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Chapter 302: Seven Star Azure Dragon

Translator: chuchutrain Editor: DavidT, Rock

Ling Five's face reddened and a respectful gaze could be seen in his eyes. Respectfully he said, "It is all thanks to young noble's pointers. If not for young noble instructing me about the secret technique, we certainly wouldn't have been able to deal with the Black Iron!"

Ling Tian chuckled and patted him on the shoulders as he praised, "With just a single year, you made 10,000 sabers, 10,000 swords, and 10,000 bows. Ling Five, you have already completed your mission perfectly! The efforts of you and your brothers were essential if our plans were to be successful! This was indeed a difficult mission, and you don't need to be so humble. Go back and tell our brothers that you guys have performed a great merit! I, Ling Tian, am extremely satisfied! I thank all of you!" Ling Tian's expression became solemn as he gave thanks with a sincere attitude.

Ling Five began to choke up with emotion. A full year of forging weapons, and whether it was in the blazing summer or bitter winter, they ate and drank in front of the iron furnace. It was hard to imagine the suffering they went through! There were even some brothers who passed out from dehydration while hammering the iron!

However, right at this moment when Ling Tian said those words, Ling Five felt as though everything he did and all the fatigue he had suffered was worth it! He felt extremely proud in his heart, and he couldn't keep his tears from rolling down!

Ling Tian helped him to wipe off his tears and said gently, "Go back and tell the brothers that I will pay them a visit when I am free. When you go back, make sure to bring more tonic for them. Just take as much as you require and you don't have to worry about the cost. The health of our brothers is the priority!"

"Yes! Ling Five thanks young noble for your concern on behalf of my brothers!" Ling Five stood up straight and gave a bow.

"Issue all the weapons out. The captains and above can receive a high-grade saber each! As for the rest, you guys can just make the decision. Also, save the 100 best blades and reward them to those with merits!" Ling Tian turned around and instructed Feng Mo, "From now on, our army is to be on full alert and ready to move out at any moment! Their armor should be worn at all times with their gear fully prepared! There must be no delays!"

"Yes!" Feng Mo and his assistant, Wang Han acknowledged that order.

Ling Tian saw a long black package in a carriage and his eyes lit up. Walking forward, he stretched out his hands and pulled it out. With a shake of his arm, a dragon's roar could be heard, and the black cloth covering the weapon was torn to shreds.

As everyone looked towards Ling Tian, they couldn't help but take in a breath of cold air! What a tyrannical weapon!

This wasn't an ordinary guandao but one forged according to Ling Tian's memories from his past life! It was based on the Green Dragon Crescent Blade, the weapon of Guan Yu from the three kingdoms! However, it was 50% longer than the Green Dragon Crescent Blade and was almost 20 feet long. The thickness of the pole was the size of a fist and there was an intricate golden dragon carved onto it, curling along the pole of the guandao. The blade of the guandao was a full 3 feet long with the seven stars of the Big Dipper constellation engraved onto it. Each and every star gleamed on the blade like they were the eyes of a grim reaper! The back of a blade was half a foot thick and was extremely sturdy. The body of the weapon was extremely sturdy and heavy! If it was used on the battlefield, it would definitely be like a cyclone of death!

Ling Tian named this guandao the Seven Star Azure Dragon.

Looking at the weapon, everyone could imagine Ling Tian's ferocity when waving it on the battlefield. It was as though they could picture a bloody scene in front of them with corpses lying all around and body parts all over the battlefield! They couldn't help but tremble slightly at that thought.

Lightly waving the guandao, Ling Tian was elated at the fact that the blade was extremely comfortable to use. With this weapon in his hands, Ling Tian was confident that he would be able to rule the battlefield with it!

Keeping the weapon in his hand, Ling Tian turned to look at Ling Chen, "Are they all here?"

Ling Chen took a step forward and said, "They are all here! We have arranged for them to wait at the side yard temporarily, and they are awaiting your orders."

Ling Tian took two steps forward as he pondered over what he should do. Waving his hands, he said, "All the second-in-commands of the various organizations should wait in the secret chamber of Mount Victory!"

Almost a hundred people stood quietly in the secret chamber and the originally spacious secret chamber suddenly became congested. The people standing at the very edges were already touching the many cabinets filled with information. However, no one said a thing and not a single sound could be heard. Everyone present even intentionally lowered their breathing. Despite the many people squeezed into this secret chamber, it was silent.

Everyone knew that this secret chamber represented the true core of Ling Tian's organization. It was where all his secrets were hidden. Almost all the major decisions were made in this room and sent out from here. This small secret chamber had already caused countless rivers of blood and mountains of corpses!

It was both the most usual and yet unusual existence!

In the hearts of everyone present, this secret chamber was like sacred ground to them! This was also the place where they had longed to enter! Of the many people present, most of them were here for the first time in their lives! The excitement they felt in their hearts could be easily imagined!

In the secret chamber, while there were a few chairs surrounding the stone desk, everyone stood up straight without daring to sit down! Ling Jian stood up tall like a proud spear, looking at everyone present. Before he received Ling Tian's permission, even Ling Jian wouldn't take a seat!

The doors of the secret chamber then opened silently and Ling Tian appeared in front of them with Ling Chen! As everyone saw Ling Tian, a look of worship could be seen on their faces. With their heads slightly lowered, they opened up a path for Ling Tian to walk without saying a single word or making a single sound.

Ling Tian's face was completely calm as he walked through the path made by the crowd. Ling Chen followed closely behind him with a look of seriousness on her beautiful face!

Ling Tian lifted up the hem of his robes and sat down on the chair as he emotionlessly glanced at everyone. Finally, he pointed to the seat on his left and calmly said, "Ling Chen, sit!"

Ling Chen acknowledged his orders obediently and sat down without hesitation. Whenever Ling Tian called the full name of his subordinate, that was an order that couldn't be defied! Ling Chen was extremely clear about that. While she was puzzled as to why Ling Tian would ask her to sit beside him, she still obediently complied.

Ling Tian then pointed to the seat on his right and said calmly, "Ling Jian, sit!"

A trace of excitement filled Ling Jian's eyes as he obediently sat down!

After asking two people to sit down, Ling Tian did not instruct anyone else to take a seat. There was no one else who deserved to take a seat. Everyone could feel the tense and solemn atmosphere and made sure that they were fully alert.

Ling Tian looked at the crowd and said slowly, "Today, I have gathered all of you here because this young noble has realized a huge problem! If this problem can't be solved, our ambitions will never be fulfilled!"

The crowd was shocked!

All of them were frightened and puzzled as to what was the problem. They were concerned that Ling Tian would pay such attention to this problem and go through the effort to calling everyone in. While they weren't clear about what the problem was, they were certain that it must be a difficult one to solve for the young noble to place such emphasis on it. They all couldn't help but be nervous.

"Ling Six!" Ling Tian said with a sharp gaze, "You are someone who is my direct subordinate. Let me ask you, if you learn of some important news and I am not in Sky Bearing, what will you do?"

Ling Six's body shook and he took a step forward. After thinking for a moment, he answered, "This subordinate will definitely find a way to contact young noble for you to make a decision!"

"Mmm!" Ling Tian nodded his head, "Ling Seven, Ling Eight and Ling Nine, what about you guys?"

The three of them then looked at each other and said in unison, "We agree with brother Six and will wait for young noble to make a decision! How would we dare to make a decision without your permission?!"

Ling Tian's face was as calm as still waters, "What if the matter is something within your means? What will you do?"

The four of them looked at each other and felt a sense of fear. Ling Six then said, "Young noble's wisdom is not something that we can ever match up to. While we can handle small matters on our own, we would be afraid that handling the large matters would ruin young noble's plans. So…"

"B*st*rds!" Ling Tian bellowed, "Four pig heads! Can't you guys be a little more independent? If I have to make a decision for everything, why do I need all of you for? To shirk around?"

After a wave of scolding, the four of them lowered their heads with guilt. At the same time, there were many present who had the same idea as well and they lowered their heads also.

Ling Tian then let out a sigh and said slowly, "This is the big problem that I was talking about. If we can't solve it, it will definitely be our Achilles' heel. Now that war is about to break out in the continent, many of you here will definitely have to enter into battle and accomplish great feats in the process! This young noble will also throw myself into the war and fight for hegemony! It will be impossible for me to wait here to issue instructions to all of you. If emergencies were to occur and you guys are unable to contact the courtyard, you guys can make your own decisions on the condition that it doesn't go against the principles of the courtyard! This order must be carried out from today!"

Everyone resoundingly acknowledged!

Ling Tian then continued, "From today on, every organization must definitely have a proper chain of command! Everyone is to adhere to it strictly and no one is to defy it! If this young noble isn't here, everything will be decided by Ling Chen. Everyone must treat her like how you treat me! If anyone of you defies that order, you will be executed without mercy! Ling Jian, you will be in charge of supervising them. If there is someone who dares to doubt Ling Chen when I am not around, they will be executed regardless of right or wrong! Do you understand?"

Chapter 303: Fail to Salvage

Translator: chuchutrain Editor: DavidT, Rock

Ling Jian straightened his back with a 'shua' sound, "Yes! Young Noble! I hear and obey!"

Ling Tian nodded his head and indicated for him to sit down as he continued, "The same applies to all present here! No matter who he is, or what group he belongs to. If the leader of the mission has met with a misfortune or has been killed, captured, or missing for more than three days, then the mission will be continued by the next in command! None of you are to go against this, or else I shall execute without any pardon!"

