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Chapter 590: Saint Energy – Recalling to Life! Hell's Angel! (2)

Translator: Zen Translations Editor: Zen Translations

"Boss, let us sally forth to fight them for a bit, so what if they have three Regiments? They will not be able to hold us down." At Zhou Weiqing's side, Ma Qun was raring to go.

Zhou Weiqing shook his head and said: "No, this time the enemy is not the same. Furthermore, you all have already revealed yourselves in the previous fight, and the enemies will definitely have prepared something against us doing something similar. If your two entire Main Companies were here, I would definitely send you to destroy their confidence. However, you currently only number two hundred in total, and if you were to be entangled with the enemy's two Heavy Cavalry Battalions for too long, even with your combat prowess and strength, it will not be easy to get out without any losses."

At the other side, Lei Zi said: "Boss, then let us go instead. We'll fly above their heads and let them know what is the meaning of heavenly soldiers descending from the skies."

Zhou Weiqing laughed heartily and said: "There will be many chances for all of you to take action soon. However, I do not want to reveal our Peerless Air Force quite so early. It isn't time yet. After all, it is one of our aces. Prepare your javelins for now… those will be even more effective than arrows in a siege battle."

Lei Zi nodded and said: "We have already prepared that long ago. Ever since we entered the Crescent City, we have ordered blacksmiths to continue crafting them. Furthermore, we have brought quite a number ourselves." As he said that, Lei Zi even gestured towards his own Spatial Ring.

Previously, Lin TianAo had been tasked with purchasing as many Spatial Containment objects as possible, and besides all the high ranking officers of the Peerless Regiment, the excess Spatial Rings had been issued to the elites of the First Main Company.

Although Zhou Weiqing only had seven hundred proper fighting forces, never forget that even amongst the Peerless Regiment, those were the cream of the crop, the elite in all aspects.

"Alright, very good. Prepare for battle at any moment. We still have at least half a month before our reinforcements arrive. During this period, we must ensure our city walls stay secured. We must not give our enemies any opportunity."

The Peerless Regiment officers saluted in agreement as they received the command.

In truth, what Zhou Weiqing was most worried about was not a full on frontal attack on the main gates. With the city walls and defensive advantage, it was nearly impossible to breakthrough the walls guarded by the Peerless Regiment soldiers. However, they only numbered seven hundred, and they could not split themselves or appear in more than one places. If the enemy chose to surround and attack from all sides of the city, their true problem of having a lack of manpower would reveal itself."

In order to counter such a possible scenario, Zhou Weiqing had meticulously assigned his troops. For the Peerless Regiment archers, he placed two hundred men on the frontal walls, and a hundred on each of the other three walls. As for the Peerless Heavy Cavalry, in such a siege they would be Heavy Infantry instead, and with each wall assigned fifty of them. With their numbers, it was just too difficult to take everything into account, and this was a difficult but necessary choice to make. As long as the enemy commander wasn't a fool, he would have such plans in mind.

Currently, the Peerless Heavy Cavalry were already in position, but the five hundred Peerless archers were still on the main south wall facing their enemies. With their Consolidated Wings, they could easily rush to the other walls when necessary, so they did not need to get into position too quickly.

On the enemy's end, the Kalise army did not seem to be in a rush at all as well. After setting up camp, they actually did not attack for three days. However, since their camp was merely ten li away from the Crescent City, the invisible pressure they exerted upon the city was palpable. Without question, this was a form of psychological warfare, and the current commander of the Kalise forces was definitely an excellent one.

It was the morning of the fourth day since the Kalise Empire arrived, just after breakfast, when Zhou Weiqing received an urgent summons to the city walls. As soon as he reached the walls and looked at the sight before him, even for Zhou Weiqing's stable character, he couldn't help but have an ugly expression on his face. He finally understood what the Kalise Empire armies had been waiting for these last three days, and it wasn't just a psychological tactic.

A large number of sieging weapons were arriving from the distance into the Kalise encampment. Amongst them were several siege vehicles specially for attacking city walls. These siege vehicles were not for knocking down the city gates, but for holding troops. Each siege vehicle was five metres wide, ten metres tall, with wheels below them on all four sides. On the top, there were metal plates covered with cured cowhide, while the front was extremely thick and heavy with spikes jutting out.

Each of these siege vehicles were able to hold at least fifty soldiers, and there were push rods within the towers which enabled them to move the siege vehicles. This way, they could ignore any risks from heavy cavalry charges or arrows from the walls to move directly to the foot of the walls.

These siege vehicles actually numbered more than fifty. Besides that, there were also ten large trebuchets, several battering ram carts and various other specialised siege weapons. Amongst them, the most eye catching were the four massive siege towers which could be slowly pushed to the front. All in all, it was clear they were fully prepared for war.

Indeed, Zhou Weiqing had not expected that even knowing that the defending force of the Crescent City was merely three thousand, especially with the majority being fresh recruits, the Kalise Empire would actually spend so many resources to launch their attack. From this alone, one could see how much importance they had placed on this attack.

These siege weapons would definitely bring a lot of trouble to their defending side, especially those siege vehicles. With them, the advantage of the Peerless Heavy Cavalry and archers facing open plains before them would be greatly reduced. With the siege vehicles in front, besides those soldiers in the actual vehicles, they would also be able to cover another four to five thousand men to reach the city walls. Along with the siege towers, ladders, catapults and various siege weapons, it would definitely increase the pressure on their defending side.

Looking at the siege weapons bearing down upon the Crescent City slowly, the Kalise Empire armies also began their movement.

The fifty siege vehicles were intermingling between the various other siege weapons, and they were clearly already filled with soldiers. Two Battalions of Heavy Infantry and the two Battalions of Heavy Cavalry moved forward along with them, both guarding the siege weaponry while also using them as cover. At the back, there were at least four more Battalions of infantry soldiers advancing at a slower pace behind. In just this first offensive wave, the Kalise army had already sent its main force. From the looks of things, they did not even seem to be placing much importance on attacking from the other sides, focusing most of their attention on the frontal assault.

Tricked! Zhou Weiqing immediately realised his mistake. The enemy commander had seized upon the fact that he would prepare for the surrounding all-out assault, and instead changed tactics to focus on the full frontal assault. With the various siege weapons to assist in their assault, this was not going to be an easy fight.

"Boss, let us charge out and destroy those siege weapons!" On the city walls, the feelings of all of them were rather oppressed, and Ma Qun couldn't help but offer to attack once more.

Zhou Weiqing waved his hands and said: "No, there are too many enemies now, especially with the siege vehicles to cover them. It is just too dangerous for you to charge out now."

Yan Zhexi said: "Boss, how about transferring back the rest of the Peerless Heavy Cavalry from the other walls?"

Zhou Weiqing shook his head and said: "No, the other walls might not be attacked now, but they may be attacked at any time. Look far off in the distance, the Kalise Regiment behind has started sending light cavalry troops using a roundabout fashion to loop around. Although their offense and sieging capabilities aren't that strong, just leaving the fresh recruits alone to withstand their attacks will be a definite loss. Brothers, we will have a tough fight ahead of us, let's pluck up our spirits. Once we can achieve this first victory, we can definitely hold on until our reinforcements arrive."

If not for the Heavenly King assassin who might be hiding anywhere close by, even if the enemy forces were stronger, Zhou Weiqing would not be so dismal. However, with such a powerful hidden enemy who could attack at anytime, he had to spend so much focus on being alert for that, keeping his guard up. This was not a comfortable feeling at all.

The enemy drew closer bit by bit. It was clear that the Kalise commander was extremely experienced, and his directions were very well placed. He was not rash or impetuous, not charging forward, instead moving at a slow stable pace, maintaining perfect formation to fully take advantage of the siege weapons.

Zhou Weiqing gave a cold laugh. "Your Father, I, will give you a greeting gift first." As he said that, he waved his hands before him, and the Six Ultimate Godly Light Formation appeared as he unleashed it. At the same time, he also entered the Dragon-Tiger Transformation state, the large wings spread out behind his back. All the Jewel Masters present could instantly sense a huge amount of Heavenly Energy gathering towards Zhou Weiqing, swarming crazily to him.

Standing at his two flanks, Shangguan Xue'er and Tian'er subconsciously drew closer to him, looking about warily at this point. Zhou Weiqing was about the launch an attack, and this was undoubtedly a good chance for the Heavenly King assassin to make his move. As the saying goes, 'caution is the parent of safety', and the two girls naturally raised their guard further in preparation.

It was not just the two of them. Naturally, Lin TianAo also took up his position right behind Zhou Weiqing. He was even more direct, with his seven-Jeweled Assembly Set Shield already released and at the ready. His eyes were cold as they scanned the area, fully ready to spring into action at any time.

