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Chapter 482: Solidified Dragon Spirit! (3)

Translator: Zen Translations Editor: Zen Translations

"As for the normal resources the rest of both your Tribes require, I will also provide it. If, in any case, these thousand warriors take more than thirty percent losses, then both of your tribes no longer need to join in any of my Peerless Battalion military actions. At the same time, I will first advance each of you five million gold coins. If the thirty percent casualties actually happen, both of you can leave at any time, even keeping all the provided equipment."

Thirty percent of a thousand men, that was three hundred men. Although the Gold Crow and Berserker Tribes barely numbered more than ten thousand tribesmen in total combined, a loss of that number was still barely acceptable for them. This was a chance that they had to choose whether to bet on or not.

Ma Long and Hong Yu exchanged looks, as if somehow communicating silently, then they both turned back to look at Zhou Weiqing once more.

Zhou Weiqing's gaze was honest and sincere, and facing their gazes, he just smiled faintly in good faith.

Ma Long couldn't help but ask: "Battalion Commander Zhou, are you that sure that in all the future fights, our losses will not cross thirty percent? After all, that is extremely difficult to guarantee in a battlefield. In the end, if you want to restore your homeland, you will need to fight many battles, and it will be a long process indeed."

Zhou Weiqing said: "Vice Commander Wei."

Wei Feng took a step forward and said respectfully: "Yes, Sir?"

Zhou Weiqing said: "Please inform the two Tribe Leaders about our Peerless Battalion's military exploits and accomplishments since we have formed."

Wei Feng nodded in agreement and turned to face Ma Long and Hong Yu, saying solemnly: "Two Tribe Leaders, Greetings. Our Peerless Battalion has been formed for about nine months or so. In this period of time, we have fought a few times with the WanShou Empire. In our first fight, we faced a Company of enemy forces, managing to kill them all. Our losses, zero. Next, we met with the WanShou Empire Swift Wolf Regiment, ten thousand cavalry soldiers attacking us. At that time, our Peerless Battalion numbered one thousand five hundred. We killed over four thousand of them, and our losses were zero. Yesterday's fight, we numbered five hundred of our elite, killing over three thousand enemies, and once again, zero losses."

Hearing Wei Feng's short and succinct summary, both Hong Yu and Ma Long's faces showed surprise. In Wei Feng's report, there was one thing that was constant – the zero losses of the Peerless Battalion fighters. That was to say, every single fight of theirs up until now had been a total and complete victory.

Perhaps, if they had not experienced the fight yesterday, having been saved by the First Main Company of the Peerless Battalion, it would have been extremely difficult or even impossible for the two Tribe Leaders to believe Wei Feng's words. However, having seen the power of the Peerless Battalion with their own eyes, they naturally did not suspect anything. After all, no matter what, when the Peerless Battalion had come to rescue them yesterday, they had definitely been facing two powerful Regiments of enemy soldiers, and they had experienced the fighting capabilities of the two for themselves. In that fight, the Peerless Battalion First Main Company's main enemy had even been the stronger of the two, the Unicorn Cavalry Regiment!

After Wei Feng finished his report, he returned to his seat silently.

Zhou Weiqing continued: "Two Tribe Leaders, since our Peerless Battalion was set up, up until now in all our fights on the battlefield, not a single one of our brothers have died. Naturally, injuries are unavoidable, but I have told every single Peerless Battalion soldiers that each and every one of their lives are of utmost importance. In the future, they will all be heroes on the battlefield. My aspiration is not just for us to beat our enemies, but to destroy them without taking any losses. Our numbers are not high, but just think about this… no matter how powerful the Bai Da Empire is, can they even be compared to the WanShou Empire armies, in terms of either numbers, army strength or personal power? Furthermore, the Heavenly Bow Empire is my homeland, and the Bai Da Empire is the invader from outsider… I believe strongly that when we attack and make a public appeal, we will get much support from the public."

"Towards your Berserker and Gold Crow tribes, I have already formulated some plans a while back, just awaiting your arrival. I believe that you have already seen for yourselves the equipment of our Peerless Battalion, all of them wearing light mail crafted from titanium alloy."

Ma Long and Hong Yu nodded their heads subconsciously. It could be said that after they had seen the equipment, they had both been salivating after them. For the entire Peerless Battalion to be equipped with the titanium light mail, how much money did that cost! With such fine weapons and armour to protect them, naturally the soldiers would have a much greater chance of survival on the battlefield.

Hong yu was the first to lose her composure, quickly saying: "Battalion Commander Zhou, are you saying that you will be willing to equip our two Tribes' warriors with the same titanium light mail?"

Under the heated gazes of the two Tribe Leaders, Zhou Weiqing actually shook his head slowly.

Ma Long's brow furrowed, but he did not speak. After all, they had just reached, and they had not made any contributions to the Peerless Battalion yet, and they could not ask for too much for now. Of course, logic was logic, but they couldn't help feeling disappointed.

Zhou Weiqing smiled faintly and said: "How could the defensive capabilities of the titanium light mail be sufficient."

"En?" Both Ma Long and Hong Yu were caught by surprised, their faces revealing their curiosity, as they did not understand what Zhou Weiqing meant.

Zhou Weiqing continued: "Our entire Peerless Battalion currently numbers about five thousand soldiers, and under our special technique arts, they are now all Jewel Masters, with the great majority being Physical Jewel Masters. Regarding our Peerless Battalion finances, both Tribe Leaders do not need to worry; our Physical Jewel Masters are all targeting to be fully becoming the Peerless Air Force that both of you have witnessed in action yesterday. Equipped with Consolidated Wings, their fighting also has to be done high up in the blue skies. Under such a circumstance, if their equipment weighs too much, it will greatly influence their flying speed and more importantly, sustainability and time of flight. As such, the equipment I chose for them is just the titanium alloy light mail."

Titanium Light Mail… 'Just'? Both Ma Long and Hong Yu couldn't help but feel their hearts convulse at such phrasings.

By that point, Hong Yu was not able to resist, and she piped out: "What about our warriors then? Battalion Commander Zhou, please don't keep us guessing, what is your exact plan?"

Zhou Weiqing smiled and said: "The equipment that I have envisioned for both your Tribes' warriors is to make them into moving steel fortresses. Not only will they be armed to the death, I want them to be so armoured that even if they stand there and allow low level Jewel Masters to strike at them at will, their defense cannot be broken through. My goal is to make every one of your warriors to become an unstoppable killing machine on the battlefield, to cause all our enemies to fear even the sound of your names. From Ma Qun and Crow, I have seen the immense possibility of the Berserker and Gold Crow Tribes, and the possibilities are endless. You all do not lack power, but currently what you lack is unity, formation, training and the finest equipment. As for the exact details, it is too soon for me to speak of right now, and I am sure that both Tribe Leaders will soon be able to see with your own eyes. What I can tell you in advance is that the equipment for each Berserker or Gold Crow Tribe soldier will cost at least five times that of a Peerless Battalion Air Force soldier."

Hearing Zhou Weiqing's bold guarantee, both Ma Long and Hong Yu were stunned into silence. Equipment that cost five times that of titanium alloy light mail? What could that possibly be? They could not even envision such a thing.

Zhou Weiqing continued: "Originally, my plan was to mould the Berserker and Gold Crow Tribe Warriors into our Peerless Battalion Heavy Armour Infantry. However, after seeing the Berserker Tribe's talent in taming and training horses, I might make a few slight changes to that plan. I hope that in the near future, both your Tribes can become a unique force in your own right… Atop horses, you are Heavy Cavalry Soldiers, and upon dismounting, you are Heavy Armour Infantry soldiers. In this way, my plan for you being an unstoppable storm of metal along the battlefield can be perfect."

That's it. Your Father, I, will go along with the Peerless Battalion!" At that point, Ma Qun had been incited by Zhou Weiqing's words, and this valiant but rough man waved his hand and decided the fate of his Berserker Tribe in one instant. If they were afraid to take the risk and fight for their survival, they would have stayed in the Fei Li Empire. Now they had already taken the first step forward, if they did not go ahead, perhaps the Berserker Tribe would never have the opportunity the hold their heads up high ever again. In the past, the Fei Li Empire had once bribed their Tribes to fight… but in the end? They were always used as cannon fodders, and the continued wars had caused so many casualties to their Tribesmen. As a result, over time, both Tribes had started declining, reaching their lowest point. Yet, today, Zhou Weiqing had not spoken about how the two Tribes can fight for him, but first detailing out how he could ensure the survival of all his warriors, how to equip them properly. Just this factor alone had met with both Hong Yu and Ma Long's approval."

"Very well, I am also in. However, our Gold Crow Tribe has a unique request." Hong Yu said.

Zhou Weiqing said: "Please, do tell."

Hong Yu continued: "Battalion Commander Zhou, I see that you have many stout little fellows in your Peerless Battalion. Look, our Tribe has so many beautiful ladies, don't you think it would be perfect to match some of them?"

Zhou Weiqing said: "Tribe Leader Hong Yu, this issue, Crow has already spoken to me about it previously. However, I do have a question first… since the Berserker and Gold Crow Tribes are have been friends for generations, why do you not marry within the Tribes?"

Hong Yu glanced towards Ma Long with an exasperated, almost indignant look, before turning back to Zhou Weiqing and saying: "Well, it is not that we do not want to marry within our tribes. In fact, we do so indeed. However, the problem is that after so many years, so many generations, both our Tribes have really inter-married so many times, so much so that many of us are related in some way or the other. If we continue doing so, it will soon become endogamy, and possibly causing children with born defects…. As such,, unless we can confirm that both sides do not have too close a relation, for example like Ma Qun and Crow, our Tribesmen usually will not choose to intermarry."

Zhou Weiqing finally understood this little problem that had been nagging at him all this time, and he said: "Very well, this should be no problem at all, and I will agree to it. Naturally, our Peerless Battalion will be happy to help bring about this mutually beneficial agreement." Although the Gold Crow Tribe women were taller and larger than normal, but do not forget that these Peerless Battalion soldiers were mostly ruffians from Ruffian Battalions, and they had not had intimate contact with women for years. This should not be a big problem. Furthermore, if the Peerless Battalion warriors do actually get engaged or marry with the Gold Crow Tribe, that would undoubtedly bind the two sides together… Such a good thing, how could Zhou Weiqing be against it?