Ling Tian's ice cold eyes glanced towards Feng Mo and Wang Han now, "The same applies for the elite troops of the courtyard! If the commander of the platoon dies on the battlefield, then the vice commander is to unify the troops! If the vice also dies, then the deputy will take over! So on and so forth, until the small section commander! No matter when or where, and no matter how intense it is, you have to guarantee that the heart of the soldiers remained unmoved, even to the last man! Do you understand?!"

"Understood!" Both men chorused. Everyone present could hear the naked underlying message from Ling Tian's speech that in the near future there would be an all-out war. Hearing such news, the stifled warmongers amongst them started to feel their blood racing once again.

Ling Tian grunted in satisfaction, and continued, his tone bereft of warmth and affection, "In addition, every half year, perform a check on all those in command. If they are found to have conspired against their superiors in order to promote themselves, then execute their entire family, and remove all their nine generations from the face of the earth! Those of you present are included! I do not wish to personally act to silence you guys, but if I ever catch wind of this, I will never show mercy!"

"Yes!" Everyone felt cold sweat running down their backs!

After staring at everyone's face for a while more, he finally gave the order, "Other than the chiefs responsible for the Northern periphery, the rest are dismissed!"

In front of the secret chamber, an old man with snow white hair was pacing back and forth, a look of anxiety on his face. Now and then, he would raise his head to glance at the tightly closed door, but seeing the stone-faced guards in front of him, he would lose his courage to proceed further. His wrinkled hands with skin like dried orange peels kept pulling on his goatee, and in his nervousness, he didn't even notice that he had already pulled out a few strands.

When the stone door opened, a group of people with varying expressions such as happiness, solemnity, or shame walked out. Some of them stopped briefly to exchange greetings, but none of them tarried, immediately walking away. From far off came the sound of horses galloping off, fading into the distance.

These people were all assigned to different areas, and to have come here today had already taken up quite a bit of their time. There were a million and one problems still waiting for them back at their workplaces for them to tidy up, hence they couldn't afford to waste any more time.

But everyone present had the same thought in their heads: The winds of these lands were going to shift! The calm right now was merely the final preparations. All the major influences were carrying out their final preparations, and no one could afford to be the last in this race!

In a short moment, another group of ten or more walked out. However, the group this time looked completely different. Every one of them walked with hasty steps, some even full out sprinting, as though their rears were on fire. All had on apprehensive faces, and some didn't even stay to bid farewell, immediately snatching the reins of the nearest horses and rushing away from the place.

Seeing Ling Tian finally walking out, the old man immediately rushed forward, close to tears. He covered the distance quickly and whispered, "Young noble, things aren't good. The life of the little princess of the Shui Family is hanging by a thread. I'm afraid…."

Ling Tian shuddered, and grabbed the man by the collar immediately, lifting his shriveled body up as he shouted, "Afraid of what?"

The old man was precisely the physician of the Ling Family Courtyard, and his skills were incredible. Right now, being grabbed like this by Ling Tian, he had difficulty breathing. His entire face was gradually turning red as he stuttered out, "Afraid… that I have failed to salvage the situation!"

"What!" Ling Tian received a great shock, immediately turning anxious, "Hurry, take me there!"

Ling Tian immediately rushed over, his heart endlessly calculating the consequences. Shui QianRou couldn't die right now! First, the plot between Northern Wei, Sky Bearing and the Water of Heavenly Wind hadn't been revealed yet; if she were to die then all leads would be cut. Second, because of her, Ling Tian had mercilessly cut down the two Yu Family Elders. That would be equivalent to offending the two greatest families in history if Shui QianRou died! Even if he were to shift the blame over to the green-robed expert, the losses would still outweigh the gains. Third, if Shui QianRou were to die, then he would lose the perfect bargaining chip he had against the Water of Heavenly Wind!

The way Ling Tian did things was to throw his all into his objective, with every bullet he fired hitting the bullseye. He definitely wouldn't accept anything that wasn't to his benefit. "Continuously taking advantage, never suffering a loss" was his motto! But this time, if Shui QianRou were to really throw away her life, then all his efforts would go down the drain. It was as good as losing a free treasure.

Shui QianRou lay on the bed, her matted hair spread all over the clean white sheets. Her eyes were closed shut, with a few tear marks still seen on the corners. That beautiful face of hers was awfully pale, and she looked like a person on their deathbed. Her hands were freezing cold, and only the slight rise of her chest now and then showed that she was a living person.

Her attendant Die'er sat at the side, bereft of any strength from all her crying.

With deft steps, Ling Tian reached Shui QianRou's side, and grasping her wrist with a hand, he circulated his internal energy. What he saw made him frown!

The meridians in Shui QianRou's body were all sluggish, an obvious sign that she was a dying lamp. If this continued, then in less than a few hours she would be lying in a coffin! What should he do?

Ling Tian's face fell, and he ordered, "Everyone present is to get out. Ling Chen, stand by the door, and do not allow anyone to disturb me!" He added in another sentence for good measure, "If you receive any news regarding the war front, make the decisions in my place!"

Ling Chen knew that this was a life-threatening situation, and with a cold expression she compiled, chasing everyone out.

However, Die'er pounced on Ling Tian and shook him vigorously, screaming, "It's you! You killed our Princess! I'll fight it out with you, b*st*rd!"

Ling Tian sent a cold glare and a harsh slap her way, knocking her away from him. He indifferently spat, "If you still want your princess to live, then you had better stay quietly by the door! Of course, if you wish for her death, then you can stay here and continue making noise, in which case I can guarantee that she will die!"

The face of Die'er had five fresh red imprints on her pale face, but she didn't even notice the stinging pain, so obsessed she was over Ling Tian's words. She immediately retreated from her current position, and kneeled down, knocking her head on the floor, "Please save the princess, please save the princess! As long as you save her, I'll let you treat me however you wish!" She then dashed out.

Ling Tian only shook his head, then gently supported Shui QianRou's body. He sighed in his heart at her grievous injuries. While her external injuries looked serious, they wouldn't have caused a fatal problem with her current cultivation level. The only reason it happened was that Ling Tian had harshly struck two blows to her psyche and mental state!

In order to heal someone who was fatally injured, while the competency of the doctor played a part, the more important part was the willpower of the patient! If the patient had no more desire to continue living, and only begged for release from their illness, then even if the reincarnation of Hua Tuo 1 was here, he would be completely helpless!

Right now, Shui QianRou could be compared to such a scenario, with her heart already having lost the will to survive! With her vitality greatly diminished, her ability to heal her own injuries also decreased, allowing them to worsen. Her mental anguish also caused problems with her meridians, and because of a lack of timely diagnosis, it would come as no surprise if she had died! Luckily, the old physician had given her a slice of ginseng earlier to prolong her last breath of life, so that they could carry out acupuncture to stimulate her vitals and save whatever vitality she still had.

Lightly arranging her body into a sitting position, Ling Tian then sat beside her. After regulating his breathing, he no longer hesitated, immediately bringing his hand to touch her navel acupoint, with his other hand flat on her back. His Divine Shocking Dragon Formula immediately released two strands of internal energy, one Yin and one Yang, slowly circulating it around her body, reviving her atrophied meridians, so as to stimulate her self-regenerating abilities.

He had barely used his strength, but he could already feel Shui QianRou's resolve to die! Her meridians were almost fully clogged, and even with his current strength, he was unable to smoothly circulate his energy. If he took the action of forcibly powering through a path, he might even cause her meridians to shatter. In that case, even if the God of Immortality himself visited, he would fail to salvage this situation!

With this thought in mind, he suddenly retracted the majority of his internal strength, leaving only a thread of energy to slowly circulate around her body, using this compressed needle-like stream to pierce through her acupoints and meridians!

While this stream of energy appeared thin, it was frighteningly penetrative, and it threaded through Shui QianRou's meridians like a hot knife through butter. While it might leave some damages to her body, at least her network of meridians had begun to show some signs of life, unlike that deathly state just mere minutes ago. Even after revolving one complete cycle, Ling Tian's face didn't relax. He sent out yet another thread and revolved another cycle, further clearing up her acupoints and meridians. His third thread was sent out shortly after, then the fourth… then a fifth...

Chapter 304: Subtle Matters of the Heart

Translator: chuchutrain Editor: DavidT, Rock

This sort of healing method actually expended the most internal energy! By compressing the energy into a point, while the penetrative power increased drastically, so did the consumption! And Ling Tian still needed to carefully control its movements to reconnect Shui QianRou's meridian paths, so even a small deviation was unacceptable! Furthermore, Ling Tian had actually sent out five waves of energy. If this sort of matter were to be spread out, the entire pugilistic world would be thrown into shock!

Even the green-robed expert with that frighteningly powerful cultivation might fail when it came to this!

As for Ling Tian's Divine Shocking Dragon Formula, it was through relying on the words 'shocking dragon', the myriad changes of a dragon, and adding on the extreme purity of his internal energy he cultivated since young that he was able to barely achieve such a result! However, the amount of energy as well as the mental strength he spent on this activity could be imagined, and if not for him pushing his overwhelming willpower to the utmost limits, he probably wouldn't be able to take it! However, he was already out of options to save her. For her to not die would, in the end, rely on her will to survive, and Ling Tian had already done the best he could.