The Overlord Bow gave forth a chilling aura as Zhou Weiqing drew it to a full crescent. Abruptly, he gave a loud shout, and with the Six Ultimate Godly Light Formation glowing about him, in the Dragon-Tiger Transformation state, he truly looked like a demon god atop the city walls. Especially with the loud shout that was like a tiger's roar, giving all the soldiers on the city walls a morale boost.

Facing such a formidable looking force, along with invisible pressure of the threat from the last few days, the morale of the soldiers on the walls was slightly suppressed, especially those of the fresh recruits. Zhou Weiqing may not be an outstanding commander, especially in terms of 'normal' military tactics, but in terms of his grasp of the big picture view, he could match any top commander. He was extremely clear on what he needed to do right now.

A layer of black light covered the Overlord Bow, and in an instant, using the Six Ultimate Godly Light Formation, Zhou Weiqing gathered a massive amount of Heavenly Energy and transformed it into the Darkness Attribute. At the same time, one of the Alexandrite Cat's Eye on one the edges of the hexagon glowed brightly. Clearly, Zhou Weiqing was not using a mimicked skill, directly unleashing one of the Stored Skills of his Six Ultimate Godly Light Formation.

A pitch black figure appeared silently above Zhou Weiqing's head, hovering for a moment before spreading out and forming a humanoid figure with three sets of wings behind its back.

Right at that moment, Zhou Weiqing gave another loud shout, his eyes actually turning a vast expanse of white. A strange aura burst forth from his body next, swarming up above his head and forming a small trail of silvery white mist, infusing into the pitch black figure of light above him.

The silvery white mist seemed like the best fertilizer, and within an instant, the figure expanded to almost three times its original size, reaching a height of almost ten metres. The six wings behind its back spread out wide, and the figure seemed to become clearer, more focused and consolidated.

The soldiers on the city wall found they were almost unable to breathe. Although the huge black illusory figure was not directed at them, they still felt the oppressive presence that was almost unbearable. Zhou Weiqing took a step forward, right over the city walls, actually hovering in midair. Above his head, the giant black illusory figure also did the same, and in that instant, its features were fully shown to all the soldiers on both sides, several tens of thousands of men.

Chapter 591: Saint Energy – Recalling to Life! Hell's Angel! (3)

Translator: Zen Translations Editor: Zen Translations

It was the image of a youth, the giant but slim black figure giving forth a faint purple glow… bloodshot eyes filled with endless ruthless killing intent, a cruel aura about it. The features were handsome, but pale, and the sheer power of the aura the figure released was enough to cause even the heavens to change colours1.

In the skies, no one knew when a large patch of dark clouds had suddenly gathered, forming a strange black whirlpool shape right above the black, six-winged youth.

Currently, Zhou Weiqing had his eyes closed. His entire body was shaking gently, even down to his hands and the Overlord Bow. His entire aura was raised to the max, and a terrifying energy reverberation could be felt all around. Let alone the enemies, even his own companions were trembling from the sheer presence.

Shangguan Xue'er's eyes were filled with shock. "This… this is an actual manifestation of a Heavenly Skill Image… right?" Although she knew, or perhaps had guessed, how Zhou Weiqing had actually accomplished it, even so her heart was still filled with disbelief. The sheer energy reverberations were just too powerful, and it looked like even if a Heavenly King stage powerhouse used the same Skill, it might not have the same formidable power as Zhou Weiqing's.

Tian'er was the only one not afraid of the huge black figure in the air with the terrifying aura. At this moment, she was standing right behind Zhou Weiqing, both her hands on his shoulders. All around her palms, gold and purple, two lights glowing as the different energy surged into Zhou Weiqing's body from her.

In truth, no one else knew but the actual initiator of the Skill, Zhou Weiqing, was also filled with shock at that point. He had never expected that this would happen.

Without question, the Skill that he was trying to unleash was the Hell's Angel, and he had planned to use the Six Ultimate Godly Light Formation's powerful but fine control and the powerful Heavenly Energy absorption, infusing the Hell's Angel Skill into the Overlord Bow to unleash the powerful AOE Skill into the mass of enemies.

In order to bring the Skill to its greatest effect, the silvery white mist that had rose above his head was the Saint Energy which Zhou Weiqing had infused upwards into the Skill.

Zhou Weiqing had experimented with the Saint Energy many times, and he had long discovered that when using his Skills, as long as he infused a single drop of Saint Energy, the power of the Skill would explosively increase several times over. Originally, Zhou Weiqing's plan was to infuse a few drops of Saint Energy to further strengthen this Hell's Angel Skill.

However, he had never imagined that for this powerful Skill with the Heavenly Skill Image, even after he had already infused three drops of Saint Energy into it, the Heavenly Skill Image of the Hell's Angel in the sky seemed like a bottomless pit, beginning to drain the Saint Energy directly from his body.

Tian'er and Zhou Weiqing pretty much trained everyday together with the Saint Energy whirlpool, and the connection between them was extremely strong, almost like they could sense each others' emotions or thoughts. Instantly, she realised something was wrong with Zhou Weiqing, and came to his side to assist him, quickly forming the large Saint Energy whirlpool. Only then did the Hell's Angel begin to stabilize, just before the Zhou Weiqing's smaller internal Saint Energy Whirlpool was drained dry.

In a matter of moments, a grand total of over thirty drops of Saint Energy had been devoured from Zhou Weiqing and Tian'er's bodies. Besides their own personal internal Saint Energy whirlpools, there was nothing left.

By now, Zhou Weiqing realised that empowering Skills with the Heavenly Skill Image was vastly different from his ordinary Skills, and it was definitely not a wise idea for them to do so in their current state. However, it was too late at this point, he could no longer apply the brakes to it, and all they could do was to grit their teeth and hold on for the ride.

Right at that moment, the massive black figure above Zhou Weiqing's head began to move. In a flash, he appeared right in front of Zhou Weiqing.

Bloodshot eyes stared right at Zhou Weiqing, an aura of extreme cold caused the entire group of people on the Crescent City south wall to shudder uncontrollably.

"My Lord, thank you for granting me life with your purest energy. I can serve you for three seconds."

A thick, deep voice rang out in the depths of Zhou Weiqing's soul, and it seemed like he was the only one who could hear it. The massive black youth had a face glinting with an evil light, and within the blood red orbs, he could sense an endless killing intent and frenzied presence.

It's alive… alive?! 2 Towards what was happening right before their eyes, no one could refrain from being shocked. Especially so for Zhou Weiqing himself… only he truly understood that he had actually given a Skill its own consciousness! This… this was something that the Saint Energy had done! However, what could this Hell's Angel that was brought to live actually do? Zhou Weiqing did not know, but he felt a burning fire raging in his heart. He knew he had found another of the Saint Energy's deepest profound secrets.

"My Lord, although your energy is pure, it is just too minimal. If you do not give an order, I will vanish soon." The Hell's Angel's voice rang out once more, snapping Zhou Weiqing out of his reverie.

"Destroy. Please do all you can to destroy my enemies outside the city walls." Zhou Weiqing did not hesitate any longer, quickly giving his order to the live Hell's Angel.

"As you wish." The Hell's Angel moved, his actions smooth and so natural, that unbelievably handsome face was filled with an icy cold killing intent.

In a flash, he disappeared into the clouds above. The next instant, a shocking sight occurred.

The dark clouds that were swirling about them in a whirlpool fashion actually started moving crazily. In a blink of an eye, the dark clouds formed another, even larger, illusory figure of the Hell's Angel.

The dark clouds were also changing colours, a dark purple light rising to encompass everything.

Six giant wings spread out in the air… an oppressive pressure descended from the skies.

The wings behind the giant Hell's Angel abruptly moved, and within moments a huge circle of light spread out in the skies, glowing a deep purple.

From the giant ring of purple light, hundreds of large balls of purplish black air bubbles dropped down, each almost ten metres in diameter.

The generation of the air bubbles lasted only three seconds, and the illusory Hell's Angel in the sky disappeared, warping back into the patch of dark clouds. However, in those three seconds alone, more than a hundred of the purplish black air bubbles had descended from the skies right onto the three Kalise Empire Regiments.

Zhou Weiqing's body crumpled to the ground, and at his back, Tian'er also slid down together with him. Right at the same instant, a pitch black flash of light struck out like cold lightning from the side… it was one of the fresh recruits! The light struck out directly towards Zhou Weiqing's throat.

In truth, the black lightning had arrived a little late, and it wasn't the absolute perfect moment. That was because Shangguan Xue'er had already blocked at Zhou Weiqing's side. Perhaps the reason for that was even the attacker had been just too shocked by the scene beforehand.

When Zhou Weiqing had released his Skill, after a tiny moment of shock, Lin TianAo had already made full preparations to react to any trouble, his mind and spirit fully focused and alert. When the abrupt black light appeared, he was the first to react. The seven-Jeweled Assembly Set Shield ready in his hands moved forward in a flash, and his entire body and shield blocked right in front of Zhou Weiqing.

