Chapter 743 - 747

Chapter 743

The burgundy light disappeared after a brief flash. Next, a purplish symbol appeared on Shangguan Tianyue's forehead as the effect of Lustersaint Dragon's possession abruptly.

It was only a simple strike, but the effects were like the heavens and earth had clashed. Why? Tang Xian, Shangguan Bing'er, and Zhan Lingtian were stunned in confusion, unable to comprehend how Zhou Weiqing's Demonic Dragon Lady could shatter a Heavenly God tier defensive ability.

Shangguan Tianyang did manage to gather what had happened. After the strike, the Demonic Dragon Lady's body had become illusory and disappeared into thin air. Undoubtedly, with the Dragon Silencing Seal, it had used its full strength. However, this was not the key element. It was the intense Evil Attribute that Zhou Weiqing emitted during the attack. The presence of the Evil Attribute not only deterred Shangguan Tianyue, it also amplified the Demonic Dragon Lady's power.

Using an ability to amplify another ability���s power? Not to mention it was an ability that could almost pass for a Heavenly God tier ability, how much of the Evil Attribute does one need to be able to do that?

As everyone was in shock, Zhou Weiqing flapped his wings in the air and shot toward Shangguan Tianyue. As that was happening, one by one, pieces of dark golden-colored armors appeared on his body. Having delayed until now, Zhou Weiqing finally used his Consolidated Equipment.

"This cunning rascal," was what everyone thought.

He had not been using his Consolidated Equipment, that was because he was afraid Shangguan Tianyue would use his without hesitation if he did so too early. Now that Shangguan Tianyue's Jewel Stored Skills and Consolidated Equipment were sealed by the Dragon Silencing Seal, he would not second-guess the decision to use it, amplifying his power to the maximum.

Not only that, the large phantom behind Zhou Weiqing's back also zoomed alongside him, catching up mid-air and was absorbed into Zhou Weiqing's body by becoming a grey-colored light. At that moment, Zhou Weiqing and his Ringless Ground Purging Set armor turned into a translucent grey figure.

The dual hammers were raised and slammed toward Shangguan Tianyue's head. At the same time, one after another, flashes of lights appeared on his torso.

Absolute Delay, Fetters of Wind, Curse of Doom, and Spatial Collapse were all skills that specialized in control and powerful attacks. It could be said that at that moment, Zhou Weiqing was like six or seven Heavenly King tier powerhouses using their abilities simultaneously. His attack speed was so high, it was impressive to watch, to say the least. Not even Shangguan Tianyang could claim he had the skill to do that.

For a split second, Shangguan Tianyue's torso was glowing with all sorts of different colors. Limitations and amplifications of different qualities all worked together, preventing him to even evade regardless of his Heavenly Emperor tier cultivation base. He could only manage to lift his arms and do his best to deflect Zhou Weiqing's attack with all his Heavenly Energy.

Zhou Weiqing's eyes had become a fog of grey, and the arena felt as if the temperature inside had been lowered by dozens of degrees due to the Evil Energy.

Boom!

The Dual God Strength Hammers struck Shangguan Tianyue directly, without flourishes of any kind. What was surprising, was that even with Shangguan Tianyue's endurance and the abundance of his Heavenly Energy, he was still thrown backward with this strike.

Zhou Weiqing's right foot stomped on the ground, chasing after Shangguan Tianyue. At the same time, his right leg flung around in the sky in a dreamlike motion, creating hundreds of crystalline energy balls all around Shangguan Tianyue, which then all slammed against him, exploding as they came in contact with Shangguan Tianyue.

That was not some standard lightning pearls! On every pearl, there were blue-, black-, and grey-colored shines on them, they were Dark Demon God Lightning he had not used for a while. At that time, he relied on Dark Demon God Lightning to defeat Shen Little Demon with his cultivation base of three jewels. Now, there were hundreds of balls of light. Under his Heavenly King tier cultivation base, the power of these Dark Demon God Lightning could be easily imagined.

In mid-air, Shangguan Tianyue grunted, much of his clothes were tattered. Zhou Weiqing appeared with his Dual God Strength Hammers in front of Shangguan Tianyue and slammed the hammer into his chest.

Boom!

Shangguan Tianyue was thrown against the ground. The arena was a different subspace, but even so, Shangguan Tianyue was still smashed into the ground as he spat blood.

"Tianyue!" Tang Xian cried out in anguish, ignoring the rules and charged toward Shangguan Tianyue. In mid-air, she couldn't resist the urge to kick Zhou Weiqing who had just finished his attack.

Zhou Weiqing did not evade, he even parted his dual hammer, letting his mother-in-law kick him in the chest. Having such a strong endurance, Tang Xian's kick could not even scratch him, so there was no harm letting her express her dissatisfaction.

Before she could do anything else to Zhou Weiqing, Tang Xian had reached Shangguan Tianyue. At this point, her face was pale as paper, her tears trailing down her face along with her grief.

Shangguan Bing'er stood there, stunned. Her hands covering her mouth, unable to make a sound.

All this happened in such a short time. From Zhou Weiqing's warning to Shangguan Tianyue lying on the ground in heavy injury, it all happened within the span of several breaths.

Tang Xian caressed Shangguan Tianyue's slightly bashed-in chest and turned around at Zhou Weiqing fiercely, "You little sh*t! How could you hit your father-in-law so hard, you…"

Zhou Weiqing looked at her innocently, "You taught me that, didn't you? When I first met you, you taught me to learn as much control skills as possible. Even just now, you asked me to beat him up, I was worried if I didn't do it enough, you might still forbid Xue'er, Fei'er, and Bing'er from marrying me. I'm not at fault here!"

Tang Xian was immediately speechless. As Shangguan Tianyue was injured, she could not spend any more of her attention on Zhou Weiqing. Turning around, she carefully lifted Shangguan Tianyue from the depression.

Feeling Tang Xian's gentleness and the tenderness in her actions, Shangguan Tianyue's pale face smiled with difficulty, "Xian'er, I'm fine. I wasn't strong enough to win against this kid. Weiqing was able to attain this level of cultivation at his young age, we should not be worrying about our daughters marrying him anymore. Don't blame him, he's right. You asked him to beat me, did you not? So can you forgive me now? For so many years, I had wanted to say sorry to you, to repent in front of you, but I didn't have a chance."

"Stop talking, does it hurt?" Tang Xian's gaze was complicated, but if anything was absolute, it would be the concern in her eyes.

Shangguan Tianyue shook his head, grabbing Tang Xian's hands, "Whether it hurts or not doesn't matter. Xian'er, did you know something? Those days when you were gone, every single day had hurt more than this. It was only after you came back that I felt better. However, even then, you were still unwilling to meet with me, those days were so torturous. If you decided not to forgive me, then there's no need for me to tend to my injuries, I'd rather die. I could no longer bear the torment of missing you. I really want my gentle, lovable Xian'er back!"

At this point, Shangguan Tianyue's tears had crawled all over his face. For his age, he cried like a baby. Between the sniffles, he coughed out blood.

"I forgive you, I forgive you, I won't throw a temper at you anymore! Tianyue, don't scare me like that!" Tang Xian held Shangguan Tianyue in her arms, her suppressed emotions finally bursting out.

Shangguan Bing'er finally reacted to the scene and wanted to rush over to check on her father, but was stopped by Zhou Weiqing.

"Unhand me," Shangguan Bing'er said angrily.

Zhou Weiqing tugged at her even more, he even hushed her with a gesture and gave her a look.

Shangguan Bing'er was a little startled. Even though her father was hurt, and that filled her with worry, but her mind cleared up as soon as she saw Zhou Weiqing's look. That's right! No matter how rash Little Fatty could be, for her sake, he would never hurt her father! Was there something wrong with this scenario?

As she was thinking, Zhou Weiqing had turned to Shangguan Tianyang, glanced at the incense that was still a little short of half-gone, and smiled, "Uncle, I don't think we need to continue this fight, I should have won by now."

Unexpectedly, Shangguan Tianyang smiled and nodded, he said, "A grown girl cannot be kept at home, I will keep my promise. Let us proceed with her betrothal to you today."

Zhan Lingtian who stood beside Shangguan Tianyang could not say anything to object to the betrothal. Looking at Zhou Weiqing, Zhan Lingtian's eyes were filled with disbelief. Just a while ago, he could still feel his superiority over Zhou Weiqing, but now? Zhou Weiqing had risen beyond his level.

Disregarding the fact that he was already a Heavenly King tier, he defeated Shangguan Tianyue who was a Heavenly Emperor tier. There were some elements of "cheating" in that Shangguan Tianyue wasn't able to use his legendary armor set, sure, but Zhou Weiqing's strength was undeniably witnessed. What else could he say? Was he to say that he was better suited for Shangguan Xue'er?

Zhan Lingtian was a little self-important, but he was an upstanding person and truly a manly man. He would never be able to express emotional words like that, so he sighed, lowering his head. He knew he had already lost, and would forever lose to the guy in front of him.

Having heard Shangguan Tianyang's words, Zhou Weiqing bowed to him respectfully, "Thank you, uncle, for agreeing to my request.��

Shangguan Tianyang glanced at the Shangguan Tianyue couple, waved his sleeve, and said, "Let us talk in another place."

Light flickered. With Shangguan Tianyang's help, everyone left the arena quietly. This did not include the couple, Shangguan Tianyue and Tang Xian, naturally.

Everyone returned to the meeting hall except for Zhan Lingtian, he had left without a word. There was only Shangguan Tianyang, Zhou Weiqing, and Shangguan Bing'er in the hall.

Chapter 744

"You planned this out, didn't you? I can't believe Tianyue would actually make that choice," Shangguan Tianyang muttered while sighing softly.

Zhou Weiqing chuckled, "I knew I couldn't hide it from Uncle Tianyang."

Shangguan Tianyang shook his head and said, "It has nothing to do with hiding it anymore. Even though you have planned this out, I could see, in the battle just now, Tianyue did lose. Even if he had used his legendary armor set as soon as the battle started, he couldn't have beaten you within the span of lighting one incense. Weiqing, you're much stronger than how I imagined you to be. From here on out, you will surely gain a position of power on this mainland."

Shangguan Bing'er stood on the side, watching them with confusion. She whispered to Zhou Weiqing, "How am I not understanding what you're talking about?"

Zhou Weiqing chuckled and said, "I will explain it to you when we get back. Uncle, since you can tell our battle was genuine, don't eat your words!"

Shangguan Tianyang smiled wryly, "An effective threat. Rather than let you kidnap three of my dear nieces, I will agree to your proposals. However, remember what you said before. No matter who the first child will be born to, he must become the heir to the Heaven's Expanse Palace. Looks like I am going to be busy for the next few decades."