Shui QianRou moaned and finally woke up. She suddenly opened her eyes wide, astonished at the fact that she didn't die. However, she was after all the successor for Water of Heavenly Wind, and she regained her bearings quickly. After blinking a few times, the fuzzy view sharpened, and revealed a person sitting beside her. It was Ling Tian! However, what greeted her was the sight of his solemn face, with perspiration all over his head, and his chest heaving up and down heavily. He looked as though he was extremely tired, making her heart ache for no reason.

But upon thinking about how much shame Ling Tian had heaped on her, and that heartless interrogation as well as those heartless eyes, she couldn't help but feel her heart well up in frustration, together with a strong sense of vengeance!

It was then that she felt a warm current of energy coursing through her veins, re-energizing the remnants of her own energy residues that were still within her meridians. Then she understood, that this stream of pure internal energy was what had saved her! It was Ling Tian that had saved her!

What an injustice!

The moment she realized this, not only did she not have a single shred of gratitude, but she even felt a strong sense of hatred! Since you made me suffer such cruel treatment and furthermore were so callous towards me, then why are you saving me? Why don't you just let me die! Can't you let me leave in peace?!

Thinking up to this point, Shui QianRou had a certain impulse to break free from this embrace. However, a venomous thought suddenly appeared in her head. While he was helping her treat her illness, his ability to protect himself would be at the lowest point! If she were to activate her internal energy and use it as a counter, then she would definitely be able to have them end up in mutual destruction! This person, if kept alive would be the Heavenly Wind's greatest enemy. Even with superior intelligence as well as the discipline and drive to cultivate hard, in addition to having famed teachers for guidance and a medicine hall with spiritual medicines supplied to her, she was only at the cusp of reaching the XianTian realm. However, Ling Tian actually had almost trained to the peak of XianTian realm!

However, the moment this thought rose up, it was immediately quashed down by Shui QianRou. Was that how she should treat someone who had saved her not once but twice? Keeping it under wraps was bad enough, but she even wanted to repay kindness with evil, how could she ever face herself as a person? While they were enemies, there still existed gratitude between them! And as for suffering her humiliation, if she hadn't come here with the express intention of harming the Ling Family, then how would she even form an enmity with them?

Thinking of these things, Shui QianRou could only feel a wave of shame wash over her. Lowering her head, she saw that Ling Tian had a hand stuck underneath her shirt, on her skin where her dantian was supposed to be. She couldn't help but feel a sense of embarrassment as well as heartache.

He… should be very tired, right? Why was he even doing this for an enemy?!

This man! He had already seen her body at its fullest when he treated her injuries in the pine forest and even played with her forbidden areas, even though it was just for treatment. But right now, he actually had a finger on her abdomen, at such a compromising position! And it was also for treating her injuries again...

In these three days, he actually saved her life twice!

In this age where women guarded their bodies like treasure, her precious, no, sacred body had actually been seen and touched by this man! Even though it was for treatment, but the truth was that she had been seen and even caressed! And this guy was actually someone she liked but was enemies with. How confusing! And her original mission was actually to come here to assassinate him and his father!

But what about her? As a woman, now that her body had already been seen by a man, and even been touched, how could she still present herself to another man? Let's not talk about whether the man was willing or not, she herself couldn't bring herself to do it.

Shui QianRou's heart was in waves, a thousand and one thoughts flying through her mind. Even she didn't know what she was thinking, and how she was going to proceed from here on. For the first time, she asked herself this question: 'How should I go on from here? What do I do to be considered correct?!'

She had been influenced for over a decade, her elders constantly admonishing her from young that her heart should always remain loyal to her family! Her efforts today would all be for the sake of creating a better tomorrow for her clan! Shui QianRou never thought of the fact that as a woman, where would she spend the next half of her life? But after meeting Ling Tian, this feeling became more and more intense, to the point that it even shook the once immobile foundation of her loyalty to her family!

In the end, she was still a woman! Was she really required to sacrifice so much for her family? Not just her life, but her youth, her feelings, her love, and even her lover? Did she have to throw all that away?

If it was just her, that might be fine, but what about the others? What right did she have to sacrifice them as well?

Shui QianRou was suffering from an existential crisis!

She was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't notice that Ling Tian was already alerted to her consciousness, and had already pulled back his own internal energy. She also didn't notice that her body had already regained most of their usual faculties, and deep in her heart, a tiny seed of hope and expectation had rooted itself.

Would her family never be able to live harmoniously with the Ling Family? Did she have to duke it out with a person she liked? But both families never had any grudges to begin with! Why did it have to be this way, and how could she mediate between them?

As she sat there, lost in her thoughts, her facial expressions constantly changed: one moment a smile, the next lost and confused, determined, unwillingness, then to a weird shy look, with a sweet smile on her mouth… but even with the multitude of changes, her charm still showed…

Ling Tian had finally regulated his breathing and was observing the various changes in Shui QianRou's face. The human skin mask had long been taken off by Ling Tian, and with such breathtaking beauty in front of him, he finally got the chance to properly spectate.

Shui QianRou's beauty was one part stubborn, one part confident, plus a tenacity and decisiveness that normal women wouldn't possess. She was akin to a rose, beautiful yet covered with thorns! Even if she was angry, she still looked elegant, and even if she displayed hatred, it was equally moving!

Just based on looks, Shui QianRou's beauty wasn't below that of Ling Chen, Yu BingYan, or Xiao YanXue! Ling Tian let out a long sigh; yet another heaven toppling beauty!

"Cough cough, Miss Shui, I believe you're already awake?" Shui QianRou had just gotten a grasp of the most optimal answer, her face flushing with a sense of elated giddiness, when a disgusting voice sounded out of nowhere, breaking apart her thoughts. This caused her to fly into a rage.

Opening her eyes, she saw a handsome face opposite hers, a teasing look on his face as his eyes roved around her face.

Shui QianRou's face immediately grew impassive, and with a cold snort, she looked to the side. Ling Tian, no matter how my heart thinks, or what choice I make in the end, I'm still Shui QianRou, and I'll not be so easily conquered by you!

"Oh, Miss Shui, time is of the essence, so please forgive this young noble here for disrupting your dreams." Ling Tian spoke, "But now it's still early, so Miss Shui can continue to stay here and dream until later."

"Why do you even care?!" Shui QianRou felt a wave of exasperation. Other than sarcasm and vulgar rude words, this person never spoke anything else to her! However, she didn't realize that her sentence wasn't one that would be said to an enemy, but rather between lovers! While Shui QianRou spoke without thinking, Ling Tian was already anxious beyond anything.

"Yes, yes, I shouldn't be caring about what dreams you are having," Ling Tian smiled, "But, Miss Shui still hasn't given me what you promised! Ling Tian now is extremely worried that my father will be in peril, and thus does not have the spare time to continue waiting!"

Chapter 305: Requiring Immediate Action

Translator: chuchutrain Editor: DavidT, Rock

A jolt went off in Shui QianRou's heart, finally allowing her to awake fully from her dream state. However, the moment she remembered how cruel and ruthless Ling Tian was towards her when he had interrogated her, she couldn't help but fume once again. "Young noble Ling is all-knowing, why would you need to ask me for such a small matter?"

Ling Tian's face immediately turned cold, "Miss Shui, I'm not joking right now. This matter involves my father as well as the disciples he has groomed over the years and it's no minor problem. I beseech Miss Shui to speak the truth, so I'll be able to save my father. In the end, I Ling Tian do not wish to be irreconcilable enemies with you."

'I Ling Tian do not wish to be irreconcilable enemies with you.' This sentence triggered fanciful thoughts in Shui QianRou. He doesn't want to be enemies with me, don't tell me… he has something for me in his heart?!

The lost spark of inspiration in her dreams just now was rekindled, and she realized that there was actually no blood feud between them as of now. However, if General Ling Xiao were to really lose his life there, then the feud between the two families would never be resolved. With the same line of thought, if she were to sell Ling Tian this favor that was considered as big as the heavens themselves, then not only would their feud be solved, but she herself could also...

Thinking to this point, Shui QianRou felt her face warm and she chided herself, What are you thinking? This is just to appease the feud between our two families… there's nothing more about this. Being together with Ling Tian is just a bonus…

Seeing Shui QianRou's face alternate between pale and red, finally settling on a pinkish hue, he thought to himself, What ailment does she have now? Did her injuries just flare up again?!

"Since that's the case, then QianRou will fulfill your wish to help your father, so long as young noble agrees to my two requests!" Shui QianRou sneakily glanced at Ling Tian, before straightening her feelings and saying out. "If young noble Ling agrees to it, then I'll tell you everything I know, without deceit or half-truths in the matter. Rest assured, my requests are not demanding, and in fact to your benefit!"

Ling Tian questioned, "What requests?"

Shui QianRou replied with a resolute face, "My request is first, for young noble to forgive us, and as long as young noble doesn't go against our interests, the Heavenly Wind continent will definitely not obstruct young noble in anything he does! If possible, we are even willing to establish an alliance with you! For young noble to achieve his plans of conquering all below the heavens, you will require the help of either the Water of Heavenly Wind or the Jade of Heavenly Star, you do know that fact don't you?"

Ling Tian's eyes shone as he replied, "And the second?"

A hint of pleading now appeared in Shui QianRou's tone, "The second request is regarding this mission. While I was sent over to Sky Bearing, my brother Shui QianHuan was sent to Northern Wei's side; I hope that young noble Ling will agree not to harm my brother or any of my family members."

Ling Tian let out a bitter smile as he coldly snapped, "With all your preparations and tens of thousands of troops at your command, to get my father out safely would already be a miracle. How would I even think of harming them?"