Still, the black rapier's offense was just as terrifying as always. In a massive explosion, Lin TianAo's seven-Jeweled Assembly Set Shield was destroyed in just a single strike despite its powerful defensive capabilities. At the same time, Lin TianAo was sent flying into the sky.

However, in the end Lin TianAo had still succeeded in blocking the blow, if only just barely. He had just been at a too severe a disadvantage, not just in terms of the gap in cultivation level, but also the fact that his Assembly Set Shield was one piece lesser than his enemy's Assembly Set Sword.

Still, Lin TianAo had earned a precious second, and Shangguan Xue'er's Boundless Infinitum Sword also struck out at that moment. The snow white sword, glowing with a crystalline light, piercing straight at the owner of the black rapier.

Without question, the Heavenly King assassin had come again, seizing the opportunity of the moment of Zhou Weiqing's weakness when he had finished releasing his powerful Skill.

"Eh…?" A surprised sound emitted from the Heavenly King assassin's mouth. He originally wanted to continue attacking Zhou Weiqing. However, strangely enough, Shangguan Xue'er's attack suddenly gave him a strong sense of danger.

Having been an assassin for so many years, living on the edge, his personal senses were far more developed than anyone. It was also these senses that had saved him from many potential disasters over the years. At this point, he could clearly sense that if he continued attacking Zhou Weiqing and ignored Shangguan Xue'er, he would not be able to dodge it… and it would mean his death!

How is that possible?!

Despite his disbelief, this Heavenly King assassin was too used to trusting his own senses. Swiping the black rapier in his hand, he struck out horizontally towards Shangguan Xue'er's Boundless Infinitum Sword.

Another earsplitting explosion rang out. Shangguan Xue'er's cultivation level was just too low compared to her opponent, and despite her sword mastery, with the assassin's sheer offensive power and cultivation level gap, both her and her sword were also sent flying back.

However, the Heavenly King assassin was unable to continue attacking Zhou Weiqing. That was because the black rapier in his hands had abruptly turned a silver white colour.

The Heavenly King assassin's body suddenly began to shake violently, pausing in mid-movement. He was shocked to realise that a strange energy he had never sensed before had wormed into his palm through his rapier, an energy that he didn't even know… an unknown attribute even. The energy was warm, filled with life, but when his Darkness Attribute Heavenly Energy made contact with it, the darkness energy dissipated. This new energy did not hurt his body at all, but with a posture like a sovereign over his subjects, it was beginning to devour all the Heavenly Energy within his body at an alarming rate.

What was going on? For the Heavenly King assassin, it could be said that the majority of his power was in the rapier in his hands. It was after all an eight-Jeweled Assembly Set Sword, just a step away from being a Legendary Set. Furthermore, the offensive strength of such a assembly weapon was far above any ordinary Consolidated Equipment, chasing the ultimate. Yet, he had currently lost contact with his own sword. Furthermore, though the strange energy that entered his body was swallowing his Heavenly Energy, it would not be able to finish doing so any time soon… but the problem was he could not find any way to deal with it. Added to the fact that he had lost contact with his precious rapier… he couldn't even recall it back!

Chapter 592: Living Hell! (1)

Translator: Zen Translations Editor: Zen Translations

The previous time, after Zhou Weiqing's powerful kick, he was able to take care of the tri-attribute venom by self-injury and sacrificing a serious injury to cut his losses. However, this time was very different! This unknown energy had invaded his hand, and all of his abilities were focused on his rapier and sword-wielding hand! If he wanted to do the same, he would no longer be the top assassin in the world. Alas, in just a few moments of his hesitation, the strange energy had already settled into his arm and reached his shoulder.

Right at this moment, a bright, clear voice rang out, though it was currently filled with a cold anger. "Since you have come, then stay here forever."

A brutal and overbearing force of HEavenly Energy appeared right in front of him without warning, a massive silver hand grabbing towards the assassin's neck.

As soon as the person appeared, the Heavenly King assassin was shocked to judge that it was a Heavenly King stage powerhouse!

At this point, he no longer dared hesitate or even use his most familiar weapon. He knew if he stayed any longer, it would mean death. Frantically circulating all of his Heavenly Energy, his feet tapped the ground as he launched himself backwards in full retreat.

Despite his fear, at the same time, joy rushed in his heart. The strange energy that had reached his shoulder had finally stopped, and was showing signs of slowly vanishing. As long as he could save his arm and hand, there would always be another chance for him to try again.

The silver white light on his rapier also vanished, and the rapier warped into eight black lights before disappearing back into the assassin.

This new Heavenly King stage powerhouse that had abruptly appeared was naturally Duan Tianlang. Now that he was here, how could he allow this assassin to leave so easily? The large silver hand in the sky abruptly exploded, warping into countless threads of silver, forming a large silver cage, enveloping the Heavenly King assassin.

Currently, Duan Tianlang was dressed in the full 'Hate Sky no Handle' Legendary Set. As the crafter of the set for Long Shiya, how could he not have one of his own? It could be said that God Tier Consolidating Equipment Masters were definitely some of the most powerful forces in the entire world. The reason why the Heaven's Expanse Palace was so feared was also because of the three God Tier Consolidating Equipment Masters, just that they would not usually take action.

A layer of silver light burst forth, warping instantly into a huge shield of light, covering the Heavenly King assassin once more. It was the Spatial Shackles.

This was a Skill that Zhou Weiqing also had. However, when compared to Duan Tianlang using it, his seemed like mere child's play.

The Spatial Shackles of Duan Tianlang covered more than several dozen square metres, and its strength was terrifying indeed. For the Heavenly King assassin, he could only bounce off ineffectually. Without his black rapier, he was unable to breakthrough the barrier.

A horrifying strength exploded forth as the octagon plum blossom hammer in Duan Tianlang's hands smashed forward. Yet, perhaps even more terrifying was the fact that the Spatial Shackles was actually rapidly shrinking in around the assassin.

What kind of power did Duan Tianlang have? His cultivation level had reached the maximum level of the Heavenly King stage years ago, just that he was unable to breakthrough to the Heavenly Emperor state. Added to the fact that he had an entire Legendary Set, his current strength was boosted to a monstrous degree. From Zhou Weiqing and the others' descriptions, along with his own observations earlier, he could naturally tell that this Heavenly King assassin's greatest strength was his speed, agility and offensive powers.

According to Zhou Weiqing's original plan, he would purposely leave a weak point for this Heavenly King assassin to exploit and launch his attack. By drawing him out, Duan Tianlang would be able to launch his own sneak attack against the assassin since he did not know they had a Heavenly King stage powerhouse on their side.

However, Zhou Weiqing had never dreamed that the Hell's Angel Skill of his would end up like that, causing both him and Tian'er to lose their abilities to fight as all their energy had been depleted. Otherwise, if Zhou Weiqing, Tian'er and Shangguan Xue'er had joined forces with their Saint Energy, it wouldn't just be a simple matter of causing the Heavenly King assassin to lose control of his rapier for a short period of time.

However, the trio did not understand Duan Tianlang's power clearly. Currently, the usually gentle and warm God Tier Consolidating Equipment Master truly erupted with his full power. His overall combat prowess was indeed terrifying, far beyond the unbalanced Heavenly King assassin.

Although the black rapier had been recalled, the Heavenly King assassin was still temporarily unable to use it. The rapier along with his right hand had been Sealed with Shangguan Xue'er's Saint Energy earlier, and although it was on the verge of vanishing, recovery would still take a little while more, and he was temporarily unable to connect to his Physical Jewels. Alas, that was the drawback of focusing one's power to the extreme, and now that he was unable to use it, it was a loss of the majority of his power. Yet, Duan Tianlang's attack was already reaching, and with the Spatial Shackles power affect, the assassin's speed and agility was severely restricted. Duan Tianlang attacked, and the Heavenly King assassin dodged, and just like that the two of them exchanged blows at lightning speed in the rapidly decreasing space. In order to prevent himself from being fully trapped, the Heavenly King assassin was forced to unleash his Heavenly Energy at full force to hold back the Spatial Shackles from shrinking too rapidly.

The assassin was groaning inwardly secretly. He dared not have allow that terrifying hammer of Duan Tianlang's to even touch him, his senses telling him that this Heavenly King powerhouse in front of him was not someone he could handle even at his full power. No matter the 'Hate Sky no Handle' or 'Hate Ground no Handle' Legendary Sets, they chose to chase physical strength to the extreme. In a certain sense of things, it was similar to the Assembly Sets in a manner, just far stronger and more well rounded. Facing the massive hammer, though both sides were at the Heavenly King stage, the assassin knew that if it even brushed against him, he would definitely be severely injured. That was the terrifying power of a full Legendary Set. Currently, he could only keep dodging, hoping to wait for the time when he could use his rapier again to break free, or the time of the Spatial Shackles to run out… only then would he have a chance to escape.