Zhou Weiqing laughed, "No problem, uncle. You're a very capable man."

Shangguan Tianyang said in a more serious tone, "So that's that, I will arrange the necessary. However, you must handle your own things as soon as possible. Within the past year when you're gone, the mainland had changed quite a bit."

Zhou Weiqing's face changed, "Our Heavenly Bow Empire…"

Shangguan Tianyang waved his hand, saying, "Don't worry. The Heavenly Bow Empire is still doing fine. Everything is normal, and it was developing well. Xue'er and Fei'er aren't here because they went to help out with the Heavenly Bow Empire for their upcoming battles. As of now, most of the Heavenly Bow Empire's land had been recovered. Its army was still confronting with the armies of the Kalise Empire and Bai Da Empire. They haven't been able to launch the attack, they could be waiting for your return before proceeding."

As Shangguan Tianyang said that, Zhou Weiqing sighed in relief, "So when you said the mainland had changed quite a bit, what do you mean? Could it be that the Wan Shou Empire is going to make a move?"

Shangguan Tianyang sighed and explained, "If it's the Wan Shou Empire, I wouldn't be worried. Even though they are powerful, we are fighting them with the help of the Fei Li Empire and Bao Po Empire, so it was not easy to invade our land. The real problem lies within the mainland itself!"

"Dandun Empire made another move?" Zhou Weiqing asked in surprise.

Shangguan Tianyang nodded, "Not just a move, a large move. The Geritimo Empire had been completely wiped out."

"What?" Zhou Weiqing was shocked to hear the news. Even though parts of the Geritimo Empire had already been invaded by the Dandun Empire before he left, through mediation from the Zhongtian Empire, the Dandun Empire had not made any move since. However, the apparent destruction of the Geritimo Empire had proved that the Dandun Empire no longer care about the Zhongtian Empire's opinion, it could even be said that it had made an enemy out of the Zhongtian Empire.

After all, the Geritimo Empire was one of the larger empires on the Boundless Mainland, its imperial power would not be weaker than the Fei Li Empire. Being destroyed by the Dandun Empire in such a short time, it could be said that the Dandun Empire was strong enough to threaten the Zhongtian Empire.

"Was the Bai Da Empire involved in this?" Zhou Weiqing asked the question he was most worried about.

"Yes, not only that, the whole thing had already been clarified," Shangguan Tianyang looked worried. "The moment the Geritimo Empire was lost, the Bai Da Empire announced that they would be changing their name to the Bai Da Kingdom and that they would become the Dandun Empire's vassal state. The two empires had officially formed an alliance. Including the Geritimo Empire's lands, they had already surpassed the Zhongtian Empire in total area. As of now, they are invading the smaller countries between the Dandun Empire and Zhongtian Empire without mercy, their area had been getting larger and larger."

Zhou Weiqing listened in on the report with his jaw dropped. He did not think such a huge change would happen within a year. The Dandun Empire could be said to be on the rise. With its overpowering strength, it forcibly united the whole Southern areas of the mainland.

"Is the Zhongtian Empire not doing anything to counteract this?" Zhou Weiqing said in disbelief.

Shangguan Tianyang smiled wryly, "Most of our military forces are on the northern border. Even if we could move them, we could barely manage to protect ourselves, so we couldn't help the smaller countries. My worries right now is that after the Dandun Empire had finished uniting the South, they would attack us with the help of the Wan Shou Empire. If that is the case, I'm afraid that even the Zhongtian Empire would be in trouble."

What he did not reveal was that if it weren't for the tension on the mainland, he might not have agreed to Zhou Weiqing and Shangguan Xue'er's marriage so soon, he might not even have agreed to it at all. However, in this critical time, the Zhongtian Empire needed the Heavenly Bow Empire which was getting stronger to keep the Dandun Empire in check. If they had lost this ally, the Zhongtian Empire would really be surrounded by enemies.

Zhou Weiqing's brows furrowed and he said, "It looks like I really need to get back to the Heavenly Bow Empire as soon as I can."

Shangguan Tianyang responded, "Weiqing, on the matter of manpower, we the Zhongtian Empire are also having difficulties so we can't help you much. However, don't fret on the supplies, I will ask Tianxing to send them over without stopping. I do wish you will be ready for battles soon. The reason for my request is because it would help in saving your family. At the same time, we need you to be prepared to act in the Southwestern areas. If there are any conditions you would like to request for, please do."

Zhou Weiqing had a long thought before shaking his head and said, "I've got no conditions I would like fulfilled, but I would like Xue'er, Fei'er, and Bing'er to stay with me. I would only be at ease if they could be by my side. Also, if I had utilized my power as a Heavenly King tier master, I'll need your help in dealing with the other mainland Heavenly Jewel Masters."

Shangguan Tianyang nodded and said, "No problem, I will deal with them, naturally. After all, with such destructive energy appearing in Blood Red Hell, it might possibly be related to the Nether Realm, so don't you worry about what the public would think. However, be wary, because the Blood Red Hell might also send strong people after you. I wouldn't be able to help in that regard as well, as more than half of the Heaven's Expanse Palace's powerhouses had been sent to the southern border to fight against the Dandun Empire, that is our main battlefield, we can't move from there."

Zhou Weiqing smiled slightly, saying, "As long as I can use my full strength, I am confident."

Shangguan Tianyang said, "At this point, I can't afford not to let you fight with your full strength."

Zhou Weiqing said, "If that's the case, we'll take our leave from the island. The sooner we return, the better for us who are handling these things. Don't worry, we will definitely launch an attack against the Kalise and Bai Da Allied Forces."

Shangguan Tianyang smiled, "It doesn't have to be so soon, you've only got here, might as well let Bing'er and Tianyue have a few more days of reunion before leaving."

Zhou Weiqing chuckled, "I'm afraid my father-in-law is not in the shape to care for his daughters. It's better that I leave soon, or else my mother-in-law would kick my door down if it means she could give me a beating. I was the villain after all!"

Having heard his words, Shangguan Tianyang chortled as well, "You aren't completely villainous, aren't you? Witnessing the couple reconcile, I feel like I've set down a burden."

Zhou Weiqing said with a smile, "If that's the case, we'll take our leave." It can be said that he was eager to go home. With his country under siege, the Heavenly Bow Imperial Army was going to recover their lands, his feeling was a complicated one. However, no matter what, it was of utmost importance for him to save his family.

Zhou Weiqing held Shangguan Bing'er hands, bid farewell to Shangguan Tianyang, and left the Heaven's Expanse Palace. Zhou Weiqing did not act courteous, he brought Shangguan Bing'er and leaped directly into the sky, flying toward his home country on the southwest.

"Little Fatty, did you plan that out with my dad?" Shangguan Bing'er was not stupid, after listening to Zhou Weiqing and Shangguan Tianyang's discussion, she could guess what happened.

Zhou Weiqing giggled and said, "I think it counts? It's just that the plan got a little derailed by some changes. But don't you worry, I'm your husband, how would I really hurt your father? Yes, he was hurt, but it was more because of himself."

When Zhou Weiqing met with Shangguan Tianyue, they had silently exchanged a few words secretly, it was just that no one else had noticed.

This stratagem of self-injury was the result of the father-son-in-law duo.

Of course, Shangguan Tianyue knew about Shangguan Tianyang's intention, but more than that, he cared about Zhou Weiqing. First and foremost, he was also a father. Xue'er's inheritance of the Heaven's Expanse Palace and her becoming of the future Heaven's Expanse Palace Master placed her as one of the most important people in the world. However, Shangguan Tianyue understood what the most important thing for a woman is.

That was why, even if his brother might get upset at him, Shangguan Tianyue still informed Zhou Weiqing of Shangguan Tianyang's intention.

Whatever that happened after had already been part of Zhou Weiqing's plan. However, Shangguan Tianyue did not expect Zhou Weiqing had already cultivated enough power to duel with him.

In the beginning, when they had just started, Shangguan Tianyue had wanted to let Zhou Weiqing have the upper hand. However, as Zhou Weiqing showed his might, Shangguan Tianyue had to defend with his full strength. Having lost the upper hand, and not having a chance to use his Consolidated Equipment, he had lost to Zhou Weiqing.

Chapter 745

Regarding the final clash between Zhou Weiqing and Shangguan Tianyue, the first one had been real, the second one was not. Simply put, Zhou Weiqing had used the 'crying-face' hammer for the first hit, and the 'smiling-face' hammer for the second one. Shangguan Tianyue's dire injury had been mostly self-inflicted.

Shangguan Tianyue had told Zhou Weiqing beforehand that he wanted to decide how heavy his injury would be.

The reason Zhou Weiqing used his full strength when fighting Shangguan Tianyue was that he was worried Shangguan Tianyang might see through their foil, but also because he wanted to test his own strength. Since there was a willing Heavenly Emperor Tier powerhouse who had no harmful thoughts toward him, it was a good time to do so.

The truth is, the older the wiser. Even if they had been fighting for real, Shangguan Tianyang still saw through it, because of Shangguan Tianyue's performance at the end. He did not stop it, however.

When he witnessed Shangguan Tianyue's confession to Tang Xian, Zhou Weiqing nearly laughed out loud. 'Who was the one who said I'm good at acting? Compared to my father-in-law, I have got a ways to go!'

Shangguan Bing'er listened to his explanation with her jaw dropped, her expression was a mix of different emotions.

Zhou Weiqing cackled, "They won't have time to worry about you now, so it's better that we leave as soon as possible. Otherwise, if your mother came bearing vengeance, I won't be able to do anything about it! For the sake of your father's happiness, I had become a total jerk this time. I still don't know how to explain to your mother in the future."

Shangguan Bing'er's eyes widened, "You're such a swindler, you teamed up with my father to lie to my mother. You two are bullies!"

Zhou Weiqing sighed and said righteously, "How does this count as swindling? It was a white lie. Do you want to see both of them not talk to each other forever? Can't you see how much agony your father was in? This way, once that ice wall of theirs melted, it would help their relationship so much, maybe you would even get another younger sibling even."

Shangguan Bing'er blushed, her face turning as red as a tomato. "Don't speculate about my parents, you're such a rascal," she said, but she was relieved.

A lady's worst fear is to see her man being in a conflict with her family. Not to mention, it was Zhou Weiqing who had hurt Shangguan Tianyue. When it happened, Shangguan Bing'er really did not know what to do. Now that she found out it was all a show, she was finally at ease.

No longer worrying about her parents, even though Shangguan Bing'er did not say this, she was surprised at how strong her Little Fatty had become.