"Others might not be able to, but I believe that young noble Ling has the ability to! I QianRou only have this one brother, and just as young noble Ling would like to save your father, I too want to save my brother. If you do not promise me as such, then I don't dare to reveal anything!"

"Ok!" Ling Tian solemnly replied. "I promise you that, on my current expedition to the north, I will definitely not lay a finger on your brother. However, this is on the premise that my father is unharmed! And this oath will only last until I ensure my father's safety! If your brother Shui QianHuan doesn't know when to stop, then I will not go easy on him!"

Shui QianRou took a deep breath in relief. "That's good enough! My brother is definitely not someone who cannot adapt to the circumstances."

Ling Tian snappily spoke, "Shui QianRou, I want to know all your plans now!"

Replying with furrowed brows, Shui QianRou muttered, "Ever since the Northern Wei Empire was founded, my Shui Family has always been sending people over to the best of our capabilities so as to limit the Yu Family. However, due to our outstanding personnel, this has allowed Northern Wei to continuously grow stronger. The only problem lay in the fact that all the monarchs of the Empire were cowardly, with no guts to actually go head-on with the Yu Family. Hence, we selected a person full of ambition and guts, who was the crown prince Wei ChengPing."

"Oh…" Ling Tian began to see the light. No wonder Wei ChengPing dared to send assassins after Yu BingYan and Yu ManTian. It turns out that it was because he had the Water of Heavenly Wind at his back all along.

"While Wei ChengPing has a huge ambition, he is, in fact, a one hundred percent idiot!" Shui QianRou's mouth curled up in disdain as she spoke. "With so many years of continued guidance from us, while he might have picked up some shrewdness, but his plans are all child's play, nothing to be proud of. Thus, as Northern Wei's revenue grew, Wei ChengPing grew all the more unsatisfied with his position. Likewise, our family saw through him and decided to use Northern Wei to wage war against Sky Bearing. This would ensure that when the Heavenly Star Continent fell into chaos, we would then take the authority from Wei ChengPing, and use his troops to sweep the Yu Family off the face of the earth! By conquering Heavenly Star, and Heavenly Wind being our roots, it wouldn't be a difficult matter to become a true hegemon, ruling the entire world!"

"What a huge ambition!" Ling Tian mused as he stroked his chin. Indeed a millennium old aristocratic family, they actually have the same plan as me!

"Thus, I secretly snuck into Sky Bearing a month ago. I was tasked to find out all affairs regarding Sky Bearing. My original intent was to ally with the weakest aristocratic Ling Family, then use them to get rid of the Imperial and Yang families, finally controlling the Lings to lead Sky Bearing into being a vassal of Northern Wei." Shui QianRou continued.

"Ally with the Lings? Then what made you change your idea?" Ling Tian asked in astonishment.

"That's because before my preparations were complete, a heaven toppling event occurred in Sky Bearing! The originally weak Ling Family was suddenly exposed to have immensely deep roots, deeper than I ever thought possible. This was especially true for young noble Ling, to suddenly cover the skies of Sky Bearing with one hand, not only with absolute authority but with absolute strength! It was then I realized that young noble Ling was actually an expert the likes of which even I couldn't fathom! This sort of figure wasn't someone I could control, and I might even end up being controlled myself! Thus, I changed my target."

Ling Tian rubbed his nose as he let out a bitter smile. To think that this entire matter had started because he had revealed himself! What a good chance he had missed! If Shui QianRou had chosen to work with him, then everything would have turned out differently from the start, right?

This was really akin to the saying, 'All matters of life are akin to a game of chess'! Ling Tian sighed inwardly to himself.

"I went to the Yang family, but after having contact with them, I found out that other than the elderly Yang KongQun, there was no one else capable, and the head of the Yang family also didn't have much ambition," Shui QianRou continued, not noticing Ling Tian's inner monologue, "Thus, I snuck into the Imperial court one night. As I passed by Long Xiang's study, I overheard him gritting his teeth while scolding you. Thus, I took the chance and jumped in, using my sword to hold him hostage."

Ling Tian's smile became even more bitter. What perfect timing, that was probably the time when Long Xiang had begun to have lustful thoughts towards Ling Chen! Because Ling Tian had mercilessly disregarded his face by asking Ling Chen to offer tea to his father, of course, Long Xiang would be holding much hatred! Cursing Ling Tian in the palace wouldn't be a big deal, but to think that he would get caught by Shui QianRou while doing so! Was it that Shui QianRou's luck was too good, or that he had immensely bad luck?

"I put out the terms of helping him destroy both the aristocratic families here in Sky Bearing, allowing his position to stabilize, and even to ally with Northern Wei. The only condition was that he had to agree to submit being under Northern Wei as a vassal state. To think that he didn't even consider for long before agreeing!" A mocking smile appeared on Shui QianRou's lips.

"Childish! Extremely childish!" Ling Tian shook his head as he scolded viciously. "To agree to such terms, Long Xiang is indeed a pig brain!"

"Hmph, could he have disagreed?" Shui QianRou couldn't help but proudly reply. "I had already fed him with a poison and told him it was something which would flare up in a year. Other than me, no one else had the antidote! Even if he didn't believe me, he could only agree."

"I see!" Ling Tian realized what was going on. After the poisoning incident, Long Xiang had naturally been scared out his wits upon being told that he was poisoned. In addition, with the growing influence of the Ling Family, it had also turned into a thorn in his heart. Since agreeing to the matter would be an added benefit for him, it would be surprising if Long Xiang didn't jump aboard the pirate ship! He couldn't help but ridicule her though, "Miss Shui is really dependable when doing such things. What a seamless plan!"

Shui QianRou only huffed and ignored him, continuing to narrate, "Under the pretext of Northern Wei sending troops over, Long Xiang would send Ling Xiao out to battle. However, the three generals under Ling Xiao would be Long Xiang's men, and once the battle started, these three would then lead their troops to desert the army and break their morale! Finally, when they retreated, they would cut off Ling Xiao's path of retreat, such that even if he would be able to escape from Northern Wei's encirclement, they would still eventually fall to their own countrymen's ploy!

Ling Tian felt a chill. What a vicious plan! Even if it was him, he would have fallen for it!

"As for Northern Wei, in addition to their 200,000 strong army, they have also secretly raised another army of 200,000 to ambush along the retreat route. Northern Wei has also allied with Western Han, taking another 100,000 strong from them to do a pincer attack! My brother is also leading over twenty experts from the Shui Family, commanding the 400,000 strong army to encircle and annihilate Ling Xiao's 100,000 troops! Their mission is to not let even a single soldier back to Sky Bearing!"

"F**k me!" Ling Tian spat out a vulgarity. "You guys are really godd*mned evil!"

Shui QianRou immediately turned red from the insult, and she tried to placate him by saying, "In two sides of a war, any possible means can be used…"

"You want to say that to each his own, and that I shouldn't blame you, right?" Ling Tian interrupted her, his tone full of ridicule. "What sort of excuse is that? You guys are merely a bunch of ambitious f**ks! Let's skip those pompous excuses, I'm better than you guys would ever be in that area."

Shui QianRou shot him a vicious look as she angrily replied, "Then after we have annihilated Ling… your father's army, the experts from the Shui Family would then rush over to Sky Bearing and ally with the Yang and imperial families to wipe out the Ling Family! After that, with the combined alliance of three countries, they would send out their troops together! To achieve world dominance! This is the entire plan, are you satisfied now, young noble Ling?"

"No I'm not!" Ling Tian was literally exuding anger, his eyes already bloodshot. This plan was so ruthless that it had long exceeded all his expectations towards it. While he had long expected the ambush to be a large scale one, he had never thought that this wouldn't be manageable, given the large number of personnel he had over in the north. However, in this scenario, even the neighboring Western Han empire also had to stick a foot in! And there were even spies in the Sky Bearing army! With both internal and external problems, Ling Xiao would probably only have a 10% chance of surviving! Maybe even lesser! He had to calm down!

"Where's your ambush located? Specific details of your troop strength? Who's the general? How do you guys communicate?" Ling Tian's handsome face had already distorted in anger, a wave of killing intent billowing out from him. He immediately grabbed onto Shui QianRou's slim neck, a glint of madness in his eyes as he screamed, "Tell me!!!"

---

Ling Tian rushed out of the secret chamber like the wind, and from outside came the sounds of a bugle, his orders firing out rapidly like lightning during a thunderstorm!

Shui QianRou ignored the excited calls from Die'er who was ecstatic over her recovery, instead massaging her neck where Ling Tian had tightly gripped it while wheezing out, "I hope he makes it…"

At this moment, Shui QianRou seemed to have forgotten her identity, and the fact that she played a crucial part in this entire operation. In her heart, she only fervently hoped that Ling Tian would be able to save his father. This was because if Ling Xiao were to die, then Ling Tian would hate her for his entire life!

Even though it wasn't possible for anything to happen between them, but Shui QianRou still hoped that Ling Tian wouldn't hate her for life!

"Little Princess, do you think he will make it? With such a large disparity in their forces, will there be any danger?" Die'er carefully scrutinized Shui QianRou's face as she timidly spoke. This lass had a quick wit and having followed Shui QianRou since she was young, naturally could tell which direction her heart was leaning. She too began to feel anxiety.