…

With this, the matter about settling the two powerful Tribes had finally come to a close. Next, Zhou Weiqing began issuing a list of commands.

Lin TianAo would still be in charge of the logistics and supplies, mainly regarding the equipment of the entire Battalion and coordinating with the two Consolidating Equipment Masters. Although the Gold Crow and Berserker Tribes had just arrived, in truth the plan for their equipment had long been in effect, and some starting orders had already been placed previously. Of course, the Peerless Battalion soldiers also had room for improvement in terms of equipment too. In this aspect, their investment was unbelievably huge, and even the original hundred million gold that Zhou Weiqing had given them earlier had already been totally spent. Of course, the Heavenly Cores that Long Shiya had given him were just too numerous and valuable, and just selling them alone would able to finance the massive spending of the Peerless Battalion for more than ten more years.

Zhou Weiqing informed the others about him leaving for a period of time to enter closed door cultivation, asking Hua Feng to take over as a temporary Battalion Commander and leader of the Peerless Battalion, and that all decisions were to be made between him, Wei Feng and Shangguan Fei'er.

The main war against the WanShou Empire was about to begin, and the main goal that Zhou Weiqing had for the Peerless Battalion going forward was to get as much combat experience as possible while ensuring zero losses. At the same time, he asked Lin TianAo to arrange to gather a large sum of gold, to be used as rewards for the soldiers for their merits in combat. As for Consolidating Equipment Scrolls, it would still take some time to complete. After all, several thousand Consolidating Equipment Scrolls of the Dual Wings needed a lot of time to complete, and would be a long, steady process.

What followed next was a matter of training the soldiers before the actual fighting. For the training of the two new powerful infantry troops, Zhou Weiqing left it to Shangguan Fei'er. As for fighting formations, operational efficiency and other military capabilities, Zhou Weiqing decided to send for Zang Lang to join them. With him aiding Shangguan Fei'er, they would be able to train and greatly improve this new Infantry force that would definitely be an important addition to the Peerless Battalion forces.

Chapter 483: Rob the Entire Legion! (1)

Translator: Zen Translations Editor: Zen Translations

After much testing and verification from Ma Long and the other Berserker Tribe experts, the Unicorn Beasts were found to be able to carry the weight of the Berserker Tribe warriors, and more importantly, the Gold Crow Tribe warriors as well. Of course, in order to train them to be their steeds, it would take much time and effort to tame them and train them. As such, the warriors from the two Tribes would mainly be training as infantry troops for now. At the same time, in the upcoming battles ahead, the Peerless Battalion would definitely be targeting Unicorn Cavalry soldiers as their primary targets, with the main goal to gain as many Unicorn Beasts as possible to bring them into the Peerless Battalion Cavalry Stables.

Yesterday's rescue had been at the cost of five hundred war horses, pretty much the Peerless Battalion's current stock of mounts. Even up to now, the First Main Company Leader Lei Zi was still aching at the heart about the loss.

Zhou Weiqing believed that the Peerless Battalion was indeed on the right track, and the most important thing for them now was giving them time to properly develop and grow. He trusted that in the near future, once the entire Battalion was equipped fully, and with proper support and logistics, they would be an unstoppable force on any battlefield.

In just a single day, Zhou Weiqing had arranged everything neatly and in detail for the Peerless Battalion's immediate future, with contingent plans as he knew he would not be able to spend much time with them for a while. This time, he knew that he would be heading to the Heavenly Snow Mountain after his training, and it would be a do or die event. When, and if, he returned, it would be the time for the Peerless Battalion to leave the northern borders and head towards the Heavenly Bow Empire. There, both Zhou Weiqing and his Peerless Battalion would face their real challenge.

…

Night descended. As autumn deepened, the temperature at the northern borders grew colder and colder. The current skies were dark and overcast, and the moon and stars could not be seen, as if snow could descend upon them at any time.

"Fei'er." Zhou Weiqing hugged her by the waist, enveloping her in his embrace. The two of them stood there right by Zhou Weiqing's tent entrance. Tomorrow would be the day of him leaving with Long Shiya.

"What is it?" Shangguan Fei'er lay quietly in his arms, but her heart was racing swiftly. She knew that not far away, her elder sister was watching them.

"Fei'er, do not worry about us at all. I will speak to Bing'er personally and explain everythign to her. No matter how she punishes me, I will accept it. However, in this period that I leave, you must think of me everyday, dream of me every night alright?"

"Hmph! Won't that mean I will have nightmares every night?" Shangguan Fei'er said exasperatedly.

Zhou Weiqing was slightly embarrassed at that, and he retorted: "Dreaming of me means having a nightmare huh? Let's see how I punish you!" As he said that, he lowered his head to give her a kiss on the lips.

Shangguan Fei'er was thrown into a fluster, just about to struggle. After all, her sister was watching from not far off, and though she might be known as the Little Demon Girl of the Heaven's Expanse Palace, she was still an innocent virgin. How could she be willing to be so intimate with Zhou Weiqing right in plain sight of her sister?

"Fei'er, my wounds haven't fully healed yet… if you beat me up now, it might reopen my wounds and delay my healing…" Zhou Weiqing gave an 'Oscar-worthy' pitiful look as he said that. With those shameless words, he managed to seize the opportunity that Shangguan Fei'er was momentarily stunned and catching her luscious lips.

No matter how tough and powerful a girl was, being kissed by the man she loved, how could she easily resist. Furthermore, Shangguan Fei'er was actually afraid of reopening his wounds.

Just like that, the two of them started kissing ardently as if no one else was around. Not far away, Shangguan Xue'er stood in the shadow of a large tent, her hands clenched angrily in fists, gripping her clothes to prevent herself from lashing out as she muttered to herself: "That bastard, so shameless! Such a scoundrel!"

In the end, Shangguan Fei'er managed to break free and make her escape. However, in her heart she knew that if not for the fact that her sister was watching from a distance, perhaps she would have given in fully to the rogue, Zhou Weiqing.

…

The next morning, Zhou Weiqing and Long Shiya stealthily left the Peerless Battalion. In the entire Peerless Battalion, besides the high ranking officers who had attended the meeting yesterday, none of the ordinary soldiers knew that Zhou Weiqing had left temporarily, lest it influence morale and fighting spirit. In the end, Zhou Weiqing had never been in charge of daily operations and training with the troops, so his temporary disappearance would not be easily noticed.

Of course, this did not affect Zhou Weiqing's position and status in the entire Peerless Battalion. It could be said that for the Peerless Battalion to advance to its current position, it had all been brought about by Zhou Weiqing.

Before leaving, Zhou Weiqing had specially reminded Lin TianAo that although the Berserker and Gold Crow Tribe warriors who joined the Peerless Battalion only numbered each a thousand, he still wanted to order the full two thousand sets of equipment. After all, these two thousand warriors were an extremely limited resource even for the two Tribes, and the Peerless Battalion did not need be so petty in spending.

…

The duo, Master and Disciple, galloped along the vast plains of the northern borders at a high speed. Zhou Weiqing was mounted on his Single-Horned Ghost Demon Horse, while Long Shiya had chosen a Unicorn Heavenly Beast. With his cultivation level, the Unicorn did not even need to be specially tamed, and would listen to his instructions without resistance.

"Master, where are we headed?" Zhou Weiqing asked curiously. After exiting the army camp, Long Shiya did not bring him back to the ZhongTian Empire, instead continuing to head north. From the looks of things, they were headed deep into the WanShou Empire.

"Do you know what is the Heavenly Spirit Fire?" Long Shiya glanced at him before asking.

Zhou Weiqing shook his head.

Long Shiya explained: "Heavenly Spirit Fire is a unique fire that has either descended from the heavens or risen from below the grounds. In our entire mainland, it is very rare to find such areas with these fires, but they definitely do exist. However, in order to make it for the coldest winter night timeline that we have, we are naturally going to the one in the WanShou Empire… only then will you have sufficient time to cultivate.

Zhou Weiqing asked curiously: "Do you mean… it is in the Ten Thousand Beast Heavens?"

Long Shiya shook his head and said: "Not exactly, but it is very close to the Ten Thousand Beast Heavens… the hottest area of the entire WanShou Empire. It is the Fire Spirit Mountain of the WanShou Empire Royal Family, the Lionmen Tribe's Territory."

"According to legend, heavenly fire rained down from the heavens, sparking a volcano eruption from below, causing the mountain top to forever be burning with flame and smoke. Within a five hundred li radius of this volcano, temperature is always warm like the hottest day of summer. In the cold weather of the WanShou Empire, that is a miracle indeed, and only such an area would have such a warm temperature, as even the Ten Thousand Beast Heavens are affected by the four seasons. In any case, the Fire Spirit Mountain has Heavenly Spirit Fire, and it has always been occupied by the Lionmen Tribe. Just like the Lion Prince who injured you… he has probably cultivated there for quite some time. After all, the Royal Bloodline of the Lionman Tribe has the Heavenly Divine Earth Spirit Lion Bloodline, with the Fire, Divine and Light Attributes. As for the old fellow on the Heavenly Snow Mountain, his Divine Heavenly Spirit Tiger bloodlines have the Divine, Light and Water Attributes. Of course, only their direct and purest bloodlines would have such the abilities. Indeed, it is because they have two Saint Attributes at the same time that has enabled the Heavenly Snow Mountain to reign supreme for so long."

Zhou Weiqing couldn't help but think to himself that the Fire Spirit Mountain must be of utmost importance to the Lionmen Tribe, perhaps even sacred ground to them! Only a powerhouse like his Master would dare bring him to such a place.

Long Shiya said: "In the following few days, I do not want you to cultivate at all. As we travel there, I want you to rest and fully recover and to bring your condition to its maximum peak, without any problems. When we reach the Fire Spirit Mountain, we will immediately begin closed door cultivation. According to my estimation, in order to Awaken your Solidified Dragon Spirit in advance, you will need to bathe in the Heavenly Spirit Fire for forty nine days before you can succeed.."