All of this happened on the city walls in a manner of seconds, and by the time the two Heavenly King powerhouses were entangled in their fight, the several hundred air bubbles from the Hell's Angel had also fallen to the ground.

It was as if the purplish black air bubbles had eyes upon them, spreading out to land perfectly on important targets. One of the first to get into trouble was one of the large siege towers.

Below these siege towers were mainly wooden wheels. All of the materials had been brought by the three Kalise Regiments, and they had spent the last three days assembling them together. The siege towers were about twenty metres tall, almost at the same height as the Crescent City walls, able to hold thirty archers at the top, allowing them to face off against the archers atop the city walls.

Of course, for the Peerless Regiment soldiers, out of all the siege weapons, the most useless were actually these siege towers. However, due to the sheer height of the towers, they were naturally the first few to be 'taken care' off by the giant purplish black air bubbles.

*Swoosh* One of the air bubbles landed on the siege tower, causing a strange screeching sound. The closest one could describe it would be when cooking with a pot of hot oil, and pouring a ladle of cold water inside.

A dreadful scene played out next. The thirty archers and the over dozen shield bearers protecting them did not even have time to scream before they vanished along with the strange sound.

All that everyone could see was just the purplish black bubble descend from the sky, creeping over the entire siege tower and it just vanished like that. As the bubbles fell on the ground, it was like a splash of a wave smashing onto the ground, spreading at least several dozen metres before dissipating. However, in that entire large radius of the each bubble's fall, every single living being was just like the men on the siege tower… vanishing into thin air.

Of the three Regiments, one was from the Bai Da Empire, and naturally they had their share of Jewel Masters and archers. Almost instantly, they reacted, and along with cries of surprise and shock, a rain of arrows and light beams of Skills flew upwards.

The arrows did not have any effect, disintegrating before they even reached the air bubbles. As for the various light bolts that the Jewel Masters released, it actually caused the situation to grow worse.

Those purplish black air bubbles actually broke upon contact from the skills… but what then? As they broke apart, a rain of purplish black liquid fell from the skies from each broken bubble instead!

What was a living hell on earth? For the first time, the Heavenly Bow side on the city walls witnessed it firsthand. Each of the purplish black air bubbles had a horrifying destructive power, and just looking at the scene before them made them almost stop breathing.

No enemy, no skill, nothing could hold back or withstand the purplish black air bubbles. Each of them burst when they landed or came into contact with something, spraying the light all about. Anything that came into contact with it, be it human or weapon, they were all assimilated.

Everywhere they struck, it wasn't even necessary to clear up the battlefield. Even the earth… all that was left were giant holes in the ground.

Just watching from the vantage point of the city walls, it was truly a grand sight. Whenever an air bubble landed, it was like the entire ground became molten lava. All of the gathered siege weapons did not have a chance to come into play, and they were all disintegrated, including the fifty siege vehicles… not a single one was left. All that remained were countless of deep holes in the ground.

At the back, the Heavy Infantry and Heavy Cavalry soldiers were considered much luckier. At least, they were still quite some distance away, and the Hell's Angel only lasted three seconds. As such, only about ten or so of the bubbles actually struck them.

Even so, just the mere ten bubbles exploding in their midst caused the two Battalions of Heavy Cavalry and two Battalions of Heavy Infantry to lose more than a third of their numbers.

There were no violent explosions, no special lights or effects. The entire process was just so quick and simple, like an invisible giant hand had poured a immense jug of lava over the entire area. At least three thousand Kalise soldiers and all their various siege weapons disappeared instantly, with not even a single token to show that they had once been there.

No matter how outstanding the Kalise army commander was, meeting such an unbelievable situation, he could only be shocked to the core.

What kind of power was this… an act of god! No one could have expected, or even imagined, that something like this would happen. This had all happened under the circumstance that the siege weapons were rather spread out, and there were not many of the attacking soldiers packed into the area. Even so, they had suffered such a major loss in seconds. If the thirty thousand troops had been charging together in the attack? Perhaps… the number dead would have doubled or more!

In that instant, everyone could only stare in stunned shock, even the two who had caused the entire thing to happen.

Chapter 593: Living Hell! (2)

Translator: Zen Translations Editor: Zen Translations

When Zhou Weiqing and Tian'er were supported up by Shangguan Xue'er to the side of the wall to see what had happened outside, they were struck speechless. Indeed, neither of them could even find words to describe the entire scene in front of them. At the same time, the price they had paid was heavy. Besides the last remaining ten drops of Saint Energy that was barely enough to sustain their internal little Saint Energy whirlpool, they did not have a single drop of energy left in both their bodies. That was including even the normal Heavenly Energy that they had painstaking cultivated in the past month, with not a single drop left once more. For the next dozen to twenty days, they would not be able to recover to their maximum state, let alone taking any action.

Even so, everything the Hell's Angel did definitely caused them to be filled with shock and awe. Perhaps, the sheer amount of killing was not bloody at all, but it was even scarier and unnerving than a bloody massacre.

Shangguan Xue'er could only say in a stupor: "What… what kind of power is that? Even if a Heavenly King stage powerhouse unleashes a powerful AOE Skill, it will not have such a massive effect. Weiqing… you… you both… just too scary…"

Zhou Weiqing smiled bitterly and said: "Don't ask me, I don't even know what happened. I had only planned to destroy some of the siege weapons…"

Tian'er opened her mouth slightly, but remained speechless. In truth, she did not know what to say at this point.

In the entire mainland, it was restricted for Heavenly Emperor stage powerhouses to interfere in ordinary wars between empires, and the reason for that was exactly because of such situations. However, who were they? Were they Heavenly Emperor powerhouses? They were merely a six-Jeweled and a seven-Jeweled Heavenly Jewel Masters!

Saint Energy, it was the Saint Energy that had caused all of this. In their previous training and experiments, though the three of them had already known that the Saint Energy was extremely powerful and had many miraculous effects… but only now did they truly understand how powerful it was.

Zhou Weiqing was now certain that if he could consolidate a Saint Core Nucleus, and release that Hell's Angel once more, he estimated that he might even be able to bring it to life for more than a minute.

Within that mere three seconds, it had already done so much damage. If the Hell's Angel could be maintained for a whole minute… perhaps the entire Kalise Empire Regiments would be wiped out totally.

Terrifying Saint Energy, what kind of power did that hold! Exchanging glances, Zhou Weiqing and the two girls set the resolution in a tacit understanding without exchanging words. From now on, they would not use such a power easily. Otherwise, if this was revealed too early, it would definitely bring them much trouble. Tian'er and Shangguan Xue'er were still not too bad, after all they each had a Great Saint Land behind them. However, it was definitely not a good thing for Zhou Weiqing. He had just begun his path upwards, and at this point, the thing he was afraid most was drawing attention from the powers that could destroy him easily now. For example, the five Great Saint Lands.

Zhou Weiqing forced out a faint smile. "I really do not know if I should be laughing or crying. However, I'm sure that by now the Kalise Empire fellows are totally frightened."

Almost as soon as he said that, coincidentally, the rest of the Kalise Empire armies began fleeing like the receding tide from a shore. The speed of their frenzied retreat was nearly a few times that of their arrival.

Facing such an attack like the Hell's Angel, more like a force of nature than anything, any Jewel Master worth his salt would immediately guess it was at least a Heavenly Emperor who could do such a thing! In the continent, Heavenly Emperors were restricted from interfering in normal human wars, as such a destructive power could not be countered by any ordinary army. Still, all the restrictions aside, if one was really here, why should they stay and wait for death?

On top of the city walls, the Heavenly Bow Empire soldiers were all stunned silly, even the Peerless Regiment soldiers were no exception. Although they knew their boss was extremely powerful, they had never expected such a degree of strength. They had personally seen Zhou Weiqing unleash that Skill, and the sight before them was truly a landscape of hell on earth. Perhaps, if the fresh recruits earlier were all extremely nervous and afraid from the sheer scale and power of their enemies, then at this moment, the only thing left in their hearts was awe.

For these ordinary soldiers, they did not have much understanding about Jewel Masters, or Heavenly Jewel Masters. Their confidence in Zhou Weiqing was a blind one, strengthened in conviction by their own eyes. From their perspective, all their powerful Commander needed to do was just unleash a few more attacks like that, and the thirty thousand enemies would never be able to succeed in occupying the Crescent City.

After a moment of being stunned, the entire Heavenly Bow Empire side erupted into cheers as their morale shot sky high. The cheers resounded throughout the air like waves crashing into the shore. Without a doubt, this battle, which should have been so tough, had ended so quickly, so unexpectedly.

