Just a single Alpha-Origin expert and you dare to attack Great Zhou City, I'm afraid that you won't even know how you will die!"
"The troops of Black Venom City are already prepared to cut off your retreat at any time."
Wei Canglan's and the Black Venom King's appearance undoubtedly shook those on Qi Manor's side. After all, Alpha-Origin experts were just too powerful a force and were at times enough to decide the tide of the battle.
Great Zhou had three Alpha-Origin experts, while Qi Manor only had King Qi.
The top-tier battle power of both camps was very uneven.
However, Qi Yuan's expression remained unchanged. He stared at the three Alpha-Origin experts atop the city walls as the corners of his mouth rose to form a mocking smile. "Three Alpha-Origin experts, what a formidable line-up."
"Since that is so, let me show the reason behind my confidence today!"
The mockery on Qi Yuan's lips grew even greater.
"My companions, please come out and greet your old friends."
As Qi Yuan's words faded, the army suddenly parted and six figures slowly walked out.
The instant these six figures appeared, powerful Genesis Qi whizzed out from the top of their heads. The Genesis Qi filled the area, bringing along with it an astonishing pressure.
Every one of these six figures was an Alpha-Origin expert!
*Uproar*!
An earth-shaking uproar immediately erupted from Great Zhou City as countless individuals watched this scene in horror.
No one had expected six Alpha-Origin experts to appear on Qi Yuan's side! Zhou Yuan's pupils also shrank slightly. Was this the support the Great Wu Empire had given?
Zhou Qing's gaze was glued to the six figures that had emerged. His expression became extremely twisted as his hands directly crushed a portion of the city wall.
It was as if he had just seen a hated foe.
"Hehe, it's been many years since we last met Your Majesty, we hope that you have been well." In response to Zhou Qing's man-eating gaze, the six figures raised their heads and grinned at the former.
"Zhao Tianlun…"
"Lin Nian…"
"Wang Caotian…"
"..."
Each name was slowly spit out from between the gaps of Zhou Qing's teeth, his voice seething with hatred.
Wei Canglan also stared at the six figures as he icily said through gnashed teeth, "To think that it would be those six betrayers!"
He turned to look at Zhou Yuan and said in a low voice, "These six used to be ministers of the Great Zhou Empire over a dozen years ago. During King Wu's rebellion, they stabbed us in the back, launching sneak attacks on us. This resulted in the belly of our army being open to the enemy, leaving us no choice but to flee."
"Each of them have been conferred the title of king by the Great Wu Empire and rule over their respective territories. I never imagined that Qi Yuan would obtain their help this time."
At this point, Wei Canglan's expression had already become rather grim. The appearance of these six individuals had instantly blown away any advantage Great Zhou had. Adding in Qi Yuan, the number of Alpha-Origin experts on Qi Manor's side was now seven!
Zhou Qing asked in a hair-raising voice, "So Great Wu has already decided to take action?"
One of the six Alpha-Origin experts smiled faintly as he replied, "King Wu is a man of his word. Since he made a vow that Great Wu will not step into Great Zhou for a hundred years, he will naturally abide by it."
"As for us six…" At this point, a toying smile emerged on his lips as he continued, "Several days ago, we announced that we had left the Great Wu Empire and joined Great Qi. In other words… we are not members of Great Wu and King Wu has naturally not gone back on his vow."
Crack!
Zhou Qing's fists clenched tightly as cracking noises emerged. It was obvious that he was fuming inside.
Qi Yuan smiled mockingly as he stared at Zhou Qing. Subsequently, the former's voice was projected to every person in Great Zhou City with the aid of powerful Genesis Qi.
"Zhou Qing, I will give you half a day to make your decision. After half a day, I will attack the city. When that time comes, any resistance will be slaughtered!"
His murderous voice caused countless individuals to shiver as fear flooded their hearts.
Were the events from a dozen years ago going to play out once again in Great Zhou City?
Just as despair was about to completely consume them, a voice along with a sigh sounded.
"You are so full of yourself that you lose sight of what is in front of you don't you Qi Yuan"
"You came here without any sense of vigilance, should I say that as expected of Qi Hao's Father?"
"Huh, You fucking brat what the hell are you on about.."
Before he could continue sound of explosions and screams reached his ears.
"Everyone now is our chance to finish them off, their guard is down, Tuntun and Yaoyao with me."
Saying this Zhou Yuan donned Silver shadow and rushed toward the Alpha Origin experts who were stunned and injured.
In these ten days, Zhou Yuan made various Grade 4 Runes in his extra time and also told Yaoyao his plan of ambushing the Qi manor's Army, she agreed as it would save her extra effort.
On the 8 day, Zhou Yuan Spread all the Grade 4 runes in the area several miles away from Great Zhou City.
While it took some effort to hide them it ultimately worked to his benefit, as this surprise attack had wiped out nearly 60% of the army with Alpha-origin experts getting injured.