As he spoke up to that point, Long Shiya's eyes showed a thick worry. Clearly, he was worried about going through such a method. Although in theory they could succeed, it was without a doubt that it would not be without great danger, especially since it had not been actually done before. If Zhou Weiqing was not careful, he might even have his mind destroyed; even if he could ensure his survival, he would be ruined, at most living as an idiot the rest of his life.

Zhou Weiqing did not say anything else. He had already made up his mind, and he would not show any regret at this point. In any case, he did not have any choice for retreat; for Tian'er's sake… for Tian'er's sake…

As soon as he thought about Tian'er, Zhou Weiqing felt full of fighting spirit. So what if it was forty nine days? He would definitely be able to endure it! If he couldn't even endure this forty nine days, what right or qualification did he have to even ascend the Heavenly Snow Mountain?

It was just the two of them, and they soon entered the WanShou Empire borders. In the distance, they could see the large camp of the WanShou Empire army on the vast plains.

As compared to the ZhongTian Empire Northwest army camp, the WanShou Empire army camp was much simpler and crude; after all it was more of a temporary camp, and could just barely be used for survival. Such a barren and cold wasteland like the north, only the beastmen and their physique could survive in such plain and simple tents. Of course, the advantage of such simple and crude tents was that it was very easy for them to move. The supplies and logistics of the WanShou Empire armies had always been weak, and all of their people could be considered warriors.

"Master, what are we going to do? Detour around?" Zhou Weiqing did not have the confidence to charge through such a massive army. An army of this size would definitely also have quite a few powerhouses along; just the Lion Prince and his two Heavenly King Stage guards would most likely be in the camp as well.

"Keep your mount." Long Shiya said.

Zhou Weiqing jumped off his Ghost Demon Horse, keeping both their mounts into his Spatial Ring.

A pondering look entered Long Shiya's eyes and he said slowly: "Little Fatty, what do you say… should I go beat up that Lion Prince and cripple him before we head to the Fire Spirit Mountain? As long as I cripple 'that area' of his, then even if he marries your woman, he won't be able to do anything."

Hearing his Master's words, Zhou Weiqing only felt a large bead of sweat form on his forehead… This Master Long os his… why did he seem so similar to his other Master… Mu En… Without hesitation, he said: "Master, this is my own personal problem. Any other fights, I will be willing to take any shortcuts as long as I can win, any strategy or tactics to help me win. However, in this case, I will not choose that option. Master, I want to fight openly and aboveboard with Gu YingBing personally on the coldest day of winter, and defeat him personally with my own hands." If his Master really took action against the Lion Prince, he knew that the Heavenly Snow Mountain Lord would definitely not marry Tian'er to him. If he wanted to gain back Tian'er, he could only do so with his own abilities, his own hands!

"Very good, very good! High aspirations indeed! However, you little brat, you're just too useless!" Long Shiya said with a displeased tone.

"Useless?" Zhou Weiqing looked at him, puzzled.

Long Shiya gave a humph and said: "Aren't you truly useless? If you had given that Old Monster Xue's daughter a few sons and daughters of her own earlier, come up with a Little Little Fatty, let's see what he does. Hmph Hmph!"

"Master… don't play with me like that… So, how are we going to get across?!" Zhou Weiqing said with an exasperated look on his face.

Long Shiya smiled and said: "Heh, I'll let you enjoy the pleasures of flight for yourself." Without any seeming movement, a flash of green light appeared, enveloping both him and Zhou Weiqing, and they instantly flew up into the air, soaring up high.

In that instant, Zhou Weiqing felt as if the surrounding air had become a vast sea of wind, overwhelming all his senses from all directions as the Wind Attribute swept their bodies up into the skies.

Chapter 484: Rob the Entire Legion! (2)

Translator: Zen Translations Editor: Zen Translations

The feeling was just too miraculous; just as if he was standing on top of a tornado, and the tornado was like a platform carrying them in the air at an unbelievable speed, as they streaked across the skies like a meteor.

"Master, is it every powerhouse at your level can fly…?" Zhou Weiqing did not even attempt to hide his admiration and envy. After all, he too had the Wind Attribute!

Long Shiya said: "Well the premise is that one has to have the Wind Attribute first, and in fact, one does not even need to reach my level. As long as you break through to the Heavenly King Stage and the Heavenly Dao Energy, you will be able to fly. Each of the four great stages of Heavenly Energy has a huge jump in quality. From Heavenly Jing to Heavenly Shen Energy, that is from a stage that converts spirit to qi, to a stage that converts qi to form, with Heavenly Energy now able to have form. As for the Heavenly Shen to Heavenly Xu Energy, it now brings Heavenly Energy from a stage with form back to another type of formless stage. However, the difference in this formless stage is that one's control over Heavenly Energy is high enough to control it out of the body. This is also the reason why when Heavenly Jewel Masters reach the six-Jeweled stage or higher, their sustainability in fights is greatly increased. This is also the reason why for my Six Ultimate Skill Manipulation Arts to start showing its power, the Heavenly Xu Energy is the lowest basis, being able to directly control energy within the atmosphere for your own use."

"… As for the difference between the Heavenly Xu and Heavenly Dao Energy, it is definitely the greatest gap amongst all the four main stages. Heavenly Xu is control, and Heavenly Dao is merging or fusing. When one reaches the Heavenly Dao Energy Stage, then I am one with the heavens and earths, truly part of the environment… Simply put – if a Heavenly Jewel Master with the Wind Attribute wants to fly, it is possible to do so just with Skills alone. Well, at least for a short period of time, but it will not be possible for sustained flight. That is because they are only barely able to control the Wind Attribute Energy within their body or slightly around their surroundings. However, when it comes to Heavenly Dao Energy, it is different. I would be one with the Wind, merged with the Wind… how much expenditure can there be then? As such… if you really want to truly fly, the Heavenly King Stage is your basic requirement…"

Hearing this short but succinct analysis from his Master, Zhou Weiqing felt as if enlightenment had dawned upon him. He knew that his Master was guiding him in advance towards the path of the Heavenly Xu and Heavenly Dao Energy levels, letting him know about their various profound secrets in advance. As long as he could break through the Six-Jeweled stage this time, then he would reach the Heavenly Xu Energy stage!

In order to save time, Long Shiya used his powerful Heavenly Emperor stage powers to directly fly Zhou Weiqing high above the northern borders and deeper into the WanShou Empire. A Heavenly King Stage powerhouse would not dare do such a thing, and even ordinary Heavenly Emperor stage powerhouses would have to consider the existence of the Heavenly Snow Mountain Lord and would hesitate in doing so as well. However, Long Shiya did not fear it at all, and just flew along with Zhou Weiqing in tow.

…

Just as the Master and Disciple duo were rushing towards the Fire Spirit Mountain, a guest had arrived at the Peerless Battalion headquarters. It was the Seventh Legion Legion Commander, Shen Ji.

"I'm sorry, Battalion Commander Zhou is not with us currently…" In the main command tent, Shen Ji met with the temporary Battalion Commander Hua Feng. When he heard news about Zhou Weiqing not being with the Peerless Battalion currently, he was greatly disappointed.

With Shen Ji's status and rank of Legion Commander, normally he just needed to send for Zhou Weiqing. However, he had come down personally to look for him, in order to get on his good side.

The scouts had returned to report in detail about the large numbers of Swift Wolf Cavalry and Unicorn Cavalry deaths. With that, Shen Ji had finally realised the power of the Peerless Battalion.

The war was about to begin, and it could be said that the WanShou Empire had placed a hitherto unseen importance on the Northwest front, and had gathered an unbelievable force many times stronger than in the past. The Northwest Army had requested for reinforcements, and they now numbered more than seven hundred thousand strong. Even so, the command headquarters had a very bleak view about the outcome of this fight. However, they still did not want to retreat to the TianBei City. That would have to be an option of the last resort; otherwise they would be universally condemned by the public, and the Empire. This was a fight they could not avoid.

Under such a circumstance, if the Seventh Legion could have an additional five thousand elite archers aiding them, it would definitely be a great aid to them. However, even though the Peerless Battalion was technically under his command, he did not actually have control over them. That was the reason why he had made the trip all the way down here personally.

"If Legion Commander Shen Ji has anything to discuss regarding the Peerless Battalion, you can discuss it with me, I have been authorized to make any decisions during his absence…" Hua Feng said elegantly. Although he was fully dressed in military armour, he still looked more like a gentleman or a noble than a soldier.

Shen Ji said: "The main war is on the verge of breaking out at any moment, and the WanShou Empire vanguard has already entered our borders. Will the Peerless Battalion be joining our Seventh Legion ranks to fight together with us against our enemies?"

With a serious look on his face, Hua Feng replied: "Of course, the Peerless Battalion are also northern warriors who will do their part against enemy attacks. How could we not join the fight…"

Shen Ji did not relax just because of Hua Feng's words. The reason for that was simple – what Hua Feng had mentioned was that the Peerless Battalion was a part of the northern warriors, and not that they were a part of the Northwest Army Command or even his Seventh Legion. Shen Ji was already a wily old hand in the army, and he quickly noticed such a play on words.

"In that case, does Battalion Commander Hua Feng require anything that our Seventh Legion can provide?" Shen Ji asked impassively, not batting an eyelid.

Hua Feng smiled faintly and said: "Indeed, we do have two requirements. First of all, I hope that once the war is over, any enemies that have been killed by our Peerless Battalion, we will get the promised gold reward."

Without hesitation, Shen Ji said: "That is no problem, and it is also a promise from the higher command, definitely not something that we will go back on our word on…" At this point, he agreed extremely quickly, but in the near future he would learn why Hua Feng would specially emphasize this point.