The two traveled rapidly, Zhou Weiqing barely rested before they had arrived, even their meal was eaten in mid-air.

Shangguan Bing'er did not ask for a stop at all, Zhou Weiqing was smiling the whole way through, but she could tell that he was worried from the look in his eyes. At this moment, it is imperative for her to fully support her man.

After only three days, they had arrived at the Heavenly Bow Empire territory. Zhou Weiqing only needed to ask around for a little to find out where the army had gone.

Just as Shangguan Tianyang said, the Heavenly Bow Imperial Army was camping near the Stars Forest outside of the Heavenly Bow City. They had formed a half-moon formation toward the city, ready to launch an all-out attack. Other military details were not known by the people he asked.

After getting this news, Zhou Weiqing led Shangguan Bing'er straight toward the frontline.

Traveling through flight was fast, and the Heavenly Bow Empire was not that large, so it was only an extra day of journeying before Zhou Weiqing could see the Heavenly Bow Imperial Army's camp from afar.

With clouds shielding him, Zhou Weiqing was not worried anyone else might see him. It was easier to see the army camp from above anyhow.

After a few moments of studying, Zhou Weiqing was getting really impressed. Ming Yu was deserving of the title of Fei Li God General, Zhou Weiqing himself would not be able to arrange for formations like this.

From the sky, there were at least ten thousand people camped outside of the Stars Forest, and there were some more camping inside the forest, numbers unknown.

The whole camp was set up to help each other. Watchtowers were everywhere, teams of patrolling cavalry covered the whole ground. If there were any movements, even if the whole army was mobilized, there would not be any disorganization if they followed the formation. It mattered not if it were the patrols or the soldiers practicing drills, everything showed a strict order.

It was barely two years since Ming Yu's enlistment into the Zhongtian Empire. In such a short time, he had already developed the Heavenly Bow Imperial Army into the current state, projecting their powerful combat abilities. If it were Zhou Weiqing, he could not even muster the confidence to say he could do the same thing.

The current Heavenly Bow Imperial Army not only had the strength to recover their home country, they might even be able to fight back.

"Little Fatty, let's descend," Shangguan Bing'er said softly.

Zhou Weiqing nodded, hugging her waist. Both of them descended from the sky but did not go directly to the camp to avoid unwanted misunderstanding. They landed directly in front of the encampment and walked directly toward it.

"Who goes there?" Before the two even walked a hundred meters, four soldiers leaped out from the side.

Zhou Weiqing had naturally noticed them before, but these four people had not been in their sights before.

Now that they were out of their hiding spots, it could be seen that they had dug four holes in the ground. There were plenty of covers on top, and there were straws and weed woven onto their shields, so it was hard to notice where exactly they were.

These people were the hidden guards.

Noticing the four shiny blades, Zhou Weiqing laughed and said, "Stand down, we're on the same side."

"On the same side?" The leader of the four looked at Zhou Weiqing, perplexed, then looked over at Shangguan Bing'er before broke out into a shudder. Without hesitation, he genuflected and said to Shangguan Bing'er in utmost respect, "I'm the Sun Pao, Scout of Fourth Regiment's Twenty-seventh Company, reporting for duty, Chief Instructor."

Everyone else followed suit, greeting Shangguan Bing'er.

Zhou Weiqing rubbed his nose and said wryly, "Looks like my Commander status is not as well-known as you, Chief Instructor."

Shangguan Bing'er laughed out loud, saying, "Who asked you to be so lazy and not appear in public that often? This also proved how hard my sisters are working for you."

Zhou Weiqing laughed heartily and said, "Alright, everybody up. To avoid misunderstanding, two of you should lead us into the main tent to meet Ming Yu."

Zhou Weiqing did not soften his voice on purpose, so the scouts all heard him. 'Commander? What does he mean by that? All of them were confused, however, they had seen Shangguan Bing'er beside Zhou Weiqing from afar. The Chief Instructor's fame could only be rivaled with Commander Ming Yu. Just who is this young man?'

Seeing the four of them hesitate, Zhou Weiqing said, "Forget it, I'll do it myself." He was impatient about the current situation, so he no longer wanted to wait.

As he spoke, Zhou Weiqing raised his right hand, stretching his fingers out in the air. Instantly, the air started to rumble as a dragon formed by lightning soared into the sky, causing the four scouts to stare with their eyes wide. A loud crash mixed with the strong lightning energy wave spread out at the same time.

The lightning dragon circled in the air for a little while, and finally emitted a chain of thunder crashes and lightning flashes and dissipated.

Before the flashes of lightning were even gone, a response had already arisen from the Heavenly Bow Imperial Army camp as about a hundred silhouettes leaped into the air, speeding over to where they were.

They were still far away, but Zhou Weiqing could tell that these people were his Peerless Air Force.

After a year, when he saw the Peerless Air Force he had founded from scratch, his heart was filled with warmth that tells him he was finally home.

The hundred-people Air Force quickly arrived at the site, every single bow was drawn to the maximum. Surprisingly, all hundred of these Jewel Masters had cultivation base of at least five jewels, their leader was Kou Rui.

They did not arrive together. While in the air, they had already fallen into their formation, approaching in a half-circular formation. With about a hundred Jewel Masters locking on, the area was filled with tension.

Kou Rui was stationed in the middle, his cultivation base had also attained five jewels.

"Kou Rui, come down here," even before Kou Rui could see who it was, a powerful suction came from the ground, pulling him downward forcefully.

Kou Rui was caught by surprise and fired an arrow instinctually. As soon as he fired, all hundred of the Peerless Air Force members immediately fired along without hesitation. The arrows made a 'whoosh' sound as they pierced through the air and scaring the four scouts standing in front of Zhou Weiqing and Shangguan Bing'er as if they had lost their souls.

With a hundred arrows from the Peerless Air Force, their Consolidated Bows' explosive attribute could blow the place up into a crater within a hundred meter radius!

However, by the next moment, everyone was stunned.

The whooshing sound only sounded for half the distance before they had stopped. All hundred arrows froze in mid-air. What was even more astonishing was that all the arrows flew back into their own quivers without missing even one.

Kou Rui, on the other hand, was still dragged onto the ground, landing in front of Zhou Weiqing.

"We'd only just seen each other, you already wanted to gift me an explosion show? Can't you at least look clearly before you act?" Zhou Weiqing asked with a grin.

When Kou Rui saw his comrades' arrows were all blocked, cold sweat broke out of his skin, he thought, 'We're finished!' However, when he saw the one who pulled him down, his terror turned into awe

Chapter 746

"Boss, you're back," Kou Rui was ecstatic and ran over to give Zhou Weiqing a bear hug. However, before even a second had passed, he remembered something. He loosened the grip and turned around, yelling into the air, "don't attack, he's one of our own."

The truth is, even if the Peerless Battalion's Air Force wanted to do anything, they could not. Every one of them was frozen in the air, unable to even move, not to mention fight back.

Zhou Weiqing waved his arm in a wide gesture, loosening their bind, and these Air Force landed one by one.

Kou Rui did not approach for another hug. He took a few steps back, genuflected, and said respectfully, "Kou Rui wishes the Admiral good health."

Zhou Weiqing waved his hand as a gentle gust lifted Kou Rui to an upright position, "We're all brothers, no need for such etiquette. Besides, I'm just someone with too much time on my hands."

Right about now, most of the Air Force had already landed. Normal scouts did not know who Zhou Weiqing is, but how could the other fighters in Peerless Battalion not recognize him? A majority of them were brought over from Zhongtian Empire by Zhou Weiqing!

"It's the boss, the boss came back," the people surrounded him in no time. They were all from the Ruffian Battalion, and Zhou Weiqing did not usually carry himself with much authority. At the sight of him, these people had forgotten their manners, swarming in to surround Zhou Weiqing.

However, they only managed a few steps before showing signs of terror and stopped to say in earnest respect, "Praise be, chief instructor."

Zhou Weiqing suppressed his urge to laugh and said, "What did your chief instructor do to you? Every single one of you looks so scared."

Kou Rui giggled, "It was nothing. It's just that we have spot checks occasionally, to 'compare notes.' "

Zhou Weiqing felt a little speechless. Without a doubt, the person who wanted to 'compare notes' must be Shangguan Fei'er, Shangguan Xue'er would not do something like that.

"Okay, let's all go back to the camp. Tell me, during this period while I was away, what had happened here."

"Yes, sir."

Kou Rui led the whole squad of the Peerless Battalion's Air Force to cluster around Zhou Weiqing as they walked toward the camp.

It was not after a quarter of an hour that the four scouts from before reacted. The four scouts exchanged glances with each other, not knowing what to say. They, however, remembered clearly the Air Force that they respected so much calling the man 'boss', and Scout Leader Kou Rui called him Commander. Who is he?

"Could he be the Marshal Zhou who's like the dragon god; we might see its head, but we'll never see its tail?"

When Zhou Weiqing had left, he had passed on the title of Commander to Ming Yu, while taking on a sleeping role as a Military Department Chief. However, in the eyes of the Elders in the Heavenly Bow Empire, his reputation was especially unshakeable. That was why everyone still called him their Commander. Because of that, two commander titles were given throughout the Empire, Commander Ming Yu, and Commander Zhou.

On their way to the camp, Kou Rui gave him a simple verbal report on the development of the Heavenly Bow Army in the past year.

In the one year, after the Heavenly Bow Army laid low for about half a year, they started reclaiming the lands in Heavenly Bow Empire and was successful in their mission within a short time, there was barely any resistance.

Ming Yu's timing to launch the reclamation was excellent, it was when the Dandun Empire made a move on the Geritimo Empire. Because of that, the Kalise Army and the Bai Da Empire only settled in Heavenly Bow City, they and did not execute any military actions against Heavenly Bow Empire.

At the moment, the army of Heavenly Bow Empire already had compiled 100 thousand soldiers in its First Field Army Group, and 70 thousand soldiers uncompiled in Second Field Army Group for a total of 170 thousand soldiers. They didn't have to take into consideration the issue of being on defense, so among the whole 170 thousand soldiers, 150 thousand were mobilized and stationed where they are.

The original Peerless Regiment were all included in the First Field Army Group and were reshuffled. Within the ten regiments of the First Field Army Group, each regiment had two hundred Peerless Air Force and a hundred Peerless Heavy Cavalry added to them. The ones left behind would serve directly under Ming Yu's command as the most elite fighting force within the whole field army group. In total, there were four thousand Peerless Air Force and three thousand Peerless Heavy Cavalry. With Ming Yu's coordination, the reserve armies of Berserker and Gold Crow Tribes had become active duty army as well. For that reason, the Peerless Heavy Cavalry was bumped up to four thousand soldiers, and both Air Force and Heavy Cavalry armies were fully equipped. The Snow Deer Cavalry had also been absorbed into the Peerless Heavy Cavalry with all five hundred of them getting the same treatment with the other Peerless Heavy Cavalry members, with suitable armors and weapons being custom made for them.