On the city walls, the fight between the two Heavenly King stage powerhouses was also nearing the end. The assassin was being severely pressured by the powerful God Tier Consolidating Equipment Master, Duan Tianlang.

In truth, even without Shangguan Xue'er's attack earlier, the assassin's overall power could not compare to Duan Tianlang. Now, it just helped Duan Tianlang save a lot of time and effort.

"Hate… Sky… No… Handle…" Facing his enemy's constant dodging, Duan Tianlang finally grew tired of wasting time. As a God Tier Consolidating Equipment Master, he was extremely sensitive to Consolidated Equipment, and he could sense that the sealing on his enemy's black rapier was ending soon. He did not want to lengthen the fight any longer, and he released one of the powerful imbued Skills of his Legendary Set.

'Hate Sky no Handle' was not just simply the name of the Legendary Set, but it was also the name of the Skill that the Legendary Set granted when it was complete. Duan Tianlang raised his warhammer with both hands, savagely smashing it down in the air.

A terrifying scene occurred next. The cheering Heavenly Bow Empire soldiers suddenly felt an unprecedented pressure explode out. The suppression was so strong that it even surpassed the presence of the Hell's Angel powered by Zhou Weiqing's Saint Energy earlier.

Everyone had the same feeling – the sky was about to fall down.

Indeed, in that instant, it was as if the entire sky was straining, on the verge of collapsing, as a series of massive explosions rang through the air. On the city walls, even for the powerhouses like Shangguan Xue'er, everyone fell down to the ground from the sheer pressure, and even the city walls began to tremble.

One had to know that when Duan Tianlang released his Legendary Set Skill, it was fully focused on the Heavenly King assassin who was still Sealed in his Spatial Shackles. Everything that could be felt outside was just the resultant product that he was already doing his best to minimize.

*Puuuu* Originally constantly dodging, the Heavenly King assassin suddenly collapsed, as if he had been struck by a bolt of lightning, caving in as if the entire heavens had collapsed down upon him. There was a sickening sound of bone snapping from his body, and in that instant, all of his Heavenly Energy burst forth in an explosive manner that was far beyond his limits, forcefully breaking through Duan Tianlang's Spatial Shackles.

Alas, it was just too late. How could the strongest imbued Skill of a Legendary Set, especially one as high quality as the 'Hate Sky no Handle' set, be something so easily endured just like that? Even if he had the black rapier in his hands, he would definitely still be injured, let alone now with him being suppressed so heavily. After all, his defense was one of his weakest points.

The Heavenly King assassin's body was now forcefully smashed down upon the ground, his entire body sunk down into the tough rock of the city walls. Duan Tianlang gave a cold laugh, his warhammer striking down once more. *Splat* This time, the assassin's body was entirely smashed into meat paste by the terrifying force of the hammer blow.

Zhou Weiqing stared with jaw agape at it. At this point, he couldn't help but ask: "Senior Uncle, did you really just pull down the sky?" As the heir to the Legacy of Strength, the owner of the 'Hate Ground no Handle' Legendary Set, no one had a clearer feeling than him just now.

From the surface, the final blow that Duan Tianlang used was that of the Spatial Attribute. However, Zhou Weiqing was extremely clear that it was not any particular elemental Attribute at all, but pure, unadulterated strength. An incomparable, horrific strength. That was the reason he asked the question.

Duan Tianlang smiled faintly. Having just killed a Heavenly King powerhouse, his breathing was uneven, and he looked exhausted. After all, despite his power, the state of his body still had not been in perfect condition all this while.

"Of course we can't actually pull down the skies, but the effect of this 'Hate Sky no Handle' is to mimic the effect of the skies being pulled down."

"This Skill can be considered a single target attack, or an area of effect attack. If I had used this Skill on the Kalise Empire armies, and I was standing right in their center, then the destructive power of it could only be higher than your Hell's Angel just now. In truth, such a Skill does not necessarily need our particular Legendary Set, but its requirement is having absolute strength, just like one is really pulling down the entire skies. As a result, besides our 'Hate Sky no Handle' or 'Hate Ground no Handle' Legendary Sets, there should not be any other possible situation where one can accomplish this. In the future, when you have gathered nine pieces of your 'Hate Ground no Handle' Set, you should also be able to use this Skill. If you actually complete your tenth piece, besides the 'Heaven's Falls', you should also be able to cause the earth to sink. 'Heaven falls, Earth crumbles', such a state, even if it were compared to the Boundless Infinitum Set, it should not be any weaker."

In the past, since Zhou Weiqing's cultivation level was just too low, Duan Tianlang had never explained all of this to him. However, after witnessing the terrifying Hell's Angel Skill, Duan Tianlang would no longer judge Zhou Weiqing just by his cultivation level any longer.

Although he did not know exactly how Zhou Weiqing had accomplished it, it was without a doubt that the power of the Hell��s Angel just now had stunned even Duan Tianlang. Of course, he would not question Zhou Weiqing about the secrets behind the Hell's Angel; in the end he was not Zhou Weiqing's teacher. To any Heavenly Jewel Master, this was definitely a top secret. With his own status and position, how could he possibly ask such sensitive questions at will?

"Boss, the enemy has retreated, what should we do?" Lei Zi said respectfully to Zhou Weiqing.

Earlier, that Hell's Angel could be said to have 'conquered' all those present. In all their eyes, Zhou Weiqing had raised to all whole different level.

Zhou Weiqing glanced at him and said: "What else can we do? Continue holding down the fort in the Crescent City. However, I expect that the Kalise Empire will not easily come back again. I am heading back to the governor's mansion first, but no matter what, do not grow careless just because of our victory just now. Keep the gates sealed for now."

"Yes Sir." All of them acknowledged. Lin TianAo took over Zhou Weiqing from Shangguan Xue'er, supporting him as they left, while Shangguan Xue'er supported Tian'er. Along with Duan Tianlang, they headed back down the walls and into the city. With Duan Tianlang's status, he would not help Zhou Weiqing in the war. If not for the Heavenly King assassin, he would not even have appeared here today.

Chapter 594: Living Hell! (3)

Translator: Zen Translations Editor: Zen Translations

As Lin TianAo supported Zhou Weiqing to walk along, only then did he truly sense how weak he was. Zhou Weiqing's current state was truly terrible, his entire body nearly drained dry of energy, and he had to lean almost all of his weight on Lin TianAo as he 'flopped' along.

However, despite his weakness, Zhou Weiqing's current feelings were considered very joyous. The two greatest problems he was facing had been solved, and it was without a doubt that he had taken a huge step towards the revival of his homeland.

Duan Tianlang did not return to his own abode, instead still going along with Zhou Weiqing and the others to the governor's mansion. Currently, Zhou Weiqing and Tian'er were fully drained dry of energy, almost to the point where they couldn't even sit down to cultivate at that point. They could only wait for their bodies to slowly recover at their natural regeneration state, and within three days it would be impossible for them to move properly.

"Weiqing, I'm afraid that you will soon have to face a lot more trouble, you better have preparation for that in your heart." As soon as they were away from the crowd, Duan Tianlang said with furrowed brows.

Zhou Weiqing started momentarily, alarm in his heart as he asked: "What trouble?" For a person like his Senior Uncle, whose cultivation level was almost reaching that of any ordinary Heavenly Emperor, to say that he would meet trouble… it just showed that this trouble was not small at all.

Duan Tianlang sighed and said: "Just now you really shouldn't have used that Skill! Killing so many at once, it is going against the heavens. Furthermore, that offensive power of that Skill, it is almost able to match a Low Level Heavenly Emperor's area of effect skill. As long as those Kalise Empire soldiers aren't fools, they will spread the news out. That will definitely bring about some Heavenly Emperor powerhouses to look into the matter. After all, there is an agreement between all Heavenly Emperors that restrict them from interfering in human wars, or taking action on battlefields. Even for Heavenly King powerhouses, we are restricted from using area of effect skills on the battlefield. In this area, even for your Master, as proud as he is, he would not dare to offend all the Heavenly Emperors in the world in this."

Zhou Weiqing's expression changed immediately as he exclaimed: "There will be Heavenly Emperors investigating the matter… or causing trouble?"

Duan Tianlang shook his head and said: "Not necessarily causing trouble. For Heavenly Emperor powerhouses, all of them are either living a free and easy life, otherwise they belong to one of the Great Saint Lands. Amongst the five Great Saint Lands, it is clear that the Heavenly Snow Mountain and Heavenly Demon Sect won't come causing trouble for you. As for the Heaven's Expanse Palace, they already know you are here so that isn't an issue either. As for the Passion Valley and the Blood Red Hell, as long as they don't have anything better to do, they shouldn't interfere as well. As such, according to the normal circumstance, you would just be receiving a warning from the Great Saint Lands, but there shouldn't be any actual action taken yet. However, if this happens again, I'm afraid that even the Heaven's Expanse Palace won't sit back and let you continue."