Hua Feng maintained the graceful, elegant smile on his face as he continued speaking: "Secondly, I'm sure that Legion Commander Shen Ji already knows that our Peerless Battalion soldiers are all archers. In the battlefield, archers can definitely output a lot of damage, but at the same time they are extremely fragile. Once we give our enemies sufficient damage and casualties, the enemy archers and cavalry soldiers will undoubtedly target us. As such, I hope that Legion Commander Shen Ji can specially dispatch troops to protect us and ensure our safety. In this way, we will be able to continue going all out in offense on the battlefield."

The two requests that Hua Feng had brought up did seem to be extremely reasonable, and Shen Ji gave a slight, unnoticeable sigh of relief before smiling and saying: "No problem, those requests are reasonable and are as should be. I will dispatch a few Battalions to specially protect the Peerless Battalion."

"No, no, not just a few Battalions, but an entire Regiment… only then will that be sufficient. Furthermore, I require it to be a Heavy Infantry Regiment. Not only that, the Heavy Infantry soldiers must be equipped with tower shields." Hua Feng smiled faintly as he said calmly.

Upon hearing his words, Shen Ji couldn't help but furrow his brow, saying: "Battalion Commander Hua Feng, I'm afraid that will be impossible. You must know how powerful those various WanShou Empire cavalry soldiers are. Our Seventh Legion only has one Heavy Infantry Regiment, and they are of utmost importance in our tactics against the enemy's cavalry, the bedrock for us in the battlefield. Using them just for the sole purpose of protecting and providing cover for the Peerless Battalion, that is truly too much of a waste. If I do so, not only will I be unable to answer to my superiors in the main command, I will not be able to answer to my own Seventh Legion soldiers and the Heavy Infantry Regiment themselves. In terms of the Peerless Battalion's cover and defense, I don't think such a degree of power is required right?"

Hua Feng said passively: "Legion Commander Shen Ji, with such words… aren't you looking down on our Peerless Battalion? I can honestly tell the Legion Commander that as long as you let our Peerless Battalion enter the battlefield, we will instantly draw all attention from the WanShou Empire. If Legion Commander Shen Ji does not agree to my terms, then we will not risk it and enter the battlefield. After all, each and every one of our Peerless Battalion warriors are elites that our Battalion Commander Zhou has spent an enormous amount of time and painstaking effort to train and gear up."

Shen Ji's expression grew uglier as he heard Hua Feng's words. A mere temporary Battalion Commander, and this fellow actually dared to threaten him? In all his years of being in the army, this was the first time.

"Battalion Commander Hua Feng, please remember that this is the Northwest Army Command. I respect Battalion Commander Zhou, but this is the Seventh Legion and I am the Legion Commander of the Seventh Legion."

Hua Feng laughed heartily and said: "So what? Legion Commander Shen Ji, how about this, before the war actually starts, shall we have a little bet first?"

"Bet?" Shen Ji started in surprise at that sudden suggestion.

Hua Feng nodded and continued: "Very simple. You can send for that Heavy Infantry Regiment to come here and have a fight with our Peerless Battalion. We will not use our bows… five thousand of us versus ten thousand of them. Close combat brawling."

"Ahh?" Shen Ji stared at Hua Feng, his jaw agape with surprise. In his heart, he could not help but think:Is this temporary Battalion Commander crazy? Has water leaked into his brain? Using archers to fight in close combat with Heavy Infantry soldiers, and with a numbers disadvantage? Isn't that tantamount to suicide?

It was as if Hua Feng did not even notice the surprise and shock on Shen Ji's face, and he continued speaking calmly: "When both sides are fighting, they will not be allowed to use any weapons, but they can still wear their armour. In that way, we can ensure safety and prevent any accidental serious injuries."

Shen Ji looked at Hua Feng. All of a sudden, he had the strange sensation that he was being led along by the nose. Yet, if anyone were to ask him he thought the Peerless Battalion could defeat a Heavy Infantry Regiment in close combat, he could not believe it at all.

"What are the terms of the bet?" Shen Ji asked solemnly.

Hua Feng smiled faintly and said: "Very simple. If we win, I would like Legion Commander Shen Ji to do as promised… to have this Heavy Infantry Regiment to be fully in charge of our Battalion's defense… just defense alone. I would request two Heavy Infantry soldiers to use their tower shields to protect each and every one of our Peerless Battalion warriors. On the other hand, if we lose, then in this year's war against the WanShou Empire armies, Legion Commander Shen Ji can command us as you see fit, and we will follow suit without any noise. On top of that, we will also pay two hundred thousand gold coins as an apology to the Heavy Infantry Regiment for looking down on them. How does that proposal sound?"

Since Hua Feng had already said it, Shen Ji truly had no reason to reject it. Although he did not know why Hua Feng was so confident, or what basis he had for such confidence, if he did not agree to this, and the Heavy Infantry Regiment knew about him doing so, it would cause a lot of trouble. Archers challenging Heavy Infantry to close combat, and yet the Heavy Infantry were too cowardly to accept the challenge? That would be the 'news' indeed.

The army was perhaps different from others. Here, honour and face was equal to, or even greater than one's life. Especially in terms of splendid military accomplishments and accolades, it was even more so.

"Very well, I agree. Time is of the essence… shall we set the time of the fight to be tomorrow noon then."

"It's a promise then."

Hua Feng and Shen Ji's bet swiftly spread across the entire Seventh Legion, even the entire Northwest Army. After all, such a bet and its terms were just beyond any logic or reason to any other person. Using archers to fight in close quarters combat with Heavy Armoured Infantry Units? Countless of people who heard about the bet definitely thought that Hua Feng was truly retarded.

Towards the Peerless Battalion, amongst the Seventh Legion, only the Sixteenth Regiment had some experience with them. As for the other Regiments of the Seventh Legion, they had only heard rumours about them. Of course, they had also received strict orders not to clash with the Peerless Battalion.

The war with the WanShou Empire was just about to start, and it was a rare chance to have such an entertainment to watch. As a result, the entire Northwest Army bustled with excitement.

Chapter 485: Rob the Entire Legion! (3)

Translator: Zen Translations Editor: Zen Translations

Right at this moment, the Peerless Battalion actually opened ten betting stations, accepting all bets. The odds they set up were as such: Heavy Infantry Victory 1:100, Peerless Battalion Victory, 1:1.

Such an action, without a doubt it truly angered the Heavy Infantry Regiment. At the same time, the entire Northwest Army burst into an uproar.

By daring to open bets with such stakes, it was without a doubt that the Peerless Battalion had absolute confidence in themselves. At the same time, it was also a powerful provocation to the Heavy Infantry Regiment.

Some of the more simple-minded immediately rushed to set their bets. In their minds, since someone was willing to gift them with money, how could they not accept it?

Those slightly more clever felt that this action by the Peerless Battalion was just to anger their opponents and to strive for some possible advantages through that. None of them actually thought that it was the Peerless Battalion actually being confident in their own abilities.

In that short period of time, there were those who quickly placed their bets, and those who stood back watching. The reason why so many were just watching was because they did not believe that the Peerless Battalion would be able to actually pay out such a bet.

However, that night alone, all those doubts were swiftly dispelled. No one knew where the Peerless Battalion got a huge sum of gold, forming a pile of gold at each of the ten betting stations, like a small mountain, each heavily guarded by many soldiers.

With that, the entire Seventh Legion exploded into action, and the number of people placing bets increased in an exponential explosion.

The Northwest Army Command also learned about this quickly, but by the time they thought about stopping it, it was too late. At that point, too many officers and soldiers alike had already placed their bets on the fight. If at this point they tried to stop or confiscate the bets, it would without a doubt be a massive blow to morale.

Furthermore, to the command, the Peerless Battalion was backed by the Heaven's Expanse Palace. This was the reason why the Northwest Army Command did not easily interfere in their matters. In such a circumstance, this unbelievably huge bet had been settled.

"Battalion Commander, the number of bets are just too many. We are almost unable to keep up with the records." Wei Feng rushed to the command tent to report to Hua Feng. He had placed himself in a proper alignment in terms of status now that Zhou Weiqing was gone; though he was higher in terms of cultivation level than Hua Feng, Wei Feng truly admired Hua Feng's capabilities and was fully convinced. Everything else aside, just his godly archery was worthy of his admiration, and he had learnt much from Hua Feng indeed.

Hearing Wei Feng's words, Hua Feng smiled faintly and said: "No problem. Tell the betting stations that they only need to record those who bet on us. As for those who bet on the Heavy Infantry Regiment, they are merely gifting us the money; we need not care about them. How much gold in wagers have we accepted by now?"

Hearing Hua Feng's words, Wei Feng's expression turned strange, but he replied swiftly: "We have already received more than five million gold coins. In truth, the ordinary soldiers do not wager much; after all they do not have much money. However, the officers have bet quite a tidy sum… countless of people are waiting to make a joke out of us."

Hua Feng smiled and said: "Let them watch and see for themselves then."

"Indeed! Let them wait to see a joke then, we will see who has the last laugh. Ahh, robbing an entire Legion, such a feeling, it is not an ordinary sense of joy!" The Drunken Rogue, Luo Ke Di, lounged on a chair behind, saying with a wicked grin on his face.

The seven God Archers of the Heavenly Bow Unit were currently in the tent as well, as they had been discussing the details of the upcoming fight with the Heavy Infantry Regiment with Shangguan Fei'er and Lin TianAo.

Wei Feng said with some worry: "That might be so, but by doing so, we will be offending the entire Northwest Army…"

Hua Feng smiled once more. This Wei Feng's ability was not bad, alas his sense of the big picture was not there yet, and he lacked the foresight of a high ranking officer. Well, in the first place, it is Weiqing that little rascal who is truly the sharp one! In fact, this bet had been arranged by him before he left. Of course, perhaps there was the shadow of his Scoundrel teacher behind this scheme, but no one else would know the truth of the matter. After all, Mu En was lounging there with a carefree look on his face, as if none of this had any connection with him. However, his right eye was totally bruised… who knew when he had been punched badly.

"Vice Commander Wei Feng, do not worry. Perhaps, we might be stirring up public wrath here. However, under the current circumstances, it will not be a big problem. After all, the main war is upcoming, and the WanShou Empire armies will soon be bearing down upon the frontlines. Just by losing money, they will not be able to take it out on us any time soon. As long as we prove ourselves on the actual battlefield, they will have to swallow the bitter pill eventually."