According to Ming Yu's plan, the attack should be launched as soon as a month ago. However, due to some unforeseen circumstances, the attack was delayed. The 'unforeseen circumstance' was actually from the Blood Red Hell.

The Blood Red Hell appointed a Heavenly King tier Heavenly Jewel Master with Darkness Attribute who was stationed inside the Heavenly Bow City. He would not participate in the battle, but the Kalesi Empire had already warned them, if the Heavenly Bow Empire dared to launch an attack, they would not hesitate to unleash the Fate Denying Seal by Admiral Zhou and kill off all the royalty within the Heavenly Bow Empire.

Even though doing this would be a huge sacrifice on the Darkness Attribute Heavenly Jewel Master's side, it was still not something the Heavenly Bow Empire could endure.

After all, although a part of the Heavenly Bow Army was brought over by Zhou Weiqing from the Zhongtian Empire, most of them were formed by the Heavenly Bow Imperial Army as well as conscription from within the Heavenly Bow Empire. If the royal family of the Heavenly Bow Empire was killed, it would be a massive blow to the morale of the army. So even if Ming Yu usually makes decisive choices, he dared to not order an attack easily. Especially when it concerns the lives of Zhou Weiqing's parent. Even if he did, it would be difficult to get the attack executed.

Therefore, both the armies were at a stalemate here.

Ming Yu understood very clearly the intention of Bai Da Empire and Dandun Empire. They wanted to stall for time until the Dandun Empire could unify the South. When they had done that and had made necessary arrangements, they would naturally have enough manpower to deal with the Heavenly Bow Empire. The Dandun Empire had not been paying much attention to the Heavenly Bow Empire, because the Heavenly Bow Empire was just a small fry, there was no need to worry about them so much.

After listening to Kou Rui's report, Zhou Weiqing frowned. The Dandun Empire was really cunning, they had only sent one person here, and that was enough to keep more than 100 thousand soldiers in check.

"Boss, don't you worry. The old geezer is back, so even if you're not here, we'll still proceed with our plan in the next few days."

Zhou Weiqing's heart jumped. Of course, he would know which 'old geezer' Kou Rui was referring to, it was his teacher, Six Ultimate Heavenly Emperor Long Shiya! He asked excitedly, "Teacher is back?"

Kou Rui nodded and smiled, "The old geezer had just arrived a few days ago, you two practically read each other's mind."

As soon as he knew his teacher was back, Zhou Weiqing could not wait any longer. He had not seen Long Shiya for a long time, he missed him dearly. No matter Mu En or Hua Feng, or if it was Long Shiya, every one of them was his most-respected, most important people in his life. He had already viewed them as his family.

"Good, then we'll hasten our pace, I want to see my teacher."

As Zhou Weiqing was talking, a deep, booming voice echoed, "You rascal, do you even remember where your home is! Doing pretty well for a slacker!"

A light of six colors zoomed in and out of their sights, and the next moment, a person stood in front of them, who else was that other than Long Shiya?

Long Shiya was still plump, his facial complexion was a healthy pink, his words were one of reprimand, but his face was smiling the whole time.

"Old geezer," Kou Rui greeted him immediately. The Peerless warriors started to laugh, they were really close with Long Shiya. After all, before Long Shiya had left, his biggest hobby was to join the Peerless warriors and to have a drinking contest with them. Long Shiya did not project an air of importance about him, so the Peerless warriors liked hanging out with him a lot.

"Teacher," Zhou Weiqing stepped forward excitedly and immediately kneeled without prompt, preparing to kowtow at Long Shiya. Shangguan Bing'er who was by his side also kneeled.

Long Shiya lifted his arm and caught Zhou Weiqing's shoulder, "What are you kneeling for, did I even follow this many customs? It's only been a year, how did you become such a kowtow worm?"

Zhou Weiqing stood up and smiled. He rubbed his nose and said, "I needed to do something."

Long Shiya slapped him across his shoulder with a playful smirk, "You insolent child, you're still the same kid who needs a good beating. Hey…" Long Shiya was happy to see Zhou Weiqing, but suddenly, his face changed, contorting into a despicable-looking face.

An intense green light almost immediately burst out of his body, as a strong Fetters of Wind landed upon Zhou Weiqing, at which point Long Shiya also raised his hand, grappling at Zhou Weiqing's face.

The sudden change caught Zhou Weiqing and other people by surprise. No one would imagine Long Shiya to attack Zhou Weiqing. Right before that, they were still joking around.

Zhou Weiqing was the most surprised. If it was before, he wouldn't have been able to evade Long Shiya's grapple, but his cultivation base was no longer like before. As soon as the Fetters of Wind hit him, the Starcrux Saint Nucleus Core in his body reacted by unleashing a surge of pale golden light. The green Fetters of Wind melted away almost immediately and with a silver flash, Zhou Weiqing had moved about three meters away with his Blink ability.

Long Shiya did not say anything. His grapple missed, making his face even sterner. He stepped forward with his right foot, causing the whole area to emit a low grumbling sound. He did not retract his right arm, but turning into a fist and punched at Zhou Weiqing's chest from afar.

The six-colored light formed a huge ball of light and charged at Zhou Weiqing.

Since he had already fallen into a defensive position, when he was faced with Long Shiya's immense pressure, Zhou Weiqing could only assume a passive defense position. Both Shangguan Tianyue and Long Shiya were Heavenly Emperor tier powerhouses, but Long Shiya's pressure was much stronger. He was praised as number one after the Heavenly God tier after all.

Left without a choice, Zhou Weiqing shielded himself by putting both his arms in front of his chest. In a split second, both his palms turned gray as a whirlpool formed in front of him. As soon as Long Shiya's six-colored light ball touched the gray whirlpool, a third of it melted before hitting Zhou Weiqing's palms.

This was Long Shiya's attack. If it were another person without Consolidated Equipments and Jewel Stored Skill, even a Heavenly Emperor tier powerhouse's attack would have been dissolved by the Zhou Weiqing's external Devour Skill. However, Long Shiya was not like everyone else. His Heavenly Energy was a mix of six attributes. Even though it could still be dissolved, it was significantly harder to completely devour it.

With a dull boom, the golden light enveloping Zhou Weiqing evidently flickered brighter as he was pushed a dozen steps backward before he stopped.

"Teacher, what are you doing?" Zhou Weiqing finally said after having managed to regain his balance.

Long Shiya stared at the grey whirlpool between Zhou Weiqing's palms, a little startled. He did not follow up with another attack, but his face was still burning in rage. He said, "Who are you? How dare you pose as my disciple?"

Zhou Weiqing was perplexed, and he said, "I'm your dearest disciple Little Fatty Zhou! What could I even pose as?"

Long Shiya growled, "Bullsh*t, even if Weiqing, that rascal, had advanced his cultivation base level, it would be impossible for him to reach the Heavenly King tier in a little more than a year, who are you kidding? Let me tear away this human skin mask from your face." He felt a presence of a Heavenly King tier powerhouse, which was the reason he had come outside. He was afraid the Peerless warriors couldn't handle it, but it was Zhou Weiqing who showed up. In his joy, he had forgotten his initial objective.

However, when he patted Zhou Weiqing's shoulder, he felt something wrong. Zhou Weiqing's body naturally produced a wave of countershock, the Atmospheric Energy in the air was also trying to stop him, this was something only a Heavenly King tier powerhouse could have! How old is Zhou Weiqing? No matter how he looked at it, he refused to believe the kid could rise to that stage in such a short time. Furthermore, the energy around Zhou Weiqing was something he could not see through! That was the reason for his sudden change in attitude, he wanted to catch the impostor before anything else.

However, Zhou Weiqing's Evil Attribute and the Devour Skill confused Long Shiya even more, even though the strength of the Devour Skill was much stronger than before, the source would not change. Long Shiya had never seen anyone else other than his dearest disciple who could use the Devour Skill. That was why he stopped.

Zhou Weiqing stared at Long Shiya, unsure if he should laugh or cry, "Teacher, be sensible, will you! Everyone hopes for their disciples to be strong, why would you hope for your disciple to be weak! Everything else could be faked, but not this. I, your disciple, am unique."

As he spoke, Zhou Weiqing made a circle with his hands in front of him, and two triangles immediately overlaid each other, forming the Six Ultimate Godly Light Formation.

Looking at the colorful lights that appeared below Zhou Weiqing's feet, Long Shiya's face was immediately stuck in its pale, green color. Zhou Weiqing was right, everything else could be faked, but the Six Ultimate Godly Light Formation could definitely not be imitated!

Zhou Weiqing's Six Ultimate Godly Light Formation was an extension of Long Shiya's Six Ultimate Heavenly Path Formation. The unique skill could only be learned when one has six attributes, and the cultivation method was only known to Long Shiya and Zhou Weiqing.

Even if someone could pretend to be Zhou Weiqing, the attributes would not lie. Zhou Weiqing's six-attribute combination was so unique, and including the Six Ultimate Heavenly Path Formation, it would definitely be enough to prove his identity.

"You're really Little Fatty?" Long Shiya asked in confusion.

Zhou Weiqing's face twitched, "Teacher Fatty, how am I not your Little Fatty? My strength had increased a lot, that's true, but you need to give me time to report!"

Long Shiya's gaze quivered and said, "Wait a minute, tell me this then. When you fused with the dragon and tiger bloodlines, who became your sacrifice at the final moment?"

Zhou Weiqing was speechless, he peered at Shangguan Bing'er on his side and said helplessly, "It was Little Witch Wu Yuehan, you made her my responsibility, remember?"

After hearing his words, Long Shiya was like in a trance, his killing intention dissipated immediately, and he looked at Zhou Weiqing in disbelief.

"You rascal, it was you! You're a Heavenly King now. God dammit, it was so unfair! When I became a Heavenly King, I was already over fifty years old. How old are you now!"

Zhou Weiqing smiled wryly, "How could teachers be envious of their disciple. Teacher, this is your fault."

Long Shiya giggled loudly, his fatty cheek squeezing his eyes into near-disappearance.

Zhou Weiqing huffed and said, "I'm not going over there, what if you hit me again?"

Long Shiya scoffed, "Come here immediately, so what if I hit you? I'm your teacher, isn't it normal for teachers to discipline their disciples?"