Zhou Weiqing gave a bitter smile as he said: "But… I'm not even close to being a Heavenly Emperor yet!"

Duan Tianlang looked at him and said: "Silly boy, so many people know that your Master is by your side, and that Fatty Long also has the Darkness Attribute. Do you think you really can explain yourself clearly? If you said he wasn't the one who did it, who would believe you?! Furthermore, if they actually truly believed you, it would be even more troublesome. A six-Jeweled and seven-Jeweled Heavenly Jewel Masters joining forces to release a Skill that reaches the power of the Heavenly Emperor stage… such secret arts… how many people would be drawn to that? My boy, do not underestimate human greed… If that really happens, even if you run off to the Heavenly Snow Mountain or the Heaven's Expanse Palace, there will still be people who will come after you."

Zhou Weiqing's brow furrowed deeply as he said worriedly: "Senior Uncle, what should we do then?"

Duan Tianlang said: "Keep a low profile, and do not ever use that Skill on the battlefield again."

"I believe that within ten days, you will receive some warnings. At that time, you just need to maintain a low profile and reply politely. Anyway, they will assume it is your Master who did it, so you might as well just throw the shit onto Fatty Long's head. You can then express that your Master has already left, and will no longer interfere in your battles. Overall speaking, the situation shouldn't be too bad, I just wanted to give you a heads up of the possible ramifications. In fact, things should be going well. Those three Regiments of the Kalise Empire should not dare return in the next ten days due to that matter, and after that, when they return, enough time should have passed that you do not have to hold out long before your reinforcements arrive."

Zhou Weiqing released the breath he didn't even know he was holding, grinning relaxedly as he said: "Heh heh, as long as it isn't some Heavenly Emperors coming here to cause trouble, then its fine. Poor Master! He will get shot even when he is lying down 1! I hope that he won't beat me up when he returns."

Duan Tianlang laughed heartily and said: "He treats you like his most treasured prize, how could he bear to beat you up2? Alright, it is time for me to return as well, these old bones have not fought for so long, I am also very tired now.

Duan Tianlang left, and only the trio of Zhou Weiqing, Tian'er and Shangguan Xue'er remained in the room.

Shangguan Xue'er closed the door before releasing a long breath, saying: "I never imagined… the power of the Saint Energy would be so monstrous. That instant, even I was terrified. Weiqing, what happened with that Hell's Angel?"

Zhou Weiqing began to describe the entire process of him unleashing the Hell's Angel's Skill. Hearing his words, the two girls' eyes were filled with shock.

"The Skill… the Heavenly Skill Image… actually came to life?!" Even though Shangguan Xue'er came from the Heaven's Expanse Palace and had the most experience and knowledge amongst them, she had never seen or heard of such a strange circumstance. For a Skill to come to life… she couldn't even imagine such a thing!

A light of wisdom flashed in Zhou Weiqing's eyes momentarily as he said: "This should be another use of the Saint Energy that we hadn't previously uncovered. As we know, the Saint Energy is a product of the fusion of the four Saint Attributes, and without question it is the strongest known power in the world. I would not find it strange no matter what kind of other unique effects it may generate. We were once again lucky this time, that Senior Uncle's power was far beyond my expectations. Otherwise, after this strange abrupt change from the Saint Energy, we might not have been able to survive that Heavenly King assassin, let alone kill him. Well, at least now that the fellow is finally dead, we can all breathe easily once more. At least, we don't have to keep worrying that someone is always about to ambush us."

Tian'er said: "You still need to be wary. Whoever the employer is, if they can send one, who's to say they won't send a second assassin?"

Zhou Weiqing laughed heartily and said: "When soldiers come, we will fight them off with a general, when the water rises we will use earth to blockade it off3. Let them come. Alright, let's not speak of that for now. Xue'er, come aid us in circulating our Heavenly Energy, we are drained too dry to begin it ourselves. This time, we have definitely benefited in influence and awe, but that energy consumption was just too scary. I can barely even move my hands now."

…

In the next few days, both Zhou Weiqing and Tian'er were lost in the state of recovery. However, both of their bodies were in much better state than he had first feared. With Shangguan Xue'er's help, their Heavenly Energy recovered relatively quickly. Zhou Weiqing was able to determine that this was also because in the end, both of them had managed to save enough to maintain their personal little Saint Energy whirlpool. Otherwise, they would have to start everything from zero once more. If that truly happened, perhaps even three months of recovery would not be sufficient.

The Kalise Empire army did not retreat far, setting up camp about thirty li from the Crescent City instead this time. When Zhou Weiqing heard that news, he knew that his Senior Uncle's judgement should be accurate. The Kalise Empire should have already sent out news about the devastation caused by his Hell's Angel Skill, and was waiting for others to come to warn and restrict him. More accurately, to them it would be to restrict the Heavenly Emperor on his side. They would not just give up just like this, and were now just waiting for their next opportunity.

Let them wait then. The more time that passes, the greater the advantage we will have. Since these Kalise Empire fellows weren't in a rush, Zhou Weiqing was naturally happy to keep status quo.

On the eighth day since the repulsion of the attack, a letter from the Heaven's Expanse Palace came. Of course, it was not directed at Zhou Weiqing, instead for Shangguan Xue'er. Within the letter, it was clearly asking about what had really happened.

Regarding this, Zhou Weiqing had already planned a draft reply. Their return letter was simple, and he told the Heaven's Expanse Palace that during the battles he had twice been ambushed by the Heavenly King assassin, further describing the Heavenly King assassin in detail. Naturally, this had caused his Master to fly into a rage, and he had been unable to restrain himself and struck out in a fit of anger. As his Master knew he had violated the agreement, he had left, and promised that this would not happen again.

Zhou Weiqing's reply was seamless and perfect indeed. Those who knew Long Shiya well knew that this fatty was extremely protective of his own, even to a fault. It was quite normal that something like this would happen.

What followed next was a query from the Passion Valley, also asking similar questions. Naturally, they replied with a similar answer. After that, the Blood Red Hell followed suit, though their wording was much stricter and stern, saying that if something similar occurred, they would personally send powerhouses to deal with them.

As for the Heavenly Snow Mountain and Heavenly Demon Sect, they did not even send any query or warnings. However, two days after the Blood Red Hell's questioning, the Kalise Empire armies began to show signs of movement once more.

This time, they did not choose the full frontal assault again, instead spreading out in the distance to fully surround the entire Crescent City.

As they started surrounding the city, in the distant plains, another two Regiments of soldiers actually appeared.

As the three Kalise Regiments had still been camped on the outskirts of the city, they had strictly barricaded them from sending out scouts. The Peerless Regiment currently numbered so few, and they naturally dared not risk moving out without reason. Yet, the Kalise Empire had actually sent another two Regiments. It was clear that not only did Zhou Weiqing's actions the other day not scare them off, it had actually just rang warning bells to them, and it was clear that their objective was to nip this growing resistance here in the bud, destroying them totally. This was totally out of Zhou Weiqing's expectations.

Previously, there were still around twenty seven thousand remaining soldiers from the three Regiments, and they were now joined by another two Regiments numbering twenty thousand. This was already two thirds of the original Kalise Empire army!

Furthermore, the two new Regiments had brought another batch of siege weapons. Of course, the numbers were not as much as the first time, but it was still a sight to behold.

Standing on the city walls, Zhou Weiqing had already recovered all his basic Heavenly Energy in the past ten days. However, his Saint Energy was still barely less than half recovered. At this point, he couldn't help but scold out loud: "Are these Kalise Empire fellows crazy? We only have seven hundred men, and they actually sent out fifty thousand soldiers…." No matter how much confidence he had in the Peerless Regiment and their combat prowess, facing such an unbelievable difference in numbers, how could he still remain fully positive?

The surrounding Kalise main army was not in a rush to attack. It was as if the Crescent City was already meat at their mouth, and they could swallow it anytime.

With nearly fifty thousand soldiers, it was more than enough to totally surround a small city like the Crescent City. From the distance, the soldiers which had looped around joined up with the two new Regiments, moving in slightly as they closed ranks in perfect formation all around the Crescent City, in a containment that not even a single drop of water would leak out.

Chapter 595: Peerless! (1)

Translator: Zen Translations Editor: Zen Translations

On their own side, the overall number of troop was a mere three thousand seven hundred, and they were defending a city which didn't even have a moat. How could Zhou Weiqing deal with this?

Their reinforcements would reach in at most ten days, at top speed and some luck, perhaps five days was sufficient. However, would the Kalise Empire really give him five to ten more days?

The answer was a clear no.

The next morning after the Kalise Empire armies had surrounded the Crescent City, they finally began their attack.