Light dawned upon Wei Feng, and he quickly rushed to arrange everything.

Right at that moment, from outside the tent, a loud voice rang out. "Mu En, get out here right now!!"

Hearing that voice, Mu En's face changed instantly, and he fell backwards, almost tripping over his toppled chair, before flipping back onto his feet and slipping out of the tent through the side by pulling up the canvas.

Right after he left, Hong Yu charged into the tent from outside. As soon as she entered, she howled angrily: "Where is Mu En? Where is that wretched Old Scoundrel?!"

Hua Feng could not maintain his composure, and he said with quite some surprise: "Tribe Leader Hong Yu, what is the matter?"

Hong Yu gave an angry humph and said: "Battalion Commander Hua Feng, please do not interfere in this matter. If I do not beat up that old thing until his own mother cannot recognize him, I will not be called Hong Yu anymore!"

Yi Shi gave the 'orchid shaped fingers' sign, saying: "Big sis, what is the matter? What did Mu En do to you?"

Hong Yu said angrily: "That Old Scoundrel dared to peek at me bathing!"

Upon hearing those words, the entire tent was struck dumb momentarily. In the next instant, they all pointed at the side where Mu En had snuck out of. Only then did Hong Yu turn and charge out of the tent with another angry humph.

After she had disappeared from sight, only then did the Heavenly Bow Unit members exchange helpless looks. In the end, all their gazes landed on Luo Ke Di, who shrugged and said innocently: "Why are you all looking at me like that? I did not go, I do not have such 'heavy' tastes like that Old Scoundrel…"

A pause later, he gave in and continued: "… Alright, alright… I'll tell the truth. Yesterday, he asked me to go along with him, saying that the Gold Crow Tribe were full of unique beauties and we should have a look for ourselves. However, I had drank too much and did not feel like moving, so I did not join him. Sigh… if he went to peek, that is fine, yet he actually got caught. Aiyah… that Old Scoundrel has regressed…"

Hua Feng rubbed his forehead and said: "I hope he doesn't get torn into bits. That taste… it is truly not ordinarily 'heavy'. Tribe Leader Hong Yu… her figure is even more powerful than Crow! With her cultivation level, if she just gives Mu En a slap… I don't even dare imagine it…"

Shui Cao gave him a sheep's eye and said: "In the end, I am still better right, look how gentle I am towards you!"

At this point, Shangguan Fei'er could not continue watching any longer, and she snuck out of the tent to start preparing for the fight. She was truly starting to understand why Zhou Little Fatty was so 'bad'… with such a bunch of teachers….

Shangguan Fei'er had barely left, and the inglorious middle aged folks of the Heavenly Bow Unit had already started placing bets amongst themselves.

Gao Shen exclaimed without hesitation: "I bet that Mu En will have to recover in bed for at least a month."

"I bet two months!" Shui Cao grinned and said.

Hua Feng furrowed his brow and looked at them all, saying: "If you all want to bet, I will not stop you. However, who will be the banker? Don't look at me, I do not have any interests in such unstable bets with high chance of losing."

"How about me? I'll be the banker." Luo Ke Di said, clearly still in a drunken sleepy state.

The others exchanged looks. Having him in such a drunken state, if they did not seize the opportunity to con him, that would be rude of them!

Hua Feng asked: "As the banker, what are your terms of betting?"

Luo Ke Di burped, filling the tent with the scent of alcohol. "I bet that it will not take long, and Tribe Leader Hong Yu will bring the Old Scoundrel back like a little bird that rests upon a man. Furthermore, she will be gazing tenderly at him, even marrying him."

Everyone's mouths twitched at the same time, almost an uncontrollable convulsion. Yi Shi said in a high pitched voice: "This fellow has really drank too much. Alright then, we'll bet with you!"

'Flogging the cur that has fallen into water' was a constant tradition of the Heavenly Bow Unit, and the rest swiftly placed their bets. The only one who did not bet was the unusually silent Han Mo.

Hua Feng looked to Han Mo and asked: "Arrow Tower, why didn't you place a bet?"

Han Mo shook his head and said: "I'm afraid of losing."

Gao Shen said in surprise: "Losing to this drunkard? How can that be possible? Didn't you hear the terms of his bet?"

Han Mo said passively: "All I know is that amongst all of us, the one who knows that Old Scoundrel the best is him, and the two of them are the closest. When have you seen that Old Scoundrel do anything without a plan."

"Something is up!"

Subconsciously, all of them turned to look at Luo Ke Di, only to see that fellow sweeping up all the wagered gold into his Spatial Ring as quickly as possible.

Sensing the atmosphere in the tent had changed, and not in his favour, the previously seemingly drunk Luo Ke Di raised his head and smiled sheepishly: "What do you mean something is up! I don't know anything."

Hua Feng grit his teeth and said: ���Speak. If you spill the beans, we will treat is as paying for information. Otherwise… you know the consequences…"

Looking at the bunch of them rubbing their palms eagerly, Luo Ke Di could only give a pitiful look and say: "Alright, alright, I will tell you all everything. As you all should already know, all these years, Mu En has been wearing a mask right."

The rest of them nodded subconsciously. The fact that Mu En wore a mask was a secret that only the few of them in the Heavenly Bow Unit knew, and even Zhou Weiqing did not know it. However, it seemed clear they did not the know the reason behind that. Luo Ke Di continued: "The reason why Mu En wears the mask is actually because of Tribe Leader Hong Yu… to put things more clearly… Crow is… actually Mu En's daughter…"

*Plop**Plop**Plop**Plop* Eyeballs fell and shattered onto the ground…

…

The second day, past noon. The time for the fight had come.

The betting stations of the Peerless Battalion had been accepting bets all the way until this point, and by this time they had accumulated wagers of almost ten million gold coins. In the army, this was already quite a terrifying amount; after all soldiers or even officers were not that rich. If not for the fact that the entire Northwest Army, including all support and logistics personnel, numbered more than a million strong, it would be nearly impossible to see such a large sum of money in a bet. At the same time, this bet had already become such a grand matter that the entire Northwest Army was paying close attention to.

The Seventh Legion's Heavy Infantry Regiment had come out to the outskirts of the camp rather early. They did not bring their weapons, but were fully geared in their heavy armours. Even from a distance, their strong fighting spirit and killing intent could be sensed.

After all, which army troop could take such insult and provocation without feeling anger? Clearly, the Heavy Infantry Regiment were not such!

The pay of the Heavy Infantry soldiers were some of the highest amongst the entire army. This time, the entire Heavy Infantry Regiment, from soldier to the highest officer, all of them bet everything they had down to their underwear on this fight. At this point, their fighting spirit was burning at an unbelievable height. Perhaps even when fighting against the WanShou Empire, they did not even have such a powerful fighting spirit. They all stood there at the ready, their eyes bloodshot, as if they could already see the Peerless Battalion soldiers falling down at their feet.

In stark contrast with them, only when the time came for the fight did the Peerless Battalion slowly exit their camp.

Chapter 486: Sly and Crafty! (1)

Translator: Zen Translations Editor: Zen Translations

At this moment, not only the officers of the Seventh Legion had come; even the entire upper echelons of the Northwest Army were all gathered, watching from a distance. As for the Seventh Legion's Legion Commander Shen Ji, he was playing the role as the judge of this fight.

The Peerless Battalion had sent out exactly five thousand warriors; of them, three thousand were dressed fully in a silver mail, while two thousand were in ordinary cloth clothing. The strangest thing was that amongst the two thousand, almost half were actually females, though their stature were extremely large and well built.

If Zhou Weiqing was still at the Peerless Battalion and he saw Hua Feng arranging to fight like this, he would definitely say: "How could you be so shameless… oh well, it might be shameless but I love it!"

After all, they had accepted a bet of ten million gold coins, and almost no one had bet on the Peerless Battalion. Hua Feng's original words were as such: "Well, some of us need to fight." As such, besides the strongest three thousand of the Peerless Battalion soldiers, the Gold Crow Tribe and the Berserker Tribe had each sent out one thousand warriors.

Originally, Ma Long and Hong Yu had wanted to take this entire fight with their own men. Looking at the mountains and mountains of gold coins, totally ten million, their eyes had gone red. Ahhh, if they could have taken this entire fight, they could at least gain the lion share of it! Although they only had around two thousand true warriors per tribe, even if they had to gather the younger ones or older folks, ordinary soldiers would not be able to compare to them, and they were confident of gathering five thousand men.

However, in the end, their suggestion had been rejected, ending up with the scene before them right now. If they won today's fight, the Gold Crow Tribe and the Berserker Tribe would each earn a million gold coins. After all, this bet had been arranged by Hua Feng and the Peerless Battalion. Giving them this benefit was already considered Hua Feng giving them a lot of face. The other eight million would be 'public' Battalion funds. The reason was simple – many of those who had taken equipment or Consolidating Equipment Scrolls still had not even started to pay back, and owed to the Battalion. Even their various payments or awards were far from sufficient; naturally these funds were used for Battalion purposes, and the Peerless Battalion soldiers had some of their 'debt' removed.

Regarding all these 'behind-the-scene' stories, naturally outsiders would not know anything about it. Looking at these five thousand Peerless Battalion soldiers walk out of the camp, although they did look good indeed, when compared to the ten thousand Heavy Infantry soldiers dressed in full plate mail, looking like mobile fortresses… the Peerless Battalion soldiers looked like they would be easily crushed.

This was a group battle. No matter if a particular soldier was stronger, in such a scale of battle that would not play a major role… unless they were a Heavenly King Stage powerhouse or higher.