Without a choice, Zhou Weiqing walked over. Long Shiya gave him a quick once-over and laughed, "Good! You're certainly a manly man, deserving to be my disciple. I'll show Xue Ao'tian that old geezer for acting cocky in front of me. My disciple had stolen his daughter and became a Heavenly King, haha, ha ha ha ha ha!"

Looking at his teacher's classless laughing fit, Zhou Weiqing was speechless. What is this! It was hard enough to finally see his teacher, but his teacher dealt him a head-on blow at their first encounter. Fortunately, his cultivation base was good enough to block it, if he had not blocked it, the injury sustained from the hits would have been severe.

It was not only Zhou Weiqing who was speechless, the Peerless warriors were basically clutching at their convulsing hearts, especially Kou Rui. The ruckus between Zhou Weiqing and Long Shiya was still not something outrageous, however, Long Shiya had just confirmed Zhou Weiqing to be a Heavenly King! A Heavenly King, the boss is already at the Heavenly King tier.

Among the whole of the Heavenly Bow Army, only Long Shiya and Duan Tianlang had a cultivation base of Heavenly King tier and above. However, from another perspective, they were still not part of the Heavenly Bow Army but were mere guests. The Heavenly Bow Empire's biggest weakness was that it doesn't have enough powerhouses, especially not higher-tiered ones. However, when Zhou Weiqing became a Heavenly King, everything had changed. The Heavenly Bow Empire finally had its own Heavenly King!

"Let's go, let's return to the camp, I need to show off to Old Geezer Duan, haha! The best decision I've made in my life was to take you as my disciple."

Six Ultimate Heavenly Emperor had always does what he wanted, he would not hide his feelings. Happiness is happiness. To the Peerless warriors, Big Fatty was just asking for a beating. Of course, no one was reckless enough to say it.

After all the drama, everyone had finally arrived at the camp. Kou Rui had immediately taken off to report to the management of the Heavenly Bow Empire. while Long Shiya had taken Zhou Weiqing and Shangguan Bing'er toward where Duan Tianlang is.

"Hey, Weiqing, you're back," seeing Zhou Weiqing, Duan Tianlang was surprised. Zhou Weiqing had wanted to greet him, but he was stopped.

"It was good that you're back. The Heavenly Bow Empire could not lose a mental support like you. It was an important battle to reclaim the Heavenly Bow Empire's glory, so your return is timely. Everything you asked me to prepare, I have already done."

As he was speaking, Duan Tianlang waved his hands, and three boxes appeared on the table. Undoubtedly, everything inside was God Tier Consolidated Equipment Scrolls.

"Thank you for your effort," said Zhou Weiqing. His respect for Duan Tianlang was not less than his own teacher. Duan Tianland's sacrifice for his Strength Legacy, as well as the help he offered to Zhou Weiqing, was completely altruistic.

Long Shiya chuckled proudly, "Old geezer Duan, your legendary armor set was not good enough."

Duan Tianlang replied, "Not good enough? How is it not good enough? Isn't Weiqing at nine jewels? When he left, he was at six jewels, so having three legendary armor pieces is just nice!"

Long Shiya raised his hand, wiggling a finger in front of him in overbearingly, and said, "Nine jewels? He was my finest disciple, and it had already been a year, how can he still be at nine jewels? It should be ten jewels."

Seeing Long Shiya's cockiness, Shangguan Bing'er could not contain it any longer and broke out into giggles. After all, not long ago, Long Shiya had attacked Zhou Weiqing because of his cultivation base, but now it had suddenly become within his expectation.

However, no matter how cocky Long Shiya was, Duan Tianlang was surprised. He stared at Zhou Weiqing with a wooden expression and said, "Weiqing, you have advanced into Heavenly King? So soon?"

Zhou Weiqing tittered, "I got lucky."

Duan Tianlang gave Zhou Weiqing a weird look, "You are such a prodigy! Luckily I have been keeping myself busy this last year. I had wanted to keep this from you so you could be inspired to strive for Heavenly King. It looks like I can give them to you now."

As he spoke, he raised his right arm and two additional wooden boxes appeared on the table.

At this point, Long Shiya's grin disappeared, "Old geezer Duan, have you already finished his Ringless Ground Purging Set?" Zhou Weiqing had collected five pieces of the Ringless Ground Purging Set, having five more pieces would mean the armor set was complete!

Duan Tianlang made a sound in irritation and said, "One shall try one's best to do what was entrusted to him by others. I'm not like some people who became a teacher but went away to slack off. As soon as Xue'er, Fei'er, and the others brought back enough materials, I had started working on them. I am glad to have been entrusted with this. Luckily, Weiqing's set only needed one scroll per piece to complete the process, otherwise, I really can't finish them on time."

Looking at Duan Tianlang, Zhou Weiqing's eyes began to water. When he had first met Duan Tianlang, he still looked young, however in a mere few years, his hair had become like salt-and-pepper. His eyes were still bright, but the deep exhaustion in his eyes broke Zhou Weiqing's heart.

"Junior Master." Zhou Weiqing stepped up, holding Duan Tianlang's hand.

Duan Tianlang raised his other hand and tapped on Zhou's shoulder. He said, "We are a family, I consider you as half a disciple and another heir of my Strength Legacy. Even though you are not progressing into the field of Consolidating Equipment Master, but I will keep my promise. Plus, to complete the Ringless Ground Purging Set was one of the biggest dreams in my life. Now that I have both Hiltless Sky Purging Set and Ringless Ground Purging Set under my belt, I have no regrets."

Holding Duan Tianlang's hand, Zhou Weiqing could clearly feel that though his Junior Master looked normal on the surface, he was already very weak as if he could pass away at any time.

His tears finally flowed uncontrollably down his face. Zhou Weiqing opened his arms and gave Duan Tianlang a big hug.

Long Shiya was not laughing as well. He looked at his old friend with a worried look. He knew Duan Tianlang's physical condition the best, during the time when he left, it was to look for the herbs and medicines that could help Duan Tianlang regain his health. He didn't think Duan Tianlang could finish the Ringless Ground Purging Set in such a short time. Now that his dreams were fulfilled, he might no longer have much will to live! The cures he brought back might be of no use at this point.

At this moment, a layer of golden light rose from within Zhou Weiqing's body. Something strange was happening. Golden light spots floated from his body, permeating the room with a sense of peaceful calmness. They were like starlights, transforming the tent into the night sky. The balls of light hovered around, then slowly moved toward Duan Tianlang's body. They were not fast, but with every dot of light that enters, Duan Tianlang uncontrollably shivered.

"Weiqing, don't!" Duan Tianlang yelped in a low voice, but he could no longer stop Zhou Weiqing. In Zhou Weiqing's arms, he could not move at all.

When comparing cultivation base, Duan Tianlang would, of course, score higher than Zhou Weiqing, he was an old-time Heavenly King tier powerhouse after all. However, Zhou Weiqing was not any Heavenly King tier powerhouse, he had his Saint Energy! If Duan Tianlang could still escape from his grip, Zhou Weiqing could quit being a Heavenly King tier powerhouse right there and then.

A rich wave of Saint Energy was rolling around in the air as bits of starlights kept seeping into his body, Duan Tianlang noticed suddenly that his heart and pulse, weak from the drain on his life force, slowly becoming more sturdy, and every part of his body was rejuvenated by the bits of starlights, These starlight Saint Energy were not invasive to him, even the Heavenly Energy in his body could accept this foreign source of energy with no objection.

Starlight had started appearing in his Heavenly Energy too. At this moment, Duan Tianlang felt as if he was bathing in a warm spring, it was very comfortable. Everything inside his body felt like they were recovering. His internal organs, his bones, his muscles, his tendons, everything felt like they were becoming youthful. Zhou Weiqing did not give him his life force, but he used a strange way to bring a miracle to his body.

Humans were created by nature, and what Zhou Weiqing had given Duan Tianlang's body was this vigor of creation. It was a much better gift than just gifting his life force and watch it flow away again.

Duan Tianlang's eyes were blurry. He only felt as if he became young again. A lot of things he could only do when he was young had been resurrected. It seemed like he could do many of the things he used to be able to do.

At this point, he thought of a joke Long Shiya used to tell him. Long Shiya used to say, "What are brothers? Brothers are the ones who, when you're ill and has laid down in bed, would pour you tea and water, feed you, and bathe you, even if none of these had any meaning anymore. And at the end of the day, he would bring you a pretty lady. By that point, you would say, 'let me try, help me get up.' "

Perhaps, he could really try now.

The starlights shone for at least ten minutes before they disappeared back into Zhou Weiqing's body. Slowly, Zhou Weiqing loosened his grip and smilingly looked at Duan Tianlang, who looked spaced out.

Long Shiya who was standing aside could tell the difference clearly. He saw Duan Tianlang's peppery hair magically turned black starting from the roots. As the hair was turning black, the sagging skin on his face seemingly became toned and elastic, it looked as if he was ten years younger in an instant!

Long Shiya stared, in disbelief, at Duan Tianlang who looked younger by the second, and walked over to Zhou Weiqing silently, and whispered, "Weiqing, are you okay? Did it take a lot of your energy?"

Zhou Weiqing chuckled and shook his head, "It's fine, it was nothing. I only borrowed the Atmospheric Energy, turned it into Saint Energy to reactivate Junior Master's body. It doesn't count as being decades younger, but he can at least live for a few decades, no problem, heh heh."

"It really doesn't take a lot from you?" Long Shiya's eyes widened, pushing out from the rolls of fat that hid them.

Zhou Weiqing nodded, "Teacher, don't worry. I'd never done anything I can't guarantee of."

Long Shiya's grin turned toadyish, "Well, would you do it for me as well? I'd love to be young again, maybe I could even bring home a wife!"

Zhou Weiqing laughed heartily. He put his arm around Long Shiya's shoulder and said, "Of course, how could I forget about you? You definitely can experience this."

Saint Energy was mysterious, and as Starcrux Saint Nucleus Core had been solidified, and slowly showing Zhou Weiqing what it can do. What Zhou Weiqing did for Duan Tianlang was just an experiment in his emotional state. As proven, his experiment had succeeded. Duan Tianlang's vitality had been restored by him.

This experiment allowed Zhou Weiqing to realize, he actually obtained the power to extend people's life. With it, it would be very advantageous when it comes to developing the Heavenly Bow Empire!

Long Shiya patted Zhou Weiqing's back satisfactorily. He was only joking with his disciple, but inside he sighed. It seemed like a long time ago when he first saw the kid. His cultivation base at the time was effectively that of an ant. Within only a few years, the kid had grown into someone even he had to pay attention to. The kid was even bestowed with so many unique powers. This was no longer talented, he was blessed!