A trace of hesitation could be heard in Shui QianRou's voice as she spoke, "I think there won't be…? No, there definitely shouldn't be! No matter what, Great General Ling has about 70,000 elite soldiers, and all are under his personal command, their battle prowess unbelievably strong. Out of the total strength from Northern Wei, almost half are new recruits, to attempt to swallow those 70,000 soldiers? Laughable! As for that brat, I don't even need to worry about him, instead, his enemies should be worried! All in all, I think he would make it because my brother is using his original plan…" A ray of light flashed past her eyes in remembrance. She had vehemently opposed his plan at the start, almost coming to blows with her dear brother. Thank god that her brother was obstinate enough to still carry on with his own plan! Or else…

"Little Princess, you…. you really fell for that fellow Ling Tian already, just look at what you're saying…" Die'er cautiously whispered.

"Hmph! After all the shame and humiliation he has given me, you still want me to fall for him? Dream on! Don't talk nonsense, lest you pollute your own mouth!" Shui QianRou obstinately refuted.

"But you always used to call Ling Xiao as 'that stupid mule', but today you suddenly changed to calling him Great General Ling, isn't that loving the house and its crow?" 1 Die'er imitated Shui QianRou's tone to perfection.

"You… you're dead, you lass!" Shui QianRou's face reddened, and she made a strangling gesture with her hands. Die'er grinned and immediately scuttled away.

Suddenly, Shui QianRou's face tightened as though she had thought of something else, and flopped back down, speaking in depressed tones, "Ling Tian this person, he's filled with profound mystery, definitely not some simple person! Die'er, the decision this time by the family clan was as good as creating for themselves an insanely strong enemy! The exact strength of Ling Tian, if we were to just base it on his stronghold here, while it might not compare to the Yu Family's strength, it definitely wouldn't be below the other aristocratic families! We made an error in judging the strength of the Ling Family the last time, thus we made such a choice. However, if we were to really succeed in assassinating his father, then our two families will have created a lifetime of hatred, one that will not end until one party is wiped off this earth! Based on the current strength of the Ling Family, if they form an alliance with the Yu Family, it would be enough to bury our Shui Family if they were to attack. At that time, misfortune will be definite! The best solution from the start would have been to win over Ling Tian, whether we wanted to guarantee our survival or to dominate all on earth. A pity, it's too late…"

Die'er was completely puzzled at this point, asking in confusion, "How could Ling Tian form an alliance with the Yu Family? In the black pine forest, didn't Ling Tian silence the two Yu family elders mercilessly? This is a blood feud, how could they resolve it?"

Shui QianRou laughed bitterly, "The matter of killing the two Yu Family elder was only witnessed by us and no one else. How could the Yu Family even know that it was Ling Tian who dealt the killing blow? Did you think that Ling Tian would set us free for us to broadcast this fact? Furthermore, Ling Tian could be considered to be the future husband of Yu BingYan, and that alone proves that his ties with the Yu Family will run extremely deep. The reason why they have not formed any alliances so far is that Ling Tian probably doesn't wish to be under someone else. However, if you push him to the corner, the alliance with the Yu Family will naturally turn into his number one choice! Why wouldn't it be so? There should be a great chance of that happening!"

"Taking another step back, with the current Yu Family Head Yu ManLou being such an ambitious and ruthless character, even if this matter gets uncovered, he might not even pursue this matter, instead choosing Ling Tian's friendship over the blood feud! Only if our Water of Heavenly Wind doesn't exist at that time, then there might be a chance that he would pursue Ling Tian. However, before that happens, the Yu Family will definitely not choose to pick a war with Ling Tian! This is even before considering the fact that Ling Tian is entwined with Yu BingYan now. Sigh!" At the last part, even Shui QianRou couldn't help but let out a long sigh full of meaning.

Die'er sat in silent contemplation for a while, before saying, "Was it that our family looked down on Ling Tian too much from the beginning?"

"We didn't just belittle him!" Shui QianRou felt like crying but no tears could come out. "We literally treated a fierce tiger as a fluffy rabbit for us to gobble up! It would be surprising if we didn't get gobbled up in return! This was also my fault as I didn't spot this malignancy early, leading to such a situation! I only hope that Brother Huan will not kill general Ling so quickly, or else not only brother Huan, but I and even our entire Shui Family will be in mortal danger!"

"This sort of person, this sort of capability; if we don't have the chance of finishing him in one blow, then the best idea would be to placate him, then slowly draw him in." Shui QianRou muttered. "And now, if Ling Tian really becomes the in-law of the Yu Family, and with the Shui Family offending him, then our doomsday is not far off."

"So our little princess intends to… sacrifice herself?' There was a hint of laughter in Die'er's voice

"It isn't a sacrifice…" Out of her expectations, Shui QianRou didn't even refute her, instead saying, "It's a sort of good fortune I guess, because Ling Tian is the only person in this world who can probably fulfilll my criteria in both the martial and civil areas. Furthermore, not only is he good at calculating and scheming but also knows how to prudently move, only aiming for the most effective result. After the event, not only will you not hate him but in fact, only have admiration for such a genius. I have a good opinion of him, and being married to such a man would not be cheapening myself in any way. This is also a good way to curb the Yu Family. I could potentially kill so many birds with one stone!" Upon talking about her potential other half, a trace of shyness shone in her eyes, but she still spilled everything without the bashfulness of a female.

"Little Princess, do you really not hate him for all the humiliation he has given you in the last few days?" Die'er asked in shock.

"Hate him? Why should I?" Shui QianRou smiled drily. "Die'er, I also mentioned before that, standing in my position, what I did was definitely not wrong; but in his position, this was a despicable and heinous crime. In the end, we were the ones who first plotted against his father and him, even to the entire Ling Family. Thus, in order to save his family, he could only resort to such a cruel method. This is still not overboard because after all, all that came out were merely words. If he were to use the normal method of waiting for me to talk, then when I finally opened my mouth, how many days would that have been? Three? Four? At that time, even the corpse of his father wouldn't be found, much less having a chance to save him!"

Shui QianRou lifted up her head and lowly whispered, "As such, his choice of action was definitely correct, and that this would be the only way to scare me. Torture would only be a joke! While I know that he was only trying to scare me, as a woman, I couldn't take the chance."

"Scare you?" The round eyes of Die'er grew even rounder. "You mean…"

Shui QianRou laughed, "If he didn't scold Ling Chen, as well as kick his guards; I'll still have believed that he was lying to me. However, the kick he gave was just too conspicuous." Shui QianRou leisurely spoke. "How could a person, who already knows how to endure from a young age, have lost control of his emotions like that? Sadly, even if I knew, I didn't dare to bet! Because after all I'm a woman, and we have much more to lose! While I refused to admit that in the past, right now, I have no choice but to do so!"

Die'er opened her mouth in shock. She suddenly had this strange feeling that both her little princess as well as Ling Tian were monsters in human skin. How could it be that their thinking was so profound, but yet could talk about it in a tone that was used to describe the weather?

Shui QianRou, however, continued speaking in an apathetic tone, "In this chaotic world, one cannot define a person's side just by judging whether he is good or bad. The same goes for their methods used. Only the victor at the end will be a hero, no matter what he has done before! As such," Shui QianRou summarised, "in this world, there are no definite angels nor devils. Anybody can be a saint or a villain! Since you have taken the initiative to participate in this bloodfest, then don't be hypocritical and criticize someone else! There's actually nothing to criticize either, because using morals and virtues to attempt to define a fellow competitor would an extremely foolish thing, and it will only hasten your death!"

If Ling Tian could hear this conclusion of Shui QianRou, he would definitely applaud in admiration, exclaiming on how well they understood each other.

However, Ling Tian no longer had the patience nor time to idle around, for he was already burning up with anxiety! Shui QianRou's words had already caused his mental state to crumble! Such treacherous plans and such poisonous layers of ambush! Once the plan was to start, Ling Xiao would definitely have a 90% chance of dying!

Right now, Ling Tian only hoped that his father would be able to endure for a longer period of time and that the four men he employed, from Ling Nineteen to Ling Twenty-two would be able to protect his father until he arrived!

Time was of the essence! The army of the Outer Courtyard stood orderly, waiting for Ling Tian's command to rush out like a cannonball!

"Ling Chen! Bring Ling Lei and Ling Dian and guard Sky Bearing, stabilizing the Ling Family! Bring 2,000 troops with you, and the moment you sense any movements, kill without exception! In addition, employ the fastest speed you can find to inform those on the northern and western sides, whatever the price, to rush to the battlefield immediately! Move!"

"Yes!"

"Feng Mo, go together with Wang Han and lead 15,000 troops to set off right now, whoever blocks your path along the way, kill! Do not tangle with anyone, rush to the battlefield to provide assistance at the fastest possible time!"

"Yes!"

"Ling Six, Seven, Eight, Nine!"

"At your command!"

"The four of you are to gather all your subordinates, and so long as they are nearby the battlefield, even if it's only one report, they are to send it to me at the earliest possible time! Report the intelligence back to me constantly!"

"Yes!"

"Ling Jian, Ling Chi, Ling Feng, and Ling Yun!"

"Present!"

"You four will follow me to set off now, with the lightest weight you can have, and the fastest speed! We head towards Nine Swallow City! Ling Chen, notify the north-western ranch, and tell them to prepare their best five warhorses at the junction when we pass by!"

"Yes!"

"Yes!"

With the sounds of neighing horses, five steeds rushed forward, disappearing in the blink of an eye! A plume of dust was generated in their wake, lingering on for a long time!

One peerless expert and four asuras of the current generation had set off!

Chapter 306: The Beginning of War

Translator: chuchutrain Editor: DavidT, Rock

The unavoidable war in the north finally arrived with bloody events unfolding one after another, daunting and vigorous!