Shen Ji had previously ascertained that on the Peerless Battalion's side, both Zhou Weiqing and his powerhouse teacher had left together, and were not currently with them. As for the other powerhouses in the Peerless battalion, though he knew of them, he dismissed them. After all, of the entire Seventh Legion, he had two most elite troops. The first was half his Regiment of Heavy Cavalry Troops, the five thousand of them were his finest elite warriors, and with another five thousand ordinary Heavy Cavalry soldiers forming his entire Heavy Cavalry Regiment. The next would be this Heavy Infantry Regiment in front of his eyes. All ten thousand of them were experienced warriors on the battlefield, and their most important task was to block the charge of the enemy cavalry soldiers, to hold the lines for the entire Legion. They were the bedrock of the Legion, and with their power tower shields and sheer physical strength from tough training… just in terms of personal soldier to soldier strength, they were perhaps even above the Heavy Cavalry soldiers.

The Regiment Commander of the Heavy Infantry Regiment, Oni, was actually also the Vice Legion Commander of the Seventh Legion, only half a rank below Shen Ji. In the Seventh Legion, he definitely had a high status as well, and was a seven-Jeweled Heavenly Jewel Master.

Shangguan Fei'er, accompanied by Ma Long, Hong Yu and Lin TianAo, stood right at the front of the Peerless Battalion troop. Sweeping a cold gaze across the Peerless Battalion soldiers, she said passively: "As for what exactly you all need to do, I'm sure I do not need to explain any further… you all should know. If we actually lose, it won't be a matter of losing the prize, I will also give you all some special training… and you all will learn what is the true meaning of hell… Do you all understand?"

Originally, having heard that the majority of the bet would be used to depreciate their debts and their morale wasn't extremely high, upon hearing Shangguan Fei'er's words, the three thousand Peerless Battalion soldiers instantly seemed to perk up and become as ready as action as could be.

This was not the first time Shangguan Fei'er had used such a tactic, but it proved as effective as ever. After all, those were not empty threats, and she would definitely do as she promised. Those Peerless Battalion soldiers who had gone through and experienced Shangguan Fei'er's 'special training' had long since spread the word about the terrifying hell-like training. In the entire Peerless Battalion, the beautiful Shangguan Fei'er had the nickname of Devil Goddess. That was not a nickname given lightly indeed.

In the distance, Shangguan Xue'er looked upon her sister from a hidden corner. Lookig at her impressive and valiant looking sister, she suddenly felt a sense of envy. Although she was the heir to the Heaven's Expanse Palace, she had never felt such a sense of accomplishment like Shangguan Fei'er now. At this point, she suddenly felt a strange feeling of anticipation, awaiting the time when Fei'er would return to the Heaven's Expanse Palace and she would take her place. Could she do better than her little sister?

At this point, Shen Ji rode atop a tall, large warhorse right to the middle of the two army formations. Loudly, he proclaimed: "As agreed, the fight between the Peerless Battalion and the Seventh Legion Heavy Infantry Regiment shall be starting soon. First, let me announce the fighting fashion and rules. Both sides will be sparring in close combat fashion, and no weapons will be allowed. Also, aiming to critically injure or kill one's opponent is strictly forbidden. The battle will last for two hours, and the side which has the most remaining soldiers standing will be the victor."

The rules were very simple and straightforward. Without question, on a surface level, the Heavy Infantry Regiment held a massive advantage. Just in terms of numbers alone, they doubled the Peerless Battalion's five thousand. Since the victory depended on the final number of soldiers standing, they already had a simple five thousand advantage from the side. However, the terms of this battle had not been drawn out by Shen Ji, but by Hua Feng! Without doubt, he had directly placed the Peerless Battalion in a dangerous position; otherwise there would not have been so many people lured to bet against them.

If it were just five thousand versus five thousand, with the strength of the Peerless Battalion soldiers, did they really need to get the Berserker and Gold Crow Tribes to fight as well?

No one else would believe that the Peerless Battalion could win. The reason was simple – besides the two new Tribes who had just joined the Peerless Battalion, all of the other soldiers were originally from the Northern Armies of the ZhongTian Empire… a bunch of mere ruffian soldiers. Most, or all, of them had committed some mistake or offended some higher ups for them to be sent to the various Ruffian Battalions. Yet, this Peerless Battalion of Zhou Weiqing's had been set up for merely a year, and it could be said that no one truly understood them at all. The only person who knew the most was Shen Ji, and all he knew was that their archery had been trained to an impressive state. However, that did not mean their close combat would be just as good. Furthermore, in terms of close combat, the Heavy Infantry Regiment was considered one of the finest in the entire Legion, even in the Northwest Armies. Now that they were even at a two versus one advantage, how could the Peerless Battalion possibly defeat them?

Any army officer worth his salt knew how to train his troops, just that methods would differ per person. Training a troop of soldiers for less than a year… even if if were the best trainer… that should not bring such a huge jump in quality… right?

Preconceived perceptions caused the watching Northwest Army Officers to look at the Peerless Battalion with disdain, as they waited to collect their winnings… to see how the Peerless Battalion would deal with that massive payout.

Alas, they did not know how much gold Zhou Weiqing had poured into the Peerless Battalion. Ignoring everything else, just in terms of the Consolidating Equipment Scrolls, the resources expended amounted to several dozen million gold coins! That was not even counting all their fine equipment and more so, the precious medicines that let all the Peerless Battalion soldiers become Jewel Masters! Even the gold rewards for the various Peerless Battalion soldiers were a considerable sum already. It could be said that the Peerless Battalion was the most expensive army troop in the entire history of the Boundless Mainland. Sometimes, a vast sum of money could be the catalyst to a massive improvement in quality.

…

As soon as Shen Ji finished announcing the rules, both sides started moving into formation.

Their formations were extremely simple as well. After all, it was a close combat fight, and both sides just spread out in a single line formation across the plains facing each other. The neat lines of the Heavy Infantry Regiment caused them to look like a single long metal wall of a fortress, and with their strong, palpable killing intent, they were clearly ready to go.

Shangguan Fei'er stood there calmly, saying solemnly: "Leave the enemy Regiment Commander to me. Everyone else, you just choose your own targets and everyone fight your own battles, there isn't much tactics for this fight. Break open these metal cans!"

"Fight, begin!" Shen Ji shouted out loud in the distance, having left the center of the battlefield. With his eight-Jeweled cultivation level, his voice was able to resonate throughout the entire battlefield and beyond.

The Heavy Infantry Regiment truly lived up to their name as top elites. As soon as Shen Ji gave the order to start, all ten thousand of them started moving in steady, neat steps, marching in unison while maintaining formation. As they moved slowly towards the Peerless Battalion, the clanging of their armour struck up a cacophony. They did not run; after all their full armour was extremely heavy, but their slow advance brought a powerful pressure that was perhaps even stronger than a simple running charge, as if a mountain was bearing down upon their opponents. Without question, their momentum, aura and fighting spirit was constantly increasing as they advanced.

As for the side of the Peerless Battalion, with a single command from Shangguan Fei'er, the five thousand of them also started charging towards the Heavy Infantry Regiment.

There was no formation, no order or even a style. Five thousand soldiers, five thousand individuals, running and charging ahead with all their might. In that instant, the once-neat formation was scattered.

Looking at such a sight, the watching officers almost burst out laughing. On the battlefield, what was the most important thing? Formations, orders, discipline… only by properly executing every order without fail could one defeat their enemies with ease. Currently, the Heavy Infantry Regiment were indeed in perfect formation, gathered densely together… wouldn't the scattered and messy Peerless Battalion just be tantamount to committing suicide?

However, very soon, as soon as both sides clashed, the smiles and smirks of those officers froze on their faces.

Shangguan Fei'er charged forward ahead of everyone else, her speed was definitely the fastest, and her target was clear – the extra huge Regiment Commander. Not long ago, Shangguan Fei'er had finally broken through to the seven-Jeweled cultivation stage, and was at the same cultivation level as her opponent. However, do not forget that she was from the Heaven's Expanse Palace, and had the mutated Duo Physical Jewels. Indeed, wasn't Shangguan Fei'er's greatest strength her close combat capabilities?

*BANG*

The first contact between both sides happened between Shangguan Fei'er and the Heavy Infantry Regiment Commander, Oni.

Oni had been itching for this fight for the entire day. In his eyes, a mere Peerless Battalion had dared to provoke them, to challenge them, and that was their own foolishness in committing suicide. Seeing an opponent charging at him, he did not hesitate to take a huge step forward. This fight was after all pitting their close combat capabilities. Previously, Shen Ji had already instructed both sides that no matter Heavenly Jewel Master, Physical or Elemental Jewel Masters, no one was allowed to use any Consolidated Equipment or Stored Skills, and it would only be a pugilistic fight, to prevent any unforeseen injuries or even death. After all, in the end both sides were allies.

Chapter 487: Sly and Crafty! (2)

Translator: Zen Translations Editor: Zen Translations

All of a sudden, Oni saw that the opponent charging at him was a beautiful young girl, and he was angered until his face was red. However, when Shangguan Fei'er got closer to him, he realised that something was up… he could clearly see her Physical Jewels faintly below her armour, and the number was definitely not what he had expected!

However, by this point, it was too late for him to think too much. As the Regiment Commander, and the strongest powerhouse of the entire Heavy Infantry Regiment, he could only do his best to give their opponents a heavy blow on the nose to teach them a lesson. On the battlefield, there was no such thing as mercy. Although his opponent was a young woman, he would not harbour thoughts of holding back.

Shangguan Fei'er was just too quick. In that short period of time when Oni's psyche was readjusting himself, she had already reached in front of him. Her right fist opened up in a palm grab towards Oni's throat.

Oni gave a grim laugh, his left hand lifting up at lightning speed in a parry of Shangguan Fei'er's incoming hand. At the same time, his right fist struck out, his powerful Heavenly Energy surrounding his fist and striking out ahead. His Physical Jewel was Strength, and with this punch, he had used almost eighty percent of his Heavenly Energy, aiming to defeat his opponent with a single blow to boost the morale of his troops.

A gleam of disdain flashed in Shangguan Fei'er'es eyes, and her body only moved slightly to the side. At that moment, all Oni could see was that Shangguan Fei'er seemed to actually twist in a strange movement, and his powerful fist filled with Heavenly Energy felt as if it had all the strength in the world, but nowhere to use it. In a flash, there was a blur before his eyes and Shangguan Fei'er's hand towards his throat had twisted in an unbelievable angle to instead grab onto the wrist of his punching fist. The next instant, Oni felt Shangguan Fei'er close in on him.

