章 155: Tao Demon (2)

"Liang Tian, stop now! The alliance of Black Iron County and Heavenly South County will not mistreat you and your wife if you're willing to submit to us!" an Inner Qi Lord tried to tempt Liang Tian to turn to fight for them.

"Hahaha! This is the funniest thing I've heard for my entire life! Do you think that everyone will be like you, Zhen Guo Tian?" Liang Tian delivers an attack on the Inner Qi Lord to express his standing in this fight.

"What a fool," Beiping Ruolan whispered.

As the teacher for Zhang Wu Ji and also given the position of Grand Elder of the Seven Star Master Hall, his standing might seem a rank or two lower than before when he's still a patriarch of the Seven Star Sect, but everyone overlooks the amount of control he now has compared to before.

A patriarch that controls the entire Seven Star Sect to rule the cities around and face with extreme disturbance, especially the Orchid Mountain Bandits, the betrayal of the Wen Qing City Lord, and the threat from Crystalline River County.

Or, a Grand Elder that represents the Hall Master to control the entire Seven Star County, which just annexed a third of the Jie County and a quarter of the Crystalline River County. Perhaps only a fool will miscount the difference.

No matter how much a person wishes to get a hold on more power, the value of sharing a slice of a bigger cake is better than eating your own small cake. After all, the capability of a person is limited to himself.

And among all of them, Zhang Wu Ji is different. The youth possess sight that surpasses even himself and other older generation, never to mention his farsighted mindset that able to see things further apart from where they stand now.

"Zhen Guo Tian, how about you shift your loyalty to the Seven Star Master Hall? Considering your ability as an Inner Qi Lord and also your experience as a leading 4th Rank Colonel in the military." Liang Tian counters the offer and tries to lay his hand on this officer instead.

"Liang Tian, your word sound attractive, but I don't see the reason I should consider my standings. Because no matter what happened, we're two Upper Counties against a slightly stronger Lower Counties," Zhen Guo Tian replied.

"Sad. I thought that if you're willing to shift, then we might have the chances to fight side by side. But based on how you reply me, I can only choose to dispose of you and capture all your soldiers." Liang Tian shakes his head out of disappointment.

"You dare? Look properly! My troops are gathered from soldiers within their Inner Qi Warrior limitation, you're going to invite the wrath of the Natural Law of Cultivators if you attack!" Zhen Guo Tian said as he swung his hand towards where his 20,000 soldiers stand.

Except for twenty captains and two hundred First Lieutenants, none of his soldiers possess the strength exceeding 19th Stage. This kind of deployment is nothing special, but to organize 20,000 troops of this arrangement is somewhat difficult to even to the Seven Star County.

"We'll see each other after the war ends," Liang Tian said before he returned to the Commander's Camp. As this is a full deployment of war, the battlefield separates into five zones, each allows five thousand troops from both sides to fight against each another to obtain their Zone Victory.

The battle arrangement is about the same as Zhang Wu Ji's previous experience in the Southern VS Eastern War, but less significant due to a limited number of troops. Unless the headcount of the soldiers reaches 100,000 and above, it will remain as a small battle of counties.

"Attack!" Zhen Guo Tian ordered his men to charge. As for those standing further away from his reach, Drum is beaten to announce the beginning of the battle. Just like this, twenty thousand soldiers attacked Liang Tian's Camp.

"To victory! All soldiers, prepare for battle!" Liang Tian did the same.

For those siding with Seven Star County, their number is half of their opponent number of soldiers. The battle only participates by 10,000 soldiers, with only four 7th Rank Captains and ten 8th Rank Lieutenants.

But in term of equipment, they're very well organized. Every Platoon Soldier carries a pouch of three Yuan-Tie Assault Cannons, Low-Tier Spirit-Grade weapon from 2nd-Grade Fool Silver, and five Advance Blood Nourishing Pill.

As for the Lieutenant rank, they're equipped with a unit of Celestial Bombing Quiver and three for the Captain rank.

"Assault Cannon ready!" a Lieutenant ordered. In a short gap of three seconds, the troops from Zone 1 has deployed two thousand Yuan-Tie Assault Cannon to fight their enemies from greater range.

"All of you, Spearhead Formation! We will crush the core unit and rain our Celestial Bombing Quiver on them when they turn around to chase us!" the Zone 2 captain depends on strong attack strategy to crush his opponents.

"Based on their confidence because of their number advantages, I suggest we separate into two and attack them with a pincer attack. With our Celestial Bombing Quivers, I believe we can crush their form and then pincer them with a two-sided attack!" Zone 3 captain said.

Meanwhile, Zone 4 and 5 relies on Zone 1 Lieutenant's tactic and relies on a brutal attack. Each captain or lieutenants already have done with their strategy briefing and encountered the Seven Star Master Hall's soldiers!

"What!" Zhen Guo Tian almost falls from his chair due to the shock from their first clash of weapon and shield. Scouts and Flying Ships report the casualty from their first exchange, and it was miraculous 3,000 captured, 100 dead, and 0 enemies killed!

The word that turns him furious is none other than "Captured" because this word tells him the motive of this attack, and the weapon supporting their cause! Weaponry to take a life is used to capture opponent soldiers? What a joke! Hahaha!

"Sir, not good!" another scout came inside to report the next updated news from the change. Zhen Guo Tian thought that his people might found their own momentum again, and retaliates. But the dream always shattered at their best moment.

"Troops in Zone 3 is fully captured," the scout reported the news to him.

"Hahaha! Good! Such a piece of good news, why are you rushing over to my camp to report?" Zhen Guo Tian replied and laughed.