Duan Tianlang's dazed state continued for about ten minutes before he came out of it slowly. As he looked at Zhou Weiqing again, his gaze projected an unreadable expression. He sighed, saying, "Weiqing, why would you do that? I don't understand what ability you've used, but wouldn't it be taxing on you?"

Zhou Weiqing shook his head fervently and said, "Definitely not. Look at me, am I not still alive and jumping? Creation, it's the special ability my Saint Energy has. Junior Master, you have given so much to me, let's not even talk about harmless things, even if I had to sacrifice a little bit, I would still do it without hesitation. Besides, I'm still waiting for Junior Master to create more miracles."

Duan Tianlang gasped, "Create miracles? What miracles?"

Zhou Weiqing said seriously, "Junior Master, I have gone to Mysterious Heavenly Mainland not long ago, and over there, I saw an eleven-piece legendary armor piece." He quickly summarized his journey, giving more attention to Dongfang Hanyue's Blackfiend Dragon Set.

Having heard Zhou Weiqing's description, surprise kept flashing through Duan Tianlang's eyes, "Combining with a dragon? There's such a fantastical legendary armor set in Mysterious Heavenly Mainland?"

Zhou Weiqing nodded and said, "The Mysterious Heavenly Palace Master had only a mid-tiered Heavenly Emperor cultivation base, but with the armor set, it could fight against a Heavenly God tier powerhouse, one could only imagine how much power the armor set could provide. Our Strength Legacy had been around for a long time, so why can't we have a set of eleven-piece legendary armor set? If our ancestors could create Ringless Ground Purging Set based on the foundation laid in Hiltless Sky Purging Set, I believe only you would have the mastery to create its eleventh piece."

Zhou Weiqing understood Duan Tianlang too well, he did not want Duan Tianlang to feel guilty about his help, and to want to stay alive, Duan Tianlang had to have something he wanted to achieve. Approaching it from the perspective of Consolidated Equipment Scrolls would definitely be the best choice.

Duan Tianlang nodded lightly, but he only smiled bitterly, "To add a piece on top of the ten pieces? That's easy to say, but difficult to execute! It would be easier to create a ten-piece from scratch."

Zhou Weiqing chuckled knowingly, "Junior Master, I believe, where there's a will, there's a way. Nothing is impossible. Look, never in my life had I practiced creating a Consolidated Equipment Scroll, but I still became a God Tier Master, did I not?"

"Huh?" This time around, not only Duan Tianlang, even Long Shiya yelped.

"You became a God Tier Master?" Duan Tianlang rushed in front of Zhou Weiqing, his hands clutching Zhou Weiqing's shoulders. His face was filled with joy and pride, looking even more excited than his receiving decades of life extension.

Chapter 747

When the Strength Legacy had been passed on to him, his biggest regret was not being able to nurture any one of his disciples into a God Tier Master to continue passing down Strength Legacy. It could be said that if Zhou Weiqing were to become a God Tier Master, it would have a very unique meaning to Duan Tianliang.

Zhou Weiqing nodded and explained the process of him becoming a God Tier Master in simple terms.

Duan Tianliang's temperament had always been very gentle. When he had finished hearing Zhou Weiqings explanation of the process of becoming a God Tier Master, he could not help but curse, "F*ck! This is so unfair. Do you know how much effort I've poured into becoming a God Tier Master that year? This is so infuriating! Big Fatty Long, the biggest regret of my life is that I couldn't take Zhou Weiqing from your hands. At that time, I only thought that one who possessed six attributes was truly hard to come across. I myself had disciples as well, so I gave him to you. Zhou Weiqing's consolidating talents aren't inferior to his cultivation at all!"

Big Fatty Long laughed to the extent that his eyes could not be seen.

At this moment, noisy footsteps sounded from the outside.

'Weiqing," the voice had reached before the person. Next, a white shadow barged into the tent, paying no attention to the people around, and dove head first into Zhou Weiqing's embrace. "Isn't this Tian'er?" thought Zhou Weiqing.

It had been a year since they last met, but time had not left any traces on Tian'er, instead, she looked more attractive. However, her pretty face right then was filled with tears, like a pear flower with raindrops on it, arousing the sympathy of others.

Zhou Weiqing had left for one whole year! How could she not miss him? She clung to his waist tightly, as if was afraid of losing him.

Right after Tian'er, Shangguan Xue'er and Shangguan Fei'er also walked in. Shangguan Xue'er had her usual cold demeanor whereas Shangguan Fei'er pouted, staring at the scene of Tian'er hugging Zhou Weiqing. It was apparent that she was a little envious.

After them, Mu En, Hua Feng, Ming Yu and the other upper echelons of the Heavenly Bow Empire came. Zhou Weiqing had returned, and all of them immediately dropped their current tasks and rushed over.

Within a short span, Duan Tianliang's tent was fully occupied with people.

Under the gazes of the crowd, Tian'er had finally loosened her hug for Zhou Weiqing, and two shades of blush appeared on her lovely face.

However, Zhou Weiqing did not give her any mercy and said something soothing by her ear with a low voice.

Tian'er's pretty face turned even redder but still nodded at him. Zhou Weiqing's face was instantly filled with elation and joy.

Shangguan Fei'er walked over, pulled away Zhou Weiqing, and took Tian'er into her embrace, "Watch it, you bastard. Tian'er is our key target to be protected, you're not allowed to hug her too tightly."

Zhou Weiqing had just asked if Tian'er was pregnant. After obtaining her affirmation, knowing that he would be a father soon, it would be weird for him to be happy.

Ming Yu glared at Zhou Weiqing menacingly, and said, "You know how to find your way back, don't you?!"

Zhou Weiqing laughed out loud, stepped forward, and gave him a really big hug.

Helplessness could be seen on Ming Yu's face. He gave him a light punch of his fist on the back and smiles finally appeared on his face. No matter what, it was good to have Zhou Weiqing back. He was the spiritual pillar of the entire Heavenly Bow Empire! The upper echelons of the Heavenly Bow Empire were almost built up by himself. If he did not return, although there no problems with Ming Yu commanding the army, but there were far more other matters that were not under his control. Everything was different without the name of Zhou Weiqing!

After he had hugged Ming Yu, Zhou Weiqing turned toward the Shangguan sisters, gave them each a hug, and then proceeded to give a bear hug to each person in the tent without missing anyone out.

When we had walked to a person hiding in the corners, he was stunned momentarily, but still speared his arms in the same manner, "Sister Ruse, you've worked hard."

This person was Xiao Ruse, but she did not look well and seemed to be a little pale. Nevertheless, she still stepped towards Zhou Weiqing's embrace.

Zhou Weiqing heard her mumble faintly, "I've yet to exist when you were born, and you were old when I was born." Those were ten simple words, but it made Zhou Weiqing's heart shudder violently. Although he knew that he should not get himself into too many romantic affairs, he could not help but feel great pain now. Numerous memories of him following Xiao Ruse flashed in his heart.

Although it was over in an instant, Zhou Weiqing still felt that his initially high spirits have plummeted. Hugging Xiao Ruse hard, he behaved out of her expectations by saying in a low voice, "Time is never a problem, age is never a limit."

Xiao Ruse's eyes shone but dimmed quickly; she retreated from his embrace to the side.

Xiao Ruse indeed was much older than Zhou Weiqing, but she was now past her thirties. On the other hand, Zhou Weiqing was only in his twenties. The battles and adversities all those years resulted in her no longer being the beauty of the same rank as the Shangguan Triplets and Tian'er. It was no wonder that she was ashamed of herself.

As the tent was so crowded at that moment, it was only natural that Zhou Weiqing did not pursue her. He turned his body to face the people, and gave a deep 90-degree bow, "Everyone, you've worked hard. I thank you from the bottom of my heart."

It was such a simple sentence with only a few words, but it reddened the eyes of the people.

Ming Yu's feelings struck deep. He signed internally, 'The one with the talent to become an Emperor! This guy was definitely made to become an Emperor!'. Although he thought of himself to be greatly talented, he had not been able to become the General. Zhou Weiqing may not be his match in terms of talent, but his charisma was far greater than that of his. Thus, he was able to garner the support of so many people.

Zhou Weiqing may seem to not have done much in the process of the Heavenly Bow Empire's fall until today. All the things he had done were the really important matters — he was the soul of the Heavenly Bow Empire!

Ming Yu coughed and said, "Let's continue our chat somewhere else, so as not to interrupt Master."

Duan Tianliang chuckled, and said, "I don't mind the interruption. It's just that my place here is quite small. Weiqing won't be able to get close to anyone, hehe."

The crowd could not help but laugh.

Exiting Duan Tianliang's room, the crowd arrived at the big tent of main military force. Ming Yu had Zhou Weiqing sit on the primary seat, but Zhou Weiqing objected and signaled for Ming Yu to have the seat instead. Eventually, the primary seat remained vacant, and there were two more chairs at the bottom.

After a brief greeting session, it arrived the discussion of important matters. Zhou Weiqing naturally did not have to tell everyone his experiences. Summarized by a few sentences, the discussion quickly moved to the current situation of the Heavenly Bow Empire.

Ming Yu's explanation was far more detailed than Kou Rui's, and it included his own opinions and interpretations. According to Ming Yu's words, the Heavenly Bow Empire may appear to be in a good standing at the moment, it was in a dangerous situation in reality. There was no problem with the latter, but the concern was, for an army of hundreds of thousands to face the Bai Da Empire behind the Kalise Empire, could they really withstand it? At this point, Ming Yu had no confidence as well. They could only give their best in everything they were about to do until the very end.

The most pressing issue was the fight which could break out anytime soon. Heavenly Bow Empire must take an offensive stance, especially if it were to rescue the royalties of Heavenly Bow Empire and Zhou Weiqing's family. However, this was the biggest challenge at the moment. A forceful invasion would be impossible, even with Zhou Weiqing's family out of the picture, no warrior of Heavenly Bow Empire would be willing to risk the annihilation of the empire's royalties and attack the Heavenly Bow Empire. If the order were to be implemented by force, morale would be receiving a strong blow.

"…, Weiqing, you must make a decision as soon as possible," emphasized Ming Yu, after explaining their current situation.

Zhou Weiqing nodded lightly, and inquired, "How's the enemies' military assembly near the Heavenly Bow City?"