Oni's combat experience was also extremely abundant, and he instantly reacted by circulating all his Heavenly Energy, bursting forth from his body. With his Heavenly Xu Stage cultivation level, he planned to use his Heavenly Energy and thick armour to take her attacks head-on. At the same time, his arms exerted full force in bringing them together, attempting to grab hold of Shangguan Fei'er in a bear hug.

In this, he did not have any dirty thoughts, more a subconscious reaction to subdue his enemy. However, in doing so, he had deeply offended the Little Demon Girl in front of him.

In Shangguan Fei'er's heart, besides her Little Fatty, what other man had the qualification to hug her?

A pull and a throw. Oni felt a sharp pain on his wrist, and he was shocked to find that Shangguan Fei'er's fingers were like metal hooks, easily piercing through the thick armour around his wrists, her own Heavenly Energy moving in a cockscrew motion that forcefully broke through his protective Heavenly Energy aura. Next, he saw her jump right up, and his own arm went numb. All he could do was watch Shangguan Fei'er's last action as her knee savagely smashed into the center of his chest armour.

With a loud crash, Oni's body flew like a cannonball. Despite all his heavy armour, he had been directly smashed more than twenty yards away by Shangguan Fei'er's angry strike. That was also after she had dispersed some of the attack at the last moment to hold back, otherwise the blow might have shattered several of his ribs.

The two of them had exchanged blows just too quickly, and from the distance, it just looked like a single person had charged out from the Peerless Battalion, clashing right into the strongest powerhouse of the Heavy Infantry Regiment, Oni. However, in just the time it took to draw a breath, Oni had been sent flying away.

This was also the reason why all the watching officers had their jaws agape.

In their wildest imaginations, none of them would have even dreamed that the situation would reach such a level so quickly. After all, Oni was a powerful seven-Jeweled Heavenly Jewel Master!

Before they could react, the rest of the two sides smashed into each other.

What were all these Peerless Battalion fellows? Most of them were bellicose and loved to fight. Originally, in the army, none of them were of good temper, and that was one of the reasons why they had been sent to the various Ruffian Battalions. Now that they were in the Peerless Battalion, the several consecutive victories had given them the confidence of gaining victory. The three thousand of them who had been selected were definitely the most elite amongst the entire Peerless Battalion, amongst them were the original one thousand five hundred Peerless Battalion soldiers who had first followed Zhou Weiqing. These few days, these 'old' soldiers had worked extra hard indeed after being showed up by the newcomers. The cultivation of Physical Jewel Masters was not as tough as Heavenly Jewel Masters, and all of them had more or less some improvement in their Heavenly Energy. Amongst them, there were still quite a few various Main Company Leaders, Company Leaders or other ranking officers, definitely not an easy bunch to deal with.

As both sides crashed into each other, the result was unbelievably different from all the expectations of the waiting spectators.

Right in front of them, the Heavy Infantry soldiers were being sent flying like tin cans being kicked around. In a blink of an eye, almost a few hundred soldiers had been sent flying just like Oni. As for the Peerless Battalion side, they had not even suffered a single loss.

In such a massive clash of close combat, sometimes strength was more important than skill. As such, the most outstanding performances were definitely the two thousand Gold Crow and Berserker Tribe warriors that had just joined the Peerless Battalion.

Without mentioning the Berserker Tribe first, just the ladies of the Gold Crow Tribes were like war goddesses descending from the heavens. Their average weight was more than six hundred jin, and though they were not in any armour, they already weighed more than those Heavy Infantry soldiers in their full armour.

Previously, when they had fought against the charge of the Wolf Cavalry soldiers and Unicorn Cavalry soldiers, even without proper equipment and weapons, they had managed to hold those two powerful foes at bay for so long, holding out until Zhou Weiqing brought in reinforcements. Just from that alone, one could imagine how powerful they were at close combat.

The fight styles of the lady warriors of the Gold Crow Tribe was simple, just one action no matter what their opponents did – charge, dip shoulder and ram.

The actions might be simple and straightforward, but it was definitely effective. Most of those Heavy Infantry soldiers which had been sent flying were done so by them.

Of course, the Berserker Tribe warriors were no weaker than the Gold Crow Tribe warriors. Their weight might not be comparable to them, but their fighting prowess was no weaker, perhaps even more powerful. After all, the Berserker Tribe was famed for their ferocity and love for battle, and as their name suggested, their frenzy in battle. When in combat, they could use a bloodline power of theirs, Berserking. A Berserker Tribe warrior who had entered Berserk mode would have his skin turn even harder than metal, and his strength would also increase drastically, becoming no lesser than that of a Gold Crow Tribe warrior. In that state, they were also immune to pain. At least in terms of hand to hand combat, they were definitely far superior than the Gold Crow Tribe warriors.

These Berserker Tribe warrior, each at least two metres tall, directly faced their opposing Heavy Infantry soldiers, and they actually just dared to grab them and lift them at directly, throwing them savagely out into the distance. As for the Heavy Infantry soldiers' attacks, they did not even bother defending themselves, allowing the attacks to smash into them, though they did not even leave any mark.

As compared to these two powerful tribe warriors who were extremely suited to close combat, although the Peerless Battalion soldiers were all Jewel Masters and equipped with their titanium mail, their efficiency in close combat was no match. This was just a sheer difference in physical prowess, but that did not mean their results were weak at all.

After having trained with Shangguan Fei'er in close combat for so long, all of their close combat capabilities had gone through a qualitative leap. Furthermore, all of them were Jewel Masters, and with their Heavenly Energy, even if their opponents were carefully selected, well trained and powerful, dressed in full armour, they still held the advantage.

The powerhouses of the Peerless Battalion were just too many, and even when the opponent's Battalion Leaders, Company Leaders or various officers came out, the officers of the Peerless Battalion immediately rushed to meet them. As such, the fight was just still fully one sided.

Convulsions was a term that would be descriptive of an illness, but using this term now on all the spectating Northwest Army officers would be extremely accurate.

Their face muscles were all twitching involuntarily… none of them had expected that this would be the result of the fight.

The clash had only started for a few minutes, and the Heavy Infantry soldiers were falling like wheat being harvested.

Indeed, the Heavy Infantry soldiers indeed had much shocking power on the battlefield, but at the same time with such heavy armour, once they fell down it would be rather difficult for them to get up, especially after taking such heavy blows.

Yet, on the reverse side, for the Peerless bAttalion, there were at least twenty to thirty powerhouses running wild around the Heavy Infantry Regiment unchecked, wreaking havoc all around. Every time anyone of them took action, one Heavy Infantry soldier would fall. Furthermore, besides a very small number of Peerless Battalion soldier who had met with the opponent officers and were beaten down, they were able to get up easily, hoping that Shangguan Fei'er had not noticed them. Although their titanium mail was extremely light, in terms of defense it was not inferior to their opponent's full plate armour. After all, it was titanium alloy!

In a matter of moments, Shangguan Fei'er did not even bother continuing, as the outcome of the fight was already too clear – a total crushing victory.

Fighting close combat? With an entire punch of Jewel Masters… or a warriors with superior bloodline skills and attributes? Even if it were a WanShou Empire army Regiment taking the place of the Heavy Infantry Regiment, the Peerless Battalion would not be afraid of them.

Shen Ji stared with his jaw agape at the scene in front of him. He did not know when, but Hua Feng had rode up next to him casually, saying in a low tone: "Legion Commander Shen Ji, don't you think you should end the fight in advance? If we keep beating on the Heavy Infantry Regiment, I'm afraid their confidence might be destroyed. Furthermore, we are after all going to be cooperating on the battlefield, and we are all allies, it won't be too good to have our relationship strained too much."

Upon hearing Hua Feng speak, only then did Shen ji come to his senses. However, when he heard those words, they just seemed so cutting, so mocking. He truly felt like pushing this fellow down to the ground and beating him up!

This was truly getting the advantage and still rubbing salt in others' wounds! Afraid of destroying the Heavy Infantry Regiment's confidence? Those Peerless Battalion soldiers were like hunting wolves or tigers, even some of those fallen Heavy Infantry soldiers, they would continue beating them up. Was this how they showed their 'fear' of destroying others' confidence? Where was there any sign of mercy or leniency?!

"Stop! Everyone stop!" Shen Ji used all his Heavy Energy into his voice, and it reverberated all the way into the distance.

Well, the Heavy Infantry soldiers all stopped. After all, they truly beaten. However, on the Peerless Battalion side, there was no sign of any of those ruffians wanting to stop. At least the Berserker and Gold Crow Tribe soldiers were more honest; as soon as they heard Shen Ji's command, they immediately stopped.

Chapter 488: Sly and Crafty! (3)

Translator: Zen Translations Editor: Zen Translations

Let alone all their opponents, even those spectators watching the Peerless Battalion fighting were feeling a little terrified of them. This was a fighting style that was clearly pitting their lives and aiming for vital points! Many of their strikes were "under the belt", striking at "vital" areas, causing many of the Heavy Infantry soldiers to be curled on the ground, clutching their precious areas, their heads not daring to even lift up. It was truly a sorry sight.

After this event, many of the Heavy Infantry soldiers were left with a shadow in their psyche. Although that 'vital area' of theirs was protected by thick armour, when they examined their own armours, they discovered that the damage to many of their armours were mostly to that area… if the Peerless Battalion soldiers had used more force, perhaps they would have lost the capabilities of being a man.

"Battalion Commander Hua Feng, quick, get your Peerless Battalion men to stop!" Shen Ji said exasperatedly.

Hua Feng blinked his eyes innocently and said: "Ohh, Legion Commander Shen Ji, your command was just too fast. These men of mine, their reactions are just too slow, unable to keep up. Everyone… Stop!" Hua Feng was not as loud as Shen Ji, and he had to shout several times. In the end, Shangguan Fei'er had to shout a few times as well in the middle of the battlefield before the ruffians of the Peerless Battalion stopped, looking unwilling.