Zhou Weiqing and the others were actually still considered newbies in terms of commanding troops. Even for Yan Zhexi and the other top students in the Fei Li Military Academy, as they did not have any battle experience. When the enemy started attacking at dawn, the entire Crescent City walls was thrown in a bustle as everyone rushed around in reaction.

The Kalise Empire armies charged forward simultaneously from all four sides. Of course, the frontal assault was still the strongest. Just like the previous time, all of the siege weapons were focused on the south front. However, the other three sides were no longer fake attacks, each with a massive number of soldiers actually charging in.

Facing such a situation, Zhou Weiqing did not have Shangguan Xue'er and Tian'er stay on the front walls with him. The four sides were all being attacks, and each side needed a powerhouse to stabilize the core of their defense. Not just for morale purposes, but also to do their best to save the situation if possible. Furthermore, the Heavenly King assassin had been killed, so there was no need to gather all their powerhouses together.

As such, Tian'er, Shangguan Xue'er and Lei Zi were each dispatched to one of other walls for defense, while Lin TianAo remained by Zhou Weiqing's side. The other powerhouse remaining at his side was also Xiao Yan.

Just like the previous time, besides the fifty Heavy Cavalry soldiers, Zhou Weiqing only kept two hundred Peerless Regiment archers on the front. Both Ma Qun and Crow had also been dispatched to the east and west walls respectively. Zhou Weiqing had sufficient confidence in himself. As long as the enemy did not have a Heavenly King stage powerhouse, he believed that with his strength, he could still hold on for some time.

After all, at such a level, just in terms of sustained fighting capability, who could compare to him with the Immortal Deity Technique and Six Ultimate Godly Light Formation?

In the distance, a large number of siege weapons were being pushed slowly to the front again. However, this time there was a notable exception of siege towers. Clearly, there had not been sufficient time to craft them. Even so, there were still fifty siege vehicles like the last time, as well as a few battering ram carts and trebuchets. This was already all of the siege weapons that the Kalise Empire could gather in such a short period of time.

To Zhou Weiqing's surprise, the soldiers standing on the Crescent City walls, even the new recruits… none of them revealed any nervous or fearful looks at all. Instead, many of them looked at Zhou Weiqing with a hint of excitement.

Zhou Weiqing did not realise that the previous time where his Hell's Angel had wrought such havoc, it had given him the unconditional trust of his soldiers. So what if their enemies came in the numbers? Our Boss can get rid of a few thousand with just a single Skill! No matter how many came, they were just ants! After all, they did not know much about the Heavenly Jewel Master world or Heavenly Emperors restrictions, as well as the warning he had received.

Especially when the Six Ultimate Godly Light Formation and Dragon-Tiger Transformation appeared, along with the Overlord Bow with a faint icy mist around it. The morale of the Heavenly Bow Empire soldiers raised to a maximum.

Zhou Weiqing gave the order solemnly: "All ballista turrets, focus on the enemy siege vehicles. I do not need you to shoot quickly, but you must be accurate. Take down as many siege vehicles as you can."

In Zhou Weiqing's eyes, these siege vehicles were actually the greatest threat to the Crescent City. If they were allowed to continue transferring soldiers to the front of the city walls, it would greatly restrict the greatest power of the Peerless Regiment archers. As such, to him destroying the siege vehicles was of utmost importance.

There were four ballista turrets along each of the four walls. This was definitely one of the most powerful defensive siege weapons in the world, and each required eight soldiers to even draw the mechanism and properly man it. One load was seven of the ballista shot heavy arrows, each two metres long and with a thickness diameter of twenty centimetres. The ballista range easily reached a terrifying eight hundred yards, and the destructive power was definitely extremely high. No ordinary bow and arrow could match these. Of course, the shortcomings were obvious as well. Their weight was just too heavy, and could not be moved around, so they could only be used for siege defenses. Furthermore, they were extremely expensive to create, and took a long time to assemble as well. However, as long as their aim was good, it should not be too difficult to take down siege weapons.

The Six Ultimate Godly Light Formation glowed brightly below Zhou Weiqing's feet, and the wings behind his back unfurled as a large amount of atmospheric energy swarmed towards him.

Pulling his Overlord Bow to a full crescent, Zhou Weiqing narrowed his eyes in focus. Instantly, he locked onto his first target. Naturally, this time he dared not use his Saint Energy so easily.

In an instant, the Six Ultimate Godly Light Formation under his feet which had been glowing in six different lights turned a full bluish purple.

He did not even need to nock any arrow, as a bluish purple arrow formed in position in his Overlord Bow.

A variant of his 'Flying Lightning God Technique' forming the arrow, and Zhou Weiqing's full concentration was on the further siege vehicle, almost one thousand five hundred yards from the Crescent City walls now. Even with his cultivation level, archery skills and the powerful Overlord Bow, this was already at the limit of his accuracy.

A shrill, ear-piercing screech covered the buzz of the bowstring releasing, and the bluish purple lightning that streaked across the skies only left a faint illusory light behind. The soldiers on the city walls nearby could clearly smell the faint burnt smell that the lightning left behind.

Wherever the illusory light passed, the very space and air around it was warped.

*BOOM*

The bluish purple light struck directly onto the siege vehicle targeted, one thousand five hundred yards away. The next instant, it exploded in a violent bang. From the city walls, they could even see a small mushroom cloud rise up in the distance. As for the siege vehicle, known for its frontal defense, it just disintegrated in the bluish purple light of the explosion.Boom!

Screams of agony rang out. For the Kalise soldiers in that siege vehicle, it was likely that more than half had perished instantly. The terrifying explosive power of the lightning strike caused broken limbs and flesh to fly up and around in the mushroom cloud.

Cheers rang out from the Crescent City walls. Once again, Zhou Weiqing had brought them shock an awe. After all, a distance of one thousand five hundred yards, most ordinary people could barely see at such distance, and even an object the size of the siege vehicle would just be a small black dot far off. Yet, Zhou Weiqing had still managed to destroy one with just an arrow. What kind of accuracy, what kind of destructive power was that!

Zhou Weiqing let loose a breath as he stood on the city walls, the twenty five energy whirlpools at his Death Acupuncture Points whirling crazily and drawing energy. Behind his back, the wings also helped him draw more energy and his Heavenly Energy recovered at a rapid rate. The arrow just now had indeed used up a large amount of his Heavenly Energy, but with the assistance of his Six Ultimate Godly Light Formation, he did not worry at all.

Just two days ago, along with the recovery of his Heavenly Energy, Zhou Weiqing had finally broken through to his next cultivation stage. The Immortal Deity Technique had reached the next point, causing him to breakthrough his next barrier only three months after reaching the six-Jeweled stage, and his Heavenly Energy was now at the Heavenly Xu Energy stage.

This time, as he broke through, his Saint Energy had once again given Zhou Weiqing a pleasant surprise. As he broke through the next Death Acupuncture Point and his body was at its frailest state, the Saint Energy in his body had automatically reacted by forcing out a drop of Saint Energy, entering that particular Death Acupuncture Point, causing the energy whirlpool to form at a much faster speed. The intense pain that he used to have to endure was thus greatly diminished.

This also gave Zhou Weiqing an even greater understanding about the Saint Energy. Vaguely, he realised that the greatest use of the Saint Energy was perhaps in the word – Creation.

Without any hesitation, Zhou Weiqing drew his bow once more. The bluish purple light arrow formed again at the bowstring. His aim was to destroy as many siege vehicles as he could before the enemies reached the city.

The familiar shrill cry rang out once more. For this type of straightforward, single-lined shooting, even at such a great distance, Zhou Weiqing's archery and accuracy was absolutely a hundred percent.

Yet another explosion, and another siege vehicle was destroyed.

Zhou Weiqing did not spare his Heavenly Energy at all, firing five arrows one after the other. Just like that, five of the siege vehicles had been destroyed totally, along with a large number of Kalise soldiers in them.

However, just as Zhou Weiqing was about to shoot his sixth arrow, there was a sudden change in the situation.

In the distance, over a dozen figures suddenly charged to the front of the Kalise army. One of the figures at the front jumped up abruptly, a thick green light forming a blade, striking savagely onto the sixth arrow that Zhou Weiqing had shot out.

It had to be known that the speed of the arrow formed by Zhou Weiqing's 'Flying Lightning God Technique' was unbelievably quick. To be able to block it so accurately, this person's cultivation level was at least equal to or higher than Zhou Weiqing!

Another explosion rang out, and the figure that had blocked Zhou Weiqing's arrow was sent flying back. However, the siege vehicle had been saved.

On the city walls, Zhou Weiqing's eyes were dismal and dissatisfied. He did not continue firing any longer. After six arrows in succession, even for him with his various insane recovery rates, it wasn't sufficient to fully recover all his Heavenly Energy. It would be better for him to take a short break to recover for the upcoming fight. After all, since the dozen figures had come to the front, they were clearly the Jewel Master powerhouses on the enemy's side. They had already successfully blocked an arrow, so it shouldn't be a surprise if they could block any others. Zhou Weiqing naturally did not want to waste time and energy on fruitless efforts.