Upon his questioning, Ming Yu's face turned sour, "Those bastards from the Kalise and Bai Da Empire… the tactic they are utilizing is to strengthen their defenses to the point that it's close to invulnerable as Heavenly Bow City itself isn't too huge and isn't able to fit too many troops. They're targeting Heavenly Bow City as the center, clearing the Star Forest surrounding Heavenly Bow City, and have set their base at Heavenly Bow City as the center. A large number of Star Trees have been cut down and transported away. Their current military assembly consists of approximately fifteen regiments, but their real force could never match ours. These fifteen regiments include the ten regiments which the Kalise Empire had been gathering for two years, while the rest were sent from Bai Da Empire. As of now, they show no signs of reinforcing their troops. It's obvious that their current purpose is to hold us back here, and will await the Dandun and Bai Da Empire to make a move before we strike. "

Zhou Weiqing squinted his eyes but did not voice out his opinions. His few close friends who knew him best could tell from his dark demeanor that Little Fatty was really enraged.

To have his home being invaded was a great shame to Zhou Weiqing. These invaders had even destroyed his homeland, destroyed the Star Forest, and used his family to threaten the troops from advancing. One could imagine how furious Zhou Weiqing could be.

There were countless people in the meeting hall, but it has turned to a pin-drop silence. Everyone's gaze fell on Zhou Weiqing, waiting for his decision.

Zhou Weiqing had been silent for five minutes until he lifted his head, eyes shining, "Admiral Ming Yu, if we were to launch our attacks, how much time do you need for the preparations?"

Ming Yu answered without hesitation, "All is ready. We can launch our offense any time."

"Alright," Zhou Weiqing exclaimed. He stood up abruptly, with rage in his eyes, and all of a sudden, everyone in the meeting hall could sense the strong aura radiating from him.

"Since things are what it is now, I'll give you one last day for the preparations. Tomorrow night is the time we'll act, as for the actual operation plans, we'll discuss now."

Admiration flowed from Ming Yu's eyes. As indecisiveness would lead to trouble, for Zhou Weiqing to be able to make a firm decision within such a short duration was an essential aspect that a successful, high-ranking individual ought to have.

Ming Yu excused the officers for the time being. Only several people of the core ranks were left, and with Zhou Weiqing, they discussed the detailed plans of the battle.

Just like what Ming Yu himself had said, to take back Heavenly Bow City and to revive Heavenly Bow Empire, he had been preparing for a few months' time, they could move out any time. The attack methods of each aspect had long been finalized.

The group had discussed for the whole four hours until they ended the high-ranking meeting.

Shangguan Bing'er was pulled away by Shangguan Xue'er and Shangguan Fei'er, Zhou Weiqing was left with Tian'er by them, from Bing'er, they could similarly know what had happened to Zhou Weiqing. Furthermore, before they had departed for Mysterious Heavenly Mainland, Tian'er had given Zhou Weiqing to Bing'er. No matter what, they would have to repay her kindness. They all would be living together for their whole life, therefore, it was beneficial to all to improve their relationships.

Tian'er pulled Zhou Weiqing's hand and led him back to where they stayed. She could clearly feel Zhou Weiqing's gloominess at the time being.

'Little Fatty, we can definitely succeed," said Tian'er after she closed the door, and immediately threw herself into Zhou Weiqing's embrace.

Zhou Weiqing hugged her gently as if he was afraid of hurting her, and caressed her long hair, "I'm fine. I too believe that we'll succeed. Tian'er, will you promise me one thing?"

Tian'er shook her head, "If you're going to forbid me from joining the battle tomorrow, you can stop. I must join. If not, how am I going to face your parents in the future?"

Zhou Weiqing smiled bitterly, "Tian'er, you're wrong, if I happen to let my father know that you've gone to fight while pregnant, he'll never forgive me! Listen to me, my dear Tian'er, please don't be involved in this battle. Are you still worried if I have Master with me?"

Tian'er pouted and complained in his embrace, "No, I must go. Xue'er, Fei'er and Bing'er are all so amazing; they all want to rescue your parents with you. If I don't go, what will your parents think of me? Don't you know that the first impression is really important? Dear husband, just let me go with you. Please, I beg of you, even my father says that I'll be fine."

While Tian'er had called him dear husband, half of Zhou Weiqing's body had turned numb. If he was not worried about the possibilities of his family's life being threatened by the Heavenly King-tier powerhouses in Bai Da Empire, he might very well be making love to Tian'er right there and then.

"Tian'er, what did father-in-law say when you were back in the Heavenly Snow Mountain? Zhou Weiqing had not been able to head to the Heavenly Snow Mountain with Tian'er, but he was concerned about Xue Ao'tian's opinions. Never mind the other matters, Tian'er had been bearing his child when they had yet to be married – this was no small matter! Tian'er was the only daughter of Xue Ao'tian, the Mountain Lord of the Heavenly Snow Mountain. However, judging from the fact that Xue Ao'tian had allowed Tian'er to come back, he was not really angry.

Upon hearing her father being mentioned, Tian'er stuck her tongue out, and said, "Father had been quite furious. I was close to not being able to return; it was my first time seeing anger and helplessness plastered on father's face at the same time. However, he could not stand my constant coaxing and pestering, and hence, I'm back. However, father mentioned that if you're not going to see him after you've returned to the mainland, he will come and meet you himself."

Zhou Weiqing's facial muscles twitched. He could perfectly imagine the expressions of Xue Ao'tian clenching his teeth while he was uttering these words.

"Regarding this, my dear, as you know, I really can't leave. After I've rescued my parents, I'll pay father-in-law another visit for sure, and to fix our dates as well."

Tian'er said softly, "I know. You have important things to attend to, even if father really came, he can't do anything to you either. After all, we already have our child." While saying, she caressed her abdomen which was still flat at the moment, radiating with happiness.

Zhou Weiqing immediately asked, "What did father-in-law say about our child? When will the baby be born?"

Looking at Zhou Weiqing's expressions of anticipation, Tian'er chuckled and said, "It's still early; at least another three years. I've recalled correctly, giving birth to a baby will take a long time due to our Divine Heavenly Spirit Tiger Bloodline. On top of the protection of Essence Bloodline and Saint Energy now, father said that our child's defensive abilities will be far stronger than ours. My stomach is invulnerable."

"Umm…, things like this exist?" Zhou Weiqing stared at her, stupefied.

Tian'er said proudly, "Of course, it's only natural for us to have our own means of survival since the inheritance of our Divine Heavenly Spirit Tiger Bloodline ages ago. Once the females of our Divine Heavenly Spirit Tiger Bloodline are impregnated, the bloodline will transform into a unique energy and fuse with the child into a single entity, effectively protecting him or her. In addition, I have Saint Energy. Father said that under the nurture of our bloodline powers and the protection of Saint Energy, the child's defense is so strong to the extent that he or she can't be harmed even by my father's attacks. What else is there for you to be concerned? I must go tomorrow. Don't you forget, I'm the mother of the child. Will my love for our child be any less than yours? Without any assurance from my father, I'll never raise such demands."

Zhou Weiqing stared at the stubbornness and persistence in Tian'er's eyes, and said in defeat, "Alright, but without my permission, you must never attack haphazardly, okay?"

"Okay!" said Tian'er in giggles and joy, seeing that he had agreed.

Zhou Weiqing said, "Regarding the matters of the Nether Realm, what did father-in-law have to say?"

The smile on Tian'er's face disappeared a little, and said,"Father is also worried about this. The reason why he wants you to meet him is also to talk about this issue other than our matters. Father did not say much about the situation in Nether Realm; he just asked me to share with you that my mother had not been by our side because she had to guard the entrance of the Nether Realm. As for my mother's cultivation, it's nothing more than a vassal of the true guardians."

Upon registering Tian'er's words, Zhou Weiqing's facial expression changed. He knew very well that the Entropic Nether Tiger Phelia was a Heavenly God-tier powerhouse, and compared to the Mountain Lord of Heavenly Snow Mountain, Xue Ao'tian, she was only slightly weaker. For a Heavenly God-tier powerhouse like her to be a mere vassal, how much stronger would the true guardians of the Nether Realm's entrance be? His guess was the pinnacle of Heavenly God-tier.

Under such tight security of the group of powerhouses, it had indirectly testified the existence and horrors of the Nether Realm. It seemed that what the family of huge dragons had encountered, as he had expected, was the Nether Realm's conspiracy. In addition, it was highly possible for the Nether Realm to be associated with some of the powers on the mainland. Judging from the current situation, all the traces had been pointing to the Blood Red Hell. The Destruction Attribute they had demonstrated in the Heavenly Jewel Tournament was obvious to all. Furthermore, the sudden aggression of Dandun Empire displayed their ambitions. The only thing was this – was everything really this simple?

If it was only the Dandun and Bai Da Empire that's involved in a conspiracy under the support of the Blood Red Hell, then would the Zhongtian Empire, Heaven's Expanse Palace, Wan Shou Empire, and Heavenly Snow Mountain remain seated at the sidelines? Zhou Weiqing had known all along that there was never such a thing as permanent enemies in this world — there were only permanent benefits. Once the existence of the Blood Red Hell threatened the survival of the entire mainland, it was not impossible for contact between Heaven's Expanse Palace and Heavenly Snow Mountain to be established!

The truth would never show itself that easily. The Blood Red Hell alone would not prompt anyone to make a move on a whim. However, if there were to be contact between the Nether Realm and the Boundless Mainland, there might be even more situations. And all of these would only be apparent due to the sudden movements of the Blood Red Hell and the Dandun Empire, but things have just barely started.

It seemed that no matter if it was for Tian'er or the mainland's sake, it was necessary for him to pay another visit to Heavenly Snow Mountain, at the very least. The war waged by the Wan Shou Empire on the Zhong Tian Empire must be halted, and things must be clarified before any further action was taken.

After organizing his thoughts, Zhou Weiqing did not accompany Tian'er any longer. He had just returned and there was another major operation the next night, so there were many things which had to be dealt with.

Throughout the rest of the day, Zhou Weiqing barely had any rest. He had been meeting up with the upper echelons of the Heavenly Bow Empire without a break, and have taken care of the preparations for the battle tomorrow night with Ming Yu. At the same time, their plans were confidential and their enemies must never get hold of the information.

Regarding Zhou Weiqing's influence since his return, Ming Yu had the deepest thoughts. Everybody in the upper echelons, regardless if they were re-established from the disbanded army of the Heavenly Bow Empire or not, from the Peerless Regiment or if they were gathered by Zhou Weiqing, each and every one of them had a one-to-one meeting with Zhou Weiqing.

Of course, news of the attack was only known by the few people of the highest ranks, Zhou Weiqing had only told these officers that they would be launching their final round of offense in the near future. At the same time, he had also guaranteed that the royalty of the Heavenly Bow Empire would be rescued during the attacks.