Following the rush of the Northern Wei warhorses like hungry wolves, the archers in the Sky Bearing army immediately showed a response!

The 70,000 troops that were under Ling Xiao's direct command were not merely considered his troops in name only, but they were also the strongest and most elite that Sky Bearing had to offer! If one were to compare these troops to others around the Heavenly Star continent, this regiment would at least rank in the top three. Just based on the actions of the archers, one could already see the difference!

The archers quickly got into their formation consisting of three lines. The first row kneeling on one knee, shooting from a low angle. The second row stood with their bows and arrows pointed forward, aiming normally. The last row pointed their bows and arrows towards the sky, using a parabolic trajectory to aim at the enemies farther ahead. Three different arrangements, each with their own specializations, without any kind of disorder.

"Sou sou sou sou…"

Arrows instantly blanketed the sky like a group of flying locusts, suddenly plunging the battlefield into darkness!

Numerous sounds of disorder and confusion rang out, as countless Northern Wei soldiers fell off their horses when the arrows struck, only to be trampled into a human paste by the rest of the troops behind them! However, the enemies still charged forward regardless of their lives! In this round, the cavalry had to charge into Ling Xiao's forces and force them into a one to one fight before they could eliminate them!

Just a few waves of arrows raining down caused many Northern Wei soldiers to be heavily injured or even die. Although the speed of the cavalry was great, the rain of arrows was even more dense, preventing them from quickly reaching the frontlines!

Seeing the elite troops that he had personally nurtured being reduced by half in merely the time it took to boil a cup of tea, Wei ChengPing felt a heartache, wanting to swap in other formations to take the brunt instead. However, that Shui youth suddenly smirked and said, "Is Brother Wei feeling the pain?"

However, Wei ChengPing seemed like he didn't want to offend the youth, instead saying, "Brother Shui, my army far outstrips Ling Xiao's. There's no need to waste our military strength like this, or the losses will be too large to bear!"

The Shui youth only laughed coldly in response, "The meaning of an ambitious person refers to a person who will not be bothered about trifles, and above all, is not soft-hearted. While Ling Xiao only has 70,000 troops, they are all elites in this present day, and if we cannot settle this within a short time it will result in a stalemate. Once this battle is extended, more variables have the chance to appear, leading to our loss. Furthermore, Ling Xiao engaged in a rushed expedition this time, and so the supplies for their camps were not properly prepared. As long as we take the chance to inflict some damages, we can cause the frontlines to break apart, and at that time, the Ling Army will have no chance of recovery!

While Wei ChengPing felt the heartache, he also felt that the Shui youth was absolutely correct, so he could only grin and bear it, turning his attention to the war front!

The state of affairs was exactly how the Shui youth had described. After sacrificing another five hundred men or so, the distance between both sides was finally closed to the effective flight path of an arrow, and after two more volleys from the archers, the cavalry had already arrived before their eyes! Under the rays of the rising sun, the soldiers from Sky Bearing could see the malevolent gazes of their enemies!

However, Ling Xiao didn't panic just yet, giving the red flag he held a swift jerk down! In that instant, soldiers appeared from their tents, carrying numerous stakes that they planted down a few feet away from the foot soldiers! The stakes were clustered tightly next to each other, some long, some short, others thick or skinny.

These few feet unexpectedly formed the line between life and death!

The soldiers of Northern Wei rushed over like the wind, and due to being horribly suppressed by the rain of arrows previously, were full of vengeance. This abrupt change left them close to no time to adapt, and they ran headlong into it!

The stakes caused many of the cavalry to lose their balance and fall down from the warhorses! Those at the back were still approaching at their top speed, so how would they have the ability to slow down in time? Inevitably, those at the back crashed into those in the front, which led to a domino effect of those in front being trampled upon and those who had crashed into the cavalry in front toppling off their horses!

The archers of Sky Bearing once again stood up and arrows rained down, mercilessly killing all the helpless cavalry! Screams echoed all over the battlefield!

The bugle horn of retreat finally sounded from the Northern Wei army. Wei ChengPing finally couldn't endure the losses of his elite troops and gave the order to retreat! The Shui youth had on a heavy expression, but he didn't utter a single word of objection!

The cavalry at the back managed to hold back their horses with difficulty. In the area less than 100 feet in front of the Sky Bearing army it looked like a scene out of hell! Many soldiers that weren't killed after the arrows or the stampede lay there groaning in pain. The ground was already saturated with blood, with the excess blood flowing in rivulets and forming tiny blood pools. The dead carcasses of the warhorses piled up high like a mountain, forming a natural protective screen between the two armies!

This skirmish actually cost the Northern Wei more than 6,000 elites! And Sky Bearing only had a few hundred that were lightly wounded, with a death count not even over 10. It was a one-sided victory!

"Commander!" A poker-faced deputy general spoke to Ling Xiao who was nearby him upon seeing this scene, "Though we had the upper hand this time, the enemy far outnumbers us by at least by five to one, and they have even encircled us. This situation is too dangerous, we have to break out as soon as possible!"

"No rush." Ling Xiao gazed at the Northern Wei soldiers retreating like the tides of the ocean and shook his head. "Right now, this is only the first wave of troops from Northern Wei. We're still not clear on their total troop strength, thus we have to hold on. DaYuan, the fact that the Northern Wei army knows that we are settled in here, but came to attack us anyways is already something unusual!"

That deputy general was called Song DaYuan, and he had already followed Ling Xiao for over ten years. He was full of bravery and wisdom and was Ling Xiao's right-hand man. Right now, his brow was furrowed, as he replied, "That's right, this matter is puzzling. In a normal battle, the safest way would be to send in the infantry and force us to expend all our arrows and supplies before they send in all their troops to surround and attack us. They obviously know that we gathered in a rush for this expedition, but they chose the most foolish way of attacking us by sending in their cavalry to take the damage! Your subordinate feels that there are only two reasons why a general would use such a method."

"What reasons would they be?" Ling Xiao asked.

Song DaYuan replied, "The first would be that this general from Northern Wei isn't an expert in commanding troops, and also believes that the victory could be easily won, hence he committed this crime and allowed the lives of so many elite cavalry troops to be lost!"

"That isn't possible!" Another general at the side couldn't help but interrupt. "A commander with a 400,000 strong army, how could he have achieved this without being able to command troops? If he didn't have any authority over his soldiers, then how could he also get them to set ambushes all around us? I believe there must be another reason!"

Song DaYuan nodded his head, "Which comes to my second reason. If our side has reinforcements coming, he has to resort to this method in order to end the battle as soon as possible!"

Another middle-aged general came up, and it was precisely the general who previously had a dispute with Ling Twenty! His name was Li XiangDong, and he said, "Isn't this also a bit improbable? The enemy is already hell-bent on annihilating us, so why would Sky Bearing still bother to send out reinforcements? Furthermore, the general's entire personal troops are gathered here this time, so where would there be any reinforcements? Even if someone provides reinforcements, they would also be stopped by the thirty thousand soldiers led by those three b*st*rds. In my opinion, it must be a ploy by that b*st*rd Northern Wei prince!"

The audience nodded their heads in response. At this point, Ling Nineteen stepped up to speak. While his position was only that of Ling Xiao's personal bodyguard, he couldn't be bothered with such a matter at this point. "Who says we don't have reinforcements? My young noble's troops are coming along as we speak! In his eyes, the Northern Wei Prince is merely a piece of chicken feed!"

The moment his words came out, everyone was stunned speechless. These people had spent the past few months on this very battlefield, so other than important war-related news, how would they have known about the scene that Ling Tian had made in the imperial capital? In their hearts, he was still the infamous silkpants, at most a silkpants who had good martial skills.

Contrary to everyone's expectations, Ling Xiao actually nodded his head and said, "That's right, I believe that Tian'er will definitely bring reinforcements. Thus, before he comes, we must first find a stable location to huddle in, and prolong the enemy's attacks as long as possible until our reinforcements come! Right now what we need most is time, and the longer we hold on, the higher our chances of success!"

Although everyone present had their prejudices against Ling Tian, seeing the verification from Ling Xiao, everyone could only agree and keep their suspicions to themselves!

Song DaYuan continued, "I believe when the enemy attacks again they will reveal their true objective. To annihilate our army is probably their intention. While the Northern Wei army outnumbers us by quite a bit, our army has a greater number of elites when compared to theirs, so I estimate that more than half of their troops would be lost before they actually face us. The perpetrator from Northern Wei would definitely not want to see that, nor will he be able to accept it. He would definitely use the 'trap three leave one' method, to allow our army a chance to survive, in order to decrease our fighting spirit and increase our will to live."

"The route of retreat would definitely be filled with ambushes!" Li XiangDong replied, "Which general who has participated in a few wars wouldn't know this?"

Song DaYuan smiled a little as he spoke, "A human's will to live is a very strange thing. While you know that the escape route has an ambush waiting for you, you will still sacrifice everything to jump into it. Thus, if we do the exact opposite, that would be the true reprieve from death. Only when we go head on against them and redouble the attack, then we would truly have a chance to live! This also means that, if they open up the north for us to retreat towards, then we should rush and attack the south! While the opposite direction would definitely have the strongest resistance, the soldiers involved in the encirclement wouldn't be aiming to kill. Thus, if we take the chance when they open a path to counterattack them and fight with all our lives, then the chances of us surviving would be greater!"