"Yaoyao, I will take on two of them, You and Tuntun take 1 each and leave the rest for Father and others.", Zhou Yuan said to Yaoyao who nodded.
They were about to separate before Zhou Yuan flew to Yaoyao's side.
Seeing his action Yaoyao was promptly confused, but before she could speak out she was pulled into a hug by Zhou Yuan.
"Yaoyao, if you encounter any difficulties, do not hesitate to retreat, for me you're more important than killing some enemies.", Zhou Yuan said while whispering in her ears.
Yaoyao's whole face was red, she immediately separated herself from the hug and quickly went to her designated place.
Seeing this situation, Tuntun gave Zhou Yuan a thumbs up before promptly leaving for his place.
'Hmm, now I can let loose a little'
Thinking of this Zhou Yuan vanished in a blur of speed before arriving in front of Wang Chaotian, Lin Nian.
"You brat, I will kill you! how dare you humiliate us like this."
Both of their faces were not good-looking, as they had to expand nearly 40% of their Genesis Qi to protect themselves from the Genesis Rune explosion.
The fact that they fell into such a trap was a huge blow to their Ego, especially knowing that this injury was caused by a brat who was only at the Qi Nourishing Stage.
"Come" was all Zhou Yuan said before getting into a stance after taking out Heavenly Yuan's brush.
"Cyan Wind Heavenly Dipper Qi!"
A low roar from Wang Chaotian was followed by dark cyan Genesis Qi bursting out of his body. Like a cyan hurricane, the Qi wailed around his body, the surging Genesis Qi akin to countless wind blades that were more than sufficient to rip anything to shreds.
The expression in Wang Chaotian's eyes was dark and cold. With a twirl of his palm, dark cyan Genesis Qi transformed into half-feet-long wind blades in his hand, blades that were sharp without equal.
"Cyan Blade!"
Wang Chaotian's sleeve jerked as wind blade after wind blade was sent shooting forth. They tore through the air with swishing sounds, viciously closing in on Zhou Yuan at crafty angles.
Zhou Yuan took the attack as dust flew all around him.
"Is this all you're capable of?" Zhou Yuan's cold voice sounded as he looked towards Wang Chaotian.
Wang Chaotian's face was white with rage, but there was also fear within his eyes. He did not know why, but the dark gold Genesis Qi from Zhou Yuan's body made his heart beat a little faster.
When he was attacked, Zhou Yuan simply covered himself with his Grade 5 Omni python Qi.
Soon Zhou Yuan entered into combat with the two Alpha origin Experts.
To be honest Zhou Yuan could easily kill them but it would not help him in enriching his battle experience and battle instincts.
So at first Zhou Yuan just fought with his fist and only used the Dragon Claw so that he could constantly evolve it and Maybe alleviate it into a Heaven-tier genesis Technique in the future.
Their fight went on for about an hour before Zhou Yuan judged that they could not help him progress much further.
He took out the heavenly yuan brush and activated the fourth rune on it.
The Fourth Rune was the Million Whale Rune
If the previous three runes were said to bestow numerous variations and transformations to the brush, then the fourth rune could be said to bring raw, astonishing power.
Million Whale refers to the Ancient Dragon Whale which was said to possess limitless power. The power of a single Ancient Dragon Whale could flip mountains and overturn the sea, hence, its title as the Million Whale, which was also a testament to its terrifying might.
It was said that if one had sufficient Genesis Qi, activating this rune would bestow the power of a Million Whales. A single swing of the brush would destroy anything in its path.
Rumble!
Golden light erupted from the brush, filling the sky as it took the shape of a gargantuan Ancient Dragon Whale. As it swam in the sky, it seemed to pulse with boundless power.
Zhou Yuan took in a deep breath before the Heavenly Yuan Brush was ferociously swung.
The dragon whale howled, merging with the Heavenly Yuan Brush as they boldly advanced toward the now-terrified Lin Nian and Wang Chaotian.
As the dust settled Wang Chaotian and Lin Nian were nowhere to be seen.
When the imperial guards saw this scene, they burst into cheers.
As soon as this news reached Qi Yuan who was battling with Zhou Qing, his face turned pale.
Yaoyao and Tuntun had also finished their opponents and were now heading in the direction of Qi Yuan along with Zhou Yuan.
Boom!
Zhou Qing and Qi Yuan clashed once again, each taking a dozen steps back. As Qi Yuan's face flushed with exertion, he looked down at his crumbling army and immediately felt a slight sweetness in his throat, causing him to nearly vomit a mouthful of blood.
He would never have imagined that the originally favorable situation would develop into such a disaster.
"Qi Yuan, it's already over. We should withdraw." Zhao Tianlun and the other remaining Alpha-Origin expert had appeared behind Qi Yuan, their expression rather ugly.
Victory had already begun leaning towards Great Zhou.