The time he had spent meeting each person was different. Nevertheless, Ming Yu noticed that every officer who had been consoled by Zhou Weiqing would show absolute trust toward him. For most of the officers, although they greatly admired Ming Yu, he was still considered an outsider. On the other hand, Zhou Weiqing was different; his position in the Heavenly Bow Empire had always been essential. The godson of the Emperor, and the relative of the Admiral. On top of that, everything that the Heavenly Bow Empire had achieved to this date could be considered as the contributions of Zhou Weiqing. His parents were trapped in Heavenly Bow City, and he would never take his parent's lives as a joke. Therefore, these men naturally trusted him completely.

Within half a day's time, Zhou Weiqing had completely resolved the issues of the army's morale. As for the rest of the military tasks, they were naturally assigned to the officers.

After the most pressing issue had been resolved, Zhou Weiqing brought the Shangguan Triplets and Tian'er back to his room and quarantined them temporarily after lunch the next day. At the same time, they were also waiting for the last moment. On the other hand, Ming Yu had become the busiest, relaying countless military orders from the tent of the Heavenly Bow Commander.

Ming Yu realized that he was starting to grow fonder of his partner, Zhou Weiqing. Yes, he had always seen Zhou Weiqing as his collaborator and partner who fought together, while the Heavenly Bow Empire was his platform to demonstrate his talents.

Although Zhou Weiqing rarely appeared and seemed irresponsible, Ming Yu realized that he could not be without him. Zhou Weiqing's long-term vision and charisma, combined with his abilities in military affairs, were the key to the rise of the Heavenly Bow Empire. And what satisfied Ming Yu the most was that Zhou Weiqing would never comment on how he commanded the military, as he trusted him completely.

The most important battle of the Heavenly Bow Empire since its revival was about to begin, no explanations were needed for the importance of this battle. Both Zhou Weiqing or Ming Yu would not allow failure.

The skies gradually darkened, and the Heavenly Bow Empire was showered in a faint layer of red under the afterglow illumination.

Heavenly Bow City had been one of the most beautiful cities of the mainland. It was also the only city which stood amidst the woods, but now, it seemed a little defeated.

Around Heavenly Bow City, large areas of Star Trees had been cut down and transported to the Kalise and Bai Da Empire, resulting in a vast piece of empty land around the city. At the very least, looking outward from within the city, there were no covers of any sorts within ten miles. This had effectively prevented assaults.

The inside of Heavenly Bow City seemed depressed; the northern gates and the cities were all filled with armies. The city gate had long been shut. The population in the city was not even one-third of what it was during the ruling era of the Heavenly Bow Empire as those who were capable of escaping had all escaped. Especially after the armies who had recovered the lands while reviving the Heavenly Bow Empire, many citizens of Heavenly Bow City had chosen to escape, making their way to the new areas which the Heavenly Bow Empire had just seized.

Facing the heavy outflow of citizens, Kalise Empire had no choice but to close the gate, not allowing any citizens of Heavenly Bow City to leave so easily. Even with that, the people in Heavenly Bow City now stayed indoors, resulting in an empty and lonely city. It could only be hoped that all the civilians of the Heavenly Bow Empire were secretly anticipating the recovery of the armies of Heavenly Bow outside the city.

The palace of the Heavenly Bow Empire seemed lonely under the afterglow. The main hall of the palace, concurrently the biggest hall which contained the Heavenly Bow Empire's main hall, was engulfed by absolute darkness.

In the darkness, there was a faint layer of red blood light. It was only during the times with the strongest sunlight that one could see the looming outlines of the palace.

Right in front of this palace, there stood three people, all donned in Chinese costumes.

Among the three, the one standing in the center was an old man, donning a long black golden silk gown with dragon patterns, exuding a cold demeanor, while his eyes were full of arrogance.

The two other elderly people at his side looked older. However, they slightly resembled each other, so it was obvious that they were brothers. Both of them wore fire-red long gowns, but their manners toward the elderly in a black gown in the center were very respectful.

The old man in a black gown asked flatly, "How are the arrangements?"

The red-gowned old man to his left said in respect, "Reporting to Heavenly Emperor, everything has been arranged. The news we've released was that only a Darkness Heavenly King had come, if those people from the Heavenly Bow Empire dared to touch us, they won't be going anywhere."

The red-gowned old man to his right chuckled, and said, "Heavenly Emperor, rest assured, I really don't understand how can we bother you to make your appearance. Although the military standards of the Heavenly Bow Empire aren't bad, they don't really have any exceptional abilities, they're not to be part of our concerns. We've bothered six Heavenly Kings, and you, a Heavenly Emperor to personally sit in – it's overkill."

The old man in the black gown said, "You can't be careless too. At this frontline, we only have these armies for now, while the bigger armies have all been assigned to the southern front. For the overall plans of the Empire, we can't allow any problems here. Otherwise, though those in the Heavenly Bow Empire's armies may not be large in number, they can focus their men in a single area. Once the Kalise Empire has been wiped out, and the Bai Da Empire takes fire, the whole battle will be affected. On our side, we'll just have to defend. What other dissatisfactions do you have with such a simple mission?"

"None, none at all." The two old man quickly bowed and said.

The black-gowned old man turned his body and looked at the huge palace behind him and slightly furrowed his brows, "A mere tiny Ninth Jewel like this dares to activate a skill like the Fate Denying Seal? It'll be problematic even for me to attempt to release the seal. On the other hand, this seal is also beneficial as it's a way to hold back the Heavenly Bow Empire. Otherwise, before we've secured most of the control of the mainland, we still can't make our moves as we please against the normal armies."

This man in a black gown was Meng Gui or Heavenly Emperor Meng Gui as people called him. He used to be an independent cultivator, the same as Long Shiya, one of the Six Ultimate Heavenly Emperors. The only difference was that Long Shiya was more active in the north while the Heavenly Emperor Meng Gui hustled in the south. His Darkness Energy had been trained to excellence, and he was a famed figure in the world of independent cultivation as well. However, nobody knew when he had joined Dandun Empire.

The two old figures in red gown were indeed brothers, who came from Blood Red Hell. Named Huo Li and Huo Mei respectively, they were strong opponents nurtured by Blood Red Hell.

Other than them, there was each a Heavenly King-tier powerhouse on guard in the four directions around the huge palace of the Heavenly Bow Empire. It be could be said that the defense right here was as solid as metal walls and moats of boiling water.

According to their investigations, there was at least another Heavenly King-tier powerhouse residing in the Heavenly Bow Empire, and that person was God Tier Master Duan Tianliang. The assassin had actually been sent by Blood Red Hell to kill Zhou Weiqing so that the Heavenly Bow Empire would fall on its own. By then, their defense at the western front would no longer mean anything. Although the Fei Li Empire was a big country, there were the constraints by the Wan Shou Empire in the northern regions. As long as they did not launch their attack first, the Fei Li Empire would not dare to advance as well. Furthermore, on the Heavenly Bow Empire's side, they possessed more than two hundred thousand military forces during their peak. Even if Fei Li Empire made any moves, they would not result in anything much.

However, who would have imagined for the assassination to fail? After Ming Yu had led the Heavenly Bow Empire's armies to grow stronger, it resulted in the sharp decline in army forces on top of the exhaustion by the battle in Xuan Yue City. Their overall powers had even fallen to the extent that they might be no match for the Heavenly Bow Empire now.

Of course, to these few powerhouses above Heavenly King Tier, they did not bother much. If it were not for the limitations imposed by the Mainland Heavenly Jewel Master Agreement, with their combined forces, they had no reason to be afraid of the Heavenly Bow Empire. As to why they were stationed here, one of the factors was that they had taken the whole situation into account. Another being that they did not wish to surprise the Heaven's Expanse Palace and the faraway Heavenly Snow Mountain. It was still not the right time for them to expose all their cards.

At this moment, the old man in a black gown who had been staring at the palace engulfed by the Fate Denying Seal raised his head all of a sudden and looked toward the sky. Two rays of cold light shot from his eyes like lighting. He shrieked, "Get your ass out here."

"The word 'ass', do you have the rights to say that to me?" A voice sounded from the air in disdain. Within an instant, the space above the palace lit up, and six dazzling colors exploded like fireworks and descended from the sky, enveloping the Fate Denying Seal within it.

Midair, a big fat person stepped out, and arrived above the palace, both his arms gesturing to pressure the rest, and shrieked, "Get all of your asses out here."

The six colors suddenly expanded and simultaneously pressed toward each direction, but the strange thing was that these light rays seemed to have eyes. The buildings were not damaged at all.

Four silhouettes shot out like four streaks of lightning toward four different directions, with the addition of the two brothers, Huo Li and Huo Mei, leaping onto the sky, the six of them surrounded the big fat person in the air.

Meng Gui's iris contracted instantly, "Six Ultimate Heavenly Emperor Long Shiya. Big Fatty Long, you dare to stand against the Blood Red Hell?"

The big fat person who had appeared out of nowhere was Long Shiya. Upon hearing Meng Gui's words, Long Shiya said with disdain, "What about the Blood Red Hell? Who do I fear? I've even made frequent visits to that fellow Xue Ao'tian in Heavenly Snow Mountain. Meng Gui, you're also an independent cultivator with Heavenly Emperor-tier cultivation. To be someone's lackey at your old age, aren't you ashamed?"

Meng Gui took one step forward. The next instant, he had come to an approximate of twenty meters in front of Long Shiya in the air, standing opposite him in a confrontational manner.

Looking at the eleven circling Heavenly Jewels beneath and above Long Shiya, he continuously released his own aura to withstand the pressure flowing from Long Shiya.

"Big Fatty Long, others may fear you, but I'm not bothered. That Six Ultimate Heavenly Path Formation of yours may be fascinating, but on your own, you won't be faring well here. What about your old partner Duan Tianliang? Why don't you call him out?"

Upon Meng Gui's appearance in the air, the surrounding six Heavenly King-tier powerhouses felt a sharp decrease of pressure, and secretly let out a breath of relief. Long Shiya had been addressed as The Mightiest below the Heavenly Gods, and that name was not without reason.

Long Shiya said scornfully, "Why would I need the additional appearance of old Duan just to deal with an old man like you and the rest of you? You think too highly of yourself."

Meng Gui grunted but showed no changes in his facial expression. "There's no meaning for you to debate with me here. It's been some time since I've dealt with your Six Ultimate Heavenly Path Formation. We shall see today if you've improved in these years."

While saying that, his side of the sky darkened abruptly, and forcefully pushed back part of the six colors of light rays which Long Shiya had released in the air. The absolute darkness was mixed with a concentrated aura of insanity.

"Eh? So I was right. I've been thinking how the Blood Red Hell have been engaging you; it's this damned Destruction Attribute." Long Shiya was not really surprised. With both his arms folded behind him, his demeanor remained the same even if he was surrounded by that many powerhouses.