Chapter 307: Mutual Deception

Translator: DavidT Editor: DavidT, Rock

All the generals burst out into laughter and nodded in approval. Li XiangDong then slapped Kong DaYuan on the back and said, "I never imagined that you would have such a trick up your sleeve." Everyone felt that this plan was a feasible one and could not help but give a sigh of relief. It was as though they had already successfully broken out of the enemy's encirclement.

Kong DaYuan then said with a chuckle, "It is a pity that those three b*stard generals will definitely obstruct us on the way back. If not, we would still be able to preserve our forces even if we were to lose this battle. However, we definitely can't go back to Sky Bearing now. Apart from the direction of Sky Bearing, we would definitely face a ridgeline no matter which other direction we pick. Thus, we only need to pick a ridgeline which is easy to defend and our 70,000 strong army will definitely be able to last for four days, even if our enemy is 400,000 men strong! If we are going to have any reinforcements, they will definitely be here by then! If we have no reinforcements by then, there isn't a need for us to dream about having any reinforcements and we can fight Northern Wei to the bitter end!"

Everyone agreed in praise and Ling Xiao could not come up with a better idea himself after thinking for a long while. Thus, he commanded all of his troops to follow Kong DaYuan's plan!

While Kong DaYuan was intelligent, he was no more than an excellent commander and not a real strategist. Furthermore, he made a grave error in his plans! His plans were based on the current strength of the army! He completely forgot about the fact that they were currently surrounded by 400,000 troops, and they had yet to break out of their enemy's encirclement. Who knows how many of them would be left after that? As for the remaining troops who were left, they may not even be able to reach a ridgeline without falling into ambushes laid by their enemies! Even if they were able to do so, just how many days would they be able to last? However, one thing for sure was that four days was an impossible task!

In the battlefield, the arrows filled the sky and miserable shrieks sounded everywhere. While the Sky Bearing army was delaying for time, the Northern Wei army was also doing the same thing. It was as though both their armies had the same plan…

At the Northern Wei's side, Wei ChengPing asked with some doubt, "Brother Shui, the cavalry of our army suffered great casualties previously but was unable to shake the morale of General Ling's army. Weren't the losses not worth the gain?" Seeing that many cavalry fall with miserable shrieks, Wei ChengPing felt his heart bleed! There were almost four to five hundred fatalities in that single attack!

The cavalry leading the charge were the elites of the Northern Wei army! They had always been the greatest treasure to secure their victory. However, this young Shui man actually let them lead the charge in this battle. Back when they were discussing their strategy, that young Shui man said, "After being abandoned by his country, General Ling would definitely have his morale shaken and spirit destroyed! With the betrayal of his fellow troops, he would definitely lose all will to battle! As such, I believe that our elite cavalry would be able to destroy the defense line of our enemies with a single charge! It would definitely reduce our losses to the minimum!"

At that time, Wei ChengPing felt that these words were extremely reasonable! Furthermore, it would be a glorious event to be able to destroy the God of War with a single charge! Wei ChengPing had agreed to the matter without giving it much thought. Who would have thought that through this single charge, not only were they unable to destroy the defenses of the Sky Bearing Army, almost a third of their elites were lost! Only then did he feel that something was wrong.

Right at this moment, the young Shui man also thought to himself, Ling Xiao's army seems to differ greatly from the rumors! This was obviously a great gift for you and equivalent to sending a bunch of elite troops on a platter for you to devour. However, you only managed to eat up so little of them! This is just too disappointing!

This young Shui man was someone who had the ambition to rule the world, so how could he leave the elite troops of Wei ChengPing alive? Wouldn't they end up becoming a great hindrance to his plans in the future? As long as the number of elite troops Wei ChengPing had decreased, all the newly recruited soldiers of his would be no more than little children on the battlefield! At that time, they would definitely follow him as long as he offered them some candy. What could that Wei ChengPing be considered as? To think he even dreams of being the ruler of the continent?! What a joke!

Hearing Wei ChengPing's question, the young Shui man snickered, "It seems that brother Wei is feeling the heartache?"

Wei ChenPing snorted and did not reply.

The young man's face sobered as he said, "Brother Wei, this is a battlefield! This is war! Without any sacrifices, how would there be a victory? Just like the saying, 'the success of a general would result in thousands of corpses', the ambitions of a ruler is definitely built on a mountain of bones. If brother Wei can't see past this point and is still so merciful, it would be a dream for you to rule the world!"

Wei ChengPing immediately replied, "I am naturally not a merciful individual! I am definitely not one who isn't willing to make sacrifices. However, the loss of these 5,000 soldiers is indeed a baffling thing! We could have sent our infantry to the frontlines and dragged this battle on for a few days. At that time, victory…"

The young man interrupted Wei ChengPing with a ferocious glare, "Is brother Wei reprimanding me for giving out lousy commands? If not for the fact that you had ordered a sudden retreat, the present scenario would definitely be extremely different. The cavalry was originally a few hundred feet away from general Ling and that single thought of yours wasted all of our efforts! If brother Wei doesn't acknowledge my plans, you can command the troops on your own and I definitely will not mind!"

Wei ChengPing quickly forced a smile and said, "No, no, no! Brother Shui shouldn't be overly sensitive. This prince knows that Brother Shui's stratagems are unrivaled in the world and I had only made a casual remark without meaning anything else." Knowing the background of this young man, how would Wei ChengPing dare to offend him?

The young man's face began to look less unsightly as he said calmly, "While you previously spoiled my plans, I have to admit that I did underestimate Ling Xiao. Despite facing such a hopeless situation, he is still able to maintain his cool. He does indeed live up to the name of being the God of War."

The young man then paused for a moment before continuing, "With our superior numbers, how can I not know that the best plan would be for us to drag out this battle. However, I had just received news that General Ling's son, Ling Tian, had received news from who knows where and is on the way here with 10,000 elite troops! Thus, it would be best for us to take care of Ling Xiao as quickly as possible! Even at the expenses of our elites!"

Wei ChengPing's eyes lit up and said, "I see, that explains Brother Shui's plans." Actually, with Wei ChengPing's paranoid nature, he could naturally tell that this young Shui man was just giving an excuse. However, this wasn't the time for him to make a fuss out of this. Thus, while he knew that he had suffered a great loss, he had no choice but to keep his mouth shut.

The young Shui man's eyes then glimmered as he ordered, "Now that things have developed to such an extent, the next step of our plan has to be sped up. Send out my orders: Attack from three directions and leave the southeast empty. Force Ling Xiao to escape in that direction!"

Wei ChengPing was immediately startled, "Wait a moment! Brother Shui, the Western Han had laid their ambush in the northwestern directions. Why do you want them to escape from the southeastern direction? We do not even have a single soldier in ambush there, wouldn't we be letting the tiger back into the mountain? If we were to let Ling Xiao escape, our future troubles would definitely be endless!"

The young Shui man then let out a long sigh as he thought, What an idiot! Then, he asked impatiently, "If you were Ling Xiao and you saw that the southeastern direction was the only opening, what will you do?"

Wei ChengPing was taken aback for a moment and said without thinking, "There is definitely an ambush in that direction!" After saying that, he slapped his forehead in realization, "I see! The lie is the truth, and the truth is the lie. Brother Shui is indeed a wise individual!"

A hint of mockery flashed past the young man's eyes as he commanded, "Raise the flags and launch an all-out attack!"

The sound of the military drums echoed in the sky! The Northern Wei soldiers let out a battle cry and shook the heavens! They then charged forward valiantly without any concern for their lives!

As for the Sky Bearing army, it was already the sixth time they had reshuffled their archers. With a command from Ling Xiao, the war drums sounded again and all the archers swapped out their arrows to arrows doused in kerosene. With an order, balls of fire were lit and the bows were all pulled taut and ready to fire!

"Fire!" The red flag waved down!

"Swoosh swoosh swoosh swoosh…" The arrows shot out with a swoosh and a sea of fire could be seen in the air. However, the arrows were not shot towards the Northern Wei troops but the previously laid out logs. These wooden logs were already soaked in kerosene and they burst out into flames upon contact with the flaming arrows. All of a sudden, the Sky Bearing army was surrounded by a sea of fire! The torrential heatwave made the hair on the Sky Bearing soldiers curl up from the heat.

From time to time, the crackling flames could be heard as the bodies of the Northern Wei soldiers were burned alive. Following the miserable wails of the Northern Wei soldiers, an unbearable stench then spread across the battlefield.

On the corpse-littered battlefield, some of the originally motionless bodies began to contort in pain as their bodies sprang up like zombies rising up from their graves! The strange and eerie scene in front of them made both the troops break out in cold sweat!

"KILL!!!" The Northern Wei soldiers bellowed as they charged over with their blades. However, none of them expected this sudden sea of flames to appear in front of them! There were many who could not stop themselves in time and charged right into the blazing flames. Then, a wave of miserable shrieks could be heard coming out from the sea of flames. There were a few who despite being able to stop themselves in time, were pushed right into the sea of flames by the soldiers behind them who were charging forward! In the sea of flames, countless of Northern Wei soldiers were running around and rolling on the ground, a miserable sight to behold. As the many Northern Wei soldiers saw the predicament of their fellow soldiers but were helpless to do anything, they all turned their heads away and did not want to witness that horrific scene.

It was as though that 200-foot radius had transformed into a living hell!

From the Northern Wei army, the drumming of the war drums sounded incessantly without any signs of stopping. Looking at the burning flames in front of them, the Northern Wei soldiers felt as though the drumming behind them was pushing them to their deaths. Thus, they could not help but cry out, "Stop drumming! It is a sea of fire in front, do you want us to be burned alive?"