Qi Yuan's face twisted in anger. He had plotted and schemed for so many years all for the sake of replacing Zhou with Qi. However, these numerous years had now gone up in smoke, and there would no longer be any place for him in Great Zhou after today.
Far away, Zhou Qing brandished the Nine Flames Spear in mid-air as he said chillingly, "Humph, it won't be so easy for you rebels to escape today!"
Wei Canglan, the Black Venom King, the silver armor Zhou Yuan and Tuntun had gathered behind him, eyes tightly fixed on Qi Yuan's group.
Qi Yuan's face twisted as he replied, "Don't be so happy Zhou Qing, it is still not certain who has won or lost!"
The moment these words were said, Qi Yuan made a grabbing motion as golden light suddenly emerged from his hand. As the golden light flowed, an extremely astonishing pressure spread from within.
This pressure was vast and boundless as if it were the aura of a king.
Everyone looked over, only to see a scroll within the golden light.
Zhao Tianlun was stunned as he involuntarily cried out, "This is… King Wu's Imperial Decree?!"
The presence of the scroll was all too familiar to them. It was the same presence from the Great Wu Empire's king Wu.
"You possess an Imperial Decree of King Wu's?" The eyes with which Zhao Tianlun looked at Qi Yuan were filled with envy. King Wu's Imperial Decree was no ordinary Imperial Decree. In a certain manner of speaking, it represented King Wu himself. Its most extraordinary attribute was that it was also a Genesis Treasure that had been imbued with King Wu's will and the blessings of the Great Wu Empire.
Even the numerous military leaders and great ministers of the Great Wu Empire would have to bow before anyone who possessed it.
Most importantly, King Wu's Imperial Decree could summon a projection of King Wu that wielded incredible power.
Hence, King Wu's Imperial Decree was insanely valuable and extremely difficult to create. It was rare to find anyone who had one even in the Great Wu Empire.
No one had expected that Qi Yuan would have one!
The golden Imperial Decree in Qi Yuan's hand gave off rays of light as the aura of a king pulsed outwards, causing everyone to involuntarily feel like kneeling.
However, a chilling coldness was revealed in Zhou Qing's eyes as he gazed at the golden Imperial Decree. Had Qi Yuan brought King Wu's Imperial Decree to Great Zhou to show off?
"Zhou Qing, I was originally unwilling to use this treasure, but I have no choice now that it's come to this." Said Qi Yuan through gnashed teeth. King Wu's Imperial Decree was a one-use item that would disappear soon after. Thus, Qi Yuan would only use it as a final resort.
Mockery suddenly surfaced on Qi Yuan's face as he stared at Zhou Qing.
"Zhou Qing, a shadow was left in your heart when you lost to King Wu and he took one of your arms, causing your strength to fall, never improving even till now. Today, I will use King Wu's projection to kill you!"
"I want you to know just how useless you are when compared to King Wu because he is a true king!"
Qi Yuan laughed loudly. Without any hesitation, the golden scroll in his hand was flung open. Thousands of golden rays immediately shot out, and a faint human silhouette seemed to emerge from within.
The human silhouette was very blurry. He seemed to sit atop an imperial throne, eyes filled with dignity as he looked down from above. Anyone who met his gaze would be awed by the aura of a king.
The most shocking aspect of the golden figure was his Genesis Qi undulations, undulations that had reached the fifth layer of the Alpha-Origin stage!
Out of all the individuals present, only Zhou Qing and Qi Yuan had reached the third layer of the Alpha-Origin stage, while everyone else was at the two-layer level.
Five-layer Alpha-Origin was enough to steamroll over everyone here.
The golden figure on the throne was just a projection, yet it caused the entire area to turn silent.
"Is that… King Wu?"
Zhou Yuan also observed the golden figure, his fists clenching tightly as iciness flowed within his eyes. It was this very person who had placed him on that cold altar many years ago and stole his sacred dragon blessing, which led to the suffering of his parents.
Although he could deal with this projection with the help of Tuntun, he knew that his father needed to deal with his heart demon to progress further in his cultivation.
So, Zhou Qing had to deal with this Projection alone.
King Wu… Wu Xuan!"
In front of Zhou Yuan, Zhou Qing's body trembled, veins of blood crazily climbing up in his eyes his unwavering gaze locked onto the golden figure. Back then, he had fought King Wu outside Great Zhou City, lost an arm, and even personally witnessed his son's blessing being stolen.
These scenes had once again emerged from deep within his memories, still as bloody and bone-achingly painful as they had been on that very day.
A pleased look flitted across Qi Yuan's eyes when he saw Zhou Qing's current appearance. With a cruel smile and a swing of the golden Imperial Decree, the golden figure slowly stood up from the throne. Astonishing Genesis Qi undulations exploded from its body, intending to shake the very heavens itself.
Zhou Yuan's expression remained the same.
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END
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