"Sir, the Seven Star Master Hall soldiers fully captured the entire Zone 3! Not us!" the scout rephrases his words. And to fortify the validity of his news, explosive arrows are fired to the edge of their camp.

"They're here! We will have to leave this spot!" the third soldier came inside to report another piece of news, but this time, Zheng Guo Tian revealed a blank expression.

Meanwhile, still inside the battlefield.

"Order the Zone 3 Captain to visit my camp later. It's time for her to get some reward for such a quick control of the Zone's battlefield." Liang Tian cannot keep himself from giving the Zone 3 Captain his praise.

Such performance, don't tell him that the Seven Star County just groomed another Zhang Wu Ji in their youth? If there are a few more talents like them, won't the fight to control the entire Upper South State escalate into its final moment within a few years?

Based on his experience, this fight for the Crown Prince position is going to go for not less than five years to let the princes consolidate their power and rule over their own states. Only the one with the most flourished state is qualified to proof the ability of the prince himself.

This is also why Zhao Ying chose Upper South State, where their cultivating value is better to try, and less obstruction compared to the Middle South State and Lower South State. Especially Lower South State, the sect controlling their respective county comes with more than ten to twenty Inner Qi Lords, and nothing less than three Inner Qi Kings.

The best establishment to be the example is the Blacksmithing Hall, which controlled an entire county and very well developed. This establishment alone possessed five Inner Qi Kings and more than forty Inner Qi Lords.

Luckily, the position of the crown prince is determined by the control of the state, and not personal strength and number of Inner Qi Lord or Kings inside. This challenge itself forced the prince to mature and understand the importance of governing his kingdom and also the foundation of everything.

"Grand Elder! We're successfully taking over the Zone 1 as well! The Lieutenant Kong Buwen fought this battle valiantly and took control of the zone even without a Captain leading them!" a scout came inside the camp and report.

"Great Job! But remember to call me Acting Commander when we're in the war. Summon the Lieutenant to my camp at the end of the day. As for now, monitor their advancement!" Liang Tian let the scout leaves and turned to his wife.

"I think the Southern Imperial Kingdom is experiencing a significant reconstruction. We should get ready for the incoming age as well because from what I've seen on Wu Ji's eyes, his thirst of war will not be sate unless the entire Ping An Continent is conquered." Liang Tian speaks the worry in his mind.

"Do you think that's a bad thing?" Beiping Ruolan asked.

"I am fully supportive at him, but I saw something I shouldn't." Liang Tian added,

"Oh?" his hesitation puzzled Beiping Ruolan.

"That kid and his lineage belonged to the Eastern Imperial Kingdom. Core Family on top of that. If I'm not mistaken, that kid won't give up even if he's forced to face the Eastern Imperial Kingdom. And my worries are at the Northen Imperial Kingdom because the Beiping Family will retaliate the invasion with their lives." Liang Tian said.

"Don't forget... That girl, Guan Qing Han is there too. She will be able to control your boy. After all, she's my best student, somebody that talent nowhere less than Zhang Wu Ji," Beiping Ruolan put all her confidence at Guan Qing Han that was away from her almost a year now.

"Devouring Bomb!" Zhang Wu Ji fought with a group of Inner Qi Soldiers, and each time his attack struck an opponent, that person will suffer from Inner Qi Deficiency, which took his life due to the losses happening in Warrior Qi speed.

The attack turned his palm into a ring of darkness that gives his opponent shivers. And yet they cannot escape, because the moment anyone turned their back at Zhang Wu Ji, the Devouring Domain will be executed to destroy not only the cultivators but the entire land of a kilometer distance.

He tried his best to resist the urge to use the Devouring Domain, but up to date, Zhang Wu Ji had executed this attack three times and had a sufficient growth of 19 Strands of Soldier Qi inside his body. And this ability or the Devouring Bomb works even better than any Natural Energy Cultivating Technique that was a hundred time slower.

Zhang Wu Ji then stares at a wall even higher than the one outside of the Golden Husk City.

"Hahaha, is this the Inner Part of Tier 1 Zone for the Golden Husk City? No wonder the damn merchants can control the county!" Zhang Wu Ji despised his enemies way to control their population.

By forcefully separating them from Tier 2 Zone, known as Civilian Zone and Tier 1 Zone known as Wealthy Zone, they were separated to increase their control over many kinds of establishment and wealth.

"Hall Master, We're outside of Tier 1 Wall belonged to the Golden Husk City. Are you sure we're going to enter using the say way as before?" a captain asked for his opinion.

"We will try. Order a few soldiers to fire the Single Type Celestial Bombing Quivers on the wall and retreat immediately," Zhang Wu Ji instructed as he takes a glance on the numerous Guard Towers and Bases on the wall.

It was not only durable but filled with bases to increase the range of their reach towards attacking enemies. To make the attacker suffers, they dug a total of three moats, with a corrosive liquid within to make sure that no siege weapon managed to reach their walls.

Five shots are fired on the wall, but the destruction is entirely under their control. The attack that destroys a section of the City Wall failed this time, with five times above their previous cost.

"Hall Master!" the captain waits for his next instruction.

"We will take a rest outside. Start assembling the camps!" Zhang Wu Ji ordered and went up to a Seven Star Tenders floating in the air.

"I wonder what will happen to my upgrade..." Zhang Wu Ji scanned the sword in his hand when he entered a room.

[Demonic Ability: Devouring Cell]

[Ability Detail: Upon feeding, the Devouring Cell will grow stronger and starts to infect everything it was designed to target. Devouring Cell are 100% Compatible to the user and work twice as efficient compared to Devouring Domain and Devouring Bomb]