The young Shui man sat atop his horse and ordered with a heartless expression, "Execute any who retreat from fear! Attack! Destroy Ling Xiao's army!"

Wei ChengPing's face began to contort as he witnessed his soldiers struggling in the sea of flame.

Chapter 308: Break Through the Encirclement

Translator: DavidT Editor: DavidT, Rock

Right at this moment, the Northern Wei army suddenly split into two and a few burly men charged out from the depths of the troops. Their clothes were all drenched with water and they held onto a long spear each. Then, each of them actually charged straight into the sea of fire and before the crowd could exclaim, pillars of fire shot into the air and spun around a few times before landing in the midst of the Sky Bearing army. All of a sudden, the wall of fire in front of them seemed to have thinned out considerably with a huge gap formed! The burly men had actually thrown out the logs of fire with their spears!

Then, all of them charged back out from the sea of fire! Following which, each of the burly men had two men from the Northern Wei army immediately throw a bucket of water over all of them. The fire on their bodies was immediately extinguished, but every last hair on their body had already been burned away with blisters all over their body. All of their breathing was ragged and there were some who had fainted already. There were even some who had died instantly from the abrupt change in temperature!

Without a doubt, such a method to extinguish the fire was extremely effective. Very quickly, another batch of burly men emerged from the Northern Wei army and charged into the sea of flames with a roar! Pillars of fire were shot to the Sky Bearing army again as the same method was repeated!

There were many from the Sky Bearing army who could not avoid the burning logs and let out miserable moans!

Upon witnessing this scene, Ling Xiao cursed in agitation, "Where did Wei ChengPing find these b*st*rds who don't know how to fear death! D*mmit! To think that they would willingly jump into the sea of fire!"

In just a short while, the wall of flames separating both armies had been mostly cleaned up. While there were still places that were on fire, it no longer affected the battle. Even though the fire was not completely extinguished, there were countless gaps in the wall of fire and it was enough for the Northern Wei army to launch their next attack!

Following the Northern Wei's furious onslaught, Ling Xiao waved his hands and the last wave of arrows was shot out. Then, the archers made their retreat and the elite infantry aggressively lined up along the front as they held onto their blades!

"Kill them all!" Following a loud roar, almost three thousand blades ferociously struck down! The blinding flash of their blades almost blinded their enemies in that instant! It was as though a bolt of lightning had landed on the battlefield!

The Northern Wei army charged forward without any fear of death as their spears stabbed out without a care for who was in front of them!

Blood splattered everywhere! Countless Northern Wei soldiers were cleaved in two from their shoulder to their waist! At the same time, many Sky Bearing soldiers clenched their faces in pain as their hands covered their chest with a spear sticking out of it!

The two ferocious armies had entered into an intense brawl! Every moment, there would be countless soldiers from both sides perishing!

Ling Xiao and Kong DaYuan were both by the marshal's tent with their faces calm. It was as though they could not see the bloody scene in front of them! Ling Nineteen suddenly slid down from the flagpole and shouted out, "Marshal! The enemy is attacking us from all directions, and they intentionally left a gap in the southeastern direction!"

Kong DaYuan gave a delighted smile, "It was just as I had expected! Marshal, give the order! We just need to charge out in the opposite direction. As long as we determine a direction to charge out from, the sparse troops of the Northern Wei army will not be able to stop us!"

Ling Xiao took in a deep breath and suddenly raised the weapon in his hand, "Fellow generals, listen to my orders!"

All of them acknowledged Ling Xiao's words immediately.

Ling Xiao shouted out, "Li XiangDong will be the vanguard! Kong DaYuan will position himself on the left wing and Meng YouCai the right. The main force will be positioned in the center, and we will form a triangle formation to break out of this encirclement! Li XiangDong, this marshal will let you deploy my Blood Iron Warriors, and you have to kill a blood path for our army to retreat!"

Li XiangDong straightened his back and shouted in response, "Even if this general has to offer my life as a sacrifice, I will not let the marshal down! Brothers, charge with me! Our army will be victorious! We are invincible!" Then, he got onto his horse and charged forward without hesitation. His personal troops also followed behind without any hesitation and let out bestial roars as they charged forward. They were like a poisonous dragon rising up from the deep abyss, clashing head-on with the Northern Wei army!

Li XiangDong then raised his blade and slaughtered the many enemies in front of him. With a crazed laugh, he charged forward on his horse. At the same time, his personal troops also raised their shields and followed him without hesitation! In just a short while, Ling XiangDong's troops had already charged out dozens of feet! They were like a sharp blade stabbing deep into the depths of the enemy's troops!

Ling Xiao then waved his hands and shouted, "Abandon the camp! Charge!" He then urged his horse to follow behind Li XiangDong! Ling Nineteen and the others did not dare delay as they quickly followed behind Ling Xiao! With Ling Xiao's marshal flag moving, the Sky Bearing army also began following him without breaking their formation.

Kong DaYuan's left wing troops were left at the very end. Seeing that the bulk of their troops had broken through successfully, Kong DaYuan wanted to unleash another wave of fire attack to stop their enemies. However, he suddenly saw a group of Sky Bearing soldiers run towards him pitifully, with every one of them riddled with injuries! Behind them, there were many Northern Wei troops approaching close behind!

Kong DaYuan's face contorted in misery and he let out a roar, "My brothers behind! This general has let you down! For the sake of the marshal's army, I have to use fire to stop the enemy! Fellow brothers, this general has let you down!" As he said that, he raised his right hand and the archers behind him pulled their bows taut!

The Sky Bearing troops who were running over suddenly stopped as they heard that. A bearded man then shouted out, "General, just unleash the arrows! For the marshal and our brothers, our death is insignificant!" He then let out a roar, "Brothers, let us bring up the rear for our marshal and all our brothers!" The bearded man then turned around and raised his blade up, charging towards the Northern Wei army, "B*st*rds of Northern Wei! Your granddaddy Liu Si is back!"

The dozens of soldiers who were with him revealed a resolute gaze and turned around as well. Following behind the bearded man, they charged at the Northern Wei army, "B*st*rds of Northern Wei, this granddaddy is here to accompany you!"

Kong DaYuan then let out an order with tears in his eyes, "Brothers, have a safe journey! Fire!"

The flaming arrows shot out and the whole Sky Bearing camp was engulfed in flames! In the flames, Kong DaYuan could still see the bearded man called Liu Si killing two enemies. Even after being stabbed by a blade in his back, he still pounced forward and dragged an officer off his horse. He did not bother about the blade stabbed into his body and rolled into the flames while hugging the enemy. The next moment, that person's miserable wails could be heard together with Liu Si's maniacal laughter!

"Retreat! Retreat at full speed! Don't let our brothers die in vain!" Kong DaYuan gave a military salute and let out a roar. Turning his horse around, he chased after Ling Xiao's main forces!

Behind him, a wall of fire had been formed, and the path was already blocked!

Far away from the front, Wei ChengPing's face blossomed with a bright smile as he said delightfully, "Brother Shui's plans are wonderful indeed! Ling Xiao had indeed given up on the southeastern direction and charged towards the northwestern direction! He even used a wall of flame to cut off his avenue of retreat. As such, he will definitely fall into the pincer attack of our army and the Western Han army! We can definitely let them fight to the death before coming out to fish for benefits. We won't even need to expend any effort! Hahaha…"

The young man, who was also Shui QianRou's brother, Shui QianHuan, sat on the horse with a calm expression. Not a trace of delight could be seen on his face from his successful plan. Instead, he looked at the battlefield with a sharp gaze and said calmly, "Issue my orders: Block their escape with full force!"

Wei ChengPing was startled again as he said, "Ling Xiao is going in the right direction and we only need to let him leave. Why do we have to block him? Won't it only increase our casualties?"

Shui QianHuan then said coldly, "Ling Xiao's title of 'God of War' isn't for no reason, and he will definitely be suspicious if we don't try to stop him with full force. It would be akin to announcing to him that we have laid an ambush for him in the northwestern direction. If they were to change directions again, we would have to face their powerful army alone! At that time, it would be too late for you to even cry! Are you going to question my orders at every juncture?!"

Wei ChengPing twitched his lips awkwardly but did not say a thing.

Shui QianHuan's orders had already spread across the army.

All of a sudden, a look of shock could be seen on Shui QianHuan's face as he muttered, "Who would have thought Ling Xiao would have such an expert! How extraordinary!"

All of them looked towards the same direction and realized that Shui QianHuan was looking at Ling Xiao's marshal flag! Upon witnessing what they saw, they could not help but take in a breath of cold air!

Ling Nineteen and his three brothers surrounded Ling Xiao in all four directions and beautiful flowers seemed to be blooming out from their blades! Beautiful flowers made from the blood of their enemies! Every time they brandished their sword, they would take the life of an enemy! However, the faces of the four of them were still calm and indifferent with a resolute and cruel gaze in their eyes! They reaped the lives of the Northern Wei soldiers without any hesitation and were like farmers reaping the grain from their harvest! The familiarity of their actions made it seem like they were numb to what they were doing!

Ling Xiao looked towards these four teens with shock! To think that these four young teens who usually didn't say much would be so proficient in killing. Even an old general like Ling Xiao could not help but be awed! He could not help but feel inferiority! Then, he suddenly remembered that these four little fellows were the personal elites that his son had trained! As such, Ling Xiao couldn't help but think to himself, Are the rumors really true? Is Tian'er even more powerful than the four of them?!