"Prepare to fight!" Zhou Weiqing shouted out loud. Currently, the siege vehicle which had charged closest to the Crescent City was only about a thousand yards from them.

Currently, Zhou Weiqing's eyes were cold. One could just imagine how much pressure the Heavenly Bow side were in for this battle, and as their commander, the stress he was facing was definitely the greatest.

The Kalise Empire army had held back for so long to gather everything into their favour. Today's fight, they would definitely be going all out. If they could repulse the Kalise forces today, it would definitely be an important step in enduring and surviving until their reinforcements. However, towards this point, even Zhou Weiqing did not have absolute confidence.

I've just been too careless! Zhou Weiqing admonished himself. He had not imagined that after they had entered the original Heavenly Bow Empire lands for such a short period of time, the Kalise Empire would place such importance on them and actually respond with such a huge show of force so quickly. Such a scenario did not even give him a chance to gather his own Peerless Regiment here, throwing back his plans dramatically and putting them in danger now. 1

Still, there were still advantages and disadvantages to this. If they were just destroyed here by the Kalise Empire, then there was nothing else to speak of about the situation. However, if they could actually dig in and really hold on against the Kalise Empire long enough for their reinforcements to arrive, with the full power of the Peerless Regiment, he was confident in destroying these several tens of thousands of Kalise soldiers.

From the overall strength of the Kalise Empire, even if they had been taking great efforts in conscription and recruitment in the past few years, their total army numbers should not be much more than a Legion. If they could destroy all fifty thousand soldiers here, along with the Sixth Regiment that Zhou Weiqing had crippled previously, it could be said that almost half of their army would be totally destroyed here.

Chapter 596: Peerless! (2)

Translator: Zen Translations Editor: Zen Translations

If that truly happened, it would undoubtedly be a major step in the process of the revival of his homeland. The entire Heavenly Bow Empire lands would be relatively open to him as the Kalise Empire's forces would be greatly reduced. It could be said that in just this short period of time, Zhou Weiqing would be expending all his efforts to recover at least half of his empire's original lands. This would definitely be a great advantage to him… if he could succeed and survive.

As such, to Zhou Weiqing, and to the Heavenly Bow Empire, this was probably the most important battle for a long time to come. Once they succeeded, even if the Kalise Empire sent more troops, they would likely have to shrink back into the area around the Heavenly Bow City and have a standoff with Zhou Weiqing.

Towards this, Zhou Weiqing was already very clear, having thought through all the various possible scenarios in the past few days. As such, no matter what, he did not choose to retreat and would go all out to hold off the enemy.

In truth, with Zhou Weiqing and his Peerless Regiment forces, if they wanted to escape from the Crescent City, it would be easy for them to breakthrough any encirclement. However, he would never do such a thing. If he escaped, he would lose all credibility and the heart of the populace. In the future, if he wanted to regain the support of the populace, especially that of the Crescent City and the nearby citizens, it would be just too difficult.

Furthermore, there were still five thousand logistic troops in the Crescent City that the Fei Li Empire had sent to them. How could he just abandon them like that? If he really did so, perhaps the alliance with the Fei Li Empire would just be broken like that.

Lastly, if the Kalise Empire side actually took back the Crescent City, they would definitely fortify it and station a large number of troops there. It would be many times the trouble for them to take it back again once all that occurred, and things could possibly be even tougher.

Although Zhou Weiqing was not too experienced at commanding troops, he definitely knew that defending a city was a totally different concept from sieging and invading a city. For the attacking side, if they did not have three times the power as the defense, it would be tough to succeed, and the losses in doing so would definitely be high. Instead, now that they were on the defending side, it would also be a good opportunity to destroy as many enemies as they could. Of course, this chance was also pushing himself onto the barbeque pit to cook, and whether or not he could succeed would depend on his own capabilities.

The enemy grew closer and closer. The Kalise Empire armies were definitely very careful in the attacking process. Besides the siege vehicles and other siege weapons at the front, right behind him at the vanguard of the entire force were all heavy infantry soldiers. Although a large number of them had been slain during their first attempt, they still numbered more than a thousand five hundred. As they marched forward, they held their massive tower shields layered upon one another, slow and steady in formation. At their backs, the Heavy Cavalry soldiers were also arranged in a powerful defensive formation.

With the thickness of those tower shields, even the Peerless Regiment archers and their Consolidated Bows would have a tough time piercing through.

As the enemy advanced to a thousand yard radius, by now Zhou Weiqing was starting to feel the pressure on him increase. They could already see the enemy clearly, and that the trebuchets were filled with stones. Although those weapons could only be useful at the two hundred yard range, but if they truly got into action, then it would be a disaster, especially for the ordinary Heavenly Bow soldiers on the walls.

"Peerless Air Force, prepare yourselves to rise up with me. Ready your javelins!" Zhou Weiqing gritted his teeth and finally made the decision. He could not allow these enemies to reach the foot of the city walls and attack them at will. With the protection of the siege vehicles and other weaponry, it was hard for the Peerless Regiment archers to unleash their true power. Once the actual siege began, the numerical advantage of their enemies was just too great, and there were barely over a thousand men on this side of the wall, how could they possibly take care of every inch easily? He had to take down the heavy armoured troops first, and especially take care of the siege weapons, or at least slow them down greatly. Only then could the Peerless Regiment archers be of greater use in fighting off the enemy.

"Come with me!" As he shouted out loud, the wings behind Zhou Weiqing's back unfurled. His entire body soared into the air like a cannonball, and he passed the command of the remaining soldiers to Lin TianAo at his side.

To the shock of the entire battlefield, the two hundred Peerless Regiment soldiers also released their Consolidated Wings simultaneously. Just like two hundred rays of light, they surged up into the skies.

When the Kalise Empire armies saw the sight, their first reaction was that the Heavenly Bow Empire soldiers had gone crazy! Were they just jumping off the walls like that?

However, the next instant, their jaws dropped. That was because the two hundred figures did not fall to the ground like they imagined, instead each and everyone of them had wings appear behind their backs, sending them soaring into the skies.

Zhou Weiqing's eyes flashed with a cold light. Facing such a major battle, his emotions immediately calmed down. His character was the sort that would explode into his true potential the greater the stress he faced. Currently, in his heart, it was as if a huge ball of fire was burning. Strangely, he did not feel any fear. All along, he had always been the kid who feared death, but when his heart was burning with righteous fury, he was always the craziest. This… this was the bloodline of Admiral Zhou that he had inherited!

Under the leadership of Zhou Weiqing, the two hundred Peerless Regiment Air Force soldiers disappeared above into black dots. By the time the Kalise Empire soldiers reacted and wanted to shoot at them with arrows, it was far too late and they were beyond range. Any ordinary longbow would only be accurate or have the force behind it at a range of two to four hundred yards. Yet, in just a matter of moments, the Peerless Air Force had already soared to a height of over five hundred yards.

Not a single Kalise Empire powerhouse rose up to follow them. Taking aside the fact whether or not they had Consolidated Wings or the ability to fly, just looking at the sight in front of them, they were just too startled and frightened to do so.

As Jewel Masters, they knew more than any ordinary soldiers what these two hundred flying soldiers actually meant. To have Consolidated Wings… that meant they were the very least two-Jeweled Physical Jewel Masters.

Perhaps in the eyes of the powerhouses, a two-Jeweled Jewel Master was nothing. However, that was such a numerical difference! Two hundred Jewel Masters! What kind of notion was that? Even the entire Kalise Empire did not have two hundred Jewel Masters in total. Even for larger empires like the Bai Da Empire or Fei Li Empire, two hundred Jewel Masters was already a considerable amount. As the saying goes, sometimes a quantitative change can result in a qualitative change. So many Jewel Masters together… the offensive and destructive power on the battlefield could just be imagined.

Just as the Kalise troops were staring, stunned, a patch of fine black dots suddenly descended from the skies.

The throwing javelins of the Peerless Regiment had been changed and improved many times over. When they first started, the throwing javelins were just a smaller version of the normal javelins and lances. However, after many versions and repeated improvements, there was truly a major difference by now.

For the current throwing javelins that the Peerless Regiment Air Force was using, the entire front third of it was a tapered spike, fully crafted from titanium alloy. Although the weight was light, it was extremely tough and durable, with a powerful piercing effect. As for the remaining two thirds, they were far thicker and tougher, in order to increase the total weight.

At the end of the javelins, there was a cross-shaped tail fin. This was to ensure that as the javelins fell from the skies, they would be balanced to remain facing tip first, and not skew or deviate from their path.