Ordinarily, in their training against their fellow soldiers, although the fights were bustling indeed, but they did have to take guard against future vengeance! Only when they were fighting against outsiders could take unleash all their vicious strength without holding back.

Both sides finally stopped. Yet, the greatest injuries were perhaps an unknown number of dislocated jaws… all those Northwest Army officers, each of them with blacker and blacker faces. Ahhh their money! How much money had they lost!! Many of them had bet several months of their pay! The worst off was naturally the Heavy Infantry soldiers; not only had they been beaten up so heavily, some of their armour even out of shape… they had also lost a huge amount of their wagers. In a long period of time after, any time the phrase Peerless Battalion was mentioned, groans of sorrow could be heard: "Ahhh, those Peerless Battalion bastards are truly not human!"

"Legion Commander Shen Ji, about our previous bet…" Hua Feng subtly asked in reminder.

By now, Shen Ji had calmed down. Although technically he had lost, and was also a loss of face to himself, once he calmed down, he found that his mood was actually quite good. Perhaps it was his finest elite Regiment, the ace of his Seventh Legion, who had lost, but do not forget that technically the Peerless Battalion belonged to the Seventh Legion. More importantly, this time, they would be helping the Seventh Legion on the battlefield. With them and the Heavy Infantry Regiment, it would be a win win cooperation against powerhouses… and that was not a bad thing for Shen Ji indeed.

"I have lost. We will go ahead according to the terms of our bet as promised. However, I will still have to speak a lot and arrange things with the Heavy Infantry Regiment first."

Hua Feng smiled gracefully and said: "I'll have to trouble Legion Commander Shen Ji then. Do not worry Legion Comander, on the battlefield, our Peerless Battalion will not disappoint you."

Shen Ji looked at Hua Feng meaningfully for a moment before finally saying: "I truly hope so."

After saying that, he turned around to leave, without even looking back. Having dealings with these ruffians was not an enjoyable task indeed. This temporary Commander Hua Feng was even more troublesome than that Zhou Weiqing. At least, on the surface, most of the times Zhou Weiqing was very amiable and was easy to get along with, but this Hua Feng fellow was sly and cunning . If he continued staying here, perhaps that Hua Feng would come up with another sneaky plan to trick him.

After that fight, the Peerless Battalion's reputation in the entire Northwest Army rose drastically. Although, at the same time, they had drawn the enmity of nearly all the other army outfits. Of course, none dared to challenge them.

After Shen Ji spoke to him at length, the wounded Oni finally agreed to bring his Heavy Infantry Regiment to assist and cover the Peerless Battalion. Alas, Shen Ji did not know that in the near future, this 'assistance' would lead to his finest and most elite Regiment to be bought over y the Peerless Battalion.

Shen Ji had been right about Hua Feng being sly and crafty, but he had severely underestimated the degree… especially with such a villainous advisor like Mu En by his side, that was even more so the case.

In the end, Mu and Hong Yu had finally met up. Although Mu En had indeed ended up with two panda eyes, in the end Hong Yu had not beaten him up too brutally.

It turned out that when they were much younger, Mu En and Hong Yu had met. Under a particular set of unique coincidences and circumstances, Mu En had accidentally been afflicted with aphrodisiac poison, and Hong Yu had sacrificed herself to save his life… thus starting the beginning of this strange romance. Mu En had not been able to accept it at first… in stories, those who met such circumstances would be saved by top beauties, yet how come his meeting had been a lady who was taller and stouter than himself! After a few days of being a groom, he had ran off.

Who knew that by then Hong Yu was already pregnant with Crow. According to Hong Yu, the reason why Crow's stature was shorter than herself was because Mu En was too short.

When he had first met Crow, Mu En had felt rather awkward, turning much more honest for a time. Although he did not know that Crow was his daughter, she had evoked his memories of Hong Yu. Towards Hong Yu, he did truly feel guilt and shame.

This time, with the entire Gold Crow Tribe here to join the Peerless Battalion, meeting Hong Yu once more, all his mixed feelings welled up within Mu En's heart. Yet, he did not dare to tell anyone, not knowing what to do at all. At last, he still decided to sneak over and have a look at her. Who knew that it had just happened that Hong Yu was bathing at that time, and he had even got caught.

Although they had not seen each other for years, Hong Yu still easily recognized the first and only man in her life, even if he was wearing a mask. In the end, after running for a time, Mu En was caught by Hong Yu.

Being taught a lesson was unavoidable, but how Mu En managed to survive in the end, no one in the entire Peerless Battalion, not even the Heavenly Bow Unit members, knew. In any case, Mu En would never reveal such a thing even if he was beaten to death. Currently, Mu En was following him around everyday, as if afraid that this husband that she had finally managed to find after so long would run away again. In truth, Mu En had already accepted the fact. After all, his heart had been filled with guilt, shame and regret all these years. Meeting again after all these years, he was no longer the young man he had been then, and was much more grown up and mature now. He now had a wife, a daughter; they might be larger and more valiant than expected, but at least he had a real family.

"Old Scoundrel, that trick of yours is really too shameless and mean." Hua Feng looked to his side, saying exasperatedly. Mu En stood there, no longer in his mask, revealing a clean clear face, definitely not ugly at all.

Mu En gave a humph and said: "Shameless? Mean? This is all for that precious disciple of mine. Our background and forces are just too few… since an entire Heavy Infantry Regiment is knocking on our doors, why shouldn't we keep them?"

Hua Feng's brow furrowed and he said hesitantly: "But… in the future… can we really bring them away successfully?"

Mu En grinned and said: "Heh, no problem… it is just ten thousand men. Don't forget what status that little girl Fei'er is? If not for the background of the Heaven's Expanse Palace, do you really think that little brat Weiqing can thrive and flourish so well, so easily and in such short a time?"

Hua Feng smiled faintly and said: "Alright then, this matter is settled then. You take charge of it and manipulate as you require. By the way! Mu En, sister in law is still waiting for you at the door, isn't it time for you to go back? It is getting late."

Instantly, Mu En's face fell. "Boss, let me stay a while more… I'm already at such an age already, I am unable to withstand the rigours. As you know, her weight… it's just too terrifying."

Hua Feng rolled his eyes and said: "Stupid, can't you just be on top?"

Mu En gave a bitter smile and said: "That doesn't work either! As you know, the words that men hope to hear women yell out the most is 'I want!', but the words they fear women yelling the most is 'I still want more!'… at her age, she is at the time of most need, especially after so many years of not meeting. Ahhh, my poor old waist!"

"Hahahaha…" Hua Feng burst out laughing uncontrollably. Looking at Mu En's helpless expression, he almost fell onto the ground laughing.

"Laugh your head! If you keep provoking this old man, you just watch…one day I will slip you some of that same 'poison' if you are not careful, and let Shui Cao help you with that 'antidote'. Hmph Hmph, you just wait and see!" Mu En rushed out huffily. As for whether or not his waist and back could last, or perhaps to say whether Hong Yu would pity him, that would not be known.

…

Fire Spirit Mountain.

The Fire Spirit Mountain was deep in the WanShou Empire, rather close to the Ten Thousand Beast Heavens. There were basically no beastmen living within a five hundred li radius of the Fire Spirit Mountain. Although the temperature was extremely good for survival, the terrifying volcano often erupted erratically, and it had stolen the lives of many beastmen before they had given up on living there. That was the reason why that even if the WanShou Empire Royal Family did not give the order to forbid them from staying there, no one actually dared stay there. No matter how tough and physically strong the beastmen were, they could not last against the power of nature.

A bout of green light descended from the skies, landing right at the feet of the Fire Spirit Mountain. The green light slowly dissipated, revealing two figures. It was Long Shiya and Zhou Weiqing, the teacher disciple duo.

Two days. In just a short time of two days, they had reached this place all the way from the northern border camp. Such speed was indeed shocking.

In these two days, Zhou Weiqing had truly enjoyed himself flying. In the process of flying, his entire body was covered by a thick layer of Wind Attribute Heavenly Energy, and with Long Shiya's guidance, he had improved in his control over the Wind Attribute Heavenly Energy by leaps and bounds.

Flying for such a long period of time, Zhou Weiqing was filled with such envy. Two whole days! Several thousand li distance had gone by just like that… if only he had such an ability like that too, wouldn't that mean he could go anywhere on the entire Mainland?

Long Shiya truly lived up to his name as the First Heavenly Emperor without a Great Saint Lands background. Carrying Zhou Weiqing along as he flew for two whole days, yet Zhou Weiqing did not see any hint of fatigue on his Master's face. This was truly a heaven defying level of power indeed!

Looking at the Fire Spirit Mountain in front of them, it could definitely easily leave a lasting impression on anyone. Previously, he had looked at it from high above the ground, and though it was only a single mountain, it covered a massive area, and its mountainside was all a crimson red earth. Even from a distance, they had already started feeling the rolling waves of heat lashing out at them. At this time of the year, it might have not fully entered winter, but such a temperature at the north… it could only be at such a place.

Plumes of smoke flew out constantly from the top of the Fire Spirit Mountain, even to the point that large ripples of water could be seen twisting. One could imagine the sheer temperature.

Long Shiya looked toward Zhou Weiqing and said seriously: "Weiqing, this is your last chance. Think carefully now. Once you begin, there will not be any chance to stop, not even I can help in that. It will be do or die then. In truth, for myself, I do not wish for you to take such a huge risk. Training and cultivation is always the best to be done in proper order and step by step, and I know that if you do so, you will definitely surpass I, your Master, in the future…"

Zhou Weiqing gave a bitter smile and said: "Master, I know that, but time waits for no man! I do not have a choice. A man can choose his actions, to sacrifice some things to accomplish others, but if I cannot even protect my own women, then what is the point of training so hard? Master, do not worry, I still have so many things to do, I will die so easily. You know how afraid of death I am, no matter how painful it is, I will not give up, how could I bear to give up!?"

Long Shiya shook his head helplessly before saying: "You little brat! Alright then, since you have made your choice, let us go. Do keep in mind, as long as I am here, your life will not be in danger. No matter how much the pain is, you must endure it."